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Inverness CT -V- Celtic - Preview - Cup

Teaser Paragraph:
Past glories count for nothing.

A break from SPL duty this weekend and an early start as current Scottish Cup holders Celtic face Inverness at the Tulloch Caledonian Stadium in a fifth round Scottish Cup tie. Remember to set your alarms on Friday night before you go to bed as this game will kick off at 12:45.

In the last round, holders Celtic strolled past the Blue Toon loon's fae Peterheid; an Anthony Stokes hat-trick proving too much for the Heid. Incidentally, Peterhead now have four ex-ICT players in their ranks. Three strikers in Rory McAllister, Martin Bavidge and the legendary Dennis Wyness, a man who knows a thing or two about putting Celtic out of the cup. The fourth player is another legend, Roy McBain. Unfortunately for that quartet, the only thing of note for them was that McAllister and McBain were both booked, and I suppose the accountant was happy as a ground record crowd of 3700 witnessed the defeat.

Inverness were made to work twice as hard. The only all SPL clash of the round saw them paired at home to bottom club Dunfermline. Surely a stick on home win, but the Cup does strange things to teams. This tie was only decided after a replay and extra time, but the major talking point in both games was the goalkeeping errors that proved to be crucial to the outcome and for Inverness serious injuries to important players. In the first game, the unbelievable happened, Andy Barrowman opened the scoring after Kenny Gillet was sent off for bringing down Andy Kirk. Barrowman was on hand to nod the loose ball in after Tuffy parried a Martin Hardie free kick onto his head and he nodded home from three yards. Tuffey was at fault in the lead up to Gillet being sent off, but his blushes were spared as blunderman Chris Smith made the first of his cock-ups in the sixth minute of injury time to allow Jonny Hayes the chance of a free run at goal after Smith missed a straightforward rolling ball. Inverness were off the hook and an embarrassed Hayes buried his head in the turf as Smith looked a forlorn figure picking the ball out of the unguarded net.
Off to East End Park for a replay and surely lightning could not strike twice. Well, the similarities to the first game were uncanny. Andy Barrowman once more opened the scoring, Chris Smith became a serial blunderer and Jonny Hayes was once more embarrassed as he rolled an equaliser into an empty net to set up extra time. This time though, with eleven men on the park, Dunfermline were no match for Inverness and a stunning goal from Substitute Andrew Shinnie and the clincher from Greg Tansey finally saw off the Pars and set up this clash with Celtic. However, the price for this victory was Roman Golobart and Andrew Shinnie both picked up seious injuries and their season's are all but over.

Celtic are no strangers to Inverness in the Scottish Cup, and no strangers to being knocked out of the tournament by the famous Caley Jags. There has also been some close encounters in the Cup and with Inverness on a better run of form just now the Glasgow club would be right to not underestimate the size of the task facing them.
Who can forget the daddy of them all, Feb 8th 2000, 1-3 at Parkhead in midweek after the postponement of the Saturday game due to high winds blowing some structures from the stands. We seemed to do better as a first division side in the Cup and repeated the feat under John Robertson three years later as Dennis Wyness scored the only goal of the game to send Celtic crashing out of the cup for a second time.

http://news.bbc.co.u...and/9422742.stm

It hasn't been all plain sailing for Inverness though and Celtic have twice come from behind in Inverness to dump us out of the cup, both games finishing 2-1 to Celtic. A particularly hard one to take was in 2007 when Graeme Bayne had put Inverness ahead in the 18th minute and we looked like putting Celtic out once more. However, much to our disdain, two very very late goals from Steven Pressley and Kenny Miller saw Celtic into the next round. In the 89th minute Pressley's goal had looked like taking the tie to a replay in Glasgow, that was before Scotland international Miller rifled in a twenty yarder to stun the home support. 7119 fans were at that game, but it looks as though apathy has set in and we will do well to match that now.

Anyway, let's get up to date, nostalgia ain't what it used to be.

Inverness are on an unbeaten run of seven games which has eased relegation fears and things were looking brighter, but another spate of injuries has seen the gloss taken off the mini revival. Celtic are in imperious form. The last Scottish side to beat them was Heart's 22 games ago. They have lost only once since then and that was to Athletico Madrid, so we would be in good company if we can achieve a result on Saturday. During that run, Celtic have defeated Inverness 2-0 in the Highlands, although that scoreline maybe flattered them slightly as Inverness were reduced to ten men when Greg Tansey was controversially sent off for an alleged elbow on Samaras.

The overall statistics show that Celtic should be emphatic favourites to progress to the sixth round. Since 2002, Celtic have won 8 with Inverness only winning 3 and 3 games have ended in draws. One of those home wins was the cup game in 2003, the other two were both 3-2 victories, the last one being crucial to the outcome of the SPL title, so I suppose Celtic will be out to avenge that. Celtic have a 22-14 goal advantage at Inverness, averaging 1.57 per game and Inverness at 1.0; so if we can stop Celtic scoring 0.57 of a goal, then it will be a replay in Glasgow. After going 21 league games without a clean sheet, Inverness have now had 3 in a row.

January Sales brought new faces to both clubs. Inverness brought in Claude Gnakpa and Sam Winnall at the expense of midfielder Lee Cox who has departed to Paolo Di Canio's Swindon Town. The two new boys made cameo appearances last weekend and Gnakpa looks like an exciting prospect and was unlucky not to score against St Mirren. A bonus for Inverness fans is that Jonny Hayes has survived another transfer window, but for how much longer can Inverness hold on to their prize asset?
Celtic have loaned in Polish striker Pawel Brozek from Trabzonspor. The 28 year old has scored eight times in thirty-two international appearances for Poland. Efrain Juarez has returned to Celtic after being on loan at Real Zaragoza for the season. 20 year old Nigerian winger Rabiu Ibrahim has signed on for three years and hopes to make an impact at Parkhead. Mikael Lustig also signed on for over three years and the big defender claims his decision to move to Celtic was influenced by none other than Henrik Larsson.

