Skip to content

Articles

Our website articles
Show all categories

Inverness CT -V- Hibernian - Preview

Teaser Paragraph:
Hibs looking to end abysmal Highland form.
Last home game of the season sees capital opposition in the shape of Hibernian on Wednesday night 19:45 KO.
Colin Calderwood's side have not had the best of times up North, failing to win at Inverness in any SPL games.  Six defeats and two draws are the statistics in favour of Inverness at the Tulloch Caledonian Stadium.  Hibs only success away from home against Inverness came at our surrogate home of Pittodrie, a 2-1 win for the Edinburgh side, but this season alone, it's one win apiece and a 1-1 draw between the sides.  The last encounter up North saw Adam Rooney score Inverness' first ever hat-trick in the SPL in a swashbuckling display of attacking football, 4-2 on the day for ICT.  Hibs won the February game in Edinburgh 2-0.
One of Hibernian FC all time greats Eddie Turnbull was laid to rest this week, but to be honest, he must be turning in his grave at the thought of some of the performances offered by Hibs this season.  Mediocrity has seen a clear out at Easter Road and Colin Calderwood will endeavour to once more bring the Hibees back to life.  Their final league game against Aberdeen will be a fitting honour to Mr Turnbull, with both sides being associated with the 88 year old legend.  How Hibs would love to unearth a new 'Famous Five'.
Hibs did set one record this season, they became the first side to lose an SPL match at New Douglas Park, such is their unpredictability.  February saw Hibs race clear of the relegation mire with five wins on the bounce, including a 2-0 victory over ICT in Edinburgh, their next nine games have seen then amass only three points, and that has included home and away defeats to Hamilton.  The highlight of the Hibees season will be the 3-0 drubbing they handed out to Celtic, astonishingly sandwiched between getting knocked out of the Scottish Cup by Ayr-Ayr super Ayr super Ayr United.  1-0 after a nil-nil draw at Easter Road.  So, no continuity for Hibs has given the fans a mixed season and probably one to forget.
A couple of things have been sorted this midweek, Hamilton Accies have been relegated after they lost 1-0 to St Johnstone and St Mirren beat Aberdeen by the same scoreline.  Accies almost got out of jail, clawing back St Mirren but their SPL bubble finally burst and next weeks game is now a formality.
And Ryan Esson can not now be overtaken to win the Caley Thistle Online Player of the Year for 2011.  He is the first goalkeeper to win this award and his consistency and considerable skill has earned him this coveted trophy.  We are still waiting for Craig Levein to give Ryan a phone call though.  Thanks to everyone who voted throughout the season and thanks to hislopsoffsideagain for doing the mathematics and totting up the scores.   Ryan takes over the mantle from last seasons winner Jonny Hayes.
 Davie will tell us more about the Hibees in his preview, read on...............................................
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 Well, that went by quickly, didn’t it? Welcome to the last home preview of the year. It seems like yesterday that we ventured forth with a first home game against Celtic and here we are; lots of water under the bridge, some great results, great days and great memories. Likewise, there have been low lights; drawing and losing to the Hibees in Edinburgh for instance (I’m sure you could name others) but we remain unbeaten by them at TCS. In 18 meetings all in, we have won 9, drawn 3, lost 6.
As the powerbrokers of Scottish football, we sandwich this game in between deciding who is relegated (well, we could have until last night) and who wins the championship, and go in on our customary topsy turvey form. The last three ICT games can universally have been said to be dire (Aberdeen) stratospheric (Celtic) and hard fought (St. Mirren) Who turns up tomorrow night? In many ways, 7th spot being sewn up, Wednesday is for pride, saying goodbye or playing for that elusive contract so it could be any of the above three that make an appearance.
ICT news
Russell Duncan is obviously and depressingly missing, but thereafter there are no fresh injury worries for Terry Butcher. Proctor remains missing of the contractees and it remains to be seen who, of the others make a farewell appearance. Chris Hogg remains unable to say farewell to his former team-mates.
Hibs are likewise in rude health, but their form is not. Calderwood & Adams have obviously given up on this season, and half of the squad that played and have eyes firmly fixed on next year. Hopefully the fact that they are actively courting Gregory Tade means that they have given up on Adam Rooney. Otherwise, we welcome back John Rankin and Mark Brown in order that they can ponder the success of their career moves away from TCS. Likewise the enigma known as Riordan, who qualifies as the most spectacularly wasted talent in Scottish football. Francis Dickoh serves a suspension and joins Ian Murray, Danny Galbraith and Michael Hart on the sidelines as the trio rest troublesome injuries. Goalkeeper Graham Stack and midfielder Matt Thornhill remain out.
Last but not least, good luck to a bunch of Internutters who are going to walk from Inverness after tonights game to Hamilton for kick off time on Saturday, proper Internutters.  You can follow their progress on Twitter with updates on the CTO Forums.  Highland March 9, yes, the ninth time these folks have strolled from the penultimate game to the final one, sometimes detouring up and down mountains on the way.....................as I said, Nutters everyone of them.
Good Luck to all of you.
By tm4tj in Previews 2010-11 ·

