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Here's hoping for a better year Game put on ice! After a pitch inspection which was planned for 08:30 @Gayfield on Saturday morning the game has been called off due to a frozen pitch. They might have got away with it until the match official spotted Torvill & Dean practicing the Bolero near the penalty box. We first foot the Smokies on the 2nd of January 2021. It's a New Year, but unfortunately the same old shit as it's a covid restricted game with no fans allowed. The game kicks-off at 3:00pm on Saturday with Arbroath stuck at the foot of the table and Inverness in seventh place. Maybe more appropriate to take a roll of ShitBegone instead of a lump of coal! Who will win the real battle Football is a mere sideshow Stay safe everyone Championship after matchday 10 ******* All Championship fixtures 3:00pm Saturday Arbroath v Inverness CT Alloa Ath v Greenock Morton Pars v Raith Rovers Queens v Ayr United Dundee v Hearts Our last three fixtures against Arbroath have not been too encouraging only one win and two defeats. We suffered a heavy 3-0 defeat at Gayfield last season as we were smoked by the Red Lichties who also beat us 1-0 at the Caledonian Stadium. We got the better of them this term winning 3-1 at the end of October when Kris Doolan opened the scoring in the first half. However three second half goals through Daniel Mackay, Scott Allardice and Nikolay Todorov turned the game around and saw us ease home to take the points. 3 - 1 (H) 0 - 1 (H) 0 - 3 (A) OFFICIAL PREVIEW Arbroath went down 3-1 to table toppers Hearts at Tynecastle. No surprise really and nothing to see here, so move along. A seven minute hat-trick from Steven Naismith put Hearts in control. To their credit Arbroath battled hard and scored early in the second half through Kris Doolan but it was always going to be a difficult task for the part timers. Inverness drew with Dunfermline in the Highlands on the same night. Kyle Turner got the break of the ball to finish tidily in the first half for the Pars. It took a stunning left footed strike from Miles Story to earn a point for Inverness in what was an equally balanced game where both managers felt they did enough to take all three points. It's been a difficult start to the campaign for both clubs, Inverness' injury problems were well documented since the start of the season and just as we thought we were over it, a wee visit to Alloa soon brought us back to earth as we slumped to a 2-1 defeat. Dick Campbell does not have his troubles to seek and without being unkind, its difficult to see them being anywhere else in the table other that trying to stave off relegation along with Queen of the South and Alloa Athletic. In saying that, any team in this league can win on their day and no result is a given, apart from maybe Hearts who will be a certainty for promotion unless Dundee can get stronger throughout the shortened season. Just look at last season where part of our own downfall was losing games to teams in the bottom section of the table. We should be going to Gayfield with confidence and optimism, but try telling the fans that as we know all to vividly what can happen. Aaron Doran came off at half-time against Dunfermline and Danny Devine left the field as the game came to a climax. Maybe Wallace Duffy will come back in and Kai Kennedy should continue to replace Doran. We looked livelier once he came on against the Pars. David Carson is another who could be making an appearance soon, we miss his tenacity and box to box energy which is a better option than the stoic efforts of James Vincent, bless. Latest Team news Aaron Doran is out for at least two weeks after suffering concussion against Dunfermline. He will also miss the Scottish Cup clash against Buckie Thistle. More sad news so soon after Jim McLean, it was announced today that Tommy Docherty has passed away. Two great managers in the space of a handful of days. RIP. Take a bow Miles Storey.........OOOOFT Don't forget your weekly dose of The Wyness Shuffle. Allow The Wyness Shuffle to ease you through the pain of the post-Christmas lockdown with this bumper Yuletide episode. Alongside the usual reviews of recent matches and previews of games in a busy festive period, we find out who is the brains of the ICT dressing room. Great work once more from the Shufflers

What's the Storey, Miles Glory. Inverness fell behind after twenty minutes when some pinball ended with McInroy drilling the ball home from inside the box. Sutherland was unlucky when his header crashed off the bar with the keeper beaten. Miles Storey scored with a stunning left foot shot high past a despairing Fon Williams to level the game with around 25 minutes left and that's how it ended, all square in the final game of 2020, a year we all want to forget. Happy New Year when it comes. Second placed Dunfermline Athletic came North for this 6:30pm kick-off at the Caledonian Stadium as we moved into the second phase of this seasons shortened Championship. No fans of course as we have now been plunged into tier 4 for covid 19, but live streaming was available from ICTFC. The Pars were looking to build on some good results which has them second in the Championship behind Hearts, we were looking to get back on track after a poor performance at Alloa and a day off last Saturday when we should have been at Cappielow. John Robertson went for a more experienced squad with Sean Welsh, Aaron Doran and James Vincent returning to the starting XI. James Keatings missed out with a thigh strain. Wallace Duffy and Davis Carson were on the bench with young guns Roddy MacGregor and Kai Kennedy Kevin O'Hara started this one with DecLan McManus on the bench along with Fraser Murray and Ryan Dow. After a minute silence in memory of Jim McLean the game went ahead and it was five minutes in before Robbie Deas broke forward on the left side before firing a shot from distance which was easy enough for Fon Williams to gather. Euan Murray was next to try his luck but he headed over. Captain Murray was always going to be a threat from set pieces. A great ball into the box from Cammy Harper saw no takers as the game approached 15 minutes with defences on top in an open game. The Pars opened the scoring with a rather fortunate goal. Nothing wrong with the strike, but the ball fell kindly for them twice before it was put behind Ridgers by Kyle Turner just after 20 minutes. Moments later, Kerr McInroy flashed a snapshot wide as we all held our breath, the ball whistling just wide. We almost responded immediately but a tremendous cross from Harper was headed strongly off the bar by Shane Sutherland with the keeper well beaten. He rose well to power his header but it was a fraction too high and smacked the crossbar. Sutherland brought out a brilliant one handed diving save from the keeper soon after as he shot from distance following a defensive slip by the Pars, the ball being tipped over for a fruitless corner. Ten minutes before the break we had a Devine intervention in the six yard box to deny a certain tap-in goal at the back post as a low ball across the box was cleared over the bar at full stretch by Danny Boy with Kevin O'Hara lurking with intent. The goal apart, there was little between the sides as the interval approached with Inverness winning a couple of corners and a header went harmlessly wide from the returning ball into the box after the second corner. A rare burst forward after we gave away the ball in the visitors half saw Kevin O'Hara test Ridgers right on the break, the big keeper down quickly to his low shot from the edge of the box to save comfortably. HALF TIME 0-1 Kai Kennedy replaced Aaron Doran at the interval. Doran had taken a knock in the first half and continued after treatment but had remained in the dressing room. Ridgers saved a deflected shot eight minutes into the second half as The Pars looked dangerous on the break at the start of the half. Sean Welsh fired wide as the hosts responded but the play was getting untidy and Miles Storey might have done better when he was set free inside the left side of the penalty box, instead his half hit shot rolled meekly into the keepers hands. However, his next major involvement was stunning when it came along. Fon Williams cut out a dangerous cross after good work down the left flank, Kennedy injecting a bit of urgency about proceedings since he was introduced after the interval. Sean Welsh entered the referees book for a scything tackle in midfield as we looked to break down a resolute Pars defence but with around half an jour left it was not looking too good. Out of the blue, Inverness scored a screamer with 66 minutes on the clock. Miles Storey turned on a long throw-in from Brad Mckay just outside the box and lashed a powerhouse of a shot into the keepers top right corner. What a strike by Storey from around 25 yards across the keeper and into the roof of the net with Fon Williams clutching at thin air. A bit of ball flapping in the home box led to a corner as Allardice deflected the eventual strike for the Pars but the ball was headed tamely over from the set piece. Into the final ten minutes and still all to play for as the Pars pushed for a winner. The visitors pressed hard as the clock ticked down and with Danny Devine going off injured it was backs to the wall in a frantic finish. A couple of yellow cards later and it was all over, a hard earned point for both sides. What the managers said on BBC Sport Dunfermline manager Stevie Crawford: "Really pleased with the first-half performance. We created a number of chances. Inverness had a decent spell and put us under pressure in the second half, but we responded well and tried to win the game." Inverness CT manager John Robertson: "It was a very good game. We started slowly and didn't quite get going. We battled back into it. We tweaked the system at half-time and it was a different game, we totally dominated the second half." Match Highlights, look out for the Glory Storey thunderball @66mins A point each right eenuff... Date: 29/12/2020 Venue: Caledonian Stadium Attendance: 000 Referee: Euan Anderson Inverness CT: 1 Lineup: Ridgers; B Mckay, Deas, Devine, Harper, Doran (Kennedy 45), Welsh, Allardice, Vincent, Sutherland (D Mackay 88), Storey (Todorov 85) Subs (not used): C Mackay, Duffy, Carson, MacGregor Scorers: Storey (67) Booked: Welsh (64), B Mckay (87), D Mackay (90+4) Sent Off: none Dunfermline Ath: 1 Lineup: Fon Williams; Comrie, Mayo, Watson, E Murray, Edwards, Wilson, McInroy (Dow 66), McCann (McManus 69), Turner, O'Hara (Thomas 80) Subs (not used): Gill; Whittaker, Berry, F Murray Scorers: Turner (23), Booked: Turner (90+5) Sent Off: none a