***Latest Team News***

Inverness have a number of long term injuries to contend with. Hogg, Golobart and Shinnie have all but ended their seasons. Tudur-Jones and Doran both played in a bounce game in midweek with contrasting fortunes. Doran has pulled a hamstring and this will set him back even more, but Jones played for an hour without any cause for concern, although this game comes too soon for him. On the brighter side, Steve Williams could recover, he missed last weeks game against St Miren with a knee injury but Billy McKay is reported to be struggling to be fit. Terry Butcher has to decide which of his two shot stoppers he fits between the sticks. Esson has been number one all season, but Jonny Tuffey normally gets the nod for cup games. Meekings and Gillet are claiming the full back slots and Proctor and Tokely should pair up for the centre back positions should Steve Williams not recover in time. Foran and Tansey will do the dirty work and Hayes and Gnakpa would give us options on either wing. That leaves, Ross, Sutherland, Tade, Morrison and Winnall battling it out for the other two positions, tough choices ahead for Butcher.

Celtic have Beram Kayal out injured and Sierra Leone striker Mohamed Bangura is set to miss another three months after further damaging his knee during training. Unfortunately cumbersome Daniel Majstorovic could still be out suffering after fracturing his cheekbone against St Johnstone before Xmas, although he will be named in the squad. Neil Lennon has much greater resources to call upon and these setbacks are a drop in the ocean to Celtic. The return of Izaguirre is a boost for Celtic as the little Honduran can be effective if given too much space.

tm4tj Prediction:- This is a really tough game for Inverness. More injuries are hampering our season and games don't come much tougher than this. Celtic are sitting on top of the SPL some 33 points above Inverness. It would take a brave man to forecast anything but a Celtic victory, but it's the cup and I'll go for an honourable draw taking the game to a replay.
By tm4tj in Previews 2011-12 ·

ICT -V- St Mirren - Report

Boring, Boring, Boring !!!! the first half was invisible from a Caley Thistle point of view with St Mirren registering 4 or 5 chances, but the first five minutes of the second half saw quite a few chances for ICT, none of which were converted, and the only other action was a flurry of substitutions for both sides, the result of which was two attempts by new boy Claude Gnakpa, one which hit the inside of the post, and then a booking for him for alleged simulation ......
0-0 the final score ... 2 points dropped for sure, but on the bright side it was a third SPL clean sheet in a row, and seven games unbeaten. Bring on Celtic next week !!!!
Buddy Hell
Inverness managed to snatch a draw from the jaws of victory as they passed up a number of gilt edged opportunities to take all three points.
A beautiful January afternoon failed to tempt more fans down to the Caledonian Stadium and the game kicked off in bright sunshine, with a rermarkable skyline to the east. It looked as if someone had painted a straight line across the sky with incredible accuracy; a massive bank of cloud reaching down to sea level.
Butcher had to change his back line once more as a knee injury ruled out Steve Williams. Ross Tokely slotted into the centre back role, but the rest of the team remained the same as last week with new boys Winnall and Gnakpa securing a place on the bench. Swindon bound Lee Cox was absent. Jim Goodwin missed out for Saint's, but ex-Inverness wide player Dougie Imrie started with Hasselbaink and Teale as subs.
The first half was quite a borefest with Inverness unable to put their foot on the ball and string two passes together. It was the visitors that made most of the running in the early stages but if truth be told neither side turned up at all. Last week against Hearts, you could see the determination and quality that merited the plaudits. This had deserted the entire team in that first half, none moreso than the enigmatic Jonny Hayes. He looked jaded, and without that spark, Inverness struggled to create anything. St Mirren fared slightly better and Esson had to make a couple of routine saves to keep the clean sheet intact. Maybe the Saint's strikers could have done better, but they shot straight at Esson through Carey, and Thompson headed one into Esson's midrift when either side of him would have given cause for concern. Thompson almost caught out Ryan Esson with a looping header but he palmed the ball from under the bar and then gathered the loose ball comfortably.
What were Inverness doing meantime? Absolutely nothing. They could not bring the ball under control and a number of misplaced passes roused the sleeping fans in the North Stand. The only positives for Inverness in that first half was Man of the Match Kenny Gillet had Dougie Imrie in his back pocket and produced an outstanding French lesson for all to see. Just before half time, it was Gillet who almost broke the deadlock, he sidestepped the defenders but dragged his shot wide. Easy to see why he has never scored a goal before, but it was more promising from the home side.
Terry Butcher must have compiled a huge list for his half time pep talk after enduring that rubbish. It was so boring that we were reduced to watching a strange light on a hilltop in the direction of the Slochd. Many theories were put forward as to what it was, at least it was more entertaining than the football on display.
Half Time 0-0
Words were undoubtedly spoken in the dressing room and Inverness came out of the blocks with all guns blazing. Someone had woken Hayes up and all of a sudden we were lurking with intent around the visitors box. Hayes fizzed a ball across the box, unfortunately for Tade the ball had too much pace on it and he could not direct his toe poke into the net at the far post. He only succeeded in knocking the ball wide of the target and twisting his foot in the process. Tade turned provider soon after but his cut back went behind Ross and Hayes and another great chance was gone.
More neat play saw a chance open up for Tansey, but his shot from the edge of the box flashed inches wide of the upright when he should have made the keeper work. Inverness were still pressing the game and the Buddies were on the back foot as Foran cleared the North Stand with an effort from 25 yards, the ball landing somewhere near Munlochy.
St Mirren ventured upfield and Barron shot straight at Esson then the industrious McGowan inexplicably trundled a shot into a grateful Esson's hands from point blank range as Meekings stifled the strike.
New boys Gnakpa and Winnall were introduced for the less than effective Tade and Sutherland and it was Claude who looked the likeliest to open the scoring. He was waltzing past the St Mirren players with some dazzling runs, but the referee booked him at the end of a four man waltz for alleged diving. He was however causing the Saint's problems as he ran at them with skill and pace and his aerial presence offered us another dimension. He almost put the icing on the cake after he fired a low shot across the keeper, but it bounced off the post and along the face of the goal line before being scrambled away That was as close as it got, but no, hang on a minute.
Nick Ross missed an incredible opportunity to wrap up the points late on but he somehow managed to thump the ball over the bar from right on the goal line. He almost made amends right at the death but shot weakly at Samson from the edge of the box as he tried to curl one in.
Full Time 0-0
After a dull first half we came to life and should have won at a canter, but chances went abegging and we missed an opportunity to climb the table. A couple of positives though. That's seven games unbeaten now. Claude looks like an all round player, pacey, tricky and good in the air. Ryan Esson kept his third clean sheet in a row and Kenny Gillet had his finest hour and a half for Inverness Caledonian Thistle. Josh Meekings was next best and Tansey came onto a game in the second half.
So, chance missed to stretch away from the bottom clubs, but with Dunfermline and Hibs both losing, it's not such a bad weekend after all.
We never did find out what the mysterious glowing light was on top of the hills, but thankfully the game picked up after the break and it was all forgotten about.
No highlights available
Celtic in the cup next Saturday, and it's an early kick off.
 
