Skip to content

Inverness CT 0-3 Hamilton - Report

Hamilton Hammer Hapless Hackers 
 
The season begins in earnest now with most sides having recruited in the January sales and squads should now be optimised for the last third of the season. For Inverness that's not so much about bringing new players in, it's more about getting injured players back on the park. This game is the first of a double header against Accies with six points up for grabs, but we have found Hamilton difficult to get point from of late.
Billy Mckay was in a rich vein of form lately, 8 goals since New Year and just like magic, Austin Samuels appeared on the bench alongside Robbie Deas. Accies had Connor Smith on from the start after he had been cup-tied since his loan deal from Hearts and Rheagan Tumilty started as well.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
First Half
Inverness started the game on the front foot with Nathan Shaw involved in most things good, however the final ball would be elusive. Unbelievably,  Billy Mckay of all people missed an open goal from around six yards after being teed up by Daniel Mackay, his simple roll into the net hit the post when it was easier to score. Accies eventually grew into the game midway through the half without troubling Ridgers. In fairness, Fulton in the Accies goal wasn't over exerted either and it was little surprise that it was goalless at the interval.
HALF TIME:0-0
Two minutes after the interval Accies took the lead and once more it was self inflicted. Nathan Shaw who had been prominent in the first half passed the ball to the opposition around the halfway line. Lewis Smith and Jean-Pierre Tiehi burst forward but they were blocked and Lucas De Bolle got the break of the ball after the initial burst forward broke down and he buried the loose ball behind Ridgers.
We were still in the game at this point but showed little urgency to get forward quickly. Sean Welsh missed an opportunity when he sliced a fizzed cross well wide from a good position. Welsh also tried his luck from a tight angle but Fulton parried away for a corner. From that corner, Fulton pulled off a great save to deny a powerful Danny Devine header as we started to up the urgency.  However in true Accies encounter fashion we shot ourselves in the foot again. As the ball ran towards our goal line on the Accies right side, our defenders all seemed to leave the ball to each other. That allowed Winter to knock the ball into the middle for Jean-Pierre Tiehi to knock in. Worse was to follow in the dying minutes when Wallace Duffy was adjudged to have fouled Scott Martin as Accies countered again. I was convinced he was about to be booked for diving when referee MacDermid pointed to the spot. Exit the fans as Connor Smith slammed the spot-kick high into the net and few were left to see Accies miss a fourth through Dario Zanatta and Winter in the final minute.
 
FULL TIME: 0-3
An absolute shocker of a result that will have us looking over our shoulder rather than upwards to the top four. And the bad news is we have to travel to Hamilton in three days time. Think I'll go into hiding.

 
😭 After last weeks cup result at Livingston, many were expecting better things. However the Caley Jags have the knack of ruining the weekend with another horror show against a poor Accies side who seem to be able to beat us whenever they want these days. In truth we were the architect of our own downfall with misplaced passes, defence at sixes and sevens and was that really a penalty. Difficult to pick a MotM from that performance but David Carson was one of the few who made himself available all the time and was willing to get forward.
Just when it looks like we might be turning a corner we come up with a performance like that. It defies logic to be honest and even the diehards are wondering why they bother.
For those like me that couldn't stomach it anymore, here's the smashing penalty
 
 
Match Reaction on CTO
Every week I think to myself, this is rubbish, it can't get any worse than this, and every week ICT manage to do it. I have watched football in Inverness for around 50 years, and I can honestly say that I've never seen such rubbish. Dodds needs to resign if he has any degree of respect left for the club. To be beaten at home by the bottom club is unacceptable. We started well, first 20 minutes I thought if we keep this up we could win this, then we went to our default position, lose the ball cheaply, can't string passes together, defend badly, don't work their keeper and revert to Hoofball. I really can't wait for this season to be over. We need a total clear out in all departments, starting with Dodds and his coaches. 
Abysmal result. Defeat was fairly predictable as we usually struggle against Hamilton - 3 wins for them in their last 4 trips here - but the margin of this defeat is an absolute shocker. 
Pos Team Pld W D L F A Pts TABLE NOT LOOKING SO GOOD FOR US NOW 1. Queens Park 25 13 5 7 49 34 44 2. Dundee 24 12 6 6 40 27 42 3. Ayr United 24 11 6 7 46 32 39 4. Morton 24 10 7 7 35 28 37 5. Partick Thistle 24 11 3 10 43 38 36 6. Raith Rovers 25 9 7 9 33 33 34 7. Inverness CT 24 8 8 8 34 35 32 8. Cove Rangers 25 6 8 11 32 51 26 9. Arbroath 25 4 10 11 24 40 22 10. Hamilton Ac. 24 5 6 13 22 40 21  
 
 
Date:  18/02/2023  Venue: Caledonian Stadium Attendance: 2171 Referee: Mathew MacDermid 
 