Pars visit Second placed Dunfermline Athletic head North on Tuesday 29th December for a 6:30pm kick-off at the Caledonian Stadium as we move into the second phase of this seasons shortened Championship. No fans of course as we have now been plunged into tier 4 for covid 19. The game can be streamed live, see tweet below from ICTFC. Sad news this week with the passing of Jim McLean. Former Dundee United manager who dared to build a team that Would go on to beat Barcelona home and away twice. Condolences to his family and friends and the extended football world who knew his worth. One of the great managers to grace the Scottish game. RIP It all started back in October when we went to East End Park for the first game of the season under covid19 restrictions. The Pars proved to be too strong for an injury decimated Caley Jags who conceded two goals in the final twelve minutes to take the points in a 3-1 win. Nikolay Todorov had given Inverness a second minute lead before captain Euan Murray levelled after twenty. Unfortunately two goals saw the Pars run out winners, Ryan Dow and Declan McManus with a belter were the late scorers. We were inactive on Boxing Day as storm Bella drenched Cappielow and the game was called off around 10:00am. The previous week we earned zero points as we slumped at Recreation Park after taking an early lead through Brad Mckay. A stunning free kick from Innes Murray drew the Wasps level before a Mark Ridgers blunder gift wrapped the points for Alloa after Robbie Thomson volleyed towards goal. Whilst we were undermining our recent recovery, the Pars took four points from their last two games. A tremendous three goal comeback at Dens Park was backed up by a hard earned win over Arbroath on Boxing Day, Kevin O'Hara with a 91st minute winner as Owain Fon Williams kept the Red Lichties at bay. At Dens Park the hosts had taken a three goal lead which they held until the 78th minute. Goals from Watson, McManus and a 93rd minute equaliser from man of the moment Kevin O'Hara earned a point for the Fifers. What a signing he has been. With our game against Morton having been postponed, I would hazard a guess that Robbo will still be looking at making one or two changes with Wallace Duffy now ready to return to action. I doubt there will be sweeping changes although starting Aaron Doran might be an option with Kai Kennedy being kept quiet over the last couple of weeks and could be more of an impact player later in the game. Dunfermline will not need to alter much, if it's not broken, don't fix it. Here's their starting XI for the Arbroath game. 1 Owain Fôn Williams; 22 Lewis Mayo, 44 Paul Watson, 5 Euan Murray (c), 3 Josh Edwards, 16 Steven Whittaker, 11 Ryan Dow, 8 Kyle Turner, 15 Iain Wilson, 23 Dom Thomas, 10 Declan McManus. At the moment, this is how I see it. The Pars look likeliest to keep second place for themselves with Dundee shaping up for third. That leaves Raith, Ayr, Morton and ourselves scrapping for the final play-off position. A lot can change between now and the end of the season, but you would expect Dundee and Pars being able to strengthen as required and us and the rest having to make do with what we have. As a distraction to the weekly Championship games, the second round draw for the Scottish Cup takes place on Tuesday evening. The 2020/21 Second Round draw takes place tomorrow at 7:15pm on the ScottishCup YouTube and Facebook page. ICTFC will be ball number 27 in the draw...aaaand we are away to ball 8 Any further team news will be added to preview when available. Here's a wee tune to see us through the winter of woe...

No Post Turkey Trot @ Cappielow ***GAME OFF*** Waterlogged pitch After a pitch inspection at 09:45 this morning the game at Cappielow has been called off due to a waterlogged pitch. The game has still to be re-scheduled but will now be after New Year given the fixture is already in place for the 29th December against Dunfermline Athletic at the Caledonian Stadium. After an inexplicable collapse last week at Alloa, Inverness face an even tougher task on Boxing Day as they head for Greenock to take on form side Morton, who have jumped up to third in the table after excellent back to back wins over Queen of the South and Dunfermline Athletic. The game will kick off @3:00pm with covid restrictions in place meaning no fans in attendance at a down to earth rustic Cappielow. After a deserved win at East End Park for the Ton, they backed that up by beating struggling Queen of the South 2-0 on Saturday. Kalvin Orsi scored his first two goals of the season; a close range shot and a second half header from similar distance. The added bonus for the Greenock side is that interim manager Anton McElhone has been given the job at Cappielow until the end of the season after David Hopkins' departure. ********************************************* ‘TonTV Streaming Information Saturday’s game will be available to watch live for £14 on ‘TonTV. Supporters are asked to purchase in advance where possible to avoid any excessive online traffic before the coverage starts at 2.45pm. ********************************************* As all around us were dropping points, we failed to capitalise and capitulated worryingly at recreation Park. Most of that was of our own doing apart from a stunning free kick from Innes Murray, worth another look to be honest. After Brad Mckay had lashed in an early goal from close range we struggled to impose ourselves on the match and as Alloa grew in confidence, we regressed. Too many needless free kicks around the box led to the spectacular opener from Murray which Ridgers could do nothing about. However, he won't want to see the second goal as a simple collection squirmed out of his grasp and into the net. Oops, butterfingers was the cry heard in living rooms around the North. The disappointing aspect of this defeat was confirmed at 5:00pm as all other results would have been exactly as we would have wanted had we done our own job and won. Credit to Alloa, zilch for us. Boom! Worth noting that the village team from Dingwall are all heart in the lead up to Christmas and have offered a jobless man work for the next few months. It's a heartwarming festive tale that will see John Hughes try to scrape Dross County (damn you predictive text) off the bottom of the Premiership before the end of the season. Aye, good luck with that Yogi, some guid honest laddies there. Championship games on Boxing day, all 3:00pm kick-offs. Alloa Ath v Raith Rovers Dunfermline v Arbroath Hearts v Ayr United Queens v Dundee Morton v Inverness CT John Robertson had gone with an unchanged side for the third week in a row at Alloa. Maybe it's time to freshen up with Sean Welsh, Nikolay Todorov and Aaron Doran all starting from the bench and David Carson getting closer to match fitness. Certainly it seemed that we ran out of ideas quickly at Alloa and could not inject any urgency after the Waspies started buzzing. We were one paced and one dimensional which was a massive reality check given that the part timers had played a gruelling midweek cup tie against Hibs prior to our visit. Difficult to spot the full timers on that evidence. Robbo has said that Wallace Duffy is ready for selection and changes will be made with a hectic three game schedule coming up. Morton had this team against Queen of the South: McAdams; Ledger, McLean, McGinty, Strapp, Lyon, McAlister (Omar 69′), Salkeld (Nesbitt 66′), Muirhead, McPake (Oliver 77′), Orsi. OFFICIAL PREVIEW FROM ICTFC Robbo Shuffling

Inverness CT -V- Queen of the South ***Match moved from January 12th Caledonian Stadium, Inverness Saturday 30th January @ 3:00pm Championship Football Covid restrictions apply Live Streaming available

Arbroath -V- Inverness CT ***MATCH POSTPONED*** ***FROZEN PITCH*** Gayfield Park, Arbroath Saturday 2nd January 2021 @ 3:00pm Championship Football Covid restrictions apply Live Streaming available

