Scotty

The Day Football Died It was third time lucky for Inverness as they reached their first Scottish Cup final after beating treble chasing Celtic in extra time at Hampden Park. Sadly other events since then have overtaken the wonderful achievements of Yogi and his men. The game was not without controversy. Five goals, penalties, or not penalties, a crucial sending off and a tremendous display by the men from the North was just enough to tip the scales in favour of Inverness Caledonian Thistle. At the end of the day, one song was lingering in the head: It's all about the Ness, no treble! Great weather greeted the fans at Hampden and Inverness were as expected. Ryan Esson replaced the injured Dean Brill. Danny Williams was back in the starting X1 and big Edward Ofere would be the target man. Celtic were without the suspended Anthony Stokes, and Gary Mackay-Stevens and Stuart Armstrong were cup-tied. They did though field a potent attacking threat with Leigh Griffiths and Kris Commons starting with John Guidetti on the bench. From the kick off, Inverness got quickly into their stride and took the game to their more illustrious opponents, moving the ball around with precision and pace. Celtic found it difficult to get a hold of the ball in the first ten minutes as Inverness kept possession without any real threat. That changed though just after ten minutes into the game when Celtic broke forward. Nir Bitton latched onto a loose ball 25 yards out and his sweetly timed tackle/shot smacked off the woodwork with Esson beaten. A bolt from the blue, and a lucky escape for Inverness who had dominated the proceeding thus far. Celtic had woken up and Inverness were pushed onto the back foot as the Glasgow club surged forward. Ryan Esson saved well, diving full length to his left to push away a fierce Griffiths shot from thirty yards. Gary Warren was booked for pulling back James Forrest as he cut across the face of the box, a card that will see him miss a major final once more. From the resultant free kick, Virgil van Dijk lashed an unstoppable shot high past Esson from 22 yards and in off the top of the post. A spectacular opening goal, but there would be better to come. Ofere missed the best chance of the game after a Greg Tansey corner. Similar to his goal against Celtic in the league, the ball broke to him some eight yards out but he could not wrap his foot round it properly and this time his shot bounced down and then up over the bar. A warning to Celtic that we were still in the game. Esson stood up well as Celtic countered through the middle and Johansen stung his palms with a fierce shot that was beaten away, another important save from the stand in keeper. Greg Tansey was mugged on the halfway line as Celtic stormed forward again looking to add a second before the break. Forrest sprinted forward and fed Johansen on the left side of the box. His shot was deflected away from goal by Esson. The ball fell nicely for Griffiths who headed strongly goalwards, but the ball seemed to come of the hand of Josh Meekings who was no more than four feet from the head of Griffiths. Amazingly, the only people that never saw this were the officials who waved play on. I'm not as convinced as Celtic that this was intentional. I'm sure they will write a letter of complaint though. That was about the last action of a frenetic first half and Inverness were still within one goal of the treble chasers. Half Time 0-1 No changes at the break and Inverness started the second period with confidence once more, and Ofere was too high with a corner. At the other end Forrest went wide with a shot that Esson watched carefully. Ten minutes after the break and Inverness drew level. No doubt about the penalty and sending off for Craig Gordon. Watkins raced through on goal outmuscling Welsh international Adam Mathews. As the ball got touched back towards Gordon, Watkins got there first but the big keeper went right through him and red card it was. Tansey remained the coolest man on the park as Lukasz Zaluska put on the gloves. He took his time and waited for the keeper to make his move before directing the ball in the opposite direction and into the vacant net. Game on! James Forrest was the man sacrificed as Celtic made the change at the sending off, a blessing for Inverness and in particular David Raven who had been getting a tough time of it from the Celtic wide player. Could this mean that Raven might get further forward now? More on that later in the report. The ninety minutes produced no more goals and the game moved into extra time. 1-1 after 90 mins The game was now stretched and it ebbed and flowed, Inverness sharing the bulk of the possession. Johansen tried to catch Esson off his line, but he back pedalled and tipped the forty yard flighted shot over the bar. Inverness surged to the other end and Ryan Christie danced his way into the box and it took a fantastic save from the substitute keeper to deny Christie