Inverness CT -V- Queens Park - Preview

Spiders are coming

High Scoring League Leaders Queens Park come North on Saturday looking to keep ahead of the chasing pack as they face a recently revitalised Caley Thistle in an eagerly awaited cinch Championship encounter. Kick-off is scheduled for 3:00pm. We can look forward to this one with a bit more optimism after two high scoring wins since the turn of the year has breathed some new life into the struggling Caley Jags and their ailing fans. However this is a different beast we face after the relatively easy time we had against Cove and Arbroath. Queens themselves are scoring for fun and will be a massive test for us to see if we have really turned the corner or are we still a long way short of the finished article.

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Match/Ticket info

Official Preview

New Signing Ben Woods

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We've not seen much of Queens park over recent years, but this new improved version are proving to be quite a handful. This is just the third meeting since 2010 when we won 3 - 0 in a League Cup fixture in Inverness.

1 - 2 (A)

1 - 1 (H)

3 - 0 (H)

1 - 2 (H)

2 - 0 (H)

2 - 1 (A)

1 - 0 (H)

3 - 2 (A)

2 - 2 (H)

2 - 1 (A)

We drew the first fixture 1 - 1 at the Caledonian Stadium this season. Here's the CTO summary from that game in July:

Queens make their point: Queens 39 year hiatus from this tier of football ended as they ventured into the Championship, and it all started well when Jake Davidson opened the scoring in the thirteenth minute. In a half of many chances, Bily Mckay levelled the score a minute before the interval. That's how it stood until the final whistle with neither side able to make the breakthrough despite numerous opportunities at both ends thanks to Callum Ferrie and Mark Ridgers and some wayward finishing. Queens Park showing they are not here just to make up the numbers and were good value for their point.

SATURDAY 14TH JANUARY (all 3:00pm)

Ayr United v Arbroath

Cove Rangers v Raith Rovers

Dundee v Partick

    Accies v Morton

  Inverness CT v Queens Park

Last Time Out

Our last two games since the turn of the year saw us bang in an unprecedented of late ten goals. Six against Cove was followed by four at Arbroath. Billy Mckay scored a hat-trick against Cove and one at Arbroath to put him on 90 goals. Few would bet against him reaching Dennis Wyness' all time record of 102. 

Queens Park also stuffed six past Cove and beat Partick Thistle 2-0 in 2023. They also played Raith Rovers in the Challenge Cup but went down 1-0 to a late goal from Rovers. I wouldn't read too much into that result, they have bigger fish to fry. Queens are the highest scoring team in the League but they are defensively similar to Inverness.

Latest Team News

Nathan Shaw will return to the squad after injury and Daniel Mackay should be fit enough after taking a knock at Arbroath. Max Ram will require another couple of weeks after being injured at Cove. New signing, midfielder Ben Woods, is available for selection tomorrow.

Here's birthday boy Zak Delaney

Inverness Caledonian Thistle are delighted to announce the signing of English midfielder Ben Woods on a deal until the end of the season.  

Woods, 20 years-old, spent part of his youth career at Manchester United’s Academy signing for them at age 9 and playing there until he was 16 years-old which included having been called up for England at age 15, before moving to fellow Premiership Academy Burnley at 16 years-old. Ben left the Clarets 4 years later in 2022. 

Welcome aboard Ben