Fixture Farce

Director of Football Graeme Bennett has complained about the unbalanced nature of the new fixture list that was issued yesterday.

An opening home game against Rangers is followed by two away games, and after another home game (V Dundee Utd) there follows another two away games. Bennett, speaking in the Inverness Courier said "It's a very difficult start with four of the first six games being away from home".

Bennett went on to say "I don't think the sequence has been very kind to the club in relation that you prefer home-away, home-away, home-away and there's quite a few double-headers with away games back-to-back and quite a few consecutive home games. Sometimes it might be that fans go the best part of three weeks without a game of football." [full story in Courier]

Fans will also not be pleased with the festive fixtures with three of the four  including both the Boxing Day and New Year fixtures being away from home.

It is not the first time that the fixtures have been unkind to Caley Thistle, in 2005/06, because of the nature of the SPL split the club played only 18 home games but 20 away from home. This was compounded with both the first and final fixtures of the season being away trips.

Last season, the club did get a home tie in the first game and also played an equal number of both home and away ties but yet again the final fixture of the season was away from home so once again end of season party plans were scuppered.

With the dates of the final five fixtures not released yet, and ICT only having 16 home games in the pre-split section, lets hope that the SPL give us more than the usual two home fixtures we have had in previous post-split fixture lists otherwise its going to be another 18H-20A season !!!!