28th Jan 2012 Scottish Premier League Tulloch Caledonian Stadium Inverness C.T. 0 - /media/images/club_badges/inverness.png TEAM:   Esson, Tokely, Proctor, Gillet, Meekings, Hayes, Tansey, Ross, Foran, Tade (Winnall 70), Sutherland (Gnakpa 64) SUBS: Tuffey, G.Shinnie, Piermayr, Morrison, McKay Booked: Foran (34), Gnakpa (74), Tansey (76) Sent Off: none St Mirren 0 - /media/images/club_badges/stmirren.png TEAM: Samson, van Zanten, Barron, Mair, McAusland, Tesselaar, Thomson (Teale 75), Carey (Murray 75), Imrie, Thompson, McGowan SUBS:Smith, Naismith, Mooy, Hasselbaink, Reilly Booked: van Zanten (69), Mair (85) Sent Off: none Referee Stephen Finnie Attendance 3044  
 
By Scotty in Reports 2011-12 ·

Inverness CT -V- St Mirren - Preview

Teaser Paragraph:
Inverness looking for seventh heaven

Inverness host St Mirren in a Clydesdale Bank Scottish Premier League match where entry to the top-six is the possible prize for the victor. With Inverness unbeaten in their lat six games, a seventh undefeated would set us up nicely for the visit of Celtic on February 4th.

Last week was a good one for Inverness on the park with three important wins and two clean sheets in the SPL. All this was achieved despite yet more casualties joining the walking wounded after the tough cup battle at Dunfermline. The Hearts game was played out in swirling gale force winds and driving rain that washed across the surface as the match wore on, but Inverness were up for the battle and deservedly halted Hearts six game unbeaten run. This was a very satisfying result considering Inverness made seven changes to the side that played in the cup and the determination to win showed that they are up for the battle. Ryan Esson also achieved his second consecutive clean sheet, something that gave the team a great platform to build from.

St Mirren had been strolling along nicely in the SPL until they beat Rangers 2-1 on Xmas Eve. Since then they have only managed one point in four SPL games, a draw at home to Dundee United, the low point being a 5-2 thrashing by ten man Hearts. In fact since we beat them on 3rd December, they have only won once in seven games and now find their early season form has deserted them and they have been drawn back into the mid-table pack chasing that elusive top-six dream.

The two games already played this season have been narrow 2-1 victories by the men from the North. McAusland headed the opener at Inverness before man of the match Andrew Shinnie and Gregory Tade made the final score 2-1 for the hosts. This was a game where the Buddies played second fiddle to the home side for long spells, but were always in with a chance of snatching a point, and a disallowed goal in injury time saw them lose out. A similar scoreline at Paisley saw Andrew Shinnie once more score for Inverness after eleven minutes. Thompson scored in first half stoppage time to level the scores as he rose unchallenged to nod in from two yards. However, man of the moment Jonny Hayes scored what proved to be the winner with a superb 20 yard effort. That win moved Inverness off the bottom of the table with 15 points and St Mirren were seventh on 22 points.

The SPL table now shows St Mirren sitting one point above Inverness although we have a home game against St Johnstone to come yet. What has changed dramatically is that Inverness are no longer the poorest defensive team in the league. Dunfermline(-26), Hibs(-17) and St Mirren (-11) all have worse goal differences than us (-10). What a difference keeping a clean sheet makes, remember a better GD is like an extra point at the end of the season. Our home form is very similar to that of the Buddies with four wins and five defeats. Saints away form shows only two wins, five defeats and five draws. Their away wins have come at Perth and Easter Road. On their travels they have scored twelve goals whilst conceding twenty-two. Ten of those goals against have come in the last four away games.

A bit of extra spice thrown in for this game. Not only will the St Mirren fans have Ross Tokely to shout abuse at, but Dougie Imrie has joined the Buddies from Hamilton and he usually gives the Inverness fans something to holler about. None moreso than when he scored a stunning goal for the Accies inside the first minute to give Accies all three points in August 2010. What a strike that was from around thirty yards, as it flew high into Esson's top left corner to stun the home crowd. That was Accies first goal and first points of that season.

Despite his season ending injury, Chris Hogg has been offered a contract beyond the end of this season. The terms have still to be thrashed out but Hogg will be offered the contract to keep him at Inverness when he returns from his knee ligament damage. He has had his operation and is expected to be in rehab for at least six months, with nine months being a more realistic target. Good luck with that Chris, and remember, you can all follow Hogg the Blogg's progress at http://chrishoggthef...k.blogspot.com/

Captain courageous Richie Foran has signed on again at Caledonian Stadium until the summer of 2014. The Irish midfielder has taken on a new lease of life playing deeper in the centre of the park and has flourished there, able to see the greater picture and his tenacity and leadership from that area has benefited the team. It is no surprise that results have improved since he dropped deeper as he was wasted out on the flank. Good signing for Inverness and a good decision by Richie.

