Inverness open their account for the season

First win of the season for Inverness and they did it in style. A four goal hammering of Dundee United lifted the tension at Tulloch Caledonian Stadium ahead of next weeks first SPL Highland derby. United started the game in control but by the end were a bedraggled side as Inverness ran them ragged in the second half.

A Richie Foran double in the first half was added to after the break by Andy Shinnie and the excellent Phillip Roberts, who blasted home his first goal for the club. The scoreline did not flatter Inverness as they surged forward after the break and built on their half-time lead.

This was just the tonic for the home fans with the Ross County fixture looming and news that the Dingwall club lost again just put the icing on the cake as far as the Inverness support were concerned. So it's smiles all round and this makes the report much easier to compile.

ajsict92 will have a full match report ready when he comes down from cloud nine...........

Foran, Shinnie and that lad with the dodgy barnet

Caley Thistle welcomed Dundee United to the Tulloch Caledonian Stadium with both sides in search of an upturn in recent form. The home side were on the back of gaining another defiant point in the capital against Hibernian but were yet to record a win this season while the Arabs were coming into this game with no goals in two games and following a crushing 3-0 defeat at home to Hearts.

Despite the recent form from the away side any pessimists doubting any chance of a result would be understandable. ICT hadnt beaten United since August 2010 and last season saw ICT ship 3 goals a game against them in 3 defeats. They also contained some quality players in their starting 11. Young starlet Johnny Russell was partnered by Jon Daly who was back from injury and there was also a place for former County star Michael Gardyne and former ICT man John Rankin.

Terry Butcher was forced to make two changes with Ryan Esson and Andre Blackman out with injury. Gavin Morrison made a rare start and Spaniard Antonio Reguero made his first appearance between the sticks. Connor Pepper was dropped to the bench and Phil Roberts was handed his first start. The on-loan Arsenal forward earned plaudits for his mid week performance at Stenhousemuir and despite the Jason Leesque haircut the youngster did not disappoint on his full debut.

It was Dundee United who began the strongest and had ICT very much penned in their own half for the first 15 minutes. The first real chance of note fell to the away side. A long ball from Gavin Gunning was poorly controlled by David Raven and Michael Gardyne seized upon his loose touch to cut inside but couldn't get his shot on target and it curled wide of the far post.

The Arabs continued to threaten however and Jon Daly was next to come close for the away side, another long ball towards the ICT box was well controlled by Russell and he teed up Daly who from about 12 yards would have been expected to hit the target but fortunately for the home side his effort was high, wide and in all honesty rather lazy.

Daly came close again. This time from a corner. Willo Flood floated it in and Daly lost his man and his first time strike was thwarted by Reguero, though he struggled to gather it but was lucky enough to be covered by his defenders.

ICT began to grow into the game with Andrew Shinnie having an effort easily gathered by Cierzniak. What soon followed was a moment of true brilliance. Phil Roberts picked up a slack pass from Sean Dillon and fed it to Shinnie who laid the ball nicely for Richie Foran. The Irishman was in a rich vein of form with 3 goals in 3 games and he curled a delightful first time effort into the top corner of the net, leaving Cierzniak with no chance. A superb strike made to look so simple by the ICT skipper who had now doubled his total tally from last season.

With ICT in the ascendancy they began to dominate and Roberts continued to be the catalyst with his pace and work rate causing the United defence problems, and this lead to double delight before half time was even near. Some neat interplay between Doran and Morrison found Roberts on the left and his pin point cross saw Foran ghost in at the back post and head in goal number two.

It could have been 3 just before the break when Draper found Raven. His deep cross evaded everyone. Including Cierzniak but fortunately for him the crossbar was there to prevent a fluke goal and save the keepers blushes.

Half time:- ICT 2-0 Dundee Utd

Fully refreshed from the break ICT started the 2nd period the hungrier of the two teams. Andrew Shinnie was the first to try and extend the lead. Foran's through ball found him at the edge of the box but Shinnie's effort curled just wide of the post with Cierzniak routed. Aaron Doran then missed a decent opportunity to give ICT a three goal cushion. Foran reiceved Regeuro's punt and eventually squared the ball back to Doran who attempted a strike on his weaker left foot which went high and wide.

United responded with Daly coming close with a looping header from Willo Flood's free kick and this required a finger tip save from Reguero. Keith Watson then attempted a long range effort from about 25 yards for the visitors that was a few inches over the bar.

With about 20 minutes left ICT finally got that 3rd goal. Dillons clearance fell straight to Doran who after a neat exchange with Shinnie found Foran at the edge of the area. His pass to Shinnie was slightly misplaced but following a defensive mix up between Watson and Cierzniak, Shinnie was left with the simple task of sliding the ball into an empty net.

By this point ICT fans were struggling to comprehend what they were watching. A 3-0 lead against tricky opposition had some thinking they were in dreamland. It got even better 3 minutes later when Roberts topped his fine afternoon off with a fabulous goal. Doran's free kick was brilliantly knocked down by Foran. Warren laid it back to Roberts and from the edge of the area he struck it first time with the outside of his foot into the far corner of the net with the keeper at full stretch yet again. ICT fans had gone from dreamland to delirious delight in those 3 minutes and even the most die-hard pessimist knew that a first win was on its way.

