After a false start or two, and months of planning, the Inverness Caledonian Thistle Supporters' Trust Hall of Fame Night took place at the Drumossie Hotel on Friday. Three hundred guests gathered there with many familiar faces from Caley Thistle's present and past on show. Brewster looked cool in his dinner suit, Christie preferred highland dress and a relaxed Steve Paterson looked right at home with many of the players he brought to the club. For adopted Highlander, Alan Savage, the kilt was his delight while his predecessor, David Sutherland preferred tartan trews. All were arrayed in their finery.
They had all come to see who ICT fans had elected to the Hall of Fame.
All Caley Thistle fans had the opportunity to vote on Moray Firth
Radio's website last month for twelve candidates with the top five
becoming the first inductees.
The evening opened with Bill
McAllister warming up the gathered throng with his unique brand of
wisdom, touching on all subjects from the perils of Alness to the
future of the Three Tenors in the post Pavarotti era. Dinner was served
and then we got down to the real focus of the evening, the award
ceremony.
The exact number of votes cast for each candidate has
not been published but I can say this. It was remarkably close and all
twelve candidates picked up a very significant number of votes. The top
five, though, in no particular order, were Mike Noble, Alan Hercher,
Mike Teasdale, Jimmy Calder and Bobby Mann.
All were there to
pick up their engraved glass awards apart from Jim Calder who was on
holiday in Spain. His son, James, came to pick up his father's award.
Calder, though, sent a video message from the beach where he was filmed
with bucket and spade building sandcastles and expressing regret at his
absence. As the camera panned back we discovered that Calder was no
more on the beach than flying in the air and sitting in the sand pit at
the Queen's Park athletics track. Other nominees who had managed along
to the Drumossie included Paul Sheerin, Iain MacArthur, Paul Ritchie
and Daisy Ross who had brought half of Kinlochbervie with him. SFA
President, Gordon Smith, proved a witty and enjoyable after dinner
speaker on an evening that everybody seemed to enjoy.
The final
award of the evening was the Trust's Special Recognition Award. The
Trust Board decided that they wanted to recognise somebody's off field
contribution to the Caley Thistle cause and the recipient on this
occasion was club secretary, Jim Falconer.
There seems little
doubt that this exercise will be repeated. Before that, though, we will
try to ensure that Jim Calder gets his trophy presented at a game in
the near future and invite along the other four Hall of Fame members so
that ICT fans can show their appreciation.
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