Bino's Challenge

Stirling Albion are the opponents this weekend in the Challenge Cup, known as the SPFL Trust Trophy this season. We enter this competition in the 3rd round and welcome the Bino's to the Caledonian Stadium for a 3:00pm kick-off on Saturday afternoon. Last time we met we scraped through to the next round of the Scottish Cup with a hard fought 3-2 win at home a couple of years ago with Dale Carrick scoring a Bino's brace before Aaron Doran nicked it in the second half.

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Match/Ticket Info

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We have played Stirling Albion a total of eleven times over the years, the last game being a Scottish Cup tie which we narrowly won 3-2 thanks to a strike from Aaron Doran, sadly no longer here. The stats show that we have a total of six wins, four draws and one defeat. That defeat was in 1996, and yes, if you guessed it was in the Challenge Cup then you would be correct.

Challenge Cup - Rd 2, Tuesday, August 27th, 1996, 7:30 PM at Forthbank Stadium, Stirling:  The Inverness side put on an excellent performance and were unlucky not to take more from this game. They had several good chances in the first half with the best being on the stroke of half time when they were denied first by a McGeown parry and then by an Andy Paterson goal-line clearance. Stirling stepped up a gear in the second half and they took command. Gibson and Bone scored for Stirling before Iain Stewart pulled one back. As the visitors searched for an equaliser Bone stole a third in the last minute. Full Time 3-1

Starting XI: Jim Calder; Mike Noble, Richard Hastings, Iain MacArthur, Paul Cherry, Charlie Christie, Davie Ross (Iain Stewart 72), Mike Teasdale, Barry Wilson, Alan Hercher, Brian Thomson.

Subs Not Used: G Bennett, Neal Sinclair

Banana Skin Avoided: A potential banana skin encounter was made all the more plausible given the 2015 Scottish Cup winners permanent injury crisis. Stirling Albion are on a roll at the top end of League Two whilst we are struggling to get players on the park recently. With that in mind we made a late swoop into the transfer market to snap up right back Ryan Barrett on a short term loan until January. He was thrust into the squad for this Scottish Cup game having been training with the squad this week. Dale Carrick scored a first half brace with Wallace Duffy and Max Ram replying for Inverness who only woke up after the opening goal. After the break Aaron Doran restored the hosts lead and we held on to go into the draw for the fourth round. Not pretty, but we got there. Full Time 3-2.

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There's the new 30th Anniversary Away Kit as modelled by Inverness Caley Thistle Ladies players Natalie Bodiam and Julia Scott. The Anniversary badge was designed by Inverness CT fan Stewart Coghill

Latest Team News

Inverness have a few more injuries to contend with so I would expect to see some newer faces thrown in at the deep end with Newman, Cairns, Longstaff, Bray, Gilmour, a pair of Duffy's and probably Paul Allan all out. Wallce Duffy could be fit enough to play this weekend, We missed out on Alfie Bavidge and have a big striker on trial at the moment.

Boss Duncan Ferguson has revealed full-back Flynn Duffy is sidelined after suffering a punctured lung and two broken ribs. Ahead of Saturday’s home SPFL Trust Trophy third round tie against League Two opponents Stirling Albion, Inverness have seven first-team players missing due to illness or injury – with Flynn's case being the most serious. Charlie Gilmour is most likely out for two weeks because of mild concussion, while a health issue continues to rule out striker Ethan Cairns.

 There ya go, ah told ye we needed mare defenders didn't I... ye cannae huv enough can ye... we're a young team urn't we... we need more goals don't we... Hey, Teacher, Leave those kids alone....

Maybe some home grown talent like Calum Mackay, Calum MacLeod, Robbie Thompson, Shae Keogh, Ben Corner and Mathew Strachan will get some game time and loan players James Nolan and Connall Ewan will benefit from some competitive action to get the sharpness back and should feature. Big Musa has looked decent between the sticks in his two starts and will probably need to retain the gloves with Newman out and Martin MacKinnon possibly back at Clach???

Stirling Albion

<<< That was the Stirling Albion squad that beat Spartans 1-0 last weekend, a result that puts the Binos third in the table with nine points after three wins and two defeats in League 2. Ross Davidson was the scorer in that one.

Alan Maybury, the former Hearts defender is the man in charge this season having replaced Darren Young after The Bino's were relegated at the end of last season. I notice that Dale Carrick is still there and you might remember that it was he that scored twice in the first half in the Scottish Cup tie in 2022. He generally led us a merry dance in that first forty-five and will be worth watching this time round. Cammy McKinley is top scorer with two goals. Derek Gaston, the former Arbroath keeper is their No1 and he is always a difficult man to get the ball past.