Ryan Esson - CTO Player of the Year

Teaser Paragraph:
[caption id="attachment_3810" align="alignleft" width="318" caption="Ryan Esson (©Trevor Martin / ictfc.co.uk)"][/caption]
Ryan Wins it ...
We are delighted to announce that Ryan Esson has been confirmed as the CaleyThistleOnline.com Player of the Year for 2010/2011.
Despite the votes for May not yet being added, our classy keeper cannot be caught in the standings so we are announcing it now.
The 31 year old was signed from Hereford in June 2008 and has proved to be one of the finest keepers seen at the Tulloch Caledonian Stadium.
Ryan began his senior playing career at Pittodrie with Aberdeen as a youngster in 1997 and made his first team debut in 2000 v. Kilmarnock. He went on to make 89 apps for the Dons.
 
Player Pts Ryan Esson 73 Nick Ross 51 Adam Rooney 41 Richie Foran 34 Jonny Hayes 29 Ross Tokely 27 Eric Odhiambo 19 Grant Munro 16 Aaron Doran 13 Russell Duncan 13 Lee Cox 11 Kenny Gillet 10 Stuart Duff 9 Graeme Shinnie 8 Dani Sanchez 6 Russell Duncan 5 Jonny Tuffey 3 Shane Sutherland 2 Kevin McCann 1 Chris Hogg 1 He moved in the summer of 2006 on a free transfer and signed for Shrewsbury Town where he was unfortunate to break his cheekbone, curtailing his appearances. He spent nearly two years there before being released from his contract in January 2008. He then signed a short-term deal with Hereford United in March 2008, making the one start in the final game of their season before coming to ICT.
A former Scotland Under-21 and Youth squad player and he's also sat on the bench for the senior side against the USA in 2005.
He made his debut for Caley Thistle on 27th August 2008 in a CIS Cup 2nd Rd. tie against Arbroath and has gone on to make 108 appearances for the club (92 league, 16 cup) so far. In those 108 games he has amassed an excellent total of 33 clean sheets (27 league, 6 cup).
Month Player of Month Jul / Aug Eric Odhiambo September Nick Ross October Johnny Hayes November Adam Rooney December Ryan Esson January Nick Ross February Aaron Doran March Richie Foran April Ryan Esson May ??? Ryan reached his first club milestone when he made his 50th appearance in the home game against Raith Rovers back in the middle of December 2009, also keeping a cleansheet on the day. His 100th game for the club came on 1st March 2011 at the Tulloch Caledonian Stadium. Unfortunately, no clean sheet that day as Dundee United won it 0-2. Heading into season 2011/12, he will likely make his 100th league appearance for the club in the first part of the season - only 8 appearances to go for that milestone.
Caley Thistle's last line of defence has been in great form this season and is thoroughly deserving of this award. Ryan is the 11th different player to win the award and the first keeper who has ever won it .
WELL DONE RYAN !
The next 4 players in the standings were Nick Ross, Adam Rooney, Richie Foran and Jonny Hayes and we congratulate them all on a fine season, but ultimately, none of them could quite catch Ryan.
CaleyThistleOnline.com Player of the Year Award - Background and History
YEAR PLAYER 2000/01 Bobby Mann 2001/02 Barry Robson 2002/03 Stuart Golabek 2003/04 Liam Keogh 2004/05 Ross Tokely 2005/06 Craig Dargo 2006/07 Barry Wilson 2007/08 Don Cowie 2008/09 Ian Black 2009/10 Jonny Hayes 2010/11 Ryan Esson Started in season 2000/01, and recognised by the club as one of only two 'external' awards recorded in the official statistics of the club (supporters club award is the other), the CaleyThistleOnline Player of the Year award has now been handed out to 11 different recipients in 11 years.
Bobby Mann was the first ever recipient and Johnny Hayes walked away with the title last season. In between those years future internationals Barry Robson, Don Cowie and Ian Black have also won it and of course club legend Ross Tokely won it in our first SPL season, a year in which he won every single player award at the club !!! However, in all that time, and despite some great performances between the sticks from various holders of the #1 shirt, no Goalkeeper has ever got his hands to it ! Ryan Esson is the first !
Hand in hand with our Player of the Year polls, we also calculate a "Player of the Month" for each calendar month. This is separate to the overall standings and is based on the number of individual votes a player received each month regardless of whether they were 5,3, or 1 point votes. (this is explained better on the Player of the Year page : HERE)
Not surprisingly, our top three dominate the proceedings by being named Player of the Month in 5 of the 9 months calculated but there are also appearances from Jonny Hayes, Richie Foran, Eric Odhiambo, and loan signing Aaron Doran .....
Finally - We must give a huge thank you to site member Hislopsoffsideagain for his help in compiling the points for this season. Its a pretty laborious task to sift through the points awarded at each game but he does it quickly and efficiently and it is definitely appreciated.
By Scotty in News 2010-11 ·

