Scotty

Cup run continues Inverness did just enough as they eased into the semi-finals after beating a resolute Raith Rovers 1-0 thanks to a headed goal just after the hour by Danny Devine from a Greg Tansey corner. The performance was secondary and the aim of the game was to get into the next round. That was achieved without too much hassle, although Inverness tried their best to throw Rovers a lifeline with a couple of loose passes along the defensive line. Man of the Match Danny Williams came closest in a drab first half with a scorching shot that cracked off the bar, and Graeme Shinnie could not convert when through on goal, but that apart, not too much to get excited about. The pace was upped in the second half and Raith were mostly on the back foot, but Inverness struggled to create clear cut chances. The goal came from a deep corner and Devine rose high at the back post to get good power on his header which entered the net via the post for the only goal of the game. Full Time 1-0 Dancing in the streets of Inverness After the horrendous storms of the last few days, few people were expecting a flat calm for this re-scheduled quarter final tie, but that's exactly what we got, thankfully. The Wind had disappeared and the pitch had dried out sufficiently to allow the game to go ahead. Considering the timing of the game and the original postponement, a sizeable away support bolstered an otherwise apathetic home crowd for the tie which saw Inverness kick off and immediately hold the upper hand, taking the game to their Championship opponents. Greg Tansey had the first stab at goal as he curled a ball high and wide as it broke to him some 25 yards out. Inverness' corner count was rising as the half continued, without either side threatening too much although Edward Ofere was unlucky to have a goalward header barged down as we penned Raith into their own quarter. With quarter of an hour gone, Watkins might have done better or have been less greedy as he shot across the face of the goal when a pass would have been more productive. There followed a series of corners and goal attempts by Inverness which should have resulted in the opening goal. Ofere, Williams, Shinnie and the pick of the misses from Raven as he tried to poke a ball towards the goal. Unfortunately, he stabbed it as high as the stand. Ofere was causing problems in the box with his height and he brought a save out of McGurn, then flashed a header just wide as a goal looked imminent. Shinnie then missed the best chance so far after bursting into the box on his wrong foot, the keeper able to block his attempt as he bore down on goal. Williams is coming into his own these days and he unleashed a ferocious shot that smacked the crossbar from long range but that was about the best of the action and Raith held out for their 0-0 at the break. Half Time 0-0 Inverness appeared after the break and straight away there seemed to be more urgency about their play as they attacked the North end. Watkins missed a sitter as he stuck out a foot at a ball in the six yard box, but he lifted it over the bar when it looked easier to score and a minute later he had a header saved under the bar as Raith were pegged back. Draper also had a header saved and the corners were totting up. Rovers replied with a couple of corners of their own but the home defence looked comfortable dealing with them. In the 63rd minute, the home pressure paid off. Tansey whipped a corner to the far post and Devine rose high above his marker to power his header in off the post with McGurn stranded. No more than Inverness deserved really but tough on the Rovers who had denied the Premiership side for over an hour. A second goal would certainly kill the tie off, but Raith dug deep and tried to get back into the game, although the home defence were in no mood to let the lead slip. In truth, Inverness were always a step ahead of their Championship rivals and Raith never did enough to warrant a replay, and after a flurry of subs the game became more fragmented. One of the subs brought some merriment to the North Stand as Tarmo Kink came on for the last fifteen minutes of play. He showed some quick feet and looks like he will do well for us. Watkins, Tansey, and Christie all squandered further half chances and at the other end Ryan Esson had to pluck a last minute header from Conroy away from danger, but Inverness it was that went forward to a Hampden semi with either Dundee United or Celtic. Full Time 1-0 Raith did well in the previous round, but found out that Inverness were a tougher nut to crack and offered little creativity although their defensive qualities were difficult for Inverness to break down. Danny Williams has come good recently and he was a good choice for MotM, and he was ably supported by Danny Devine, Graeme Shinnie and Marley Watkins who got his second wind after the break and worked harder in the last half hour. Ryan Christie will have better days and David Raven got us into bother a couple of times when some poor link play gifted the opportunity for Raith to counter attack. However Meekings and Devine coped with that and at the end of the day we deserved our win and 1-0 flattered Raith somewhat. We haven't seen any official figures for the tie yet, but Raith looked as though they had around 300-350 and the North and Main Stands looked to be half full, so maybe around 2,500 to 3,000 in attendance, but I never counted them and I doubt the accountants did either. Date: 10/03/15 Venue: Caledonian Stadium Attendance: ???? Referee: Crawford Allan Inverness CT: 1 Lineup: Esson, Raven, Shinnie, Meekings, Devine, Draper, Tansey, Williams (Kink 79), Watkins, Christie (Ross 90), Ofere (Doran 79) Subs (not used): Mackay, Vincent, Tremarco, Polworth Scorers: Devine (63) Booked: none Sent Off: none Raith Rovers: 0 Lineup: McGurn, Thomson, Watson, Fox (Conroy 88), Anderson (Vaughan 76), Stewart, Callachan, McKay, McKeown, Nade, Barr Subs (not used): Cuthbert, Hill, Moon, Scott, Matthews Scorers: none Booked: none Sent Off: none