Ochilview View

It's been a hectic month so far and there's no rest for the wicked as the Caley Jags head for Ochilview to take on fellow title contenders Stenhousemuir in the latest six-pointer in League1. The Warriors are one of only two teams who have beaten the Caley Jags on League duty this season, the other being Hamilton away. They won the first fixture between the clubs up in the Highlands on the 16thAugust when they stunned the home support by coming from behind to run out 1-2 winners. A Paul Allan penalty set us up nicely but Matty Aitken scored from the spot ten minutes before the break after a dubious penalty award. Ross Taylor scored a second after Stenhousemuir managed to park the bus and on a rare foray forward stole the points ten minutes from the end. It had been a frustrating afternoon for the hosts who dominated everything except putting the ball in the net more than our opponents. We avenged the Hamilton defeat in style last week and will be looking to avenge our lapse from matchday 3. The depth of our squad is much improved from the start of the season as shown in the midweek nine goal thrashing of a young Dumbarton side in the KDM Trophy where we were able to make eight changes from the side that beat Accies last Saturday.

🎅 Merry Xmas when it comes from all at CTO 🎅

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***Pyrotechnics Warning***

Match/Ticket/Travel/Info

Adam MacKinnon contract extended

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The squad that put four past Accies last week. We also went goal happy in midweek in the KDM Trophy at Dumbarton with Alfie Bavidge bagging four of our nine goals. 12 goals scored in the last six League games with only one conceded at Alloa.

League1 last six

1. P'Head 0-1 ICTFC

2. ICTFC 1-0 Monty

3. ICTFC 1-0 Cove

4. ICTFC 4-0 QotS

5. Alloa 1-1 ICTFC

6. ICTFC 4-0 Accies

Unfortunately a section of our support have been guilty of undesirable conduct during and after the Hamilton game which has led to the club issuing a warning statement:

The good will and deserved plaudits the club have been delighted to extend to other clubs recently were completely negated on Saturday by the behaviour of a small section of the home support both during and after the match.

Despite the previous warning with regards Pyrotechnics, these made a reappearance both at the start of and during the match culminating in one such device being thrown onto the pitch causing the referee to pause the match while it was dealt with. This will be included in the referees’ report and could result in financial and restriction actions being taken against the club. This means there will be less funds available to the manager and the club to continue improving both the team and the stadium facilities.

Following the match, the behaviour of this group in the goading and subsequent attempt to clash at the visitor’s buses in the car park will not be tolerated by the club. This is classified as a public order offence, and any repeat could see the club being forced to have a police presence at the stadium on match day along with increased stewarding numbers which again will have a huge financial impact on the club and the desire of the new owner to improve the club in all areas FULL STATEMENT

Stenhousemuir slumped to a 3-0 defeat at Montrose last week and have not been on the best run of results of late.

D D L W D L The last six league games started with a decent draw at Palmerston (1-1) followed by another draw at home to Kelty (2-2). Defeat at East Fife (1-0) then their best result, a 4-1 win at Peterhead. The goalless draw at home to Accies was then followed by their worst result, a 3-0 reverse at Montrose.

Pos	Team	Pld	Gd	Pts
1	ICTFC	16	22	33
2	Alloa	17	11	28
3	Stenny	17	4	27
4	QotSth	17	0	25
5	E Fife	16	-1	25
6	P'Head	17	-8	23
7	Monty	17	-9	21
8	Accies	17	14	13
9	Cove	17	-11	10
10	Kelty	17	-22	9

Here's your League1 fixtures for this weekend

Upcoming fixtures & titbits

After our record breaking goalfest at Dumbarton in midweek, the Caley Jags will travel to Firhill on 6th January in the last 16 of the KDM Trophy. This game will be shown live on BBC Alba with a 19:45 kick-off.

Our final fixture of the year will be at Montrose on Saturday 27th December. Hope they get their pitch sorted before then...

Liam Sole will be at Inverness for the rest of the season, and Adam MacKinnon has extended his contract until the end of season 26/27. Good to see Scott Kellacher getting his business done early to give us the best possible chance of chasing top spot.

Forward Sam Reid has joined Wick Academy on a short term loan.

Last but not least: Thanks to Scott Young for seeing us through the mire.

"After careful consideration, I have made the decision to step down from my position on the club’s Financial Board. This was not an easy choice, but I believe it is the right one for both myself and the club at this time. I am proud of the work we have accomplished together, and I remain fully supportive of Alan and the board as it continues to guide the club’s financial strategy." FULL STATEMENT FROM SCOTT YOUNG"

Adam MacKinnon has extended his contract until the end of season 25/26

I think this is supposed to be 26/27.

Thanks for the preview as always 🙏

It is 26/27. Adam Mackinnon signs new contract extension  - ICTFC

11 hours ago, ICTPaisley said:

Adam MacKinnon has extended his contract until the end of season 25/26

I think this is supposed to be 26/27.

