We are a fairly new club and I notice there are fans from all over the place that post on here. The question is how did you all become ICT fans, did you support the pre merger sides or are you a convert from another team.

I'm an odd one in that I didn't really take an interest in football until I was in secondary school. I went to a few ICT games when I was younger. My friends in primary school all liked football and I took a vague interest e.g the world cup, football computer games. I wasn't raised to support a side. I would always go Celtic on football games for some reason because a few of my friends liked them but I wasnt what you'd call a fan (believe me I dislike both halfs of the OF equally).

. I started getting interested and attending more games after going with a friend and his familly to the 2004 Scottish Cup Semi final. I wouldn't say I was a glory hunter as I wouldnt dream of not following ICT regardless of where they played. It would be interesting to hear everyone elses story.

Edited March 29, 201214 yr by Proctor

Daddy(DJS) took me along to games, obsession kind of grew from there.

Telford Street Park was a 5 minute walk from my house when I was a bairn.

Obvious really!

Buckett just out of curiousity what street do you or did you live in at the time?

I became a fan when i moved from england in 2001. I am a big man united fan but i just fell in love with caley thistle. I went to a few first division games with my dad and i really enjoyed it then we went to the 04 cup semi which was great and then promotion where i stood on the bridge and watched gain promotion before going into the stadium to celebrate the trophey and then season ticket in our first full season in inverness and that remains and being at uni i can get to away games. It is great fun and having a small crowd allows for a alot of banter and meeting new friends

My dads from Inverness (i was born in Dundee, Mum from Glasgow) and Grans house is a 2 min walk from telford street. So went to Caley games whenever I was up as a kid. Kinda went from there really.

Kingsmills Park was closest to my house as a youngster and was taken to see a Jags against (I think) Montrose Scottish Cup game in early 80's and then followed Thistle through the years. Was initially against the merger and even went to a couple of games and stood in the visitors end. Then moved away from Inverness and began to see the new team as a connection to my home and Highland Invernessian identity and slowly began to warm to them.Realised it was time to move on and how good it was/ could be/ would be top see kids with an ICT top in Inverness as opposed to one of the glasgow teams. Makes me so proud to see the see our local club in Scotland's top divisision.

what else is there to do in inverness on a saturday might aswell go see the caley. grew from there.

Luke, on the basis of the date of birth on your profile, "The Caley" played its last game a year almost to the day before you were born!

Luke, on the basis of the date of birth on your profile, "The Caley" played its last game a year almost to the day before you were born!

Heard of video tapes? :D

Edited March 30, 201214 yr by lukemackay

I first went to see "The Caley" play about 1976. was pretty much hooked since then. As i have sed before....my "love" of ICT has never been anywhere near what i had for Caledonian Fc, but...........they were no more.....so i kinda followed ICT regularly, pretty much up until they reached the SPL. Since then...i havent been going to as many games as id like. But..thats life i guess!

When I moved to the Highlands - too many years ago to think about without a glass in my hand - my Dad bought me a season ticket as a going-away present. I went twice, that first season, but he persevered the following year and it paid off: I've made most home games since, including those dark runs to Pittodrie.

Because I was born in Inverness and my dad (a Thistle fan - I still have their last away strip) was quite determined that I would never support an Old Firm team. I tend to hold some contempt for folk who do not support their local team.

That said, I will move heaven and earth to make sure any child of mine is born somewhere with a decent team - Manchester, Milan, Barcelona...

Luke, on the basis of the date of birth on your profile, "The Caley" played its last game a year almost to the day before you were born!

Heard of video tapes? :D

Shhhh ... Charles just got a new 8-Track player and is still trying to figure out how to transfer his phonograph cylinders to it. Mentioning Betamax to him might put him over the edge

i never really had a favourite football team when i was younger,

then when taking a trip to my grans my dad decided to take me to a game and instantly became a huge fan,

As a boy living in Laurel Ave nearly all my pals were Caley supporters and we followed most of their games, then came my Techy years when I had to make myself some pocket money so had to get a job as ' message boy ' working after school and on Saturdays so didn't have the same opportunity to watch them but couldn't wait to hear how they got on. Then came National Service, most of my time in Germany, still keen to hear Caley results, demobbed my work took me all over GB, again I couldn't wait to hear the results on radio. Now retired and living in the Highlands again I think it must be an addiction because now I'm typing this and at times slating those folk who are negative about my team in this same forum. Could never understand why anyone could support any other team if they had the slightest Sneck connection.

I predicted in my younger days that one day Caley would win the Scottish cup and play in the then first division maybe even win it.

