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Alloa Athletic -V- Inverness CT - League1

After the Wind
 
It's our third away game on the trot as we head for Alloa on Saturday should Storm Eowyn relent sufficiently to allow Alloa to host our League1 encounter at Recreation Park. It's scheduled for a 3:00pm kick off and is the shortest trip of the trio of away days which has given us one win at Annan and a defeat at Queen of the South so far. Nine points in the last six games for Inverness whilst Alloa have gathered seven points from their last six games.
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Match/Ticket/Travel/Info
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INVERNESS CT  The Season So Far
D L  D D W D D D L   / W L(11)D W W W L  W L  
W W L  
Since Scott Kellacher was handed the reins in game 11, there has been a more positive approach to our matches which has resulted in improved performances and a more enjoyable matchday experience all round. Alas we were brought back to earth with a disappointing result in our last game of 2024, a crushing 1-4 defeat at home to Cove Rangers. We'll have to put that one down to a bad day at the office. However, we bounced back in our first game of the second half of the season in the six pointer against Dumbarton with a hard fought 2-0 win. That win over Dumbarton was a vital one and the introduction of Alfie Bavidge was a welcome one as he opened the scoring early in the first half. Charlie Gilmour slotted in the clincher in the second half to give us a cushion over the Sons and to narrow the gap on Annan to seven points. We took part in the only League1 game last weekend and came away from Annan with a resounding 3-0 win, Alfie Bavidge netting again with Keith Bray and then Billy Mckay from the spot.  It was then on to Palmerston on the Tuesday night but in a five goal encounter we went down 3-2. Alfie Bavidge notched his third goal in three games and Keith Bray added a second but goals from Adam Brooks (2) and Jordan Allan kept the points in Dumfries. Oh well, on to Alloa on Saturday...
Plenty of positives to be taken from the defeat against Queen of the South in midweek. Alfie Bavidge is on form with three from three and Keith Bray added his third League goal of the season. Luis Longstaff was a big miss at Palmerston having been injured at Annan last Saturday.
We threw away a two goal lead on our last visit to Recreation Park after Conor Sammon came on and changed the game. Danny Devine and Calum MacLeod had put us in the driving seat but goals from Sammon and Luke Donnelly earned the Wasps a point. In November a Charlie Gilmour goal was the difference between the sides at the Caledonian Stadium as the Caley Jags took the points in a 1-0 win.
Pos Team Pld Gd Pts 1 Arbroath 20 8 34 2 Stenny 21 9 32 3 Kelty Hearts 21 9 31 4 Alloa Ath 21 4 29 5 Queens 21 -3 29 6 Cove 20 5 28 7 Montrose 20 -2 24 8 Annan Ath 21 -19 20 9 Inverness CT 21 1 16 10 Dumbarton 20 -12 07 Inverness CT Latest Team News
Scott Kellacher talking at press/media conference:
On Luis Longstaff“ He got a real bad dead leg. He’s going to be 50-50 for the match this weekend. He was a real big loss for us the other night because he’s a big player for us.”
If he's giving nothing else away then that may be our major doubt, therefore expect us to be along similar lines to midweek against Queens. In fairness, we don't have much options available anyway.
Alloa Athletic: W L  L  L  W D 
A 2-0 win at Kelty was followed by three defeats on the trot to Montrose, Cove and Stenhousemuir (1-2, 2-0, 1-3). Highlight for Alloa would be their next game, a 3-1 win at Arbroath. They then drew 1-1 at home to Queen of the South last Saturday. Seven points from their last six League games.
Luke Donnelly is top scorer with six goals backed up by the vastly experienced Conor Sammon (5) and Luke Rankin (5)
Here's how Alloa lined up in the draw with Queen of the South last week. They have since added a couple of loan signings: Josh Gentles a striker from Rangers and Charlie Dewar a defender from Dundee United.

