Vincent’s Highland Halloween

Two cup winning legends could return to spook Inverness

Scoring the winning goal for Inverness in their 2015 Scottish Cup success means James Vincentwill always be welcome back there but he is hoping that on Tuesday night his popularity might take a slight dip.

James started his career with Stockport County then Kidderminster Harriers before Terry Butcher took him north to Inverness in 2013. He spent three years there during which time he played 69 times for the club so he knows most of the 141 miles between East End Park and the Tulloch Caledonian Stadium extremely well.

“For me personally it is not a problem. Having played for Inverness I know what the travelling is about. We have the right sort of character and boys in that dressing room and I don’t really think it will be an issue.

“Everyone knows that it is what it is, you travel up to the Highlands, you prepare the right way and hopefully go there and get the result.”

After 7.30 departure times for away trips, James knows the joys of the journey down the A9 and back up after games:-

“They know what they have to do and it is all part and parcel of it and didn’t affect me at all.”

James has kept up with fellow travellers and Cup winners Aaron Doran, Carl Tremarco and Liam Polworth. He added:-

“We are still good pals but the majority have moved on. They are still playing regularly.”

Alongside James will be Danny Devine - another 2015 cup winner with Caley Thistle - and they expect the usual warm welcome.

“It is always a good place to go and play football, the pitch is always good and they are a good footballing side so hopefully it will be a good entertaining team.

“My thoughts and the team’s thoughts are fully focussed on getting the right result and pushing us up the table.”

That would take penetrating a home defence that has conceded only two goals in their last five games and ending Inverness’s run of 21 league games without defeat. He commented on that:-

“Robbo has got them organised well, they are a good outfit and they have some good players on the break, I think we saw that against us. Defensively they sat in well and they did hit us on the break here in September. That is something that we will looking to focus on and hope that it doesn’t happen again.

“You would like to think that a team playing at home will be a bit more of an attacking threat but I couldn’t tell you how they play. I think they played 4-4-2 , but at home they played more attacking with three upfront.

“That shows that they are willing to have a go at home and try and go for it in that sort of sense. Last time they sat in their ranks, they did it well, sucked up a lot of pressure and hit us on the counter. That is something that we will make sure doesn’t happen this time.

The 29 year old arrived on loan from Dundee on 29th January 2018 and then returned in July on a season long. He netted in July in the Betfred Cup against Stirling Albion but that is so far that is his only goal. Lack of goals has troubled Dunfermline at home in the league but with a total of seven, they have scored in all four of their four away games. James said:-

“It is an area that we need to improve on, it has been frustrating as a lot of people have said so far, we have dominated games, we have been working well creating chances but we just haven’t put them away.

“The onus is not just on the strikers, myself in midfield - I need to chip in. The defence needs to be scoring from set plays. Hopefully the goals will come because we are creating chances. That is positive, it would be more worrying if we weren’t, we are playing good football and need that little bit of luck.

“The gaffer still does allow me to push up the park when it is on. From my point of view I am probably get in and around the edge of the box for cut backs. That would be my sort of area and hopefully I will get more opportunities to have a go.”

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