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Inverness CT -V- Stenhousemuir- League1 - Preview

Crucial Six Pointer Clash

Every point is a prisoner from here on in as we face a crucial six-pointer at home to nearest challengers Stenhousemuir. Gary Naysmith's side have been the biggest threat to our aspirations to return to the championship for next season. Make no bones about it, they are the real deal and are having a tremendous season thus far and a tidy Scottish Cup run to boot, where they thrashed Morton 4-0 then gave Falkirk a hard time before fatigue set in once extra-time kicked in. Not only that, but their League form has been consistent and they have already beaten the Caley Jags at home and away this term. The Warriors are unbeaten at home in the League for the last twelve fixtures, since Alloa Athletic beat them on the opening day of the season on August 2nd, and that has been a solid platform for them to build their season around. We did edge them out in the quarter final of the KDM Trophy, but that was another tough encounter. We moved five points ahead last weekend after Stenhousemuir dropped two points against Montrose whilst we beat Hamilton Accies in a tense win at Broadwood. All in, this should be another big game which could indicate where the title might be heading.
A date for the diary: Our KDM Trophy fate has been decided when Ayr United beat St Johnstone after a dramatic ending and a penalty shoot out win. St Johnstone came back from the dead with two goals in the 89th & 94th minute to level the tie at 3-3. Ayr went on to win the shoot-out 5-4 and we will face them at Somerset Park with the game being shown live on BBC Alba. Tuesday 24th February 19:45 kick-off.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Match/Ticket/Bus/Bar/Info
KDM Trophy 📺 Ayr United
📺Live on BBC Alba📺
Young Fan Zone
⬇️⬇️⬇️
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
𝐆𝐚𝐦𝐞 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐫 - 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐠 𝐅𝐚𝐧𝐳𝐨𝐧𝐞
Ready to level up your matchday?
The new ICT Young Fanzone is kicking off and it is the place to be before every home game.

If you’re 12 to 17 and mad about Caley Thistle, come hang out, cook up new chants, help create displays or just chill with your pals before heading to the stadium. Football on the big screen and free food and wifi? What is not to like?
And this week only…
The club are sorting free match tickets for everyone who comes along. Turn up, get involved and head to the game for free — simple as that.
We’re running every home game all season, so bring your mates, bring your energy and let’s build something class together.

Inverness Caledonian Thistle FC
ICT Supporters Trust
The SPFL Trust





That was our starting XI in the Broadwood bruiser. Not the prettiest of games but pretty doesn't win titles. Points do, and we came home with all three thanks to Alfie Bavidge's superb headed goal.
Last Six League1:
D W W D W W
Our League form picked up after a punishing January fixture schedule. Having lost the previous two games against Stenny & Montrose, we steadied the ship with a hard fought 0-0 D at Cove. We kicked on again beating East Fife (0-2) & Alloa (3-1). A hard fought draw at Palmerston next where we led twice before being pegged back in a quality 2-2 draw. We beat East Fife comfortably 3-0 and followed that with our BBC Alba extravaganza at Broadwood (0-1)
Apparently Alfie Bavidge has now been told that he will be a free agent at the end of this season as they won't be renewing his contract. Keep it quiet. Would be great if the two Alfie's followed us into the championship next season.
Tickets Available HERE
🚗 Car Parking available
🛍️ Club Shop open from 10am
🍺 Bar 94 open from 12pm
🍹Bar 94 will open at 1200, last orders at 1430 (the bar must be fully vacated by 1445).
The bar reopens at full time, when we will be joined by some of the players.
🚍Stagecoach, buses will leave the Bus Station for the Stadium at 1245 and 1415.
🚍 Return to the Bus Station 10 minutes after the full time whistle and at 1800.
💰 £2.70 single (contactless payments or cash accepted)
Over 60 / Disabled and Under 22 Concession passes are valid, giving free travel on the service to passholders.



The Warriors squad that dropped points against Montrose at home in a 2-2 draw. An og and one from Finlay Gray had the Warriors ahead before Calum Sandilands got his second of the game ten minutes before the end as he followed up on a saved penalty kick by Taylor Sutherland.
Last Six League1:
D W W W D D  
The first D was a 0-0 draw at Alloa followed by three wins on the bounce over Queens, East Fife & Kelty, scoring a total of nine without reply. Their last two D were both 2-2 at home against Peterhead & Montrose.
Striker Matty Aitken was named as League1 Player of the Month, scoring five times in January. Great season for the experienced striker. And it comes as no surprise to find Gary Naysmith picking up the Manager of the Month award.
Winger Kane Ritchie-Hosler has joined on loan from Dunfermline Athletic.


