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Pre-Season 2014-2015

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Here's a brief round up of our pre-season ahead of the 2014-2015 campaign which begins in earnest on Saturday 9th August with a tough away trip to newly promoted Hamilton Accies

Caley Jags Pre-Season in a nutshell

Here's a brief round up of our pre-season ahead of the 2014-2015 campaign which begins in earnest on Saturday 9th August with a tough away trip to newly promoted Hamilton Accies.

The schedule looks like this.

Wed 2nd July - 7:30pm (Grant Street) Clach 0-4

Sat 5th July - 1:00pm (Claggan Park)…Fort William  (ICT U20’s) 2-6

Wed 9th July - 7:30pm (Mosset Park)....Forres Mechanics 0-5

Sat 12th July - 3:00pm (Borough Briggs)...Elgin City, 1-2

Wed 16th July - 7:30pm (Dudgeon Park)...Brora Rangers, 0-2

Sat 19th July - 1:00pm (Mackessack Park)…Rothes  (ICT U20’s) 2-3

Sat 19th July - 3:00pm (Stark’s Park)…Raith Rovers 0-1

Wed 23rd July - 7:30pm (Princess Royal Park)...Deveronvale

Sun 27th July -  Inverness Caley Thistle v. Fleetwood Town            

Wed 30th July - 7:30pm (Grant Street)...Clachnacuddin  (North Cup - 1st Rnd)

Sat 2nd August - 3:00pm (St Andrew’s stadium)...Birmingham City
 
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Clach were beaten without reply on 2nd July as our pre-season got underway.

Clach 0-5 Inverness CT

Scorers:- Williams, Trialist, who turned out to be Jean Christophe Aynia' Og and Graeme Shinnie.

ICTRoughi said, A very convincing win for ICT tonight. I thought the team as a whole looked sharp, I thought that the second half performance was much better than the first. Regarding the trialist Jean Christophe Aynia, I thought that he had a reasonable game and took his goal very well but I can see what others are saying when they said he looked average.

Well it appears that he will not get past the trialist stage as his wage expectations are not the same as the Inverness boards.
 
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A young Inverness side beat Ft William 2-6 at Claggan Park. Old Caley Girl reckons the scorers for Inverness were Calum Ferguson with a hat-trick, Chris Blacker, Jaime Wilson and Ryan Baptie.
 
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Forres 0-5 Inverness CT
Team: Esson, Shinnie, Warren, Meekings, Raven, Tansey, Draper, Doran, Vincent, McKay, Ross

Forres away saw some tough tackling from the Highland league side who were taking no prisoners and Inverness had two or three requiring treatment after this encounter, Meekings not lasting long before being replaced. Greg Tansey gave Inverness the lead with a curler into the top corner from 35 yards. Danny Devine got a second for Inverness with a close range tap in at the front post from a Doran corner. McKay denied a goal. Ruled offside. Looked close from where I'm standing, tweeted Nathan Mackenzie and his tweets confirmed that Nick Ross with a half volley on the edge of the box has given ICT a third.

Changes were made at half time, Polworth, Watkins, Christie Tremarco and Williams on for the second half. Off is Vincent, Ross, Shinnie, Doran and Draper. Danny Devine has come off with an injury. Hopefully not serious. Replaced by what looks like Calum Ferguson.

McKay brought down in the box. Penalty ICT. McKay takes it himself, bad idea, and goes for the bottom right corner but Knight the Forres keeper saves it.

Calum Ferguson scores ICT's fourth. A deflected shot from just inside the box into the top corner, and Billy McKay with a turn and shot on the edge of the box to the bottom corner makes it 5-0.



Thanks to Nathan Mackenzie for his tweets, and Renegade also made the trip to Mosset Park and here is his verdict on the game.

I was very impressed with Tansey.  He seems a much better player than when he was with us the first time round and as others have stated, Ferguson looked very lively when he came on.  His pace and work rate remind me of Craig Dargo in some ways and I think he's a player who could have a good future with us. Also, I don't want to see Mckay taking a penalty again ever.  How many times will he miss before somebody realises that he's just not good at them?  The stats don't lie.

One final thing I must say and it was the same last year, is that as long as that management team stay in charge of Forres, we really should consider whether it is worth playing them again.  Three players taken off injured and why?  Because of the brutality of the Mechanic's team.  Hard tackling, elbows flying in all over the place, taking out the man, all totally unnecessary in a friendly match.  I wonder if it's worth the hassle playing them again next season.
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Elgin City 1-2 Inverness CT

A less than glowing report came from Borough Briggs as we struggled to a narrow win at Barry Wilson's Elgin City.

Team : Brill, Raven, Warren, Meekings, Tremarco, Draper, Shinnie, Vincent, Williams, Watkins, McKay.
Subs : Esson, Tansey, Doran, Ross, Polworth, Ferguson, Rennie.

Elgin took the lead in 4 minutes when Craig Gunn put Elgin in front. However a neat run and cut in from the left by Shinnie who tee'd it up for Mckay to slot past the keeper at the far post for the leveller saw the game all square at the break. Esson, Tansey, Doran, Polworth & Ross all came on for second half, and Watkins headed in to make it 1-2 and that's how it finished.
 
RossP watched this one and he has penned an excellent report for us......................
The almost annual pre-season visit to Elgin followed a familiar pattern to previous summers with another ICT win, but we were made to come from behind to get the bragging rights.

A strong ICT line up had a familiar defensive unit, with first choice centre backs Warren and Meekings being flanked by Raven and Tremarco. Shinnie started the game in midfield with Draper, Williams and Watkins, but all found themselves moved around later in match with injuries to others. Our only striker Mckay was assisted by Vincent, with both hoping to get on the scoresheet against familiar faces Mike Fraser, Matthew Cooper and Shane Sutherland. Personally I was disappointed not to see Wyness, Bayne, Wilson and Duff on the pitch to swell the former ICT player list...