2011/12 Season Tickets

Teaser Paragraph:
No VAT increase as Caley Jags show faith with fans
This year’s Season Tickets go on sale on Monday 9th of May and we are introducing an “early bird discount” available up to and including the 30th June. Following this all seats will then go on general sale to the public.
Inverness Caledonian Thistle FC will not pass on the VAT increase to supporters in the club's season tickets next season -- and the majority season ticket holders will pay the same as last year (pre the 1st Division loyalty discount) if they buy by June 30 2011.


Operations Director Kenny Cameron said: " Some 90 per cent of our fans will have the opportunity to pay at last year's base price, minus the one-off loyalty bonus we gave to our First Division season ticket holders.
"By also deciding to absorb the VAT increase, we feel we are giving tremendous value to our supporters. Running an SPL club is extremely expensive but we feel that, in the current economic environment, it would be unfair to pass on the VAT and other extra costs to our fans.
"Terry, Maurice and the players have done superbly well this season, just missing out on a top six place, and early season ticket income is crucial to the football budget and cash flow at the Club."
He added that, to address certain situations which had arisen this season, students must be able to show accreditation that they are in full-time education or will be for the 2011-12 academic year and that the senior citizens eligibility was rising from 60 to 65 in line with the majority of other SPL Club’s. Senior Citizens already in the system would remain eligible and the new rule only applies to new applicants.
It is also the intention this coming season to continue utilising the uncovered West Stand for Schools and any other organisation such as Boys Brigade, Scouts, Sports Clubs etc who will be given free tickets on application to the Ticket Office (excluding Old Firm games). This has proven to be a very popular initiative with the youngsters so get your applications in early for this year.
Season tickets for disabled supporters will be charged at a fee set by CLAN, the club's newly formed Disabled Supporters Club. All disabled fans are urged to join CLAN and all the revenue generated by this will be utilised to upgrade the facilities within the Stadium for disabled fans.


Terry Butcher added “We are so grateful for the fantastic support given to myself Maurice and players not only this season but also last year. It is such a boost for us all to hear our fans singing and chanting at both home and away games. We are moving forward both on and off the field and together we can make history for our wonderful football club”.
As last year if you wish to book on line (please note this service is not available for seating changes, only renewals for existing seats) please log on to www.mfr.co.uk and follow the simple steps to renew your season ticket, using the following client reference: 21820. Alternatively if you would like to speak to an ICTFC representative please call the season ticket hotline on 08448471888 and they will be happy to either guide you through registering process online or arrange payment from you direct, this hotline will be available 24 hours per day.
Both our web site, www.ictfc.co.uk and our ICTFC reps will give full details of this year’s pricing structures, which we are pleased to announce, are in general terms (barring one or two categories) in line with last year’s prices pre the 10% 1st Division loyalty discount.
Following payment your season ticket will be sent to direct from the Club prior to the commencement of the season.
Please note you are all welcome to come by the Stadium to renew your tickets if you so wish.
**NOTE - A temporary issue with Ticketmaster is preventing on line sales, anyone wishing to purchase season tickets at the moment is welcome to do so in person at the Stadium.  It is hoped this issue will be resolved soon, but unfortunately it is out of the clubs hands**
Season Ticket Type 2011/12 Prices Early Bird Prices (Buy before 30th June) MAIN STAND Adult £370 £350 Concession £300 £270 Student £260 £250 Junior £150 £140 NORTH STAND Adult £320 £300 Concession £190 £170 Student £180 £170 Junior £100 £90 Centenary Junior £95 £85 FAMILY SECTION Adult £250 £240 Concession £190 £170 Student £180 £170 Junior £90 £80 Centenary Junior £85 £75 Under 12 £40 £30 2nd Child (U 12) Free Free  
Season Ticket Type Eligibility Criteria MAIN & NORTH STANDS Senior Citizen Senior Citizen- DOB on or before 30 June 1946 or existing Senior Citizen ticket holder in 2010/2011 Student Student - In full time school, college or university education (academic year 2011/12). Proof of college/university attendance required. Existing students reset to adult offers until eligibility proven. Junior DOB on or after 30 June 1995. Centenary Junior DOB on or after 30 June 1995 and must be children of current Centenary Club members. FAMILY SECTION Adult Only available for family members accompanying eligible children. Concession Senior Citizen - Same criteria as Main and North stand. Only available for senior citizens accompanying eligible children. Student Student - In full time school, college or university education (academic year 2011/12) Only available for students accompanying eligible children. Proof of college/university attendance required. Existing students reset to adult offers until eligibility proven. Junior DOB on or after 30 June 1995 Centenary Junior DOB on or after 30 June 1995 and must be children of current Centenary Club members. Under 12 Born on or after 30 June 1999. Sold to family members accompanied by adult over the age of 16. 2nd Child As above. To qualify, a qualifying adult ticket and a Junior, Centenary Junior or Under 12 ticket must also be purchased at the same time.
By CaleyD in News 2011-12 ·