 
 
 
By tm4tj in Previews 2024-25 ·

Queen of the South 3-2 Inverness CT - League 1

Pointless at Palmerston
 
Luis Longstaff missed out for the visitors after picking up an injury at Annan on Saturday. Queens had Adam Brooks up front after the player had to leave Inverness since administration. It was a lively start to the game in Dumfries. It was three in three for Alfie Bavidge as his early goal put the visitors ahead. However the lead only lasted two minutes as former player Inverness striker Adam Brooks levelled in the tenth minute. Nip and tuck thereafter in an entertaining first half with the hosts shading the possession and the opportunities but it was all square at the break and all to play for in the second half. Brooks added his second of the night ten minutes after the break. Chances went abegging at both ends of the park before Keith Bray equalised with fifteen minutes remaining. Alas substitute Jordan Allan was on hand to knock in the winner following a corner to keep all three points in Dumfries.
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Here's an overview from CTO - Eagle4Caley: I journeyed up...Euston to Carlisle, Carlisle to Dumfries, Last train back to Carlisle, Overnighter in Carlisle, back in my London office by lunchtime...bloody loved it
A bit chilly, but at half time was chatting to a Man Utd/QotS  fan in the drinks queue, before discovering they don't take payment card, and he bought my coffee! (which got me through the 2nd half)
Thought the team played pretty well last night, Longstaff being out affected the midfield balance in my view.  When we equalised to 2-2 I think the team got too excited about trying to win and left themselves a bit open. There were times during the match when our defence seemed to consist of just the two CB's as the FB's were pushing up so much...the tikki-takki stuff seems to be largely out

Bavidge is some signing, and Bray looked great at right wing-back. Slightly annoying that Brooks got two against us, but did he get a fair crack when he was our player or does he fit better at QotS

Anyway that's another ground ticked off...roll on Dumbarton away in March
FULL TIME: 3-2
An all action encounter with five goals and the home side edging it 3-2. An Adam Brooks double and a Jordan Allan strike won the points after Alfie Bavidge had opened the scoring after ten minutes. Keith Bray had made it 2-2 before substitute Allan forced in the winner with ten minutes remaining.
A tough result to take after our second long haul in three days. It's a long way home if there's no points in the bag. Meh!
Full report to follow
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Date:  21/01/2025  Venue: Palmerston Park, Dumfries Attendance: 0775 Referee: Gavin Duncan
 
Queen of the South: 3
Manager: Peter Murphy Lineup:  Stewart; Hewit, Douglas, Hannah, MacIntyre, Doherty (Jack Bryden 71), Luissint, Cochrane, Lyon, Dickenson, Brooks (Allan 77) Subs (not used):  Thomson; McKechnie, O'Donnell, Walker, McLinden, McIntosh, Fraser Brydon Scorers: Brooks (12, 53), Allan (79) Booked: Hannah (41), Hewit (64), Luissint (74), Dickinson (76) Sent Off: none Inverness CT: 2
Manager: Scott Kellacher Lineup:  Dibaga; Bray, Devine, Savage, Nolan, Stewart (R Thompson 87), Gilmour, Allan (MacLeod 86), Mackinnon, B Mckay (Cairns 86), Bavidge Subs (not used): Rebilas; Strachan, C Mackay Scorers: Bavidge (10), Bray (74) Booked: none Sent Off: none a
By tm4tj in Reports 2024-25 ·