Elgin started brightly, with direct passes aimed in the direction of Sutherland, and it was from the former ICT striker that the first goal was created - a drive from wide in the box that Brill spilled into the path of Gunn who finished high into the net after only 4mins. ICT responded with several efforts from distance, having found the Elgin defence hard to break down. The moments we looked most dangerous came from the movement and quick passing of Shinnie who regularly looked to get players in behind the Elgin fullbacks. Midway through the half Mckay benefitted from Shinnie's endeavour to attack, where he swept the captain's low cross into the corner of the net on 22mins. The rest of the half petered out, with the only highlight being a brief appearance from Ryan Esson warming up behind the goal.

HT 1-1

Esson took the goalkeeping duties for the second half, with Tansey Doran, Polworth and Ross also getting 45mins. Similar to the first half, ICT had the bulk of the possession but struggled to carve out any guilt edged chances. The only incidents worthy of note for the first half hour of the second half was another head injury to Meekings playing at right back after the withdrawal of Raven, Tansey being withdrawn after aggravating an injury and Mike Fraser's hand gesture response to a request for his opinion on a former boss. In addition to Meekings being moved, Tremarco played in the centre of defence with Draper, Shinnie moved out to the left midfield and Watkins became the focal point of the attack as the lone striker.

Elgin tired in the last 20 minutes, having expended a lot of energy chasing the keep ball approach of ICT. Opportunities became more frequent with Watkins, Williams and substitute Ferguson all having drives at the Elgin goal. Doran and Ross also found much more enjoyment getting behind the defence and creating chances the now substituted Mckay would have loved. This pressure paid off with Watkins heading in a Meekings cross with 15 minutes remaining to get the win for his side.
 
Elgin City 1 v ICT 2

Attendance 533

Quizzer also witnessed this one and was less than impressed. We played with 8 recognised midfielders in the second half, with Esson, Tremarco and Meekings the only exceptions.  Draper excellently made up a 3/4 man defence and Meekings was excellent going forward from the right back position.

Sadly, nothing else really to say about  game at all.  Shinnie played in midfield throughout and did well, Billy scored a tap in and Watkins a header.  More passing around at the edge of the box than I'd like to see and shooting was poor.  Oh, and Michael Fraser was their keeper!

Would have been nice to see more "new" players get a but of time of the pitch but Hughes appears to be sticking to his word about not making any changes, with the only guys on the pitch who I've never seen playing for us before being Ferguson and Rennie, neither of whom got any significant time although Ferguson certainly looked hungry for it and we were desperately needing a striker by that time.

Given that we started the game with basically our first team, and all those who came on at ht were recognised and regular first team players too, it was somewhat uninspiring overall.  But hey ho, let's get the rustiness out of the way before the season starts!
 
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Brora 0-2 Inverness
Grant Pringle @Grant_Pringle supplied the tweets for our trip to Brora to play the Highland League Champions.

ICTFC team:- Esson; Raven; Warren; Meekings; Shinnie; Ross; Doran; Tansey; Williams; Vincent; Mckay.
ICTFC subs: Brill; Baptie; Ferguson; Draper; Tremarco; Christie; Watkins

Brora team:- Malin Ross Williamson Tokely Munro Morrison J Mackay Gillespie Sutherland Graham Greig

4mins - Gary Warren back post header easily saved by Malin.
5mins - Gavin Morrison long range free kick tipped round the post for a corner.
10 mins - Penalty. ICT. Ross Tokely taking down Shinnie in the box.
GOAL. 1-0 ICT. Vincent penalty high into the net.
Brora could have been level. Awful kick from Esson fell straight to Greig who dragged his shot just wide.
Half time: ICT 1-0 Brora. Vincent's goal separating the sides.
Big G also commented. Still no cutting edge and as the half progressed Brora sussed us and closed us down giving Tansey no room.

Brill, Watkins, Polworth, Draper, Tremarco and Christie on at half time, replacing: Esson, Mckay, Shinnie, Tansey, Raven & Vincent.
Meekings shifted to RB, with Tremarco at CB and Williams at LB. Looks like Watkins up top with Christie behind him.

Ryan Christie heads home from Meekings' cross but it's ruled out for offside.
GOAL 2-0 ICT! Watkins makes it two, rounding the keeper to slot home after a great through ball by Christie.
Ryan Baptie and Jason Brown are coming on to replace Gary Warren and Danny Williams, and Calum Ferguson is coming on for Nick Ross.

Couple of chances for Doran. One well saved, the other over the bar. Baptie, Ferguson and Brown all look very comfortable in the first team.

Thanks to Grant Pringle @Grant_Pringle who provided the information on his twitter feed.
Full time: @ICTFC 2-0 Brora. James Vincent (pen) and Marley Watkins with the goals. #ICTFC
 
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Raith Rovers 0-1 Inverness Report hi-jacked from  Official ICTFC @ICTFC twitter feed.

Positive start from ICTFC. Good link play and getting the ball into the final third a bit faster than in some other pre-season games, but a long ball down the Raith right crossed in to Nade at the far post...great strike and ICTFC saved by the woodwork.

Tansey wins the ball from Nade in the middle of the park and plays Mckay through on the left but he shot just wide of the right hand upright.

Shot by Williams, save spilled by the goalkeeper...corner and a series of shots from ICTFC as they apply pressure and keep Raith Rovers pinned in their box. A couple of ICTFC corners before Warren heads it over and allows Raith some breathing space with a goal kick.

The team might be a bit frustrated that they've not made more of their chances during a half where the largely dominated.

Half Time 0-0

For the start of the second half, Polworth, Ross, Doran, Christie and Esson replace Draper, Watkins, Williams, Vincent & Brill.

