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What a turnaround: An understrength Inverness struggled badly against a solid St Johnstone who took a two goal lead into the interval. Shaun Rooney and Melker Hallberg put the Saints in the driving seat. However, step forward Reece McAlear and take a massive bow. A thumping strike off the underside of the bar and an exquisite curling free kick levelled matters and gives us something to play for in the return leg at Perth.

Play Off Final 1st Leg: It's the second time we have faced St Johnstone in a crucial promotion encounter at the Caledonian Stadium. This game kicks off on Friday night on 20th May at 7:45pm. The last crucial one was back in 2004. It was Saturday 15th of May when Inverness beat St Johnstone 3-1 to top the League on the final day of the season. It took a bit more wrangling to finally clinch promotion after a legal battle, but we got there.

Caley Jags through

We did it!  If you thought the first half at Inverness was poor, then step forward the first half from Gayfield. Shockingly poor forty five from both sides as Inverness struggled to get out of their own half into the face of a stiff breeze. On the other hand Arbroath did absolutely nothing either. The second half saw Danny Devine sent off, Shane Sutherland stretchered off and later on Wallace Duffy sent off as we ended the game with nine men. Farcical stuff.

However, we got through to the play off final after a 5-3 penalty shoot out win. Bobby Linn of all players having his spot kick saved by Mark Ridgers and Kirk Broadfoot with the final winning penalty after that save.

Friday the 13th looms...Not quite as drastic as the original Friday the 13th, but expect plenty of blood and guts on display as these teams battle it out for a Premiership showdown with St Johnstone after it was confirmed in midweek that Dundee are officially relegated. A goalless draw in the first leg means that it's a blank canvas for both sides in their quest to get to the promised land. A land of milk and honey, a land where riches, trophies and big crowds are mythical, but bottom six, relegation and empty seats a reality. The first leg was fraught with tension and anxiety in abundance, the first half especially. Logan Chalmers and Austin Samuels came close, but Dick Campbell's game plan of snapping at our ankles reduced us to making hurried decisions.  Unfortunately these were mostly the wrong ones, and along with poorly executed passes, worked in the Smokies favour. They played to their strengths and we went along with it. There's a lot of hard work to be done on Friday, this time we need to be prepared to muck in right from the first whistle.

All to play for: Arbroath were up for this one shutting Inverness down high up the pitch in a poor first half. Logan Chalmers was nearest to breaking the deadlock when he hit the bar with a rasping shot from close to thirty yards. Inverness upped the pace after the break but it was too little too late. Sleeves will need to be rolled up on Friday from the start if we are to get through. The whole of the first half passed Inverness by as Arbroath were in our faces. That needs to change on Friday and it might work in our favour if Arbroath decide to have a go which will give us more space to exploit.

After an edgy quarter final play off win over Partick Thistle, we face Championship team of the season Arbroath on Tuesday night at 7:05pm. Dick Campbell takes his team North as favourites to progress to the final, with St Johnstone being the likely candidates for the opposition. The game will also be screened live on the BBC Scotland channel.

Arbroath have had a fantastic season falling just two points short of automatic promotion and finishing second in the Championship, six points ahead of third placed Inverness, and with a superior goal difference of seven, and losing only five Championship games all season. The one thing in our favour is that we beat them twice, the most recent a slightly flattering 3-0 win a couple of months ago.

Smokies next: A draw would have been sufficient for Inverness to progress in the Premiership Play-Offs after winning the first leg 2-1 at Firhill. However, after a cagey opening Austin Samuels scored a superb opening goal when Sutherland fed him into the box. Graham rattled the bar and Ridgers denied the big striker from a goalbound header as Partick came back at their hosts but at the break it was advantage Inverness. Inverness weathered the expected storm after the interval and restricted Partick to half chances and but for Sneddon Inverness could have added another couple of goals, butt it's job done and Arbroath up next.

With only one goal between the sides, these two teams come to the Caledonian Stadium on Friday night (7:45pm) for the return leg of the Premiership play-off quarter final. The first game at Firhill on Tuesday night saw Inverness come from behind to take a slight advantage back up the A9. With away goals not counting double the tie is still in the balance. At Firhill Neither side were able to dominate on the tattie field and they went in goalless at the break although Logan Chalmers looked to be impeded in the box as he tried to get a shot away midway through the half. Robbie Crawford opened the scoring when he got onto a reverse ball from Brian Graham to shoot high into the net from inside the box to put Partick in the driving seat. Inverness turned it round in the second half with goals from Shane Sutherland and Austin Samuels. So here we are back to the Highlands on Friday night to conclude this tie. The downside of playing on that pitch in such a fiercely competitive match saw Tom Walsh injured inside twenty minutes which is a great pity as he was starting to get back to his former self. We were without Aaron Doran, Wallace Duffy and Roddy MacGregor in the first leg, hopefully precautionary in Doran and Duffy's case. Roddy MacGregor might be out for the season. Scott Allardice managed a place on the bench but was rightly not risked on that pitch. Arbroath await the victor.