***Latest Team News***

Inverness have plenty of problems once again as Hogg, Golobart, Andrew Shinnie and Owain Tudur-Jones are all out longer term, although Jones has begun training after a season long injury. Doran may have to be content with a place on the bench as this might be too soon for him and Lee Cox is the subject of transfer speculation that Swindon Town are keeping an eye on him. Butcher may be forced to play the same team that performed so well against Hearts last weekend, with an addition to the squad in the shape of Sam Winnall, a loan signing from Wolves. Sam is a 21 year old striker/midfielder and has already trained with his new team mates and could find himself thrust into the action as the injury crisis deepens. Another man who could find himself the centre of attention is Claude Gnakpa, signed till the end of the season from Walsall. The 28 year old Frenchman is primarily a winger but can fill a number of positions and will be a useful addition to the squad. ***News just in; Steve Williams may have to sit this one out with a minor knee injury, although he should be fit for next weekends cup tie.

St Mirren are without Darren McGregor, who will be out until March. A training injury has sidelined Scotland u21 international midfielder Kenny McLean. He has broken his collar bone and will be out for around six weeks. In demand Jim Goodwin could return after missing the Celtic game. Hibs were showing a lot of interest in the former Republic of Ireland midfielder but he has signed on again for the Paisley club in a two year deal. *** Jim Goodwin may also have to miss this game out as he is struggling to regain full fitness.

tm4tj Prediction:- Despite the injury problems rearing it's ugly head once more, we were able to cope with the weather and Hearts last weekend reasonably comfortably, and I see no reason why we cannot repeat the result once more. Another clean sheet would be a welcome bonus and given the way that Williams and Proctor complimented each other last weekend then there is the chance that we can pull it off once more. I will be disappointed with a defeat, so it's a narrow win again for me, clean sheet and Inverness seven games unbeaten, woohooo! 1-0.

Other SPL News
Relegation rivals Hibernian have loaned in former Livingston defender Jake McPake and Stoke midfielder Tom Soares, a former England u21 international. The Hibees are assembling a pretty useful bunch of individuals that should be capable of steering them clear of the drop zone, but they are not a team and that is the task facing manager Pat Fenlon.

Relegation favourites Dunfermline's revival did not last long. After a surprisingly easy win at Rugby Park last weekend they were brought back to earth by Motherwell on Tuesday night, losing 3-1, despite Motherwell playing most of the game with ten men. Loan keeper Ian Turner continued the Chris Smith theme and should have done better at the opening goal. Motherwell go back into third place while Dunfermline stay rooted to the bottom of the table, eight points behind Inverness, and one point behind Hibs.

Some guys never learn. Hiya Leigh, hiya pal. Hibernian's loan signing Leigh Griffiths has been handed another ban for a one fingered gesture made to his own fans during last weeks game with St Johnstone. He already has a one game ban for a similar offence, but our Leigh seems to have missed the point and continues to push his luck. He now misses the next two SPL games and the Cup game with Kilmarnock.

And down south, former Inverness Caledonian Thistle midfielder Don Cowie will play in the Carling Cup Final after helping the Welsh side beat Crystal Palace to reach the Wembley finale. Cardiff will play Liverpool who knocked out favourites Manchester City.
By tm4tj in Previews 2011-12 ·

Inverness CT -V- Hearts - Report

Caley Thistle clean sheets are like buses...
 