Thanks for the preview as always 🙏

Cheers ICTP

Slip of the tongue. It is as the link said 26/27

The view from Ochilview: It is the home ground of Scottish League One club Stenhousemuir. The stadium has a capacity of 3,746 with 626 seated. Ochilview was opened in 1890 and has been the home of Stenhousemuir since then. Pitch Size: 110 x 72 yards ; Address: Gladstone Rd, Stenhousemuir. The pitch is 4g artificial surface.

Ochilview Park ⚽ hosts a full-size 11s pitch and 2 five-a-side pods 🏟️ which are available for use 7 days a week. All pitches were upgraded to the latest FIFA approved artificial surface in 2022. Changing rooms 🚿, showers 🚿, and car parking 🅿️ are available for all users.

Here are some quirky facts about Stenhousemuir:

• Mystery Floodlight Donor: In 1945, Stenhousemuir's Ochilview Park became a pioneer in floodlit football, funded by a local butcher whose identity was a secret until later revealed as Tom Douglas, adding a touch of intrigue to the club's early days.

• Cattle Statues: The prominent Highland Cattle statues aren't for the old toffee factory, but commemorate the historic Falkirk Tryst, where drovers brought cattle from the Highlands to sell, linking the town to ancient trading routes.

• The "Laughing & Greetin' Bridge": The Union Canal runs through Stenhousemuir, featuring the "Laughing and Greetin' Bridge" (named for the sounds of people passing under it) and a tunnel designed to hide canal traffic from the owners of Callendar House.

• Toffee & Tryst History: The area was once home to McCowan's Toffee, a major local factory, but its heritage is also deeply tied to the great cattle markets that shaped the region, a history symbolized today by the cattle statues.

• Whispers of a Lost Tower: A tower house, Stenhouse, once stood in the area, built in 1622, adding another layer to the town's long history before it was significantly altered and eventually lost to modern development.

So if bavidge doesnt score 4 goals does Zimba get back in......

Thanks for the great information about Ochilview and about Stenhousemuir. But my wife, most of whose family come from Stenny, reckons you've been using AI

There are no canals anywhere near Stenhousemuir. The Union Canal starts at the Falkirk Wheel - west of Falkirk, south of Stenny - and runs round the south of Falkirk to Edinburgh, hence the tunnel to hide it from Callendar House.

The Laughin' and Greetin' Bridge is SE of one end of the tunnel, in Glen Village. https://unioncanalunlocked.org.uk/laughin-greetin-bridge.php - "On the Falkirk side the face is greetin because the section of canal involved blasting a tunnel through a hillside and building a flight of eleven locks to join up with the Forth & Clyde canal. The contractor went bankrupt! While the laughin face smiles towards the east which was far easier in comparison and the contractor made a tidy sum."

My wife does remember the Stenhouse tower house, which was demolished in 1967 - https://falkirklocalhistory.club/around-the-area/houses-and-estates/stenhouse-2-2/

Even I remember the toffee factory, next door to Ochilview. The smell outside was great, especially if they were making something like banana or raspberry toffee.

If you don't read non-ICT threads, you won't have seen that when we were in Stenny a week ago, one of my wife's relatives was moaning about us having an advantage that no other club has - we don't owe anyone any money. Of course I made sure he knew what we'd had to go through to get to that situation, but he kept on moaning.

So I will settle for nothing less than another 0-9 today!

My friend AI said it.....

So it must be true 😂

Well that was a boring first half

3 minutes ago, IBM said:

Well that was a boring first half

But 9 goals to come in the second

1 hour ago, snorbens_caleyman said:

If you don't read non-ICT threads, you won't have seen that when we were in Stenny a week ago, one of my wife's relatives was moaning about us having an advantage that no other club has - we don't owe anyone any money. Of course I made sure he knew what we'd had to go through to get to that situation, but he kept on moaning.

Time to phone him and moan about clubs putting themselves in hock to buy success

From the BBC reports and stats, that looks like one we should have won by a barrowload....

Once again we only lose to the teams that are just about within reach of us.

Maybe we need a deeper squad, or buy Hale in Jan. Stenny had four subs I see and a man sent off. They must have parked the bus for the last quarter. Just wasn’t to be today.

See Dumbarton squeezed a draw today.

bc

Sounds like it just wasn’t our day, whilst Stenny are becoming a bit of a bogey side for us.

There were always going to be set backs this season and the key now is how we bounce back at Montrose next Saturday.

The Management Team and players have got us into a good position, one we’d all have been delighted with before the season started, and I’m sure we will come back strongly again.

3 shots, 3 on target.

That's efficient, we however, were totally wasteful.

JUSTICE FOR ZIMBA!!!!!

FREE THE BENCHED ONE!!!!

To be fair, Bavidge did have one shot, in the 93rd minute.

Didn't test the keeper.