Wasps Sting Jaded Jags The Caley Jags took an early lead through Brad Mckay as he lashed home from close range. A stunning free kick by Innes Murray levelled the game on the hour, and Robbie Thomson put the Wasps ahead fifteen minutes from the end. (Mark Ridgers look away now). What a disjointed performance by the Caley Jags after the promise of the last few weeks. Credit to Alloa for sticking with it when we should have looked for a second goal, but our second half effort was non existent. What the managers said on BBC Scotland: Alloa Athletic manager Peter Grant: "The second half, we dug right in and we got what we deserved. We had a big game midweek and then to galvanise ourselves the way we did is credit to them." Inverness Caledonian Thistle manager John Robertson: "I'm hugely disappointed with the second half. We didn't get it going at all. We were outworked and outplayed. That's disappointing." +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ After encouraging results in recent weeks Inverness faced Alloa Athletic at the Indodrill Stadium. Alloa would be looking to carry their League Cup form into the Championship and climb further away from the basement end of the table. Beating Arbroath last week was a good start to that. The Caley Jags were hoping to continue the progress they have made since the opening weeks and with the treatment table looking healthier things were beginning to look upwards. John Robertson had a settled side in the last three weeks with the young team keeping some more recognised faces on the bench. Shane Sutherland had recovered after a knock last week as Inverness went unchanged again. David Carson was fit enough to sit on the bench. Alloa were without the injured Scott Taggart and Ray Grant with Stephan Scougall also missing out. And of course, they are without Kevin O'Hara and Robbie Deas this season. O'Hara is now at Dunfermline, I wonder whatever happened to Robbie Deas ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Steven Kirkland, the man in charge today, set the ball rolling with a puff of his whistle. An early goal by Brad Mckay from close range should have seen us in control of this game but in truth, we had little to offer after opening the scoring in the 7th minute. Scott Allardice shot narrowly over and Shane Sutherland had an effort saved well by Neil Parry. Other than that it was an untidy half. Unfortunately it got worse after the break HALF TIME 0-1 Innes Murray scored a superb free kick after the interval to restore parity. From just over 25 yards the ball whistled into the keepers top right corner, Ridgers absolutely helpless as the ball curled and dipped into the net. That superb goal lifted Alloa and you would now think it was Inverness that had gone twelve rounds with Hibs in midweek, such was our inability to build any momentum. We were now clearly brain dead as Alloa looked more likely to get the winner. They did just that when it appeared as though our normally reliable keeper fumbled a bog standard half hit shot that squirmed through his grasp as he crouched down to gather the ball. Whatever happened it ended in the net and with it our hopes of getting anything from this game. We did huff and puff as Robbo said in the interview but we looked clueless and more like a bunch of schoolkids having a kickabout than a team looking to get into the promotion play-off positions. Full credit to Alloa for this win and they ended the game much stronger than the Caley Jades who will need to pull their socks up pronto. Another difficult test coming up next Saturday against a resurgent Morton at Cappielow. And a sobering thought, Alloa did this without Alan Trouten, Scott Taggart and Ray Grant. l'm still raging about this performance, so here's Honest John to sum up the disappointment in his after match interview which is how I saw the game as well... Listen to the full interview on Facebook. Full highlights from Alloa TV Date: 19/12/2020 Venue: Recreation Park, Alloa Attendance: 000 Referee: Steven Kirkland Alloa Athletic: 2 Lineup: Parry; Dick, Graham, Jamieson, Hetherington, Murray, Robertson, Buchanan (Malcolm 87), Cawley, Connelly (Thomson 62), O'Donnell Subs (not used): Willison; Evans, Lynch, Williamson, Scorers: Murray (61), Thomson (78) Booked: none Sent Off: none Inverness CT: 1 Lineup: Ridgers; B Mckay, Deas, Devine, Harper, Kennedy (Doran 69), Allardice, MacGregor, Sutherland (Todorov 80), Keatings (Welsh 69), Storey Subs (not used): C Mackay; Vincent, Carson, D Mackay Scorers: B Mckay (7) Booked: Devine (61), McKay (77) Sent Off: none a

Wasps Waiting for their Jags Its a visit to Clackmannanshire for the Caley Jags on Saturday as they take on the Wasps at the Indodrill Stadium; that's Recreation Park to you and me. The game kicks off at 3:00pm and unfortunately covid restrictions mean there will be no crowd in attendance. The good news though is the game can be streamed live from Alloa FC on PPV for £12, details of which are in the Alloa tweet below. Beats Xmas shopping so get yourself registered and log in for the game. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ OFFICIAL PREVIEW FROM ICTFC Alloa PPV INFO ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Inverness dropped two points last week as Dundee scored late to earn a point at the Caledonian Stadium. It was a see-saw game where Dundee took a first half lead through Liam Fontaine before two goals in quick succession from Robbie Deas, his first in blue, and James Keatings, changed the game. It was no more than Inverness deserved at that point but Jordan McGhee popped up with the equaliser for a share of the points. It was a decent performance in front of a covid restricted 300 fans against a side who are beginning to gel after a slow start to the campaign. There's no doubting the quality of McPake's individuals, but individuals do not maketh a team. However, I expect Dundee to make the top four come the end of the season, and on last weeks evidence it looks likely that we will join them. Alloa beat Arbroath last week at the bottom end of the table to lift them above the Lichties. The only goal of the game came from Stephan Scougall ten minutes from the end. They also played in midweek and almost pulled off a shock result against Hibernian in the League Cup but they fell just short of causing an upset. It was looking like a capital double for the Wasps in the League Cup but they couldn't quite hold on. They had led through a first half own goal, the ball bouncing off Hanlon. That was a lead they held until the hour when Hibs scored twice. Doidge with the first then another own goal from Alloa's Jamieson in the 83rd minute was enough to put Hibs into the semi-finals where they will face St Johnstone. Livi will play Rangers conquerors St Mirren in the other semi. Great effort from Alloa though and given the result against Arbroath, it can be seen as a positive week and a possible springboard for the season. Philosophical as ever........ Other Championship games this weekend, all Saturday afternoon. Arbroath v Ayr United Dundee FC v Dunfermline Morton FC v Queen of the South Hearts have a Scottish Cup Final to play against Celtic on Sunday at 2:15pm. Mon the Championship side. We are all Hearts! The Highlanders injury crisis is thankfully on the wane with only longer term casualties Kevin McHattie, Lewis Toshney and David Carson still receiving treatment. Carson is nearest to recovery and has started training. Shane Sutherland took a knock last week and news on his progress is awaited. Wallace Duffy is on the mend but this weekend might be too soon for him after his recent knee injury. No matter anyway as the young players have taken to this Championship football malarkey like a duck to water. So much so that the likes of Sean Welsh, James Vincent, Aaron Doran and Nikolay Todorov have to be content with starting from the bench in last couple of games. Robbie Deas will meet up with some of his Alloa buddies from last season after his move to the Caley Jags over the summer break. Alloa boss Peter Grant might have some weary legs to contend with after the battling performance against Hibs in midweek. They were without Scott Taggart and Ray Grant against Hibs. After an incredible 8,490 consecutive minutes playing for Alloa, Taggart's run ended in November and he is now in crutches and will be out for a few weeks. Murder! Grant has a hamstring injury. Kevin Cawley and the experienced Alan Trouten will be the ones to watch up front and Neil Parry will be a safe pair of hands between the sticks. The Wasps did lose one Kevin since last season. No, not Kevin the carrot, but striker Kevin O'Hara who is now at East End Park and will be a big miss. They are undoubtedly weaker since last term with players moving on but should not be underestimated as Hearts found out in the League Cup with Hibs almost going the same way. Always a difficult fixture to take all three points and this one will be no different, nothing but 100% will be good enough for the three points, but it's a great opportunity to put some pressure on the clubs above with Raith Rovers idle and Dundee and the Pars clashing at Dens Park. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ RIG also has this preview ahead of tomorrows game. It's more upbeat and word on the streets, down with the kids and all that sort of stuff. The lack of activity on the site ahead of the visit of the big man in red has prompted this start... Erm, we have a game tomorrow right? Or is not being able to go to games just killing interest in football at the minute? After playing Alloa a record 28 times last season this is the first of a mere 3 fixtures against them in this campaign. Fairly makes you pine for a pie in a roll. Despite playing well last season Alloa were often found languishing towards the bottom of the league and things are much the same this season. Except Alloa aren't playing well. They lost some important players at the end of last season like Kevin O'Hara, Robbie Deas, Iain Flannigan and Scott Banks. No wonder they aren't doing as well! Games between the two sides have been pretty entertaining in the last couple of seasons including an enthralling Scottish Cup tie which we won with a late Charlie Trafford header. Wait, Trafford...header...winning goal...nope that's what it says. Anyway, yours truly lost his mind with that goal after one too many fruit ciders and can be seen falling over the advertising boards at the end of this video Alloa use the Pixellot camera system for their games, as I understand it, but they don't seem to have been plagued by the same problems at Inverness for whatever reason. So perhaps you can be a bit more confident if you choose to part with a mere £12 to watch us "swat" the wasps aside or might we be "stung" by the home side? https://live.alloaathletic.co.uk/event/5fc50c9c9e8ec810c40e6cb3 Don't forget your weekly dose of Wyness Shuffle. The guys are doing a tremendous job putting these Podcasts together for you, so have a listen. Here's what the last one was about Find the Whistleblower The Shuffle is back… with Roddy MacGregor, Charlie Christie, the 300, views from Dundee, all the autumn action analysis, Initiation Songs, the Nightmare XI plus a look forward to December’s Xmas crackers.

