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A visit to East End Park is on the cards for this weekend. With both teams conveniently knocked out of the Scottish Cup, then we can play catch-up on this postponed fixture from the end of December. Kick off is 3:00pm and with fan restrictions lifted, a healthy crowd is anticipated as the omicron cobwebs get blown away.

Comedy of Errors: Inverness once more failed to take advantage of the given situation by producing another abject display at home against a club staring at relegation. This time it was Queen of the South that showed up our lack of quality and Lee Connelly scored the opener in the first half with Willie Collum waiving away appeals for offside. Same old same old from Inverness in a dire first half. We looked to have got out of jail when the Queens defenders made a hash of clearing a long kick out from Mark Ridgers and Billy Mckay accepted the comical defending to prod the ball home. If ever a man needed a goal it was Tom Walsh who has been totally ineffective this season, but score he did after being sent into the box by Mckay before drilling the ball behind Josh Rae. Phew we all thought, thank feck for that! Alas we shot ourselves in the foot, or more accurately David Carson shot us in the foot as he teed up substitute Ally Roy who had only been on the park for one minute. Surprisingly we actually jumped back into second place thanks to other results, but it's a complete mystery how we have done this given the dross we are subject to at the moment. 

Shut that window: Second bottom Queen of the south come calling to the Caledonian Stadium to take on second top Inverness Caledonian Thistle. Saturday afternoon at 3:00pm is the kick-off. Queens have lost their last two fixtures and Inverness are without a win in their last three games. Time to close the transfer window before we have nobody left to play out the season.

Title challengers clashed at the Caledonian Stadium for the second time this season and it was only Killie that benefitted after a score draw in the Highlands. A spectacular strike from Ethan Ross put Raith in front as the hosts struggled to create anything. Mark Ridgers had to be alert to deny Ross Mathews a second goal to keep it at one before the interval. We upped the pace after the interval, but chances were still at a premium early on. However, our pressure paid off when Reece McAlear lashed a low shot behind the outstretched Jamie Macdonald from near thirty yards to level the game, and despite efforts from both sides it remained 1-1 at full time.

First home game of the year has third placed and fellow title contenders Raith Rovers coming North to face second place Inverness at the Caledonian Stadium on Saturday. The game is scheduled to kick off at 3:00pm, but given the recent weather and covid restrictions, don't hold your breath. This game has a restricted crowd of 500 Willy Wonka golden tickets allocated. Fear not if you failed to get a hold of a ticket as ICTV will be streaming the game at a mere £15.

The Caley Jags started 2022 with a game played in poor conditions at Gayfield. In a first half controlled by the weather chances were minimal. Joel Nouble burst into the box along the byeline but Mark Ridgers blocked to snuff out the danger. Aaron Doran drifted a curling shot just wide soon after before firing a second one high over the bar minutes later. Colin Hamilton went close after a lay-off in the box but it rose just over the corner of the bar. Ridgers saved low from Nouble inside the box five minutes before the break as Arbroath looked to have mastered the wind better, but the big fellow scuffed his shot somewhat to make the keepers job easier. Cammy Harper replaced the injured Aaron Doran a minute before the interval, leaving our bench even more fragile as the half time whistle went at 0-0. A big scramble in the visitors box just after the interval from a corner saw us hack the ball clear after some pinball. James Craigen slid a ball across the face of the goal from the left but it was just wide of the post and at the other end David Carson appeared to clip the outside edge of the post as he fired an effort from the edge of the box. The game petered out thereafter with neither side looking likely to score as the ball eluded everyone at the vital moments and a draw it was. Grim stuff in less than favourable circumstances and a point apiece it was. 

Full Time: 0-0

Smoking Smokies: The form team of 2021 entertain their table topping rivals Inverness Caledonian Thistle as we first foot Gayfield on Sunday 2nd January. This game is scheduled for a 3:00pm kick-off and is the proverbial six pointer, but there is no guarantee of anything in these eerie times given our last two games were called off for covid at home to Partick and then a waterlogged pitch at Dunfermline. The game can be streamed live from Arbroath TV

Hughes the Daddy: Inverness' cup winning manager John Hughes is now the man in charge at East End Park with the unenviable task of lifting the Pars up the table. The Caley Jags should be turning up in midweek, weather and covid permitting, the game is scheduled for a 7:45pm kick-off on Wednesday night. It's an early opportunity for both clubs to get back on track after festive flops and the stakes are high at both ends of the table.

