Inverness Delight

Caley Thistle won this game at a canter long before the final whistle sounded after running rings round the County team who capitulated in the second half after being unable to breach the Inverness back line. David Raven scored his first goal after pick pocketing the defender on the goal line and Billy McKay rattled home a second before the interval to give the visitors a fully deserved lead, which flattered the home side somewhat. Substitute Marley Watkins steered home a third goal in the second half and it was no more than Inverness deserved.

Slew and Arquin proved to be a handful for Warren and Meekings, but they were well marshalled long before the end and Brill was rarely troubled, but he did make an important acrobatic save early in the second half from a Songo'o header to enable Inverness to build on their lead and control the rest of the game.

This win puts Inverness back into fourth position and only three points behind Motherwell with a game in hand; good times!

Inverness light up the Global Energy Stadium

Inverness literally lit up the Global Energy Stadium with a powerful display that left Ross County in the Shadows. Yes, it would appear that the Highlands are ours!

There were a few firsts tonight. An unprecedented first ever ICT goal for David Raven. It will never win goal of the month, but what an occasion to score your first team goal, right in front of the Inverness fans in a high tempo derby. John Hughes doing what Terry Butcher never did for Inverness, he worked out how to beat Ross County on their own patch, and boy did he do it in style, our first win here since 2003. The Jailend emptied quicker than Grant Michaels' bottle of Glenmorangie after Marley Watkins stroked home the third goal and was completely vacant by the 95th minute: Jeepers!

Hughes made a subtle change to the side that beat St Johnstone at the weekend bringing back James Vincent and placing Marley Watkins on the bench alongside Nick Ross and Carl Tremarco.

Derek Adams started Alex Cooper ahead of the benched Graham Carey and would be looking to Slew and Arquin to use their height and power to unsettle the robust Inverness back line.

After the last game at Dingwall ended in darkness, this one started brightly for Inverness who took the game to their fancied opponents, playing some neat football on the lush surface.

Only eight minutes on the clock and Inverness took the lead from an unusual source. David Raven had not scored since he joined Inverness some 60 odd games ago, but tonight was his night. The move started in the Inverness six yard box, but six passes later it was in the back of the Dingwall net. Shinnie cleared his line to Doran who moved it on to Draper who in turn swept it forward to McKay. He turned his man then laid it into the path of Vincent who freed Doran who had sprinted forward and he proceeded to skin the defender on the left touch line. He drove into the corner of the box then hit a low ball across the six-yard line.  Oikonomou should have put his foot through the ball, but he stopped it and Raven slid in to bundle the ball over the line for a vital first goal in this derby. Great build up play but horror defending from the nervy County back line.

Inverness were on top and looked the slicker of the two sides and James Vincent should have done better than miss the target after great work by captain Richie Foran down the right, should have at least made the keeper work.

County were clutching at straws and their only creation of note came from numerous free kicks around the visitors box and from one flurry they shouted for a handball, but Inverness swept forward briskly as Foran fed Shinnie who drove through the County defence and fizzed a cross come shot across Brown's box, but there were no takers.

With just over half an hour gone, the troublesome Doran fired a wicked shot just wide as Inverness kept the pressure on the wobbly home defence.

The decisive goal was coming though and a great one it was as well. County half cleared their lines, and Graeme Shinnie took full advantage of hesitation on the left midfield to drive towards the box. His cut back across the box was met perfectly by McKay on the run to hit a low left foot shot beyond Brown from twelve yards for a deserved second goal for Inverness, just five minutes before the break.

Half Time 0-2

Inverness had worked themselves into a commanding position, but they had Brill to thank for preserving their two goal lead. A long ball from Brittain saw Cooper free on the left and his ball into the box was caught by Tidser on the penalty spot but Brill threw himself high to his right to palm the ball away for a corner.

Filip Kiss went close with a long range strike which missed Brill's left upright by a yard but that was as close as County came to getting a foothold in this match.

Billy McKay became the surprise provider after dispossessing substitute Graham Carey. He sent a tremendous forty yard ball into the path of Doran who was stopped in his tracks as he was about to pull the trigger by Cikos, an important block and well timed challenge.

Slew suddenly found time to turn and shoot in the visitors box, the defenders standing off him fearful of giving away a penalty, but his drive was straight at a confident Brill.

Doran looked to have won a penalty cutting in from the left, but the ref adjudged the ball to have crossed the bye line, despite seemingly awarding a penalty at first. He used to be indecisive, but now he's not so sure.

In seventy eight minutes it was all over for County. Marley Watkins was on the park for less than two minutes when he raced onto a Doran pass and calmly slotted the ball low past an exposed Mark Brown from twelve yards.

Contest over and the showboating began as Inverness played keep ball with the County players chasing shadows, the Jailend now empty as referee Calum Murray put County out of their misery after ninety five minutes.

Full Time 0-3

  

Make no bones about it, this was a committed display from Inverness who took the game to County from the off and thoroughly deserved this win. John Hughes appeared to have got it spot on and his counterpart will need to lick his wounds and get his team sorted quickly before Partick come calling on Saturday.



tm4tj MotM:- Richie Foran was missing during our lean spell and it's great to have him back leading the charge and defending when required. He was the driving force behind everything that Inverness did and is my MotM. To be honest, there were no failures in an ICT shirt, but Doran, Shinnie, McKay............ach to hell with it, they were all superb.

Celtic at Parkhead next, tough game as they will be smarting from the defeat at Aberdeen. Let's just see how it goes.
 

Date: 25.02.2014 Venue: Global Energy Stadium, Dingwall Attendance: 4805
Referee: Calum Murray
 
Ross County: 0
Lineup: Brown, Cikos, Brittain (De Leeuw 66), Kiss, Tidser, Cooper, McLean, Slew, Ikonomou (Carey 54), Arquin, Songo'o

Booked: none
Sent Off: none

Inverness CT: 3
Lineup: Brill, Raven, Shinnie, Warren, Meekings, Draper, Foran (Ross 86), Doran (Tremarco 85), Vincent, Tansey, Mckay (Watkins 76)

Booked: Shinnie (42)
Sent Off: none

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