Leaderboard

Good Luck Inverness from an Aberdeen Fan. You have done your club and Scotland proud in recent Years. Now is your Time :-)

It would be nice if there was a bit more media focus. Footballing headlines at the moment are very much focused on the FIFA situation and it strikes me that there is a real story here in the contrast between the money grubbing corruption at the top of the game and the honest endeavors of players, officials and volunteers associated with small clubs like ICT and Falkirk. Here's two clubs who don't have much cash but who have shown great commitment in winning through to the final. Maybe Hampden won't be full but there will probably be more people there who have never been to a final before and win or lose it will be a day they will remember for the rest of their lives. It is a day for the small clubs: it's a day when hard work and commitment triumph over buying success: it is a day for fans who dream rather than fans who expect. Whilst the international body tasked with leading the game shames the world of football with its greed and corruption, two small teams with small supports will tomorrow show the world that football is still the beautiful game and still the people's game. Win or lose it will be a great day out, and I for one feel privileged that I will be a small part of it.

Odds on for at least one more season of this wonderful Armageddon. Wish we'd thought of it years ago. Now, if only we could find a way to rid the the Premiership of that other lot what a great league we would have.....

Let's not forget this could also be Nick Ross's last game, a hometown boy. As Caley D says all the players past and present have played a part and we should back the whole team for the whole game.

No work getting done today. Instead I've been doing... http://terracepodcast.net/latest/2015/5/28/show-scottish-cup-final-special http://nareystoepoker.blogspot.co.uk/2015/05/scottish-cup-final-preview-inverness-ct.html http://www1.skysports.com/watch/video/sports/football/competitions/scottish-football/9868322/hughes-want-favourites-tag-ignored http://www.bbc.co.uk/weather/2648579

I think the older generation get something of a bonus out of this since they have a long and direct experience of what things were like in the Highland League and are hence in a position to appreciate the profound contrast. No one much under 30 can even remember when Thistle and Caley played in the Highland League and one of the highlights of the season was the quarter finals of the Qualifying Cup when, each October, your club might just be one of the lucky four to win a place in the "first round proper" of the Scottish Cup. Indeed in order to have an established and reasonably detailed memory of this, you would probably have to be nearer 40. Even for these younger supporters the sense of satsfaction will be immense. But take, say, a 65 year old whose first 30 years of supporting football will have been within the virtual dead end of the Highand League with the odd opportunity of a modest Scottish Cup run. That is a long time to establish a pretty solid and indeed limited set of norms, values and expectations which don't really change very much from year to year. But now, over the rather shorter period of just 21 years, history has produced (in chronological order): Election to the SFL (1994) - Scottish Cup quarter final (1996) - Division 3 title and promotion (1997) - Division 2 runners up and promotion (1999) - Two Scottish Cup semi finals (2003 and 2004) - Division 1 title and promotion to the SPL (2004) - SPL football coming to Inverness (2005) - (let's quickly bypass season 2008-09!) - Second Division 1 title and return to the SPL (2010) - Top six (2013, 2014 and 2015) - League Cup Final (2014)- Europe (2015) - Scottish Cup final (2015). To have witnessed that at all is a great experience. To have witnessed that off the back of decades of existence in a footballing dead end is absolutely stupendous! Having raised this issue, I would now like to mention five gentlemen whom I like to count among my friends. Jimmy Falconer (still football secretary) and Ken Thomson (now back on the board) and John Douglas (now in charge of the turnstiles) were all deeply involved with Caley back in the Highland League days. Ian MacKenzie, (still a club official on matchdays) was one of the Thistle inner circle from the same era. Tommy Cumming has been groundsman at Telford Street and the Caledonian Stadium since time began. People like that (and there will be one or two more I haven't named) who have been right at the centre of things across all these inspiring years, must feel a very special sense of satisfaction as this final approaches.

I have created a cup final photo album. Please feel free to add any pictures of your cup final experience into this album. Please concentrate on the experience rather than the match as I am not clear how we stand in terms of photos of the action which is usually copyrighted to the SFA/SPFL. Photos of people getting ready for their journey (at the airport, on the plane/train/bus), meeting up and having a beer beforehand, or enjoying the stadium atmosphere should be ok. Gallery here: http://caleythistleonline.com/gallery/category/486-scottish-cup-final/ Click upload button on right side of page to upload pictures into the main page. Please submit PNG or JPG images (no BMP please) and if they are large, resize them down to about 1600x1200 before uploading.