Dee grab late point After a pulsating game at the Caledonian Stadium it ended all square. Liam Fontaine opened the scoring just before the interval reacting quickest to a rebound from the crossbar. Robbie Deas deservedly equalised with twenty minutes left and James Keatings put the hosts ahead three minutes later only for Jordan McGhee to peg us back again eight minutes from the end. No damage done to either club although with Dunfermline losing to Morton, it tightens up in the middle of the table. Hearts pumped Queens 6-1 to move further ahead at the top. Matchday 7 and Dundee were the visitors to the Caledonian Stadium to take on the Caley Jags in a battle for mid-table supremacy. The game kicked off at 3:00pm with a hand picked crowd of just 300 in attendance to this game. Both sides had got off to an inauspicious start to the campaign but were edging upwards recently. Something had to give. The last time the clubs met was in front of over 5,000 fans at Dens Park when first half goals from Aaron Doran and James Keatings put Inverness second in the table with Dundee six points behind in fourth. All this was in a previous life before covid19 came along and closed the world. The atmosphere was less raucous today, (muffled cheering and polite hand clapping), with only the chosen few allowed entry in a tier 1 covid zone. How would it pan out today?... Both sides were near to full strength, Inverness still without Kevin McHattie, Lewis Toshney and the likes of David Carson who needs match fitness along with three or four others who are being eased back up to speed. Dundee were reported to be at full strength with on loan Celt Jonathan Afolabi back in the squad after he missed the Arbroath game. That will be competition for Danny Mullen and Osman Sow. Jordan Foster and Callum Moore are both back in training but will be doubtful if they make the bench today. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Speaking to BBC Sport Inverness CT manager John Robertson: "I'm very disappointed. Their goalkeeper Jack Hamilton's had seven or eight great saves and we missed two sitters. We got ourselves in front and then a lack of communication has cost a second goal." Dundee manager James McPake: "Their second goal was clearly offside. I'm proud of my players but gutted for them as it should be three points. You always need to battle when you come up here - we handled that side of things really well and gave as good as we got." ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Dundee kicked off towards the North Stand on a dour afternoon but it would make for better viewing on Pixie Lott, the skies overcast, the ground wet after days of rain. The league record for the Dark Blues in Inverness reads five draws and seven defeats in 12 trips up the A9... Dundee were first to show when Jakubiak volleyed wide with Ridgers a spectator. The hosts first opportunity fell to Shane Sutherland who also volleyed wide after great work by Miles Storey down the left, the shot flashing past the keepers right hand post. Great save by Hamilton after 20 minutes to deny Roddy MacGregor from the edge of the box after some good pressure from the Caley Jags. Danny Mullen broke forward on the Dundee right but the flag stayed down. It took a massive blocking tackle from Danny Devine to to stop him just as he pulled the trigger. Mullen stayed down for fully five minutes before getting back to his feet. He continued after more treatment. The game evolved into a tense midfield battle with defences on top. Ten minutes before the break Jordan McGhee powered a header off the crossbar from a corner and Liam Fontaine scrambled the loose ball into the net through a ruck of players in the six yard box. We almost responded immediately but a simple tap in ended with Dundee scrambling the ball to safety. Looked like Keatings blocked from close range. Another foray forward saw a header over the bar and soon after Storey delayed his effort and Hamilton got down to block with Sutherland in a promising position. Dundee once more scrambled the ball away just before the interval as Inverness pressed for a leveller, the ball just not quite rolling for us. Half Time 0-1 Five minutes into the half and from a corner Mullen lashed the ball just over the bar at the back post. Robbie Deas should have scored when the ball landed at his feet six yards from goal, but he inexplicably dollied it into Hamilton's body as the keeper sprawled across his line. Storey made a superb break down the right before a half cleared ball was headed goalwards by substitute Aaron Doran, but Hamilton saved down low. Plenty of home pressure now and Robbie Deas popped up at the back post to hammer the ball home after a corner from the left was flicked on to make amends for his earlier miss. Inverness turned the game on its head few minutes later when Sutherland headed on and James Keatings struck a low shot into the net. Jordan McGhee equalised minutes later after substitute Osman Sow knocked the ball into his path. Meh! In a frantic ending to the game substitute Nikolay Todorov had the ball in the net but it was ruled offside and that's how it ended, all square after an entertaining match where no quarter was given or asked. Dundee will be delighted with the point and Inverness will rue some missed sitters. Hamilton was probably Dundee's busiest man with some crucial stops. Both managers feel they deserved all three points. My money is on Robbo for the honesty bonus. McPake is lying through his teeth desperate to keep his job. Downside to all this was an injury to Shane Sutherland late in the game. OFFICIAL REPORT Robbo talking after the game... Date: 12/12/2020 Venue: Caledonian Stadium Attendance: 300 Referee: Craig Napier Inverness CT: 2 Lineup: Ridgers; B Mckay, Deas, Devine, Harper, Kennedy (Doran 67), Allardice, MacGregor, Sutherland (Todorov 81), Keatings, Storey Subs (not used): C Mackay; Duffy, Vincent, D Mackay, Welsh. Scorers: Deas (72), Keatings (75) Booked: Deas (45+1), Allardice (50), Keatings (90), B Mckay (90+4) Sent Off: none Dundee FC: 2 Lineup: Hamilton; McGhee, Fontaine, Jakubiak (Anderson 72), Byrne, Mullen (Sow 64), McGowan (McDaid 68), Ashcroft, Elliot, Marshall, Adam Subs (not used): Ferrie; Kerr, Forster, Robertson. Scorers: Fontaine (37) McGhee (82), Booked: Adam (84), Byrne (90+1) Sent Off: none a

