Terry Butcher eager to bounce back after defeat

inverness Caledonian Thistle manager Terry Butcher refused to be downcast after Aberdeen ended a proud run of five wins and a draw on Saturday with a late winner.

“Philosophical is a very good word for how I felt after the Aberdeen result,” he said. “You are raging inside because you lose the game, but if you lose one game in seven, that can’t be too bad, can it?

“There wasn’t much between the teams, I felt, and they scored when we were having our best spell of the game.

“Losing is an unusual feeling for our lads. It is the first time we’ve experienced it since we started pre-season on 27 June.

“It was a weird sensation over the weekend – and we don’t like weird sensations here at Caley Thistle. We want our normal post-match feelings back.”

Even if they had won in Aber-deen, there would have been speculation as to whether Butcher would tinker with his team for tonight’s League Cup tie at Dundee. It is a temptation he has resisted in all seven matches so far, with only two of ten summer signings – Dean Brill and James Vincent – starting competitively to date.

Butcher added: “The tie could possibly give me a chance to play one or two other players, but I have to give Dundee great respect. John Brown is an excellent manager and motivator.

“Dundee’s form hasn’t been great lately, but it’s a cup tie. Like us, they’ll want to bounce back quickly from a defeat at the weekend.

“We drew 1-1 down there last time in the old SPL, but it’s an exciting place for us to go. The boys also went there last year and won 4-1, so a lot of them have good memories of winning there.

“Last year we got to the semi-finals on the back of away victories and we’re trying to do the same again.”