Queen of the South -V- Inverness CT - League1 - Preview

On the Road Again
 
As Canned Heat once said to me, we are 'on the road again'. It's the second of three away games in a row as we head to Palmerston three days after beating Annan Athletic at Galabank. After this and weather permitting, we are off to Alloa this Saturday. That's a tough schedule for Scott Kellacher and his young side, but they have shown that they are well capable of competing at this level despite administration and all the hurdles that come with it.
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Match/Ticket/Supporters Bus
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Venue H2H Pld Won Drn Lst For Agst + / - Home 22 13 3 6 39 26 +13 Away 20 8 7 5 34 22 +12 Neutral 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Total 42 21 10 11 73 48 +25 We generally have the upper hand over the Doonhamers although many of these encounters are fairly tight affairs. We lost our last game at Palmerston which was in the Championship in 2022 by 2-1. Absolutely Buffered! After a sloppy opening from the visitors who appeared bus-lagged, Queens opened the scoring through Josh Todd who took advantage of a poor defensive clearance to finish tidily. Logan Chalmers did likewise after Queens gave away the ball in midfield, his finish was stunning. Queens went back in front before the break, goal was scored by buffering. A great finish by East I am told. Half Time 2-1 and there was no further scoring after the break. Our aim was to get enough points to clinch third place to get the slight advantage of playing at home in the 3rd/4th place play-off second leg with second place pretty much out of our reach. We failed to achieve that, on to the next game.
Last 10 Competitive Meetings
1 - 0
(H)
1 - 2
(A)
2 - 2
(H)
2 - 1
(A)
2 - 1
(H)
1 - 1
(A)
0 - 1
(H)
3 - 0
(A)
3 - 1
(H)
2 - 0
(A) INVERNESS CT  The Season So Far
D L  D D W D D D L   / W L(11)D W W W L  W L  
W W 
Since Scott Kellacher was handed the reins in game 11, there has been a more positive approach to our matches which has resulted in improved performances and a more enjoyable matchday experience all round. Alas we were brought back to earth with a disappointing result in our last game of 2024, a crushing 1-4 defeat at home to Cove Rangers. We'll have to put that one down to a bad day at the office. However, we bounced back in our first game of the second half of the season in the six pointer against Dumbarton with a hard fought 2-0 win. That win over Dumbarton was a vital one and the introduction of Alfie Bavidge was a welcome one as he opened the scoring early in the first half. Charlie Gilmour slotted in the clincher in the second half to give us a cushion over the Sons and to narrow the gap on Annan to seven points. We took part in the only League1 game last weekend and came away from Annan with a resounding 3-0 win, Alfie Bavidge netting again with Keith Bray and then Billy Mckay from the spot.  On to Palmerston on Tuesday night (21st January).
Here's the table ahead of our game tonight, the only League1 game before Saturday
Pos Team Pld Gd Pts 1 Arbroath 20 8 34 2 Stenny 21 9 32 3 Kelty 21 9 31 4 Alloa Ath 21 4 29 5 Cove 20 5 28 6 Queens 20 -4 26 7 Montrose 20 -2 24 8 Annan Ath 21 -19 20 9 Caley Jags 20 2 16 10 Dumbarton 20 -12 07  
Inverness CT Latest Team News
Concerns over Luis Longstaff who came off injured at Annan. Luis is proving to be a valuable player this season with his trickery out wide and has been an important player in recent weeks. Other than that we are not aware of any other new injuries other than the longer term ones. 
Scott Kellacher talking to the media: On Charlie Reilly’s status “That deal has finished; the loan has expired and unfortunately, he is not under 20 so that rules out bringing him back. It was a shame because he’s a very good footballer, we’d have loved to have him back but if we are to take any players now they must be under 20.” On the other hand we have Alfie Bavidge “Alfie has been a breath of fresh air since coming in. He wants to score goals, wants to be in the right place, he anticipates things and he could’ve had a few more on Saturday if it wasn’t for their keeper pulling off some great saves.”
Team News: “We’ve got a few struggling; we’ve got a few injury doubts. They’ll be assessed today [Monday], and we’ll see where they’re at after that. We’ve got a few but we’ll try and get through it, manage them and see how they are.” Longstaff will no doubt be the major concern.
Queen of the South
Queens were knocked out of the Scottish Cup 3-1 by St Mirren on Saturday at Palmerston with this squad on the left. Brennan Dickenson scored a superb volley after the interval to pull it back to 2-1 before St Mirren bagged a late third. 
Queens last six League1 games: 
L  W L  D W D 
Defeat at Arbroath was followed by a win over Stenhousemuir but again a loss at Kelty followed. A home draw against Annan Athletic then a win over Cove Rangers before drawing with Alloa Athletic. Last Saturday was the Cup defeat against St Mirren where they gave the Premiership side as good as they got but just fell short.
 
