It's been a long slog but we have battled our way through to the final of the KDM Trophy where we will face Raith Rovers at the neutral venue of Firhill in Glasgow. It's been quite a journey since we played our first Challenge Cup game at Elgin back on the 12th of August last year. Eight months and another ten games later we will face-off against Championship side Raith Rovers in the final. It's been some trek and we are unbeaten up to the final having won all ten matches so far scoring a total of 41 goals and conceding 8, eliminating two Championship sides in Partick Thistle and Ayr United, won a penalty shoot-out, had one game postponed, scored a club record nine goals in a mismatch against Dumbarton, beaten League1 rivals Stenhousemuir and had Alfie Bavidge knocking in four in one game. Who ever said it was a Mickey Mouse Cup? It certainly caught the eye more once the knock-out stages started with the introduction of the Championship sides and we are now on our way to our sixth final. We lost our first in a dramatic penalty kick defeat to Alloa Athletic back in season 99/2000. In 03/04 we beat Airdrie 2-0 and in 09/10 we let a two goal lead slip against Dundee to lose out in an entertaining five goal final. We returned to the final in 17/18 to defeat Dumbarton 1-0 with a late Carl Tremarco goal when extra time looked likely and the 19/20 final was shelved due to the covid crisis when we were due to play Sunday's opponents Raith Rovers. The trophy was shared then, so this weekend we can play for the right to get our hands on the trophy legitimately.
This will be our opponents Raith Rovers fifth appearance in the final having won it three times. They have reached the final in four of the last six seasons it has been contested, the tournament being cancelled in season 2020/21. Their last two KDM fixtures to get to the final saw them eliminate Championship sides Queens Park and Airdrie in penalty kick shoot-outs.
💰There's £150,000 up for grabs if you win and a not too shabby £100,000 for the runners-up. Either way, that's a lot of dosh 💰
Chanka Zimba is suspended, but it transpires that his suspension is for League games only, therefore he will be eligible to play on Sunday but will miss the League game at Stenhousemuir. However, he was on International duty for Zambia against Argentina on April 1st. Lionel Messi shared the same pitch with Chanka for half an hour in Buenos Aires. Trust me, it was a real thing, not AI and not an April Fool. Well done to Chanka for getting recognition after a good season at the Caley Jags. A great achievement to go from an early bath at Recreation Park Alloa to the Estadio Alberto J Armando in Buenos Aires, a stadium capable of 50,000 plus crowds. Memories made for life!
Back home, Liam Sole is free from suspension and will be available should he now be injury free. Danny Devine missed out last week through injury and another two or three were possibly carrying knocks.
We will also need to keep an eye on the game at Ochilview with Stenhousemuir hosting Hamilton Accies as the run in for the League1 title gets serious. Well, Stenny won 3-0 to go top of the table for now.
Weather watch: It looks like Dave is coming over the weekend with strong winds and heavy rain forecast. Make sure you take a kite with you.
We will need all hands to the pumps if we are to lift the trophy. Chanka Zimba appears to be free to play on Sunday but will miss the crunch title match at Stenhousemuir. Hopefully Liam Sole and Danny Devine will be fit and maybe we can have our best right back this season in Calum MacLeod starting. It's no use sitting in for ninety minutes against Raith Rovers and then wondering what if! We need to be clinical and pacey, not sloppy and pedestrian. In our favour, we are at our best when we are underdogs!!!
Raith Rovers last squad out in a comfortable 3-0 win over Ayr United who have since sacked Scott Brown. Surely it's not that embarrassing losing to Rovers A brace from Innes Cameron and one from Richard Chin sealed Broon's fate. Rovers have had a disappointing season by their own standards and sit just outside the top four. Dougie Imrie is now the boss having taken over from Barry Robson in November.