Inverness CT: 0
Manager: Bily Dodds Lineup:  Ridgers, Carson, Duffy, Devine, Harper, Henderson, Welsh (Boyd 79), Allardice, Shaw (Cairns 76), D Mackay (Samuels 69), B Mckay Subs (not used):  C Mackay; Deas, Thompson, Delaney, Hyde, Doran Scorers: none Booked: Allardice (63) Devine (72) Sent Off: none Hamilton Accies: 3
Manager: John Rankin Lineup:  Fulton; Tumilty (Lawson 73), Owens, D McGowan, O'Reilly (McGinn 87), L Smith (Stephenson 58), Shiels, C Smith, Martin, De Bolle (Winter 73), Tiehi (Zanatta 87) Subs (not used): J Smith; Easton, Newbury, Latona Scorers: De Bolle (47), Tiehi (80), C Smith (87 pen) Booked: O'Reilly (13), Tumilty (30) Sent Off: none a
By tm4tj in Reports 2022-23 ·

Inverness CT -V- Hamilton - Preview

Back to Business
 
After a weekend of Cup action it's back to League duty this weekend as the hunt for points at both ends of the table intensifies. Forget the previous twenty-odd games, the season begins in earnest now with most sides having recruited in the January sales and squads should now be optimised for the last third of the season. For Inverness that's not so much about bringing new players in, it's more about getting injured players back on the park and it was great to see Robbie Deas in the squad at Livingston, a sign that we are slowly getting back to full strength with Scott Allardice and Cammy Harper also having taken part over the last three games. This is a home game on Saturday and is scheduled for a 3:00pm start at the Caledonian Stadium. We then visit Hamilton three days later in a re-arranged fixture from before Xmas on 21st Feb at 19:45.
 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Match/Ticket/Info
Scottish Cup v Killie
Raise the Roof
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 
Venue    H2H v Accies Pld Won Drn Lst For Agst + / - Home 16 5 4 7 25 20 +5 Away 12 6 2 4 17 15 +2 Neutral 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Total 28 11 6 11 42 35 +7 Historically we have a decent record against Accies although in recent games when we should have been the dominant force we have struggled to cope having won only one of the last six encounters, and that was an end of season fixture when Accies were winding down and we were gearing up for the play-offs. It's only two wins in ten if you stretch further back.
Last 10 Competitive Meetings v Accies
0 - 2
(A)
0 - 1
(H)
4 - 0
(H)
1 - 1
(A)
1 - 2
(H)
1 - 2
(A)
2 - 1
(H)
0 - 3
(A)
1 - 1
(H)
1 - 1
(A) This time last year we played out an entertaining 1 - 1 draw at Hamilton:  Accies took an early lead through Josh Mullin after a defensive blunder by Reece McAlear. Great finish from the Accies player though as he arrowed the ball high into the net from twenty yards (Josh Mullin). We levelled when Sam Pearson scored his first goal for the club on the half hour and that's how it stayed at the break, although David Moyo almost got a touch on a low ball fizzed into the box just on the whistle. No further scoring after the break despite plenty of opportunities at both ends and Joe Hardy almost snatched it at the end with the last kick of the ball. Good point, but ten games without a win now 
Pos Team Pld W D L F A Pts After tonights games 1. Queens Park 25 13 5 7 49 34 44 2. Dundee 24 12 6 6 40 27 42 3. Ayr United 23 11 6 6 46 31 39 4. Morton 24 10 7 7 35 28 37 5. Raith Rovers 25 9 7 9 33 33 34 6. Partick Thistle 23 10 3 10 42 38 33 7. Inverness CT 23 8 8 7 34 32 32 8. Cove Rangers 24 6 7 11 31 50 25 9. Arbroath 24 4 9 11 23 39 21 10. Hamilton Ac. 23 4 6 13 19 40 18 FRIDAY 17TH FEBRUARY (19:45)
Morton 1-0 Dundee
Queens Park 1-1 Raith Rovers
SATURDAY 18TH FEBRUARY (15:00)
     Ayr United v Partick Thistle
Cove Rangers v Arbroath        
Caley Jags v Hamilton  
Last Time Out
It was cup action for both sides last weekend. Accies acquitted themselves well against Hearts after a shaky start but went down 2-0 with the Jambos scoring in each half through Humphrys and Devlin. In their last Championship fixture Accies drew 1-1 with title candidates Dundee. An early goal from Hearts loanee Connor Smith put Accies ahead only for Jordan McGhee to level before the interval and that's how it stayed as Accies gained a valuable point at the foot of the table.
Inverness dumped the Livi Lions out of the Cup with two sensational strikes from on form Billy Mckay and a Sean Welsh header to progress to the quarter finals of the Scottish Cup. That has earned us a home tie against Kilmarnock on March 11th. Our last League game saw us come from behind twice to earn a point at home versus Morton. Second half goals from Billy Mckay and Ethan Cairns saw us grab a late point. That was Billy's 92nd goal for the Caley Jags whilst Ethan has a long way to go after notching his first goal with his first touch after coming on as a substitute.
Cup Goals