Dark Blue Visit Matchday 7 on Saturday as Dundee head North to the Caledonian Stadium to take on the Caley Jags in a battle for mid-table supremacy. The game kicks-off at 3:00pm with a selected crowd of 300 allowed to attend this game in a tier 1 covid zone. Both sides got off to an inauspicious start to the campaign but are edging upwards recently. Something has to give. last time the clubs met was in front of over 5,000 fans at Dens Park. First half goals from Aaron Doran and James Keatings put Inverness second in the table with Dundee six points behind in fourth. All this was in a previous life before covid19 came along and closed the world. ÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷ PPV Info Official Preview SPFL Matchcentre instructions Shane v Roddy How to get into the game Happy Birthday Cammy Mackay 21 ÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷ We made for pleasant viewing last Friday night in the televised game on BBC Scotland as we bageled Queen of the South 3-0. A game we largely dominated and scored three superb goals into the bargain. Kai Kennedy opened his big boy account via the keepers leg. Roddy MacGregor scored his second for the club with a marvellous 20 yard first time shot and Miles Storey completed the scoring, rifling a low shot into the bottom corner from fifteen yards. Great entertainment all round and coming off the back of a solid display and win over Raith Rovers, an encouraging performance that sees us climb into the middle of the table. Dundee edged out Arbroath 1-0 last week and have quietly eased themselves into contention in the middle of the table two points below Inverness. Paul McGowan made the difference with a superb solo goal. Both clubs have made their way to the middle of the table after a poor start to the season, and like Dundee, Inverness will be looking to get into the top four behind Hearts. However Dunfermline, Raith Rovers and Ayr United will have something to say about that with Ayr playing Raith on Friday night. With Ayr and Raith Rovers drawing, the incentive is there for Inverness to climb up to third in the table should they beat Dundee. Table ahead of Friday night's game and Other Championship games this weekend, Saturday @ 3:00pm unless stated. Ayr United 0-FT-0 Raith Rovers (Friday) Arbroath v Alloa Athletic Dunfermline v Morton Fc Hearts Fc v Queen of the South John Robertson has seen an upturn on the injury crisis in recent weeks with only Kevin McHattie and Lewis Toshney on the longer term list with David Carson back training but not fully match ready yet. Either way, the young players that have come into the side since the start of the season have been performing well. The likes of Roddy MacGregor, Cameron Harper and loan signing Kai Kennedy have been a joy to watch over the last couple of games and will be difficult to shift. Kennedy has been superb and every defender in this league will need to keep a close eye on him. Miles Storey for all his wastefulness can help to create for others and with James Keating getting up to speed thing are looking up. A couple of our young team have gone on loan to Highland League clubs. Midfielder Lewis Hyde joins Rothes until January. Shane Harkness is already at Mackessack Park. Defender Ryan Fyffe is off to local team Clachnacuddin until January. Good luck to all these guys as they look for some first team action. Don't be looking for many if any changes from the last couple of games. Jake McPake has been under pressure since the start of the league. A 6-2 hammering from Hearts opened their campaign but they have crawled upward since and are just above the drop zone.Paul McGowan has been in fine form, love him or hate him, but he is certainly a talented footballer. With the experienced Charlie Adam in the side, Dundee will provide a sterner test than hapless Queen of the South last week and this could well be a tight affair. Keeper Jack Hamilton is coming under scrutiny as the defence has been leaking goals and Adam Legzdins and Calum Ferrie are looking to get their hands in the gloves. However Hamilton pulled off some great stops against Arbroath last week and was crucial in their 1-0 win over the Lichties. Graham Dorrans has left the building but Osman Sow could be a big signing for the Dark Blues. The Wyness shufflers have been busy and they are looking for the grass. Takes all kinds I suppose, each to their own. Another great episode from the guys. Have a listen. Find the Whistleblower Running Order: 01.20 Disease & Vaccine The boys kick off by topically picking if X is the disease, what is the vaccine? 04.21 Charlie Christie Charlie sits down to discuss the season so far plus a certain recent Scotland game. 20.32 Game by Game All the action from the matches against Arbroath, Hearts, East Fife and Raith. 33.47 The 300 We talk to two of the lucky ICT fans who were at the home game v Raith. 41.20 Initiation Songs Just what songs have various players sung over the years? 43.54 Gary Cocker Host of Dundee FC podcast Walking Down the Provie Road, and sometime Terrace TV contributor, Gary Cocker runs us through the Dark Blues dismal season to date. 54.53 League Lookahead We preview the matches against Queens, Dundee and Alloa. 1.03.53 Roddy MacGregor Young Superstar Roddy pops by for a chat about the season. 1.16.44 Nightmare XI Another shocking footballer is added to the hallowed ranks. 1.20.38 Outro and the TWS mug!

Dumfries Cruise Inverness deservedly opened the scoring through Kai Kennedy in the 20th minute, his first goal for the club as he cut in from the left and scored low behind Leighfield from a tight angle, the ball coming off the keepers leg. Roddy MacGregor scored a second with a tremendous finish five minutes after the break to give Inverness a cushion. Miles Storey secured the points with a vicious left footed shot into the bottom corner from fifteen yards. Great three points for Inverness and consolidation in the middle of the table. Queen of the South were the last side we played back in March before covid19 came along and changed our lives. On that occasion Inverness ran out 3-1 winners. What happened on the night... John Robertson had slightly more choice than normal as injuries began to heal thanks to the International break and League Cup second round. Still without Kevin McHattie and Lewis Toshney, but the rest are on the mend and back training although not all back to match fitness. Inverness looked pretty in pink as they took to the artificial surface at Palmerston. TV on and tuned to BBC Scotland, James Keatings was first to show with a header that he should have done better with, but he missed the target from a great position. He was involved in the next opportunity when Deas made a great run forward to get on the end of it, but his effort was blocked by Leighfield as he slid in and from that save, Sutherland dribbled across the box but he smothered his shot and it was cleared. McKee got an effort away as Queens got forward but it was deflected for a fruitless corner for the hosts. Twenty minutes gone and the brilliant Kai Kennedy opened the scoring for Inverness when he dribbled down the left, cut along the byeline and drove the ball low into the net from an acute angle. First goal for Inverness and what a goal! Kennedy and Keatings had shots that troubled the Queens defence as Inverness pressed for a second. Dobbie broke on the left a las Kennedy but Shields effort was just wide of the post from close range. Queens were on a roll just now and another couple of efforts went close. Attempts at both ends thereafter but both keepers were mainly untroubled before the interval although Dobbie was starting to pull a few strings. Deas and Devine were intercepting most Queens forays forward and at the interval it remained 1-0 for the visitors. Half Time 0-1 No changes at the break and five minutes into the half Roddy MacGregor doubled the lead for the visitors. A great ball forward was headed on by Shane Sutherland to Brad Mckay who cut the ball across the edge of the box where Roddy met it perfectly to side foot the ball into the top corner. What a tremendous goal for the Caley Jags and young Roddy. There were opportunities for both sides, but the keepers were underworked until Inverness stretched their muscles again. Storey passed up on a great opportunity when he broke clear down the left but was forced wider than he would have liked. His shot hit the side netting when a bit of composure would have seen him score but he would not be denied. Miles Storey scored a superb third to seal the points as he turned and slotted into the bottom corner with some venom ten minutes from time. No more than Inverness deserved after a long throw in by Brad Mckay found Miles in the box. Miles better as they say around here. On a night when the clubs saluted Diego Maradona, young Roddy MacGregor wrote a whole new book of skills and capped it all with a tremendous goal. Kai Kennedy was another who impressed again and in truth, there were no flaws in the side tonight. Solid in defence, and playing with some style. The future is bright, the future is pink. Great result for Inverness who move on to 10 points. OFFICIAL REPORT What the managers said on BBC Sport Queen of the South manager Allan Johnston: "First half I thought we didn't start well at all. Then when we started to actually pass the ball, we created a number of chances, but we obviously weren't clinical. We just never had that spark tonight. We didn't do enough to get anything out of the game." Inverness CT manager John Robertson: "We're delighted. After such a good performance at home to Raith Rovers, you're worried especially with a young squad that you don't maintain those standards. Our squad's coming back slowly, and we just need to pick up points and keep it going." Congratulations to Mark Ridgers. He does like a clean sheet. That's 50 clean sheets in 133 appearances for the Caley Jags keeper and he tweeted this: Delighted to reach 50 and looking forward to many more!! Great result and performance again from the boys! Hopefully be home for sun rise now. Highlights from BBC/SPFL Date: 04/12/2020 Venue: Palmerston Park, Dumfries Attendance: 000 Referee: Steven McLean Queen of the South: 0 Lineup: Leighfield; Maxwell, Obileye, Buchanan, McKee, Fitzpatrick (McCabe 84), Pybus, Shields, Dobbie, Joseph (East 56) Gibson (Nortey 82) Subs (not used): Ferguson, McKecknie, McGrory, Goss. Scorers: none Booked: Fitzpatrick (58) Sent Off: none Inverness CT: 3 Lineup: Ridgers; B Mckay, Deas, Devine, Harper, Kennedy (Doran 78), Allardice, MacGregor, Sutherland (Todorov 84), Keatings (Welsh 72), Storey Subs (not used): C Mackay; Duffy, Vincent, D Mackay. Scorers: Kennedy (21), MacGregor (50). Storey (80) Booked: Welsh (90+2) Sent Off: none a