Omicron 1-0 Football
Game off due to outbreak of covid

After an uneventful first half, Inverness slumped to their second defeat of the season to a rank rotten Accies when they surrendered a second half lead after Cammy Harper netted. However two goals in the space of three minutes from David Moyo and Andrew Winter ruined our day and knocked us off our perch at the top. I suppose it was only a Winter's tale, but it doesn't make good reading. That's our Jekyll and Hyde season in all its sorry glory...

We face Hamilton Accies on Saturday in the Championship, fresh from our mauling of Morton last weekend, but can we sustain that level of intensity as we enter the heavy winter schedule? The game kicks off at 3:00pm at the Caledonian Stadium with live streaming available from ICTV at £15 if you are unable to get to the stadium. We are due Accies a doing after our lousy performance down there on 2nd October against ten men for over an hour. Let's hope we can continue to build on our performance from last weekend. If not, Raith, Arbroath, Killie and Partick are waiting in the wings...

Managerless bottom club Morton were gubbed. There's no other word for it. Caley Jags were rampant after a couple of drab draws in the Scottish Cup. I'll credit Aaron Doran with the opener as his cross to the back post ended up in the net as Hamilton tried to claw it clear. Sutherland got the second after a Billy Mckay shot was blocked at close range. Mckay got his own when he rolled the ball in off the post. Boss! Just on the interval Ugwu scored from the spot to offer Morton a lifeline. Reece McAlear scored a fekkin screamer, what can only be described as a piledriver. What a strike that was! The ever alert Sutherland added a fifth and it was no surprise when Jamieson dribbled his way into the box and slotted home the sixth. This has been coming for weeks, but today was maybe the day the Caley Jags believed in themselves. Boom!

Back to the Championship: As if we have not played Morton often enough over the last few weeks we have to play them again on Saturday, the fourth meeting already this season. However, this is infinitely more important than the last couple of 1-1 draws. It's back to the Championship on Saturday and a chance to atone for dropping out of the Scottish Cup to Morton after a penalty shoot-out defeat. 

Cup of woe: Morton took a first half lead just before the break when Robbie Muirhead shot home from outside the box into the bottom corner. Parity was restored a minute into the second half when a Doran free kick ended in the net, possibly aided by the head of Danny Devine or a Morton body. No further scoring sent the game to a penalty shoot-out. Plenty of good penalties on show and with Devine failing to score, Oliver put away the decisive ninth penalty to win the tie. That's our third penalty shoot-out failure this season; meh!

Cup Replay: It's a Scottish Cup replay at Cappielow on Tuesday night as Inverness take on Morton to see who travels to Motherwell in the next round. The first game ended at 1-1 in the Highlands with strikes from Billy Mckay and Gavin Reilly taking the game to a replay, probably something neither club will relish. League form indicates that Inverness should be favourites to go into the next round, but on the evidence of the original tie, Morton were the ones forcing the pace of the game and deserved a second bite at the cherry.

Table Toppers: League leaders Kilmarnock looked determined to spoil the game as a spectacle and it was a first half of few chances. Mckay having a shot blocked for a corner by Hemming and Ridgers denying McKenzie. However, chances were at a premium and the half ended goalless. The goal that settled the game was a stunning strike from captain Sean Welsh and no more than Inverness deserved with Killie void of attacking intent. This result put Inverness back on top of the table for now.

The hectic week continues with the visit of Championship leaders Kilmarnock on Friday night for a 7:45 kick off. With only two points separating the top five, there's little room to slip a fag paper between the lot of them. We managed to surreptitiously extricate ourselves from the Challenge Cup on Tuesday night to alleviate the fixture schedule thanks to a couple of weak penalties. Not too weak to bring us to the attention of everyone, but just enough to get dumped out of the event. Next up for the same treatment is a trip to Cappielow in the Scottish Cup next midweek, another waste of our time. So, let's concentrate 100% on the Championship from now until the end of the season.