Accies have already beaten us twice this season although one of those games was against a weakened Inverness side in the Challenge Cup where the youngsters performed well despite going down 0 - 2. Great Effort by Young Team: Accies took an early advantage of the young squad Inverness had assembled and opened the scoring after only three minutes through an own goal.  The young team responded well when Calum Mackay did brilliantly down the left and his cross made it's way to Keith Bray but his diving header was tipped round the post by Jamie Smith. Minutes later Mackay went through on goal but his shot caught the side netting.  Tiehi and One replied for Accies with Ridgers gathering Tiehi's effort and One heading wide before a deflected shot from Winter earned a corner for Accies. Aaron Nicolson shot just wide midway through the half. Accies doubled their lead when Reegan Mimnaugh turned in Andy Winter's low cross. Mackay and Nicolson came close again. Just before the interval Mark Ridgers denied Gabe Forsyth from 25 yards. 2-0 at the interval with the young guys performing brilliantly and Jamie Smith the busier keeper, but Accies with the all important goals. H/T 2-0 Just after the hour Ryan One did well down the Accies left and his shot was parried by Ridgers and Caley Thistle get clear. Inverness made a couple of changes with twenty minutes left. Alistair Nixon & Calum MacLeod on, Ryan Barrett & Duncan Proudfoot off. 83rd minute Daniel MacDougall & Lewis Mackie on, Jack Walker & Aaron Nicolson off. 87th minute Danny Gillan on, Mark Ridgers off. Accies ended the game with ten players that had come through their own Academy as the game ran away from the Inverness XI who had acquitted themselves very well.
Latest Team News
Probably still too early for Robbie Deas, but great to have him back involved with the squad. Allardice, Harper, Shaw and Welsh have all returned and will be heading towards full fitness. Still some doubts over the whereabouts of our man of mystery, Austin Samuels. Not much information coming from the club surrounding his availability or otherwise. Sutherland, Walsh and MacGregor are still to come so we can maybe look forward to a wee surge towards the end of the season. Here's hoping.
 
Hamilton's January business
In: Reghan Tumilty, defender (Hartlepool United).
Loan in: Connor Smith, midfielder (Heart of Midlothian); Dylan McGowan, defender (Kilmarnock); Tom Sparrow, midfielder (Stoke City).
Out: Miko Virtanen, midfielder (Cove Rangers).
Loan out: Michael Doyle, defender (Alloa Athletic).
Good bit of business by Accies to bring in Reghan Tumilty on loan. Dario Zanatta is also a handy man to have in your locker and Lewis Smith has caused us problems before. Young Ryan One is developing into a great prospect. Accies are always up for a battle and points are usually difficult to prise away from them. The loans in of Connor Smith and Dylan McGowan will bolster the Accies defence who have conceded forty goals. However it's up front they have really under achieved scoring only nineteen league goals this season compared to our thirty-four goal haul. Billy Mckay has twelve league goals to his name.
 
The prize for beating Livingston>>>
After last weeks heroics, we face Kilmarnock on Friday 10th March 7:45pm. This tie will be screened live on BBC Scotland.
As well as scoring two peaches against Livi, Billy Mckay was in the team of the week for his performance. That's Billy's 8th goal since the turn of the year.
 
 
 
By tm4tj in Previews 2022-23 ·

Livingston 0-3 Inverness CT - Sc/Cup 5th Round

Cup of woe for Livi
 
Inverness had a surprise inclusion on the bench in the shape of Robbie Deas, who has been out since breaking a bone in his leg last October in a 1-1 draw with Raith Rovers. Other than that, no major changes.
Both keepers were tested early with Livingston's Stephen Kelly first to test Mark Ridgers as he shot from outside the box in the third minute. Nathan Shaw responded for the visitors a minute later with Shamal George denying him after his shot deflected off Billy Mckay. Ridgers did well to save a Stephen Bradley free kick at the expense of a corner. From that, Obileye met the ball at the back post but slammed it wide. Bruce Anderson was replaced early by Cristian Montana after an injury to the striker in the 13th minute. Substitute Montana shot high and wide from the edge of the box after twenty minutes. He would shoot over again after half an hour as Livi began to boss the game with Inverness looking for the bell to get them to the interval level. Five minutes before the break Inverness survived a double spike when Obileye's header from Kelly's free-kick blocked on the line before he sent the rebound wide of the post. Close shave for the visitors and Obileye headed wide just before the whistle to keep it all square.
Home 63%------Possession-------Away 37%
Half Time: 0-0
Livi made a change at the interval with Kurtis Guthrie replacing Bradley and were back on the front foot immediately with the visitors defence blocking a couple of early efforts from Penrice and Devlin, Sean Welsh with a great block. Kurtis Guthrie then saw his shot saved before Billy Mckay opened the scoring with a sensational strike after we broke forward in the 51st minute, shooting high into the net with an assist from Jay Henderson's ball over the top. Guthrie then headed wide as the Lions responded but it was the Caley Jags that increased their lead through captain Sean Welsh who headed home via the post from a Nathan Shaw cross. Kurtis headed over again as Livi looked for a way back into the tie and Bahamboula saw his shot blocked. Ridgers saved from Joel Nouble as the pressure increased on the Inverness end. However, once more it was Inverness that were sharp in front of goal as Billy Mckay scored a third into the top corner, his 95th goal for Inverness. Ridgers saved low down to deny a bullet header from Obileye with six minutes remaining. That's how it finished and Inverness go into the draw for the Quarter Finals.   Full Time 0-3 What a result!   ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Match Reaction Livingston boss David Martindale: "Everything that could go wrong went wrong in the second-half. I've got to give credit to Inverness, they came here with a game plan and executed it very well. "It didn't look like a Livingston team. We started well but they scored and we chased the game. Our shape was all over the place for the first two goals and I need to reflect on that."
Inverness manager Billy Dodds: "It's the best performance since I've been here. We've had some big results but performance-wise, looking dangerous and solid in shape, helping one another out, being ruthless in front of goal. It was all there today. "It's the first time I've been able to sit there and not bite my fingernails. It was nice, we were decent and deserved to go through. I asked them to take the final step at half time. Take one goal, you'll spook them, and Billy has come up with two belters."
Top Quotes so far on CTO
Snorbens_Caleyman: One for the historians - has anyone ever won the cup after being knocked out of it? 😂
CaleyCanary: Well my gast is well and truly flabbered! Don't know where that came from, don’t really care where it came from, was not expecting anything like this result. A huge well done to everyone, definitely one to add to our classics. 
Championship Player of the Month for January Billy Mckay scored two superb goals against Livingston in the Scottish Cup today and was MotM.
Billy is now on 95 goals for Inverness and is closing in on Dennis Wyness' all time record of 102 goals.
Sean Welsh chipped in with a header to complete the scoring as Inverness go into the Quarter final draw along with Hearts, Ayr United, Kilmarnock, Raith Rovers and Celtic, with two ties still remaining. Rangers v Partick Thistle and Darvel v Falkirk.
 
