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Second Half Show An instantly forgettable first half where nothing happened was soon erased from the memory banks with decisive goals from Marley Watkins and Ryan Christie setting Inverness on easy street, but we gave St Johnstone a glimmer of hope allowing Brian Graham a free header and ended up hanging on to our slim lead to claim all three points. Ross Draper and Graeme Shinnie returned after serving their suspensions in the League Cup game at Ibrox pushing Tremarco and Williams onto the bench and Simon Lappin started for St Johnstone who had Murray Davidson on the bench as his return to full fitness gathers momentum. The first half was memorable. Memorable for the fact that it was a total non-event where both keepers could have gone to Tesco's for some shopping and nobody would have noticed. Small crowds are part and parcel of the Scottish game just now and a paltry 2,770 turned up to watch nothing happen. People were staring around in silence trying to generate their own entertainment as the folk on the pitch moved the round thing about the park. It was a weird experience and the two way de-motivation continued until Calum Murray had enough and ended the first half with unsurprisingly, no goals scored. Half Time 0-0 Words must have been exchanged at the interval and we showed a bit more purpose after the break. Draper was cautioned inside two minutes of the restart. Still it took until the hour mark for the game to ignite when Inverness broke rapidly down the left flank. Aaron Doran did all the leg work sprinting down the flank and his low cross picked out Watkins who took a touch before squeezing the ball through Mannus in the Saints goal. No more than we deserved really but it took a long time coming. We looked to have more buzz about us now and Billy started running again instead of forlornly kicking blades of grass as pass after pass were going astray in the previous hour. Doran was buoyed by his successful rampage and hit a dipping shot which Mannus turned over the bar as we now had the bit between our teeth. Five minutes after the opener, we scored again through Ryan Christie. Some comedy defending from St Jojnstone helped to set up the next goal. Doran held the ball up well right on the bye line. The defenders seemed to nick it off him then parted like the Red Sea which allowed Shinnie to set up Ryan. Again, Mannus won't want to see too many repeat videos of this as Christie hammered a low shot goalwards from the left edge of the box, the ball once more going through the normally reliable keeper and into the net. Christie was starting to run the show up front for Inverness and the goals prompted a double substitution by Tommy Wright as he introduced O'Halloran and Morgan for Lappin and Wotherspoon as we looked like going on to increase our lead. Unfortunately our defence had other ideas and on more than one occasion we managed to carve out openings for St Johnstone who were finding it difficult to create their own. Christie had won a free kick in a dangerous position but Shinnie showed that we need to do more practice on the training ground as he fired it well over. We created our own downfall after 77 minutes as slack play on the left allowed Millar to send in an innocuous looking cross, but big Brian Graham was unchallenged as he nodded the ball low past a diving Brill. Game on again and Perth sensed that we might create another opportunity for them and they weren't wrong. David Raven was caught out a few times today, losing the ball cheaply but he wasn't alone and Brill's rushed clearances were none too clever as we sat deeper and deeper as the game neared a conclusion. However, despite having to give away a series of corners in the last few minutes we did hang on and the home fans were able to remove their fingers from over their eyes to applaud as the final whistle sounded. Full Time 2-1 The highlights show that maybe something did happen in the first half, but it was all a bit Sunday League for my liking, more urgency after the break though and that has to be applauded ......... Similar to the Kilmarnock game, the first half was dire, but having kept a clean sheet we then moved up a gear and should have won this game without conceding, so one paced were St Johnstone. However we gifted them an opening they greatly accepted and we looked a bit rattled and relieved as the game ended with St Johnstone trying to get a point they barely deserved. We rightly won the game and I am thankful for the three points, but we will need to perform for ninety minutes against better teams. And can we please stop faffing around at the back, it almost cost us. That's all. tm4tj MotM:- It's not often that the sponsors get it right but they managed to pick the right boy today, and that boy was Ryan Christie, one of only three contenders today. He looks a class apart and his creativity is starting to even baffle his own team mates. He was best assisted by Aaron Doran and Marley Watkins. I have to say, that the award is only for the second half as the first half never happened. (what first half I hear you say) Here's the view from the Perth camp.................... Date: 20/09/14 Venue: Caledonian Stadium Attendance: 2770 Referee: Calum Murray Inverness CT: 2 Lineup: Brill, Raven, Shinnie, Warren, Meekings, McKay, Draper, Doran (Ross 90), Watkins, Tansey, Christie (Williams 80) Subs (not used): Esson, Polworth, Devine, Horner, Tremarco. Scorers: Watkins (61), Christie (66) Booked: Draper (47), Watkins (72) Sent Off: none St Johnstone: 1 Lineup: Mannus, Mackay, Lappin (O'Halloran 67), Wright, Anderson, Millar, McDonald (Davidson 78), Wotherspoon (Morgan 70), Graham, Croft, Easton Subs (not used): Banks, Caddis, Miller, Kerr Scorers: Graham (78) Booked: McDonald (64) Sent Off: none

