Shinni Confident Ahead Of Semi-Final Meeting

26 January 2013 10:20
Inverness have been quietly going about their business and have surprised a number of pundits with the rewards gained by the efforts so far. Still prizes to be won.

Graeme Shinnie goes into today's game at Easter Road quietly focusing on continuing to prove the sceptics wrong. Caley Thistle go into today's Scottish League Cup semi-final against Hearts from a position of strength after securing second place in the SPL and on the back of a 4-0 win last weekend. Manager Terry Butcher has moulded a team that only Celtic and Motherwell have beaten this season while the side are also still in the Scottish Cup. An ever-present this season, defender Shinnie, admits the Easter Road meeting is the biggest of his career so far but is not about to let that faze him. The left-back said: "All the games we play are important but I have never been to a semi-final as big as this. I have played in the Youth Cup semi-final and things like that but this is massive and an opportunity to show what we are all about and get to the final. There's been a lot thrown at us this season and we have handled it very well. People have written us off on numerous occasions and we have come up good. So we'll just focus on us performing well on the day and if we can do that then we are confident that we'll get a good result. We are preparing like we would any other game. Training has been the same and everyone is just trying to get on with what they are doing. It is a semi-final, there is no getting away from that but if we play the way we have been doing this season then we will be fine." Caley Thistle have developed a never say die attitude which was shown in full relief in a previous visit to the Capital to face Hearts. August saw the Highland side secure a 2-2 draw  despite having captain Richie Foran sent off. Shinnie said: "It was an amazing game and the first half was totally against us. We were down 2-0 and had a man sent off. But at half-time we were confident we could get back into the game, as we have been all season. Whenever we have been down we are confident we will come back." Inverness have an enviable goals for total, they have score 58 times this season, and have added cause for confidence ahead of the 3pm kick-off after keeping consecutive clean sheets for the first time this season. Shinnie added: "The way we play we are more of an attacking team. As you see from our goalscoring, we throw a lot of boys forward, which can sometimes hamper us at the back. But the last few weeks we have been really solid and that's two clean sheets on the bounce. The back four know each other's game now and we are all covering for each other."

Source: ScottishFitba

Source: FOOTYMAD