Pos
Team
Pld
Gd
Pts

ICTFC
24
28
47

Stenny
24
14
42
3
QotS
25
7
39
4
Alloa
24
12
37
5
P'Head
23
-12
29
6
Monty
24
-13
29
7
E Fife
25
-18
28
8
Cove
25
-5
22
9
Accies
24
15
20
10
Kelty
24
-28
15

All you ever wanted to know about Liam Sole




By tm4tj in Previews 2025-26 ·

Hamilton Accies 0-1 Inverness CT - League 1

No massacre, but 3 points

It's Valentines day and with Accies and the Caley Jags having an extra two and a half hours to relax before kick-off, we would have to wait and see how the off-field shenanigans would affect the players after Accies were handed a further six point deduction, taking their total points deduction to a massive twenty-one this season. Fortunately for Accies so far, their onfield form has kept them afloat, but that's a crippling sanction for any club, in fact it's a massacre!
Full Time scores for the 3:00 pm fixtures at the top end of the table: QotS 1-2 Alloa & Stenny 2-2 Monty. Those results will put a bit of pressure on the Caley Jags to perform and hopefully extend their lead. Accies will be pleased with results at the bottom end, Cove losing to East Fife and Kelty drawing with Peterhead.
With the game on BBC Alba, it was there for all to see and the end result was three points for the Caley Jags courtesy of a decisive header from top scorer Alfie Bavidge his 18th of the season in all competitions. It may have been the playing surface, but whatever it was, it wasn't the best of games for screening on TV. However, it's an important three points.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Big shout for a penalty when Zimba went down in the box after five minutes, but to be honest, he never convinced anyone. First big chance of the game came at the back post after a free kick was met by Mitchell Robertson on the corner of the six yard box but he skied it well over the bar. Twenty minutes in and it wasn't much of a spectacle so far, untidy stuff on what looked like a difficult surface. Accies made a hash of scoring after cutting us open down the right, Crookston hitting himself with the ball instead of the back of the net with Munro gathering the loose ball. Plenty possession for the visitors but little in the way of opportunities falling for us. A dangerous chip into the box with half an hour gone was headed behind for a corner to Accies but Munro claimed the corner well. A neat bit of ball juggling by Ben Brannan before he shot goalwards forced young keeper Josh Lane to save the bobbling ball. Accies went close with a Newman header off a corner, the ball hitting the stanchion holding the net back with Munro rooted to the spot. In our next attack we won a corner. It was taken short and laid back to Ben Brannan who fired first time into the box where Alfie Bavidge dived low to head behind Lane from six yards to give us the lead going into the break.
HALF TIME: 0-1
A brisk start to the second half by Accies saw them have two or three swipes at the ball inside the Inverness box but the defence managed to block before scrambling the ball clear. O'Hara then could have done better as he headed wide five minutes after the restart. Inverness were living dangerously in the early minutes of the second half. Nearly an own goal when Robertson's cross spun off the defenders boot and just wide of the far post. From the corner, Calum MacLeod fired a shot over from the edge of the box. Minutes later Bavidge bought himself a yard of space but the keeper was able to smother his shot. Another quick break forward with Liam Sole feeding MacLeod but he dragged his shot wide under pressure from defenders. Accies went up the park and squandered another half chance, but it was the visitors who were now looking more likely to add a second and MacLeod could have done better with a chip after being played in, however he duffed his attempt. Oli Shaw had his head in his hands after he missed a sitter, smashing it off the stanchion again from eight yards after good work down the left flank Inverness were pushing their luck again and unable to get their foot on the ball as Accies sensed they might get something from the game with twenty minutes remaining. It was an untidy affair now with passes going astray and no composure whatsoever. A good interchange ended with MacLeod firing high over from the edge of the box. McKinstry fired over as the clock ticked towards the ninety with the visitors clinging on by their fingernails. At least they had fingernails, the fans had none left. Despite a stirring second half by Accies it was Inverness that stretched their lead at the head of the table.
FULL TIME: 0-1
Scott Kellacher thought it was a good game Not sure what game he was watching but on my telly it was carnage. One man with the one bit of real quality won the points. Alfie Bavidge dived to meet Ben Brannan's ball back into the box following a corner and Bavidge met it with his head to flash the ball into the net from six yards. Great goal but after that there were loads of missed chances from both sides with poor finishing keeping the score at 0-1 to the visitors.
Huisdean on CTO: Poor game with a just about deserved win. Too many players not at their best and seemingly unable to pass to each other especially late in the second half. Still, a vital win and a win next week would put us in a strong position. By the way, the playing surface looked and played, dreadfully at times. These surfaces really need to be banned.