 
By tm4tj in Previews 2024-25 ·

Annan Athletic 0-3 Inverness CT - League 1

3-0 on the Road
 
Wullie Gibson has a couple of absentees in defence with Rhys Breen and Scott Hooper out, but left back Rico Quitongo will be added to the squad for todays game. Unfortunately, Tommy Goss will require more detailed surgery after his pre-op showed more work required to tidy up his knee injury and striker Aiden Smith is suspended. Scott Kellacher once again went with Alfie Bavidge up front with Billy Mckay. Alfie Stewart started on the bench. With seven points separating the clubs before kick-off, this was a vital game to avoid defeat if we wanted to reel in Annan and aspire to climb out of the relegation zone.
A dull first half was interrupted by a goal and it was no surprise that it took forty minutes to open the scoring. Alfie Bavidge with his second goal in his second game made it 0-1 at the interval. Keith Bray doubled our advantage just after the break with a header and a late penalty won by Alfie and scored by Billy Mckay ended the scoring and brought us three points closer to Annan.
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Paul Allan had an early opportunity but he missed the target and Luis Longstaff brought out the first save of the game when Jamie Smith denied him from distance after a couple of minutes. It wasn't long before Musa Dibaga got a touch on the ball saving from Charlie Maxwell as Annan responded. Not much to shout about in the opening exchanges as Paul McGowan shot over approaching midway in the first half. Player manager Wullie Gibson earned his wages with a couple of great challenges and blocks to deny Paul Allen's effort from crossing the line. Around the half hour, Inverness missed a clutch of chances with Allen, Billy Mckay, Adam Mackinnon and Danny Devine all off target. Luca Ross was denied by Dibaga as Annan came out of their half before the interval but two minutes later the Caley Jags took the lead, and once again it was loan signing Alfie Bavidge that broke the deadlock after Longstaff sent in an inviting cross having made space for himself on the left wing, Alfie heading in from close range at the back post. Two in two for young Bavidge. He tried his luck with another couple of speculative efforts just before the break but never made the keeper work.
HALF TIME: 0-1
The Longstaff - Bavidge combination forced keeper Smith into action just after the restart with Smith saving Alfie's header.  Four minutes after the interval the visitors doubled their lead when Keith Bray headed home Paul Allan's corner kick into the bottom corner. The Dunfermline loanee's corner kicks are becoming the stuff of legend. It had been a great start to the second half from the Caley Jags and Allen fired over before Bavidge was again denied by Smith with an excellent save. Dibaga kept out an effort from Quitongo ten minutes from the end but it was the visitors that were in control. The result was put beyond any doubt with three minutes remaining when Billy Mckay scored from the spot after Bavidge was tripped whilst skinning the defender. Billy drilling his spot kick down the middle when the keeper moved to his left. Game over!
What a result on the road and just what we needed as we clawed our way to within touching distance of Annan in eighth place. Alfie Bavidge has made a huge impact since coming in on loan and that's Billy Mckay's first goal since August 31st when he scored the winner against Queen of the South. That's his 114th goal for the Caley Jags and great to see him back on the scoresheet.
FULL TIME: 0-3
The 3 B's
Bavidge ⚽
Bray ⚽
Billy ⚽
 
 
 
Annan 0-3 ICTFC (only game today)
Pos Team Pld Gd Pts 1 Arbroath 20 8 34 2 Stenny 21 9 32 3 Kelty 21 9 31 4 Alloa Ath 21 4 29 5 Cove 20 5 28 6 Queens 20 -4 26 7 Montrose 20 -2 24 8 Annan Ath 21 -19 20 9 Caley Jags 20 2 16 10 Dumbarton 20 -12 07  
 
 

Here's Wullie with his take on the game from Annan's perspective
 
 
 
 
 
Date:  18/01/2025  Venue: Galabank Stadium, Annan Attendance: 0438 Referee: Craig Napier
 
Annan Athletic: 0
Manager: Wullie Gibson Lineup: Jamie Smith; Dixon, T Muir, Gibson, R Muir (Quitongo 51), McGowan, P Smith (K Fleming 62), Ross, Todd (Carmichael 77), Maxwell, Stevenson Subs (not used):  G Fleming; Bell Scorers: none Booked: T Muir (68), J Stevenson (74) Sent Off: none Inverness CT: 3
Manager: Scott Kellacher Lineup:  Dibaga; Bray, Devine, Savage, Nolan, Longstaff (MacLeod 79), Gilmour, Allan, Mackinnon (Stewart 71), Bavidge (Cairns 88), B Mckay (R Thompson 88) Subs (not used): Rebilas; Gardiner, C Mackay Scorers: Bavidge (40), Bray (49), B Mckay (pen 87) Booked: MacKinnon (16) Sent Off: none a
By tm4tj in Reports 2024-25 ·