...you wait ages for one of them and two suddenly come along one after the other.
With todays 1-0 win over third placed Hearts, courtesy of a 49th minute strike from Shane Sutherland, Caley Thistle now go 6 games unbeaten, and are theoretically less than a game away from 6th spot !!!
Hearts Blown Away
Edinbrgh's finest were blown away by a whirlwind at the Tulloch Caledonian Stadium. They had no answer to the tormentor in chief, Jonny Hayes who showed them a clean pair of heels whenever he got on the ball, and not content with that he helped out in defence by tracking back and snuffing out any threat that Hearts wide boys might have posed. It was Hayes finest game for Inverness.
Terry Butcher had to make seven changes from the side that knocked Dunfermline out of the cup. the weather almost saved him the bother as torrential rain and gale force winds lashed the Moray Firth and brought about a couple of pitch inspections, despite covers masking the surface, and it was touch and go for a while before the game went ahead.
With midweek heroes Roman Golobart and Andrew Shinnie crocked long term and Lee Cox straining a calf, Butcher had to shuffle the pack big time. Thomas Piermayr, Ross Tokely and Graeme Shinnie were rested from the back line as well but Ryan Esson returned to his number one spot in place of the impressive Jonathan Tuffey. So, this meant a completely alien back five taking to the park. Josh Meekings at Right back, David Proctor and Steve Williams as centre-backs and Kenny Gillet returning to left back. There were starts for Nick Ross and Shane Sutherland with McKay dropping to the bench. Some of these changes were due to the hectic schedule recently and not risking players who are still not fully 100%.
Hearts were without Zaliukas red-carded against the Buddies; McGowan filled his boots, but Templeton, Obua and Santana only made the bench. Sutton was the lone striker, no doubt an attempt to unsettle the untried home sides back four with his battering ram style of play.
The game started amid fears that the prevailing anticyclone and heavy precipitation might eventually get the better of the playing surface. Thankfully the conditions were deemed good enough by referee George Salmond for the game to continue and off we kicked.
A bright start by Inverness who were looking sharper than their counterparts in the early stages and broke forward at pace, Jonny Hayes looking up for the challenge after having his throat felt in midweek by captain Foran. Hearts were looking sluggish in the swirling vortex, but Hammill tried his luck as the ball broke to him some thirty-five yards out. Esson was helpless as the sidewinder ball smacked off the crossbar and away to safety. A let off for the home side, but that was about all Hearts had to offer in the first half as Inverness took the game to them.
Our makeshift defence looked as though they had played together for years. The full backs dealing with the wingers with ease and Williams and Proctor handling the threat of Sutton comfortably and displaying great composure at times when the ball was lobbed forward. Williams looks an admirable athlete and strolled through this game untroubled.
Hayes was tormenting the Hearts back line and his darting runs were causing them some grief, so much so that they resorted to upending him at every opportunity with Darren Barr being noted by the referee inside ten minutes.
After nineteen minutes Elliot left the pitch to be replaced by the dangerous David Templeton, no doubt unable to take the jibes after his hilarious double foot fresh air swipe at the ball right in front of the north stand.
Inverness were well on top with Greg Tansey probing and dictating play in midfield and a number of balls into the Hearts box went unpunished. Some of this due to the ball getting tangled under foot and some down to poor finishing. In a rare foray forward, a Templeton free kick was comfortably saved by Esson, looking to keep his second clean sheet in a row.
Inverness did have the ball in the net, Kello blocking an initial effort from Hayes, and after a couple of goes at it, Gillet knocked the ball in but one of the three were flagged offsides. It was Ross who tried to nick the ball and he was the one breaching the offside rule. That did not stop the tannoy man playing the celebratory tune, much to the glee of the North Stand who appreciated the joke.
McGowan was booked nearing half time and Nick Ross had the crowd on their feet as he curled one agonisingly wide. Tade almost opens the scoring as he knocks one wide from inside the six yard box, but the half time whistle draws the game into the break.
Half Time 0-0
Inverness started the second half where they left off, pressing Hearts onto the back foot straight away and after some tidy passing play and tenacity from Jonny Hayes, he picked out Shane Sutherland in the box and his powerful header from close range went through Kello and squirmed over the line with the keeper helpless. Shane's first goal this season after spending plenty time on the bench and just reward for his perseverance.
This stung a lack lustre Jambo's into action and they realised they had to do something if they wanted anything from this game. A couple of fouls later and former Caley Jaggie Ian Black was carded, and not before time. Before seventy minutes had gone, Sergio's intentions were clear as he replaced Barr and Black with Santana and Obua. This injection gave them more pace and width as they tried to recover the game.
The wind in the final third at the South end was restricting Esson's attempts to clear the ball and he was only managing to reach about thirty yards as he faced the teeth of the gale. In fact the weather was more problematic than the Hearts strikers.
A more frenetic end to the game was probably more comfortable for the players on the park than the watchers in the stands. Although Hearts enjoyed more possession now, Inverness still looked more threatening on the break and a cross come shot from wide on the left wing from Sutherland was centimetres away from bouncing into the net as it struck the post with Kello stranded. Hayes spurned the best chance of the half after Tansey threaded him through on goal with ten minutes left. Unfortunately Kello was equal to the wee Irishman and as Hayes flicked the ball goalwards the Keeper blocked the shot to keep Hearts interested. Hearts were reduced to taking pot-shots from distance, but none of them troubled the keeper, and likewise Hayes and Tansey for the homesters. Hearts last fling was blocked comfortably by Esson and that was the final action after four minutes of added time.
Full Time 1-0
This was a great advert for summer football, the game was played out in horrendous conditions. Driving rain, blustery swirling wind that would cut you in half and a ball that floated around like a balloon in a tornado but it all made for an entertaining spectacle and the scoreline although unexpected considering our injury problems warmed the cockle of our hearts.
To be honest, there were no failures today and picking a MotM is unfair to some. Jonny Hayes tore the Hearts defence to shreds with some old fashioned wing play. They had no answer to him, even with two men keeping an eye on him and resorted to some rough house tactics to stop him. Hayes was on a mission though and had his best game this season. Greg Tansey pulled the strings in midfield, popping up in attack and defending in depth when needed covering every blade of grass, but my MotM goes to someone who covered every blade of grass twice. Richie Foran made his greatest contibution to the cause yet. He was everywhere, winning defensive headers, blocking shots and distributing from the back, what a performance from the captain. Special mention to Proctor and Williams who complimented each other perfectly and strolled through the game and Ryan Esson for another clean sheet. Josh Meekings also booked himself the right back slot and Gillet's pace is a huge asset at left back. Nick Ross used the ball well and was unfortunate with one effort, but at the other end he declined a shot on target electing to play in Tade. In the end it was neither, but promising display from young Nick. And to the scorer Shane who has had a traumatic week losing a close friend. It must have been difficult for him but he showed great qualities and scored a vital winner.
Headaches for Butcher now after that eleven produced the goods, despite the inclement weather.
St Mirren up here next weekend; onwards and upwards.
21st Jan 2012 Scottish Premier League Tulloch Caledonian Stadium Inverness C.T. 1 - Sutherland (49) /media/images/club_badges/inverness.png TEAM:   Esson, Proctor, Gillet, Williams, Meekings, Hayes, Tansey, Ross (Tokely 86), Foran, Tade (McKay 90), Sutherland SUBS: Tuffey, Shinnie, Piermayr, Morrison Booked: Sutherland (88) Sent Off: none Hearts 0 - /media/images/club_badges/hearts.png TEAM:  Kello, Hamill, McGowan, Barr (Santana 63), Webster, Black (Obua 68), Skacel, Mrowiec, Robinson, Sutton, Elliott (Templeton 18) SUBS: MacDonald, Prychynenko, Holt, Glen Booked: Barr (10), McGowan (41), Black (57) Sent Off: none Referee George Salmond Attendance 3812  
By Scotty in Reports 2011-12 ·

Inverness CT -V- Hearts - Preview

Teaser Paragraph:
Injury crisis returns to haunt Inverness

Under paid Hearts are the visitors this weekend in the SPL clash at Tulloch Caledonian Stadium.