Pos
Team
Pld
Gd
Pts
🙂
ICTFC
24
28
47
2
Stenny
24
14
42
3
QotS
25
7
39
4
Alloa
24
12
37
5
Monty
23
-11
29
6
P'Head
23
-12
29
7
E Fife
24
-17
28
8
Cove
24
-7
19
☹️
Accies
23
14
17
10
Kelty
24
-28
15



 
Date:  14/02/2026  Venue: Broadwood Stadium Attendance: 0480 Referee: Cameron Stirling
 
Hamilton Accies: 0
Manager: Darian MacKinnon
Lineup:  Lane; Hutton (Gallagher 46), Smutek, Kilday, Hendrie, MacDonald, Newbury,
Crookston (Black 86), Shaw, McKinstry, O'Hara
Subs (not used): Eadie, Forrest, Morgan, Shiels, Simpson, Stafford
Scorers: none
Booked: none
Sent Off: none
Inverness CT: 1
Manager: Scott Kellacher
Lineup:  Munro; Brannan, Devine, Savage, Robertson, Sole (Longstaff 69), MacLeod,
Allan (Alonge 86), Stewart Bavidge (Willox 82), Zimba (B Mckay 69)
Subs (not used): Ross; MacIntyre, Wotherspoon, MacKinnon
Scorers: Bavidge (37)
Booked: none
Sent Off: none

By tm4tj in Reports 2025-26 ·

Hamilton Accies -V- Inverness CT - League1 - Preview

Late Show v Accies

We are the stars of the late show this Saturday as we face Hamilton Accies at Broadwood. Not only that, but it's the 'get your Gaelic phrasebook out time' as we are on the telly. BBC Alba, with the game kicking off at 17:30. Accies tales of woe are ongoing, we all know how that feels, the old one step forward, two steps backward routine. However they have still maintained a level of competitiveness, albeit not as combative as they were at the start of the season. This could be a spanner in the works fixture with Accies League position not indicative of their form on the pitch due to points deduction for breaches of regulations. That's now a total of 21 points deducted this season for breaches of the rules. However, we should be on a high after our more recent form and should be kicking on from here until the end of the season.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Match/Ticket/Bus/Info
📺BBC Alba📺
📺 KDM Semi 📺
Jake Davidson loaned out
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Our starting XI that dismantled East Fife 3-0 last weekend, a result that put us three points ahead of Stenhousemuir and a further two points ahead of Queen of the South who drew at Cove Rangers. Our goals came from Alfie Stewart, Paul Allan and Alfie Bavidge. New loanee Ben Brannan came on for the final few minutes after his surprise, but welcome return from Kilmarnock.
Last Six League1:
L D W W D W 
Our form has picked up at just the right time after the hectic January schedule saw us drop points and drop out of the Scottish Cup to Spartans. The Loss was the second on the bounce having lost to Stenny 7 League games ago. The 6th game was defeat at Montrose by 2-1. A draw at Cove slowed the process before we kicked on again beating East Fife (0-2) & Alloa (3-1). A hard fought draw at Palmerston next where we led twice before being pegged back in a quality 2-2 draw. Last week we beat East Fife comfortably 3-0.
Ben Brannan looks like a direct replacement for Ross Millen who it is believed may have fallen foul of some form of internal discipline after his red card at Montrose.
Jake Davidson has joined The Spartans FC on loan until the end of the season, subject to Scottish FA clearance as he continues to strengthen after his serious knee injury in November 2024.

