After a weekend off we are back in action in a couple of nights with a long trip to Queen of the South. One of the best away day trips has been ruined because of COVID-19 and the SPFL moving it to a Friday night for coverage on a TV channel that almost no one watches but don't let that get you down and tune in to the BBC Scotland channel from 19:30 on Friday to see us take on the Doonhamers. 

A really impressive win over early season "surprise" package Raith Rovers coupled with a number of players coming back from injury means confidence will surely be high ahead of this one. Queens are a shambles of a team thrown together last minute in a similar manner as we were at the start of the 17/18 season. That said, they've not performed that badly so it's not going to be an easy game but hopefully it's one we can win and keep up our remarkable run of results in Dumfries where we haven't lost since 2004! The last time we lost there Busted, one of the great UK heavy metal bands of the early noughties, were number one.

No need for streaming info although after 30 seconds of listening to Leanne Crichton and Jonathan Sutherland you may even be desperate enough for our commentator to take over...

Edited December 2, 20205 yr by RiG

Have to claw back our goal difference. 

What a tonic this match is. Robbo is a genius at working on a shoestring. Some fantastic individual performances, especially the young lads. But what I find most pleasing is the way they have played as a team, confidently passing and moving together. Looking forward to how this season plays out now. If we can build on this and keep these lads, we can do something sweet.

MacGregor named man of the match by the BBC. 

8 minutes ago, Robert said:

Long throw by Mckay, great turn and finish by Storey. 3-0!!

Sorry Moog!!

Happy to be wrong but i am watching it delayed by ten mins....

McGregor MOM, Devine must be close, he's done well tonight.

We had 3 teenagers and 5 21 or under out there tonight. Great to see the performances of Harper and MacGregor, as well as Kennedy. Allardice had a quieter game but Deas is building a decent partnership with Devine at the back  

We were well worth the win and I’ve a good feeling about this season.

They left at 1145 for the game and won’t be home until around 0300 so credit to them for the performance after such a long journey in poor weather, and largely dominating and getting a deserved win.

We should be aiming for at least second again based on the recent performances, and most heartening is that we have good youngsters and we will have strength in depth if we ever have everyone fit. 

Hats off to them all. A long journey, a cold night, but they lifted our spirits and give us something to look forward to in this crappest of years. 👏👏👏

Great interview with Roddy MacGregor: great to see how happy he was with the goal and win, and making the point he was playing out of position. Now he’s added goals he could become a fixture in our team even when all are fit. 

Edited December 4, 20205 yr by Robert

Excellent result.  Could have been 6.  Our youngsters are developing nicely. Devine's best match for a while.

So, onwards and upwards. Let's get a nice run going.

Always nice to get a win on. Friday night, puts you in a great mood for the weekend. 🍻

Agreed. We should move all our games to a Friday. The 5-0 against Morton was a Friday. 

Leanne Crichton has just summed Storey up nicely. He’s best when he has not got time to think about what to do!

Edited December 4, 20205 yr by Robert

Great performance tonight. Young lads really coming of age and grounds for optimism for the season ahead. Happy days.

Got to keep the pink strip now, lads, it's our talisman, and will strike fear and terror into the opposition,  because we're different, we're the Caley Thistle!

Excellent result and performance. Our young boys are improving with every game. The future looks good, if not this season look out for next. Super. 👍👍

40 minutes ago, Robert said:

Agreed. We should move all our games to a Friday. The 5-0 against Morton was a Friday. 

The first Friday night game I can remember was 1-4 at Dens Park.  I was torn about our last goal, because I had money on it being 1-3.

I can add little to what has been said. A great performance from a largely young and inexperienced squad.

For those that were grumbling about Robbo after the Betrfed Cup and losses to Hearts and The Pars, just who else could do better with the resources at his disposal ?

Robbo took us up to the top division once before and is well placed to do so again. After watching that display, it could even well be this season.

While I was watching the football, my wife was watching a live stream of Scooty and the Skyhooks from the Ironworks in aid of the Highland Hospice. We have rewound it and are watching it again and it is a great gig and well worth watching, not just as they are Caley Thistle fans.

It is on You Tube and Facebook under “Party at your place” for Highland Hospice Christmas party nights. There are events on the next two Fridays too, but if you can find tonight’s and donate I’m sure the Hospice will be very grateful and you will enjoy it.

It is really rounding off one of my most enjoyable days since this virus disrupted all our lives!