Inverness are starting to ease themselves away from the foot of the table thanks to their recent revival and a change of fortune. We had an extra game in midweek which lasted for two hours before finally seeing Dunfermline out of the cup. Lady luck smiled on us in the shape of Dunfermline keeper Chris Smith who once more gifted a goal to an embarrassed Jonny Hayes, but there was little he could do about the next couple as Andrew Shinnie and Greg Tansey scored in extra-time to put Inverness into the fifth round and a lucrative tie against holders Celtic. Shinnie's goal was as good as it gets as he lashed a swerving shot behind a stunned Smith who never moved as the ball flashed behind him and in off the post. That makes it five games unbeaten for Inverness, a great confidence booster as the season wears on. Unfortunately there was a price to pay for the extra-time win in the cup as three players will miss SPL duty.

Hearts are on a bit of a roll themselves and are unbeaten in their last six games, scoring fifteen goals in the process. During that run they have beaten Hibs 3-1 at Easter Road and bettered that last week by slapping St Mirren 5-2 with ten men on the park, Zaliukas being sent off after only twelve minutes. Unfortunately for the Tynecastle men it's the off field antics that are making the headlines as the SPL will investigate late payments to the players. This has taken the shine off the Edinburgh clubs recent good form and they have slipped almost unnoticed into third place in the league, deposing Motherwell as the best of the rest.

Of the two meetings this season, Hearts came out on top in the game at Tynecastle, Skacel and Jonsson scoring for the Jambo's and a rare Ross Tokely goal for Inverness. The game in the Highlands finished all square as Stephen Elliot equalised for the visitors after Gregory Tade had scored his second goal of the season for Inverness. This was a game where Inverness were unfortunate to only get a point, Tade passing up a few golden opportunities to win the match before the late leveller.

***Latest Team News***
Inverness have new injury concerns after the midweek cup game after impressive Spaniard Roman Golobart was stretcherd off at Dunfermline. David Proctor returned to the side to replace the youngster and Kenny Gillet will be back after suspension. Steve Williams will also be eligible for this game so it's not all doom and gloom. However, Andrew Shinnie is reported to have a metatarsal injury and could be out for some time, having added to his original injury after playing in the midweek cup-tie. Ryan Esson was suffering from a strain in midweek and was rested, although Jonny Tuffey often deputises for cup games. It doesn't rain but it pours.

Injury Update:- The extent of the midweek injuries does not make good reading for Inverness fans as Golobart has possible torn ankle ligaments and will be out for three months. Andy Shinnie fares slightly better and has only broken a bone in his foot, the fifth metatarsal, and will miss the next couple of months. Lee Cox is less serious but a calf strain means he will miss the Hearts game.

Hearts will have to do without the services of Marius Zaliukas who was red carded last weekend. Kevin Kyle is still out and Ryan Stevenson has taken the huff and refuses to train. Andrew Driver is out with a leg injury and Danny Grainger has a groin problem. Ryan McGowan and David Templeton are poised to return to the squad after missing out against St Mirren.

tm4tj Prediction:- Recent form suggests that we could be in for a treat. However, unpredictable as we are, we could also be in for a dour struggle as we try to keep a clean sheet, but with Hearts enterprising youngsters that will be no easy feat. The midweek cup game has taken it's toll on the Caley Thistle squad, with three players losing out. Just as our season was starting to kick on we lose two of our top players. Golobart has been in great form recently picking up the player of the month award at CTO and Shinnie showed us that he does have that extra class with that unbelievable strike at Dunfermline. It's just no fair, therefore I will sit on the fence and go for a repeat of the first encounter, 1-1.

Other SPL News

Former Inverness winger Dougie Imrie has returned to the SPL with St Mirren for a fee believed to be around £35k
.
Celik joins Rangers. No, it's not a mis-spelling, but Swedish Under-21 midfielder Mervan Celik has signed for the Gers on a three and a half year contract. Still at Rangers, they have withdrawn their original offer for Francisco Sandaza.
By tm4tj in Previews 2011-12 ·

Dunfermline 1-3 Inverness CT - ScCup replay (aet)

