Danny Devine hopes a return home to Northern Ireland this Saturday can help him close in on a starting place for Caley Thistle’s Scottish Cup final against Celtic next month.
Inverness travel to NIFL side Premiership Dungannon Swifts for a friendly to give the team crucial minutes in the legs two weeks before their June 3 Hampden showdown with Scottish champions Celtic.
Dungannon finished second bottom of their division and await a two-legged relegation crunch against Warrenpoint, who were runners-up in their Championship, although this depends on an appeal from their opponents, who are not yet eligible for promotion due to a lack of licence.
This will be ICT’s first run-out since the 2-1 defeat to Ayr United, which saw them miss out on the promotion play-offs and finish sixth in their division.
Sides seeking a ‘competitive edge’
Defender Devine is sure there will be enough of an edge about the match to make it worthwhile.
The 2015 ICT Scottish Cup winner said: “I’m looking forward to going back home. I obviously know Dungannon and, in my time there, I played against them a couple of times in my younger days.
“We’re not out there for long, but I am sure I will see some family at the game, and it will be good to get home very briefly to see them, but we’re thinking about the game and focused on getting what we need from it.
Friendly Announced!
We're delighted to announce we will face @DgnSwifts in a friendly at Stangmore Park this Saturday, 3pm kick-off.
👉 https://t.co/cnvadr2zmp pic.twitter.com/IXT99i9MTc
— Inverness Caledonian Thistle FC (@ICTFC) May 16, 2023
“The match is handy for Dungannon too as they need game-time because a lot of their clubs are now off.
“I’m sure there will be a competitive edge to it as well. Players are playing for (cup final) spots and it comes on the back of a good week.
“Players are always having to prove something (to the management). It’s good for us to get game-time, get our sharpness up and try to impress the manager for June 3.”
Squad refreshed after mini-break
Devine is delighted the club have fixed this friendly up, with clubs near and far either finished for the summer or still with plenty at stake in their own leagues.
He said: “It has been tough for the club to find an opponent, but now we’re looking forward to it.
🎟️ Tickets for our ‘Inverness Express’ football special go on sale at exclusively from Inverness station Travel Shop tomorrow morning.
This additional train is to help fans get to and from the men's @ScottishCup Final at @Hampdenpark on 3 June. @ICTFC
— ScotRail (@ScotRail) May 19, 2023
“It’s hard to replicate that competitive edge, which comes with games. We need this game to keep ourselves sharp ahead of such a well-drilled team as Celtic. It’s important we do get some game-time.
“We got a wee break after the Ayr game, which all the boys needed. It allowed us to refresh, regroup and switch off.
“We returned to normal training this week, and everything is now geared towards the cup final. The boys are looking forward to going away and getting a game in.”
Pitch perfect for Hampden action
The Hampden pitch has come in for criticism at various points, but Devine was happy with how it played in their 3-0 semi-final victory against Falkirk last month.
He added: “I was surprised by how nice the surface was for the semi-final. I remember watching a Scotland game not so long ago and it didn’t look great, but it was fantastic for the Falkirk game.
“The grass was slightly long, but I think that was done on purpose, because they had the Celtic v Rangers game there the next day. Maybe that was done to protect it a bit.
“In terms of the actual surface, it was lovely to play on and hopefully, it will be similar next month.”
Contract talks looming for players
Devine is one of many players out of contract after the cup final and he expects talks over his future will be advancing sooner rather than later.
He said: “We have the final coming up and we’re hoping to maybe try and sort something out before then. It’s up to the club in terms of what they plan to do moving forward.”
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