Annan Athletic -V- Inverness CT - League1

One Week On
 
Inverness travel to Galabank Stadium Annan for this rescheduled game which was a casualty of the winter weather last weekend. With both clubs dumped out of the Scottish Cup, this free weekend comes in handy to take up the slack after last weeks postponement and it negates the need for an arduous midweek trip to the other end of the world in mid winter. It's the fourth meeting between the sides this season with Annan holding the upper hand so far with two wins, with one of those being an away tie in the League Cup. Incidentally, we won the last encounter which was Duncan Ferguson's last game in charge before administrators took over the running of the club.
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Match/Ticket/Supporters Bus Info
Queen of the South next game
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Here's our report of Big Dunc's Last Stand: 1-0 - With Administration pending at the start of next week, this game might be the last time we will see the famous Inverness Caledonian Thistle in it's present form. Administration does not come alone. Redundancies and heartbreak goes hand in hand with it and that is the price paid for years of neglect. We had already lost twice to Annan this season, once in the League Cup and once on League business when a Tommy Goss penalty was the difference at Galabank but he was missing out this time. Paul McGowan and Wullie Gibson added their experience to the Annan starting XI. Danny Devine returned to the team but Charlie Gilmour, Adam Brooks and Charlie Reilly were missing. After a slow start, Danny Devine headed Inverness in front in the twenty-first minute. That's how it was at the interval with chances difficult to come by. The second half was similar with Devine coming closest to adding a second but his header was just the wrong side of the post and it ended 1-0 with the creditors closing in.
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A bright and breezy afternoon greeted the players on a somewhat sombre afternoon for the Caley Jags with the stench of administration lingering around the stadium. Annan looked spritely in the opening few minutes firing wide on a couple of occasions before Inverness ventured forward. Duncan Ferguson was yellow carded after discussing a penalty claim with the referee when Billy Mckay appeared to be barged off the ball inside the penalty area. After a couple of poor balls into the box Paul Allan provided Danny Devine with the perfect opportunity and Danny duly headed the Caley Jags in front after twenty minutes to lift the mood. Keith Bray was put through on goal on the right side of the box but keeper Smith spread himself to block well.
HALF TIME: 1-0
The second period was less than entertaining with a bit too much faffing around outside the box and down the wings with directness the last thing on the minds of the players. Bray had a volley comfortably saved and Devine went very close following a free kick angled into the box by Paul Allan, Danny's header just bouncing past the wrong side of the keepers left hand post with Smith beaten. We did have a few attempts from around the edge of the box but they all went well wide of the target. Meanwhile Annan never troubled Musa Dibaga and two poor teams played out the final forty-five without adding to the scoreline.
FULL TIME 1-0
INVERNESS CT  The Season So Far
D L  D D W D D D L   / W L(11)D W W W L  W L  
W  ? 
Since Scott Kellacher was handed the reins in game 11, there has been a more positive approach to our matches which has resulted in improved performances and a more enjoyable matchday experience all round. Alas we were brought back to earth with a disappointing result in our last game of 2024, a crushing 1-4 defeat at home to Cove Rangers. We'll have to put that one down to a bad day at the office. However, we bounced back in our first game of the second half of the season in the six pointer against Dumbarton with a hard fought 2-0 win. That win over Dumbarton was a vital one and the introduction of Alfie Bavidge was a welcome one as he opened the scoring early in the first half. Charlie Gilmour slotted in the clincher in the second half to give us a cushion over the Sons and to narrow the gap on Annan to seven points. Only a handful of League games across the SPFL Leagues this weekend and we are the only League1 game tomorrow. We also play Queen of the South away on Tuesday night (21st January)

Pos Team Pld Gd Pts 1 Arbroath 20 8 34 2 Stenny 21 9 32 3 Kelty Hearts 21 9 31 4 Alloa Ath 21 4 29 5 Cove  20 5 28 6 Queen of Sth 20 -4 26 7 Montrose 20 -2 24 8 Annan Ath 20 -16 20 9 Inverness CT 19 -1 13 10 Dumbarton 20 -12 07  
Inverness CT Latest Team News
Nothing new coming out of our camp. One or two niggles but we expect the team to be along similar lines to the Dumbarton game. On the Transfer Window, Kellacher had this to say to the press: “There’s nothing going about at the minute, I’ve heard bits and bobs about clubs being interested and that’s what you’re going to get when boys are doing well. You want boys to be playing well every week and we’re getting results and that’s the main thing. As far as we’re aware, nothing will be happening in the short term.”
 