With the game drawing to a close tiredness was beginning to creep in to the legs of ICT's players having put in full effort to this game and Foran, Roberts and Shinnie were all replaced by Pepper, McKay and Oswell in the closing stages to standing ovations. The remaining minutes played themselves out and the referee blew his whistle for full time.

Full time:- ICT 4-0 Dundee Utd

To summarize:- I had a feeling we would win this one. Not by the margin we did but maybe one of these bland 1-0 wins Terry was asking for. There is no question though that it was deserved. We weathered the United storm in the opening minutes and slowly but surely picked them apart with some quality play and clinical finishing. Our key players were all at their best with Doran, Shinnie, and Foran all giving top class displays along with Phil Roberts impressive full debut. At the age of 18 he is a young man with a very bright future. Skillful and dynamic but with a great work rate to back him up, a player with immense potential. Defensively we looked decent despite one or two hiccups and our playing from the back approach was key to our game. Reguero also deserves credit for his late inclusion. Kept a clean sheet and showed some decent handling and distribution... can't ask for much more. Just need to keep this level of performance up.

ajsict92's MotM:- Richie Foran. Back to his best and thriving in his role as target man. Both his goals were class, his effort was that of a man playing for the shirt and his leadership was transcending to the rest of the team. It was an easy decision...keep it up Richie.

29th Sep 2012	Scottish Premier League	Tulloch Caledonian Stadium
Inverness C.T.	4 - Foran (31, 35), A.Shinnie (70), Roberts (73)
	TEAM: Esson, Raven, Meekings, Warren, G.Shinnie, Foran (Oswell 84), Morrison, Draper, Doran, A.Shinnie (Pepper 81), Roberts (McKay 88)
	SUBS: Reguero, Polworth, Brislen-Hall, Cooper
	Booked: Morrison (9), Warren (87)
	Sent Off: none
Dundee Utd	0 -
	TEAM: Cierzniak, McLean, Dillon, Gunning, Watson, Flood, Ryan (Millar 63), Rankin (Armstrong 46), Gardyne (Dow 46), Russell, Daly
	SUBS: Banks, Vignal, Hilson, Gauld.
	Booked: Rankin (37), Millar (72)
	Sent Off: none
Referee	Stephen Finnie
Attendance	3059

Penalty Drama as Inverness edge it.

A wet and breezy night in Stenhousemuir saw the SPL side struggle to get to grips with the conditions early on but with twenty minutes gone Billy McKay headed the visitors in front.

Stenhousemuir equalised from the spot after Raven brought down Brown Ferguson who took the kick himself. Stewart Kean almost nudged them ahead before half time but he hit the woodwork.

No more goals after the break took the tie to extra-time and that came and went without any further goals.

A dramatic penalty shootout was concluded when Ryan Esson saved Darren Smith'spenalty to win the tie for Inverness 6-5 on penalties.

• Richie Foran miss 0-1 Brown Ferguson score
• Graeme Shinnie score 1-2 Andy Rodgers score
• Gavin Morrison score 2-2 Bryan Hodge miss
• Aaron Doran score 3-3 John Gemmell score
• Andrew Shinnie score 4-4 Ross McMillan score
• Ross Draper score 5-5 Stewart Kean score
• Philip Roberts score 6-5 Darren Smith miss
• ICT WIN.
  
  old caley girl faced the elements and the penalty shoot out to provide us with this report.
  
  The Gods didn't appear to be very happy yesterday. During the day the stormy weather appeared to be of biblical proportions but the artificial surface at Ochilview ensured the game went ahead. A small band of hardy ICT fans left Inverness for Stenhousemuir full of optomism despite the weather. After a short stop at the ICT adopted chippy in Auchterarder we eventually arrived in Stenhousemuir.
  
  It's no secret to anyone that knows me that I much prefer the traditional football ground to modern all seater stadia, so there wasn't much of a choice to be made between the terrace or the stand. The only disappointment was that there was no way of swapping ends at half time. The larger clubs could also take lessons from the courteous staff and stewards.
  
  It wasn't long until the terrace started to fill up with familiar faces, with the central belt fans arriving such as Govan Jaggie, Capital Caley, Red Card and Top Six Next Year. The ICT faithful congregated behind the goal, and as the game kicked off the wind and rain were still relentless.
  
  Stenny started in lively fashion and looked like they were a confident, competent team having dumped Killie out of the cup in the previous round. Billy McKay returned to the Caley Jags team replacing the injured Andre Blackman and took up his usual role as loan striker with Graeme Shinnie dropping back.
  
  This was my first time watching a competitive game on an artificial surface and it soon became plain that staying on your feet and getting a pass on target was a bit of a problem for the ICT lads. After 15 mins we had our first chance when Connor Pepper passed through to Doran who then shot straight at the young Stenny keeper. However in 23 mins a great high ball through from Meekings bounced to Billy McKay who headed past the keeper straight into the net. So we were in front and all was going to plan.
  
