Foran ban will give Butcher selection woe

Published on 22/08/2012 01:28

INVERNESS manager Terry Butcher admits Richie Foran’s suspension has given him a selection headache as Caley prepare to host reigning champions Celtic.

Butcher will be without the Dubliner for the televised clash this weekend and fellow midfielder Owain Tudur Jones as the Welshman completes his two-game ban for a recent head-butt on Kilmarnock’s James Fowler.

Captain Foran – in his first game of the season after serving a two-match suspension – was shown a straight red card by referee Bobby Madden for a reckless tackle on Ryan McGowan minutes before the break in the 2-2 draw at Hearts on Saturday.

Butcher admits he wanted to avoid another team reshuffle ahead of the Hoops clash.

He said: “With Richie now set for a ban, it’s going to make it a bit more difficult in terms of who we bring in, but we’ll have a look at the squad and see what we’ve got.

“We just have to adjust now and see who we’ll put in. It’s only Celtic, perhaps we’ll play them with ten men because we seem to play better with ten men

“I know Richie is quite disappointed and it’s the one thing we didn’t want with Owain currently out through suspension as well.

“However, we move on. The referee has deemed Richie’s challenge to be dangerous play.

“I was really happy on Saturday with the contribution all the subs made, so it shows that all the players are just desperate to get into the team.”

Butcher blames a lack of match sharpness for Foran’s lunge on McGowan.

He added: “If you make a decision to go for something and it doesn’t quite work out (and it didn’t), it’s one of those ones that if he played in the first couple of games, he wouldn’t have gone for it.

“He is determined to try and make a mark but in the end he got sent off. Perhaps the two-game suspension didn’t work for him in terms of sharpness.”

Meanwhile, St Johnstone midfielders Chris Millar and Murray Davidson have both been ruled out for the coming weeks. Millar faces up to six weeks out with a hamstring strain while Davidson has been sidelined by a persistent knee problem. Both players went off injured during St Johnstone’s 2-1 home defeat by Aberdeen on Saturday. Manager Steve Lomas said: “It’s a blow, that’s for sure. Murray saw a specialist last week about his knee which has been bothering him for some time now.”