Early work for Esson with a great save from a close range shot and a Shinnie shot touched just wide for an ICTFC corner. Rovers quick to clear the danger from the corner, break quickly, win a throw, get it in to Nade who heads over.

As with the first half, Raith Rovers limited to trying to hit on the break. Mckay through one on one with the keeper after a fantastic series of passes, but can't find a way past him.

Ball across goal for ICTFC doesn't find any takers; goal Kick. From the crowd reaction, the shoulder to shoulder is frowned upon here! Doran with a shot just over the bar. ICTFC maintaining possession and moving the ball with tremendous confidence as Elliot and Anderson replace Vaughan and Stewart for Raith Rovers.

Christie pinches the ball in midfield...Doran, Raven, crossed...is it a bird, no it's Shinnie...but he nods it over and Raith Rovers quick to move down the other end of the park and Esson has to be sharp to deny Nade from about 4 yards out, back to the other end where Raven with a header towards goal, but not much power on it and keeper holds easily.

Christie with a great turn and shot from about 20 yards, but he can only find the keeper and a big shove on Mckay in the box, but ref not interested!

Baptie and C. Brown coming on to replace Tansey and Raven Raith Rovers almost hit us on the break and a ball in to Martin Scott is headed over.....phewww.

GOALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL CHRISTIE! He latches on to a ball played across the edge of the 6 yard box and leaves the keeper with nothing he can do about it.

Doran with a shot to the lower left corner, but keeper gets to it to deny him.

Full Time 0-1
Starting X1:- Brill, Raven, Warren, Meekings, Shinnie, Draper, Tansey, Watkins, Williams, Vincent, Mckay.
 
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A young Inverness side defeated Rothes 2-3 at Mackessack Park, details to Follow.......  
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By tm4tj in News 2014-15 ·

Inverness CT -V- St Johnstone - Report

Fifth it is
 
Inverness ran out comfortable winners eventually after a first half to forget. There was little evidence that anything would change as the teams trudged off at the interval in what was a complete non-event. However things picked up after the break and Ryan Christie was alert enough to head home a rebound from Aaron Doran's shot. Greg Tansey ensured we remained fifth with a thunderous shot. Lashing the ball home from just inside the box after creating the space for himself. Pick that one out ya dancer!. This was a great way to end a season that promised so much but fizzled out somewhat, but overall it has been a good season all round, unless your name is Terry Butcher.
Early morning rain gave way to a bright sunny afternoon and the game was preceded by the now traditional march past by our nutters known as the Highland Marchers. Great effort from these guys once more.
For Inverness it was another makeshift back line with Josh Meekings and Gary Warren missing out and regular deputy Danny Devine pairing up with Ross Draper at the heart of the defence. James Vincent started along with rising star Ryan Christie, and Marley Watkins, Danny Williams and Nick Ross all began on the bench. St Johnstone's own hot shot Stevie May was not risked from the start with Nigel Hasselbaink on from the beginning.
Our own nomadic superfan Johndo made the sojourn from Chorley to see off the season and partake in some light refreshments around the local hostelries and he will be penning his thoughts for us once he relaxes on the train back to Englandshire.............................
The Chorley Brief
It was the last game of the year and the powers that be decide to play a nothing at stake game at 12:15 on a Sunday morning; or perhaps it may be a Subway morning in the near future?!!
The last game of the season, to moi, gives far more positives than many have given credit to. The first half was drab but the passing, to me, was nowhere near the negativity that has been posted on here recently. Both teams were negative and it was as if we were both looking for a 1-0.
The first half was totally bereft of any real skill and was as dull a 45 as I have ever witnessed. But we stuck to a very defensive system and we changed it after half time. GAWD if we had nicked a goal we may have gone ballistic!
Brill was forced to save with his legs because it was hit straight at him and we never looked like scoring, the nearest we came in the first half was when Christie fed McKay who screwed a shot just over the bar.
But the second half was SO much better and, like at Motherwell we could have rained goals IMHO.
After the break we relaxed and if we had scored a second early doors we may have hammered Perth. McKay, Watkins, Raven and Tansey could easily have added to the tally. Doran had one cleared off the six yard line with Mannus stranded, but Christie got a poachers goal and anyone of four could have snatched the second but Tansey did dispatch it with force.
 

So here we go with the critique :-
Brill:- 6 Not tested but never troubled. Still not convinced.
Raven:- 6 More subdued offensively which was a slight concern
Tremarco:- 6  Better game than usual - still not good enuff going forward but solid defensively.
Devine:- 6 Could really be one fer the future and I would love to see at left back
Draper:- 7 Did he look the part there or what ? Draper and Warren ?
Vincent:- 4 Totally wasted on the wide right.
Shinnie:- 8 MotM for me and maybe we stick with him in there.
Tansey:- 7 Tackles like Paul Scholes, shoots like Bobby Charlton
Doran:- 6 Jhesus if he was fit ???!!
Christie:- 7 Green but such a potential talent
McKay:- 6 Poor Billy was crocked but will prosper with the Portuguese hitman
Watkins and Wiliiams 6: Both upped the pace and added something.
Ross 5: On too late but did nothing wrong
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Final words from tm4tj...........
Well that's the season over folks and it's been a pretty decent one overall. Top highlights for many include the League Cup Semi-Final win over Hearts, a fantastic exhilarating experience coming back and beating them with nine men, Nick Ross' goal kicking of joyous scenes. The Final itself was a superb occasion with a less favourable scoreline. Others thought that stuffing the village pub team from Dingwall 3-0 was high up on the list and who can forget the comedy moment when Derek Adams thought he could halt Jamie Hamill's celebration jaunt along the touchline; wrong Derek. A late entry in this categories is the trouble and strife happening at Hibernian to someone who was once adored at Inverness by most Inverness fans. Yes, Terry Butcher blotted his copybook and turned his back on us at Easter Road by hobnobbing with his Hibernian chums whilst still in employment at Inverness Caledonian Thistle. Well well Judas, not going so well now, hope you are enjoying your Marks and Spencer cakes while Yogi dunks his Tesco ones in his tea.
 