  Unfortunately though 15 mins later David Raven didn't stick to the script and was adjudged by ref Bobby Madden to have tripped Ferguson and he also earned himself a yellow card. We couldn't see too well from our end was it stonewalled or not so look forward to seeing the highlights. Ferguson took the penalty and drove the ball low and hard past Esson's right. 1-1.
  
  Things almost went from bad to worse just on half time when Kean got straight through but hit the crossbar.
  
  Half-Time 1-1
  
  Main talk at at half time was the presence of Ally McCoist in the stand and also how well Stenny were playing and how this was going to be a bit of a battle.
  
  The second half didn't see much improvement to be honest. Both teams had opportunities to win but didn't take them. Morrison eventually replaced Pepper and Foran moved up front. This made us look marginally more dangerous and it was clear that players and fans alike wanted to avoid extra time. However it was Stenny that could have settled it when Kean managed to get straight through again one on one with Ryan Esson but shot into the side netting.
  
  Everyone braced themselves for extra time but neither team produced a winner. Roberts replaced McKay and annoyed the home support with a body check on one of their players and thus earned boos for the remainder of the game.
  
  Penalties arrived and standing right behind the goal gave a keepers view of the penalties but most of us seemed to watch through our hands! Up stepped Richie Foran, who struck the ball confidently and hit the post! Groans all round. The next few were scored competently until Hodge shot over the bar. We moved to sudden death until eventually hero Essson saved from Darren Smith.
  
  Full Time 1-1 Inverness win 6-5 on penalties
  
  A much relieved Caley Jags faithful left Ochilview happy to have gained a win, any win, even if it had been done the hard way.
  
  To summarise we huffed and puffed but eventually got the job done. The 4th round draw beckons and the dream of a cup run goes on. It's going to be hard but whisper it one more round to Hampden!
  
  Thanks to old caley girl for that report from a wet and windy Ochilview, I hope it was worth it and maybe a favourable draw in the next round awaits.
  
  

25th Sep 2012	Scottish Communities League Cup	Ochilview Park, Stenhousemuir
Stenhousemuir	1 - Ferguson (pen40)
	TEAM: R.Thomson, Ross, Buist (Rodgers 96), McMillan, McKinlay, Ferguson, I.Thomson (Anderson 103), Hodge, Dickson (Smith 69), Gemmell, Kean
	SUBS: Shaw, Lawson
	Booked: Rodgers (105), McKinlay (119)
	Sent Off: none
Inverness C.T.	1 - McKay (23)
	TEAM: Esson, Raven, G.Shinnie, Warren, Meekings, Doran, Draper, A.Shinnie, McKay (Roberts 101), Foran, Pepper (Morrison 79)
	SUBS: Reguero, Cooper, Oswell
	Booked: Warren (113)
	Sent Off: none
Referee	Bobby Madden
Attendance	705

Capital Comeback Kings strike again

Inverness staged another dramatic comeback in the capital to spoil Hibernians' plan to top the table. Hibs had come flying out of the blocks and raced into a two goal lead with just over half an hour gone.

Eoin Doyle got the break of the ball to stroke Hibs ahead after 23 minutes and Wotherspoon lashed a ferocious volley past a stunned Ryan Esson with 31 minutes on the clock to put a rampant Easter Road side on easy street.

A dash of Pepper saw young Conor throw Inverness a lifeline before the break and Richie Foran sealed the comeback with an equaliser with ten minutes remaining.

A bright day in the Capital for this clash saw Inverness boss Terry Butcher hand Conor Pepper a start with Welshman Owain Tudur-Jones sitting this one out after his red card against the Dons. Josh Meekings continued in defence with David Raven as Simon King missed out with an operation pending on his ankle.

For the homesters, Leigh Griffiths failed to recover in time and youngster Ross Caldwell filled his place.

Hibs started the game in brisk fashion tearing forward at every opportunity, and there were plenty of them as the fragile Inverness defence continually gifted them the ball at will. Josh Meeking inexplicably lifted his leg like a dog taking a piddle as a Wotherspoon cross rolled across a stunned Esson's goal and missed the post by inches. Almost a calamitous moment for Josh, but he would play a more important role later in the game.

The Hibs wingers were flooding forward making incisive breaks and constantly getting behind the inverness back four, and from one of these attacks Caldwell should have made Esson work but he thumped the ball into the side net from the angle of the six yard box.

Hanlon shot over as the game opened out and Doran forced Williams into a full length diving save as he turned and shot smartly after a Foran lay off along the edge of the box.

But the Hibs goal was coming and as Pepper gave the ball away cheaply near the Hibees box, Doyle was released on the left side at the halfway line. He showed good pace to leave Warren trailing in his wake and as he entered the box he shot low across Esson who spilled the ball and unfortunately as Warren slid in the ball ricocheted of Doyle and into the net despite the best efforts of Blackman to keep the ball out on the line.

