Caley Thistle's 500th senior game ended in defeat as Motherwell ran out 3-1 winners at Fir Park.
2-0 down after only 10 minutes, Caley Thistle had an uphill struggle to get back into the game but despite Don Cowie's 19th minute goal, it was not to be.
There were plenty of talking points in this game - from tactics and team selection to a "stonewall" penalty claim near the end.
| 20/02/08 | Fir Park, Motherwell |
| MOTHERWELL | 3 Clarkson (7,42), Porter (10) |
|
Team: G Smith, Quinn, Craigan, Reynolds, Hammell, D Smith (Lappin 53), Lasley, Fitzpatrick, Clarkson, McCormack (Maguire 73), Porter (J Murphy 89)
Subs: McLean, D Murphy, Archdeacon, Daniels |
|
| INVERNESS CT | 1 Cowie (19) |
|
Team: Fraser, Tokely, Munro, fMcGuire, Hastings, Subs: Watt, McAllister, Kerr, Vigurs, Malkowski |
|
| Referee | John Underhill |
| Attendance | 4526 |
Manager Craig Brewster made two changes to the side that had managed a 1-1 draw with Dundee United. Out went Marius Niculae and Ian Black with Dennis Wyness and Graham Bayne replacing them. Russell Duncan made his 250th ICT appearance in this game.
Motherwell started brightly and within 10 minutes had established a 2-0 lead.
A couple of early chances came to nothing but in 7 minutes Ross McCormack found David Clarkson in the box with a pass and he took a touch before sending a powerful shot past Fraser. Three minutes later it was number two, this time down the left. Stevie Hammell crossed to the back post and Chris Porter was there to head home his 13th of the season.
Caley Thistle at this stage were not in the game at all and further chances fell to Motherwell with McCormack, Porter and Clarkson combining to run the Caley Jags ragged.
The only bright spot for Caley Thistle up to this point was a Don Cowie effort that had gone well wide but in 19 minutes he was to get one on target well and truly against the run of play. A flick from Wyness fell just nicely for him and he blasted a dipping, swerving shot past the helpless Graeme Smith from 25 yards. 2-1
The game was a little more open after this but Motherwell were definitely in the ascendency and in 25 minutes Mike Fraser did well to get down and push away a Ross McCormack effort that looked goal-bound.
It all went pear-shaped again in 41 minutes when the ever impressive David Clarkson got his second and Motherwell's third. A corner was floated in by Hammell and headed out of defence but it only got as far as Clarkson on the edge of the box and he volleyed it into the roof of the net giving Fraser no chance.
Caley Thistle almost got one back immediately through Dougie Imrie as play raged to the other end but Smith got the better of him in a one-on-one situation and Dennis Wyness couldn't connect with the rebound.
Half Time: 3-1
The second half started brightly, with Porter hitting the bar just 30 seconds after the restart and a couple of minutes later, Ross Tokely heading the ball onto the junction of post and bar from a Don Cowie corner with the keeper well beaten.
In 51 minutes, Caley Thistle hit the bar again. This time it was Grant Munro getting on the end of another Don Cowie corner.
The first half, and the early stages of the second half were full of pace and action, but inevitably, when that happens things eventually slow right down and so they did. As the pace of the game dropped, so it seemed did Caley Thistle's chance to come back into it.
In fact, one of the few highlights of the second half was the substitution of the referee. John Underhill was injured and 4th official Frank McDermott had to take over in 75 minutes.
McDermott didn't have a lot to do but did have a moment of controversy five minutes from the end. In what looked like a stonewall penalty claim, Duncan went down in the box but the referee waved away the claims and the game fizzled out without any further action.
Full Time: 3-1
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