SAINTS GEAR UP FOR HIGHLAND TRIP

It’s the penultimate pre-season game tomorrow when Saints make the trip north to meet SPL side Inverness Caley Thistle. As luck would have it, the Challenge Cup draw – made after the trip to the Highland capital had been arranged – has decreed that we will travel back up the same road in a week’s time to start our competitive season with a trip to meet Ross County in Dingwall.

However, for now, the focus is on tomorrow’s game which, together with next Wednesday’s home match against Burnley, will complete the pre-season build up.

As we reported yesterday, Derek McInnes received a setback when both Kevin James and Steven Anderson were injured in yesterday’s 4-0 defeat from Romanian side FC Timosoare at Rangers’ Murray Park training complex and both are rated very doubtful for the game tomorrow.

With over 8,000 people descending on McDiarmid Park on each of the next three days for the annual Jehovah’s Witnesses convention, the players will do today’s preparation away from the stadium and among those training will be a 20 year old left back released by an English Premiership side. He played in yesterday’s game and may feature again tomorrow – the French trialist who featured at Firs Park on Tuesday has headed home.

Alan Main is making better than anticipated progress with his shoulder injury and may return to full training next week. Kevin Moon (pictured) will also be absent tomorrow as he has managed only intermittent training this week due to a niggling groin injury.

Kick off at the Caledonian Stadium is at 3pm and admission prices are £10 for adults and £5 concessions - Saints fans will be accommodated in the South Stand.