Probably no more than Hibs deserved at that moment and their tails were up. Paul Cairney crashed a twenty yarder off of Esson's left hand post with the keeper beaten and Hibs made a hash of capitalising on the rebound with Caldwell miscueing his attempt.

Inverness were stung into action and Warren headed wide but it was Hibs who increased their lead with as good a strike as you will see all season. Once more Inverness were the architect of their own downfall conceding the ball cheaply in the middle of the park. When the ball arrived at Wotherspoon some 27 yards out, it sat up nicely and he thrashed home an unstoppable volley into the rigging high behind a motionless Ryan Esson. That one even brought about a begrudged ripple of polite applause from some Inverness fans, great goal.

Half an hour gone and we looked down and out at this point but we are Inverness and we don't do walking away.........

We needed a goal and we needed it soon. With six minutes left of the half we got ourselves back into the mix. Ross Draper lofted a ball forward and captain marvel Richie Foran timed his jump to perfection to nod the ball towards Alan Maybury. Unfortunately for him, Conor Pepper was lurking with intent and the younster outmuscled his more experienced opponent and dashed towards the box. He still had plenty to do but he hit a low twenty yarder across Williams and in off the far post from the inside right position. Superb strike to match Wotherspoon's wonder goal and the lift Inverness needed.

We almost went in level at the break when after a spell of sustained pressure, a Doran chip was headed goalwards by Shinnie, but Williams made a tremendous one handed save, clawing the ball away from the target.

Half Time 2-1

Hibs flew out of the blocks once more and Caldwell shot over from 12 yards after Andre Blackman had been dispossessed out on the flank. Caldwell will feel he should have done better.

Our injury list grew even longer as Blackman limped out of the action to be replaced by Gavin Morrison just before the hour.

Ryan Esson became a hero as Hibs tried to assert themselves once more. McPake found space in the box and he swivelled and volleyed a fierce shot from seven yards, but Esson produced a wonder save to deny the Hibs captain, as his colleagues held their heads in disbelief.

That save proved crucial to the outcome of this match. We were now enjoying much more of the play and Hibs were reduced to playing on the break, but they were still dangerous when they pushed forward. Hanlon, Doyle and Claros all tested Esson but he was equal to them and Inverness stunned the Edinburgh side with a brilliant equaliser with ten minutes left.

Foran tried his luck from Wotherspoon range but his effort was straight down Williams' throat. The Inverness pressure was beginning to get to the Hibs defence and we enjoyed the better of the second half. Could another capital comeback be on the cards?

The answer would soon be revealed. Josh Meekings suddenly turned into Johan Cruyff. He left two defenders facing the wrong way after picking up Billy McKay's lay off inside the Hibs box. His cross come shot was fired goalwards by Warren who had pushed forward. Williams once more clawed the ball out brilliantly only for Richie Foran to react quickest and rifle the loose ball into the roof of the net from three yards.

This was no more than Inverness deserved and the introduction of young Phillip Roberts was another reason to be cheerful as he looks like an exciting prospect, drifting past players with ease and good in the air to boot.

Hibs tried to salvage the game and a flurry of corners ensued but the by now confident Inverness defence held firm and saw out the remaining minutes relatively unperturbed.

Full Time 2-2

tm4tj Man of the Match:- A few contenders for this accolade. Connor Pepper showed power beyond his years and scored a great goal. Gary Warren is proving to be one of our best signings along with Ross Draper, but my choice was captain marvel Richie Foran, who led by example today and scored his third goal in as many games.

tm4tj Moan of the Match:- The form of Aaron Doran and Andrew Shinnie is a tad worrying. Two of our most talented players have been bit part bystanders recently and with our limited resources we need these guys to give us a little more on matchdays.

22nd Sep 2012	Scottish Premier League	Easter Road, Edinburgh
Hibernian	2 - Doyle (23), Wotherspoon (31)
	TEAM: Williams, Clancy, McPake, Hanlon, Maybury, Wotherspoon, Deegan, Claros, Cairney, Doyle, Caldwell.
	SUBS: Antell, McGivern, Stevenson, Sproule, Stanton, Handling, Kuqi
	Booked: McPake (43), Cairney (53), Williams (82)
	Sent Off: none
Inverness C.T.	2 - Pepper (39), Foran (81)
	TEAM: Esson; Raven, Meekings, Warren, Blackman (Morrison 59), Doran, Pepper (Roberts 70), Draper, G. Shinnie, A. Shinnie (McKay 70), Foran.
	SUBS: Reguero, Oswell, Brislen-Hall, Cooper
	Booked: none
	Sent Off: none
Referee	Euan Norris
Attendance	9,908

Stalemate.

Aaron Doran welcomed his mate Jonny Hayes back to the Tulloch Caledonian Stadium with an early robust tackle which might just have turned their relationship stale.

Jonny may have been back in Inverness, but it was Aaron Doran that made the headlines with an incredible miss that should have put the game beyond the Dons. I believe he claims he was fouled, and for his sake I hope so, otherwise it was a faux pas of gargantuan proportions.