Made me laugh anyway...............................
 

 
That's about it from the editorial team for this season, we'll be back for the start of the new season, enjoy the break.
 
Date: 11.05.2014   Venue: Caledonian Stadium    Attendance: 3121
Referee: Alan Muir
 
Inverness CT: 2
Lineup: Brill, Raven, Draper, Devine, Tremarco, Doran, Tansey, Vincent (Watkins 68), Shinnie, Christie (Ross 82), McKay (Williams 72)
Subs (not used): Esson,  Polworth, Brown, Sutherland
Scorers: Christie (59) Tansey (90)
Booked: Shinnie
Sent Off: none
 
St Johnstone: 0
Lineup: Mannus, Miller, Mackay, Anderson, Easton, Wotherspoon (Croft 60), Millar, Dunne, O'Halloran, Hasselbaink (Iwelumo 65), MacLean (May 74)
Subs (not used): Banks, McDonald, Brown, Clancy,
Scorers: none
Booked: Dunne
Sent Off: none
 
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By Scotty in Reports 2013-14 ·

Inverness CT -V- St Johnstone - Preview

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Finish with a flourish



This Sunday sees the last game of a traumatic season being played at the Tulloch Caledonian Stadium with 5th place up for grabs and the £80,000 that goes with it. Our rivals for that place are St Johnstone and it's them that pay us a visit early on Sunday afternoon. For Inverness a draw will be enough to secure the money, for Perth, nothing but a win will be sufficient to climb above us.

The finale to the season has been something of an anti-climax for Inverness since the league cup final with only two wins since that day, and those were against struggling bottom six clubs Ross County and Partick Thistle. Over the same period the Perth club have totalled five wins, beating Dundee United twice and a sparkling Scottish Cup semi-final triumph over Aberdeen.

Our last game saw Motherwell hold on for a 2-1 win in midweek. Inverness were somewhat overgenerous in the first half and presented Motherwell with a two goal cushion at the break. Graeme Shinnie's deflected effort gave us some hope and despite creating the better chances in the second half we failed to level the game, and with defeat, our chances to climb to fourth in the league ended.

St Johnstone fared better against a Celtic X1 in a see-saw game that ended all square with the sides sharing six goals. One disappointment for Tommy Wright was an injury to hot-shot Stevie May and he will be assessed before Sunday's game. The Perth side have bigger fish to fry in a weeks time when they take on Tayside rivals Dundee United in the Scottish Cup final and Stevie May will be crucial to St Johnstone's hopes of winning the cup. It's made for him surely. He wears No 17. The games on the 17th, it's an omen I tell you.

In the three meetings this season, Inverness have come out on top twice by single goal victories. The first game though saw St Johnstone thump us 4-0. May, Mackay and Maclean (twice) scoring the goals that knocked Inverness off the top of the Premiership. At the turn of the year, Inverness were eight points ahead of the Saints. The points gap is now down to one.

Our quest to play like Barca has not always had the desired effect and has in fact contributed to a number of squeaky bum moments where we end up rushing pass backs and clearances as the opposition suss out our ball retention tactics. This has resulted in at least half a dozen freebies for our opponents, Dundee United being particular benefactors on a few occasions where Brill and the defence fell short with pass backs and clearances. Yogi's determination to see this through has not gone down well in some quarters but on the other hand I saw no complaints when we beat Ross County twice in Dingwall. Those games were played with a bit more swashbuckle and panache. Let's see a bit more of that and see if we can finish with a flourish. Swashbuckle and panache.................sounds like a dodgy firm of solicitors.

Inverness defender Josh Meekings and captain Richie Foran remain out through injury.

St Johnstone striker Stevie May and defender Gary Miller face late fitness tests after picking up knocks against Celtic although they are not as seriously injured as originally feared. Tam Scobbie and midfielder Murray Davidson remain out.

tm4tj prediction:- The season is dying on it's feet now and despite a fantastic start to the campaign and great cup runs it's all gone a bit flat as speculation surrounding the squad and management suitabilities abound. Still, it could be worse. Look at the village pub team from Dingwall just managing to stave off a relegation play off game thanks to the haplessness of Terry Butcher's Hibernian. You couldn't script this could you! As for our own game, maybe a scoring draw to keep everybody happy. 1-1.

We have our annual nutters out walking and cycling across Scotland and they will make the stadium before kick off having marched/cycled around 160miles from Motherwell..........as I said, nutters.

To end the season on a more poignant note, and put all of this season into perspective. It was with great sadness that the announcement of the passing of Elena Baltacha was met at Inverness Caledonian Thistle and St Johnstone FC. Bally sadly passed away after battling liver cancer at the tender age of 30. She had reached the top of her chosen sport of tennis and was British number 1 for three years. The link of course with both clubs was her father, former USSR international footballer Sergei Baltacha who played for St Johnstone making 90 appearances before moving to Inverness Caley in the Highland league and then when Inverness Caledonian Thistle came to fuition, Sergei was the first manager of the newly formed club.
 
Rest in Peace Bally, our thoughts go out to your family and friends.
By tm4tj in Previews 2013-14 ·

Motherwell -V- Inverness CT - Report

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Inverness come back falls just short



It only took Inverness three minutes to concede at Fir Park when John  Sutton scored from the spot after he had been fouled by Ross Draper. Inverness struggled to make much headway and Motherwell doubled their lead from an unexpected source, Gary Warren heading home an own goal superbly after half an hour. Graeme Shinnie took the bull by the horns and drove at the Well defence before firing the visitors back into the game ten minutes into the restart. This sparked Inverness into life and they took the game to Motherwell, but despite dominating the second half they just failed to get back on level terms, and it was summed up When Billy McKay hit the post deep into injury time..

