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League Leaders Don't Head North GAME OFF DUE TO PARTS OF THE PITCH STILL FROZEN Top of the table Stenhousemuir are the visitors this weekend at the Caledonian Stadium for a 2:00pm start looking to keep themselves as the leaders of the pack. In contrast, the Caley Jags will be looking to bounce back after they were whitewashed 3-0 at second placed Arbroath last weekend as we lost a little ground on the teams above us. It's a tight division this year with Arbroath probably looking the likeliest to get their act together as witnessed by the way they easily disposed of the Caley Jags last Saturday. Despite a good run of results, it's a sharp learning curve for most at this time, including the fans, where expectations will need to be tempered during the healing process. Don't forget it's an early kick-off at 2:00pm With that in mind, revised bar and bus times in operation this week. Everything is an hour earlier than normal. Bar 94 will open at 1100 and close at 1700. The matchday buses will leave the Bus Station at 1200 and 1315 Return from the stadium 10 mins after the full time whistle and at 1700. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Match/Ticket/Bus/Bar94/Info Keith Bray to Dunfermline ***Early Kick Off 2:00pm*** ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Venue H2H Pld Won Drn Lst For Agst + / - Home 4 3 1 0 11 3 +8 Away 6 4 1 1 11 5 +6 Neutral 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Total 10 7 2 1 22 8 +14 Only the ten competitive matches against Stenhousemuir and this is the third one this season. We first crossed swords with the Warriors in a Scottish Cup tie in 1996 when we recorded a narrow one goal win, going on to play Rangers in the next round. A tremendous victory for the Inverness side and a place in the last 8 of the cup. We 'scored' in 2 minutes through Thomson but Christie was offside. After that their defence had to withstand tremendous pressure. Mathieson was a real handful and he came close on 3 occasions - chances also fell to Brannigan, Sprott, Roseburgh, Aitken & Bannon. Caley Thistles only other first half chance was a shot from Thomson in 15 minutes but it went past. In the second half Caley Thistle took control and in 53 minutes Thomson was unlucky when his 25 yard shot was tipped over. In 60 minutes Stewart beat the offside trap but keeper McKenzie came off his line well. 2 minutes later a great shot from 18 yards by Christie was held by McKenzie. On 75 minutes Teasdale set off on a run down the right wing and sent a low cross to Brian Thomson just outside the penalty area - his shot into the corner was unstoppable. With a minute to go Stenhousemuir had the ball in the net but it was chalked off. Caley Thistle held out for a famous victory and the prospect of Rangers at home in the next round. ***We did of course play Rangers at Tannadice going down 3-0 in the Quarter Finals. Starting XI McKenzie Sprott Bannon Armstrong Brannigan Roseburgh Aitken Fisher Mathieson Hutchison Little Jim Calder Mike Noble Richard Hastings Iain MacArthur John Scott Graeme Bennett Charlie Christie Mike Teasdale Alan Hercher Iain Stewart 75mins Brian Thomson Subs Haddow Hunter Scott Dave McGinlay Davie Ross Colin Mitchell 2024 Dec 21st League (League 1) 1 - 0 A 719 Sep 28th League (League 1) 0 - 0 H 1,601 2012 Sep 25th League Cup (Rd 3) p 1 - 1 A 705 1999 Jul 31st League Cup (Round 1) 3 - 1 A 534 1998 Apr 11th League 2 - 1 H 1,414 Feb 28th League 3 - 0 A 463 1997 Nov 8th League 4 - 1 H 1,669 Aug 30th League 2 - 3 A 400 Aug 2nd League Cup (Rd 1) 5 - 1 H 1,735 1996 Feb 17th Scottish Cup (Rd 4) 1 - 0 A 2,300 INVERNESS CT The Season So Far D L D D W D D D L / W L(11)D W W W L W L W W L W W L Since Scott Kellacher was handed the reins in game 11, there has been a more positive approach to our matches which has resulted in improved performances and a more enjoyable matchday experience all round. Alas we were brought back to earth with a disappointing result in our last game of 2024, a crushing 1-4 defeat at home to Cove Rangers. We'll have to put that one down to a bad day at the office. However, we bounced back in our first game of the second half of the season in the six pointer against Dumbarton with a hard fought 2-0 win. That win over Dumbarton was a vital one and the introduction of Alfie Bavidge was a welcome one as he opened the scoring early in the first half. Charlie Gilmour slotted in the clincher in the second half to give us a cushion over the Sons and to narrow the gap on Annan to seven points. We took part in the only League1 game last weekend and came away from Annan with a resounding 3-0 win, Alfie Bavidge netting again with Keith Bray and then Billy Mckay from the spot. *It was then on to Palmerston on the Tuesday night but in a five goal encounter we went down 3-2. Alfie Bavidge notched his third goal in three games and Keith Bray added a second but goals from Adam Brooks (2) and Jordan Allan kept the points in Dumfries. We bounced back with a resilient 1-2 win at Alloa in our third away game on the bounce, Dunfermline bound Keith Bray with his fourth of the season and Alfie Stewart. We got our revenge at home to QotS (1-0) with Alfie Bavidge scoring his fourth goal in five appearances. Alas it was a bridge too far at Arbroath last week and we went down losing three without reply. Billy Mckay speaking to the Courier has said that Jake Davidson will miss the rest of the season after the extent of his knee injury was revealed to be more extensive than at first thought. Jake, who was shaping up well in midfield, was looking promising before his injury against Alloa Athletic in the middle of November and is now in rehab after his operation. The only other injury concern appears to be Billy himself who was subbed off at Arbroath last weekend as a precaution having come on as a second half sub at the break. As far as signing anyone else: Billy said our hands are tied due to administration. We can only now get players in on loan as long as they are under 20 and the window closes at the end of the month. Pos Team Pld Gd Pts 1 Stenny 24 9 38 2 Arbroath 22 10 37 3 Cove Rangers 23 10 35 4 Queen of Sth 24 -3 32 5 Kelty Hearts 22 7 31 6 Alloa Athletic 24 3 31 7 Montrose 24 -5 27 8 Annan Ath 24 -16 27 9 Inverness CT 24 0 22 10 Dumbarton 23 -15 08 <<<That was the Warriors line up in the 2-1 win over Queen of the South last weekend. Warriors Last Six: W D D L W W They started their last six with a resounding 3-1 win at Alloa at the end of December. There followed draws with Annan Athletic and Kelty before being hammered 4-0 at home by Cove. In February they have had a 3-0 win at Montrose and a home win over QotS (2-1) in their last game ahead of the visit to Inverness. That back to back wins have put the Warriors heads above the parapet again with Arbroath handily placed behind them with two games in hand. They also went out of the Cup at East End Park with the Pars easing through 3-0 in the middle of January. Corey O'Donnell and Blair Alston are joint top scorers on six apiece with both scoring in the win over Queens last week. Matty Aitken is on 5 goals but has been out injured since before Xmas. Former Inverness player and man mountain Nat Wedderburn recently made his 150th appearance for Stenhousemuir. The Warriors were due to come North looking to pillage three points from the Bridge and Castle but the Eagle will be doing his best to stop the looting and get the Admin Express back on track after the Smokies derailed us momentarily. As it happened, a touch of frost has postponed this one until 1945 on Tuesday 11 March.