Tickets available via Fanbase by clicking here
Prices: Adult – £20 Concession – £15 U16s – £10
Supporters 🚍
The ICT Travel Club are running a bus to the match this Saturday.
The bus leaves the Sarens PSG Stadium, picking up in Aviemore and Pitlochry. £20 a seat. Book through Facebook or on 07462218717



Accies last game was a goalless draw at New Central Park, Kelty on January 31st. No game last week due to Stenhousemuir playing Falkirk in the Scottish Cup. Dylan McGowan has been appointed Assistant Manager and will be Darian MacKinnon's right hand man for the remainder of the season.
Last Six League1:
L W L W W D
The two defeats over the last six League1 fixtures started at the Caledonian Stadium where the Caley Jags avenged an early season loss to Accies (3-1) by thumping them 4-0. The second loss was a 4-1 defeat to QotS. The first W was a home win over Alloa (1-0), then two wins over Peterhead (2-3) and Cove 2-0 before the draw at Kelty.
Accies squad has changed somewhat since the start of the season as expected given their predicament.
Loan in: Kai Smutek, defender; Gregor Crookston, defender (Both Hearts). Loan Ended: Bobby McLuckie (Hearts)
Out: Connor Smith (Scunthorpe); Jamie Smith, goalkeeper (Livingston); Ricki Lamie, defender (Queen's Park); Scott Robinson, midfielder (Arbroath); Fergus Owens, defender (Morton); Cale Loughrey, defender (Partick Thistle); Ben Williamson, midfielder (East Kilbride).
Tickets available via Fanbase by clicking here
Ticket Prices: Adult – £20. Concession – £15 U16s – £10. Kick off is at 17:30

All games kick-off at 3:00pm
Apart from Accies v Inverness CT
Accies have been deducted a further 6 points. *subject to appeal. 21 points in total this season.
Pos
Team
Pld
Gd
Pts

ICTFC
23
27
44
🙄
Stenny
23
14
41
😬
QotS
24
8
39
😣
Alloa
23
11
34
😒
Monty
22
-11
28
😒
P'Head
22
-12
28
😵
E Fife
23
-18
25
😀
Cove
23
-6
19
🥵
Accies
22
15
17

Kelty
23
-28
14
From BBC Sport
Hamilton Academical have received a six-point deduction for failing to pay players' wages on time, their third points penalty this season.
In December, the League One club were docked nine points for their failure to successfully acquire a bronze-level Scottish FA club licence by 31 March.
That came after losing six points in October for paying trialists and fielding amateur players while under a transfer embargo.
The accumulated loss of 21 points leaves Accies second bottom of the table on 17 points, three above Kelty Hearts and two behind Cove Rangers.
The latest breach relates to not paying players on time, and in full, on 31 December 2025.

By tm4tj in Previews 2025-26 ·

Inverness CT 3-0 East Fife- League 1

Paul's Birthday Stunner

They came North on a seven game losing streak with their Fifer's. Dick Campbell's side are on a worse run than Ross County after opening the season with a solid set of results. They went South with another defeat to add to that list.
Scott Kellacher boosted his squad with the addition of Ben Brannan on loan from Kilmarnock until the end of the season. Ben is no stranger having already made eleven appearances for the Caley Jags last season scoring once and making dozens of loooooong throws. Welcome back Ben. The Fifers had bolstered their squad with a handful of new signings in the sales as they look to stop the rot. Beware to the wrath of the Campbell guys.
It turned out to be a relatively comfortable afternoon for the Caley Jags who got off to the best possible start through Alfie Stewart in the third minute when he drilled home from the left side of the box. We were then profligate as we seemed to make an easy job more difficult. Stewart was on a shoot on sight mission firing at the target from distance a number of times in the opening quarter. Plenty of possession but opportunities came and went. Zimba declined to score off a Bavidge cut-back and Jordan Alonge looked favourite to score when he burst into the box on the inside right position. His venomous shot blurred just wide. We could easily have been three or four up at the interval. Second half was much the same. Just after the restart, Bavidge picked his spot when he curled a low shot goalwards. Unfortunately that spot was two feet wide of the post. However, the introduction of Longstaff and Allan seemed to make us more incisive. Paul Allan's goal was a belter after some intricate work deep on the left flank before Allan smashed his shot high into the net from around sixteen yards to give the keeper no chance; precision and power. Zimba might have shot a step sooner after Alfie Stewart threaded him through on goal with a perfectly weighted pass. Unfortunately the keeper blocked Zimba's effort before the deflected shot was headed clear from goal by a defender. The deal was sealed after a bit of a stramash inside the box following a corner as Alfie Bavidge attacked the loose ball to nut it swiftly into the net ten minutes from the end. Spoony was close to adding a fourth having done all the hard work as he cut in from the left side. Alas his parting shot was blocked.
FULL TIME: 3-0
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Some good performances today. My pick was Alfie Bavidge who ran the channel well and sent some inviting balls into the box that were not pounced on by his team mates. Got his reward before the end as he head butted the ball into the net. Calum MacLeod and Remi Savage were immense at the back snuffing everything out that East Fife had to offer. Alfie Stewart was the sponsors MotM but I thought he faded after a scintillating start.
Great result for the Caley Jags who top the table on their own tonight. Queen of the South dropped two points at Cove in a 1-1 draw.
 Dick's post match should be interesting...






