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I've just spent the afternoon down at the stadium at the Irn Bru cup final. I bought a ticket for the Nomads section and met some lovely people and cheered the team on throughout the game. The fans put the County ones to shame with their singing (although they were quick to admit that they had a limited amount of songs) and they sang Caley thistle chants as well, just to wind up County. For a while Connah Quay were 1-0 up which I don't think they had really expected, but the fans continued to cheer the team on even after RC's goals and also at the end of the game. I would have loved for the Welsh side to win, and to those who wanted county to win just because they are Scottish, I say that if you are allowed to compete then you are of course perfectly within your rights to win if you are able. I also think it is no-ones business but mine to suggest who I should support or what I should spend my hard earned money on, as one or two have tried to do earlier in this thread. I have everything I need interms of ICT merchandise and for those carefree souls who can do exactly as they please every weekend, not all of us are able to go to away games for various reasons such as other commitments, work, family or health issues. I had a great time, made some new friends and now have a team in Wales to keep an eye on. Well done to the Nomads from Connahs Quay, both the team and the fans - for a wee club that only has about 200 fans at home games, they have done themselves proud and have at least one new fan.

Count me with the corner-flag-theory haters. Teams can dispossess you there and break away and score too. We gave up a couple of promising attacking options to try to kill the game that way. Happily, it paid off this time.

Glad you are supporting us Danylo, it is just IHE having a joke if you are on the forum a lot you will get used to it. We need all the support we can get as the Inverness folk are not so good at supporting their local team and if you have or know someone who wants to invest a million or two there might be an opportunity.

I thought taking it into the corner with 7 minutes to go was a bit much.

Funnily enough Bronson I was recently thinking about starting a thread about ICT's best goals, as I was struggling to recall ones that were out of the top drawer, the goal of the season contenders. We certainly don't have many of those from recent seasons. The goals that stick in my memory are the important ones, not the highest quality ones. One that springs to mind as being both quality and significant was Barry Wilson's long range winner at Motherwell in the Cup - I think it is up to 80 yards now!

Ian Stewart lobbing Hutchison at Viccy Park in 96-97. Denzil v Hearts in 2002 Raven’s winner v Celtic.

Was a very intriguing game, conditions were difficult in the first half but we seemed to deal with it much better and were more confident on the ball. Whilst we were the better team we were too slow moving the ball. We made two decent chances in the last 5 mins of the half. Second half the conditions calmed and McDonald starting dropping deep more and more, when they brought on storey his running caused us a bit of danger and opened the game up. All three goals were excellent. The final goal killed Partick and they visibly gave up after it. Think we deserved to win but it was a hard fought one. Thought everyone played their part. Playing Chalmers wide means his natural instinct in the check back or run into the middle and not go beyond the opposition defence like Doran does. Whilst Chalmers did well it harms out forward opportunities. It's harsh to drop Chalmers or Trafford but think it's for the greater good to get Walsh back into the starting 11. Special mentions to Doran, Welsh and White.

Disgraceful lack of videos on this thread so there's some of the mentioned goals...

On the contrary, this for me was one of the more pleasing aspects towards the end. All too often we've squandered a lead or not seen a game out so it was good to see us play sensible at a time when we had them rattled. It's good to see some game management for a change and shows we're learning. Imagine this thread had we gone for a third and they break and score.

A big week and a bit ahead. No reason why, on current form, we can't win all three.

Vincent in the cup final....

It is a pity, that you think that i am not honest. This text was the only thing, which I wanted to tell Inverness supporters.

You get the feeling it's coming together at exactly the right time. Could be an exciting end to the season. ?

Thinking that the goals tonight have got to be up there in terms of the best goals we've scored. Anyone got any others they remember, not talking about important goals, talking about best goals

Had a great time supporting Connah's Quay. Today was my second Challenge Cup final. Quite enjoyed this game was a entertaining 90 minutes was pissed off County won & was lifting our cup in our own ground but i was just glad it wasn't ICT getting beat 3-1. Connah's Quay was unlucky not have been more then a goal up at half time they had plenty of chances but they seemed shattered during the second half and County blew them away in the last 20 minutes of the game. I am proud we won this cup last season & was gutted we didn't get anywhere near the final this season. Don't care what anyone says could be literally be a cup shaped like Mickey mouse & I would still want Caley to win it it's what being a fan is all about!

Hear hear. Was great to listen to Inverness chants from the Nomads end too ? great fans. Also. They had Fon williams as a pundit for the welsh channel at the game i noticed! Someone local i suppose

Attendance was 3057. What a poor turnout from the cun€Y fans considering it was a cup final and they only had to travel 11 miles.