18 minutes ago, Kingsmills said:

I can add little to what has been said. A great performance from a largely young and inexperienced squad.

For those that were grumbling about Robbo after the Betrfed Cup and losses to Hearts and The Pars, just who else could do better with the resources at his disposal ?

Robbo took us up to the top division once before and is well placed to do so again. After watching that display, it could even well be this season.

I know this is aimed at me 😛 so I'm going to give credit where credit is due.  It seems that the injuries hampered us more than I thought but now the guys are back (with more to return) we look a completely different team :).

Kai Kennedy was sensational tonight, hopefully his loan gets extended until the end of the season.  

 

Imho, not one failure out on that pitch tonight, or in the dugout -P. 

 

Queens were dire though, they look like contenders for relegation let alone play offs, which is where Jonathan Sutherland thinks they will be looking towards.

Fantastic night, hopefully Scotland do the business tomorrow to make my weekend even more fantastic

What a fabulous uplifting win. Great performances right throughout the team. The youngsters are really coming to the fore. Roddy MacGregor deserved MotM. Onwards and upwards.

It seems from the PotY polls that the referees are getting higher ratings this season.  Is this because in the current climate we are all being a bit more forgiving, or are referees actually making better decisions when there is no crowd to constantly howl down every decision they make?  

1 hour ago, DoofersDad said:

It seems from the PotY polls that the referees are getting higher ratings this season.  Is this because in the current climate we are all being a bit more forgiving, or are referees actually making better decisions when there is no crowd to constantly howl down every decision they make?  

I think they are less biased by the reaction of home fans so decisions are probably more balanced.

That said, Allardice deserved a yellow he didn’t get just before a Queens player got one for a challenge on him that didn’t deserve a card.

In March, I think that would have been reversed and we’d have had no complaints. 

Edited December 5, 20205 yr by Robert

All we want now is for Ryan to be sold to an English Premiership side in January and for the finances of the club to be strengthened. That was a polished performance last night. Kai is great to watch. Roddy must now stay grounded - his goal was top class. Harper is a competent replacement for Carl. The key was playing as a team.  Deas and Divine both had very competent performances.  Storey may be re-discovering himself. Keatings is pretty confident too. Who would have thought ICT would shine in pink!!!

10 hours ago, The Long Man said:

What a tonic this match is. Robbo is a genius at working on a shoestring. Some fantastic individual performances, especially the young lads. But what I find most pleasing is the way they have played as a team, confidently passing and moving together. Looking forward to how this season plays out now. If we can build on this and keep these lads, we can do something sweet.

Watched it on BBC Scotland with my wife, really enjoyed it. I said earlier in the season that with so many changes and injuries, the team needed a bit of time to gel, and they certainly look that way now. Who would have thought that a midfield two of MacGregor and Allardice would look so strong, and to think we have options of Welsh, Vincent and Carson (when fit) bodes well for the rest of the season. Defensively looking pretty good too, Harper is really impressing me, I think he made only one mistake, Deas is class and Devine is settling in. Brad did little wrong yesterday, but I'd like to see someone similar to Harper on the right in the long term.

Robinson seems to have hit on a good format up front, Sutherland is a quietly effective player who seems to be rotating between right wing and further forward through the game with Storey and its working. I think Keatings is probably the cleverest of the lot, but his final goes awry sometimes. Kennedy really is a bonus for us this season, fair play to those who got him in and to the player himself, who works constantly. The key to our season maybe be whether we can extend his loan in January, as it also benefits us that Doran dosn't have to be used continuously (with his injury record).

I think MOTM went deservedly to MacGregor, but he had a few guys on his coat tails especially Deas and Kennedy

Have to say that I much prefer watching Caley at the moment, than my English team Palace, who have been coached into relentlessly boring and defensive football by Hodgson despite have some great offensive talent....I wonder how well Robbo would do down here!

Edited December 5, 20205 yr by Eagle4Caley

Really impressed by this team performance.   The off the ball harrying and closing down by the team is excellent and they add to that by lightning quick breaks. Some of the one touch stuff was brilliant. So good to see players looking for the ball and moving into space. The number of times Allardice is able to intercept and break up attacks is excellent and the basis for so many of the breaks up the field. Great to have Kennedy who now demands the thoughts of two defenders every time freeing up room for others. Devine had a great game as well. All 3 goals were crackers and on another night it could have been 5! Magic for the young lads to get this opportunity and to take it on national TV. Will have turned a few southern heads!