The Caley Jags and Raith had made ten changes between them for this Challenge Cup encounter and that was maybe evident by a lack of quality in the final third with neither side over exerting the opposition keepers in a goalless first half. The second half came and went with Jamieson and Connolly passing up on the best chances and it went to a penalty shoot out. Raith held their bottle better and when Shane Sutherland saw his penalty saved it was Raith that progressed to play Killie who edged out Hamilton 3-2.

It's off to Cappielow in midweek for a cup replay on Tuesday 7th December after these two sides served up a 1-1 draw at the Caledonian Stadium. Billy Mckay opened the scoring in the twelfth minute after what appeared to be a gift from keeper Hamilton, and as is our current trend we failed to capitalise on our good fortune and fell away in the second half which allowed Morton to snatch a deserved late equaliser after we returned the compliment and Gavin Reilly took the game to a replay. To be brutally honest, simply not good enough, too many players not producing the goods.

Its a break from the rigours of the Championship this weekend as Morton head North looking to progress in the Scottish Cup. The game kicks-off at 3:00pm and for those unable to get to the Caledonian Stadium, ICTV will be streaming the match for a tenner. Not a big change for either side though as these two Championship sides clash in the 3rd round. They have met in the Scottish Cup twice before with Inverness dishing out heavy defeats of 4-0 and 5-1. In other knockout competitions there has been two meetings with the Caley Jags winning them both.

The visitors opened the scoring when Billy Mckay converted a first half penalty. They doubled their lead when he added a second from a superb Carson cross and almost completed his hat-trick but for the woodwork. However, Queens forced a tense finish when Lee Connelly smashed the ball into the net to give them hope. Fortunately Inverness saw out the game to claim the points and move a point behind leaders Kilmarnock who lost to Arbroath on Saturday. 

On the Telly: Not sure if it's a good thing that we are on the telly on Friday night for all to see given our recent tepid performances, but we travel to Dumfries to take on Queen of the South at Palmerston for a 19:45 kick-off. Unfortunately any confidence we built up over the first nine games has dissipated in the Autumn mist and our form is now on a par with Queens who are second bottom of the table. Only Ayr united are worse over the last five games, and we failed to beat them as well.

Under Par: Inverness opened the scoring after probing well for over twenty minutes. Michael Gardyne drifted inside and the Pars defence opened up allowing him to get a shot away. It came back off the woodwork and Billy Mckay reacted first to knock the ball into the net. However, Dunfermline got their first win of the season as Inverness fired blanks thereafter, and goals from Lewis McCann assisted by a Danny Devine deflection and a great solo effort from Dom Thomas won the points for the Pars.

Another bad day at the office continued with Inverness slipping to third following wins for Killie Raith and Partick.

Yogi returns to Inverness: Inverness will host Dunfermline on Saturday, complete with new manager John Hughes, after Yogi was appointed as the man tasked with saving the Pars from relegation after a dismal first quarter of the season has them toiling at the foot of the table with no wins from thirteen games. The cinch Championship game kicks-off at 3:00pm with Inverness looking to get back to winning ways and the Pars hoping for the 'new manager bounce'.

At a windy Somerset Park, Inverness took the lead early on when Sean Welsh met a Tom Walsh cross at the back post unchallenged to head into the net. The lead only lasted a couple of minutes as Joe Chalmers scored after a corner with a couple of defenders being grappled to the ground as Chalmers slotted home. Gardyne was causing all sorts of problems and his next angled cross into the box was missed by Mckay but it bounced through and into the goal to give the visitors the advantage at the break. Reading levelled with a low shot eight minutes into the second half, Ridgers not covering his near post sufficiently. No more scoring partly due to Aidan McAdams in the home goal and another great opportunity to get back on top went abegging with Partick winning 1-0 at Rugby Park.