Still got my fingers crossed and still think they will!!! pass me my rose tinted specs please !!! ICT man and proud of it!!!

:love02: :love02: :love02:

Lived in the Leachkin, so Telford Street was my nearest football ground (Thank you God). Caley supporter since 1950, and was totaly in agreement wth the merger. Aberdeen were my big team in those days, but the pleasure I get when ICT beat them is second to none.

Buckett just out of curiousity what street do you or did you live in at the time?

Fairfield Road, though I haven't been there for many years.

well John Macdonald used to be my dads boss so we grew up watching the reesults on a saturday pre and post merger to see if he would be in a good mood. that used to be as far as it went as no one really had a huge interest in my family outside that

then in the year we got promoted i met one of the ladies team on a night out and she took me along on the saturday just before the end of the season (0-0 draw with falkirk) and i got hooked. then got a ticket for the promotion game.

had one to two seasons of just attending games then moved to a season ticket... from there i have been trying to forge closer links with the club doing what i can when i can. hoping to keep the links going and get back to a season ticket this year now that im moving back to working monday to friday YAY

Ooooh this is a tale. I warn you. But you did ask...

I guess it al started back in the 2nd division days really. Up until then my only football obsession was Scotland and Brian Laudrup, who I had followed since his time in Italy, and henceforth Rangers(Yes I know, shame on me. One still shudders). I had parental help in picking a team. Neither had the slightest interest. At primary school, I was encouraged by peers, and fleetingly did for a short period, to support Hearts. It didn't really work out. I had no real affection for them and Brian Laudrup was not leaving Milan to join them any time soon. By the time 94 came around I was in the Rangers camp. Laudrup was there. I thoroughy enjoyed watching him destroy Hearts in 95.

Now, getting onto the ICT part. It all started through my grandparents. They had previously encouraged me to follow Aberdeen or a local team (Aberdeen was pretty much their local to Aviemore, SPL team). Perhaps through that and our wonderful name, coupled with the amount of great scorelines we seemed to muster up, a certain Inverness Caledonian Thistle began to stoke my interest. They must have just gotten to the 2nd division. David Xausa was still there and scoring peaches according to any reports I got ahold of. Must have been articles in the Press and Journal perhaps. I remember beginning to watch the classified results at 5pm on a Saturday to hear that voice state whatever result we had. Add to the fact he always said the full name and with such flair.

We were a pretty yo-yo team in terms of results and they always seemed to be phenomenally high scoring.

Xausa went to Livi but but interest never waned and by the time ICT were in the first ICT had firmly become my 2nd team. By 98 Laudrup had left Rangers and went to Chelsea then Ajax, where I followed his career. I still followed Rangers due to their new regime and the excitement surrounding that and bringing in players like Numan, Van Bronckhorst and such like.

I had by then went to high school and whilst folowing ICT I never made a deal of it.

Late Jan/ early feb 2000. Celtic v ICT. I remember having a good few conversations with a Celtic following chum and warning him in jest his team was getting a beating. This continued on and past the original date and well... first there was the news highlights, then THAT headline. I ws beeming. Perhaps it was then i really began to realise how much ICT meant to me. The pride I felt.

The next stage in my ICT supporting development was in late high school. A few of my friends in my year were season ticket holders at Clyde (dont ask why. ha ha!) It was at that time we would enjoy numerous banter sessions. They'd bring out their big guns of Leigh Hinds, Simon Mensing, Alan Kernaghan and Andy Millen (the choppers essentially) and I'd clearly trump that with Barry Robson (who left soon), Wyness, Tokely, Mann, Brown, Hart and even Paul Ritchie. Who was easily a match for any on loan Colin Nish (who even they called Shhhh not very good). After high school I attended Bell College in Hamilton, which incidently wasn't all that far from Cumbernauld. It gave me opportunity to get to some inter school derby games, Clyde v ICT. They one the 1st I went to that season 1-0. Their new striker (signed from Stranraer I think, Ian Harty) scored the only goal.

I went to a few Clyde games with friends that season. A cup game abandoned at half time because of snow sticking in the memory. Clyde had opened up a fair gap and even though we closed it up we had a killer run in. Falkirk who we always seemed to lose to. Clyde, which was anyones guess but they had the upper hand that season. Even beating us in our own strip. The old Caleythistleonline headline 22 ICT shirts and still no win (v clyde) sticking in the memory and St Johnstone who I pointed out we had a good record against at the time. Home and away.

