No Hiding Place

 

It's Play-Off time:  There's no hiding place now as we enter the first leg of the Premiership Play-Offs at Firhill to take on fourth place Championship finishers Partick Thistle. After a Championship campaign that saw more ups and downs than fair fortnight on the Big Dipper at Blackpool Pleasure Beach, it's now crunch time for all the Premiership contenders. Arbroath await the winners of this two-leg tie after they fell just two points short of automatic promotion with Killie making the step up. What a season for Dick Campbell and his Smokies though. However, it's one game at a time and let's see how far that will take us.

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FRIDAY - MATCH/TICKET/HOSPITALITY INFO

We come into the play-offs on the back of a resounding 4-0 win over Hamilton Accies in the final game of the regular campaign. With one or two rested, it was a great opportunity for others to stake a claim for a start in this important finale to the season. Not much was anticipated ahead of that game with Accies also a bit understrength, but Inverness blew Accies away with a four goal first half blitz. Gone were the long hopeful punts forward to be replaced by slick interplay and incisive passing and clinical finishing. A joy to behold at times as we bemused hapless Hamilton. Tremendous team goals from Walsh (2), Sutherland and a first for wee Joe Hardy enabled us to cruise through the second half without getting out of second gear. 

Partick also rested players ahead of this one but they were turned over 3-1 by Ayr United. Expect them to be at full strength though when we visit as thorns in our side Brian Graham and Scott Tiffoney missed out at Somerset Park.

Venue H2H v Partick (all)

Pld

Won

Drn

Lst

For

Agst

+ / -

Home	22	9	6	7	36	33	+3
Away	21	5	6	10	21	29	-8
Neutral	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Total	43	14	12	17	57	62	-5

 

One win apiece and two draws is the tale of the tape this season.

CTO Sep11th 3-1: After a difficult first half, Inverness ran out comfortable winners against Partick Thistle in a second half goal blitz. The visitors dominated the first forty-five and Scott Tiffoney drilled the opener out of nothing as the defence backed off. Manny Duku was denied by a combination of keeper and post but it was Partick that should have scored a second, however Mark Ridgers did well to deny Brian Graham. Harsh talking at the break saw Inverness come out for the second half with the bit between the teeth and Kirk Broadfoot was the unlikely hero as his twenty yard shot evaded the outstretched fingertips of the keeper to level the score. Shane Sutherland did well to drill in the second from an angle after the keeper fluffed his lines allowing Shane to slot in from twenty yards. The third was a peach as Duku stepped over the ball and Aaron Doran fired high into the net for a brilliant goal and game over. That's five wins out of five and the run goes on...

CTO Oct30th: Caley Jags pay the penalty 0-0:  Partick Thistle survived to earn a point after the woodwork saved them twice and keeper Jamie Sneddon denied Sean Welsh from the spot after guessing the right way. Inverness were well on top but it's only a point which means Killie pull further away at the top. Performance of the day was from Arbroath who came from two down to beat Dunfermline Athletic 4-2.

CTO Feb9th: Late Leveller 3-3:  Partick Thistle struck early to add to our gloom through Brian Graham but Billy Mckay squared the game after twenty minutes with a close range finish from a Carson cross. Graham scored his second with a header soon after, Scott Tiffoney once again the provider and he almost scored one for himself but for a fine save from Ridgers. Shane Sutherland equalised just on the interval with a header from a McAlear corner. With twenty minutes left Deas conceded a stone wall penalty and Graham notched his hat-trick. Substitute Cammy Harper drove into the box but Sneddon blocked his shot and moments later Pearson appeared to hit the bar with an angled drive from twelve yards and Mckay rolled one past the post. We got the draw with the last head of the ball deep into stoppage time when Broadfoot headed in a cross from McAlear.

CTO Mar4th: The slide goes on: 1-0  On a pitch resembling the aftermath of the battle of the Somme, Inverness blew any lingering hopes of promotion with another unacceptable performance at Firhill. Billy Dodds keeps telling us that training is going well. Stats will show something like nineteen shots with only one on target. What the hell do we actually practice? On the plus side, a cut and paste of his post match report will suffice as it's been the same story for almost three months now. Absolutely abysmal, the lifeblood seems to have been sucked right out of the whole team, management and long suffering support. Kevin Holt scored the only goal in the 85th minute after a low corner was driven through a ruck of bodies in the penalty box into the centre of the goal. Game over, season over and surely Dodds over and out!

