Elgin City defender Jamie Duff will return to the club that freed him in the summer after he suffered a cruciate knee injury, Inverness Caledonian Thistle, determined to cause a cup shock by beating the side that are well known for causing cup shocks themselves.
Duff is delighted to be taking part in the first ever senior meeting of the sides that have their roots buried deep in the Highland League ranks and he is out to show that he is back to the standards he was setting as a young player when he was beginning his career in the north of the country.
“Charlie Christie signed me for Inverness Caley when I was still at school,” said Duff before adding, “However, it was Craig Brewster that gave me my first professional contract.
“I was a midfielder when I was coming through the ranks and played there at Under 13, 15 and 17 levels. I was there until I went on a summer tour of America with an Inverness United select side.
“One of their coaches asked me to play at centre half and I enjoyed it. When I came home, I asked Caley to give me a chance there and that has been my position since.”
Duff progressed to the top team and his debut came in August 2008 and he recalls: “I made my starting eleven debut at home to Hamilton Accies and I was a bit nervous but I thought I played quite well although we lost 1-0.
“I kept my place for the next week, so I must have done okay and I have to thank my partner in defence, Phil McGuire, as he helped me a lot in those early days and talked me through the games.”
Duff’s introduction to senior football saw him propelled on to the international stage quickly as he explained: “I carried on with my run in the Caley first team at the start of the 2008/09 season and was selected to play for Scotland Under 21s in a game against Northern Ireland.
“I was a late call up, getting the call on a Saturday night, but I played alongside Chris Maguire, Scott Arfield and big Kevin McDonald.
“It was my only international appearance and I have kept my top from the game as I am proud of it.”
After three months in the first team, Duff went back to learning his trade in less high profile ways and he remains pleased with his efforts in what turned into a disappointing season for Terry Butcher’s men.
Duff said: “I played about 15 times in total and I was fortunate that I got to stand in when players were out injured or suspended later in that first season.
“Unfortunately, it was the campaign that Inverness were relegated so it was not the best of times at the club.”
The last day of the season ‘Winners stay up match’ with Falkirk was an occasion that Duff would not like to repeat as he explained: “I was in the Stand with an injury watching that game against Falkirk and I did not enjoy it at all. Inverness were beaten 1-0 and it was really disappointing, in fact I would go further than that and would say that it was a horrible experience.”
The next season had not long begun when Duff was to suffer a much more horrible experience on a personal level as he advised: “In October 2009, I was playing in a North of Scotland Cup match up at Wick. I stretched to intercept the ball, got it and then went to turn away with it. My studs remained stuck in the ground and I just heard a pop. I knew then it was something serious.
“There was no physical contact from an opposing player and in some ways that made being injured harder to accept.
“Last season was a write-off for me as I never played after that. The club did fantastically well but my contract was up and I knew what was coming.”
In amongst all of the celebrations for Inverness winning the IRN-BRU SFL First Division Championship last season, Duff was facing the end of his career with his home city club.
He said: “It did not come as a big surprise as I knew at the end of last season that it would be a few months before I could even start playing again.
“Some people at the club thought I may have got a six months contract to prove my fitness but I had a sense from what was getting said beforehand that I would be getting released.
“It was no big shock and I had prepared myself for it.”
News travels fast in the Highlands with Duff saying: “Within half an hour of my meeting about being released with Terry Butcher being over, I had missed a call from Elgin boss Ross Jack. He also sent me a text and I had a voicemail from him to listen to as well.
“I knew he was keen to take me to Borough Briggs and that was great but I wanted to get myself fit first and not commit to anything too early.
“I trained a lot on my own over the summer with a rehabilitation specialist and that worked well and once it was time to kick a ball again, I went in and had a few sessions with Elgin.
“The season was just starting and not many clubs were willing to take a chance on me but they asked me to sign even when I was not one hundred percent ready.
“I had started enjoying being about a team environment again and signing for Elgin also meant that I could continue staying in Inverness. In the end, it was not too difficult a decision to make, so I signed for the club a couple of weeks into the season.”
Duff’s comeback game came at the end of August and he said: “I made my debut against Stranraer in a home game and it was great to be playing again although it was a bit strange to be so close to the action after nearly a year of watching from the sidelines.”
Playing again however, was frustrating for the 21-year-old who explained, “I was not as sharp as I used to be in games and that annoyed me. I was fitter than I had ever been but I was not match sharp which is something different.
“I am there now and have played nearly every game for Elgin since that debut so I think I am back playing as good as I was when I was at Inverness.
“I am enjoying playing again and it feels good to be a footballer playing games again. The form Elgin as a team has been in recently has made it all the more enjoyable.”
It is back to the Caledonian Stadium this Saturday with Duff saying: “I had been trying not to think about the game too much but the Elgin squad went to see Inverness play St. Johnstone in the SPL last weekend. I saw some of the boys I used to play with and the banter started then and it has been going back and forward since.”
Duff is hoping that the Caley fans give him a good reception even though he never fully established himself in their first team colours and says: “I would like to think I would get a decent reaction from the Caley fans. I only made a few appearances for them but the fans were always good to me when I was there.”
So can Duff and his new team-mates put one over their SPL rivals?
He replied: “Yes, Elgin City can win. Caley have done their own giant-killing over the years and perhaps in this game, things will be the other way round and they will be on the receiving end of a shock.”
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