Inverness -V- St Mirren - Report

The Adam Rooney cameo show downs sorry Saints.
He was only on the park for a few minutes when he hit the first of his hat-tricks, Lionel Messi eat yer heart out.  What a display from Rooney.  Woodwork hat-tricks that is.
His first attempt was an audacious overhead kick that smacked the bar, absolutely brilliant attempt when he whipped the ball off the defenders head whilst facing Jonny Tuffey.
His next two woody's were impeccable, apart from entering the net.  His fourth bash almost burst the net after he muscled in on goal and unleashed a ferocious shot from six yards.  Take a bow Adam Rooney, and please sign a new contract.
On the down side, Russell Duncan's swansong ended in tears as he was red carded after a bit of shenanigans when he was upended in the box.  This was a terrible way for a club legend to end his career here.  Shame on you Saints.  Chin up Russell, I'm sure the offers will flood in.
 
7th May 2011 Tulloch Caledonian Stadium I.C.T. 1 - Rooney (85)   TEAM: Tuffey, Tokely, Munro, Gillet, Duff, Duncan, Morrison (Ross 64), MacDonald (Rooney 53), Odhiambo (Cox 75), Foran, Doran SUBS: Esson, Innes, Sutherland, Sanchez Booked: none Sent Off: Duncan (71) ST MIRREN 0 -   TEAM: Gallacher, Barron, Mair, McGregor, McAusland, Thomson, Goodwin (Cregg 40), Mclean (Mooy 76), Dargo, Higdon, McGowan SUBS: Samson, van Zanten, Potter, McKernon, Wardlaw Booked: Goodwin (28) Sent Off: none Referee Bobby Madden Attendance 3446  The day was set, bright sunshine and a cooling breeze, one team free from hassle, the other needing at least a point to help their cause.  With so much at stake for the Buddies, one has to wonder at their seemingly tentative approach to this game.  Was Danny Lennon holding out in the hope of gaining one point instead of trying to win all three, something they achieved around Santa Clause time.
With the teams announced you would have thought that Terry Butcher was also trying to help Saints out.  No two keeper Jonny Tuffey was given a run out as were Gavin Morrison, Eric Odhiambo and Alex MacDonald. 
The last throw of the dice was club legend Russell Duncan being given a start in front of the home fans, his 352nd appearance and possibly his last after he left the field distraught and with much dubiety over the incident that saw him depart the field of play.
The first half was a hugely disappointing affair with Saints reluctant to open play out and Inverness lacking the urgency to have a go, although Alex MacDonald almost nicked a goal when Gallacher blocked his flick goalwards, but Foran could not take advantage of the rebound.
Eric Odhiambo tried his luck with a header which flew wide, but that was it, not enough action in a listless first half to fill an A5 sheet.
Half Time 0-0
News would have filtered through to the dressing rooms that Hamilton were leading Hibs, surely that was enough incentive to sting St Mirren into action.
Tuffey and Gallacher were in action early in the second half, justifying their wages, but the best was yet to come as Adam Rooney entered the fray in the 53rd minute, replacing the luckless MacDonald.
This was the start of the Adam Rooney show.  A ball into the box waiting for the defenders to head clear showed us another dimension to Rooney's game as he acrobatically pinched the ball from literally right under the defenders nose.  Unfortunately this tremendous overhead effort smacked back off the bar with Gallacher beaten.
Saints were stung into action and Tuffey beat away a powerful McGowan drive from 15 yards.  With Hamilton still ahead, they needed to pull something out of the bag.
Still, it was disappointing that they resorted to simulation to try and stay in the SPL.  Russell Duncan was upended in the box by Mair, and in the ensuing tangle, brought down again.  Handbags at dawn is the best description I have of the incident, as Mairs' throat grab was countered by Russell's hand off................with his belly.  Astonishingly what at best was a pair of yellows was seen by the standside linesman as a straight red card for a distraught Russell, bringing the curtain down on his ICT career in tears.  To add injury to insult, no penalty awarded either, all a bit bemusing and embarrassing for the officials and Lee Mair.
Back to the football and Rooney was just warming up.  He rattled the junction of post and bar with a ferocious shot on the run from 18 yards and seemed to be giving the defence a horrendous time.  His next effort looked in all the way as he hit a low shot across Gallacher only for it to hit the base of his left hand post and rebound to safety.  A hat-trick of woody's, no luck Adam.
Dargo tried his best to breathe some life into sad Saints with a couple of efforts but it was too little too late for them, and Rooney had the final say when he brilliantly controlled Tuffey's long kick out after Doran flicked it on.  He raced into the box leaving the defenders trailing in his wake and lashed a shot high past the despairing keeper, what a goal and no more than he deserved for his one man show.
Still time for wee Dargo to scoop a shot over from 15 yards, but in all honesty it would have been an injustice had Saint's taken anything from a game they put so little into, considering their predicament.
Full Time 1-0