One on one with Langfield, he appeared to be caught in two minds what to do and in the end did nothing, much to the disdain of the home support, claiming he was fouled as he tried to shoot............I will need to check the video tape for that one.

Substitute Shane Sutherland was brought down and captain superb Richie Foran sent Langfield the wrong way from the spot. However, Aberdeen sneaked a point as their young substitute Cammy Smith was left unattended to head home the equaliser from a Hayes cross late in the game, something the Dons scarcely deserved, although neither side troubled the opposition keeper throughout the ninety minutes.

A couple of red cards, Owain Tudur-Jones once more sent packing; studs up challenge offering the referee the opportunity to send him off, and that he did, and Russell Anderson being deemed responsible for Shane Sutherland tumbling in the box for the penalty with Foran possibly fortunate to stay on the park after ploughing through a tackle and creating a new furrow in the park.

ajsict will have a full report for you when he settles down after that turgid encounter.............

Old habits die hard

A lacking combination of clinical finishing and concentration late on saw Caley Thistle drop yet another 2 points in a game they probably should have won. Many fans would have been sceptical having watched ICT ship 8 goals in 2 games but with only one win to their name this season the Dons were no great shakes so both teams would have seen it as an opportunity to grasp. It was also a game in which Jonny Hayes returned to TCS as an opposing player for the first time and he was greeted with a mixed reception from the home fans.

Terry Butcher handed deadline day signing Andre Blackman his first start at left back since joining from Celtic with Graeme Shinnie reverting to left wing and after a credible display against Motherwell, Richie Foran retained his role as the lone striker. There was also a place in the squad for former Arsenal youngster George Brislen-Hall.

Paw Broon recieved a lot of praise for the caliber of player he signed in the summer and he had his two new starlets Hayes and Niall McGinn at his disposal along with promising youngsters Cammy Smith and Ryan Fraser, both of whom left a lasting impression.

In a game that was full of action the first half certainly was not. Both teams made the pitch look very congested, cancelling each other out and keeping the creative influence of both sides closely marked.

ICT had the better of the first half with Aaron Doran shooting over and one or two promising attacks charged down by the Dons. Graeme Shinnie had the best opportunity. Esson's high ball was beautifully touched down by Shinnie but on his weaker right foot his shot was tame and easily gathered by Langfield.

It certainly wasn't difficult for ICT to retain the ball but with the door to the goal being closed off the frustrations began to grow and Aberdeen began to create openings for themselves. Jonny Hayes looked to catch the ICT defence on the counter attack before he was taken out by Aaron Doran who received a booking for his troubles.

As half time drew near ICT's defence was called into action with Ryan Jack having a shot blocked by Gary Warren and then Ryan Fraser showing good composure to set up Stephen Hughes who was thwarted in his attempts to score by Ross Draper who put in a superb challenge to keep the scores level.

Half time ICT 0-0 Aberdeen

The 2nd half began with a bit more urgency. From a corner Andrew Considine was left unmarked and his strike seemed a certain goal but for Owain Tudur-Jones who cleared the effort off the line and after a quick frenzy saw the ball gathered by Esson.

ICT were next to try and break the deadlock. Andre Blackman nearly capped off an impressive debut with a goal, a neat change of play between Draper and OTJ set up the young full back who showed good composure to beat his man and get a powerful drive away from about 25 yards but the shot was just wide.

The game then exploded into life just short of the hour mark when Tudur-Jones was shown his 2nd red card of the season (and of his career) when he lunged in on the menacing Ryan Fraser and the referee showed little hesitation in sending the big Welshman for an early bath. On initial viewing it seemed harsh with the challenge being nothing more than late and a little aggressive.

Sky Sports reported it as being foul and abusive language that saw him go but I cant help but dismiss that as an error from them as he said next to nothing to the ref after the incident.

Butcher was forced into a tactical re shuffle with Foran dropping back into midfield and Shane Sutherland being brought on to occupy the lone striker role. Ironically this seemed to galvanize ICT and after Aaron Doran was flagged offside after scoring ICT created another opening. Warren won the ball and fed it to Graeme Shinnie who threaded a beautiful through ball to Shane Sutherland who was hacked down while bearing down on goal by Russell Anderson. The Dons stalwart was then shown the first red card of his long Aberdeen career for a professional foul and ICT were awarded a penalty as a result. Richie Foran showed no hesitation as he tucked it into the bottom corner sending Langfield the wrong way.

With the game returned to a level playing field both teams squandered further chances. Stephen Hughes and Jonny Hayes coming close for the Dons and Shane Sutherland firing over from the edge of the area.

Aaron Doran had a frustrating afternoon and it was summed up when he wasted the best chance of the day to increase the home sides advantage. From a corner Draper won posession, fed the ball brilliantly to Foran and his unselfish lay off to Doran left the Irish winger with a golden opportunity to seal all three points for ICT but his first touch was poor and following a challenge from Mark Reynolds the chance was gone.

