Promotion day 2004

On this day>>>

Inverness CT 3 - 2 Motherwell

League Match
Saturday, May 20th, 2017, 3:00 PM at Tulloch Caledonian Stadium
Attendance: 5,351
Referee: Craig Thomson

• Team Lineups

• Facts

• Report

• League Table

• Highlights

Annus Horribilis Endum Relegationus:

Our Annus has at last ended in relegation after we defeated Motherwell 3-2, but Hamilton thumped Dundee to ensure they live to fight another day. The inevitable happened, albeit later than most of us expected, but after getting some false hope in midweek, the great escape was called off before half-time with Accies 2-0 up at the interval.

So, the worst team in the league got their just reward, automatic relegation. A lot of unhappy bunnies at full-time with many fans turning their anger to the board, or more specifically the lack of action from the board and a rookie manager who will be made the scapegoat in all of this. Foran was given the role by a board which we all hoped would work out. When it never happened the board did nothing. When it all went tits up the board did nothing. The silence from the board is deafening and the stench of relegation will linger around for a long time. Anyway, congratulations to Accies who took the pressure and went about their business the right way. For us, it's championship football next season with no guarantee that we will bounce back. Bigger clubs than us have found it's tough to get out of this league and float around the championship for several years. However, that's the position we find ourselves in and we just have to get on with it.

Foran fielded the same side that started against Dundee and a big crowd turned out to see if the impossible would happen. Motherwell were without the departing Scott McDonald, but Louis Moult made the starting XI.

It was a cagey opening half for us and we looked nervous, afraid to make the errors that would see us relegated. It took 23 minutes for us to feel uneasy as news filtered through that Accies had taken the lead. The frustration doubled two minutes later as Accies bagged a second and we all knew it was game over. It looked as though the players knew something was wrong as the first half was poor, and heads were dropping, but in all honesty it was the same fare we have been treated to all season, so nothing new there.

Despite the poor first half, we did create the best opportunities and Laing fired a long range effort that worked the keeper. Polworth skewed wide and Draper opened his body too much when he should have found the top corner. However, Motherwell did look slicker than us for the most part which in itself was a tad worrying.

Half-Time 0-0

We needed goals and upped the pace after the break but had Raven to thank for clearing what looked like a netbound effort away from goal.

Dougie Imrie sealed our fate when he scored a third for Accies from the spot in the 56th minute. Relegation assured, and Just when it looked as though we had run out of ideas, we hit Well with a triple whammy. Greg Tansey punched the air in delight as his parting gift was a goal rifled across the keeper in the 64th minute. Three minutes later and Alex Fisher had us 3-0 ahead. It mattered not a jot though although the goals were pleasing.

Motherwell beavered away and were rewarded with a couple of goals, one from sub James McFadden and a late penalty from Bowman.

Full Time 3-2

Many fans had seen enough long before the end and may have missed Well's mini revival, but they fell just short of utterly ruining our day completely although relegation was punishment enough for a season of dross.

I'll stick to comments regarding the game for now and my MotM goes to Iain Vigurs who looked assured on the ball, the one player who looked to have class in abundance on a dark day for the club. Greg Tansey also impressed in his final game before joining Aberdeen. However, it's not just about this one game, the whole season has been littered with failures, from top to bottom and that is why we are going down.

It has taken twenty-two years to build this club into a force to be reckoned with. It's only taken one year to demolish it and set us back fifteen years.


I'm not sure about bad apples, but something is rotten to the core. As someone commented somewhere, "Budapest to Brechin in just two years...............