Here's Dick


Date:  07/02/2026  Venue: Caledonian Stadium Attendance: 2160 Referee: Gary Hanvidge 
 
Inverness CT: 3
Manager: Scott Kellacher
Lineup:  Munro; MacLeod, Devine, Savage, Robertson, Sole (Allan 62), Alonge (Longstaff 62),
Chalmers (Wotherspoon 79), Stewart (Brannan 84), Bavidge, Zimba (B Mckay 79)
Subs (not used):  Ross; MacIntyre, MacKinnon, Willox
Scorers: Stewart (3), Allan (69), Bavidge (81)
Booked: Alonge (36)
Sent Off: none
East Fife: 0
Manager: Dick Campbell
Lineup:  Hemfrey; Halsey (Bah 73), Millar, Wilson, McManus, Peggie (80), Munro, Halliday (Healy 63),
Latona (Norey 80), Rowe (Slattery 63), Oladipo
Subs (not used): Rollo; Newton, Linton
Scorers: none
Booked: none
Sent Off: none

By tm4tj in Reports 2025-26 ·

Inverness CT -V- East Fife - League1

And Breathe

After the hectic January schedule we can now ease back on the throttle a tad and take a slightly more leisurely approach to February kicking off with a home fixture against East Fife on Saturday, a team we fitted in to our January schedule just a couple of weeks ago with a 0-2 win at Baltic Bayview. We saw out our January League1 duties with another win over Alloa followed by a hard earned draw away to Queen of the South. What all that means is that we still top the table, level on points with Stenhousemuir, and we still have a game in hand over them. It's very tight at the top with Queens on form and pushing hard and Alloa looking likely to be the fourth team to stay in the play off places come the end of the season. However, it's still all to play for with around forty points up for grabs.
Rumours abound that Ben Brannan is coming back to us on loan from Killie for the rest of the season. Happy days!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Match/Ticket/Bus/Bar/Info
Ben Brannan coming in on loan?
Loans: Strachan to Forfar
Jack Walker to Buckie
⬇️ Hospitality ⬇️
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Hospitality
🍽️ Kingsmills Lounge Hospitality
Limited availability remaining!
Join us for matchday hospitality on Saturday
🎟️ £70 per person (inc. VAT)
✅ Season Ticket discount available
📩Secure your place: [email protected]
🚍 Leave Bus Station 1245/1415
🚍Return Bus Station 5 & 6pm
💲 £2.70 single
Contactless payment or cash ✔️
Concession passes are valid 😀
Tickets for game only ⬇️
Tickets are available from HERE - Club Shop, & 01463 222880 
Open Mon-Fri: 9.30am – 4pm, Sat: 10am – KO
Get tickets before 12pm on Matchday
(3hrs before kick-off) to save at the advanced rate
Under 16s Tickets/Disabled Carer
Tickets are not available online but are available in-store
Sarens PSG Stadium or over the phone on 01463 222880

Last 10 Competitive Meetings with East Fife

2 - 0
(A)

4 - 1
(H)

1 - 0
(H)

4 - 0
(H)

2 - 3
(A)

4 - 2
(H)

5 - 1
(A)

1 - 0
(A)

4 - 0
(H)

5 - 1
(A)

