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Play-Off Final 1st Leg Having scraped into the play-off final, we find our route to Championship survival blocked by a two leg play-off encounter against a team we often struggled against, Hamilton Accies, one of lifes great relegation dodgers. They did eventually make the drop into League 1 a season ago but will fancy their chances against a struggling Caley Jags. They seemed to hold the Indian sign over us in season 2022/2023 with four wins out of five encounters, albeit one was a Challenge Cup game at NDP when we fielded a team of youths and Mark Ridgers during one of our worst peroids for injuries. We did win at NDP towards the end of that season with Billy Mckay scoring three minutes from the end. Overall, the stats are even, Accies one game to the good out of 31 meetings. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Match/Ticket Info ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Accies Access: Admission: Adults £20, -18 & +65 £10. Accies season ticket holders 1/2 price on production of their cards at the gate. Cash only at turnstiles. Card payments at shop Venue Pld Won Drn Lst For Agst + / - Home 17 5 4 8 25 23 +2 Away 14 7 2 5 20 18 +2 Neutral 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Total 31 12 6 13 45 41 +4 He Scores When He Wants: 2 - 1 A long trip on a Tuesday night to face your bogey team is not ideal, especially when it gets to the business end of the season. That's what faced the Caley Jags as we looked to win our sixth game on the bounce against struggling Hamilton Accies who have already beaten us four times this season. Inverness could go third, but Accies would be hoping to put some distance between themselves and bottom side Cove Rangers. As it turned out it remained goalless at the interval with Deas seeing a header saved by Fulton just before the break. Connor Smith scored direct from a free kick after the interval but Nathan Shaw equalised three minutes later. Billy Mckay won all three points with a poachers goal in off the post with three minutes left and that's how it ended. Phew! Last 10 Competitive Meetings v Accies 2 - 1 (A) 1 - 2 (A) 0 - 3 (H) 0 - 2 (A) 0 - 1 (H) 4 - 0 (H) 1 - 1 (A) 1 - 2 (H) 1 - 2 (A) 2 - 1 (H) How did we get into this mess Our demise has been well documented this season in the Championship where we got off to a poor start before relieving Billy Dodds of his duties after winning 1 point in our first six games. In comes our saviour, Big Dunc. However all is not well and we just kept our heads above water thanks to Arbroath being rubbish. Onto the play offs and an insipid performance at Links Park left us all wondering if our time has come to drop into oblivion. Our performance certainly would not look out of place in the lower leagues. We clung on for a 0-0 draw away from home and scraped a 1-0 win at Inverness with Billy Mckay saving our blushes. Everything about the club has negative undertones at the moment. Well travelled and long suffering Caley Jags fan Gringo said: That was my first game of the season and my first chance to see with my own eyes how gash ICT have become. That was one awful unentertaining game and by far the worst I've seen from the team I support. No passion, no urgency, no desire, no creativity...nothing. Square balls across the back line time after time. Can't keep possession. Can't shoot. Two game against a part time outfit and we can only bag one goal. There needs to be drastic improvement against Hamilton and I fully believe Dunc is incapable of doing that with this bunch of players. Hamilton will be a tough hurdle to overcome and I fear the worse. John Rankin's Hamilton Accies on the other hand are rightly in a positive mood after an excellent season in League 1 finishing second to all conquering Falkirk and conceding the same amount goals as the Champions. Hamilton's stats for their League campaign with (ict in brackets). Won 22 (10) Drawn 8 (12) Lost 6 (14) Goals for 73 (41), Goals against 28 (40) Top Scorers Kevin O'Hara 16 Euan Henderson 10 Ahkeem Rose 7 Lewis Smith 5 (Lewis also tops the assist chart with 11) Kyle MacDonald 5 Reghan Tumilty 5 ICT loan player Jake Davidson has also bagged a couple of goals for Accies but will be ineligible to play. Hamilton did face Championship opposition in the Challenge Cup, losing 4-1 to Raith Rovers. That game was nicely poised at 0-1 until Lee Kilday was red carded after 54 minutes. Raith capitalised and scored a further three goals with Zanatta netting for Accies. Let's not forget, Accies also have an artificial surface which is something Ferguson bleated about after the Montrose game at Links Park. Accies team v Alloa: Lyness; Longridge, Kilday (Owens 68 ), Barjonas (Rose 68 ), Henderson (Hastie 78 ), Martin (Murray 84), O’Hara, L. Smith, McGowan, Tumilty, Williamson (Davidson 45). Subs Not Used: J. Smith; Redfern, Winter, Hendrie. Inverness latest Team News Here's Dunc's briefing: Sean McAllister out with recurring injury. Sounds as though the rest will be as you were and Charlie Gilmour is hopefully fit to play some part. Don't look for any drastic changes.

That was my first game of the season and my first chance to see with my own eyes how gash ICT have become. That was one awful unentertaining game and by far the worst I've seen from the team I support. No passion, no urgency, no desire, no creativity...nothing. Square balls across the back line time after time. Can't keep possession. Can't shoot. Two game against a part time outfit and we can only bag one goal. There needs to be drastic improvement against Hamilton and I fully believe Dunc is incapable of doing that with this bunch of players. Hamilton will be a tough hurdle to overcome and I fear the worse.