Best for Inverness were Rooney, Tuffey, and Gillet.  However, my MoM goes to once again Grant Munro, so reliable at the back and kept the bustling Higdon at bay.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ginger Jaggy saw the days events unfold like this....
After the euphoria of Wednesday night the game on Saturday definitely failed to live up to expectations. At half time I sat in my seat thinking that this report would be easy as nothing happened in what was a dire first half. But thank god for small mercies with the second half making the game a bit more attractive. It was a typical end of season affair but St Mirren to most peoples surprise didn't go at Caley Thistle and it was in fact the home team that played the better throughout. Caley Thistle made a number of changes to the starting 11 giving a few fringe players a chance to say goodbye to the fans as well as give a few squad players a run out. Johnny Tuffey replaced Ryan Esson in goal; the back line was mostly the same as Wednesday with Ross Tokely moving into central defence alongside Grant Munro. It was basically a whole new midfield with Nick Ross, Shane Sutherland, and Lee Cox dropped to the bench being replaced by the departing Russell Duncan, Eric Odhiambo and Gavin Morrison. Skipper Richie Foran returned after suspension to partner Alex MacDonald who replaced the benched Adam Rooney.
The first half was an awful affair with both goalkeepers pretty much being unemployed for the whole half. It was Inverness who settled the quicker and started playing some nice passing football, even though with Foran back in the side temptation to revert back to the long ball returned. Defences were on top with both teams attacking players struggling to make any impact on goal. In fact the first time one of the goalkeepers had to make a decent save was after 25 minutes. Aaron Doran who was part of the team to perform so well in midweek played a delightful through ball to Alex MacDonald. The on loan striker miss hit his little lob and weekly chipped it into the midriff of Buddies keeper Paul Gallacher. MacDonald did well to keep the rebound in play and tried to cut it back to Foran who failed to convert after being put under pressure from a host of St Mirren defenders. That was as good as it got with St Mirren's only attempts on goal being poor free kicks which failed to test Tuffey in the Inverness goal.
The start of the second half had signs that a football match was about to break out. First Michael Higdon's shot was well saved by Tuffey and then Gallacher at the other end comfortably held onto a Foran drive. MacDonald was getting no change out the St Mirren defenders and so was replaced by Rooney. And the Irish striker made an impact straight away. After bullying Charlie Mulgrew and Daniel Majstorovic, the saint's defenders suddenly found what lay in store. Within minutes of coming on Rooney acrobatically did an overhead kick under pressure,which crashed against the face of the bar. Rooney was trying to emulate his name sake in the Manchester derby and had it come off would have been goal of the season for sure. With the game suddenly coming to life the game was going to make a big turn in favour of the Paisley club. Russell Duncan was juggling with the ball on the edge of the Buddies area and was clumsily fouled by Lee Mair. The officials got it so wrong but were about to make matters even worse. Mair reacted furiously to claims of a penalty and grabbed Duncan by the throat which brought a reaction from Duncan. On the video it looked like Duncan just shoved Mair to the floor and probably deserved a yellow but with some great play acting forced the ref to get a red card out of his pocket. It was a sad end to a great Caley Thistle career and he was visibly upset as he trudged off to a rousing applause.
After that incident the onus was now on St Mirren to get a winner with news of Hamilton beating 10 men Hibs at New Douglas Park. Tuffey made an excellent stop from McGowan when he managed to make room in the box. It was the first time in the game that St Mirren found space in the Inverness box and created a real good chance. But after that moment it was Caley Thistle who looked like getting the decisive winner. It was Rooney again who hit the woodwork again with a fierce strike from a lovely through ball from Foran. Substitute Nick Ross was next to play Rooney through onto goal and the striker again beat Gallacher but was again denied by the wood work with the face of the post denying him this time. It looked like it was not going to be Inverness' day. Finally Rooney scored the elusive goal with 5 minutes to play. A Long ball from Tuffey was flicked on by Doran and his flick on found Rooney who controlled the ball so brilliantly before smashing the ball into the top corner. That looked like it would be the winner but there was still time for Ex Caley Jags striker Craig Dargo to miss a glorious chance to get a priceless equaliser.
As it was, Caley Thistle picked up three more points in the quest for 50 points. It also confirmed us as 7th place as it is mathematically impossible for anybody to overtake us now which is a great achievement for the club. As for St Mirren they are in major trouble now with their healthy gap over Hamilton now diminished to 3 points with two games to play.
 