Friday night on council TV We're on the telly on Friday night for a 7:45pm kick-off at Palmerston Park, Dumfries, where Queen of the South will host matchday six for both clubs in a covid restricted game which will feature on BBC Scotland. Steven McLean will be the man in charge for this one. Queen of the South were the last side to visit the Caledonian Stadium back in March before covid19 came along and changed our lives. On that occasion Inverness ran out 3-1 winners to remain second in the table behind Dundee United. Here's the action from that miserable Tuesday night, the game played out in a bit of a monsoon. Both sides were idle last weekend as the next phase of the League Cup was played out. I notice that the village pub team from the quaint market town of Dingwall had the temerity to end Celtic's 35 match unbeaten run in domestic cup competitions and put more pressure on Neil Lennon. Shame Anyway, big team big cup, wee team wee cup and all that sort of stuff..... Meanwhile, back in the Championship, the quest for promotion goes on as we head for Palmerston on a relative high after an encouraging win over table topping Raith Rovers, a game that saw a few fans viewing the game from inside the stadium with strict covid protocols in operation. It's a start, let's hope this trend continues across the country. We were never stretched by Rovers and scored in each half. Miles Storey should have opened the scoring but for the woodwork intervening, twice. He did however tee up James Keatings for the first and Scott Allardice later in the game as he slotted in the second to seal the points and push Inverness towards the middle of the table. Queens picked up their first win of the campaign whilst we were beating Raith as they deservedly beat Alloa Athletic 2-0 with goals either side of the interval from Gregor Buchanan and a superb Joe McKee free kick. That result has put Alloa at the foot of the table. League table after five games and other Championship fixtures this weekend (Saturday) Alloa Ath v Ayr United Dundee v Arbroath Morton v Hearts Rovers v Dunfermline With an alarming amount of injuries to contend with, the recent international break and the League Cup knockout stages have come along at the right time for Robbo and his injury hit squad. It will allow those that have been nursing knocks and strains more recovery time and put those out longer term closer to a return to action. John Robertson might have some better news regarding his injury list and hopefully David Carson, Kevin McHattie, and Lewis Toshney might be a step nearer the pitch, with Sean Welsh, Miles Storey, Shane Sutherland, James Vincent, James Keatings and Aaron Doran all putting more mileage into their legs. Allan Johnston, like most managers in the Championship is also working on a shoestring and has taken players in he hopes will do the job for him. He still has the prolific Stephen Dobbie on the books but Kevin Holt has left the club. Attacking midfielder Calvin McGrory, versatile midfielder Nortei Nortey, Niyah Joseph, Euan East, defender James Maxwell, Kieran McKechnie, Harry Robinson and keeper Rohan Ferguson are all new at Palmerston, many of these secured on loan deals such was the haste that many clubs had to operate on to build a squad. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ OFFICIAL MATCH PREVIEW FROM ICTFC GREG TANSEY THUNDERSTRUCK AC/DC THUNDERSTRUCK ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Danny Boy ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ RIG also looks ahead to this one: After a weekend off we are back in action in a couple of nights with a long trip to Queen of the South. One of the best away day trips has been ruined because of COVID-19 and the SPFL moving it to a Friday night for coverage on a TV channel that almost no one watches but don't let that get you down and tune in to the BBC Scotland channel from 19:30 on Friday to see us take on the Doonhamers. A really impressive win over early season "surprise" package Raith Rovers coupled with a number of players coming back from injury means confidence will surely be high ahead of this one. Queens are a shambles of a team thrown together last minute in a similar manner as we were at the start of the 17/18 season. That said, they've not performed that badly so it's not going to be an easy game but hopefully it's one we can win and keep up our remarkable run of results in Dumfries where we haven't lost since 2004! The last time we lost there Busted, one of the great UK heavy metal bands of the early noughties, were number one. No need for streaming info although after 30 seconds of listening to Leanne Crichton and Jonathan Sutherland you may even be desperate enough for our commentator to take over... The Wyness Shuffle guys have been busy knocking out another Podcast for you. Give it a listen, it'll pass an hour and a half for you. Review of recent fixtures with analysis from Charlie Christie Look ahead to forthcoming games including Dundee preview with Dee fan Gary Cocker Chatting to 2 of the "300" who got into the ground for the first game this season with fans Interview with Roddy MacGregor Initiation Songs Another Nightmare XI entrant Well why not reinforce your collection of porcelain with a classy mug adorned with "The Wyness Shuffle" featuring artwork from the superb Sophie Robb Use it for tea coffee, Hot Todorovs or some pencils! Look no further for your Stocking Filler Got a story to tell, speak to Chris

300 fans, half a stream & a broken corner flag. James Keatings opened the scoring midway through the first half after Miles Storey broke forward before squaring to Keatings who calmly stroked a low shot into the net from fifteen yards. We had hit the woodwork twice in the first half through Storey without actually dominating. Scott Allardice doubled the lead after the hour. There was no further scoring but it turned out to be a comfortable win for the hosts with keeper Mark Ridgers restricted to catching crosses as Raith failed to trouble him. Jamie MacDonald at the opposite end kept Raith interested with three or four great saves coupled with some wayward efforts from our busy forwards. After matchday five, Dunfermline now head the table after their win over Hearts on Friday night coupled with Raith Rovers losing at Inverness. Ayr united dumped Dundee as well so the league table now looks like this with the Caley Jags climbing to the middle of the table. Hearts do have a game in hand against Alloa Athletic. It was the first game that fans were allowed into the stadium since the start of the covid19 pandemic. The North and South Stands were used to comply with social distancing and Raith Rovers were the visitors. Inverness still had a number of absentees through injury including David Carson, Lewis Toshney, Kevin McHattie and Wallace Duffy. We welcomed Aaron Doran and Miles Storey back to the squad over the last couple of games and Shane Sutherland who scored the winner last week against East Fife. Sean Welsh made the bench and Brad Mckay returned at right back with Duffy injured. Here's the managers speaking on BBC Sport: Inverness CT manager John Robertson: "Everything was great today. It was great to have fans back. Credit to both sets of player, they put on a very good show for them. It was a great game of football between two good teams."We took our chances well. We played really well but we had to because Raith Rovers are a very, very good side. It was a very, very good performance." Raith Rovers assistant manager Paul Smith: "We've had a fantastic start to the season but today we weren't quite at it. I thought Inverness deserved to win the game over 90 minutes."Jamie MacDonald had a couple of fantastic saves to keep us in the game. We had a lot of ball in the first half but our final ball wasn't good enough to create many chances." ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The two sides met almost a couple of weeks ago on League Cup duty, the game ending all square at 3-3 in Kirkaldy. Would it be another goalfest or would the Championship fixture be a more sedate affair with the priority being not to concede. Not an easy task with Manny Duku in the opposition team. The game kicked off at 3:00pm for those in the stadium. For those streaming, it was more likely that they were steaming as the SPFL failed to get round technical difficulties and the whole of the first half was missed. With a small percentage of fans in the ground the Caley Jags played towards the South Stand in the first forty-five. After ten minutes of posturing the game exploded onto the Raith Rovers bar as Miles Storey broke through the middle before moving right to unleash a ferocious shot that rocked the frame of the goal. What a strike that was and he was unlucky not to open the scoring with a sensational goal. The hosts were restricting Rovers to fleeting glimpses of the Inverness penalty box with Mark Ridgers untroubled other than a weak shot from Kieran MacDonald comfortably saved a couple of minutes after Storey's blistering strike. When Scott Allardice broke down a Rovers move in the centre circle, Storey sped forward like an express train. He held the ball up on the eighteen yard line before squaring to Keatings who was lurking around the penalty spot where he swept the ball home with ease to the delight of the South Stand. Not often you can say that at the Caledonian Stadium. Half an hour gone and Storey hit the woodwork again as the ball found him in space ten yards from goal. He looked a stick on for a tap in but he somehow got under the ball and hit the top of the bar with his effort when it looked easier to score. He had another go five minutes before the break as we looked to double our lead, but his shot was wide of the mark. Manny Duku was being well policed by Danny Devine and the most he saw of the ball was an effort blocked by our defence just before the break. Half Time 1-0 We came out of the blocks fast at the start of the second half, maybe trying to impress the streamers who now had access to the game after missing the first forty-five. A Storey cross was cleared to Roddy MacGregor who fired a shot across MacDonald but the keeper saved the low shot well. Storey again tested MacDonald but he stood up to the barrage and kept the ball out at the expense of a corner. All action now and a Keatings corner was close to crossing the line as it honed in on goal and minutes later the skillful Kai Kennedy set up Shane Sutherland but again the keeper did well to make a tremendous reflex save. Kennedy left a couple of Raith players needing to pay to get back into the ground as he sent them the wrong way down the left before cutting along the line, however his cross come shot was deflected behind for a corner. Would we rue these missed opportunities as Raith briefly threatened to get a grip on the game, Ridgers making a couple of routine stops. A bizarre booking for Armstrong after he threw away the broken corner flag before taking a free kick, yellow card for something he did or said. The free kick fizzled out and soon after we scored a second. Kennedy popped up on the right and went for the byeline before pinging an inviting cross into the box. Storey collected and then Allardice picked up the ball from him in the box and slotted neatly into the bottom corner. Another goal could have come two minutes later when the ball fell nicely to MacGregor on the edge of the box but he slashed his shot well wide from an inviting position. Storey and Harper combined to give Sutherland the chance at the far post but he slipped at the wrong time and the chance was gone. Kennedy sent a great ball into the path of substitute Daniel Mackay but once more MacDonald saved well as Raith ran out of ideas and we finished the game strongly. The full highlights on Caley Jags TV Overview: Comfortable win ultimately but despite squandering a few great opportunities we were never really troubled by Raith. Our defence was superb today with Devine and Brad Mckay on top. Harper was wayward with balls from defence but we never got punished for it and he got better as the game went on. Allardice is the find of the season, great engine and an eye for goal. Keatings showed his class at times and Miles Storey had a day of less bloopers. He really should have scored when he skimmed the top of the bar. His first effort which was also missed by our own twitter feed was a spectacular shot from 25 yards which crashed back off the bar. MacGregor sliced badly with the goal at his mercy but put in a great shift. Shane was maybe the quieter of our front men today. The wee man with the wee legs was again outstanding. He has the ability to beat any defender he wants. Tremendous close skill. A tanner ball player in olde money. Although we led 1-0 at half time, in terms of possession and ascendancy, we were not out of sight despite hitting the bar twice. Out of the blocks early at the start of the second should have seen us coasting but missed chances and good saves kept it close. Overall, we were worth the three points and good to see Welsh back on as a sub. Here's the goals only, enjoy! OFFICIAL REPORT FROM ICTFC Date: 21/11/2020 Venue: Caledonian Stadium Attendance: 300ish covid Referee: Alan Newlands Inverness CT: 2 Lineup: Ridgers; B Mckay, Deas, Devine, Harper, MacGregor, Allardice, Keatings (Welsh 82), Kennedy (Doran 88), Sutherland, Storey (D Mackay 82). Subs (not used): C Mackay; Vincent, Todorov, Nicolson. Scorers: Keatings (19) Allardice (68) Booked: Allardice (53) Sent Off: none Raith Rovers: 0 Lineup: MacDonald; Tumilty, MacDonald, Benedictus, Armstrong, Hendry, Duku, Mathews, Musonda, Tait (Spencer 75), Ross (Lokotsch 55) Subs (not used): Thomson; Mendy, Ugwu, Arnott, Coulson. Scorers: none Booked: Armstrong (60) Sent Off: none a

