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.

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Match/Ticket Info

Scottish Cup Update

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With Queens Park being dumped out of the Scottish Cup, we now face Livingston away next Saturday 11th February 

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 weakened 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 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. 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.

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.

2 hours ago, Douglas Mackenzie said:

Think we just have to accept we will be lucky if we make the playoffs and if we do we will not go far.This is not being negative its being realistic. 

Then the excuses will come starting with injuries,followed by we were unlucky in some games and probably will include we had to play young boys.

Then we will be told next season will be different and we are going for it,because we are going to do exactly what we have done for the last few seasons.

We will roll up and watch more of hoof the high ball to the small strikers,get ourselves frustrated,sit in the freezing cold on dark days and night and moan on here.

Oh well seems the timeline for being an ICT fan is much of 'more of the same' and so it will continue until the club grasps the nettle and makes changes across the club until the whole mineset and outlook is changed for the better.

Realistically we are a championship team.Is there any player fit for the Premier other than Ridgers and Deas.

We will also finally get some communication from the club wanting money for season tickets and telling us yet again how we have got exciting times ahead and how we are going for promotion. Never felt so disconnected from the club in all these years. 

My moan from yesterday was not getting half time draw tickets, none for sale on the way in where the ticket seller usually stands inside the entrance of the north stand.  Someone said at half time there was someone over the wall on the edge of the pitch selling them.  They don't even try to get money!

3 hours ago, bdu98196 said:

hope Killie come back down again.

Up to a point, yes, but they had such a Billy big baws attitude last year about their support that we all deserve a couple of years off 😂

1 hour ago, IBM said:

My moan from yesterday was not getting half time draw tickets, none for sale on the way in where the ticket seller usually stands inside the entrance of the north stand.  Someone said at half time there was someone over the wall on the edge of the pitch selling them.  They don't even try to get money!

Yeah it was strange there was no seller at the North Stand entrance, the chap who was with Lionel Nessie was selling them. 

1 hour ago, IBM said:

My moan from yesterday was not getting half time draw tickets, none for sale on the way in where the ticket seller usually stands inside the entrance of the north stand.  Someone said at half time there was someone over the wall on the edge of the pitch selling them.  They don't even try to get money!

They had a guy walking up the stairs in the main stand trying to sell some.

I suggested to the CEO that as money is so tight for the club, we should sell more raffle tickets and to do that, you set a table up, just as after folk come through the doors, just as they do in most highland league grounds, and ask everyone who comes in if they'd like to buy a raffle for £1 and tell them the prizes. The CEO seemed to think it was a good idea, and did nothing about it. It's just typical of the little things the club could be doing but don't. 

3 hours ago, IBM said:

My moan from yesterday was not getting half time draw tickets, none for sale on the way in where the ticket seller usually stands inside the entrance of the north stand.  Someone said at half time there was someone over the wall on the edge of the pitch selling them.  They don't even try to get money!

The guy escorting Nessie was selling them! Yes I know....lol 

I wasn't at the game but looking at the goals both are utterly appalling to concede.  

The first goal, Delaney hits an inexplicable pass to nobody that is intercepted, run back by Miller who then finishes well.  Delaney is under no pressure, he has both centre backs available for a simple offload, but he looks like he's got caught in two minds between switching it to Carson and playing it square to Devine.  He does neither and we end up conceding a really poor goal.

The second goal is just awful - standard long ball down the line for the striker to chase, Duffy gets there first but just falls over, Muirhead runs the ball in and finishes well.  Duffy outpaced Muirhead and got back, it looks to me like he's trying to get his feet set to recycle possession either by knocking it back to Ridgers or turning towards the line.  He should have probably just launched it into the stand or even if he was feeling strong, the Moray Firth.

Delaney is young and doesn't have a great deal of experience, Duffy has a bit more.  Hopefully the coaches are reinforcing the need to keep things tight against Livingston, who will annihiliate us if we make mistakes like this against them

On 2/4/2023 at 11:58 PM, WYNESS101 said:

Billy Dodds OUT

Counting the weeks as YES it will eventually happen. Actually think the team would play better football without any manager supposed to that clueless clown in charge . 

Got to say I really had to dig deep on Saturday to attend the match. I ignored my brian saying you’re a mug to keep watching this excuse of a team and sit in freezing weather to boot. 
My choice to ignore the weather, but I’m dammed if I will turn up to buy lukewarm bovril, use toilets that have no lights, soap, hot water or paper towels, then enjoy 90 minutes of the best ICTFC can offer. 
Like most of the dinosaur fans that have followed the team from the highland league days, we can see just how shallow we are as a club! 
Whilst the young kids get our support as they break through, there is no way in my opinion this team could get into the top league. The fact is we don’t deserve it!  
I have to be upfront and honest to myself. I just can see myself continuing to think next season will be different!! And that’s where I drop out (like a lot of more others)!!

You should have listened to Brian 😀

On 2/5/2023 at 5:42 PM, Douglas Mackenzie said:

Realistically we are a championship team.Is there any player fit for the Premier other than Ridgers and Deas.

Totally agree. There is no way the current squad would survive a season in SPL..no chance. The club would need a massive injection of cash to be able to buy players and pay their wage. Where would that money come from? Potential sponsors maybe? That wont be near enough in my opinion. Championship football (or lower ) is all we can hope for in the foreseeable future. Sad but true. Bigger crowds would help but the way the club is currently that wont happen either.