Raith's KDM:
Rovers 5-2 Accies
Rovers 1-0 QotSth
Q Park 1-1 Rovers (1-3 pens)
Airdrie 1-1 Rovers (3-5 pens)
Jai Rowe scored 3 v Accies
Easton has two KDM goals
Championship stats >
Raith have 34 for & 34 against
⚽ Dylan Easton has 8 goals
⚽ Jack Hamilton has 6 goals
Rovers have claimed the trophy three times in four attempts. In season 2013/14 they beat Rangers by a solitary goal in the Ramsden Cup. Former Caley Jag John Baird scored the winner at Easter Road in front of almost 20,000. Having shared the Tunnocks Caramel Wafer Trophy in 2019/20 with the Caley Jags; one for you and one for me, they then won it two seasons later when they beat Queen of the South 3-1 at the Excelsior Stadium with two headed goals from Matej Poplatnik and a strike from Ethan Ross. It was then known as the SPFL Trust Trophy. In Season 2022/23 they lost out in the final 1-0 to Hamilton Accies when it was still the SPFL Trust Trophy, with Reghan Tumilty the scorer. That brings us up to date where they play the Caley Jags at Firhill on Sunday 5th April.
Watched the game on Alba. Wish I hadn't. Awful to watch. Sloppy all over the pitch. It's going to take a monumental effort by Kells to get these players motivated for the final games of the season. Bo
tm4tj
Congratulations to Dougie in what has been a difficult year for him
DoofersDad
I was surprised when Sole came off the pitch - I hadn't realised he'd been on it.
🏆 KDM TROPHY FINAL 🏆
It's been a long slog but we have battled our way through to the final of the KDM Trophy where we will face Raith Rovers at the neutral venue of Firhill in Glasgow. It's been quite a journey since we played our first Challenge Cup game at Elgin back on the 12th of August last year. Eight months and another ten games later we will face-off against Championship side Raith Rovers in the final. It's been some trek and we are unbeaten up to the final having won all ten matches so far scoring a total of 41 goals and conceding 8, eliminating two Championship sides in Partick Thistle and Ayr United, won a penalty shoot-out, had one game postponed, scored a club record nine goals in a mismatch against Dumbarton, beaten League1 rivals Stenhousemuir and had Alfie Bavidge knocking in four in one game. Who ever said it was a Mickey Mouse Cup? It certainly caught the eye more once the knock-out stages started with the introduction of the Championship sides and we are now on our way to our sixth final. We lost our first in a dramatic penalty kick defeat to Alloa Athletic back in season 99/2000. In 03/04 we beat Airdrie 2-0 and in 09/10 we let a two goal lead slip against Dundee to lose out in an entertaining five goal final. We returned to the final in 17/18 to defeat Dumbarton 1-0 with a late Carl Tremarco goal when extra time looked likely and the 19/20 final was shelved due to the covid crisis when we were due to play Sunday's opponents Raith Rovers. The trophy was shared then, so this weekend we can play for the right to get our hands on the trophy legitimately.
This will be our opponents Raith Rovers fifth appearance in the final having won it three times. They have reached the final in four of the last six seasons it has been contested, the tournament being cancelled in season 2020/21. Their last two KDM fixtures to get to the final saw them eliminate Championship sides Queens Park and Airdrie in penalty kick shoot-outs.
💰There's £150,000 up for grabs if you win and a not too shabby £100,000 for the runners-up. Either way, that's a lot of dosh 💰
Chanka Zimba is suspended, but it transpires that his suspension is for League games only, therefore he will be eligible to play on Sunday but will miss the League game at Stenhousemuir. However, he was on International duty for Zambia against Argentina on April 1st. Lionel Messi shared the same pitch with Chanka for half an hour in Buenos Aires. Trust me, it was a real thing, not AI and not an April Fool. Well done to Chanka for getting recognition after a good season at the Caley Jags. A great achievement to go from an early bath at Recreation Park Alloa to the Estadio Alberto J Armando in Buenos Aires, a stadium capable of 50,000 plus crowds. Memories made for life!
Back home, Liam Sole is free from suspension and will be available should he now be injury free. Danny Devine missed out last week through injury and another two or three were possibly carrying knocks.