Cheers ginger, great minds think alike. 
By tm4tj in Reports 2010-11 ·

Inverness CT -V- St Mirren - Preview

Teaser Paragraph:
Inverness keen to finish with a flourish 
After the euphoria of midweek, the mundane challenge of playing St Mirren could be less attractive for some, but Inverness will need to show the same pulsating performance if they want to gain revenge for the Christmas week defeat at the hands of the Buddies.
It's easy to raise the game when the big boys come calling, but it's equally important to maintain that level of performance if you want to stay ahead of the pack, and that is what Butcher's aim will be this weekend.
A heart warming display against Celtic on Wednesday evening was in stark contrast to the lethargy shown at Pittodrie the previous week.  Celtic flew out of the traps but the Caley Jags took up the chase and were soon leading their illustrious opponents, albeit only for a couple of minutes.  However, from the second half  whistle we took the game to Celtic and went 3-1 ahead, which could easily have been five or six, such was our determination and pace on the counter.  A late penalty flattered Celtic somewhat, but all credit to Inverness for the way we tackled this match.
There were some fantastic performances, none moreso than Grant Munro, who could force Butcher into a rethink of his personal position at the club.  A solid defensive display capped with a superb goal must have given Grant immense pleasure, knowing that he was letting nobody down, and boy did it feel good.  Adam Rooney was another who gave his best display of the season, teasing the Celtic defence and chasing down everything that came his way.  He opened the scoring, or to be more precise his flick cannoned off of his close marker, Mulgrew.  Gillet, Duff, Sutherland, Esson and Innes all worked their socks off, in fact the whole team looked up to the task.  With these guys showing this kind of form it would be pleasing if they could all be retained for next season, maybe playing for your contract has brought the best out in some players, who knows, but long may it continue.
I will now hand you over to ginger jaggy to tell us what's happening this weekend.........................
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
We are almost there, the end of a successful season is nigh with next week's game at Hamilton bringing down the curtain on a great return to the top flight. Terry Butcher's men are almost guaranteed 7th place which could be worth as much as £80,000 more than finishing in 8th. It has been a very strange week for Caley Thistle supporters, with the doom and gloom of hearing that 10 players will be released at the start of the week. In Particular the releasing of two Caley Thistle stalwarts ex captain Grant Munro and Midfield Maestro Russell Russeldinho Duncan have shocked and confused many especially in Grant Munro's case. These two shock calls and the other eight names had left more questions than answers of what next season will be like. Many feared that this news would lead to a heavy defeat against Celtic, but as it turned out the majority of the starting eleven, who are mostly contracted or been given one for next season pulled out a performance that can only be described as sublime. It was a special evening with Grant Munro playing a colossal game at the back and then scoring a beauty past the helpless Celtic keeper Fraser Forster in the second half. Chants of Terry sign him up reverberated around the Caledonian stadium and like the majority of fans here on Caley Thistle Online we hope that the message will sink in and get Terry to change his mind, only time will tell.
Celtic is Celtic though, a match which we always seem able to raise our game for even if it was meaningless for us. It will be St Mirren on Saturday that will tell us a lot about the Munro situation and also hopefully guarantee 7th in our first season back. It was a great team performance and the individual performance by Munro but if he wants to turn Terry's head he has to show that St Mirren isn't a meaningless game and perform like he did on Wednesday, another goal may help.
As for our opponents it has suddenly become a bit sweaty palms at St Mirren Park. A Michael Higdon hat trick against Hamilton in Paisley put the Saints 12 clear and almost guaranteed Hamilton's relegation prior to the split. But since the split Danny Lennon's side has started looking over there shoulder with Hamilton hitting a decent period of form in their unlikely survival act. St Mirren's fears were confirmed when Hamilton turned the tables in paisley with Mickael Antoine-Curier's header the difference and now just 6 points difference in the table. So Saturday is pivotal for them which may just suit us as we can again play on the break.
 Head to Head