Annan Team News
Annan have signed midfielder Dan Carmichael from Dalbeattie Star since they fielded this side in a 1-1 draw against Stenhousemuir a couple of weeks ago. Tam Muir headed in the equaliser after Buchanan had given the Warriors the advantage just after the interval. Annan keeper Jamie Smith saved a penalty and there was a red card for Aidan Smith for his involvement leading up to the spot kick and he will miss out this weekend.
Luca Smith's loan deal has been extended for the season.
Last Six League Games: L  D W L  D D 
Only one win over the last six League1 games. That was a crushing 1-5 win at Dumbarton. Losses were against Montrose and Arbroath and also a surprise 2-0 Scottish Cup defeat at Fraserburgh. The draws were against Cove and away to Queen of the South and Stenhousemuir a fortnight ago. 
 
 
 
 
By tm4tj in Previews 2024-25 ·

Inverness CT 2-0 Dumbarton - League 1

What's it all about Alfie
 
Inverness bolstered their squad with a couple of Alfie's on loan from Aberdeen, Bavidge and Stewart. Jack Walker also returned from Nairn County ahead of the visit of fellow Administration side Dumbarton, in what has been described as a six-pointer and it's only the 4th of January. The covers were removed in double quick time thanks to around fifty volunteers who turned up to help get the pitch ready for today's game after a week of frost on a brisk Saturday morning with the sun splitting the sky. It turned into a bitterly cold afternoon but new signing Alfie Bavidge warmed the home fans palms when he opened the scoring after fifteen minutes. The Sons had to replace keeper Brett Long before the break after he caught a ball but landed awkwardly and had to get helped from the pitch. Replacement keeper Paddy O'Neil pulled off a tremendous save just on the interval but he had no chance with a powerful drive from Charlie Gilmour who doubled the lead twenty minutes from the end. The Sons battled hard and Finlay Gray struck the post but Inverness took the points to narrow the gap on Annan Athletic to seven points with a game in hand.
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With Alfie Bavidge running the channels up front alongside Billy Mckay and often Adam MacKinnon backing them up it was no surprise that Inverness were on the front foot in the early exchanges. It was no surprise that the hosts opened the scoring after fifteen minutes when a superb ball down the right wing from Luis Longstaff curled invitingly into the feet of Adam MacKinnon who had made the run forward. He went to the byeline before swinging in a dangerous first time ball into the Sons six yard box which they failed to deal with effectively. Alfie won't score an easier goal this season as the ball broke to him inside the box and he swept it into the net for a debut goal. Lovely moment for the young striker. His next attempt minutes later was not so profitable as a wild swing saw him slice the ball out for a throw in fifty yards wide. We'll ignore that one. There followed a bit of a lull with Inverness dominating play and Dumbarton looking to keep the damage to a minimum. They almost conceded a second when Billy Mckay was threaded through on the left side, however after skipping wide of Brett Long, the keeper recovered sufficiently to get a touch on Mckay's effort from the tightest of angles, the ball running across the face of the goal and out for a corner. The Sons then had to replace keeper Long ten minutes before the break after he caught a ball but landed awkwardly and had to get helped from the pitch. MacKinnon tested the sub keeper with a low shot from the edge of the box and the replacement keeper Paddy O'Neil pulled off a stunning save just on the interval diving high to his left to deny a thunderous Luis Longstaff volley from the edge of the box as he tipped the ball out for a corner which never happened.
HALF TIME: 1-0
Dumbarton looked a bit more aggressive after the break and Ethan Brown's blocked shot brought about appeals for a penalty, but to no avail. Mckay had an effort saved as the hosts continued to dominate and with twenty-minutes remaining Charlie Gilmour side footed in a second goal after a short corner routine saw MacKinnon cut the ball back to Gilmour fifteen yards out and he first timed a side footer high into the net with power. That goal stung Dumbarton into action and they eventually managed to create a couple of opportunities of their own. Dibaga blocked well from Gray as he sprinted clear on the left side of the box. From the corner, Clark's header grazed the top of the bar although there may have been an infringement in the build up. Either way, a goal kick or free kick was given. Gray was then unlucky with twenty minutes remaining when he was put through on the left side again, this time he beat Dibaga at his near post but the ball rebounded to safety off the base of the post. Devine headed wide late on and a couple of promising moves broke down on the edge of the visitors box as Inverness then saw out the game in control. The only downside was an injury to Longstaff who was replaced by Alfie Stewart for his debut.
FULL TIME: 2-0
A thoroughly deserved win after last weeks disappointing result against Cove Rangers. New signing Alfie Bavidge was rightly awarded the MotM, not just for his debut goal, but he was a constant threat, tirelessly running the channels like his olde man did back in the day and with plenty of pace and a good first touch. He also seemed to give Billy Mckay an extra spring in his step and he was unlucky not to score. He will certainly be an asset for the Caley Jags in 2025 and Alfie Stewart got a few minutes under his belt as well. Good start to the year for us and hopefully the springboard to go on a wee run and get back into the pack.
 