Earlier, I laid out all the stuff I'll need for tomorrow morning, to avoid any last minute panic. I'm sure many others are doing the same. Helpful suggestion - just go and check that the ticket you've laid out is the one for the final and not, as I have just found, the very similar looking one from the semi-final!

As a youngster growing up in Nairn in the 90s, it took me a while to have any affirmation to a team. Most of my friends at school supported Rangers or Celtic, especially Rangers whilst they went through their 9 in a row. A few mates supported Aberdeen since they were geographically the closest club in the Premier League. However I just couldn't buy into following a team which felt so far away. I could have even supported Nairn County but it was always frowned upon to like someone at that level. It wasn't until 1994 when my father would talk to me about Inverness having a new team merge and compete in the 3rd Division. I didn't really take to it at 1st but it wasn't until the 95/96 season when Caley were drawn home to East Fife in the Scottish cup 3rd round. My father being a Fifer followed East Fife as a youngster and was keen to take the trip to Telford Street for which would be my 1st Caley game. I still remember standing high up the top of the Howden end terraces watching a game under a rowdy atmosphere and I loved it! The game finished a draw and the replay took place in Methil where we won on pens to reach the quarter finals. Our draw put us together at home against Rangers however Telford Street wasn't up to standard so the fixture was moved to Tannadice. My father realising how much I enjoyed the East Fife game and the fact it was Rangers we were playing took me down to Dundee for the game. I was in awe watching the stars of the time Gascoigne, Laudrup, McCoist and so. We lost 3-0 but I didn't care, I just watched my local team from Inverness play the biggest team in Scotland at the time. So from this point the seed had been sown. My dad started taking me to more league games and we watched the club rise. Unfortunately once we reached the 1st Division we started going to less matches as ticket prices increased but my love for the club was there and followed on 20 years later. I alway remember my father being realistic over how Caley Thistle would do in years to come and he would say we would be a competent Championship club maybe lucky enough to get the odd season or 2 in the Premiership. I would never have thought we would be competing so high in Scotland's top division, let alone playing in Europe next year. Add a Scottish cup final to this is unbelievable, I feel I have gone full circle with this, from my first game v East Fife in the Scottish cup in the Howden End to Hampden Park in the final tomorrow. What a 20 years it's been!!...

Amongst all the Cup Final excitement, let's not forget this'll be Graeme's last appearance in an ICT shirt. Let's hope his last act will be to lift that cup. What a fantastic player he's been for us, and while I hate the thought of him going to Aberdeen, I fully expect him to move onto bigger things from them. Easily good enough to play top end Championship/bottom end Premiership level. All the best Graeme, now make sure you'll be lifting that cup for us all come Sat evening.

I like the idea of, should we be winning comfortably with a few minutes to go, sub Shinnie to give him a proper send off.

Try this and, at the time of writing this, the other eight "ICT - Scottish Cup" stories down the "Headlines" column". http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/teams/inverness-caledonian-thistle There does, however, seem to be a disproportionate intetest in the latest performance by the Govan Travelling Circus.

Just about to set off for Glasgow... Ticket. Check Top. Check Money. Check Car fuelled Check Camera. Check Hotel address Check. Right that's me, sure I've got everything............. Oh s**t the wife.......... Susan, Susan we're going.

Should this not be no more sleeps.......I mean is everyone not too excited now to be sleeping tonight? Dont want to sleep in tomorrow and arrive late or even miss it!!!!

http://caleythistleonline.com/page/index.html/_/previews-2014-15/scottish-cup-final-2015-r1277 Read all about it in here with predictions from the legendary Steve Hislop and Bobby Mann. "The 2015 Scottish Cup Final has arrived and no big Bhoys in sight, only Bairns. And, as the slogan says: It's Our Time. Hissy:- Look out the sombrero's as Caley are going to Europe with a 3-1 win. Bobby:- I'm going for 2-0 for Inverness. There's always a downside to these events, and news that Willie Collum will referee the final is as welcome as FIFA executives organising the World Cup. Ach well, somebody has to do it. Anyway, despite that, enjoy the game

Jings, nearly there

It is the tactics and the intent that will win or lose this match. I just hope that we go for the proverbial jugular and put in performances akin to those made by Preston North End and Norwich City in their play off finals. They both pressed the opposition relentlessly, they both played possession football, they both went ahead early doors, consolidated and then were able to sit back and look to hit on the break. And let us not forget that we are playing against a side who have not had a competitive match for a whole month.