So off I went to Broadwood ice box with one dorm and old school buddy who was supportig Clyde and my Stranraer supporting farming dorm mate who also decided to support Clyde as he felt they were most likely to win. I bought a ICT scarf outside from a stand, brought along by the ICT fans I guess. wrapped it round my neck and, parted with the mates, headed to the away end and bought a ticket. Back in the good old pay at the gate days.

The score was 2-1 to ICT. I remember Hislop rising like a salmon to score his best ICT goal (in my opinion) and most important. The fans jumping onto the pitch to celebrate with Keogh and Hislop. I then went home waving my new scarf in my Clyde mates face. Sadly, for him, his belief that St Johnstone would win and ruin our party was proved wrong and we won the league. Amazing time.

Having dropped out of college I got a new job. I had a dilemma I guess. Can't have 2 SPL teams. It was solved when asked by new colleagues who my team was. Quite simply "Inverness" was the answer. It just felt right. I had grown tired of the association with Rangers fans and the vile speel that could by heard at Ibrox. And I loved everything about ICT.

Since then I've followed ICT only, grown to quite dislike Rangers and the Old Firm in general. It was a long way to becoming an out and out ICT fan. Took maybe 6-7 years. But looking back - WELL WORTH IT.

I became a fan due to being in the area so often, had only ever supported my home town club up until then.

Luke, on the basis of the date of birth on your profile, "The Caley" played its last game a year almost to the day before you were born!

He cant be that young Charles surely, as I spotted him on tv recently with a full grown beard.

Celtic supporter from fairly young, 'cos sister (still) supports Rangers, but was not really interested that much in football..more interested in the arguments supporting opposing teams produced..but the Celtic/Rangers thing was passed down to the offspring on each side..and to the grandchildren. I blame myself for that.

Forres Mechanics supporter from the time I was old enough to be allowed to attend games on my own, then work selling tickets for the stand and head to away games on the team bus (supporters who travelled rarely travelled in enough numbers to warrant their own bus in them days). Have to admit that I haven't really come to terms with the modern fitba game. I still think 1 is the goalie, 2 is the right back, 3 is the left back, etc. and squad numbers on team lineups muddle me up immensely because I don't really know what they should be doing in the tactical scheme of things any more.

Got into ICT more through knowing kids from outside Inverness picked up by the youth system and following them via the Courier reports around seven/eight years ago...and liking what I read about the ICT set up and in Courier game reports, so I googled and got pointed here and to the original ICT official site. Though, tbh. if I could have read here without joining, I likely would have......but I am glad I couldn't, because I kinda appreciate the ability to pontificate without knowledge of much at all.(I do notice I am pontificating more as I get older and more opinionated..but I still don't attempt to understand or comment on game tactics, team lineups and the performances of players when I haven't yet worked out what they are meant to be doing on the field bar giving 100%)

ICT has, to my mind, retained the "family club" Highland League ethos in an SPL in which many/most of the other teams are frantically chasing success/money even to the point of bankruptcy........and I hope that never changes.

An aside.........

I'm looking forward to Ross County getting into the SPL and playing in Dingwall because I will be able to plant myself on a cousin in Ross-shire and drag her along to ICT/Ross County Derby games (or to shop while I attend games) so I can actually watch ICT playing, rather than just spend match days on the Match thread here listening to the Beeb. It's fun but not the same watching games against Wick Academy in Wick, because I can get there relatively easily, or games in Forres against Forres Mechanics because I happen to be down at the sister for the weekend. I've never managed to be in Inverness en route to elsewhere when ICT has been at home in the SPL, though I have managed a couple of u-19 games at the stadium over the years.

I started watching Clach when i was about 10 or 11 as my Aunts house overlooked the centre circle at Clach Park, so i would watch the games from her bedroom. When i started at the High School aged 12; i fell for this girl called Angela who was in my class! She invited me to a Caley match with her and some other class mates (she lived on Kenneth Street), so i went. I left Telford Street that day with a love for Caledonian FC! The girl sadly was forgotten about after that!

It was only natural that i follow ICT post Merger!

Luke, on the basis of the date of birth on your profile, "The Caley" played its last game a year almost to the day before you were born!

Heard of video tapes? :D

In a previous generation, I think I may very well have done so. Dodgy versions of same may well be what parents of the late70s and the 80s and 90s used to watch immediately before spawning children of that very era.

Edited March 31, 201214 yr by Charles Bannerman

My grandfather (Donald MacDonald, Dochfour Drive,) used to take me to Telford street in the late sixties. TBH I was more interested in collecting the empty lemonade bottles and returning them to the shop for the deposit. Oh, and I had an uncle called Joopy Mitchell who by all accounts was one of Caley's best ever players. My mother would send me to Diggars and you had to support the Caley if he was to cut your hair.