Hearts 2 Inverness CT 1

From RONNIE MacKAY at Tynecastle

Published: 25 Nov 2011
Add a comment Add a comment (2)
GREGORY TADE has promised Caley's bottom-six rivals they won't go down — and unlike Steven Pressley he's going to deliver.

The Frenchman made the bold-as-brass prediction as defeat to Hearts left the Highlanders holding up the SPL.

Two seasons ago Pressley made the same vow but Falkirk still went down, Tade insists Caley are a cut above Aberdeen, Hibs and Dunfermline.

The striker said: "We are better than them. I am not scared to say that.

"The table doesn't show it but when we play those teams, I know it. And they know it themselves.

"I have confidence in my team. We will show them. I am sure of it.

"If I am wrong, I will be the first to put my hands up.

"You can crucify me at the end of the season.

"I know for a fact that my team-mates and I will do it.

"The 6-3 win over Kilmarnock showed people what we can do.

"Look at the table. There is nothing in it.

"We are not saying we are going to win the league, but if you win two games in a row you love up the table.

"I have faith in my team-mates. We have lost games before and bounced back.

"I know we can shine again because we have done it before against so-called better teams."

Tade's been in relegation battles before with the likes of Forfar and Stranraer.

Back then, he knew before Christmas they were going down. Not this time.

He said: "You know if you are going to get relegated from the feeling in the dressing room, the types of players there and the club itself. You know you are going to drop — but at Caley I just don't feel it at all. We just know it is going to kick on.

"When I was at Forfar, we were bottom of the league before December.

"The gap kept increasing, we weren't taking chances.

"We would be winning 2-0 at half-time and end up drawing 2-2.

"Training is not the best and confidence is down.

"But there are none of those signs at Caley. The way we play is not the way a team which is going to be relegated play.

"Although I left Stranraer before they were actually relegated, we knew from day one it wasn't going to be a great season.

"The ambition was 'We need to stay up'. When you see five or six players leave and the manager not talking about winning the game, you just know. At Caley, it is not the same scenario. We know we can do it, we'll prove it."

Tade blew a great chance to open the scoring in the first half when one-on-one with Marian Kello, but he tried to round the keeper and allowed him to block.

He said: "I felt like I let my team-mates down and the club as well.

I should have at least made him make the save but I didn't pull the trigger.

"I have done it before and it worked — this time it didn't. The ball took a bobble and I took a bad touch.

"I should have scored. I just don't know how I can sleep after a game like that."

He added: "We will get more points if we score first. The gaffer was right when he said the team that scored first was going to win the game."

Caley were made to rue that miss as Hearts went in front 25 seconds after the break, Rudi Skacel firing past Ryan Esson.

They were back in it when Ross Tokely got on the end of a Johnny Hayes free kick.

But Eggert Jonsson headed home a David Templeton cross from close range to bag the points — and leave the Inverness side pulling their hair out.

A frowning Tade added: "When you lose a game like that, it is always frustrating.

"Frustration is from every angle because they were two goals we could and should have avoided."