With time running out Aberdeen sent on Niall McGinn and promising teenager Cammy Smith in search on an equalizer and it came with 6 minutes remaining. After giving away a cheap free kick the ICT defence was caught napping as it was taken quickly. Jonny Hayes did what he was renowned for during his time in the Highland capital. His improvisation with the free kick saw him set up youngster Smith who nodded the ball home at the back post to send the large travelling away support into raptures. A local boy scores his first goal for the club in front of his own support to rescue a point for his team? Its the stuff of dreams but my idea of a nightmare as we surrendered yet another lead to a late goal.

With time running down neither team managed find a winning goal but there was time for Shane Sutherland to pick up what looked like a serious injury as he was stretchered off and required a large amount of medical attention. With that the game was drawn to a close.

Full Time 1-1

To summarise:- It was certainly a step in the right direction after the last two games but our old problems continue to haunt us. Poor finishing and conceding late goals, needs sorting out pronto. Having only lost two games out of six sounds great but pairing it with the fact we havent won dents its credibility. Tudur-Jones will be a loss for the next three games. I doubt the club will appeal the decision and Foran will revert back to midfield. As good as he is there I thought Foran looked excellent as a lone striker, his work rate is a real quality and his physical presence makes him a menace for defenders. Defensively I thought we looked better but we lack communication at times and set pieces were conceded as a result of this. Hibs away will be a difficult task as they are on a great run of form and with Leigh Griffiths going great guns at present we will have to be at our best to keep him and the rest quiet.

ajsict92's motm - Andre Blackman, this was a difficult call. Foran worked his socks off and Draper and Warren both put in solid performances but given the fact he was put straight in the starting 11 and was up against a quality winger like Hayes I thought he stuck to his task well and showed real potential as a youngster.

Inverness CT: Esson, Meekings, Raven, Warren, Blackman, Graeme Shinnie, Tudur Jones, Draper, Doran (McKay 87), Andrew Shinnie (Sutherland 63 (Pepper 90)), Foran. Subs not used: Reguero (GK), Oswell, Morrison, Brislen-Hall.

Aberdeen: Langfield, Jack (Smith 74), Anderson, Rae, Considine, Vernon (McGinn 74), Hayes, Hughes, Fraser (Fraser 81), Magennis, Reynolds. Subs not used: Jason Brown (GK), Robertson, Clark, Jordon Brown.

Referee: George Salmond

Attendance: 4,499.

Steelmen show their mettle

Inverness were caned today by a rampant Motherwell side who put four past Ryan Esson as Inverness shot themselves in the foot after getting back within touching distance of The Steelmen. Two early goals from Hateley and Higdon set the pace for Motherwell but a Richie Foran header threw Inverness a lifeline before the break. Unfortunately Raven handed the initiative back to Well with a short pass back and Higdon scored his second and went on to complete his hat-trick before the end. It was not to be our day as Darren Randolph made a few miraculous saves and thwarted Andy Shinnie with a penalty save late in the day to compound Inverness' misery.

ictchris was on hand to witness the show, but he has taken a few positives from the game, despite the scoreline.

Strangely Enjoyable

I quite enjoyed that match in a bizarre way. We lined up with Foran up front for McKay and Meekings slotting into the back four in place of King, who dropped out in the warm up and that saw David Raven maintain his place at right back.

Straight from kick off we won the ball and pushed forward with some decent play and for the next five minutes most of the play was ours. Ross Draper hit a low shot which was deflected off Page and turned just wide by the diving Randolph, and it looked like it might be an enjoyable game. Well started to push back into the game and forced a succession of corners which we looked a bit shaky at, Hateley has a great delivery from dead balls and Higdon is always a handful. Following two or three corners, Hateley whipped one in and Ryan couldn't keep it out at his near post. He'll be absolutely gutted about it, there really isn't an excuse for not getting that ball. Almost straight from the kick off Well were two up as Humphrey, who was lively all day, tore down the left and evaded two lunging, desperate tackles from Graeme Shinnie and Draper, centred for Higdon who took advantage of the space in the area to knock it home.

It was absolutely gutting at this point, we looked on the end of a real hammering. However, we started to push back into it and had the ball in the net when Richie nodded the ball to the back-post for Sutherland to knock in, although this was then ruled out for an infringement on Foran's part. Being at the other end of the ground I didn't really have a great view but there didn't look to be that much in it. Foran then chased back, won the ball out wide and tore in on goal but his effort was blocked. We had pushed right back into the game and deserved the goal that came just afterwards. A corner was knocked clear to Owain Tudur-Jones, who lobbed it to the back post where Foran headed in. We probably looked more likely to score at this point and Foran was played in by a long pass from Meekings for a great opportunity. His shot was blocked and he couldn't direct his header from the rebound goalward.

Half -Time 2-1

In the second half the game was more end to end with both sides having chances. There were a couple of massive Well shouts for a penalty, one when Meekings (I think) made a tackle in the area (looked decent from our end) and again when a shot hit what the fans and players claimed was a hand. We also had a shout for a penalty when Richie was brought down while bearing in on goal but Mr O'Reilly had no time for it.