 
 
Pick these out...


Here's a happy man
 
 
Date:  11/02/2023  Venue: Tony Macaroni, Almondvale Attendance: 1284 Referee: Don Robertson 
 
Livingston: 0
Manager: David Martindale Lineup:  George; Devlin, Fitzwater, Obileye, Penrice (Bahamboula 58), Holt, Pittman (Shinnie 58), Kelly, Bradley (Guthrie 45), Nouble, Anderson (Montano 13) Subs (not used):  Hamilton; de Lucas, Longridge, Omeonga, Kelly Scorers: none Booked: Devlin (57), Shinnie (78) Sent Off: none Inverness CT: 3
Manager: Billy Dodds Lineup:  Ridgers; Carson, Duffy, Devine, Harper, Henderson (Delaney 82), Welsh, Allardice, Shaw (Hyde 85), D Mackay (Doran 88) B Mckay (Boyd 88) Subs (not used): C Mackay, Deas, Strachan  Scorers: B Mckay (51, 80), Welsh (62) Booked: Welsh (57), B Mckay (60), Carson (72) Sent Off: none a
By tm4tj in Reports 2022-23 ·

Livingston -V- Inverness CT - Sc/Cup 5th Round

In the back door
 
We have arrived at the Tony Macaroni via default. We sort of came in by the tradesman's entrance after Queens Park were eliminated from the Scottish Cup for fielding an ineligible player. Step forward Euan Henderson who has now been inducted into the Caley Jags Scottish Cup Hall of Fame alongside some famous legends. Legends like Josh Meekings, James Vincent and Jamie MacDonald. Of course, all of this on the anniversary week of our Scottish Cup exploits in February 2008. Yes, that's the one that spawned the SuperCaleygoballisticCelticareatrocious headline that rocked the Scottish Football world back in the day.  Of course since then we now get to keep Celtic by virtue of putting them out of the Scottish Cup on three separate occasions (2000-2003-2015), but it was February 8th 2000 that set the ball rolling. Saturday's opponent are auld enemies Ferranti Thistle, or Meadowbank Thistle or as we now know them, Livingston. Our first fixture against them was the first time they used the name Livingston back in 1995. Many a tough encounter in the lower leagues over the years. Surprisingly our last two encounters were in the group stages of the League Cup and the Scottish Cup where Inverness prevailed in both fixtures.
Ahead of the game it was announced the Inverness had won two awards. One of these awards was fully merited, the other is the subject of much discussion and mirth from those that know. So we have the Manager of the Month in Billy Dodds and Player of the Month in Billy Mckay whose five goals in January included a hat-trick at Cove. He is now on 92 goals, only ten behind Sir Dennis Wyness. In fairness to Dodds, he had nothing to do with the voting. Congratulation to both recipients.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ticket Info & Supporters Bus
Championship Awards
Billy Mckay
Half Price Kit
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Over the years Inverness have edged these fixtures but there's not been much between the sides and Livi have now been able to sustain Premiership football since the start of season 2018-2019 and currently sit fourth in the table.
Venue H2H v Livingston Pld Won Drn Lst For Agst + / - Home 19 9 4 6 32 25 +7 Away 21 8 6 7 32 32 0 Neutral 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Total 40 17 10 13 64 57 +7 Deja Vu: The last time we met Livingston in the Scottish Cup was also a 5th round tie, this one was in the Highlands on Feb8th2020. An even first half where both sides had efforts cleared from the goalmouth produced no goals with defences on top. The wind was causing as much havoc as the officials. Sean Welsh fired just wide at the start of the second half, but he made no mistake with a free kick on the hour to open the scoring. Plenty of huff and puff thereafter, but no further scoring and it's the Caley Jags that go into tomorrows draw for the next round.
Last 10 Competitive Meetings
2 - 1
(A)
1 - 0
(H)
1 - 0
(A)
1 - 1
(H)
0 - 0
(A)
1 - 3
(H)
2 - 0
(A)
1 - 0
(A)
1 - 2
(A)
3 - 0
(H) First ever competitive meeting with Livingston ended in 0 - 3 defeat: Report by Ian Broadfoot: This was Livingston's first league game after their name change from Meadowbank Thistle and they dominated it with their pace and class. They took the lead in 3 minutes when Lee Baillie headed home a Young cross. Home keeper Mark McRitchie got down well in 10 minutes to smother a Young shot but in 32 minutes it was 2-0 when he palmed a McLeod corner into his own net. In 55 minutes it was 3-0 when Baillie headed home a Duthie free kick. Caley Thistle's best chance came in 67 minutes when Christie and Mitchell combined well to put Mitchell through with only Stoute to beat - he tried to flick the ball into the corner but hit the post. Mitchell's frustration showed 6 minutes from the end when he swore at a spectator within earshot of the stand-side linesman. The red card was inevitable. 😂 
Caley Thistle were disappointed at the result but knew they had been outclassed. 
Biggest Victories Jan 14th, 2006 League (H) 3 - 0 Jan 22nd, 2005 League (A) 4 - 1 Mar 18th, 2000 League (H) 4 - 1 Heaviest Defeats Aug 7th, 2004 League (A) 0 - 3 Apr 3rd, 2001 League (A) 1 - 4 Aug 12th, 1995 League (H) 0 - 3 The last meeting between the sides was a League Cup group stage match at Livingston last July where Inverness won 2 - 1: Lions Tamed:

Livingston had the better of the opening exchanges and Nouble had the ball in the net but was flagged offside. Ridgers was the busier keeper early on but a swift counter attack saw Austin Samuels open the scoring after 37 minutes. Inverness held that advantage until the break. Daniel Mackay bundled in a second shortly after Max Stryjek was sent off for felling Austin Samuels in the box. Jason Holt pulled a goal back late on then proceeded to miss a penalty three minutes later as Inverness saw out the game to win 1-2 and go top of Group G.
Last Round:
Inverness sneaked through after losing 0-2 to Queens Park. Euan Henderson played and the rest is history. On the field Queens Park were superior to us but off the field they never did their homework and subsequently were removed from the event as Henderson was not signed prior to the original date of the postponed fixture.
Livingston eased through after coming from behind to beat Stenhousemuir 1-3. Nicky Jamieson headed Muir in front in the first half but three goals in seven minutes eased Livi into the next round. Scott Pittman and two from Steven Bradley clinched the tie in their favour to set up this game against Queens Park Inverness CT. Livi have only lost one of their last eight games whilst winning four and drawing three. The only defeat was at Parkhead on 1st February. Other than that, they are unbeaten since December 24th when Hibs beat them 4-0 at Easter Road so are on a good run at the moment.
Latest Team News
It's probably a game we could have done without, however, we are still in the Cup and will have to give it a go. Sean Welsh missed the Morton match and Max Ram has been out for a month. More importantly Austin Samuels, Roddy MacGregor, Shane Sutherland and Tom Walsh have all been out for months and Robbie Deas has a broken leg to get get over. No quick fix unfortunately but on the bright side, Scott Allardice and Cammy Harper have now taken part in three games without any reaction....... hopefully. Ben Woods is a couple of weeks away with an ankle injury. Lewis Nicolson, Ethan Cairns and Robbie Thompson are cup tied for this match.
 
 
Livi used human battering ram Joel Nouble against Killie lately and he scored the opening goal in a 3-1 win. We had bother with him when he was on loan at Arbroath last season. However, he is just one of a number of powerful players at Livingston that has seen them climb to fourth in the Premiership table. Striker Bruce Anderson is another who seems to have developed well whilst at Livi and is top scorer this season with six goals. Midfielders Scott Pittman and former Ross County player Stephen Kelly make for a powerful engine room at the Tony Macaroni. Former Inverness player Andrew Shinnie could feature in the Lions squad on Saturday. Something that won't feature is VAR. Livi don't think it's worth the hassle of using it as it's not a requirement outside of televised games in the Premiership.
Whilst we are on Cup duty this weekend, there are a couple of Championship games to keep an eye on.
SATURDAY 11TH FEBRUARY (3:00pm)
Morton v Queen's Park
SUNDAY 12TH FEBRUARY (2:00pm)
Dundee v Cove Rangers
By tm4tj in Previews 2022-23 ·