You can all stop speculating now. The team has been made public. If you go down Old Edinburgh Road past Hilton Primary School, you will see eleven large ICT shirts on the perimeter fence, each with a player's name on. So you saw it there first... Yogi's team selection two days in advance courtest of Hilton PS! This latest wonderful display at Hilton follows on from last week's offering of massed balloons and a good luck sign which unfortunately appeared to fall victim to the wind. I suppose these strong gestures of solidarity are hardly surprising from a school where the husband of one member of staff is a former player and the father of another played a major part in getting the club together in the first place.

Doncaster set to announce plans for a 14 team top flight next season.

My local fish van man in Drakies was saying today that 3 of his older lady customers that have never been to a football match before are going, hope they enjoy it!

My dad is an aberdeen fan..last year hurt, especially getting home to find him celebrating. So winning the Scottish cup will be far better than wat he got last year. More importantly, I've supported caley thistle since my interest in football kicked off, had a season ticket since 2004, been to both league cup semi finals in in previous seasons, last years cup final and the challenge cup final...yet nothing has ever had me so excited as this Saturday. I cried when Celtic beat us in the 2008 quarter final as it was my first cup game. This club means more to me than anyone would believe and a win on Saturday would be a dream come true and easily the best day of my life...whatever happens in the future following this club it'll be a day that I won't forget about. This game will literally determine how happy I am until we reach another final.

The fulfilment of childhood dreams. The satisfaction we have done it despite the power brokers in Scottish football treating us with utter contempt. And lastly amazing pride on what everyone connected with ICT has achieved since 1994. Really is the stuff of dreams, irrespective of result on Saturday, but by god a cup win would be the cherry on top of the cake. Bring it on!!

This but from a red and black perspective. Reluctant supporter of the merger but, win or lose on Saturday (Hope to Hell it's the former) we have achieved what we could only dream of in the Highland League days. Added to that I have a long nursed, Scottish Cup related, score to settle with Falkirk. Back in the frozen winter of 1979 I bunked off school for the afternoon to make the short journey from Midmills to Kingsmills to watch the mighty Jags take on the Bairns in the 29 times postponed cup tie which finally kicked off at half past one on a Thursday due to Falkirk's refusal to play under our rather good floodlights. If memory serves, we were three down and well and truly out of the match after 15 minutes and a further goal adrift by half time. My misery was compounded the following day by incurring the wrath of the formidable deputy rector Mr 'Abdul' Johnston for my unauthorised absence. Revenge, they say, is a dish best eaten cold.

If we do win and I hope ,pray and think we will then like CMiB my boyhood dream comes true, ( that is the first part of my dream ) Inverness winning the Scottish Cup, second part of my boyhood dream was winning the then Scottish First Division. Even that now seems possible. Wish all my mates of then were still alive to relish this stupendous event. Hail ! Hail ! ICT.........

It probably comes under the "Confident Individuals" section of the Curriculum for Excellence.

My birthday on Sunday not a special one but it would be if we win the Scottish Cup!

Paddy Power called it right with the advert they took out in today's Daily Star!

here: http://www.o-publishing.co.uk/shop/content/scottish-cup-final-inverness-ct-vs-falkirk-30-may-2015 I would have ordered from here but the postage to Canada is twice the price of the programme. made other arrangements.

hi all inverness fans . i am travelling to game tommorrow to lend my support to inverness . being a pars fan i have not been at hampden many times but i have a soft spot for the sneck being an ex resident at fort george for lots of years. i am wondering can i just walk up and buy a ticket for me and my son ?

You clicked on the wrong buttons didnt you . Dont use the grey ones which are for creating new galleries or loading to different ones, just use the choose file and upload as shown below. if it didnt work for you then let me know so i can investigate. I should be able to move the individual photos back to the gallery.

Wasn't Dougal was it?