a goal after his thumping 16 yard shot was clawed away. Inverness were now enjoying their best spell of the game and when they worked the ball down the left, the ever willing Graeme Shinnie curled a ball into the box. Watkins brought the ball down and it broke kindly for Ofere, who steadied himself before firing a low ball to the keepers left with sufficient power to find the back of the net. Celtic were stung by this and when they got a free kick thirty yards out it didn't look like it would be a major problem. Guidetti struck it well and the ball whistled goalwards. It landed in front of Esson and he misjudged the bounce as it spun over his despairing arms and into the net. He won't want to see that one again, such a shame after a commanding performance up to that point. The second period of extra time showed that the referee's were once again flawed. Zaluskas barged into the back of Ofere and completely flattened him. I hope the compliance officer was watching. The ball was cushioned down for Nick Ross, but he half volleyed over with the goal gaping. With five minutes of extra time left, Inverness scored the decisive third goal to end Celtic's treble hopes. And what a goal it was too. Nick Ross battled to retrieve the ball outside the Celtic box. Aided by Marley Watkins, Ross got the ball back and threaded a great ball into the box where Shinnie left two defenders standing before rifling the ball across the goalmouth. David Raven made a great run to get on the end of it and still had plenty to do. He did it like a seasoned striker though, guiding the ball firmly into the net for what proved to be the winner before running round the back to celebrate with Shinnie who came round the other side. We played out the remaining minutes fairly comfortably and deservedly won the game, but committed the cardinal sin of denying Celtic Football club the chance to win the treble. AET 3-2 He might be going to Aberdeen, but Graeme Shinnie was captain marvel. He was everywhere and the driving force behind what was a fantastic team effort. He was my MotM and it is pretty unanimous on CTO that he gets the nod. There were no failures in this performance, everyone played their part. Watkins looked revitalised and Warren and Meekings ensured that we restricted Celtic to taking long pot shots. David Raven only scores important goals. His last one for us was in a derby win at Dingwall, this one surpassed that. Ryan Esson was outstanding, despite the blip for the second goal. Edward Ofere led the line well and his hold up play was excellent. Ryan Christie came into the game more after half time and was inspirational. This kid is going places. Can't fault anyone after that display to be honest. Sorry for ruining your treble Remember, you can access audio's with some of the Caley Jags players after the Hampden Park game right here https://www.facebook.com/ICTFC?fref=ts on the Inverness Caledonian Thistle FC facebook page. Scenes of joy at full time would remain with those fans for a couple of days at least before Celtic would write their letter of complaint and the SFA would buckle at the knees by pandering to the needs of the majority. It's now official, the SFA are the laughing stock of football and should hang their heads in shame, brought about by the incompetence of their own officials. Josh Meekings has incredibly been cited by the compliance officer who feels the need to punish him because Celtic can't take defeat without dragging everyone else through the mud. They have short memories and if this goes through, then football, as we know it has just ended. Instead of Inverness enjoying the greatest moment in their history, controversy has overtaken the scenes of joy and instead of celebrating a wonderful performance, it might be better known as the day football died. RIP football, 19/04/2015. Date: 19/04/15 Venue: Hampden Park, Glasgow Attendance: 28643 Referee: Steven McLean Inverness CT: 3 Lineup: Esson, Raven, Shinnie, Meekings, Warren, Draper, Tansey, Watkins, Williams (Ross 73), Christie, Ofere Subs (not used): Mackay, Vincent, Doran, Tremarco, Polworth, Kink Scorers: Tansey (pen.58), Ofere (96), Raven (117) Booked: Warren (17), Williams (66), Ross (102), Watkins (105) Sent Off: none Celtic: 2 Lineup: Gordon, Matthews, Izaguirre, Van Dijk, Denayer, Biton, Brown, Commons (Tonev 90), Johansen, Forrest (Zaluska 56), Griffiths (Guidetti 98) Subs (not used): Ambrose, Scepovic, McGregor, Tierney Scorers: Van Dijk (17), Giudettit (103) Booked: Brown (20), Tonev (97) Sent Off: Gordon (55)