Strange game. I thought it was pretty rank for the most part whilst others around me thought it was great. I thought White played pretty rotten apart from his dummy for the goal others thought he was outstanding. Can't really recall much of note for us in the first half. Decent effort from Chalmers perhaps being the closest we came to opening the scoring. Decent save from the Partick keeper. Doran found himself with a bit of space in the box and fired a low drive just wide but I don't think either team deserved to be ahead at the break. Excellent opener for us with a lovely dummy from White as mentioned above. Nice finish by Doran from close range. Sneddon then produced a stunning one handed save to dent us a second. I couldn't see exactly what happened but I think it was a header possibly from McCart which Sneddon somehow managed to claw away from goal. It looks incredible. What was also incredible was the Partick equaliser. Wonderfully struck curling shot from just outside the box by Bannigan, one of those that you could tell was in as soon as it left his foot. Partick were in the ascendancy at this point and Storey was causing us a few problems with his pace and Partick seemed to get some decent half chances with a simple ball over the top of our defence but fortunately we were able to keep them at bay until we bagged a late winner. This time it was our own ball over the top that led to the second, Polworth chipped the ball forward, Doran backheeled it into the direction of Walsh, who turned the tide when he came on, and he blasted an unstoppable volley through Sneddon to bag the win. After this Partick seemed to give up (as mentioned above) and we quite easily held out for a precious three points. I thought Doran was our MotM with strong performances from Polworth (when he wanted to), Walsh and Welsh. We played better and lost to very happy to get the win.

Barry Wilson's goal against St Johnstone that secured our first promotion to the top tier. Also Brian Thomson scoring a real screamer into the top corner against Stenhousemuir in our second or third season. Think he might have got a hat trick that day.

Putting pride back in the Highlands. Always look on the bright side of life................

Hate watching us on the tele but a tremendous 3 points. Barca-esque winner from Doran and Walsh. Going up via play-offs and a 2nd Scottsh Cup win in 5 seasons would constitute a decent enough season. ?

Like a good malt the Team get better as time goes on. Well done ICT excellent win with superb goals and some clever team work. ?

How low can the Board sink to do this ? I suspect this may be Gordy Fyffe.

There is too much positivity in the football related threads - I am going to give them a miss for a while.

If Carlsberg made goals it would be a Doran - Walsh combination.

Don't fancy a job as our Chairman do you? I'm asking for a friend ...

"Put McLeish in charge of Brexit...we'd be out of Europe in 90 minutes."

That second season, 95-96, was a low in my attendance at games. The whole ICT thing hadn't really caught fire for me after the merger, and I ended up seeing only 9 matches. Steve Paterson had taken over from Sergei, thankfully, and it wasn't all that long before the difference began to show, in the playing style and the results. The team finished the season in 3rd place behind Livi and Brechin (but ahead of County naturally) but was to sweep all before them the following year. If I'm honest, I showed up at a few games just to notch some new grounds, but I got my Caley Thistle news from the small band of regulars who travelled away with Caley Thistle, notably John Stewart, ex-Caley committee and his sons, one of whom is of course David, the MSP, and the other, Alan, who is a regular on here. I also became a regular traveller with big Dougie Lynn, and through him, met Ken MacDonald from Point in Lewis who, of course, is the father of big Lewis. The season started for me at Cliftonhill where 2 goals from Herchie looked to have won it before Rovers equalised in the last minute. Then a goalless draw at Brechin which we really should have won. A place which became a happy hunting ground for ICT in later years. Apparently Charlie scored a late equaliser at Telford Street to salvage a point against Alloa but, unusually, I can't recall anything of the game. A week before xmas we had a dour 0-0 draw at Cowdenbeath in front of 230, although at the time I thought there were more people in the main street to see Santa and his sleigh before the game ? In the New Year, a highlight was beating Livi 2-0 at Almondvale with late goals from Christie and Teasdale. But of course the icing on the cake, as it so often was with Caley Thistle, was the Cup. I missed the legendary Herch-inspired comeback v Livi and jumped in at the East Fife stage. As Steve Archibald substituted himself late on in the replay, thinking the game was won, a wee bit of the future ICT spirit was revealed with a late Herchie equaliser and a cool 3-1 win on spot kicks. This led to the famous win at Ochilview as the team, backed by a healthy following, progressed due to a Luggy screamer with 15 minutes to go. From my acquaintances in the game, I can exclusively reveal that Terry Christie was so depressed by this result that the Stenhousemuir board and some of his friends had to talk him out of resigning. Then there was the Rangers game at Tannadice. A taste of things to come for ICT. Although we were well beaten in the end, most of us would have been happy with a goal, and we almost got one, courtesy of John Scott's drive which flashed narrowly over (I'm sure he went on to be a star somewhere ? ). For me, the ICT passion would be ignited next season.

Some of us don't just wander across the city and spend £30 on match day. I have over a 1000 mile round trip to make. If I don't like the way the board is operating and spending cash ie on catering companies run by the cousin of the Chair then I am very unlikely to make that kind of effort. The last home game cost me over £300 to get there, watch a shambles of a display because we don't have the money for decent players, and knowing that nepotism and petty politics within the board is partly responsible for that, then I am less likely to make those sacrifices in the future. And I am not the only one that feels that way.

Why are some fans so hell-bent on dwelling on negatives? Quickest way to depression. Please dwell on the great days, the Caley Ballistic days, the 9 Men v Hearts, the Scottish Cup semi and final, the recent quarter final v Dundee Utd. I go to all games in hope rather than expectation - and savour these great times. Please let the semi, and maybe final, help the Clubs finances and be positive of the future - PLEASE.

I’m just a riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma.

First time in over 6 months that we’ve won 2 consecutive league matches!

Hopefully the county fans won’t be allowed to park their agricultural vehicles within the vicinity of the ground and there is a complete ban on entering the stadium with their whippets. Regardless there will be some stench down the dump that afternoon. Dougal