Apologies to Dodds and the team  we have managed to turn it round again and here we are, ready for the play-offs, but that 11 match run was a nightmare.

***Dates for your diary***

CINCH PREMIERSHIP PLAY-OFFS

Tuesday May 3
Quarter-final, 1st leg 
Partick Thistle v Inverness CT
Live on BBC Scotland, kick-off 7.05pm

Friday May 6
Quarter-final, 2nd leg
Inverness CT v Partick Thistle
Live on BBC Scotland, kick-off 7.45pm

Latest Team News

Scott Allardice is the one long term casualty and Wallace Duffy took a knock in midweek against Hamilton. Some legs were spared in midweek but I would be expecting them to feature in the play-off games. 

Brian Graham and Scott Tiffoney missed the loss to Ayr United but will be important players for Partick in these games.

Fans Player of the Year David Carson 

 

Some of these would be much appreciated

 

 

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14 hours ago, Robert said:

Allardice is back in the squad and on the bench tonight.

Strong team, but we need to handle Graham and Tiffoney better than we did in the 3-3 draw.

Ridgers

Carson Broadfoot Devine Deas

Walsh Welsh McAlear Chalmers

Mckay Sutherland

with MacKay, Harper, Allardice, Samuels, Hardy and Hyde on the bench.

No sign of Doran or Duffy.

Sutherland played on the right wing and Walsh, whilst he was on, operated behind Mckay. After he went off McAlear played as the 10 with Hyde alongside Welsh. We only went 442 when Samuels came on.

We started really brightly but the Walsh injury seemed to knock us off our stride and we resorted to the typical hoofball that led to us going 11 games without a win. We probably edged possession without doing too much with it and always looked shaky at the back for long periods of time. Only when Samuels came on and we attacked the Thistle full backs did things seemingly turn back in our favour. Deas seemed to be getting forward a lot more than usual and even Carson seemed to be overlapping Sutherland a lot more in the first half. We really had Thistle pinned back. But with Walsh going off McAlear didn't offer much when pressed further forward and Akinola ate up every high ball battered towards Mckay before we actually tried to stretch the play by using our wide men / full backs on the flanks.

Sutherland was very good again and took his chance well before that peach of a cross for the winner. Holt and Akinola seemed to be playing really high up and left a lot of space between them and Sneddon which I guess is why Samuels was sent on. I am not convinced about him but if you want anything from the guy he needs space to run into and last night was that kind of game to be effective.

Deas was absolutely superb and Carson, despite his incredible brain fart that should have cost us a goal, handled Tiffoney well. If Partick couldn't get the ball to him there seemed to be little else they had in their locker.

Whilst I am delighted to come back and get the win the tie is far from over and we need to perform like we did in the first 15 minutes for the full 90 on Friday if we want to go through.

I'm going to stick my neck out and say that Samuels could be a really good signing. I was very impressed with him against Kilmarnock, where he proved a decent physical match for Ash Taylor and he has pace to burn. He's clearly not a winger - we learnt that from the games at Hamilton and Partick earlier in the season. But I think with a run of games he could do really well. Obviously Sutherland's wonderful cross was the main factor in the goal but Samuels' instincts to attack that area of the boss, to get the jump on Akinola, were very encouraging.

Chalmers is developing his game a lot with ICT. He looks more confident now and caused Partick problems. More of that on Friday would be great. With a goal chucked in 😁

Still buzzing. That was a night and a half. A long time since I've enjoyed a game as much. Brilliant support. 

We have managed to get ourselves into a strong position ahead of Friday's game, with a bit more football played on a much better pitch we should have enough to finish them off.

A strong start and calm heads required, they will come at us hard, dont give them anything to get excited about...we should be able to pick them off and win the tie by a couple of goals at least.

So what did you think Dodds was doing when he took off Chalmers and Mckay and put on Harper and Hardy?

I reckoned that, having just equalised, he was settling for the draw, and saving two of his key players for Friday, protecting them from both the pitch and from Partick.

Didn't quite work out that way ....

That was my thinking too, done for squad rotation purposes.

Mckay and Chalmers, especially the latter, looked absolutely burst. He had also been booked and, I think, he had another foul afterwards which had the Partick players clamouring for a second yellow so perhaps this was also in Dodds' mind. Billy had been doing a power of running and was getting little change out of Akinola and Holt so a good chance to bring on fresh legs and try and keep the pressure on Partick IMO.