See you all next season in the Championship

Match report written by tm4tj

Our first relegation 😱

Inverness CT 0 - 1 Falkirk

League Match
Saturday, May 23rd, 2009, 12:30 PM at Tulloch Caledonian Stadium
Attendance: 6,489
Referee: Eddie Smith

• Team Lineups

• Facts

• Report

• League Table

• Highlights

Relegation Day:

The maths were relatively simple... whoever took this game by the scruff of the neck would stay in the SPL, the other would go down. ICT even had the luxury of the draw too. However, it was not to be and for the first time in ICT history, the team have been relegated courtesy of a second half strike from Michael Higdon and a Red card for Ross Tokely

We are not going to play the blame game at the moment... post mortems and all that go with them can come later... for now, its quiet reflection and grief as we come to terms with our relegation.

Prior to this decisive game you could have cut the tension around the stadium with a knife. At the end the large Falkirk travelling support was delirious with joy and the home fans were silenced in disbelief at the turn of events that led to relegation on goal difference. Only a draw was needed and even with defeat there was an outside chance of survival if Hamilton could defeat St Mirren by two goals more than those lost by Caley Thistle. Hamilton did win but only by 1-0 so the First Division became a certainty for next season.

In the 15 years of the unified club’s existence this was the first time that relegation had loomed so large but with home advantage and just a point needed the odds were in favour of ICT. A wonder save from Dani Mallo in the 12th minute, a red card for Ross Tokely just before the interval and a goal from Falkirk’s Michael Higdon in the 68th minute changed all that.

Terry Butcher was forced into one change to his side as Pavels Mihadjuks came in for the injured David Proctor. Richie Byrne replaced Gavin Morrison on the bench. This was the last match for Hearts bound Ian Black and new Motherwell signing Mike Fraser.

The match started at a frantic pace with Falkirk forced back. In the third minute a Dougie Imrie shot was blocked as was Richie Foran’s follow-up then a minute later Falkirk ‘keeper Dani Mallo saved a low Foran shot after the Caley Thistle man had done well to create space to shoot. In 12 minutes Mallo produced a stop that probably saved Falkirk’s season.

Filipe Morais forced his way to the left bye line and his cut-back left Foran with a seemingly empty goal and he could pick his spot. From six yards out he side footed goalwards and as the home crowd rose to its feet Mallo appeared from nowhere to save. It was a major turning point but it did not stop the home pressure.

A Morais shot flew over the bar in 18 minutes and it was not until 28 minutes before Falkirk put serious pressure on the home goal. A Steve Lovell shot was blocked then from a corner a Thomas Scobbie header went for another corner via Lionel Djebi-Zadi.

The match turned in Falkirk’s favour in 39 minutes when Ross Tokely and Lovell chased a ball heading towards the home area – there appeared to be a minor tussle and Lovell went down 22 yards out. After checking with his assistant, referee Eddie Smith showed Tokely a straight red card. It seemed very harsh and the home crowd made their feelings known to the referee for a long time afterwards. Terry Butcher sacrificed Roy McBain and introduced Russell Duncan at right back with Pavels Mihadjuks moving into Tokely’s central defensive role.

The ten men continued to take the game to Falkirk after the interval and in 47 minutes an Ian Black free kick caused some stress in the Falkirk defence as Carl Finnigan headed just over his own bar. Towards the hour mark the visitors began to come into it and Grant Munro had to make a captain’s clearance close to the goal line as a Mark Stewart lob rose over Mike Fraser and headed for the net. Michael Higdon came on in 65 minutes and three minutes later he became a hero.

Veteran Jackie McNamara cut the ball back low from the right bye line and Higdon touched it in from close range.

This inspired Falkirk and they gained in confidence as they now saw SPL survival on the horizon. It should have all been wrapped up five minutes from time when Stewart set up Finnigan but from six yards he blasted over with the goal gaping.

Not surprisingly Falkirk took their time over everything as the final whistle approached but Caley Thistle pressed hard and with three minutes left Brian Kerr hit over from 16 yards after a strong run through the middle. The best home chance in the closing period came in 89 minutes when Eric Odhiambo hit a low ball across the Falkirk penalty box, Andy Barrowman dummied and Duncan saw his on-target shot well saved.