A crowd of 4482 saw Motherwell's last home game and that included 80 Inverness fans, and one snare drum, and they also saw Iain Vigurs and Stephen McManus have a go at each other to add to the occasion .......................................

ICTRoughi will tell us how it all unfolded
 
CaleyAway has closed the curtains for the final time of season 2013/2014. What a memorable season it has been for the CaleyAway troops with many highs and some lows. The final destination was Fir Park against high flying Motherwell who had secured European football for next season after Aberdeen beat Dundee United 3-1 at Tannadice. Well done to Motherwell!

The Caley Jags made two changes from the side that got a draw against Dundee United last Saturday. Caley Thistle welcomed back stand out right back David Raven to the team also stalwart defender Gary Warren returned. Josh Meekings was still struggling for fitness meaning that Danny Devine was given another chance to impress Yogi adding to the defending options. Danny Williams and goal scorer from last weekend Ryan Christie were dropped to the bench.

Stuart McCall named an unchanged team from the side that got the victory over St Johnstone last Saturday.  

I got into Fir Park and read the programme only to be disappointed to see who the referee was for the game and you guessed it, Willie Collum. What a nightmare. If I knew a couple of days ago I would have made a trip to the bookies to stick on an Inverness red card, he seems to have something against us. The last two games he has refereed he has sent off three of our players in the two games!

Motherwell kicked off the first half and we played with very nice passing football until Willie Collum decided that the headlines weren't about him and decided to give Motherwell a penalty - shock horror. Ross Draper tripped John Sutton in the 3rd minute in the box gifting the 'Well an early chance to gain an advantage over Inverness. Sutton converted very convincingly to send the Motherwell faithful into jubilation mode.
 
To further the disappointment, Iain Vigurs crossed the ball into the box from a corner; unfortunately Warren sends the ball in to our net.

Lionel Ainsworth came close to adding to the woes with a great effort, smashing the ball off the crossbar in the 36th minute of the game. At this point you just got the feeling it wasn't going to be our day.

HT Motherwell 2-0 Inverness CT  

A special mention to CaleyThistleOnline’s young member ‘CaleyCalum’ who participated in the half time entertainment of rolling a giant inflatable ball into the goal from the half way line. Calum was against a Motherwell fan to see who could roll it into the goal the quickest with the winner receiving a whopping £150. Calum was unfortunately beaten to it by roughly 15 seconds but it was a valiant effort by him nonetheless.

The Caley Jags got the game restarted and we seemed to play with more urgency about us which we were sadly lacking in the first half.

Stand in captain Graeme Shinnie drove through the middle leaving Craig Reid in his trail. Shinnie went for a long ranged shot from 20 yards which took a deflection to reach the middle of the goal past Lee Hollis to make it 2-1.

The goal gifted the team a ray of hope to show there was still life in Caley Thistle and we seemed to be well up for a fight. Game on!

In the 58th minute Greg Tansey had a well struck shot from distance needing Hollis to get both his hands to it.

Tansey again delivered the ball into the box in the 61st minute for Warren to get a head to it to try and redeem himself from the earlier own goal but it was agonisingly close over the crossbar.

We continued to dominate the possession and never gave Motherwell a look in – we looked like we should have been 3-0 up!

Aaron Doran tried to get the ball into the box in the 80th minute with a really strong case of handball when the ball connected with Shaun Hutchinson’s hand but the claims were denied and Inverness were given the corner instead. Tansey delivered a decent cross to be met by a rushing Gary Warren but it was déjà vu for the Caley Jags defender

Greg Tansey had a well struck free kick through the middle in the 85th minute which rocketed at goal only for Hollis get his feet to save it from going in to the ‘well net. – Lucky bar stewards!

Billy Mckay was fed the ball from a header by Tansey only to hit the ball off the post in time added on. I give up with football!

The annoying thing that I took away from Fir Park last night was the fact the best team didn’t win.

FT Motherwell 2-1 Inverness CT
 


My overall thoughts of the game is that I felt the first half we were sitting too deep and passing about at the back too much meaning we were inviting too much pressure to gift Motherwell two easy goals. The second half was pretty much a replica of the first half of last Saturday and that's how I really want us to play with great intensity getting the ball forward causing trouble for the opposition. I really don’t understand this Jekyll and Hyde thing we have going on at the moment! We gave it a right good go right enough but the effort of the lads should be applauded rather than looking at the defeat. I am most definitely looking forward to the final home game of the season on Sunday with St Johnstone with the fight for fifth place at stake – you don’t want to miss it!

Roughi's Ratings:-  

Brill - 6 - Made some really good saves to keep us in the game
Raven - 7 - Good to have Raven back and made some timely tackles
Warren - 6 - Scored an OG but was still making good tackles and couple of decent headed chances
Devine - 6 - Had a good game but at times we were missing Meekings although I really like how Devine plays the game
Tremarco – 6 – Played his usual game, got caught out at times, had a headed chance in the second half
Draper - 6 -  Solid enough through the middle, caught out giving away the penalty but good through the middle
Tansey - 7 -  I am really liking Tansey in this team. He has been a good signing but just needs to start cracking the ball outside the box more than he does because he can score from distance – very close last night
Watkins - 6 – Overall good performance from Watkins being a general pest for the ‘Well defence
Doran - 6 – Same as Watkins, a pest for the Motherwell defence.
Shinnie - 8 – Stand out performance from Graeme. Attacking and defending I just thought he was superb – Good goal too!
Mckay - 6 – Again the lack of support up front hindered Mckay but he gave it his all as usual and nearly scored but unfortunately the ball hit post instead of the net.