Cup Warm Up Inverness gave starts to Danny Williams and Edward Ofere as they looked to halt their alarming dip in form. Dean Brill also started but he has unfortunately dislocated his knee cap in a nasty injury early in the game. Celtic opened the scoring after only three minutes. A long ball from Brown saw Griffiths get there ahead of Gary Warren, and as Warren never got close enough, Griffiths fired across Brill from the edge of the box and in off the base of the post. Inverness had looked lively though and an equaliser soon came along. A cross from the left reached Raven. His shot back into the mix eventually found Christie and his close range shot was cleared on the line by Denayer but Ofere knocked home the rebound. Dean Brill was stretchered from the park after less than 15 minutes when Gary Mackay-Steven collided with him as he cleared a pass back. The extra touch from Brill invited the challenge and unfortunately Brill came off worst. It looked as though he has twisted his knee again. Tough on Brill on his first game back after injury and the cup semi-final looks to be gone. Ryan Esson took over between the sticks. Josh Meekings earned a booking with a late tackle on Johansen, Josh carded after play was eventually halted. Edward Ofere was harshly booked as Scott Brown had the ball nicked off him as the game went into a midfield battle with Celtic holding the upper hand without threatening substitute Ryan Esson too much. With half an hour gone, play had deteriorated to a scrappy level, but Graeme Shinnie broke well on the left, however his cross found no takers. Shinnie involved again with another burst down the wing but the Celtic defence cleared for a throw in. Ross Draper joined the list of yellow cards for taking down GMS unnecessarily with another defender about to take the ball away. From the resultant free kick Esson made a fantastic tip over save from a close range header by Ambrose. Ryan Christie almost guided a ball through on the break but a defender blocked it as the game opened up again. It was the visitors who were now having the better of the possession, but openings were hard to come by. Watkins took the next booking as Isaguirre sprinted towards the edge of the box. Tansey took Brown out in the next attack and half a dozen Celtic players lined up to take it, however Griffiths won the battle but he floated his free kick high over to bring the first fifty minutes to an end. Half Time 1-1 Stuart Armstrong became the sixth player carded for catching Christie as he skipped past him on the halfway line as the second period began. Great pressure from Inverness resulted in a Tansey cross being cleared for a corner with Watkins lurking and from the corner too many players got in the way as Meeking mistimed his header. It was a better start to the half from Inverness as they kept Celtic on the back foot for spells, but Esson made another spectacular save from a Denayer header, replicating his tip over in the first half. Great back tracking by Watkins denied Izaguirre as Celtic began to press the game and biggest cheer of the day came when Scott Brown was yellow carded trying to win a penalty after 66 minutes. Moments later Celtic did get a free kick in a dangerous position but van Dijk smacked it off the wall for a corner. Another followed in quick succession, but Meekings ushered the ball out comfortably. Esson had a Brill moment but got away with it after a bobbly pass back saw him take an extra touch but the clearance was charged down for a goal kick. Inverness were by now defending too deep and there was no outlet for them whenever the ball was cleared from defence, Ofere cutting a lone dash up front. A throw out from Esson saw Shinnie release Williams on the left but he was blocked at the expense of a corner. From that, David Raven blasted the loose ball just over Gordon's bar. Celtic's scorer Leigh Griffiths was replaced by John Guidetti for the last fifteen minutes. John Hughes was keeping everyone guessing when he might make a change as the game entered the final ten minutes. Commons' determination saw him eventually get a volley away but it was too high. Inverness went up the other end and Watkins got the better of Denayer. When the ball arrived at Tansey, he swivelled and liffted a shot just over the bar. Celtic were trying to draw the home side out of their defensive shell but the hosts were having none of it. Aaron Doran and James Vincent entered the fray as Christie and Williams exited the battle. Commons did some fancy footwork but his thirty-yard drive flew well over the bar. The few chances that Inverness had to make any headway were quickly thwarted by poor passing from the back and it was mainly Celtic advancing as the game entered time added on. Every free kick was now crucial as two minutes of stoppage time was added, Inverness content to hack the ball anywhere and Esson crouched to gather an Armstrong effort comfortably. Last chance for Inverness as Doran fed Shinnie on the corner of the box but he was easily eased off the ball. One last chance for Celtic but a woeful cross went behind and that was it. Full Time 1-1 One win in nine now for Inverness, but a gritty performance will be forgiven by the fans and sent out a semi-final warning to the Hoops that we will be turning up next week, whatever the weather, whoever the opposition. Not for the first time