LOVE MATCH..

MOTHERWELL v ICT Caley and Well staying up is Laing’s perfect wedding gift

LOUIS LAING will entertain past Motherwell team-mates at his wedding reception this summer.

But the Inverness Caley Thistle defender’s big hope is that, come the happy day, both clubs will still be dining at the top table in Scottish football.

With the sides fighting for survival, today’s meeting is another massive six-pointer in the relegation battle.

For Laing, who only signed a short-term deal with the Highlanders in February, the outcome could also influence where he and bride Megan Fountain begin marital life.

The couple will wed on June 10 in the town of Beamish.

The 24-year-old Geordie was released by Well at the end of last season after a loan spell at Notts County but he bears his former employers no ill will – and wants both clubs to survive the drop.

He said: “I’m just preparing for it like any other game.

“I’d like to go there and win. We are both pretty struggling teams at the moment.

“But I’ve got friends in the Motherwell dressing room and the last thing I’d want is for them to get relegated. The best scenario would be for Well and Inverness to both stay up.

“It’s going to be a tough game and I’m ready for that.

“I’m getting married in the summer and some of the boys from Motherwell are coming to the wedding.

“But I’ll forget about that when it comes to Saturday – we’re all professionals.

“I’m sure we’ll all want to fight each other, it’s that sort of mentality, but after the game we’ll shake hands and become friends again. For that 90 minutes we’ll be forgetting all that.”

Laing admits he’s been surprised, not just by Well’s struggles this season but also by his own club’s.

He said: “It does surprise me. Well have a strong squad with some good players like Louis Moult and Scott McDonald.

“I’m also surprised with the situation we’re in. We might not have been in it if we’d had a bit of luck in the last six or seven games.

“That’s just the way it is. We’ve got a battle on our hands in the last six games.”

And he insists at Fir Park, where Caley sealed their only away win of the season back in October, they can turn a corner.

Laing said: “Everyone is optimistic – we know we’ve got the players to get out of it and every single person at the club believes we will.”

We’ll all want to fight but after the game we will shake hands and be friends LOUIS LAING