Subs:
Williams - 6 – He shown some good pace at times as he usually does and brought some good attacking options when he came on

Christie - 6 –  Same as Williams, helped with the attacking options the role behind Mckay and shown some nice touches.

MOTM: Graeme Shinnie – His overall game was just superb both in attacking and defending. Good chance outside the box and scored a good goal to boost the morale within the squad. I just really hope we keep a hold of him over the summer – very consistent player!
 
 


Date: 07.05.2014 Venue: Fir Park, Motherwell Attendance: 4482
Referee: Willie Collum  
Motherwell: 2
Lineup: Hollis, Reid, Hutchinson, McManus, Hammell, Ainsworth (Anier 78), Lasley, Vigurs, Francis-Angol (Moore 79), Sutton, McFadden (Kerr 55) 
Subs (not used): Nielsen, Erwin, Murray, Leitch Scorers: Sutton (pen.3), Warren (og.32) Booked: Vigurs (75)
Sent Off: none

Inverness CT: 1
Lineup: Brill, Raven, Warren, Tremarco, Shinnie, Watkins (Christie 75), Devine, Draper, Tansey, McKay, Doran (Williams 65)
Subs (not used): Esson, Vincent, Ross, Polworth, Sutherland Scorers: Shinnie (55) Booked: Tansey (22)
Sent Off: none

By Scotty in Reports 2013-14 ·

Motherwell -V- Inverness CT - Preview

Teaser Paragraph:
It's Tough at the Top



Last chance saloon for Inverness if they harbour any hopes of catching Dundee United in fourth place and the extra £80,000 that goes with each position gained. While we are looking to claim fourth spot, Motherwell can still secure second place currently occupied by Aberdeen, so plenty still to play for in these last two games of the season. United play Aberdeen ahead of our game at Motherwell so we will know what to do prior to kick off.

We earned a good point at home to Dundee United at the weekend considering Yogi had to make late changes to the starting eleven. Our back four was decimated and we were without David Raven, Gary Warren and Josh Meekings with Graeme Shinnie swapping flanks to accommodate others. Carl Tremarco made an appearance as a makeshift centre back alongside Danny Devine and Danny Williams found himself in the full back slot normally occupied by Shinnie. Ryan Christie got his second start and scored the opener before United's second half pressure eventually paid off when Farid El Alagui bundled the ball home after Brill had been put under some heavy handed attention.

Motherwell kept the pressure on faltering Aberdeen by defeating our challengers for the fifth position, resurgent St Johnstone by 2-1 at Fir Park. That was an excellent victory for Well as the Perth outfit had been on a seven game unbeaten run. First half goals from Lionel Ainsworth and Stephen McManus were enough to see off Saints and edge Motherwell to within one point of the Dons.

Our recent thrashing at Parkhead was maybe put into perspective on Saturday when second place Aberdeen suffered a similar fate with Champions Celtic ending the season on a scoring frenzy, putting five past a normally resolute Dons.

Motherwell have scored 61 league goals this season but their defence has let them down at times which leads me to think this could be an open game with a few goals in it given the defensive frailties of both sides recently.

The two sides have met twice in the last six weeks and Motherwell came out on top on both occasions securing a 2-0 win at Fir Park and more recently a 2-1 win at Tulloch Caledonian Stadium. Our only success was a 2-0 home win way back in August when Foran and McKay scored the goals that gave us the three points.

Since our blistering start to the season and the departure of a man in turmoil, we have slithered from second to fifth and our season is almost at a standstill as the goals dry up from our one man attack. One bright spot in the recent gloom has been the introduction of one of the hottest properties in the game, Ryan Christie who scored his second first team goal last weekend.

We have been hit by some sort of bug over the last couple of weeks that has kept Marley Watkins and Josh Meekings out at some stage and late Injuries to Raven, Warren and Vincent has made life difficult for Yogi. Carl Tremarco filled the central defensive role very well against United despite his lack of height and Danny Devine once more fitted in very comfortably. Hughes will have a tough choice to make whether Warren and Meekings return to the starting line up if they have recovered sufficiently or does he keep faith with those who deputised so effectively. Vincent and Raven should return after injury, but Foran is out for the season.

Award winning Graeme Shinnie looks forward to tonights game..........



Stuart McCall has had another tremendous season with Motherwell and his master plan in securing James McFadden will see them play in Europe again. Iain Vigurs' move to Well looks like paying off for him as well and with McManus and Sutton in the side there is plenty of experience to draw on. McCall will have an unchanged squad from the one that faced St Johnstone which means that Paul Lawson, Stuart Carswell and Simon Ramsden are still out.
 
Here's what McCall and Sutton think ahead of the game........................
 
  

tm4tj Prediction:- Tough one to call once more although given recent form Motherwell should be favourites to take all three points. They have conceded plenty of goals though as have we, and considering what's at stake then we could take something from this game if we can cope with the threat of Ainsworth, Sutton and McFadden. Our old chum Iain Vigurs will also be a threat, especially at set pieces where his left foot seems to work particularly well against us. I'm looking forward to Ryan Christie having an impact on the game and being able to supply Billy McKay who needs to finish with a flourish after his free scoring early season form. 1-1 if we get our game plan right, if not, it could be a long night.

Hello down below.............

If we thought it was tough at the top, spare a thought for our near neighbours and Highland compatriots Ross County. They had a tremendous season last year and it looks like second season syndrome is catching up on them. Hearts are the form team in the bottom half and removing their fifteen point deduction, then one or two teams would really be in the mire. As it is, our olde gaffer Terry Butcher is having his worst nightmare as his current side Hibernian are in freefall and might yet fall right into the first division. These two meet tonight in Dingwall (Tues) and this result could have a massive say in who goes into the play-off game against high scoring Hamilton Accies, although Kilmarnock are doing their level best to keep everyone else in the SPFL.