Willie Wonka and the Goalden Tickets Raith Rovers are the visitors this weekend for Matchday 5 in the Championship, and it will be the first game at the Caledonian Stadium to allow fans in during the covid pandemic, albeit restricted to around 300 tier one season ticket holders. It's a step in the right direction for football and hopefully it will be a successful occasion on and off the park. The game kicks-off at 3:00pm on Saturday November 21st, a date for the diary. It might be a bit like Willie Wonka, but from little acorns and all that stuff... The good news for streaming fans is that last weeks offering for the East Fife game was a marked improvement from the first couple of Pixie Lott efforts. This time a camera operator was apparently in place and aided by a lack of sun from the west, the live pictures came across much better without any following of the lineman's follicly challenged head. So credit where it's due, well done to whoever took note of the many unhappy viewers from previous games although it would have been nice if they could have let us know what was happening and that they were going to do something about it. Anyway, sorted for now. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Matchday Protocol Video Fans return Ballot £10 PPV option for this game £10 Ian Broadfoot - Milestones & Memories ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The two sides met eleven days ago in the League Cup group stages at Stark's Park Kirkaldy. It was an entertaining game which finished 3-3 with Raith taking the bonus point after winning the penalty shoot-out 3-2. Manny Duku was a menace throughout and scored the opening goal before Shane Sutherland levelled for Inverness. A Danny Devine own goal put Raith back in front after Ethan Ross broke on the left before cutting the ball into the box and off the unfortunate Danny boy. Two quick goals for us from James Keatings (pen) and Roddy MacGregor, his first for the club, put us in the driving seat but Duku sent the tie to penalties in time added on. It was a good work out for both sides who will no doubt have some different personnel this weekend. Brad Mckay and James Vincent were both injured at Raith to add to out lengthy list of casualties. We played East Fife last weekend in the same competition and laboured to a 1-0 win in true Scotland style. We had Cammy Mackay to thank for that as he saved a penalty in stoppage time from Jack Hamilton. Shane Sutherland gave us the lead in the second half with a powerful header. Good points to come out of the game were a debut for Harry Nicolson and Miles Storey came off the bench on his return after injury. Also Cammy Mackay was in brilliant form with a super save earlier in the first half and ended his day with that superb penalty save. Rovers had a Fife derby to contend with and they also made life difficult for themselves but they saw off Cowdenbeath 1-0 with Manny Duku again on the scoresheet. I'm sure both sides will be stronger for this game with Dylan Tait back for Rovers and Lars Lokotsch available again. Jamie MacDonald will probably be between the sticks although Robbie Thomson did well against us and defender Kieran MacDonald could also return. That's seven goals already for Duku and he will need to be shackled if we are to take anything from this game. Here's a few words from Kai Kennedy John Robertson saw Miles Story return against East Fife and was able to rest one or two others with Aaron Doran and James Keatings coming on from the bench. Sean Welsh has missed a couple of games recently, let's hope he's just resting his fragile body as he's required for crucial games. Anyway, Robbo just wants to see this game out so we can regroup and hopefully get more players fully fit before the next round of Championship games on December 5th for us when we visit Palmerston on the Friday night. David Carson, Lewis Toshney and Kevin McHattie have been longer term casualties and time will be a great healer for them. Other Championship games this weekend & Table prior to Dunfermline v Hearts Dunfermline 2 - 0 Hearts (Friday night 7:45) Arbroath Fc -V- Morton Ayr United -V- Dundee Fc Queen Sth -V- Alloa Ath *** LATEST TEAM NEWS*** From the Official Preview: John Robertson said “I don’t think Wallace Duffy will make it, he’s still injured from last week.” “We’ve got players back in training this week, James Vincent has started to train, Sean Welsh has started to train but he’s still a bit tender, Miles Storey has done a bit more training, David Carson has started his running programme.” “The squad will be virtually the same as last week with the players with the possibility of one or two senior lads maybe on the bench. They’re still miles off it unfortunately due injury and fitness but it may well be that they can do something for us off the bench.” So there you have straight from the horses mouth. Latest from Raith with Paul Smith looking ahead to this game

Inverness CT -V- Dunfermline Athletic Caledonian Stadium Tuesday night 29th December @ 18:30pm ***Early kick-off*** Championship Football Covid restrictions apply Live Streaming available from ICTFC Happy New Year when it comes

Greenock Morton -V- Inverness CT Cappielow Park, Greenock Wednesday 27th January @ 18:30 Championship Football Covid restrictions apply Live Streaming available

Alloa Athletic -V- Inverness CT Recreation Park, Alloa - Indodrill Stadium Saturday 19th December @ 3:00pm Championship Football Covid restrictions apply Live Streaming available

Inverness CT -V- Dundee FC Caledonian Stadium Saturday 12th December @ 3:00pm Championship Football Covid restrictions apply Live Streaming available from ICTFC

Queen of the South -V- Inverness CT Palmerston Park, Dumfries Friday night 7:45pm Championship Football Covid restrictions apply Live on BBC TV Live Streaming available

Inverness CT -V- Raith Rovers Caledonian Stadium 21st November 2020 Championship football Covid restrictions apply Live Streaming available from ICTFC