Our starting XI at Palmerston where we led twice but had to settle for a draw against a much improved QotS since we last played them in the 4-0 TV thrashing towards the end of November. This one ended 2-2 with a deflected Sole effort putting us ahead before a Kennedy cross nestled into the back of the net. A superb header from Alonge put us back in front before a late Hewitt strike levelled an intriguing contest. The point was enough for the us to retain top spot with the top four all drawing.
Last Six League1:
L L D W W D
During our jam-packed January, we lost the first two in our last six League1 games, going down 1-0 at Ochilview followed by defeat at Montrose (2-1). We slowed the rot at Cove (0-0) before we lifted the spirits with wins at East Fife (0-2) & Alloa (3-1). The final game was that draw at Palmerston in a quality encounter.
Last time at Bayview 2 - 0: On the Road Again
Another away game as we play catch-up at Bayview. The first half passed everyone by as nothing happened. A much better second forty-five saw Inverness build a head of steam before substitute Alfie Stewart lashed home a swerving shot from outside the box. Alfie Bavidge raced clear in time added on to seal the deal and put the Caley Jags back to winning ways and back on top of the table. Good win in difficult conditions.... but that first half needs wiped from the memory.
Two or three struggling according to Kells?

A more encouraging performance last weekend from the Fifers but they still went down 2-3 to Montrose in a game they probably should have taken something from. Alas, it's not been a great run since they beat Elgin City in the KDM Trophy win at Elgin City, winning 2-3 before bowing out to Championship side Arbroath with a 3-0 defeat. The same side that ended their Scottish cup campaign. However, let's not dwell on Scottish Cup results this season
Last Six League1:
L L L L L L
It's quite straightforward to be honest. Six League1 defeats on the trot! It started with two 0-1 defeats at home to Peterhead & Kelty Hearts. Thrashed @ Stenhousemuir (5-0), v Inverness (0-2), @ QotS (5-1) and the last one at home to Montrose 2-3.
In the January sales, East Fife took on some fresh legs and moved a couple on.
Destiny Oladipo: Forward 6 month deal.
David Wilson: Defender 6 month deal.
Dennis Halliday: Forward 6 month deal.
Omar Elharek: Midfielder joined Jan22nd.

Robert Jones has left the club after 52 appearances and 5 goals.
Gregor Nicol has joined Bonnyrigg Rose on loan until the end of the season.
Tommy Goss returned to Annan after loan ended.
Was Dick happy after the QotS thrashing...Erm No! Alan Trouten red carded in that one
Two match ban for the experienced striker and he will miss the game against Inverness.

Only three League1 fixtures this weekend with Stenhousemuir & Kelty in Scottish Cup derbies. against Falkirk & Dunfermline Athletic. Also, we will find out who we play in the KDM Semi-Final with St Johnstone playing Ayr United on Saturday.


Pos
Team
Pld
Gd
Pts

ICTFC
22
24
41

Stenny
23
14
41

QueenS
23
8
38

Alloa
23
11
34

Monty
21
-11
27

P'Head
21
-12
27

E Fife
22
-15
25
💰
Accies
22
15
23

Cove
22
-6
18

Kelty
23
-28
14

Great strike from Sam Culbert last weekend ⚽


By tm4tj in Previews 2025-26 ·

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

Tense Draw at Dumfries

A big game for both teams with only three points separating the sides at kick-off, and at the end it was still three points that separated them. Peter Murphy went with an unchanged side from the one that thrashed East Fife last week with danger coming at us on a few fronts. Kai Kennedy, Jack Stott, Kurtis Guthrie to name a few. Scott Kellacher made more changes again with Chanka Zimba and Alfie Bavidge getting the nod and Alfie Stewart the driving force in midfield.
The points were shared like this. Liam Sole opened the scoring inside ten minutes but Kai Kennedy squared matters ten minutes later. Just after the restart Jordan Alonge headed Inverness in front but Mikey Hewitt levelled with ten minutes left and despite a tense finish, that's how it ended.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Early pressure from the visitors with Alfie Bavidge driving forward before being taken out by Hewitt who was booked for his trouble. Could easily have seen red for that! Jordan Alonge's free kick hit the wall and his next opportunity was saved by Ross Stewart. We were rewarded for our bright start with Liam Sole's deflected effort from the edge of the box wrongfooting the keeper to put the Caley Jags ahead, flying into the opposite corner. Queens looked to hit back immediately and Kurtis Guthrie went close with a header. Alonge did the same at the other end, glancing just wide. It was now an open game and Queens drew level through Kai Kennedy with twenty minutes gone, shooting home a 'cross' from outside the box, probably unintentional, but the ball was in the back of the net and that's all that mattered. Kennedy was always going to be a handful and he shot over after half an hour. However chances were at a premium in a tight game as the interval beckoned and it remained all square with all to play for.
HALF TIME: 1-1
Brennan Dickenson replaced Reece Lyon as the second forty-five got underway. Five minutes into the second period and Jordan Alonge put the visitors back in front, superbly heading home a cross from Sole after a good break forward on both flanks. Hannah took a sore one and was replaced by Rogerson. With half an hour still to play, it was a precarious lead for the visitors and Ross Munro kept our noses in front saving from Dickenson as the keeper pushed his low deflected effort round the post for a corner with around twenty minutes remaining. We were pegged back a second time when Mikey Hewitt scored into the bottom of the net from inside the six yard box from a good cut back on the left by Dickenson. In a tense ending to the game, the visitors had to settle for a point after leading twice, but this was always going to be a tough one.
FULL TIME: 2-2