Previous encounters this season stands at one each with one draw. Overall we have a slender lead with 6 victories compared to the Buddies 5 in 15 encounter between the two clubs. The first of this season was our victory in the middle of our unbeaten run back in September. Two goals from Eric Odhiambo - who is also being released - was enough that day to give Caley Thistle all 3 points in Paisley and continue our great start to the season.
The first game up in Inverness was a reversal of the score line in that game in Paisley. It started so well with Lee Cox giving us an early lead on a very cold Boxing Day afternoon. The performance then went down hill and we allowed the Paisley saints back into the game which cost us the game. First Steven Thomson with a belter that beat a despairing Ryan Esson to bring the score lines level just on half time. Then in the last 5 minutes Thomson again got on the score sheet with a deflection to beat Esson who had no chance. This game was the first game we had lost in a while and contributed to the start of decline in the second half of the season.
The final installment so far produced by far the best game played between these two this season. The Caley Jags really needed a win to kick start our ailing push to remain in the top six. It wasn't to be as it ended up in a 3-3 draw. Attack was definitely on top in Paisley as we took the lead through top goal scorer Adam Rooney. This was cancelled out mid way through the first half when Michael Higdon converted a 28th minute penalty. The home supporters had been barely able to catch their breaths when they were celebrating again. Thomson it was barely a minute later that scored again with another magnificent strike from just outside the box – he has been a bit of a thorn in our side this season has the ex Falkirk captain. Inverness though made almost an instant response with Aaron Doran getting his first Caley Thistle goal and making 3 goals in a crazy 6 minute period of the game. With the scores tied it was anyone's game at half time and it was us that struck first with Rooney scoring his second of the match. The scoring wasn't completed though and there was time for Darren McGregor to nod home another equaliser with 15 remaining. The game ended up all square, lets hope we get the same entertainment tomorrow but with an Inverness win of course.
Form Guide
The form guide has shown Caley Thistle to be on a decent run. Caley Thistle has come into this with 1 defeat in our last 5 matches. We picked up points against Killie and Hearts before the split but that was not enough to get a top six place unfortunately even though they were decent results. After the split we have completely hammered St Johnstone but that was followed up by a poor performance and deserved loss to Aberdeen at Pittordrie. But of course we come into this match off the back of battering Celtic and there title hopes on Wednesday evening. As with us on Saturday the score line was a bit flattering if you were of a Hoops persuasion.
As for saints well their form has not actually been too bad. They beat the Dons 3-2 in Paisley which looked almost certain to finish off Hamilton. But a few hard matches coupled with a late spurt of form by Hamilton have dragged them back into the battle for survival. They performed valiantly against both Old Firm clubs away from home and pushed them close losing 1-0 and 2-1, but at this stage it is all about points. They got a decent point at Easter Road and with Hamilton at home to come looked good to confirm survival. But that defeat last week has made them nervously look over their shoulder even though there 6 point advantage should still be enough.
GingerJaggy thoughts and predictions
After Wednesday the players should be buzzing and looking to finish the season very strongly so that we can go into the next campaign ready to fight for a top 6 spot. As for St Mirren they will want to get something. A draw maybe good enough but they will play to win the game and guarantee Hamilton goes down. I was gutted to miss Wednesday but what I want from my last home game of the season is the same performance and to watch an entertaining win which I think we will get
Prediction Caley Thistle 2-1
 ***Latest Team News***
Richie Foran is free from suspension and should return to bolster the midfield and attack, and sometimes the defence too.  Shinnie, Proctor and Hogg are still out although it was good to see Dani Sanchez on the bench in midweek.
Hugh Murray, the veteran Paisley midfielder will be sidelined for a few months after damaging knee cartilage in the Hamilton match.  Juve Travner is suspended after the same match.
 Other SPL News:-  They may not have been overtaken by the Greens, but Rangers have been taken over by The Whytes.  Craig Whyte has at last completed the long drawn out takeover of Glasgow Rangers .
See BBC article:-  http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/13292829.stm
By tm4tj in Previews 2010-11 ·

