Broadfoot insists all pressure is on Saints
WITH numbers dwindling but spirits soaring, Kirk Broadfoot believes a ‘nothing-to-lose’ approach can inspire Inverness Caley Thistle against St Johnstone in the Play-off Final. Callum Davidson may well have left Gayfield late on Friday night content with the punishing exertions and personnel blows suffered by his rivals for a place in next season’s top flight.
A wounded group already minus Tom Walsh and Roddy MacGregor were depleted further by serious injury to Shane Sutherland in the second half.
Danny Devine and Wallace Duffy were sent off but the nine men clung on to force Arbroath to a shoot-out, where Broadfoot struck the winning penalty.
The veteran defender, a loser in the season finale 12 months ago with Kilmarnock against Dundee, insisted all the pressure will now be felt by Premiership side Saints.
Inverness host Saints on Friday night before a McDiarmid Park second leg four days later.
Billy Dodds hailed his side’s guts and determination and Broadfoot insists they must dig even deeper to survive the six-game stretch with a Premiership return.
‘We will need all that,’ declared Broadfoot. ‘We have now lost Shane, a huge player for us, and we’ve got suspensions now.
‘Hopefully we can get Danny Devine back through an appeal. But we’re low on players as it is.
‘We’ve Roddy out with a broken jaw but I hope we can get a couple back in this coming week.
‘The pressure is now on St Johnstone, just like last year when I was at Killie and it was on us. So we’ve nothing to lose. It’s amazing to get there and, hopefully, we can take the next step.
‘St Johnstone will feel confident facing us. They beat Aberdeen the other night to keep the momentum going. ‘It will be a tough game but we will give it a right go. ‘We’re buzzing to be in the final. Who knows what can happen now we’re there?’ Arbroath endured the cruellest of twists to end their fairytale season when club legend Bobby Linn failed from the spot.
With all other takers perfect, Linn’s was kept out by Mark Ridgers and up stepped Broadfoot for a 5-3 Inverness success. ‘We’d been practising all week but we never even spoke about who was going to take the penalties,’ revealed the 37-year-old.
‘I scored a couple, though, so felt confident enough to take one. We were picking the five takers before the shoot-out and nobody wanted to take it, so I just said I’d go for it.
‘I felt okay at the time, that’s one of my strong points — I can run all day. There were a few nerves. But someone has to miss — or score and be the hero.
‘I changed where I was going to go because I saw that (Derek) Gaston was diving and, sometimes, they stand for the odd one. But I decided just to crack it down the middle.
‘It was a great feeling, I’ll remember it for a long time. That’s the first penalty I’ve hit since the League Cup with Kilmarnock against St Mirren back in July 2018. And I missed that one!’
Broadfoot reserved special words of praise for manager Dodds, who was overcome by emotion at the end of a draining tie.
‘He’s been great,’ said Broadfoot. ‘He’s a good coach who looks after the boys. He’s straight down the line, which players like.
‘We’d a tough spell — 11 without a win — but he came through it. He’s done some job.
‘Considering where we were last season, it’s great credit to him, his staff and the players.’