Advantage Inverness: The first leg of the Premiership Play-Offs saw Inverness travel to Glasgow to take on the Maryhill Magyars as a place in the top division beckoned. Neither side were able to dominate on the Firhill tattie field and they went in goalless at the break although Logan Chalmers looked to be impeded as he tried to get a shot away. Crawford opened the scoring when he got onto a reverse ball from Graham to shoot high into the net from inside the box to put Partick in the driving seat. Inverness turned it round in the second half with goals from Shane Sutherland and Austin Samuels and it's back to the Highlands on Friday night to conclude this tie.

It's Play-Off time:  There's no hiding place now as we enter the first leg of the Premiership Play-Offs at Firhill to take on fourth place Championship finishers Partick Thistle. After a Championship campaign that saw more ups and downs than fair fortnight on the Big Dipper at Blackpool Pleasure Beach, it's now crunch time for all the Premiership contenders. Arbroath await the winners of this two-leg tie after they fell just two points short of automatic promotion with Killie making the step up. What a season for Dick Campbell and his Smokies though. However, it's one game at a time and let's see how far that will take us.

Inverness rounded off the regular season with big win over hapless Hamilton. Tom Walsh gave Inverness an early lead and Shane Sutherland added a tremendous second after fifteen minutes. Walsh notched his second when Sutherland slipped him into the box and Joe Hardy got in on the act with his first goal. Four up at the break and the foot was off the pedal in the second half as Inverness cruised to victory in the final home game with no further scoring.

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Boom! (as long as it's Reece McAlear v Pars)

JOB DONE: Inverness opened the scoring half an hour in through Roddy MacGregor with a low shot into the bottom corner from eighteen yards. It was a half of few chances. The second half was similar to the first with chances at a premium, Tom Walsh maybe could have done better on the break but overall Inverness did enough to secure third place with both Partick and Raith also winning. Partick should remain fourth with a superior goal difference to Raith. Morton find themselves safe but Queen of the South are officially relegated with Ayr and Dunfermline battling for the drop zone play-off place.

Penultimate game before the play offs and it's another away day as we head to Greenock to take on Morton this Saturday. 3:00pm kick off at Cappielow and we still need three points to ensure third place in the table unless Partick lose as well. Anything is possible in this league. In fairness to Dodds and his team, we are more than capable of getting to the final of the play-offs, but inconsistency could be our downfall. Depends what team turns up on the day. I won't be too despondent should we fail to win at Cappielow, but come the play-offs, we must be at our best. Attitude, aptitude and commitment will be crucial to the outcome of our season. 

Absolutely Buffered! After a sloppy opening from the visitors who appeared bus-lagged, Queens opened the scoring through Josh Todd who took advantage of a poor defensive clearance to finish tidily. Logan Chalmers did likewise after Queens gave away the ball in midfield, his finish was stunning. Queens went back in front before the break, goal was scored by buffering. A great finish by East I am told. Half Time 2-1 and there was no further scoring after the break.

Our aim was to get enough points to remain in third place to get the slight advantage of playing at home in the 3rd/4th place play-off second leg with second place pretty much out of our reach. We failed to achieve that, on to the next game.

We make the long journey to Dumfries on Tuesday night safe in the knowledge that we have qualified for a play-off place at the top end of the table. Unfortunately for Queen of the South they are all but relegated, and only three wins from their final three games can offer them some hope of a miracle that will save them from the drop. Tuesday night at 7:45pm is the scheduled start for this re-arranged fixture. Our goal will be to get enough points to remain in third place to get the slight advantage of playing at home in the 3rd/4th place play-off second leg with second place pretty much out of our reach.

Killie came North with a big following looking to get one hand on the title whilst Inverness were hoping to strengthen their grip on a play-off spot. A win for Killie tonight and defeat for Arbroath tomorrow afternoon and they will have both hands on the title and on their way back to the Premiership. An even first forty-five with Campbell and Shaw coming closest for the visitors and Chalmers and Samuels having the best efforts for the hosts, but it remained scoreless at the interval. The pace warmed up after the break and it was Ash Taylor that opened the scoring after a misplaced header from Kirk Broadfoot landed at his feet. Dodds took the bull by the horns with a double substitution and that seemed to give us the impetus to have a go at Killie. Billy Mckay hustled a poachers goal with fifteen minutes left, and once more Logan Chalmers came up trumps with a well executed goal to round off the scoring. What this means is that Inverness are guaranteed a play-off place and Killie have a bit more work to do.

