Preview Inverness Caley Thistle

Two teams seeking first goals and first wins of this SPL season

The Pars second SPL game of the season will be at home to Inverness Caley Thistle on Saturday.  The sides last met two seasons ago when the Highlanders notched two wins and two draws.

It is 10 games back now since Dunfermline last defeated Inverness Caley at East End Park that was nearly twelve years ago in December 1999.  Since then Caley successes in Fife include a CIS Insurance Cup tie played on 9th October 2001.  That night Jimmy Calderwood`s Pars side went out on penalties despite a 63rd minute Steven Hampshire equaliser getting the Pars back on track at 1-1. 

In the last dozen meetings between the teams Dunfermline have won only once, with four drawn and seven lost.  Jim McIntyre was the last Dunfermline player to score against them in the game that saw the Pars relegated in 2007. The only win - Stephen Kenny`s first league win - was on 17th Match 2007.

Both sides will want three points from this game.  The Pars have one point from their solitary SPL match against St Mirren while Inverness Caley Thistle have not taken any points from the six they have so far contested.  Terry Butcher`s side went down 3-0 against Motherwell on the first day of the season before losing 1-0 to a stoppage time Garry O`Connor goal against Hibs - despite plenty of chances being created by the Highlanders.

Three penalty claims were also dismissed by the referee in the defeat to Hibs, but Butcher has said that scoring their first competitive goals of the new campaign will be the main objective.

Last Time Out

DUNFERMLINE (v Annan Athletic): Paul Gallacher, Jason Thomson, John Potter, Alex Keddie, Austin McCann (c); Paul Burns (Steven McDougall 80), Andy Dowie, Gary Mason (Ryan Thomson, 71), Joe Cardle; Andy Kirk (Liam Buchanan 66), Andy Barrowman..
SUBS NOT USED: Chris Smith (GK), Paddy Boyle.

INVERNESS CALEY THISTLE (v Hibs): Ryan Esson, Ross Tokely, Kenny Gillet, Tom Aldred, Johnny Hayes, Owain Tudor Jones, Greg Tansey, Tom Piermayr, Nick Ross (Aaron Doran 58), Richie Foran, Gregory Tade (Shane Sutherland 69)
SUBS NOT USED: Graeme Shinnie, Andrew Shinnie, David Proctor, Gavin Morrison, Jonny Tuffey (GK).

Referee will be Stephen Finnie.

Caley Thistle have brought in eight new players including Gregory Tade, Aaron Doran and Chris Hogg. Their manager Terry Butcher said this week:-

"In pre-season we were scoring lots of goals and playing some terrific form and we have carried that into the SPL. We have not done anything different, the only difference is our results.

"We said at half-time in the Hibs game that we would improve as the game went on and we did. We dominated and looked like getting the winner before we were hit by the sucker-punch.

"We also had three really strong penalty decisions that didn`t go our way, which really was quite remarkable. We haven`t had the luck in the last two games, but you can talk about that all you want - the thing is we haven`t put the ball in the net when we`ve had the chance to do so.

"We`re in a really positive frame of mind again. We`re just going to continue what we`re doing and I know the results will come. We`re looking forward to going back to Dunfermline. When we played there in the First Division two years ago we were fortunate to get a late win thanks to a goal from Lee Cox - very much like Hibs last week.

"We also drew there that season, I remember that game for personal reasons. It was the day before my son`s wedding in Manchester and Maurice was driving me through blizzards and we drew 0-0.

"There`s always a great crowd down there and it`s a fantastic club, with Jim McIntyre and Gerry McCabe doing a great job.

"Like ourselves, they have come up from the First Division and they have that unity about them. They have added a few new faces, but largely they are a squad who know one another very well and they have that winning mentality.

"However, we have our own agenda to stick to. We have been playing well and we`ll be going there with confidence."