The Press and Journal (Inverness, Highlands, and Islands)
Revival priority number one for Meekings
Defender is finally over his injury trouble
CaleyThistle defender Josh Meekings hopes his injury worries are behind him as he aims to help Inverness out of their current predicament.
Meekings missed the early part of the new campaign after suffering a recurrence of a knee injury which kept him out for several months last season.
After making a recovery, the Englishmanwashastily drafted back into the side for lastweekend’s 5-1defeat by Hearts at Tynecastle, coming into the line-up in place of Kevin McNaughton, who could miss the remainder of the season with an Achilles injury.
The heavy defeat left Caley Jags rooted to the bottom of the Premiership table without a point from their opening three matches, but Meekings hopes to make an instant impact on his return.
He said: “Kevin’s injury put the manager in a situation where he’s had to make a decision over whether to put me in or not. I’m grateful he did, he trusted me even though I’ve had that time out.
“He was positive and he was confident in what I could do. It wasn’t the result we wanted but for myself it was nice to get 90 minutes under my belt.
“I’m hoping that, with a little more time and fitness, I can improve and the team can improve as well.
“We’ve seen teams have poor starts before and come strong into the season. I’ve got plenty belief in the dressing room, we’ve got a great team.
“We’ve got a great spirit and drive around the place and everyone wants to do well. It’s just putting that on to the pitch – that’s down to us.”
Meekings endured a frustrating campaign last year, with successive hip and knee injuries keeping him sidelined for lengthy periods, but the 23-year-old is targeting a sustained run under manager Richie Foran this season.
TEAM LINES: DOUMBOUYA SET FOR CALEY JAGS DEBUT
He added: “It was a frustrating thing for me to come back from pre-season and get a reaction like I did with my knee.
“Hopefully, that’s it now and I can carry on playing my football and try and Paul Paton reckons St Johstone will face an Inverness side desperate to fight for Richie Foran after the rookie manager bravely shouldered the blame for the Highlanders’ nightmare start.
Caley Thistle have lost their opening three league fixtures, including last weekend’s 5-1 drubbing by Hearts. But Paton, who will line-up for Saints at the Caledonian Stadium today, has been impressed by the way Irishman Foran has deflected blame away from his team by accepting responsibility for the defeats.
The midfielder said: “I think it’s just a blip. They still have the core of the team that did so well in the help the team get back to where we want to be.
“I had the rest through the summer as I still wasn’t quite right in the last few games of last season, but I wanted to play.
“I had a few games last few years. They have a manager in there that they respect. He’s been a team-mate for a long time, so he’ll be close to them.
“I’ve met Richie several times and I’m sure he’ll turn things around. I think he’ll get it right.
“He’s been big and brave in the last few weeks. I’ve seen interviews he’s given where he has come out and said the results were his fault.
“That takes the heat off the players and, for a manager to be willing to do that, I think the players will give their all for him.
“He’s showing leadership, even though he will know deep down it’s not all his own fault. But that left and thought I could then get a break.
“Unfortunately, when I came back and went straight into training again, I had a little reaction. It’s all good now and hopefully that will be the end of it.” means the players have no pressure on them this weekend.”
Paton was part of a Dundee Unitedsquadlasttermthatgot off to a slow start and never recovered, but he does not think Inverness are on the same path to relegation.
“I don’t think they should be worried,” said the Northern Ireland international. “They have a lot of good players, a lot of experienced players. It’s a new manager with fresh ideas and I’m sure they will pick up results.
“It was a bit different last year at United. We lost a lot of our top playersbuttheyseemtohavekept hold of most of theirs.” Ben Heneghan has learned some harsh lessons in his short time at Motherwell but will put them down to career development.
The 22-year-old centre back, who signed from Chester City in the summer, felt he had been kicked in the stomach when Kenny Miller’s stoppage-time goal gave Rangers a 2-1 Premiership winagainst theSteelmen at Ibrox last Saturday.
That disappointment came after a 2-1 defeat at St Johnstone and a 5- 0 thrashing by Celtic at Parkhead in the last 16 of the Betfred Cup.
Ahead of the visit of Dundeein the league today, whenMarkMcGhee’s men will look to add to the three points they won on the opening day at Kilmarnock, Heneghan spoke about his experiences so far since moving north.
“There have been some good players,” he said. “Scott Sinclair of Celtic is good, the likes ofMiller and Nico Kranjcar coming on for Rangers – they are all top players with good careers, it is a test for me.
“The Rangers match was a good one to be part of and I amlooking forward to the next one. It was massive for me and my development.
“Iam not used to playing in grounds the size of Ibrox, with 48,000 supporters there, and I enjoyed it.
“It is amassive step up. I try to progress in each game and get better.”
New Dundee signing Kevin Gomis is in contention to make his debut when Paul Hartley’s men take on Well at Fir Park.
The game could also see midfieldduoMichaelDuffy (thigh) and PaulMcGowan ( illness) make their returns, but forward Craig Wighton and midfielder James Vincent are out.