Caley Thistle made another journey along the very familiar A96 to play former landlords Aberdeen and came back with a well deserved point.

 

Two well-matched sides duelled in the sun with Aberdeen having the edge in the first half and ICT fighting back in the second before scoring a very late (and bizarre) equaliser.

 

Charlie Christie made three changes to his starting eleven with a fit-again Ross Tokely replacing Stuart McCaffrey at right back, Richard Hastings returning to the left back slot at the expense of Stuart Golabek and Roy McBain coming into midfield in place of Russell Duncan. Christie’s assistant Donald Park reached the milestone of 100 club games in the assistant manager role, including his time alongside John Robertson.

 

Aberdeen started well and Grant Munro showed his mettle in the sixth minute with an excellent tackle on Stevie Crawford as he headed for goal. Two minutes later Tokely sent Barry Wilson clear down the right but his dangerous cross was cleared. Dennis Wyness then had a glimpse of goal but his angled shot from the right went wide. This good ICT spell continued and in ten minutes a Craig Dargo cross from the right reached Wyness and he went down in the box as he turned to shoot. The referee was right on the spot and he waved play on but the ICT camp felt it was a penalty.

 

Aberdeen gradually began to exert pressure on the ICT defence but it held firm until the 28th minute when a Ricky Foster through ball reached Crawford seemingly offside. As Mark Brown narrowed the angle Crawford stretched to slide the ball home. The offside protests were waved away and the goal stood. A minute later Barry Wilson took a very quick free kick from 35 yards out as Langfield positioned himself but it flew just wide.

 

Aberdeen pressed for a second goal with Jamie Smith prominent – he hit off target twice then a fierce drive rebounded off the back of Ian Black. In 36 minutes a low Barry Nicholson free kick from 25 yards was punched clear expertly by the diving Mark Brown. The half ended with flurries at both ends but no more scoring.

 

Half Time: 1-0

 

The Aberdeen defence was put under pressure from the start of the second half and in 53 minutes Wilson was unlucky to see his on-target shot blocked by one of his own players in a crowded box. Dargo set up McBain in 64 minutes but his angled shot from the left was deflected for a corner. At the other end Brown did well to take a bouncing ball at the feet of Darren Mackie in 72 minutes. 

With ten minutes left a neat cut inside from Tokely found Dargo on the right of the Aberdeen box and in space – his rising shot went over the bar. Time was running out and it looked as if all the efforts had been in vain - that changed two minutes from the end of the regulation 90. The architect was Hastings as he robbed Gary Dempsey on the left and slipped it to Dargo on the edge of the box. His lob goalwards looked an easy catch for Langfield but he somehow dropped it under pressure (mainly from his own players) and it fell for Barry Wilson facing an open goal and just three yards out. Unable to believe his good fortune he calmly rolled the ball in for the equaliser.

 

The five added minutes produced only frustration as the game degenerated into a series of fouls and bad tempered exchanges.

 

Full Time: 1-1

 

A point apiece was fair and Caley Thistle move up a notch to tenth.