County kept the Highland Derbies going by leaving Terry Butcher and Hibs staring into the abyss. Aberdeen beat United so that also gives Inverness the chance to close in on 4th place.
 
By tm4tj in Previews 2013-14 ·

Inverness CT -V- Dundee Utd - Report

Teaser Paragraph:
Draw Right Eenuff
 
 
 
Dundee United came from behind to earn a point in the proverbial game of two halves. Ryan Christie had put the hosts ahead early in the match but Farid El Alagui levelled later in the second half and a point each was probably right eenuff mun.

ICTRoughi was on hand and he has produced this excellent thorough debut report, enjoy......Video to be added when available..........

Saturday, 3pm, Tulloch Caledonian Stadium - what a rare experience. Jackie McNamara had taken his United side up to Inverness on the back of an impressive 5-1 victory over Motherwell last Saturday at Tannadice whereas Caley Thistle were handed the opposite result in a 6-0 defeat at the hands of champions Celtic. As tm4tj said in the ‘United preview’ today was all about regrouping.

John ‘Yogi’ Hughes made changes from the side that played at Celtic Park with Ryan Christie replacing Nick Ross who dropped to the bench. Gary Warren and Josh Meekings both missed today’s game through injury and illness which meant that Caley Thistle had a makeshift back four with Danny Devine and Carl Tremarco at centre back and Danny Williams filling in at left back. Under 20s Alistair Sutherland and Jordan Brown made the 5 man bench for Caley Thistle.

Jackie McNamara made only one change from the team that beat Motherwell. Stuart Armstrong left out through injury, Ryan Gauld replaced him with youngster Aiden Connelly drafted onto the bench for Dundee United.

Caley Thistle got the game started and played the game with a high intensity. We passed the ball smoothly along the deck very fast and almost found the net after a mere 40 seconds from an attempt from local lad Ryan Christie fizzling past the right hand side of the goal.

Whilst continuing the same intensity and short passing, Caley Thistle managed to find a breakthrough in the 7th minute of the match. Marley Watkins gathered the ball wide right and placed a very accurate cross into the box where Ryan Christie stood out and you just knew there was only one outcome. Christie got a head to Watkins’ cross and coolly headed it into the bottom right of the goal past Rado Cierzniak - 1-0

Caley Thistle almost doubled their advantage in the 13th minute when Greg Tansey played a through ball to Billy Mckay giving him a one on one opportunity but Gavin Gunning made a crucial defenders tackle to ensure the score was kept to a one goal deficit.

Still having the advantage Caley Thistle kept going and plodded away and on the 16th minute Tansey cleanly struck the ball right down the middle with all his might from roughly 25 yards out with Cierzniak getting two hands onto it.

Nadir Ciftci nearly equalised for the away side in the 21st minute but his attempt at goal was denied by Dean Brill. Ryan Dow also had a similar chance but again Brill stood tall to keep the home side in a winning position.

Caley Thistle continued to impress with the passing and attacking movement enjoying most of the possession but nothing was being transferred into a goal. Gary Mackay-Stevens nearly scored from 12 yards out but it just didn’t go his way.

HT Inverness CT 1 – 0 Dundee United:  Christie (7)

Caley Thistle the first team to re-enter the pitch and Dundee United duly followed a couple of minutes later. Skilled Dundee United starlet Gary Mackay-Stevens was forced off through injury therefore Brian Graham was introduced just before the restart of play. Dundee United got the game started again and it seemed like the tide had turned with the away side turning up the pressure and Caley Thistle trying to weather the storm.

Dundee United almost got an equaliser in the 47th minute from a wicked shot by Nadir Ciftci roughly about 35 yards outside the box hitting the ball into the south stand of the Tulloch Caledonian Stadium.

Substitute Brian Graham almost made a perfect start after being placed on for Dundee United with soft shot into the body of Dean Brill.

Brian Graham again finding space to annoy the Caley Thistle back four after a nice ball from Paul Paton into the box only for Graham to put the ball over cross bar – the search still continued.

Dundee United introduced their loanee from Brentford Farid El Alagui to bolster their attack and were now playing with three established strikers.

Farid El Alagui almost got the golden opportunity in the 67th minute when Paul Paton delivered in a ball into the box for El Alagui to get a head onto it but again it didn’t find the net. It was turning out to be a frustrating afternoon for Dundee United.

Dundee United kept their heads up and finally got what they were looking for all afternoon – a goal. A defensive free kick from Paul Paton into the area lead to a massive scramble in the box where Caley Thistle failed to clear the ball from danger and Farid El Alagui got the goalden touch for the Tayside team. There was a strong case that Dean Brill could have been fouled but the match officials ignored the calls for a foul – 1-1

Nothing really noteworthy happened heading towards the end of the game. A couple chances here and there but I think that Yogi was happy enough for the draw and to be honest on the reflection so am I. Caley Thistle showed some good passing today and I hope we play with the same intensity v Motherwell on Wednesday it should be a cracker – I can’t wait!