In the third of the four added minutes Djebi-Zadi set up Imrie who rode one tackle before hitting over the bar. The whistle went, the Falkirk camp went wild and the home support rued the missed chances over the last few games that would have meant SPL safety.

A sad end to what started as a promising season. The real undoing was the eight game losing spell from 29 November to 24 January. The revival under Terry Butcher and Maurice Malpas turned this around but in the end it was not enough.

Match report written by tm4tj

I remember it well. A sad day for all the ICT supporters. The Highland Marchers walked back from Kilmarnock to see this.

12 hours ago, Gringo said:

I remember it well. A sad day for all the ICT supporters. The Highland Marchers walked back from Kilmarnock to see this.

Same here. It was sair to bear, the first setback in our 15 year history.

I was at all the post-split games apart from Hamilton. First we beat St Mirren away. After Rossco’s late winner we hit the bar twice. One of those going in would have meant finishing above them on goals scored.

Then a 2-2 draw at Motherwell. John Sutton equalised with 11 minutes left, or we would have been safe with 2 games to go.

We lost a tight game at Rugby Park due to a strike by Kevin Kyle, then on to Falkirk on the last day. So we went down on goal difference with 37 points won which I think is still a record.

Still, it made 2009-10 into an epic season for us…

I remember it well, too. We were visiting my wife's family in Falkirk/Stenny.

I watched the ICT game on the telly, and then got dragged to Ochilview to see Stenny take on arch-enemies Cowdenbeath in the 2nd leg of the play-off final for promotion from Division Three. 0-0 from the first leg.

It was a bloody freezing day there, and since my wife's cousin was the volunteer Stenny club photographer, I had to accompany him to what was in those days the completely exposed - and empty - far side of the pitch. He handed me his old camera, and warned me that it had significant shutter lag.

It was a dreadful game, with no one scoring, and serious frostbite setting in. Still at 0-0 after 120 minutes, it went to penalties. which Stenny won 5-4. I became a local hero by capturing the winning penalty going into the net past the diving keeper. By that time I had worked out the shutter lag, and IIRC I pressed the button just as the penalty taker was about to hit the ball.

The picture has long gone, but they still have a report of the match online - https://www.stenhousemuirfc.com/match/stenhousemuir-fc-v-cowdenbeath-3/

However, in the summer, Livingston were demoted from the First to the Third Division after going into administration and liquidation. This resulted in Cowdenbeath being promoted as well as Stenny.

So I could have stayed in the warmth and nursed my misery.

On this day (almost) 100 years ago. I believe that Mantis and Gringo were in attendance

Story is on Am Baile Facebook Page

100 years ago today, the first organised women's football match in #Inverness took place between two teams of Caley supporters at Telford Street. One team lined up as Caledonian [pictured] and the other as Athletic. Athletic won the match 4-2 with goals from Ella Moffat (2), Madge Munro and Nan Macdonald. Caley's goals were scored by Annie Macdonald and F. Mackintosh. Names here: https://www.ambaile.org.uk/asset/48946/
#InvernessFootballMemories Inverness Caledonian Thistle Community Development Inverness Caledonian Thistle FC

4 hours ago, tm4tj said:

On this day (almost) 100 years ago. I believe that Mantis and Gringo were in attendance

Story is on Am Baile Facebook Page

100 years ago today, the first organised women's football match in #Inverness took place between two teams of Caley supporters at Telford Street. One team lined up as Caledonian [pictured] and the other as Athletic. Athletic won the match 4-2 with goals from Ella Moffat (2), Madge Munro and Nan Macdonald. Caley's goals were scored by Annie Macdonald and F. Mackintosh. Names here: https://www.ambaile.org.uk/asset/48946/
#InvernessFootballMemories Inverness Caledonian Thistle Community Development Inverness Caledonian Thistle FC

Watch it Gandalf.