Things were nicely poised when David Raven, who had actually been pretty solid today compared to other poor displays, made an absolute howler. We'd had the ball in midfield and Raven received it and tried to roll the ball back to Esson but his short pass was eaten up by Higdon, who knoced it home. It was an absolute sickener, we had fought so hard to get back and to lose a goal like that is hard to take. We continued pushing forward, Shane came close with a header from a Foran cross that his marker did well to put behind for a corner. Subsittute Ojamaa helped finish us off though, tearing away on a breakaway, beating his man and squaring for Higdon to crack one home for his hat-trick.

We could've cut the deficit almost straight away when Foran was clearly brought down in the box by Page and the ref gave a penalty. Andy Shinnie's spot kick was well saved by Darren Randolph, who had earlier made a stunning diving stop from a Gary Warren acrobatic overhead kick. I left with a couple of minutes to go as our train was at 17:11, not sure much of note happened in injury time.

Full Time 4-1

Overall I feel strangely positive after a 4-1 defeat, which isn't like me. We really did well going forward, although, as Alternative Maryhill noted we took the wrong option around the opposition goal a few times. Richie Foran was absolutely brilliant today, on another day he could have scored a hat-trick, he worked hard, won everything in the air, played good passes and crosses, fought and harried. An absolutely towering display and we need to keep him up there if we are going to get anything out of this season. The obvious downside is our defending. We looked nervous defending corners and Chris Humphrey was a livewire and had the better of Graeme Shinnie a lot of the game. We just seem to make basic errors too often - a short passback, not dealing properly with a run from wide, letting a corner sneak in. I fear we'll end up repeating the mistakes of last season, chopping and changing at the back. Raven I feel sorry for, he hasn't done that well but was playing OK today until their third goal. Graeme Shinnie was caught a few times by Humphrey and looked uncomfortable against him the whole game. Shinnie is the sort of the full back who dominates his opponent by pushing onto them rather than by dealing with them and that style isn't suited to a guy like Humphrey who is pacey and got time today. In midfield, I think Ross Draper is a great player and had another influential game. Owain Tudur-Jones, cross for the goal aside, was ineffective He looks like he can play but he never actually raises his game and takes control for 90 minutes. The fact he was subbed in a straight swap (for Gavin Morrison who was better) says it all. I thougth Shane and Doran did OK, took a few too many wrong options but were available and looked fluid, espeically Doran who popped up all over. Andy Shinnie had some good touches but had a quieter game than previously.

We need to sort out our defence and it's a big job but watching that today it isn't hopeless.

Motherwell:- Randolph, Law (Murphy 64), Hateley, Humphrey (Carswell 85), Higdon, Lasley, McHugh (Ojamaa 73), Kerr, Page, Francis-Angol, Cummins. Subs not used: Hollis (GK), Daley, Carswell, Hetherington, Murray.

Inverness CT:- Esson, G Shinnie, Tudur Jones (Morrison 64), Warren, Draper, Foran, Andrew Shinnie (Pepper 81), Meekings, Raven, Doran, Sutherland (McKay 81). Subs not used: Regeuro (GK), Roberts, Laing, Polworth

Referee: Steve O'Reilly.

Attendance: 4,031.

Shinnie Smokes the Red Lichties

Inverness booked their place in the third round of the League Cup at the expense of second division Arbroath. Two Andrew Shinnie strikes was enough for the SPL side to ease them into the next stage of the competition wih a competent performance against Paul Sheerin's side.

Inverness put out out a near full strength side to ensure they progressed in the competition unlike one or two other SPL sides who were dumped out by lower league teams, notably Ross County going down 4-1 at home to Raith Rovers. They joined Dundee, Kilmarnock and Hibs in the trash can. Josh Meekings started ahead of David Raven and Tudur-Jones returned from suspension to replace the injured Nick Ross

It only took Inverness seven minutes to take the lead, Andrew Shinnie converting a Shane Sutherland cross to settle the visitors. This was just the start Inverness were looking for after the disastrous drubbing at the hands of Celtic last weekend.

Former County keeper Tony Bullock kept the score down with a series of excellent stops from the eager Inverness forwards as he foiled attempts from Shinnie, Sutherland, McKay and Doran, and just before half time another fantastic save from Shinnie prevented the visitors from going into the break two up. Sutherland shoots over as the first half came to a close with Inverness making all the pressing. Shanes effort bringing out the quote of the night from RossP.....Sutherland donates a ball to Montrose with a wild high volley. LoLs

Half Time 0-1 as the crowd swapped ends.

Graeme Shinnie skimmed the top of the bar as the second half gets under way and Owain Tudur-Jones tries to get in on the act but shoots wide, as does Doran a few minutes later.

Arbroath's top striker Darren Gribben could have squared the match as he broke forward but fired harmlessly over from the angle of the box.

1-0 is a precarious lead, but Inverness were still forcing the pace of the game and it was no surprise when Shinnie netted his second after another assist from Sutherland who had dispossessed Paul Sheerin before feeding the midfielder who lashed a shot off the underside of the bar and into the net.