this season Graeme Shinnie put in a MotM performance willing to drive forward on the left and still able to get back and defend when required. Great engine Graeme has and we will miss him next season. Esson did well when he came on for the unfortunate Brill and Watkins put in a busy shift tracking back to hold up the eager Celtic forwards. Ofere did well for an hour until he wilted. Good to have Doran on the bench to spice things up over the vital last few minutes when teams like Celtic surge forward. We were under the cosh for long periods, but stood firm and could have scored more, but it was a hard earned point. Date: 11/04/15 Venue: Caledonian Stadium Attendance: 6059 Referee: Craig Thomson Inverness CT: 1 Lineup: Brill (Esson 20), Raven, Shinnie, Warren, Meekings, Ofere, Draper, Watkins, Tansey, Williams (Vincent 84), Christie (Doran 84) Subs (not used): Ross, Devine, Tremarco, Kink Scorers: Ofere (4) Booked: Meekings (21), Ofere (28), Draper (39), Watkins (45+1) Sent Off: none Celtic: 1 Lineup: Gordon; Ambrose (Matthews 62), Denayer, van Dijk, Izaguirre; Brown, Bitton; Mackay-Steven (Commons 62), Johansen, Armstrong; Griffiths (Guidetti 78) Subs (not used): Zaluska, Stokes, McGregor, Tierney Scorers: Griffiths (3) Booked: van Dijk (31), Armstrong (47), Brown (67) Sent Off: none

Clueless Inverness A not unexpected result at Pittodrie considering our fortunes over the previous eight league games. We lacked any ambition and it was only a matter of time before Aberdeen got their noses in front knowing that it would be highly unlikely we would be able to respond. Ash Taylor did the damage just after the break and that was sufficient to all but guarantee Aberdeen second place with the faltering Inverness and Dundee United grimly clinging on to hopes of third. From BBC Sport Ash Taylor's fourth goal of the season gave second-place Aberdeen victory over Inverness Caledonian Thistle, who are now 11 points behind the Dons. Niall McGinn and Adam Rooney went close for Aberdeen in a largely uneventful first half at Pittodrie. Taylor headed in Barry Robson's corner to give the home side the advantage just after the interval. McGinn later fired against a post before Caley Thistle's Marley Watkins had an effort off the crossbar. The Dons may miss out on the lifting the title for the first time since 1985, but they are on course for the runners-up spot for the first time since Willie Miller was manager 21 years ago. They have done it with a bit of style, as well, as they are now unbeaten in 19 games against the teams below them in the Premiership table. The winning margin in this game could have been more comfortable as Caley Thistle rarely threatened to score and manager John Hughes must be worried by the way their season has petered out lately. Gointo a double header against Celtic in league and cup, they have now managed just three points from the last six league matches. Aberdeen manager Derek McInnes made his displeasure at the lacklustre performance against Partick Thistle last Saturday perfectly clear and they were certainly the more alert side as the Highlanders low tempo attacks were complimented by occasional slackness at the back. For example, Pittodrie-bound Graeme Shinnie was dispossessed by Jonny Hayes who hit a drive from the edge of the box just over the bar. Two minutes later Danny Williams tried to be too clever with a dummy read by McGinn, who clipped a cute ship over Ryan Esson but also just over the bar. Inverness were neat and tidy in possession but caused no real problems for Scott Brown who was back in the Aberdeen goal. It was the former Dons keeper at the other end who had the most uncomfortable moment of the first half after a mix up with central defender Gary Warren. Rooney looked like taking full advantage as he forced his way between the pair and hooked the ball towards the unguarded goal. Thankfully for the visitors Josh Meekings was alert to the danger and sprinted back to clear the ball from underneath his own crossbar. Robson nearly rolled back the years with a run from the half-way line that carried the veteran midfielder past two defenders before slicing his long range shot wide. His accuracy from set pieces remains undiminished, though, and it was his in-swinging corner that saw Taylor head the winner. The second half was a much more open affair, but the brilliance of Esson in goal and the post denying Shay Logan a goal restricted Aberdeen to a narrow success. Date: 08.04.2015 Venue: Pittodrie Stadium, Aberdeen Attendance: 11319 Referee: Calum Murray Aberdeen: 1 Lineup: Brown, Logan, Considine, Taylor, Reynolds, Flood, Rooney, McGinn, Hayes, Robson, Pawlett (McLean 69) Subs (not used): Langfield, Daniels, Low, Smith, Goodwillie, Shankland Scorers: Taylor (47) Booked: Robson (44), Logan (87) Sent Off: none Inverness CT: 0 Lineup: Esson, Raven (Devine 82), Shinnie, Warren, Meekings, Draper, Tansey (Christie 76), Williams, Doran, Ross (Ofere 66), Watkins Subs (not used): Brill, Horner, Polworth, Kink Scorers: none Booked: none Sent Off: none