Billy had run himself into the ground by then, and chalmers was on a very generous yellow card.

Hardy has done well coming on in both the matches at firhill, has a good touch and links the play quickly - we have opened them up down the middle a fair bit more when he has been on.

Despite his size he does cause problems.

Is it time for me to say it yet? 

3 minutes ago, Moogthurso said:

Is it time for me to say it yet? 

Yes. As long as belief doesn't morph into complacency.

 

 

Oooooft!

 

 

 

Back in London after my trip up...well worth it

Firstly the pitch was awful, could have cost us in injuries, goals conceded, bookings due to mistimed tackles, so getting through the game with a win was terrific, although gutting for Walsh who had looked bright

Second the support was magnificent, and some great songs, it reminded me of some of the great nights at Palace when the crowd are in full cry, awesome stuff.

Overall everybody did a great job over the 90+ minutes, although I could have done without the Carson backpass [I'm blaming the pitch]

Hardy did better than I expected when he came on, his reverse ball to Sutherland for the 2nd goal was great, terrific pass from Shane and great movement from Samuels [I have high hopes for him].

Generally speaking we were better in all departments, but the pitched levelled it a bit, and football can do funny things so the mantrea 'one game at a time' definitely rings true here

A real bonus to see Allardice on the subs bench, he looks pretty trim, MacGregor I'm assuming rested because of a slight knock or reaction, let's hope both get the opportunity to play against Arbroath if [IF] we finish the job on Friday.

Finally first time I have seen Hyde, he looks quite a 'tank' [in a strong way] another bonus from the academy

 

Absolutely fantastic!!

Hope we can finish the job on Friday and move on to Arbroath which will be tougher than Partick. The Lichties always look organised and have a good shape.

We need to play along the ground a lot more : when we did we looked a lot more dangerous and had 2 or 3 great moves when we did.

 

 

 

PREVIEW FOR RETURN LEG

Maybe just keep this topic open for both legs

 

 

 

 

 

9 minutes ago, tm4tj said:

PREVIEW FOR RETURN LEG

Maybe just keep this topic open for both legs

 

 

 

 

 

Another display like Tuesday but on a better pitch and with Carson, Broadfoot and Ridgers making fewer mistakes and we will be fine.

 

37 minutes ago, Kingsmills said:

Another display like Tuesday but on a better pitch and with Carson, Broadfoot and Ridgers making fewer mistakes and we will be fine.

 

Yes I am looking forward to it with a good forecast should be a good night, get in there 

I noticed in the ICT Ticket information they have posted the following;

Roughly 50% of ticket fees, after some costs, are retained by the SPFL and therefore unfortunately, we cannot include this game in Season Tickets.

It's the SPFL that are making money from this and not the clubs which should be the case for reaching the playoffs.

I did not know this was the case.

I will be there to support the team regardless of where the money goes but it stinks!

3 minutes ago, IBM said:

I noticed in the ICT Ticket information they have posted the following;

Roughly 50% of ticket fees, after some costs, are retained by the SPFL and therefore unfortunately, we cannot include this game in Season Tickets.

It's the SPFL that are making money from this and not the clubs which should be the case for reaching the playoffs.

I did not know this was the case.

I will be there to support the team regardless of where the money goes but it stinks!

I say, they have to bleed everyone else dry for the 'good' of the two ugly sisters. 

8 minutes ago, No Shin Guards said:

I say, they have to bleed everyone else dry for the 'good' of the two ugly sisters. 

That seems to be the case.

57 minutes ago, IBM said:

That seems to be the case.

Actually, for once, it was the othrr way round stemming from when The Rangers were in the playoffs.

No confidence that this rule was introduced the week before their match at Ibtox.

Made sense then that a million pound + gate should be shared.

Makes far less sense now depriving clubs with very limited budgets of money hard earned and should be repealed.

I’m looking forward to tonight’s game, but the job is only half done and it could be a bumpy ride.

We’ve played Partick five times this season. One game finished goalless, but they have led in the other four, including taking the lead three times in the 3-3 draw a few months ago.

There have been 10 goals in the two home games against them.

The players will be up for it and I hope we start on the front foot and take the game to Partick, playing to our strengths. I don’t think we should set out to defend our slender advantage as that will be playing into Patrick’s hands.

The fans need to be behind the players throughout, even if we fall behind.

This game is ours for the taking.