Keeper in the spotlight again Inverness won the game but all credit to East Fife for making this a tough tie. It took a penalty save by Cammy Mackay in stoppage time to keep us ahead after Shane Sutherland had opened the scoring in the second half. We had Mackay to thank for a wonderful save in the first half as well and he was my MotM. The final Betfred League Cup group A game was played out at an empty Caledonian Stadium with East Fife the visitors in our tier 1 covid restricted tie. The Fifers came North after losing narrowly to Hearts in midweek whilst we drew 3-3 with Raith Rovers. Hearts would progress to the next round from this group with Raith Rovers just missing out, let's find out what happened here.... The stream for todays game was free for everyone with Andy Bannerman on commentary and a cameraman controlling the camera. What a difference this made to the viewing experience. Well done ICTFC for getting this sorted. Brad Mckay, James Vincent, Wallace Duffy, Lewis Toshney, Kevin McHattie and Sean Welsh were all missing. Miles Storey made the subs bench after injuring his hamstring over a month ago. In comes Cammy Mackay and Harry Nicolson makes his competitive debut as Shane Sutherland gets more game time up front with Nicolay Todorov. East Fife's danger men were up front in Jack Hamilton and Ryan Wallace with eight goals between them this season. East Fife got the game underway in a vacant stadium, kicking towards the North Stand. Almost six minutes on the clock when a tidy dummy saw Kai Kennedy take the ball into the box but he couldn't get enough power on the shot and the keeper smothered the ball. Toddy was next to break into the box but was crowded out as he tried to get the ball away. Cameron Harper headed a dangerous ball to the back post behind for a corner in East Fife's first foray forward, but the defence cleared comfortably. Shane Sutherland snatched at a shot on the right side of the box but he dragged it across the goal and wide. A flurry of activity by the visitors saw Scott Allardice head clear but the follow up volley by Ryan Wallace was lashed well over the bar, high and wide. Good spell for the Fife side and they fired another long range effort a couple of yards over the bar. Toddy was thwarted on the eighteen yard line by a strong challenge by a Fifers defender. Series of good blocks by the Fife defence denies Inverness and it ends with MacGregor's shot taking a deflection and looping into the keepers arms. What a save from Cammy Mackay from point blank range to keep the score level. A header by Chris Higgins from six yards in a crowded box looked certain to score, great reactions from Mackay kept the ball out. Kai Kennedy was roving around the flanks causing problems for the defenders, winning free kicks wide right, but there were no takers for the crosses into the box as East Fife defend well. Aaron Doran did well to step inside his marker five minutes before the break but his shot from the edge of the box was well over. Most of the pressing coming from the home side but the Fife defence standing firm so far. Despite having plenty of the ball, it was the visitors that had the best chance of the half when they were denied by Cammy Mackay. In truth, Inverness looked void of ideas in trying to get behind a well drilled East Fife bus. Half Time 0-0 Striker Ryan Wallace was replaced at the interval by Thomas Collins. Probably bored by the game. Sutherland got a shot on target three minutes into the second half but it was too easy for the keeper then up the other end the Fifers headed narrowly over with a looping effort. Kennedy shot wide from around twenty-five yards but it fell away to the keepers left. Annoyingly, East Fife looked more dangerous than us at the start of the second half. However, the deadlock was broken when Sutherland rose highest to send a powerful header into the top of the net off a Cameron Harper corner. Back came the Fifers and a ball bobbled around our box before Mackay was able to gather. Mackay was quick off his line to save at the feet of the oncoming forward as the visitors stormed forward once more. The hosts then looked to get on top of the game and Kennedy sliced a volley over before he was replaced by James Keatings. Miles Storey made a complete arse of an effort when he went through looking suspiciously offside, but he sand danced around and lost the opportunity. What a numpty. A curling effort by Davidson went just over the bar as East Fife kept plugging away, still looking likely to get something out of this game. It's beginning to look a bit like watching Scotland play. We ended the game on the back foot, throwing bodies in the way and scrambling the ball away for a corner. But all was not lost as they were awarded a penalty in the 91st minute when Jack Hamilton was brought down by Robbie Deas. As I said, just like watching Scotland. And just like Scotland, the keeper saved the penalty from Hamilton brilliantly. What a save by Cammy low down to his left, similar to David Marshall, to earn the points as the game ended. Keepers are big news this week and Cammy Mackay was our hero with a crucial point blank save in the first half and a tremendous penalty save in time added on. Brilliant from young Cammy. Good performance from birthday boy Cameron Harper as well and a well taken header by Shane Sutherland won the game for us where we toiled to create for long spells. Facebook link for Robbo interview post match Date: 14/11/2020 Venue: Caledonian Stadium Attendance: 0000 Referee: Chris Graham Inverness CT: 1 Lineup: C Mackay; Deas, Nicolson, Devine Harper, Doran (D Mackay 65), Allardice, MacGregor, Kennedy (Keatings 78), Sutherland, Todorov (Storey 65) Subs (not used): Ridgers; Fyffe, Hyde, , Keatings, Scorers: Sutherland (64) Booked: none Sent Off: none East Fife: 0 Lineup: Hart; Higgins, Murdoch (Watson 69), Dunlop, Denholm (Dunsmore 61), Slattery, Smith (Watt 69), Agnew (Newton 75), Hamilton, Davidson, Wallace (Collins 45). Subs (not used): Long; McLaughlin Scorers: none Booked: Agnew (33) Sent Off: none a

Fay Fife For Footie It's the final Betfred League Cup game for Inverness this season with the team Fay Fife the visitors to the Caledonian Stadium on Saturday for a 3:00pm kick-off. No no no, not the Rezillos, but the football side from Bayview. Nothing at stake for either side with Hearts heading the group. Here's the other ones fae Fife........ More good news, or not, depending on your view, but this game will be available for free to watch through the spfl portal/matchday centre. The information can be found by clicking on the link in the twitter feed below or the link provided. Some might say we should be paid to watch it, however, it won't cost you anything and you can watch the sun setting in the west and follow the linesman head or cars going on to the Kessock Bridge. Don't say we didn't warn you, but yer no payeen anyhing mun, so no complaineen this week. Enjoy! Free Stream from ICTFC Information In all honesty, nothing really matters after the drama that unfolded on Thursday night when Scotland qualified for the Euros after doing it the Scottish way. Twenty-four seconds of the ninety to go and leading 1-0. Boom! Extra time with our backs to the wall and a nail biting penalty shoot-out saw new heroes emerge for another generation with our very own Ryan Christie right at the top of the tree. Congratulations Ryan, we are all so proud of you, none moreso than your olde daddy, Charlie. The downside of Scotland qualifying is that a whole nation is now walking around humming "Yes Sir, I can Boogie, Ach well, you can'y have everything; the good news is that this version is much better than Baccara's effort in 1977.......43 years ago! Meanwhile, back at the Betfred League Cup: East Fife come North after running Hearts close in their last game, going down 3-2 at Bayview. Jack Hamilton and Ryan Wallace scored for the Fifers as they fell just short despite being 2-0 down after just 3 minutes. Hamilton and Wallace are making a habit of scoring goals this season and will be worth keeping an eye on. Inverness did well at Stark's Park but had to settle for a draw. Raith took the bonus point as we fired three penalty blanks. We got ourselves into a winning position but, like Scotland, did it our way as the menacing Manny Duku equalised in the 90th minute. Nonetheless, it was a decent performance from Inverness who scored through, Shane Sutherland, his first on his return to the club, James Keatings from the spot and Roddy MacGregor, his first for the club. But for a tremendous double save from Raith keeper Robbie Thomson we would have won the three points, however, it is what it is. A good workout for both teams and game time for returning injured players. Unfortunately, James Vincent came off in the first half as did Brad Mckay who looked to catch his foot on the astroturf. OFFICIAL PREVIEW FROM ICTFC RETURN OF FANS BALLOT Latest team news: As noted in the official preview, Brad Mckay and James Vincent are out. Wallace Duffy is struggling but Miles Storey might make the bench. More game time for those that need it and also an opportunity for for the young team to make their mark. Finally, we are all Ryan Christie, what a legend, from this young loon..... To Scotland hero, take a bow RYAN CHRISTIE A nation is forever indebted to you