Inside Track: Inverness are keeping the IT flag flying

Time to take a look at how Inside Track’s favourite ‘foreign’ soccer teams are progressing.

There’s Ballinamallard United, Accrington Stanley and Inverness Caledonian Thistle, playing, respectively, up north, in the English League Two and in Scotland’s League One.

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Good to report that at the time of writing – Thursday, February 26th – Inverness are tops, and regardless how they fare in their next game, will still be there when this piece goes into print.

‘Our’ team, from up on the Scottish Highlands, drew with second-placed Stenhousemuir last weekend, to maintain a five-point lead. ‘We’ attracted a crowd of 2,484, which put other home teams’ attendance in the shade. Cove Rangers were watched by 440, Alloa by 654, Montrose by 495, and Peterhead by 614.

Hopes are high of a place in the second-tier Championship next season.

It’s not going well for Accrington, 13th in the fourth grade table, nor Ballinamallard, ninth of 12 in the Irish League’s First Division. Neither can be banished to a lower division, simply because there is none.

An update on Joe Ó Cearúill’s son, JJ Gabriel, whose career is being constantly monitored by Inside Track with the help of one of the next generation, whose hand-held device carries more information than Inside Track’s Nokia. (Good for making a call or sending a call, and ditto with a message.)

JJ continues to bang them in from all angles for Man United under-18s. That would suggest he could be in line for a place on Premiership side, or maybe on the bench, before the season is out.

It’s not going to happen. Someone as young as he is, 15, is not permitted to play League football. There’s no rule, however, that forbids him from training with Bruno Fernandez and the others, and that’s what he’s been doing. He’s advertising Nike gear, and there are foreign clubs sniffing around.