My mum would have been just over a month old when that was taken so there. 😜

On this day, a probably never to be repeated day>>>

Inverness CT 2 - 1 Falkirk

Scottish Cup - Final
Saturday, May 30th, 2015, 3:00 PM at Hampden Park, Glasgow
Attendance: 37,149
Referee: Willie Collum

• Team Lineups

• Facts

• Report

• Highlights

Inverness, Scottish Cup Winners! How good does that feel!


What a day that was, one that started for me at five in the morning when the alarm went off in North Kessock and ended in Edinburgh around midnight with a grin etched on the face. Inverness Caledonian Thistle are the 2015 Scottish Cup winners.

Many made massive sacrifices for the cause, coming from around the globe. It was well worth it in the end, although in true tradition, we don't do anything the easy way and that was credit to Falkirk who can count themselves a tad unlucky after a courageous second half performance where Inverness weathered the storm to eventually lift the cup after having to play out the final twenty minutes with ten men.

We went in at the break a goal to the good after getting to grips with the game halfway through the first period, Marley Watkins finishing with aplomb after a seven man move. Carl Tremarco was sent packing after 75 minutes after he miscontrolled a ball and then scythed down Blair Alston as he sped goalwards. Schoolboy error from Carl that was punished five minutes later when Peter Grant headed powerfully home from the vacant left back position.

However, an unlikely hero came forward and James Vincent applied the finishing touch after Jamie MacDonald spilled a Watkins shot.

The rest is history.

The fans were in good spirits in the build up to the game and plenty of shouting juice had passed the lips. Inside the stadium there was a marvellous card display from the Inverness end and it was a pleasure to be part of it. Massive congratulations to all who set that one up, it looked fantastic.

Inverness fans were dealt a blow before kick off as semi hero David Raven was out which left us with an unfamiliar back four. Esson in goal but in front of him, only Josh Meekings was in his normal position. Devine replaced the suspended Gary Warren and Carl Tremarco was at left back with departing captain Graeme Shinnie filling in at right back with Raven missing. Danny Williams was on the bench and Aaron Doran started.

Falkirk were minus the cup-tied Mark Kerr and John Baird, but Rory Loy started, despite Houston claiming he might not make it.

A bright afternoon saw Falkirk get off to the better start, but it was a typical cup final, all a bit cagey in the opening exchanges, nobody wanting to make the first mistake. Whilst always keeping the fans attention, there was little goalmouth action with defences on top as Inverness began to edge their way forward with around twenty minutes gone.

Ryan Esson was eventually called into action and comfortably saved a low shot from Will Vaulks from outside the box. Vaulks fired a vicious shot from thirty yards eight minutes later and that one had the Falkirk fans off their seats as the ball ruffled the top corner of the net. Alas for the Bairns, it was the wrong side of the net. Closest call yet though, phew!
We were not at our best but at least we were not behind. That close shave seemed to alert Inverness to the dangers and Aaron Doran brought a save from Macdonald as we started to pass the ball better, although the defence were needing more help from the front men who were not holding onto the ball.

Shinnie then had our best attempt so far as he fired a shot come cross wide with Watkins lurking, and it was evident the tide was turning. Watkins then had a shot saved as it went straight at the keeper and a corner followed soon after.

We were now controlling the pace of the game and the 38th minute saw Inverness go ahead with a wonderful team goal. Falkirk lost possession deep in the Inverness half. We transferred the ball smartly up the right side in a seven man move. The final touches saw Aaron Doran slip a tidy ball through to Marley Watkins and his pace and power saw him drift goalwards to slide the ball past MacDonald for the opening goal.

The dream was now in full swing as the half ended with Inverness on top.

Half Time 1-0

I don't know what Houston said at half time, but it transformed the Bairns. They were up for this and we would have to weather the storm as they surged forward looking for a leveller.

Vaulks was the main threat and he went close agin five minutes after the restart. On the hour mark and Blair Alston lifted a shot just over inside a packed box as Falkirk upped the pace.