We dominated possession from start to finish but couldn’t create clear chances, lacked sharpness and soon ran out of ideas. We could’ve played all night and wouldn't have scored. Even in the last 10 minutes against 10 men we had little to offer in the final third except the same predictable stuff we’d been doing all match. Stenny were organised but did nothing special and all they had to do was do the basics well to keep us at bay.

So we didn’t do enough to win but shouldn’t have lost either. The soft goal we conceded was a rare foray from them into our box, and I think the defending and goalkeeping should have been better as they fired the ball through the keeper from a tight angle.

Today was so disappointing after our recent good form and attacking prowess.

That was poor but probably should have been 0-0. Pretty obvious we need a goalie if/when we go up. I’ve always felt that Gary Naysmith is the best manager in the league and Kel might struggle in the Championship. Kudos to Stenny for keeping the league alive - if we’d got our just desserts, I.e. a win at home and a draw today, we’d be 12 points ahead with a game in hand.

1 hour ago, The Mantis said:

That was poor but probably should have been 0-0. Pretty obvious we need a goalie if/when we go up. I’ve always felt that Gary Naysmith is the best manager in the league and Kel might struggle in the Championship. Kudos to Stenny for keeping the league alive - if we’d got our just desserts, I.e. a win at home and a draw today, we’d be 12 points ahead with a game

13 hours ago, Yngwie said:

We dominated possession from start to finish but couldn’t create clear chances, lacked sharpness and soon ran out of ideas. We could’ve played all night and wouldn't have scored. Even in the last 10 minutes against 10 men we had little to offer in the final third except the same predictable stuff we’d been doing all match. Stenny were organised but did nothing special and all they had to do was do the basics well to keep us at bay.

So we didn’t do enough to win but shouldn’t have lost either. The soft goal we conceded was a rare foray from them into our box, and I think the defending and goalkeeping should have been better as they fired the ball through the keeper from a tight angle.

Today was so disappointing after our recent good form and attacking prowess.

I was going to post my game thoughts but this sums them up. Spot on.

14 hours ago, The Mantis said:

That was poor but probably should have been 0-0. Pretty obvious ………….

Some decent postings on the P&B this week. Got the usual ‘rotten ref’, ‘just sat in’ and ‘didn’t deserve to loose’ mutterings.

A few however are looking at things from a perspective of what is needed if and when we get promoted. Whilst that’s still a bit presumptuous there’s a good reason to think we should at least be prepared to play at that level.

In the event we get there, then Charlie Bhoy will (I hope), will put aside emotional leanings (ie R Foran syndrome), and look with a cold-eye on what is needed to not come straight back down. For me just about every team in this league (div 3 to me), would be immediately relegated from the Championship, (for player quality, management structure, finance & fan base).

The measure for what is required to stay in the Championship cannot be taken from our performances and results this season. I won’t mention any position or player here, however one feature I believe we will require to increase is the physical part. Some current players tick this box. There are positions however that will be quickly found out in the Championship and need addressed.

Let’s see where we are in April, but we should avoid ‘doing a Labour’ if we get promoted.

bc

Edited December 21, 2025Dec 21 by big cherly

An interesting perspective bc, thanks for sharing it.

To me, since being appointed the management team have been tasked with two things:

1. Keeping us in League 1 last season.

2. Building a squad and then getting us promoted to the Championship this season.

They achieved the first surprisingly comfortably last season.

The second is “work in progress” but, largely, so far so good.

We know from the Fans’ Meeting a few months ago that the club has options in place to extend the contracts of a number of players (with a wage increase) should we achieve promotion. We don’t know which players are in that position but hopefully those seen as having the ability to step up.

We’ve also seen Adam MacKinnon sign a contract extension and, in my opinion, he can do a good job at Championship level.

If we do get promoted, I’m sure that the Management Team will remain in place and be given the opportunity to show what they can do in the Championship.

Alan Savage has made funding available to build a squad capable of getting us promoted, and I’m sure will do the same with a view to enabling us to establish ourselves as a Championship side again.

That will then be the third task given to the Management Team.

3 hours ago, big cherly said:

Some decent postings on the P&B this week. Got the usual ‘rotten ref’, ‘just sat in’ and ‘didn’t deserve to loose’ mutterings.

A few however are looking at things from a perspective of what is needed if and when we get promoted. Whilst that’s still a bit presumptuous there’s a good reason to think we should at least be prepared to play at that level.

In the event we get there, then Charlie Bhoy will (I hope), will put aside emotional leanings (ie R Foran syndrome), and look with a cold-eye on what is needed to not come straight back down. For me just about every team in this league (div 3 to me), would be immediately relegated from the Championship, (for player quality, management structure, finance & fan base).

The measure for what is required to stay in the Championship cannot be taken from our performances and results this season. I won’t mention any position or player here, however one feature I believe we will require to increase is the physical part. Some current players tick this box. There are positions however that will be quickly found out in the Championship and need addressed.

Let’s see where we are in April, but we should avoid ‘doing a Labour’ if we get promoted.

bc

The ref was far more rotten to Stennie. We were poor yesterday. We move on...