Shinnie was unlucky not to score a hat-trick but was denied again by Bullock and Sutherland could not get the ball out from under his feet for what would have been a tap-in.

Arbroath kept plugging away and Esson saved a free kick from Doris with five minutes remaing, but the SPL side had done their homework and saw out the remainder of the game without conceding.

All said and done, this was a professional job carried out by Inverness after the disappointment against Celtic and they showed great character to bounce back and see off the potential banana skin at Gayfield.

The stats showed Inverness had 17 shots, 10 of those on target making Bullock work hard for his money, and a corner count of 8-0 to Inverness, so the stats back up the display that was a pretty convincing win for the visitors.

Arbroath:- Bullock, Baxter (Malcolm 64), Travis (Banjo 72), Keddie,Hamilton, Kerr, Currie, Sheerin, Doris, Holmes (Sibanda 30), Gribben. Subs not used: Morrison (GK), Mair.

Inverness CT:- Esson, Graeme Shinnie, Warren, Meekings, King (Raven 58), Tudur Jones, Draper, Andrew Shinnie, McKay (Pepper 81), Doran, Sutherland. Subs not used: Reguero, Morrison, Polworth.

Attendance: 672.

Referee: Stephen Finnie.

Painful viewing

Inverness slumped to their worst ever home defeat to Celtic as they were humiliated on their own pitch by a rampant Celtic.

The gulf in class was clearly evident as the champions strolled to an embarrassingly easy win over a hapless bunch of journeymen and kids as our two experienced heads sat in the stand, unable to participate because of rashness akin to schoolboys.

I won't go into great detail, but suffice to say that Celtic bossed this game from the start until the last ten minutes when the industrious Ross Draper stole a couple of goals to deny Celtic a much more emphatic win that their superiority deserved.

I'm sorry to report that this was certainly a case of men against boys, and Celtic were not the boys. We were like rabbits caught in the headlights, simply overwhelmed by the champions who were able to cut us open every time they got the ball. The only surprise was that it was only 2-0 at half time as Mulgrew cracked the bar with a brilliant free kick and numerous chances went astray, or Esson denied them the glory of more goals.

As early as the fourth minute, the imposing Wanyama rose unchallenged to power a header home. It was a mystery how Celtic took another twenty minutes to increase their lead, but there was nothing surer, they were going to do it sooner or later. Watt brushed aside a powder puff challenge to waltz through the Inverness back line and coolly slot the ball behind an exposed Ryan Esson.

Inverness were all at sea at this point especially Raven who was caught out time and time again. Our midfield was non-existent and our strikers were nowhere to be seen.

Half Time 0-2

The misery was piled on after the resumption and it was no surprise when Celtic went 3-0 up with a superb text book strike straight off the training ground, Mulgrew doing the needful. Watt stroked home his second and Celtic's fourth as the disgruntled home support could scarcely watch, many now removing themselves from the scene to relieve the pain. At this point, had it been under the Marquess of Queensberry rules, then the referee would have stopped the contest, or Butcher would have thrown in the towel.

We did though, bounce back off the ropes and Draper scored a couple of consolation goals as Celtic took their foot off the gas......thank Christ for that. The second being set up nicely with a chipped cross from Conor Pepper who continues to show promise.

Full Time 2-4

Inverness CT: Esson, Raven (Meekings 54), Graeme Shinnie,Warren, McKay, Draper, Andrew Shinnie, Ross (Pepper 66),King, Doran, Sutherland (Morrison 54). Subs not used: Reguero (GK), Laing, Polworth, Whyte.

Celtic: Forster, Matthews (Bangura 68), Izaguirre (Chalmers 76), Wilson,McCourt, Mulgrew, Lustig, Watt, Twardzik, Wanyama, Hooper (Forrest 65). Sub not used: Zaluska (GK), Slane, Irvine, McGregor.

Referee: Willie Collum.

Attendance: 6,100.

A six goal thriller? No, an absolutely embarrassing humiliation and we were fortunate not to lose another half dozen goals.

Where do we go from here? To be honest there is little we can do but get behind the team, remember, for better or for worse. Times are hard, there is no money in the kitty and we will find it difficult to be competitive this season. That I'm afraid is the economics of the game in the lower echelons of the SPL.

I may have been harsh in my chosen words, but sadly, that is the reality of the day, a day where thousands more witnessed it on telly. There is little point in constantly sniping about Butcher when his hands are tied by the finances, what we see is what we get, and what we get is what we see. You can't buy the quality of players we see on TV every week with no money and we will just have to go with what we have at the moment.

Ross Draper was our man of the match, unfortunately there were eleven better ones wearing green on Saturday. However, we have a league of our own within the SPL and that is the games where we need to channel our energies towards, against teams at our level as this is going to be a difficult season for more than just Inverness.

It's all doom and gloom. We just have to write off these games against Celtic as we can't compete against their multi-million pound charges, but we need to keep an eye on the Dundee's the St Johnstone's and the St Mirren's of this league, they are our real competitors.

Let's get behind the team, they need our support more than ever.