Mantis saw it like this:
A point is fine now the dust has settled but a topsy-turvy afternoon with the score changing 4 times along with the news from Ochilview. I said that i’d be happy if we were still top at 5pm.
Both goals in the first half were a bit fluky - Sole’s shot took a deflection and wrong-footed the keeper. We were well on top until Kennedy’s free hit floated past everybody and sneaked in at the far post. He let us know about it. This fired Queens into life and they probably had the best of it till half time.
I thought we were the better side in the second half and Alonge scored with a magnificent header. Bav had a chance to tie it up but tripped over the ball. Guthrie had a fine battle with Remi till he was subbed late on and sub Dickenson was to have his say…
Queens led the booking count by 3-0 but we overtook them with 4 in the last half hour (edit- Kel got carded too). One of them was Adam Mackinnon who was not having a great day and was replaced by Paul Allan. We had a lot of intricate passes around the box as usual without making the breakthrough and Queens defended well. Queens had a flurry of corners but nothing to trouble Munro although he made a magnificent save at one point. We weren’t exactly hanging on but Dickenson got behind us for once and gave Hewitt a tap-in.
A much improved Queens today and great to see a game where the other team was actually trying to win unlike most weeks 🚌

Highlights from Palmerston>>>

Kells bemoaning ignored Penalty shout>>>


Pos
Team
Pld
Gd
Pts

ICTFC
22
24
41

Stenny
23
14
41

QueenS
23
8
38

Alloa
23
11
34
😀
Monty
21
-11
27
6
P'Head
21
-12
27
7
E Fife
22
-15
25
8
Accies
22
15
23
9
Cove
22
-6
18

Kelty
23
-28
14
 
Honest appraisal from Peter Murphy>>>


Date:  31/01/2026  Venue: Palmerston Park Attendance: 1938 Referee: Jamie Wilkie 
 
Queen of the South: 2
Manager: Peter Murphy
Lineup:  Stewart; Hewitt (MacKenzie 83), Douglas, Hannah (Rogerson 54), Charters,
Lyon (Dickenson 46), Luissint, Smith, Stott, Kennedy, Guthrie (Allan 83)
Subs (not used):  Green; Armour, Johnstone, Ross
Scorers: Kennedy (20), Hewitt (79)
Booked: Hewitt (6), Kennedy (38), Douglas (52)
Sent Off: none
Inverness CT: 2
Manager: Scott Kellacher
Lineup: Munro; MacLeod, Devine, Savage, MacIntyre, Sole, Alonge, Stewart (Allan 72),
MacKinnon, Bavidge (Longstaff 68), Zimba
Subs (not used): Ross; Davidson, Robertson, Chalmers, Wotherspoon, Willox, B Mckay
Scorers: Sole (9)
Booked: Stewart (58), MacKinnon (65), Alonge (82), Zimba (83)
Sent Off: none

By tm4tj in Reports 2025-26 ·

Queen of the South -V- Inverness CT - League 1

Palmerston Test

It's one of the more difficult away games of the season to round of an arduous January schedule, made more draining with multiple postponements and a demanding fixture schedule of seven away games on the trot. It all comes to a climax at Palmerston Park Dumfries on Saturday 31st January. A standard 3:00pm kick off time is set for what could prove to be a crucial meeting with Queen of the South, a team on good form at the moment, and that has seen them climb up to third in the table, just three points behind the Caley Jags and Warriors. Inverness have won the two previous encounters this season, but home advantage is often an indicator in these fixtures.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Match/Ticket/Bus/Info
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Treat yourself to matchday hospitality at our upcoming fixture vs East Fife on Saturday 7th February at the Sarens PSG Stadium. Limited spaces available, get in touch now