Inverness were by now finding the Bairns to be more of a handful than they should have been as they won successive corners and Vaulks again shot over. Substitute Botti Bia Bi went very close soon after and manager of the year John Hughes decided to make a change. Little did he know how important that change would be as he introduced James Vincent for young player of the year Ryan Christie.

With 75 minutes on the clock, Carl Tremarco was invited to leave the field by Willie Collum after he lost the ball then brought down Alston. No complaints this time though as Collum had little option. Tremarco was distraught and Inverness would have to play out the game with ten men.

Vaulks again tested Esson from close range as the Bairns smelled blood and went for the jugular. Inverness were reduced to frantic defending and the fans were watching through their fingers as the final twenty minutes would take a lifetime to pass.

Within five minutes of Tremarco leaving, Falkirk were level. A free kick on the left flank saw Alston pick out Peter Grant who wanted it most and he flashed a powerful header high into the net for a not undeserved equaliser. Game on.

James Vincent went to right back with Shinnie moving over to the left as Inverness re-jigged after the sending off. There was nothing else for it but to get up the park and have a go or face the prospect of extra time and penalties.

That threat disappeared when Watkins pace saw him break forward to surge clear of the defence with Falkirk caught up the other end. He slowed down outside the box and tried to curl a low shot to the left of the keeper. Now then, I've seen better shots but MacDonald fluffed his lines as he dived low to his left. He only succeeded in pushing the ball to the left side of the box and James Vincent who had made a lung bursting run to catch up with Watkins got to the loose ball first and knocked it into the empty net.
Absolute pandemonium in the Inverness end once more and there were only five more minutes of normal time to hold on to our advantage.

Luke Leahy went close in the ninetieth minute as Falkirk tried to scramble the game towards extra time and five minutes of time added on saw a huge sigh from the Highlanders.

Nick Ross replaced Man of the Match Marley Watkins with three minutes remaining but Falkirk could not find that elusive second goal and the end result was just fantastic for Inverness Caledonian Thistle and their fans who were singing and dancing in the Hampden Stands.

Full Time 2-1

It was tough and hard to bear for the Falkirk fans who had witnessed their team give their all, but it's all about scoring the most goals and we did just that.
More scenes of Red & Blue followed as the Inverness contingent stayed to cheer the victors and witness the Cup presentation. Graeme Shinnie leaves for Aberdeen now, but he might never experience this again, as he kissed the cup and waved it above his head, duly followed by the rest of the squad.

What a moment to be a Caley Thistle fan. 21 years in the making but a combined 239 years of magnificent history.
Celebratory beers were the order of the day and I met up with some Falkirk fans in the Horseshoe Bar where Gordon Mason presented me with a trophy off his back. He gave me a Falkirk shirt and wished us all well. Great fans and a credit to their club.

MotM will be going to Marley Watkins who scored the first and made the second with a little help from Jamie Macdonald.

In truth, and here is the unsavoury bit, there were not too many contenders for the title, most players having an off day. Danny Devine was better than most and Graeme Shinnie, as always, gave everything. We struggled up front and Eddie Ofere has had better days. In fairness to him, we rarely got the ball forward so it's hardly his fault. Carl Tremarco will be disappointed but he performed well up to that point. It is unfair to pick out anyone though, good or bad so I'll leave it there and say congratulations to everybody from the ball boys to the the fans, what an achievement for our club.

Steve Hislop and Bobby Mann were not far off in their predictions and I met Barry Wilson after the game as well, all in all, a great day out and there would be another one on Sunday as the Cup was paraded through Inverness.

Match report written by tm4tj

A day to remember 😃 and even a Celtic fanatic from Benbecula came to support us!

Was there, with my wife from Falkirk, and some of her relatives. But since they are all Stenny supporters, they were either neutral or supporting us too! One of them had money on Marley to score the first goal, so she was well pleased.

I think I've only watched the DVD once since then, but I remember getting very nervous during the second half, even though I knew well how it would end