Stormy at Stenny

It was a wild wet and windy weekend at the foot of the Ochil's as troubled Inverness took to the park for the tenth meeting between the sides. Matty Aitken and Buchanan were out for the hosts with Corey O'Donnell starting up top and Bannon covering for Buchanan. On top of the visitors injury list, Robbie Thompson was suspended with Keith Bray starting and Ethan Cairns making the bench. A great save from big Musa denied Yates early in the first half but it remained goalless at the break in an even contest. Inverness forced the pace after the interval and Paul Allan did it again (we think) with four minutes of normal time remaining. There may have been a touch in the box but at the moment Allan is the hero. After the game it was confirmed that it was Charlie Gilmour that got the final touch. Still, another great ball in from Paul Allan.  An important win with Dumbarton also winning at Montrose.

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There was massive early save from Musa Dibaga and his bar as he tipped a wicked shot by top scorer Matty Yates from half a mile out onto the bar and behind for a corner. Oooooft! Paul Allan responded but missed the target before Dibaga then had to save an effort from Michael Anderson off Ross Meechan's cross. The hosts were pushing Inverness back at every opportunity and O'Reilly saw an effort blocked in the next attack. An Inverness 'goal' was ruled out for offside as we settled into the match. Charlie Gilmour headed wide from Allan's flighted free kick into the box midway through the half. The tide was turning somewhat and Billy Mckay had a header saved in the bottom corner by Jamieson before Adam MacKinnon was also denied by the keeper when his shot was deflected towards the keepers gloves. Ten minutes before the break Remi Savage knocked on Allan's free kick but Gilmour shot over. In the final few minutes of the half Stenny made a late push for an opener and James Berry was denied by the Inverness keeper before James Nolan brought Jamieson back into action. Yates had the final say of the half but Dibaga was equal to it and that was the last action of the first forty-five.

HALF TIME: 0-0

After a fairly even first half the visitors started the second on the offensive and Keith Bray and Luis Longstaff missed the target in the opening exchanges. Longstaff headed goalwards but Jamieson was able to gather relatively comfortably. MacKinnon and Gilmour were next up to have a go but again Jamieson was alert enough to deny the visitors. With half an hour remaining the game was still up for grabs. A thirty-five yarder from Allan was tipped behind for a corner off the woodwork as the pressure mounted on the home goal and he almost did it again direct from the corner, alas his ball in struck the post. MacKinnon was next to be denied as he shot from outside the box, the keeper again in the right place. Mathew Strachan ventured forward, but he too missed the target from distance, as did Mckay from a Longstaff delivery. He's done it again. Paul Allan swung his corner in and the ball ended up in the net. There may have been another touch in the box, but at the moment, Allan has been credited with the goal and that's how it ended after four minutes of time added on. However the goal has now been awarded to Charlie Gilmour. As long as it's in the net, that's all that matters. 

FULL TIME: 0-1

The goal which gave us all three points yesterday pic.twitter.com/SsDE9EkHXU

— Inverness Caledonian Thistle FC (@ICTFC) December 22, 2024

Merry Xmas 

Yngwie on CTO: We were the better side and dominated the second half in particular, with the wind behind us, but as is often the case we lacked any cutting edge in the final third. When we did have clear chances or tried shooting from outside the box, the finishing was often woeful. And it’s increasingly clear that we need a striker to challenge/replace Billy, sorry.

The pluses for us were that the defence did its job, Savage won everything, Mousa made a great save tipping a long distance free kick onto the bar, and in midfield MacKinnon and Allan did a lot of impressive stuff.

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