Thought it would be a bit weird selling £75 cup final tops that will be out of date come Sunday. We do usually keep our home top for 2 seasons as well. Away one to change in the summer I believe.

I don't think so.

I would have thought that, irrespective of next season's arrangements, it might be worth having a replica of the shirt that the team won in its first Scottish Cup final and possibly even won the cup in.

The teuchtar triangle ie, Snaffle bit, Park bar & Islay inn.

Why not have a minutes applause for one of our stand out players and faithful servants to the club in the years he's been here? I think we would all have preferred him to stay here and help us create more history. Yes, he's going to a rival club, but his reasons for going where more on a personal level and not financial. We should be thanking him for his service and this is one of the best ways we can show our gratitude.

Was working up until my shift got cancelled just now. Only 3rd game of season. Went to Dundee and Dundee Utd away as it's near home. Desperately looking for a couple of tickets. Travelling from St Andrews (Leuchars) on the train. Such a shame you are in Aberdeen Broonerz. Gonna ring Hampden today see what the score is but if anyone has a couple spare let me know. Can meet at the ground tomorrow. Either way I'm coming down. Cheers.

If you cannae do the bouncy youre from Dingwall If you cannae do the bouncy youre from Dingwall If you cannae do the bouncy, cannae do the bouncy Cannae do the bouncy youre from Dingwall Ooohhhhhhh I try to discover A little something to make me sweeter Oh baby refrain from breaking my heart I'm so in love with you I'll be forever blue That you give me no reason Why you're making me work so hard That you give me no That you give me no That you give me no That you give me no Soul, I hear you calling Oh baby please give a little respect to me

Just wondering what everyone is planning on wearing to the Cup Final. The reason I ask is, well, you know how embarrassing it can be - you turn up for an event and somebody else is wearing the same outfit. I'm planning on wearing jeans and an ICT top, accompanied by an ICT scarf. So if everyone else could avoid copying, that would be great, thanks.

Let it go, Let it go Can't hold it back anymore Let it go, Let it go, Turn my back and slam the door And here I stand And here I'll stay Let it go, let it go The merger never bothered me anyway

Should name the buses after the FIFA Officials who have done the same just for the craic.

As good as it gets, really. Amazing. Best day of my life.

As per kingsmills it was a thistle perspective for me wTching them from late 60s through the fantastic team of the seventies and I was a 3rd year apprentice for the Falkirk game No bunking off school. I wasn't a reluctant merger I was all for it after the jags lost out to Ferranti thistle I always wanted a Scottish football team to support and from the first league game to Arbroath to this THE SCOTTISH CUP FINAL it's been an absolute blast. Even all the cold winters nights get forgotten What does it mean? Absolutely the pinnacle of achievement for any sporting team from the highlands if we win and I'm not going to get ahead of myself and say we will definitely win but if we do. For us oldies this might be our once in a lifetime opportunity and I'm finding it hard to describe the right words but it would be the most emotional fantastical experience of my life out with marriage family etc. I'm only putting the last bit in incase the wife gets wind of this post

While recognising his faults, which I think Tommy Cummings summed up well in his recent interview, I don't believe we would be in Europe and in the cup final this weekend without the fine work he did. Unfortunately the manner of his leaving overshadows that.

Never been so excited about a football match in my whole life....and nervous

As one of the older posters on here, I've supported Caley from the early 50s and ICT from its inception in 1994. Although I was not in favour of the merger, I soon got over it and embraced the new club. Particularly in my youth I always dreamed of us winning the Scottish Cup. For this aspiration now to be within touching distance is truly unbelievable. A win on Saturday will just be amazing, and if we follow it with one or two wins in Europe in the summer, my joy will be complete. Roy of the Rovers stuff! Bring it on.

Its No 1 - Its Top of the Pops

I agree with the first bit of this and to me that is the most important thing. As long as we play with a high tempo and look to get forward quickly it doesn't really matter which two of Doran, Christie, Williams Ross and Vincent we have starting as we should be too good for Falkirk. But personally I think we should start with Christie as his outstanding performance against Celtic showed what he is capable of on the big stage. He also showed he can keep it up for 120 minutes so I would start with him and look to run their defence ragged from the word go. I would start with Williams with a view to bringing Doran on around the hour mark.

You missed out the part about living under a bridge.