Calendar An icon of a desk calendar. Cancel An icon of a circle with a diagonal line across. Caret An icon of a block arrow pointing to the right. Email An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of the Facebook "f" mark. Google An icon of the Google "G" mark. Linked In An icon of the Linked In "in" mark. Logout An icon representing logout. Profile An icon that resembles human head and shoulders. Telephone An icon of a traditional telephone receiver. Tick An icon of a tick mark. Is Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes. Is Not Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes with a diagonal line through it. Pause Icon A two-lined pause icon for stopping interactions. Quote Mark A opening quote mark. Quote Mark A closing quote mark. Arrow An icon of an arrow. Folder An icon of a paper folder. Breaking An icon of an exclamation mark on a circular background. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Caret An icon of a caret arrow. Clock An icon of a clock face. Close An icon of the an X shape. Close Icon An icon used to represent where to interact to collapse or dismiss a component Comment An icon of a speech bubble. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Ellipsis An icon of 3 horizontal dots. Envelope An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Home An icon of a house. Instagram An icon of the Instagram logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. Magnifying Glass An icon of a magnifying glass. Search Icon A magnifying glass icon that is used to represent the function of searching. Menu An icon of 3 horizontal lines. Hamburger Menu Icon An icon used to represent a collapsed menu. Next An icon of an arrow pointing to the right. Notice An explanation mark centred inside a circle. Previous An icon of an arrow pointing to the left. Rating An icon of a star. Tag An icon of a tag. Twitter An icon of the Twitter logo. Video Camera An icon of a video camera shape. Speech Bubble Icon A icon displaying a speech bubble WhatsApp An icon of the WhatsApp logo. Information An icon of an information logo. Plus A mathematical 'plus' symbol. Duration An icon indicating Time. Success Tick An icon of a green tick. Success Tick Timeout An icon of a greyed out success tick. Loading Spinner An icon of a loading spinner. Facebook Messenger An icon of the facebook messenger app logo. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Facebook Messenger An icon of the Twitter app logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. WhatsApp Messenger An icon of the Whatsapp messenger app logo. Email An icon of an mail envelope. Copy link A decentered black square over a white square.

Anthony McDonald hopes promotion push with Caley Thistle makes up for missing Scottish Cup semi-final against Hearts

Anthony McDonald celebrates after Inverness' win over Ross County in the Scottish Cup.
Anthony McDonald celebrates after Inverness' win over Ross County in the Scottish Cup.

Caley Thistle midfielder Anthony McDonald says Inverness’ promotion push can to ease his frustration at missing next weekend’s Scottish Cup semi final against parent club Hearts.

McDonald joined Caley Jags on loan from the Jambos in January, meaning he will be ineligible when the two sides meet at Hampden Park in next Saturday’s last-four tie.

While McDonald’s team-mates will aim to set up a final showdown with either Aberdeen or Celtic, the 18-year-old must focus solely on league matters in the meantime, and he hopes he can help John Robertson’s men move a step closer to securing a promotion play-off spot with a victory at Ayr United today.

McDonald said: “We have got one foot in the play-offs at the moment, so hopefully we will get cemented in there and then we’ve got a semi final – which I’m gutted I’m not allowed to play in.

“There’s still a lot to play for and we still fancy our chances. We have had a few injuries, it’s a small squad but we’re all confident.

“It’s a good squad and if we play to our strengths I think we’ve got a very good chance of going up. Hopefully we can get the club back to where they belong in the Premiership.”

McDonald is disappointed at missing out on a semi final appearance at the national stadium, adding: “I was watching the Hearts game against Partick, and I watched the draw after it.

“I was sitting with my Dad, and I just said ‘watch this – we are getting Hearts here.’ As soon as it came on I was gutted.

“It’s just one of those things though, it happens. I’ll just go to the game and see what happens.
“I was back to Hearts for my treatment, so we were talking about it there. I can’t really say much though – I’m not giving much away.”

McDonald has been restricted to just three starts and four substitute appearances since joining Caley Thistle, making his return from a groin injury in Tuesday’s 2-1 Highland derby loss to Ross County.

The Kirkcaldy-born player is determined to make his mark at Caledonian Stadium under the eye of Robertson, who is Hearts’ all-time leading scorer.

McDonald will miss out on the semi-final with parent club Hearts.

He added: “It was a frustrating injury, as I was starting to feel like I was starting to do well. That’s what a run of games does to you.

“The game the other night was not the greatest. We didn’t start very well, but on a personal note it was good to just get back on the pitch.

“We have not got many league games. It was a horrible time to get injured at, with so many crucial games.

“I’m feeling good now, so I just need to go and make sure I cement a spot in the team. If we were to get to the play-offs it would be another few games to make me feel good about myself.

“The manager has known me since I was 13 or 14. He knows what I play like, and what systems I fit into. He’s also a Hearts legend, so it’s one that I kind of look up to.

“With all the goals, you look at it and think that could be you.”