Inverness Caledonian Thistle assistant manager Scott Kellacher hopes rotation gamble will pay off in Scottish Championship title showdown against Kilmarnock
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Scott Kellacher admits it was vital to rest players ahead of tomorrow night’s Championship crunch match against Kilmarnock.
A dominant performance by an understrength Caley Thistle on Tuesday evening drew a blank against Raith Rovers before exiting the SPFL Trust Trophy last eight 5–4 on penalty kicks.
Mark Ridgers, Danny Devine, Kirk Broadfoot and Manny Duku were among those left out completely, while the likes of Aaron Doran, Scott Allardice, Sean Welsh, Shane Sutherland and Billy Mckay were used sparingly.
In their absence, a mostly young Caley Jags side played some fluent football but just fell short in and around the penalty area.
The best chance of the second half was passed up by the otherwise impressive Lewis Jamieson. Defeat was confirmed in sudden death when Sutherland became the second home player to have a spot-kick saved by Raith’s Robbie Thomson.
Assistant manager Kellacher said: “We were trying to shuffle the pack a wee bit to keep boys fresh and to get other boys game time as well.
“We managed it very well on Tuesday night. We obviously wanted to win the game and we’re gutted to be out of the competition as we felt we deserved to win the tie.
“But we were trying to keep boys fresh as well because it is a hard period with so many games coming up.”
Kellacher knows just how important a victory over last season’s relegated Premiership side would be.
Three points ahead of the remaining four Saturday fixtures would take Caley Thistle two points clear of Killie and Raith at the top of the table, ahead of the Kirkcaldy side’s difficult away test at Arbroath.
John McGlynn’s Raith side have only lost three times this season – to Caley Jags, Queen of the South and Celtic – in all competitions. A little added pressure on Raith overnight would do no harm at all.
Kellacher said: “We know it is a big game on Friday. Every game can be looked upon as big in this league, but Kilmarnock are right up there at the summit, and we know we’ve got to go and beat them.
“We’re looking forward to the game.
“To get the points on the board on a Friday night, ahead of the other fixtures, would be fantastic. That’s our aim.
“We just try to get three points on the board every week and then keep focusing on the next game.”
Summing up the cup defeat, Kellacher added: “Overall, I thought we played really well, especially having made so many changes against a strong Raith side.
“We’re really pleased with the performance from start to finish, apart from maybe that little bit of cutting edge. Young Lewis had that terrific chance, but to be fair it was a fantastic save from the goalkeeper.
“We couldn’t have asked for much more from the boys. Their attitude was terrific. We needed them to make a wee statement and every single one did great.”