🍽️ Kingsmills Lounge Hospitality
🎟️ £70 per person (inc. VAT)
💙 Season Ticket discount available
📩 Book now / more info:
📧 [email protected]
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Last 10 Competitive Meetings

4 - 0
(H)

2 - 0
(A)

1 - 4
(A)

1 - 0
(H)

2 - 3
(A)

1 - 0
(H)

1 - 2
(A)

2 - 2
(H)

2 - 1
(A)

2 - 1
(H)

We had a Tuesday night KDM tie to negotiate against Stenhousemuir and after a bit of a tense battle against the Warriors we moved into the semi-finals thanks to Alfie Bavidge's second half strike. That side showed seven changes from the one that beat Alloa three days earlier where only Ross Munro, Calum MacLeod, Oscar MacIntyre and Remi Savage retained their starting places. Basically we changed the entire midfield and front players. I imagine we might revert to something along the lines of the Alloa game, depending on tired legs etc. If rumours are true, Ross Millen will be missing 10 matches through suspension
Last Six League1:
W L L D W W
The first W was the 4-0 thrashing of Accies at home then we started our seven away games that included Scottish Cup ties, postponements, extra time's & penalties, KDM ties. That resulted in L1 defeats at Stenny & Montrose then a 0-0 draw at Cove before a mini revival with W's v East Fife & Alloa. Been a bumpy ride of late but hopefully we are through the worst of it now and the win over Stenny in the KDM has laid down a marker.
Chanka Zimba is our top L1 scorer with 7 goals, 15 in all competitions and Alfie Bavidge has six L1 goals, 16 in all comps including x4 in that mismatch v Dumbarton in the KDM.
The two previous meetings this season have been wins for the Caley Jags 0-2 & 4-0: Back in Sept the game at Palmerston unfolded thus: It was a second airing for the new away strip and the visitors didn't have to wait long for the pink strip to open the scoring through Chanka Zimba in the 9th minute. Thereafter it was Queens keeper Ross Stewart doing his utmost to stem the flow in a first half dominated by the Caley Jags, but with only one goal and five bookings, would we pay the penalty for not scoring more and picking up yellow cards instead? These two teams had started the day on ten points apiece and just in behind current table toppers Stenhousemuir. By half time, Inverness found themselves at the top. It took a 94th minute long range strike from Luis Longstaff to secure the points after keeper Stewart had come up for a corner only to find himself stranded as we scored on the break forward. Alas Stenhousemuir scored another couple to regain top spot.

Tickets available online from Queen of the South’s website by clicking here
Adults: £20, Concession: £12, U16s: £5
ICT Supporters Travel Club
The ICT Supporters Travel Club Bus leaves the Sarens PSG Stadium at 8.30am.
Picking up in Aviemore and Pitlochry. £20 a seat.
Book through Facebook or on 07462218717.


Queens were idle in midweek, having been put out of the KDM Trophy by Raith Rovers @ Stark's Park on 6th January by 1-0. This was their L1 squad that hammered East Fife 5-1 last Saturday, four days after we ground out a 2-0 win at the same ground in Methil. Stott, Kennedy (p), Douglas, Dickenson and Allan (p) were the scorers. Some turnaround for Peter Murphy's side since we thrashed them 4-0 on the telly back in November when Queens, to put it mildly, were hapless.
Last Six League1:
W W W L W W
That's an impressive run for the Doonhamers with 15 points from a possible 18. W 's against Alloa (0-2), Montrose (1-0), Accies (4-1) and the solitary loss v Stenny (2-0) before getting back to winning ways over Kelty (3-1) & East Fife (1-5).
Queens Top scorers L1
6: Jack Stott
5: Kurtis Guthrie
5: Matty Douglas
4: Kai Kennedy
4: Reece Lyon


Pos
Team
Pld
Gd
Pts

ICTFC
21
24
40
💪
Stenny
22
14
40

QueenS
22
8
37
4
Alloa
22
11
33
5
P'Head
20
-12
26
6
E Fife
21
-14
25
7
Monty
20
-12
24
8
Accies
21
15
22
9
Cove
21
-6
17

Kelty
22
-28
13


By tm4tj in Previews 2025-26 ·

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