Know the Ref - Inverness Caley Thistle home

Last updated : 24 November 2009 By Stuart Gillespie

That game was in December and was the last time Mr Conroy did one of our games. We won 2-0 (going on five) and he had a relatively quiet day. Hopefully that's an omen - along with the fact it was our second win in a row after a lengthy period without a league victory. Sadly, his other Saints game this season ended in defeat. It came at Fir Park in September when we (unsurprisingly) threw away a lead and Franco Miranda was rather harshly sent off.

For some reason, Mr Conroy has only done one of our games in each of the last two seasons. Last term saw a hammering at Pittodrie, while the 2006/07 season saw him take charge of a Boxing Day win over Falkirk.

There are a few more games from our seasons in the first division. During the championship winning season there were four, including our extra time win over Forfar on the opening day of the season. Another was a win over Clyde at Love Street, where we were given a penalty the Clyde fans didn't think was a foul - a common occurrence that season. The other two games were against Queen of the South - one saw a victory while the other was goalless but both teams had a man sent off. For us, it was John Sutton who was dismissed - but the decision was overturned on appeal.

The 2004/05 season saw Mr Conroy only do two Saints games, both of which were against Airdrie United - we won at New Broomfield but drew at Love Street. The previous season there were defeats to St. Johnstone and Clyde and a great win over Queens, where John O'Neill was booked for his celebration! The only other thing of note was when we had to retake a penalty in the Clyde game because their keeper moved - even though we scored the original. Fortunately we scored the retake. The only other game showing in Soccerbase involving Mr Conroy was in 2002/03 when Inverness Caley Thistle hammered us - hardly a surprise in those times.

Mr Conroy has done three Inverness Caley Thistle games this season - and they've lost the lot. One was at Love Street, while the others were against Hearts and Falkirk - with Caley Thistle having a player sent off in each game. His only game involving the Highland side last season was a heavy defeat to Hibs and again he sent off a Caley Thistle man - although he also sent off a Hibs player. 2006/07 saw him do two seasons - a defeat to Hearts and a draw with Dundee United (no red cards for once).

You have to go back to 2005/06 for the last time he was in charge of a Caley Thistle victory, when they beat Motherwell. However, they lost the other two games that season - to Celtic and Motherwell. Things were only slightly better the year before when they beat Dunfermline and lost to Hibs. Their first division title season saw another win and defeat combo - a big win over Queen of the South but a defeat to Clyde. They beat Queens in 2002/03 with Mr Conroy in charge and there's also the previously mentioned thrashing of us.

The Soccerbase stats show that Mr Conroy averages a red card about once every five games as he's managed seven dismissals in 34 games. However, there seems to have been a change in his approach since the turn of the year as five of the red cards have come in 2009. Will he make it six on Saturday?