 

Pos Team Pld Gd Pts 1 Arbroath 20 8 34 2 Stenny 20 9 31 3 Kelty Hearts 20 9 30 4 Cove  20 5 28 5 Alloa Ath 20 4 28 6 Queen of St 19 -4 25 7 Montrose 20 -2 24 8 Annan Ath 20 -16 20 9 Inverness CT 19 -1 13 10 Dumbarton 20 -12 07  
 
 
 
Date:  04/01/2025  Venue: Caledonian Stadium Attendance: 1894 Referee: Dan McFarlane
 
Inverness CT: 2
Manager: Scott Kellacher Lineup:  Dibaga; Bray, Devine, Savage, Nolan, Longstaff (Stewart 75), Gilmour, Allan, MacKinnon (Cairns 85), B Mckay, Bavidge (C Mackay 94) Subs (not used):  Rebilas; Strachan, J Walker, MacLeod, R Thompson Scorers: Bavidge (15), Gilmour (77) Booked: none Sent Off: none Dumbarton: 0
Manager: Stephen Farrell Lineup: Long (O'Neil 37); Pignatiello, Lynas (Durnan 68), Brown, Clark, Wilson (Hilton 68), Niang, Gray (Mumbongo 85), Blair, Shiels (McGuffie 85), Orsi Subs (not used): Young, Wallace, Doyle, Nicol. Scorers: none Booked: Shiels (60), McGuffie (88) Sent Off: none a
By tm4tj in Reports 2024-25 ·