Luckily I never wrote a Preview.... Oh wait...

Beware James, I happened across Caledonian FC back in 1978 and have been hooked ever since. I've been to over 200 games. Doesn't sound a lot but when you live in Coventry (formerly known as Coventry Nil) it's quite an effort. The natives are extremely friendly so I doubt you will have any problems talking to other supporters. The club is getting back on it's feet again and is reconnecting with supporters after a torrid five year period under a useless CEO etc. I've not had the pleasure of visiting Bar 94 yet but I understand it is very popular. The bar was brought to life by excellent volunteers and is also run by volunteers. As for the area, you'll be fairly restricted without wheels to visit the nooks and crannies. You say your travelling by rail so, I recommend a ride out on the Kyle of Lochalsh line. Enjoy your trip...oh...and welcome to the forum.

Thanks for the messages about the cancellation. I did notice it myself pretty shortly after the announcement, literally as I was logging on to buy my match tickets and pre-order some things from the club shop! I've been frantically making arrangements over the last couple of hours to reorganise my trip and I'm now staying in Aviemore instead which should be an adventure in itself. Unfortunately it will be a football free weekend though I will endeavour to return to Inverness another day. An early season trip would mean I could combine it with a camping trip in the late summer, so this seems the most likely right now. Thanks for all the help everyone

We issued updates to members following our Board Meetings in January and February. You can read the updates in posts in the Supporters Trust Forum: https://caleythistleonline.com/forum/152-supporters-trust/ The February update includes details of the Fans Meeting that will take place at 1230 on Saturday 1 March in Bar 94, with an additional matchday bus being provided by Stagecoach at 1200 to the Stadium, which will allow time to grab a pie or a drink before the meeting starts. Charlie Christie and Scott Young will both be joining us to give an update on the club’s situation, whilst Charlie will also look back on the club’s first 30 years in conversation with our Chair, George Moodie. The meeting is open to all fans and we hope to see many of you there. If you are not already a member of the Trust, joining is easy (and only £5, or £1 for under 16s): https://www.ictsupporterstrust.org/join-us