Inverness CT 2-2 Morton - Report

Mid Table Draw
 
Morton were looking for their third win over Inverness this season but were on a run of seven games without a win. Inverness had started the new year in fine form but were looking for three points to create a gap between the two sides in mid table. Sean Welsh was missing for Inverness but Scott Allardice and Cammy Harper started. New signings Calvin Miller and Calum Waters started for Morton, but there was no sign of George Oakley. The curse of the Caley Jags was having an effect. It ended all square with young Inverness substitute Ethan Cairns rescuing a point with his first touch of the ball when it looked like Morton were going to take all three points.
On Loan Calvin Miller picked up a loose pass from Delaney in the fifth minute to drive forward and drill the ball into the bottom corner from just outside the box for the opening goal. Great strike and a great start for the visitors. Aaron Doran was at it again when one on one with the keeper, and like last week he got his feet in a tangle and the chance was lost. Calum Waters volleyed just wide of the post after twenty minutes as the visitors dominated the opening quarter of the game. Mark Ridgers saved from Miller as he cut in from the left with Inverness struggling to make any impact on proceedings until the half hour when Billy Mckay shot and then Zak Delaney failed to hit the target after Jay Henderson recycled the ball. Henderson fired a free kick into the keepers arms as the play became more even but it was Morton that led at the interval as their hosts flattered to deceive.
Half Time: 0-1
Nathan Shaw replaced Aaron Doran and Lewis Hyde replaced Zak Delaney at the interval as Inverness were looking for a way to turn the game around. Both keepers were called into action in the opening minutes of the half through Cameron Blues and Dan Mackay and Scott Allardice shot over. A brighter start for the hosts and they were soon level just after Henderson had shot over the bar. Billy Mckay knocked in a rebound from the keeper after a long range shot from Allardice fell to him inside the box. Good pressure from the hosts leading up to the goal but Morton were far from finished with O'Connor and Blues having efforts saved by Ridgers. Dan Mackay turned and volleyed over with twenty minutes left. Blues and Miller had more efforts with the keeper denying Miller as the game entered the final ten minutes. In a frantic finale, Robbie Muirhead restored Morton's lead after holding off Duffy to slot through Ridgers but substitute Ethan Cairns knocked in another equaliser three minutes later with his first touch of the ball a minute after coming on. Cairns did well to find the net after Shaw's cross had been headed on by Boyd for him to hook home from a tight angle.  Still time for Muirhead and King to go close but it ended all square and a point apiece.
And breathe.... 
Full Time: 2-2
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 
A scramble to get a point in the end but we still gained a point on Partick Thistle. Great to see Ethan Cairns get his first goal for the club, and a vital strike it was. Billy Mckay (93) also edged closer to Dennis Wyness' all time scoring record (102). The countdown is on.
 
 
 
 
 
From BBC Sport
Inverness CT head coach Billy Dodds: "It was a hard watch at times but I don't want to be too negative because my players found a way to find something from the game. "We weren't good enough first half. The goal we gave them in the second half was a gift again and they've got to stop. But we are still hanging in there."
Greenock Morton manager Dougie Imrie: "It was tough with the wind but I thought we played really well. The first 15-20 minutes of the second-half we weren't at the races, we were a bit nervous. "But we dug deep and got the second goal. Unfortunately we lose a poor goal at the back post. Three points would have been great but we didn't manage to see the game out."
 
Pos Team Pld W D L F A Pts Queens Park stretch their lead as all around them falter and Raith go above Inverness. 1. Queens Park 23 13 4 6 46 30 43 2. Ayr United 23 11 6 6 46 31 39 3. Dundee 22 11 6 5 37 26 39 4. Partick Thistle 23 10 3 10 42 38 33 5. Raith Rovers 24 9 6 9 32 32 33 6. Inverness CT 23 8 8 7 34 32 32 7. Morton 22 8 7 7 31 26 31 8. Cove Rangers 23 6 7 10 31 47 25 9. Arbroath 24 4 9 11 23 39 21 10. Hamilton Ac. 23 4 6 13 19 40 18  
 
 
 
Date:  04/02/2023  Venue: Caledonian Stadium Attendance: 1852 Referee: Calum Scott
 
Inverness CT: 2
Manager: Billy Dodds Lineup:  Ridgers; Carson, Duffy, Devine Delaney (Hyde 45), Henderson (Boyd 75), Allardice, Harper, D Mackay (Cairns 84), Doran (Shaw 45), B Mckay Subs (not used):  C Mackay; Strachan, Thompson Scorers: B Mckay (57), Cairns (85) Booked: Carson (65), Hyde (67) Sent Off: none Morton: 2
Manager: Dougie Imrie Lineup:  Schwake; O'Connor, Grimshaw, Baird, Waters, Blues, Gillespie, Quitongo (McGrattan 61), Miller, Crawford (King 77), Muirhead (Roy 87) Subs (not used): Green; Pignatiello, Ambrose, Garrity Scorers: Miller (5), Muirhead (81), Booked: Crawford (45), McGrattan (83), Gillespie (86) Sent Off: none a
By tm4tj in Reports 2022-23 ·