Calamity Smith is now player of the year at ICT
 
It was off to Fife tonight for what promised to be a gritty rather than pretty encounter between Caley Thistle and Dunfermline. The game was live on SKY and the sparse crowd, huddled into a single stand perhaps was an indicator of this.
Caley Thistle made three changes to the team that took full points at Fir Park on the weekend with Ross Tokely coming back into the side after injury replacing the suspended Kenny Gillet. Jonny Tuffey took his customary spot in goals for a cup game and Richie Foran was also back in the lineup with Nick Ross dropping to the bench.
TM4TJ provides this report .....
Calamity Smith is now player of the year at ICT
To further echo what Scotty has indicated in his preamble, Jonny Tuffey kept his Scottish Cup number one spot at the expense of regular keeper Ryan Esson, despite being the villain of the piece in the original game and Ross Tokely came into the back four to replace the suspended Kenny Gillet, with Richie Foran adding a bit of steel to the midfield. Nick Ross had dropped to the bench to accommodate the captain.
Neither side made any impression on the defences in the first quarter of an hour apart from Barrowman who forced Tuffey into a diving save early on as he went one-on-one with the keeper. That apart, the game resumed where the first one finished. A towsey affair with both sides guilty, but if anything Inverness were looking slightly slicker than the Pars. Misplaced passes were the order of the day as play became even more disjointed but Andy Kirk had the next strike on target after 22 minutes as he fired one straight at Tuffey, and he made a routine save.
This roused Inverness and after some neat possession play a Tansey effort from inside the box was stifled and Smith collected the loose ball easily. Defences were still well on top and with half an hour gone it was difficult to see past penalties deciding the outcome of this one. Surely there was better to come?
Cardle was upended by Ross Tokely on the edge of the box offering the Pars a chance to shoot from around 25 yards. Martin Hardie lifted the ball over the wall electing to go for placement rather than power but Tuffey was alert and plucked the ball comfortably away from the top corner.
Inverness were finding it difficult to get past the Dunfermline defence and you had to feel sorry for the watching Neil Lennon who would learn little from the poor quality on show from both sides. Oh what a shame!
Martin Hardie received a booking for tugging back Tansey, who took the free kick himself and fired it high and not so handsome. Like the first game, the ball was taking a battering.
However, embarrassment for the visitors as Cardle chased down a ball wide left, skipped round Foran and swung a cross to the back post where who else but Andy Barrowman climbed all over Shinnie and headed the ball down and into the net from two yards. Pffft
Inverness were now stung into action and forced their first corner and kept possession around the Dunfermline box but to no avail. Little was seen of Inverness as an attacking force in the last third of the park especially the enigmatic Jonny Hayes who had disappointed up to this point. Just on half time, Foran won a free kick 22 yards out but Piermayr's shot from the lay off was deflected into the arms of Smith with all the sting taken off the ball.
I fear for the players as Butcher must be fuming at that first half performance.
Half Time 1-0.
The interval break saw the result of Butcher's pep talk; Andrew Shinnie replacing Lee Cox and he almost made an instant impact as he sliced a twenty yard effort wide from a good position centre of goal. Better would come as the game wore on.
Piermayr still has not learnt the art of throw-ins taking an eternity to take a simple shy........ Andrew Shinnie broke on the left and he released McKay, but his angled drive was palmed without discomfort by Smith. The encouraging thing for Inverness was that the introduction of Andrew Shinnie was having an effect.
Lord almighty! Lightning does strike twice. Blunder keeper Chris Smith get's tangled with Rutkiewitz and the result of that is an extremely embarrassed but grateful Jonny Hayes who scores a replica of his goal in the first game .......unbelievable. It looks as though Ian Turner will have little opposition to him getting the number one shirt.
Tade did well as he turned the defenders inside out on the left wing but as he bore down on goal Dunfermline scrambled the ball out for a corner with two men in blue waiting for a lay off. Tade was now beginning to stretch the Pars defence and he flashed a ball into the box from the opposite wing but it was hooked clear. The game was now opening out.
One hour gone and Inverness were starting to turn the screw with the home defence getting more desperate. Scorer Barrowman was replaced by a mini nemesis, Liam Buchanan after 65 minutes, but it was the visitors who were playing any football on show. Chris Smith received a sarcastic cheer when he picked up a headed back pass; phew.
Buchanan broke on the right and drilled a low shot at Tuffey which he dealt with easily as the game entered the 70th minute.
Strangely enough, Richie Foran and Jonny Hayes fell out and both were booked by Euan Norris with fifteen minutes to go and extra time looming. I wonder if they were fighting over the captain's armband. Back to the football and some tidy interplay saw Andrew Shinnie sting the fingers of Chris Smith who turned his ferocious left footer over the bar for a corner. Dunfermline had weathered the storm though and were now crossing the half way line and forced their second corner as Mason tested Tuffey, but it was wasted.
Golobart produced one of his trademark arse clenching errors but Tuffey saved his blushes with an excellent block as the game swung from end to end now. Hayes fired a free kick into the box and Chris Smith punched clear but took a knock in the process and after some confusion, play resumed with a goal kick to the Pars.............I think.
Golobart was pushing his luck now but got away with it, almost, although from the following play the Pars hooked a shot just wide. The Pars were now believing in themselves and forced another corner as Thompson was thwarted on the edge of the box by a crunching Golobart redemption tackle. Oh lordy!
Nick Ross enters the arena as the ineffective Billy McKay is subbed with five minutes of regulation time left, but it's Dunfermline who now look the most likely to snatch a winner and Kirk is just short of reaching a ball into the box as three minutes of injury time is announced.
More distress for Butcher as Golobart takes a sore one and turns his ankle and is stretchered off in agony after an ill timed challenge from Willis.(wotchu doin boy!) David Proctor replaced the young Spaniard as the ninety minutes came and went and more injury time beckoned.
With the last kick of the ninety, Hayes floats a ball into the box but there is nobody near it and it's extra-time and all to play for
.
Ninety Minutes 1-1.
Another thirty minutes of football before penalties can be considered and Inverness start on the ascendency and no sooner had they taken the initiative when Tade out wide right fed Andrew Shinnie, and as he turned inside the right hand side of the box he lashed a sublime curling strike behind Smith who played no part in the goal this time. Tremendous goal eclipsing Tade's effort at the weekend.
A routine save by Tuffey from Buchanan after Shinnie is upended at the other end, but no free kick, and Ryan Thompson gets the break of the ball in the box but the defenders block well, it's all happening now. Hayes sprinted forward with the ball to ease the pressure from the Inverness defence but his pass is too heavy for Tade who had made a great run into space.
Martin Hardie is trying the refs patience as he upends Hayes right on the break.
Extra Time Half Time 1-2
Inverness start the fourth period with the same vigour and Hayes darts forward but the final ball to Shinnie is cut out. Piermayr was booked, probably for his rubbish throws........only kidding, and Tade once more turns the defender, but is baulked as he tries to sprint through.
Goal number three for Inverness and it's another cracker. Tade forces the error from a high ball and Nick Ross does brilliantly to keep it in play and pick out Tansey on the edge of the box who promtly guides the ball expertly behind an exposed Smith.
Dunfermline are not finished though and Tuffey has to save again as the Pars look to get a quick reply, but it's Inverness who have the extra class and look likely to add to their lead to the delight of the 54 Inverness fans who made the journey; big respect.
Fair play to Dunfermline as they went straight up the park after Tade almost scored number four and Tuffey had to stop another Buchanan shot with three minutes left. Jonny Hayes was now tormenting Dunfermline and they knew it. He was upended at every opportunity and the game was now beyond Dunfermline as the referee ended the contest with Inverness making the accountant happy.
Extra Time Full Time 1-3
This was the result that Inverness were looking for. Not just to get into the next round of the cup, but to send out an SPL warning to Dunfermline that the first division is not for the Highlanders.
It was a game that was disappointing until the second half was lit up with a goal fit to win the cup final itself. Shinnie curling a beaut into the rigging before anyone knew what was happening; stunning goal and worth the wait. After that it looked a long way back for the Pars and the third goal stroked in with applomb by Tansey was the icing on the cake. Chris Smith will no doubt be the scapegoat and he was culpable in both games, but Dunfermline's issues lie deeper than that and they look like a team destined for the next division down unless they come up with something special in the transfer window.
Motm for me was the half time substitute Andrew Shinnie, who has quite frankly been a revelation since he came here and despite a slow start is now a fans favourite. His goal tonight woud be fit to lift any cup and exudes quality.
Golobart has been a standout recently and it was disappointing to see him stretchered off after making a superb defensive recovery but then taking a whack on the legs which turned his ankle. It looked nasty for him and something that Butcher will not enjoy as we have been thin on the ground for central defenders all season due to injuries, suspensions and departures. On the bright side, Steve Williams will be chomping at the bit to get a start and he is a big lad, so all is not doom and gloom in the back four, but we don't have our troubles to seek.
So as far as the cup is concerned, we now have a home tie against Celtic in February...............sounds good to me. This report comes to you courtesy of online streaming..........
No match highlights found
18th Jan 2012 Scottish Cup Rd 4 (replay) East End Park, Dunfermline Dunfermline 1 - Barrowman (40) /media/images/club_badges/dunfermline.png TEAM: Smith, Dowie, Rutkiewicz (Potter 74), Keddie, Boyle, Cardle, Thomson, Hardie, Graham (Willis 62), Kirk, Barrowman (Buchanan 66) SUBS: Goodfellow, Mason Booked: Hardie (38), Graham (57), Dowie (80) Sent Off: none Inverness CT 3 - Hayes (54), A.Shinnie (93), Tansey (110) /media/images/club_badges/inverness.png TEAM: Tuffey, Piermayr, Tokely, Golobart (Proctor 90), G.Shinnie, Cox (A.Shinnie 46), Hayes, Tansey, Foran, Tade, McKay (Ross 86) SUBS: Esson, Meekings Booked: Foran (74), Hayes (74), Piermayr (108) Sent Off: none Referee Euan Norris Attendance 1594
By Scotty in Reports 2011-12 ·