Hi all. First post. Looking for some information. I'm travelling up from Staffordshire tomorrow night to watch the home game v Stenhousemuir. I visited the stadium last year and have visited a few other Scottish stadiums but this will be my first Scottish football match. I've been a long time follower of Scottish football and I love the genuine connection and passion that fans have to their clubs, a million miles away from that of the English Premier League and more comparable to that of the English lower leagues. When I visited the Caledonian Stadium in 2023, the people there were very accommodating and were helpful in allowing me to take photos (some of which are attached). I'm fascinated with the history of the club and some of the more recent drama brings back a lot of memories of going through administration and fearing for the future of my own club, Port Vale, in years gone by. We have been taken over by some good owners with local connections and it seems that the same has happened with Caley. The reason for this post really is that I'd be interested to meet and speak to people about what it means to be a Caley fan while I'm there. I will be doing a YouTube video of the whole trip (I don't have a big channel or anything), but I don't necessarily need to speak to people on camera if people aren't comfortable with that. Otherwise, I'd just be interested in any tips about what to do while I'm there, like places to go before and after the match, general things to do in Inverness (this will be my third visit but the first time I've stayed over) Thanks for reading if you got this far, apologies for the long post and fingers crossed for a win on Saturday.

James if you have started your journey and will still be in Inverness tonight you are unlucky the game is off and also that 12 miles north of Inverness is Dingwall home of Ross county who play in the Scottish premiership but they are away to Motherwell. there is another game on in Inverness on Saturday clachnacudden v Huntley in the highland league a few minutes walk from the town centre. You will meet some interesting people there and see a game of grass roots footie. if your luck changes it may be called off also.

The accounts for 30 May 2024 are due at Companies House by 28 February 2025, Confirmation statement by 3 March 2025. I expect the Administrators to meet these deadlines. They seem to have kept a very tight lid on what is happening which is re-assuring in my mind.

My team of youth was Birmingham City but haven't been for a good while, in fact, the last game was Blues v Caley in a pre season friendly so don't rule out a Caley v Vale game one day. They dubbed it the Shinnie derby as Andy Shinnie was playing for Bham and Grahame for Caley. Both are (were) ICT superstars back in the day. To be honest atmosphere at Caley stadium isn't the best but the North Stand is the place to be. There seems to be a lot more singing at away games which are well worth a date in your diary.

Thanks for the info and it's good to hear from another long distance fan. Hopefully I'm still going up there in years to come and tomorrow's game gets me hooked the same as you. Do you also go to watch Coventry? Club legend Mark Robins has recently gone to my team Port Vale's rivals Stoke City. He's not had a great start, but every manager they've had in most of the last decade has had a nightmare there. The golden rule for me in supporting a second team (which isn't something I've ever done before) is that there's no chance of both teams ever playing each other in a competitive game, which seem to be the case here unless both teams ever get into Europe (less likely for Port Vale than Caley I would think here!). Another question - where would be the best part of the ground to sit for a good atmosphere? I'm currently swaying towards the North Stand

I can’t help noticing that David Cameron seems to be under pressure as regards some of his other business interests. For instance he is reportedly the sole director of Upland, the company involved in the St Giles Centre in Elgin, and the Courier is reporting that this same company’s attempts to sell on the Ironworks have run into trouble. In the Courier report, Mr Cameron is quoted as telling the paper that this is “none of your bloody business”. Given that Mr Cameron is also owed £410,000 by Caley Thistle and, jointly with Ross Morrison, runs the company that owns the stadium car park lease, I hope that his other difficulties aren’t going to impinge negatively upon the football club’s situation.

Following our Board Meeting last week, we have e-mailed this update to our members: https://www.ictsupporterstrust.org/post/update-to-members-february2025 It includes advance details of the Fans Meeting on 1 March. If you are not yet a member of the Trust, joining is easy (and only £5 or £1 for under 16s): https://www.ictsupporterstrust.org/join-us

https://www.inverness-courier.co.uk/sport/defender-will-not-play-again-for-inverness-caledonian-thistl-374434/ Jake's injury was worse than it seemed at the time. However, he has had an operation and now back doing rehab but will not play again this season.