Easter Borefest Dundee came, they saw and almost conquered, but a quick reply by Man of the Match Graeme Shinnie ensured that the clubs shared the points. Dundee seemed intent on not losing and Inverness had little clue how to win all three points. In the end the draw was the right result given the ineptitude of both sides. David Clarkson scored in the Dark Blues first serious attempt before Shinnie scored moments later. Edie Ofere almost added the winner, but the ball squirmed agonisingly wide of the post, but that was about it. Inverness blew another chance to close the gap on Aberdeen as they were held to a draw by mid-table Dundee in a rather scrappy affair where Paul Hartley will be better pleased than John Hughes. A bright afternoon for the game saw Inverness attack the South end of the stadium from the start, and Dundee showed their intent by defending deep from the off, not looking interested in getting bodies forward. Whilst Inverness had the bulk of the play in the opening half, few clear cut chances were created. What we did best in the first forty-five was have a go from distance. Greg Tansey fired a free kick through a gap in the wall but Scott Bain gathered easily. Tansey then danced across the Dundee defence some 25 yards out but his shot was once again too close to the keeper and he clutched the ball comfortably again. Aaron Doran made him work harder with a rasping thirty yard shot but again it was not far enough away from the alert Bain who punched the ball clear as Inverness held the upper hand. Dundee were rarely seen in the first half and Esson could easily have sat on the bench with Brill, such was their lack of adventure. Half Time 0-0 The second half began in stop start fashion as free kicks were being dished out like nobody's business. However, ten minutes in Dundee went over the half way line. Despite being in unfamiliar territory, they carved out a chance and when the move between Mark Stewart and Paul McGowan broke off Josh Meekings, David Clarkson tucked the free ball beyond Esson to give the visitors an undeserved lead. This stirred the home side into a bit of a frenzy and two minutes later they were level. The ball was worked down the right flank with a long ball from Tansey. Watkins held it up and played a one-two with Nick Ross. His telling cross found Shinnie coming into the box at the back edge of the box. Graeme's tenacity saw him get the break of the ball under the defensive challenge and he slammed a left foot shot low into the far corner for a deserved equaliser. In fairness to Dundee, after realising that they could cross the halfway line the game became more open and possession levelled out, but the goal threats still came from the home side, although they were not as frequent as the home fans would have liked. The best chance went the way of substitute Edward Ofere after Watkins had nodded a long ball into his path. He stuck a leg out to divert the ball as the keeper came out but it bounced just the wrong side of the post. The right side if you were a Dundee fan and the spin took the ball just wide. Meh! Doran had an opportunity on the left but he chose to blast the ball into the side netting when a cut back would have been more productive and that was the end of the incidents. Full Time 1-1 In truth it was another disappointing game and performance on a tired pitch. It's just that time of year I'm afraid when our wafer thin squad fails to grind out results. On a bright not, the rest of the contenders are struggling to cope as well, but it's getting very difficult to see where our next win is going to come from. Nick Ross and Aaron Doran did their prospects no harm as did Eddie Ofere who almost nicked the winner. MotM though was captain supreme, Graeme Shinnie who showed great determination to score his goal and led the team forward at every opportunity. The lack of a proven striker was sadly evident though as we found it difficult to create clean space in a packed penalty box time and time again. We miss Billy making those runs across the defence to create the openings. It's a tough couple of weeks coming up for us, with Aberdeen away and a double header against Celtic, one in the league and one in the cup and a game against the Arabs to come as well. Date: 04/04/15 Venue: Caledonian Stadium Attendance: 3362 Referee: Willie Collum Inverness CT: 1 Lineup: Esson, Raven, Warren, Meekings, Shinnie, Doran, Draper, Tansey, Ross (Kink 84), Christie (Ofere 71), Watkins Subs (not used): Brill, Vincent, Devine, Williams, Polworth Scorers: Shinnie (55) Booked: Draper (57), Raven (66) Sent Off: none Dundee: 1 Lineup: Bain, McGinn, McPake (Davidson 61), Konrad, Dyer, Thomson, McGinn, McGowan, Ferry (McAlister 71), Clarkson (Harris 81), Stewart Subs (not used): Letheren, Gadzhalov, Wighton, Heffernan Scorers: Clarkson (53) Booked: McGowan (54), Dyer (79) Sent Off: none