Inverness CT -V- Morton - Preview

 
Mid Table Ton of Trouble
 
It's the struggle for mid table supremacy once more as Morton head North where they will fancy their chances against a team they have already beaten home and away this season. Saturday at 3:00pm is the scheduled start for this one with George Oakley likely to be in the Morton line-up having scored on his debut last week. We are gradually getting players back but it's not an instant fix with Allardice and Harper getting back up to speed.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Match/Ticket Info
Scottish Cup Update (to follow)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 
Venue H2H v Morton Pld Won Drn Lst For Agst + / - Home 20 12 4 4 46 18 +28 Away 18 10 3 5 35 23 +12 Neutral 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Total 38 22 7 9 81 41 +40 One to forget: 0 - 4 Morton Madness:  An injury hit Inverness side went to Cappielow with expectations low and they didn't disappoint. Muirhead opened the scoring against the run of play in the fifth minute after Ridgers allowed a shot to go through him. A second soon followed after a soft penalty award when Ambrose went to ground in the box. Gillespie scored from the rebounded penalty. Worse was to follow when David Carson inexplicably headed a corner behind Ridgers under no pressure. Blues added a fourth with twenty minutes left despite Inverness dominating the ball. Defeat by a wekened team against the form team on a run is bearable, what is more difficult to grasp is the substitution of your keeper at half-time and the silence that followed it. More to come over the next week or two methinks. 
Last 10 Competitive Meetings
0 - 4
(A)
0 - 1
(H)
1 - 0
(A)
0 - 1
(H)
6 - 1
(A)
1 - 1
(A)
1 - 1
(H)
2 - 0
(H)
4 - 1
(A)
0 - 1
(H) Until fairly recently, we had only ever lost once at home to Morton. How times change, and not for the better. The 4-0 thrashing at Cappielow was one of the low points of this season so far and a sign that all was not right behind closed doors. Add that to the 1-0 loss at the Caledonian Stadium and it's easy to believe that the downward spiral is incoming. Thankfully, we have perked up a bit since 2023 arrived but we are far from the finished article yet.
Pos Team Pld W D L F A Pts   1. Queens Park 22 12 4 6 44 30 40 2. Ayr United 22 11 6 5 46 29 39 3. Dundee 21 11 5 5 36 25 38 4. Partick Thistle 22 10 3 9 42 37 33 5. Inverness CT 22 8 7 7 32 30 31 6. Morton 21 8 6 7 29 24 30 7. Raith Rovers 23 8 6 9 30 31 30 8. Cove Rangers 22 5 7 10 30 47 22 9. Arbroath 23 4 9 10 22 37 21 10. Hamilton Ac. 22 4 5 13 18 39 17  
FRIDAY 3RD FEBRUARY
Queens Pk v Ayr United
SATURDAY 4TH FEBRUARY
Accies v Dundee
Arbroath v Raith Rvrs
Caley Jags v Morton      
Partick Thistle v Cove Rangers  
Last Time Out
Inverness were sort of knocked out of the Scottish Cup by an eager Queens Park on Tuesday night. However they may have been too eager and fielded an ineligible player in the shape of Euan Henderson. If the SFA are consistent, then Inverness will progress to face Livingston in a couple of weeks. That aside, we were poor against Queens who deservedly won the game on the park 2-0 with second half strikes from Thomas and Williamson. Our last League game was a 2-2 draw with a similarly resurgent Raith Rovers. We came from behind twice to earn our point through Jay Henderson and Billy Mckay. Vaughan and Connolly had given Raith the lead twice. We are unbeaten in the league since the turn of the year with two wins and two draws.
Morton have slipped below Inverness in the table thanks to two draws and three defeats on the bounce (four if you include the Cup), the last one coming last Saturday at home to Arbroath but they have a game in hand. George Oakley took only four minutes to open his Morton account but the Smokies hit back with second half goals from Hamilton and long range effort from McKenna to deservedly take the points against a disappointing Greenock side. Morton's current winless run goes back seven games to November 26th when they beat Queen of the South 4-1 in the Scottish Cup.
Morton have won both League matches against the Caley Jags this season. A 0 - 1 win in the Highlands was followed by an embarrassing 0 - 4 thrashing at Cappielow where the Ridgers Rift started as he was subbed at the interval with Inverness 3-0 down to a rampant Morton.
Latest Team News
Scott Allardice and Cammy Harper did get some game time over the last couple of weeks but it's fair to say that both are still feeling their way back to match sharpness. 
 
 
Eric's Morton catch-up.
1st. February 2023 a statement from Greenock Morton FC states that Central defender Alan Lithgow has left the club by mutual consent. Since signing at the start of season 2021/22 the 34-year-old has made a total of 49 appearances for the club. He has since joined East Kilbride. Also having left the club are defender Darren Hynes transferred to Clyde FC and joining Airdrieonians was midfield player Lewis Macgregor. Kyle Jacobs, midfielder (Edinburgh, loan to permanent).
Loan ended: Jaze Kabia, midfielder (Livingston).
Joining Morton is one time product of the Celtic FC youth programme, midfielder Calvin Miller who had been without a club since leaving Chesterfield FC back in October 2022.
On loan from Glentoran is Ally Roy a centre forward. Another centre forward and familiar name in Inverness is George Oakley who transferred on a free during the January transfer window and has already opened his Morton account after 4 minutes in the job.
By tm4tj in Previews 2022-23 ·