FT Inverness CT 1 – 1 Dundee United: Christie (7) – El Alagui (71)

Brill– 8 – I thought that Dean Brill made some absolutely crucial saves and made sure Caley Thistle stayed in the match.
Shinnie- 7 – A good home performance from the stand-in captain
Devine– 8 – A call up for the team I thought he done really well and I like how Danny Devine plays in the central defence. He was very composed and he plays with a good footballing brain
Tremarco- 8 – Despite being a left back Carl Tremarco filled in at centre back and put in a really good performance. He is an old fashioned styled defender and his strength helped him play the central defence role really well.
Williams- 7 – Despite being a left winger and has been played in central midfield I thought he done quite well. He often got caught out at times but still done really well when needed. Good versatility about the boy.
Tansey- 9 – I was really impressed with Greg Tansey today especially his short and long passing were exceptional.
Draper- 7 -  He done really well holding the midfield and the strong force that kept Dundee United’s midfield at bay.
Doran-  7 – He had his moments on the ball. He came close towards the end but no end product.
Christie- 9 – Fully deserved his goal. His passing and movement was really impressive – Bright Future beholds
Watkins- 8 – Got the assist for Ryan Christie and was a nuisance for the Dundee United defenders but toiling towards the end and subbed for Liam Polworth
Mckay- 6 – Poor Billy Mckay has tremendous work rate but I feel that he needs to be supported but unfortunately didn't produce much today.

Subs:- Polworth- 5 – Didn’t really do much in the 10 mins he was given - Ross- 5 – Small cameo from Nicky today

Roughi's MOTM:- Despite giving Ryan Christie a rating of 9, my man of the match is going to go to Greg Tansey. I was really impressed with him today and he had shades of a fit and youthful Richie Foran about him in terms of both defending and attacking.
 
Inverness CT: Brill, Shinnie, Mckay, Draper, Doran, Devine, Watkins (Polworth 81), Tansey, Tremarco, Williams, Christie (Ross 90).
Subs not used: Esson (GK), Brown, Sutherland.
 
Dundee United: Cierzniak, Dillon, Gunning, Paton, Mackay-Steven (Graham 46), Watson, Dow (Connolly 78), Gauld (El Alagui 66), Ciftci, Robertson. Subs not used: McCallum, Wilson, Souttar, Gomis.
 
Referee: Brian Colvin.
 
Attendance: 3428.
By tm4tj in Reports 2013-14 ·

Inverness CT -V- Dundee Utd - Preview

Teaser Paragraph:
Time to Regroup



Our season is slowly petering out as we approach our third last game of the season on the back of another hiding from the big Bhoys.

Having reached our peak in early December and sitting in second place in the league, three points ahead of Dundee United and Aberdeen and eleven points ahead of St Johnstone with a positive goal difference of +12; it's been all downhill from there.

Yogi's quest to play a passing game at all costs is not always bearing fruit and has been the subject of much debate on the forums, many fans doubting if his search for perfection will see him out of a job before we storm Europe. There are as many fans being more lenient and willing to give him time to blend his own style into the more robotic Butcherus horribilis formations and tactics and the rest are simply sitting on the fence waiting for nature to take it's course.

The question is how long do we wait. Hibs are not the only side in freefall. Butcher's replacement has split the fanbase and the long knives are starting to appear, although some were already out before Yogi signed on the dotted line. He needs a good finish to the campaign to give the doubters something to ponder over the close season and after last weeks hammering to nothing it doesn't get much tougher than the visit of high scoring Dundee United, a team who have already put five past us in the cup game.

United are second top scorers in the league with 62 goals, that's 20 more than us although the defences are almost identical in goals against. They sit four points above us but have a vastly superior goal difference of +19 against our -1. United can of course blow a bit hot and cold. Their 5-1 thrashing of Motherwell preceded by defeats to St Johnstone and Celtic and a drawn game with Aberdeen.

The last game between these two saw United just edge it with a 2-1 win. Ryan Gauld opened the scoring and Ryan Dow capitalised on a now familiar poor passback and keeper cock-up combination. Inverness were always in this one though and United had to cling on after Liam Polworth scored a spectacular 35 yarder to set up a tense finish. That was a fabulous strike from Polworth, one of the best goals of the season. Billy McKay almost rescued the game for Inverness but a late diving header just missed the target and United kept all three points.

Inverness have been heavily criticised by their own fans for their dismal showing at Parkhead last week, seemingly not learning from the previous spanking, a 5-0 doing a month ago. However, in mitigation, we were dealt a poor hand prior to the game when Raven pulled out injured and Watkins called off with a bug. James Vincent was also not fit enough to play and Richie Foran had already played his last game this season being injured a month ago. So, it's possibly not as bad as it appears on the surface, but for many fans, it was another nail in the managers coffin and the shoes could be off if we fail to produce in our last two home games. It could make for a long close season if things go awry.

Yogi is hinting that our budget for new faces could be minimal for next season. So, nothing new there! With exciting talent like Ryan Christie breaking into the first team squad along with Liam Polworth and Nick Ross then maybe all is not lost. Along with SPFL nominees Ryan Gauld, Stuart Armstrong and young Player of the Year Andrew Robertson, this weekend could display the way forward for Scottish football with plenty young starlets in both teams.

Inverness should have David Raven and James Vincent back in the squad as both have been training this week, and Marley Watkins has recovered from the bug that kept him out of the Celtic game. Richie Foran is out.

Dundee United will have an unchanged squad and teenagers Ryan Gauld and John Souttar could be recalled, having been rested in the 5-1 win over Motherwell. This means that on-loan Newcastle defender Curtis Good and centre-back Calum Butcher are still out.

tm4tj prediction:- Well, United can be scary at times and we will need to be at our best to keep them at bay. Nadir Ciftci has been in tremendous form lately and when United are in full flow then there's no finer sight in Scottish football. Inverness can be scary too, unfortunately not in the same way as United, although we do have our moments. We need our defence to get back to basics and our midfield to regroup. It has been posted missing recently and Billy McKay is often left isolated. When we do get men forward to help him, we reap the rewards and if Doran and Watkins can stay fit and wide then maybe, just maybe we can put ourselves back in the hunt for fourth place, but it will not be easy. I'm going against the grain here and looking for a 1-0 home win with United possibly having one eye on the Scottish Cup Final.
 
 
By tm4tj in Previews 2013-14 ·

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