We will also need to keep an eye on the game at Ochilview with Stenhousemuir hosting Hamilton Accies as the run in for the League1 title gets serious. Well, Stenny won 3-0 to go top of the table for now.
Weather watch: It looks like Dave is coming over the weekend with strong winds and heavy rain forecast. Make sure you take a kite with you.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Match/Ticket/Info
📣Matchday Important message📣
Barry Wilson Interview
Carl Tremarco Interview
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Thistle go to the Wyre
Ticket Prices @ Firhill
£20 – Adults
£12 – Concessions (65+ and students)
£6 – Juveniles (ages 12–16)
Under 12s – Free if accompanied by a paying adult.
Anyone under the age of 12 must enter with an adult.
Inverness Caledonian Thistle supporters will have access to tickets in the Jackie Husband Stand Sections 1, 2, 3 and 4.
Club Singing Section
Supporters wishing to purchase tickets in the ICTFC Singing Section should select Section 2 of the Jackie Husband Stand.
KDM Trophy
12/08/25 4-1 Elgin City(H)
26/08/25/ 4-1 Aberdeen(H)
05/09/25 2-1 Binos(H)
23/09/25 6-0 Dundee(H)
11/10/25 4-1 Forfar Ath(A)
11/11/25 6-0 Dundee Utd(H)
16/12/25 9-0 Dumbarton(A)
06/01/26 P-P Partick Th(A)
13/01/26 3-3 Partick Th(A)
2701/26 1-0 Sten'muir(H)
24/02/26 2-1 Ayr United(A)
05/04/26 - Raith Rovers(N)
We will need all hands to the pumps if we are to lift the trophy. Chanka Zimba appears to be free to play on Sunday but will miss the crunch title match at Stenhousemuir. Hopefully Liam Sole and Danny Devine will be fit and maybe we can have our best right back this season in Calum MacLeod starting. It's no use sitting in for ninety minutes against Raith Rovers and then wondering what if! We need to be clinical and pacey, not sloppy and pedestrian. In our favour, we are at our best when we are underdogs!!!
Raith's KDM:
Rovers 5-2 Accies
Rovers 1-0 QotSth
Q Park 1-1 Rovers (1-3 pens)
Airdrie 1-1 Rovers (3-5 pens)
Jai Rowe scored 3 v Accies
Easton has two KDM goals
Championship stats >
Raith have 34 for & 34 against
⚽ Dylan Easton has 8 goals
⚽ Jack Hamilton has 6 goals
Rovers have claimed the trophy three times in four attempts. In season 2013/14 they beat Rangers by a solitary goal in the Ramsden Cup. Former Caley Jag John Baird scored the winner at Easter Road in front of almost 20,000. Having shared the Tunnocks Caramel Wafer Trophy in 2019/20 with the Caley Jags; one for you and one for me, they then won it two seasons later when they beat Queen of the South 3-1 at the Excelsior Stadium with two headed goals from Matej Poplatnik and a strike from Ethan Ross. It was then known as the SPFL Trust Trophy. In Season 2022/23 they lost out in the final 1-0 to Hamilton Accies when it was still the SPFL Trust Trophy, with Reghan Tumilty the scorer. That brings us up to date where they play the Caley Jags at Firhill on Sunday 5th April.
The Final Countdown has started>>>
Inverness CT 58pts
THE RUN IN
Stenhousemuir 60pts
ICTFC NO ⛔ GAME
4th April @ 15:00
3 STENNY - Accies 0
🏆 KDM FINAL - ICTFC 🏆
5th April @16:10
🏆📺 Raith Rovers 🏆
STENNY v ICTFC - 📺
11th April @17:30
STENNY v ICTFC - 📺
Peterhead v ICTFC - 📺
14th April @19:45
STENNY - No ⛔ Game
ICTFC v Kelty Hearts
18th April @15:00
Cove v STENNY
East Fife v ICTFC
25th April @15:00
STENNY v Alloa
ICTFC v Accies
2nd May @15:00
Montrose v STENNY