Hamilton giving their season ticket holders half price entry tomorrow night. Really disappointed our club not offering something similar on Saturday. Win or lose this playoff tie, huge changes are required on and off the park in my opinion to prevent more fans becoming increasingly disillusioned to the point they stop going altogether. I understand the focus right now has to be on Championship survival but here’s hoping there are major changes coming in the summer regardless of what league we are in next year.

The women's team.

If even a fraction of the chat about the state of our finances is true then we'll be needing every penny to pay wages at the end of the month.

Interesting especially when you consider his cummulative time at roles within the club - manger 2 spells over 5 years and DoF 3 years - by my maths thats almost 8 years which is over a quarter of our existence - so plenty of time to have changed things for the better.

Thank goodness for the TRIPPLE LOCK.

What team would YOU start at Hamilton? Ridgers Duffy Boyes Devine Harper Kerr McGregor Anderson McKay Samuel Lawal

Agreed with that and understand how kids want but the catering costs vs quality we offer is shocking. Personally I grudge buying anything at the stadium now given its so poor.

Not far off with that tbh so not bad for a pensioner (: PS please detect/understand my sarcasm) but I think we need to be a little bit defensive away from home in order to keep it tight so good attacking minded players that offer a threat would be useful so definitely would like to see Lawal and MacGregor in from the start but suspect we'll see Longstaff . Ridgers Kerr Boyes Savage Devine Harper (both wingbacks going into winger positions when attacking) MacGregor Lawal Longstaff McKay and Samuel.

What?.......no Robson,Wyness,Wilson,Christie,Christie, Bingham,Stewarty......you could debate it forever

Brill raven. Warren. Meekings . Shinnie Watkins. Tansey. A shinnie Hayes Brewster Mckay

Correct on all assumptions . my gesture of good will is GOING to the game. Buy the pies, juices, moams and take them to MacDonald’s after. They cost me a fortune. took three with me to the raith away game and I was £80 for the bus, match tickets, pies and stop at the Chinese chippy on way home. Don’t think I had much change out of £150 that day.( not moaning, honestly, great day out) would be a lot easier watching on alba. then I have to do it all again at Dingwall on the Sunday. Roll on the end of the season.

As a season ticket holder X2, thought as a gesture of good will ,keep the prices down and at least try and half fill the stadium.

Hamilton bus fully booked.Leaving stadium 2.30pm. Picking up Aviemore and Pitlochry. £20 a seat. We have a waiting list so if you have booked a seat and now can’t make it please let us know through Facebook or on 07462218717.

Scraped past part-time Montrose. They'll have to improve dramatically against Hamilton!

Job done, but it was all very laboured against a part time side who are mid table in League 1. Still our chances of surviving in the Championship have basically doubled today, from 1 in 4 to 1 in 2, and that’s what we needed to do today.

…and breathe! That was a struggle and now it gets harder. Hopefully this result will give them some confidence against Hamilton but I doubt they’ll get any confidence from the performances against Montrose.

By the sounds of it, most of our starting 11 aren't ready for this level either!

I have just heard Barry Wilson on the BBC saying they are just passing side to side and no cutting edge. Funny how people change it was exactly the same under Dodds and himself!

It’s hard to imagine us winning comfortably under this manager. If we go 1 up I think we are more likely to try and defend the lead than to kill off the tie.

I wish I had your optimism Bobby but I’ve got my Private Frazer head on today - seriously hoping I’m wrong!

It's do or die today. My heart says a comfortable 3-0 win but my head says a close encounter with us scraping a 2-1 victory. Tbh I'll take either.

I understand that argument, but I do think that they have something to gain or lose. Loanees are mostly guys who are looking to develop their career, and thus to impress their home club, or, indeed, other clubs. One way or another, they are in the shop window. So "not giving a sh*t" wouldn't be a great career move. On the other hand, playing your heart out for the jersey that you happen to be wearing would certainly be a good sign, in my book. Maybe I'm just too idealistic. Hope not.

"Biggest game in the clubs history" ....we now enter a series of those. As Yngwie says.....its a little scary. Whatever happens I still say that I've enjoyed the extraordinary ride . Our success has been beyond expectations......our name has gone global.......pride in this should see us over the line. But, as others have said......how many of our current jobbers actually give a sh*t? We will find out over the next couple of weeks.

The majority of our players have nothing to lose either, they’re loanees and will be heading off elsewhere when it’s all over. They’ve also got very little to gain from a win so when it comes to incentive we don’t measure up too well.

Montrose do have a lot to lose....win and they could be playing Championship football next season if they win the 'final'. Wrong to assume they have nothing to lose. They no doubt believe they can replace their neighbours Arbroath.

If it was the boards priority instead of wasting money on co tract renewals for players managers didn't or need but were fan favourites.

I hate Hamilton and this isn't cheering me up. Still live in hope it'll all click with our team and before the season ends we will play total football and issue an absolute doing with free flowing goals and football.

Where did it all go wrong? When a Premier league team in 2012 had the training facilities of a league 1 part time team . Our injuries and strains are a testament to a club that puts moving the ticket office at the stadium ahead of building a shower at Fort George. Why should any player choose caley thistle over any league 1 or championship side today when our record of destroying players careers and legs is there for anyone to see . Our league 1 facilities have an inevitable gravity that restricts our youngsters development and our first teams performance. How many league 1 and championship teams have worse facilities than caley . This is why Robertson was so focused on this.

Manchester City in ICT shirts!

6 defenders on the pitch. Going for the jugular