Inverness CT -V- Celtic - Report

Inverness throw a huge spanner in the SPL works.
An exhilarating game of football ended in fairy tale circumstances for one Grant Munro.
The sponsors man of the match would not have meant as much as the goal he hammered past Fraser Forster to put Inverness 2-1 ahead.  His love of this club is not in question and it was a fitting reward for Grant to be on the winning side in one of his final games for the Caley Jags.
Celtic started with more urgency as their cause would dictate, but the home side clawed their way into the game and in 7 minutes snatched a surprise opener as Sutherland whipped a smart low ball across the box for Rooney to flick goalwards, and the ball deflected off Mulgrew to silence the vocal away support.
The lead did not last for long, two minutes, as Kris Commons lashed a strike possibly with the aid of a deflection past a diving Esson into his left hand corner.  No chance for Esson as the ball whistled past him.
As half time approached, Celtic were having the majority of possession, but the Inverness rearguard brilliantly marshalled by Munro and Innes stood firm and Rooney at the other end was keeping the Celtic defence on their toes.
Half time 1-1
4th May 2011 Tulloch Caledonian Stadium I.C.T. 3 - Mulgrew (og.7), Munro (53), Sutherland (62)   TEAM: Esson, Tokely, Munro, Innes, Gillet, Duff, Cox, Ross, Rooney (Morrison 90), Sutherland (Odhiambo 82), Doran SUBS: Tuffey, Golabek, Duncan, MacDonald, Sanchez Booked: Sutherland (82), Tokely (90) Sent Off: none CELTIC 2 - Commons (9, pen.90)   TEAM: Forster, Izaguirre, Majstorovic, Wilson, Mulgrew, Brown, Baram Kayal (Ki Sung-Yeung 71), Stokes (Murphy 58), Maloney, Commons, Hooper (McCourt 66) SUBS: Zaluska, Rogne, Samaras, Forrest Booked: Brown (70), Majstorovic (72) Sent Off: none Referee Stevie O'Reilly Attendance 6702 Inverness would have been pleased to get to half time on level terms given the away teams dominance, but things were about to change.
The pressure was mounting on the Celtic rearguard when local hero Grant Munro whacked a ball past Forster from 15 yards after it broke to him in the box.  That was no more than Inverness deserved after a lively start to the second half, goal timed at 53 minutes.
More pressure from Inverness in the 62nd minute resulted in Ross lobbing a ball into the box and Sutherland positioned himself brilliantly before volleying a left footer into the net from 12 yards, fabulous goal and once again, no more than the home side deserved.
As the game raged from end to end Inverness looked the more likely to extend their lead and Rooney, Doran, Munro, Tokely and Ross all passed up great chances to bury this game, however, as the game came to a conclusion, Celtic were handed a lifeline when Ross Tokely was adjudged to have brought down Shaun Maloney.  Commons converted the spot kick in the 93rd minute, but Inverness held their nerve as Celtic ran out of ideas.
Full Time 3-2
What a night for Inverness as they battled hard for each other and none more so than Grant Munro, simply magnificent.  Adam Rooney had his finest ninety minutes this season, running the channels and tearing the big Swede a new one, great line leading from Adam.  So many fantastic displays from the boys in blue, and Cox, Duff, Gillet and Sutherland were not far behind, with Esson surely securing the player of the year with another faultless display.
Grantie has the last laugh...
 
 
By tm4tj in Reports 2010-11 ·

Hampden Calling

Teaser Paragraph:
Hampden Calling – Stage One in Inverness
Carling, the official beer of the Scotland team, are offering fans the chance to pull on a Scotland shirt and live out their dream of playing at Hampden Park.
‘Hampden Calling’ will see two teams go head to head at Hampden, as Scotland Home v Scotland Away, with a matchday experience that will make it feel like you really are following in the footsteps of legends.
Carling are looking for you and your mates to enter a team for a five-a-side tournament in Inverness, Aberdeen, Edinburgh or Glasgow.  16 lucky teams will be picked out from all entries to take part in each city, the best two teams from each making it through to the next stage.  The two teams who make it through will be merged into an 11-a-side regional super team by SFA coaches. The semi finals will see the 4 regional sides go head to head at the Toryglen Football Centre in Glasgow, with the two best going to the big Final at Hampden Park.
To find out more, and enter your team, go to www.carling.com/hampdencalling .  Competition closes on Monday 15th May 2011.
Over 18s only.  Conditions online.
By CaleyD in News 2010-11 ·

Important Information

We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue. : Terms of Use : Guidelines : Privacy Policy

Account

Navigation

Search

Search

Configure browser push notifications
Chrome (Android)
  1. Tap the lock icon next to the address bar.
  2. Tap Permissions → Notifications.
  3. Adjust your preference.
Chrome (Desktop)
  1. Click the padlock icon in the address bar.
  2. Select Site settings.
  3. Find Notifications and adjust your preference.