Kilmarnock head North looking to wrap up their return to the Premiership as they visit the Caledonian Stadium on Friday night. The game is a 7:45pm kick off and can be seen on council TV. The crossing of the T's and dotting of the I's is all that prevents the trophy being handed over, but the real battle goes on for second, third and fourth. Killie will be taking a big crowd North looking to close out the title.

Inverness threw away two points with a desperately poor second half performance against Ayr United who thoroughly deserved their point as we regressed. We got off to the perfect start and were two ahead after only thirteen minutes through Shane Sutherland and Logan Chalmers with a wonderful strike into the top corner. Ayr shuffled their pack at the interval and it was only a matter of time before we were forced to hang on grimly for a point when we had three in the bag already. Goals from Fraser Bryden and Markus Fjortoft snatched a draw from the jaws of defeat for the Honest Men as we headed home with egg on our faces. The only thing that took the edge off throwing away points was Raith Rovers losing to Morton and Roddy MacGregor getting a run out as a second half sub after being out for months. A better more accomplished performance is required next Friday when Kilmarnock come North, the title on their fingertips.

Inverness make the trek to Ayr on Saturday as the season edges closer to a climax. Often a happy hunting ground for the Caley Jags, Somerset Park should hold no fears for Inverness as the campaign heads towards fever pitch with points important for both clubs. However, despite Inverness having the better stats in Ayr, the Honest men came North in mid February and took all three points South. It's a 3:00pm kick-off on Saturday.

Inverness took a massive step towards a play off place by defeating Dunfermline Athletic for the first time this season. An encouraging but goalless first half where Reece McAlear had hit the post was replaced by a two goal second half with chances at both ends. The deadlock was broken by a man who only scores screamers. Reece McAlear lashed the ball across the keeper and into the top right corner of the goal from a difficult position wide on the inside right area. What a strike that was but it only woke the Pars up from their lethargy and they had three or four great opportunities before substitute Austin Samuels sealed the points after he sprinted on to a through ball from Aaron Doran to slot neatly behind Mehmet in goal. Comfortable thereafter for the remainder of the game and an excellent three points to strengthen our hold on third place with Raith, Arbroath and Partick all dropping points.

The big games keep coming as we reach the business end of the season, the intensity of this one heightened in midweek after the Pars thrashed Partick Thistle 4-1 on Tuesday night ahead of their visit to the Caledonian Stadium on Saturday. The game kicks off at 3:00pm with points vital for both sides for different reasons. John Hughes is the man tasked with saving Dunfermline's season and it's not all gone to plan so far, but the midweek rout of Partick is an untimely reminder that they can cause problems to the best sides in this division. How many people, like me, had the Pars down as one of the favourites to get promotion given the depth and quality of their squad. I certainly did not expect them to be exiting the Championship at the bottom end. Crazy season heading for a tense finish at both ends of the table.

Chalmers to the rescue as Raith see Red: The scrap for play-off places intensified as Inverness produced a smash and grab raid at Stark's Park. Rovers had led 2-1 at the interval through Connolly and Poplatnik with Sutherland scoring between those goals. Kyle Benedictus saw red with twenty minutes remaining and it looked like the game was slipping away from Inverness as they entered the 90th minute. Step forward substitute Logan Chalmers who single handedly won the game for the visitors with two outstanding goals. Both strikes hit with power, accuracy and a deadly left foot from distance. Not bad for your first goals for the club. Raith ended the game in total disarray as Ben Williamson was also sent off. Partick were humped 4-0 by Accies and we jump above them to third but Killie and Arbroath power on at the top of the table with wins.

The Good the Bad and Raith Rovers: With both clubs recording their first win in 2022, this clash could go a long way to deciding who has the bottle for the battle. Saturday 3:00pm at Starks Park should reveal all as good takes on bad, or Inverness versus Raith Rovers, a club apparently with the morals of Michael Gardyne. Both clubs have underperformed over the last three months but surprisingly still find themselves in contention for a play-off spot, realistically fourth place.

A blistering start by Inverness put them on their way to a first win in 12 starts. Goals from Shane Sutherland and Reece McAlear set them on their way inside eleven minutes. Billy Mckay sclaffed in a third with twenty minutes to go and there was no way back for Arbroath who lost ground at the top of the table with Dick Campbell sent to the stands. As Partick Thistle los to Morton, we closed the gap to two points behind them with Raith still one point behind us. Away to Rovers next week. That's a massive game now as both sides chase a play-off spot.