Dunfermline -V- Inverness CT - Preview - Cup Replay

Teaser Paragraph:
Second chance for cup flops.

East End Park Dunfermline is the venue for this Scottish Cup Fourth Round replay between the Pars and the Caley Jags.

The two clubs played out a grim 1-1 draw in Inverness eleven days ago, where 10 man Inverness got an eleventh hour reprieve when Jonny Hayes capitalised on a massive goalkeeping blunder by the unfortunate Chris Smith, to earn the clueless Highlanders another chance to progress to the next round where Celtic will visit the winners. Inverness reject Andy Barrowman had nodded the Pars ahead in the first half after Jonny Tuffey fluffed a clearance and Andy Kirk picked up the loose ball. As he made a bee line for the goal Kenny Gillet halted his progresss, unfairly said Mr Norris, and he sent him packing. Barrowman nodded home from the resultant free kick which Tuffey spilled onto the head of the striker to open the scoring.

Neither side deserved to go through at the first time of asking after what can only be described as lethargy in motion. Dunfermline were the architect's of their own downfall after wasting time at every opportunity since taking the lead and the leveller was just reward for Inverness' persistance rather than anything to do with slick football. However six minutes of added time looked likely to be insufficient for the home side until Smith's aberration gifted the alert Hayes the opportunity to take the tie to a replay.

Despite Inverness lodging an appeal, claiming that Gillet got the ball and Kirk kicked the back of Gillet's leg, the panel decided that the evidence was inconclusive and this means that stopgap centreback Gillet is suspended for the replay. Not great news for Inverness to be honest as Ross Tokely is still struggling to overcome injury and recent loan signing Steve Williamson is ineligible for this cup game. Chris Hogg is out for the season as well so it could be a case of who turns up on the night getting the nod. David Proctor returned to the pitch last weekend as a late substitute at Motherwell and Josh Meekings has had another week to regain fitness.

In the SPL games sandwiched between these two cup meetings, Inverness had the better result, defeating Motherwell at Fir Park thanks to a magnificent turn and strike from Gregory Tade which eased Butcher's men slowly away from the foot of the table. Meanwhile in Fife, Dunfermline were losing to nearest rivals Hibernian by three goals to two. A result which now leaves the Fifers slightly detatched at the wrong end of the table.

So, what has changed since that last cup game?

David Davis has returned to Wolverhampton Wanderers.........who swiftly loaned him out to struggling League One side Chesterfield. The injured Aidan Chippendale has returned to Huddersfield to continue his rehab. Inverness signed big centre-back Steve Williams from Bradford City on loan until the end of the season.........but he is ruled out for the cup game. Ross Tokely is taking longer to regain fitness after the knock at Ibrox. The one positive news for Inverness is that Richie Foran will return after missing the Motherwell game through suspension.

Keeper Ian Turner has signed on loan at East End Park from Preston North End, but he suffers the same fate as Williams. Neither were registered for the first game and this makes them ineligible for the replay. The Pars will be without Paul Burns, along with Craig Easton, Austin McCann, Nick Phinn, Steven Bell and number one keeper Paul Gallacher who misses the rest of the season.

tm4tj Prediction:- Oh dear, I predicted that we would be too strong for Dunfermline at home, but did not build in the red card factor that slowed the process down. Having witnessed the first game I still see no reason to think that the Pars will be any better than they were at Inverness, but if we can keep eleven men on the park then that should see us move on to face Celtic in the next round. Nobody said it would be easy, and I expect another turgid encounter.

TV cameras will be present for live coverage on Wednesday evening with a 19:45 kick off. Let's hope it's a more entertaining sight than the first game, and that penalty kicks are not required to sort the men from the boys, as Celtic await the winners.
By tm4tj in Previews 2011-12 ·

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