Inverness CT 0-2 Queens Park - Sc Cup

Spiders out despite win on the night
 
*** Breaking News. Queens Park ejected from Scottish Cup for fielding an ineligible player***
Seventeen days after their Championship no scoring draw at the Caledonian Stadium, Queens Park and Inverness battled it out in the 4th round of the Scottish Cup with a tie away to Livingston the unglamorous reward for the victor. This game was originally scheduled for the 21st of January but a serious dump of snow and frost put paid to that. After a day of heavy showers the game would get underway with the threat of strong winds building from around kick-off. Big news before kick-off was that Simon Murray has joined Ross County and will not be in the Queens Park squad. Scott Allardice and Cammy Harper started for Inverness and Queens had new signing Euan Henderson starting in Murray's absence. And that may yet be their downfall. The rules clearly state that a player has to be signed before the date of the original tie. That was 21st of January. Henderson was only signed on the 27th of January and came on as a sub against Dundee in the Championship the following day. In all honesty Queens Park deserved to go through but as they say, thems the rules. Maybe the Spiders will be caught in their own web of deceit.
Queens Park started the liveliest and Stephen Eze fired over after fifteen minutes with Sean Welsh replicating a minute later at the other end. Jay Henderson struck the post from just outside the box as Inverness got up to speed and Cammy Harper tested Ferrie in the visitors goal. New signing Euan Henderson broke clear and brought Mark Ridgers into action and the keeper did well to keep the scores level. Queens shoot on site policy meant Ridgers was the busier keeper and he would deny Henderson again as half time approached followed by a save from Tommy Robson and then Dom Thomas as Queens pressed for the opening goal. Louis Longridge was next up to have a go and Ridgers was there once more to ensure it stayed level at the break with Queens having the better of the first 45.
HALF TIME: 0-0
Aaron Doran replaced Cameron Harper at the interval and seven minutes later he passed up a good opportunity as he lost his footing when fed through on goal by Billy Mckay. The two Henderson's had efforts shortly after with Ridgers blocking Euan's with his legs when through on goal before Jay shot over.  He would shoot over again after 65 minutes. The dangerous (and ineligible) Euan Henderson was replaced with twenty minutes remaining. Thomas saw Ridgers save his effort and Danny Devine headed just wide after a corner. Thomas would not be denied though and he curled Queens Park in front with an excellent strike from outside the box after a loose pass out of defence was intercepted. Minutes later, Scott Williamson was next to be denied after hitting the post with a header as Queens looked to kill the tie off. Billy Mckay latched onto the ball in the box but Callum Ferrie was equal to it. Mckay then scooped a ball from Welsh over the bar as the game slipped away from Inverness. With five minutes remaining it certainly did just that as Williamson swept home number two after outmuscling Devine. A poor night for the hosts defensively who never really got to grips with the pace of the game.
FULL TIME: 0-2
Result pending the outcome of enquiry regarding Queens Park fielding Euan Henderson who was ineligible according to the rules.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 

The Spiders were too good for a sluggish Caley Jags even without Simon Murray. Mark Ridgers was the busier keeper throughout and kept the score down. A really disappointing night in the Highlands as the wind started to get up ended with Queens Park heading for Livingston in the next round unless the fielding of Henderson sees them knocked out of the cup. That's life!
 
 
Back to the drawing board for Inverness who can now concentrate solely on the league table.
 
More match reaction to follow>>>
From BBC Sport
Euan Henderson joined on loan from Hearts after the tie was postponed on 21 January, but Scottish FA rules state that only those registered before the initial date are permitted to play. It remains unclear what the punishment might be but it could render this victory, earned with goals by Dom Thomas and Scott Williamson, moot.
Queen's Park thought they had set up a tie at Livingston but it may be that the top-flight side will welcome Inverness Caledonian Thistle instead next weekend.
Inverness CT head coach Billy Dodds: "Queen's Park had a lot of possession and a few chances. But we had really good chances - if we take the lead then it's a different game. "We made two big errors and lost two bad goals and you are never going to win games if you make those type of errors."
Queen's Park manager Owen Coyle: "Inverness are a very good team. I think that's three times we've been up now this season and there's not many teams leave unbeaten over the three games. "Our level of performance was excellent tonight. We scored two very good goals. We thoroughly deserved to win and to move into the next round of the cup."
 
 
As it stands, this is the draw for the fifth round of the Scottish Cup. However, as we all know now, Euan Hendersons participation might change that.
 
 
 
<<<Hmmn, we should know on Friday who will face Livi.
 
 
 
*** Breaking News. Queens Park ejected from Scottish Cup for fielding an ineligible player***
Official Statement
This means that Inverness will play Livingston next Saturday 11th February in the 5th round of the Scottish Cup.
From BBC Sport: 
Queen's Park president David Hunter said: "An error was made regarding the eligibility of a player who featured in Tuesday night's game with Inverness Caledonian Thistle and we have accepted the SFA's decision. "It is a regrettable mistake. One we will learn from. Our team put on a tremendous display on Tuesday to win the tie and obviously today's result is a hugely disappointing outcome. As upsetting as this matter is, it's vital that we put this behind us quickly, move on and focus on our league campaign."
Oh well, another few of these errors and the cup is ours once more. 😂😂😂 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Date:  31/01/2023  Venue: Caledonian Stadium Attendance: 869 Referee: Chris Graham 
 
Inverness CT: 0
Manager: Billy Dodds Lineup:  Ridgers; Carson, Duffy, Devine, Delaney, Shaw (D Mackay 65), Welsh, Allardice (Hyde 65), Harper (Doran 45), Henderson, B Mckay Subs (not used):  C Mackay; Strachan, Boyd, Scorers: none Booked: Duffy (39) Sent Off: none Queens Park: 2
Manager: Owen Coyle Lineup:  Ferrie; Davidson (Bannon 77), Longridge (Biggar 89), Eze, Fox, Robson, Boateng, Thomas, Henderson (Williamson 69), McPake, Savoury Subs (not used): Heraghty; Kilday, , Healy Scorers: Thomas (74), Williamson (84) Booked: Longridge (81) Sent Off: none a
By tm4tj in Reports 2022-23 ·

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.