Inverness CT -V- Dumbarton - League1- Preview

Admin Derby
 
It's the Admin Derby at the Caledonian Stadium on the 4th of January as fellow Administration adversaries Dumbarton FC come North for what has become a six-pointer already, four days into 2025. There has been a bit of a freeze on since the biblical rainfall early in the week and the covers are on at the stadium. With that in mind the club are asking for volunteers to turn up at 09:00 on Saturday morning to help remove the covers that are protecting the surface from the frost. 
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Match/Ticket/Bar94/Bus from City Centre
What it's all about Alfies
Jack is back from Nairn
Latest on the Admin Topic on CTO
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The two previous meetings this season shows a draw at the Caledonian Stadium and a defeat at Dumbarton.
The first encounter was dedicated to the memory of Johndo, who sadly passed away in 2024.
Game of Two Halves: 1-1 :- A rousing round of applause rang out from the crowd on the sixth minute in appreciation of the dedication of John Mackenzie, AKA the Immortal Howden Ender who sadly passed away last week. A fitting tribute as cheering and clapping broke out around the ground and one in which he would have loved to have led the way. Rest in Peace my well travelled friend. You would have enjoyed the first half. The second I'm sure you would have had some choice words for in your after match summary. 
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It was the proverbial game of two halves. Inverness were miles ahead in the first half and rubbish after the break. Plenty of possession and slick movement with new signings Flynn Duffy and Adam Mackinnon prominent in attacking moves. Charlie Gilmour brought out a tremendous reflex save from keeper Long, however most of the good work petered out when we got into the final third but we took the lead on the stroke of half time when Danny Devine sneaked in behind the defence to nod in unchallenged at the back post from a corner. Hey ho we all thought, lifes not so bad after all. Wrong!!! We allowed Dumbarton to dominate the next half hour and they deservedly levelled through Carlo Pignatiello as we seemed to go back into our shell. Niang was booked a second time for persistent fouling and reluctantly left the field when he was red carded. Billy Mckay had cracked one off the bar and Charlie Gilmour and Remi Savage were denied by the keeper but it was a bit of an anti climax after a promising first half. Jack Newman also had to make a good save five minutes from the end to keep the score level when he denied Mumbongo.
The second meeting was Scott Kellacher's first game in charge after administration when he only had three days to prepare his reduced squad for the game at Dumbarton: 3-1 :- Handicap Hurdles:  And they're off. With a fifteen point deduction because of Administration, we started our League1 campaign again at Dumbarton under the guidance of Scott Kellacher and Billy Mckay for the first time. Danny Devine and Charlie Gilmour were missing which would make Scott Kellacher's team selection more difficult. The Son's were along similar lines to last weeks excellent win at Arbroath. It would be an uphill battle after James Hilton fired the Sons ahead but Jake Davidson headed us level after half an hour and that's how it was at the break. Ryan Blair restored the Sons lead and Hilton added a third to push the Sons 15 points ahead of Inverness.
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Not much to shout about in the opening exchanges until James Hilton smacked in the opening goal from the edge of the box to put the hosts ahead quarter of an hour into the game. Inverness responded with player coach Billy Mckay firing over the bar. On the half hour and it was all square. Jake Davidson scored following a corner with a close range header, Paul Allan with the assist. The visitors upped the pressure on the home goal and Billy Mckay headed over before Adam MacKinnon's header was saved by Brett Long in the home goal. MacKinnon fired wide moments later. Mathew Shiels brought Musa Dibaga into action as the keeper saved comfortably. Five minutes before the break a neat move from a corner ended with the Sons defence having to block from Robbie Thompson as he offloaded. Hilton missed the target with a header just before the break as the ball bounced wide. All to play for in the second period.
HALF TIME: 1-1
No changes at the interval. Brett Long saved from Mckay's low shot five minutes after the restart and the defenders mopped up the loose ball. Dibaga again denied Hilton just before the hour. Ryan Blair edged the hosts ahead after a corner was recycled. Blair finished with a curling shot behind the keeper. Hilton had been causing problems and he notched his second of the game and Dumbarton's third after driving forward and shooting into the bottom corner. A late flurry of activity saw Remi Savage head over from a corner and Sons sub Mumbongo shooting wide on the run. The last action had Long saving from Nolan as time ran away from Inverness.
FULL TIME: 3-1
Our Season so far at the half way mark
INVERNESS CT:  D L  D D W D D D L   / W L(11)D W W W L  W L  
Since Scott Kellacher was handed the reins in game 11, their has been a more positive approach to the games which resulted in improved performances and a more enjoyable matchday experience all round. Alas we were brought back to earth with a disappointing result in our last game of 2024, a crushing 1-4 defeat at home to Cove Rangers. We'll have to put that one down to a bad day at the office and hope we can bounce back in this six pointer against Dumbarton, the first game of 2025.

Pos Team Pld Gd Pts 1 Arbroath 19 10 34 2 Stenny 19 9 30 3 Kelty Hearts 19 9 29 4 Cove 19 6 28 5 Alloa Ath 19 2 25 6 Montrose 19 -2 23 7 Queen of Sth 18 -5 22 8 Annan Ath 19 -16 19 9 Inverness CT 18 -3 10 10 Dumbarton 19 -10 07  
Latest Team News
Inverness have young defender Jack Walker returning from Nairn County after his loan spell at the Highland League side expired whilst Sam Nixon's stay at Forres Mechanics has been extended. Rumours abound that Aberdeen youngsters Alfie Bavidge and Alfie Stewart could be on our radar again on loan deals.
No team news available from ICTFC at the moment.
***Update on Latest Team News***
Striker Bavidge, son of Martin, and midfielder Stewart have signed on loan until the end of the season and both should be available for todays game against Dumbarton. Happy days!
 
Dumbarton's Last Six League1 Games: W D L  L  W W 
Their last League game in November brought the Sons a 3-2 win over Alloa Athletic. A re-arranged game then saw them draw 2-2 with the same club followed by two crushing defeats to Stenhousemuir (4-0) and at home to Annan (1-5) They have picked themselves up since then with two wins over Montrose (1-2) and a great result against Kelty Hearts last week (2-0).
<<<That was their team lines for the game against Kelty where Kalvin Orsi scored twice late in the second half after Scott Allan had been sent off for the Maroons in the 68th minute. Two minutes later Orsi opened the scoring and a minute from the end he fired into the bottom corner to secure the points.
 
 
 
 
 
By tm4tj in Reports 2024-25 ·

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