“It’s a tough place to go,” is such an oft-repeated platitude that it has almost lost all meaning.
However, when Raith Rovers boss John McGlynn adorns Inverness with that description, it is anything but an empty banality.
He knows the numbers back up his assessment.
October will mark 21 years since Raith Rovers last won in the capital of the Highlands.
On that occasion, Jay Stein and Ivan Mballa scored the goals in a 2-1 triumph. Guido van de Kamp was between the sticks, Shaun Dennis was taking no prisoners in defence and Kenny Black patrolled midfield.
Ryan Christie’s dad, Charlie, was in the Inverness team. A different era.
Thirteen fruitless trips up the A9 have come and gone since that victory in 2000 and McGlynn, frankly, is ready to put that hoodoo to bed on Saturday.
“We don’t have a great record against Inverness — there’s no point shying away from that — and it’s something we are determined to change,” said McGlynn.
“We went up there twice last season and lost 2-0 the first time, then drew 0-0 in a match where we should have been several goals ahead. So it’s not like we haven’t played well up there.
“That goalless draw could have been 6-6! It was a really entertaining game.
“But we want to go that one step further and get a victory up there and, in doing so, get the points back that we feel we gave up in the 4-4 draw against Hamilton on Saturday.
“Inverness certainly won’t make that easy.”
When Manny is hot, he is hot
It would be churlish suggest that Rovers’ woes against Inverness are restricted to away games. That victory in 2000 was also the last time Raith beat the Caley Jags in normal time at any venue.
They did claim a bonus point on penalties following a 3-3 League Cup draw last term, but one must be in an exceptionally generous mood to count that as a win.
Ironically, Manny Duku — who is likely to lead the line for Inverness at the weekend — scored two goals for Rovers in that fixture.
“When Manny is hot, he is hot,” added McGlynn, who saw Duku bag nine goals prior to Christmas last season, before falling out of favour.
“There are players like that. He has already scored a couple of penalties and, although he doesn’t have one from open play, Manny is a handful.
“I’m sure he will be incredibly keen to do very well against his former team. That’s the nature of the game — and it’s up to us to make sure he doesn’t have any joy.
“But they’ve got other good attacking players — Shane Sutherland and Billy McKay among them — and we need to handle whatever they throw at us.”