No Cup Run For ICT Two days to go in the Yes No and the Union Jacks were out in full force at Ibrox. Many Bluenoses had disguised themselves as plastic seats as the game kicked off. As suggested, Ross Draper and Graeme Shinnie were suspended and Liam Polworth and Carl Tremarco filled the gaps with Ryan Christie resting on the bench, his place taken by Danny Williams. The Rangers fielded the same team that crushed Raith Rovers, which meant that Jon Daly and David Templeton were on the bench. Inverness were comfortable to play a containing game and keep the ball away from the home side which seemed to be working well in the early stages. If I'm honest, it was an instantly forgettable first half of few opportunities. Kris Boyd probably had the best chance when after Inverness lost the ball in midfield, he found himself one-on-one with Dean Brill, but the big keeper stuck out a leg to block the ball and the chance was gone. As forgettable as the game was, it was also interesting as Inverness frustrated The Rangers for long spells and our best chance of note saw Watkins latch onto a ball as he ran towards the box but his effort was easily stopped by Simonsen. Half Time 0-0 The second period began with Inverness keeping good possession and Tansey had a long range shot saved in the top corner. Mohsni almost got in a fankle as he dithered on the ball, losing concentration allowing Watkins to almost find a way through, as he clipped a ball to McKay who was also losing interest in the move, but it was just out of the strikers reach. It was Inverness who were controlling the pace of the game with the Ibrox club chasing shadows, but as the score remained goalless, then the game was finely poised with The Rangers relying on breakouts from defence. Midway through the half and still neither side were able to make the breakthrough, Inverness mopping up any sporadic attacks comfortably and forcing The Rangers into changing their plans. They did this by bringing on Templeton and Daly for Boyd and Aird in a double substitution, putting their cards on the table . Inverness reacted by bringing on Ryan Christie for Williams. Templeton hit a rasping shot from the left corner and Inverness never heeded the warning as The Blues attacking intent became clear and a loose ball fell to Macleod whose shot was wickedly deflected behind Brill for the opener. Inverness responded by forcing Simonsen into action, saving from McKay, with the game hotting up and at the other end Brill gathered a header from Daly with ease. Inverness now had to throw caution to the wind and almost paid the price as Templeton surged forward, after Watkins appeared to be tripped outside The Rangers penalty box, but Brill managed to claw the ball away superbly. A long range effort from Tansey trundled wide as the game slipped away from last seasons beaten finalists, the game now raging from end to end. Another superb save from Brill as Black struck from outside the box and Inverness went up the other end, McKay winning a corner which was wasted as the game entered the last couple of minutes. Mohsni gave away a free kick in the last minute but again the wee team held on as Black cleared off the line from Christie and a Warren headed 'goal' was ruled out, the cup shock was still on. Despite Inverness' best efforts, it was all too little too late and they could not take the game to extra time as the referee blew for full time to end the ICT interest in the competition for this season. Dean Brill did his best to keep out a keen Ibrox side and it took a wicked deflection off Meekings to beat him and he is my MotM. Full Time 1-0 So there you go, cup shock at Ibrox as Championship side go into the next round at the expense of Premiership challengers. Four bookings in a game that took a while to ignite and a miserable crowd for Ibrox that won't best please the accountants. Date: 16.09.2014 Venue: Ibrox Stadium, Glasgow Attendance: 15208 Referee: Crawford Allan Rangers: 1 Lineup: Simonsen, McGregor, McCulloch, Mohsni, Wallace, Aird (Templeton 72), Black, Law, Macleod, Clark, Boyd (Daly 71) Subs (not used): Robinson, Smith, Peralta, Shiels, Zaliuskas Scorers: Macleod (78) Booked: Black (25), Macleod (43) Sent Off: none Inverness CT: 0 Lineup: Brill, Raven, Warren, Meekings, Tremarco, Polworth, Tansey, Williams (Christie 72), Doran, Watkins, Mckay Subs (not used): Esson, Devine, Horner, Ross Scorers: none Booked: Doran (29), Tansey (41) Sent Off: none

Just Like Buses Absolutely. You see none for long enough then three come along at the same time. Partick rubbished their recent poor form to hand Inverness their first defeat of the season. Not only that, but our first goal conceded, then another, and another in a 3-1 reverse. Aaron Doran had given Inverness an early lead but before the interval Partick had ended our goals against record with strikes from Steven Lawless and Abdul Osman. Danger-man Kallum Higgenbotham completed the scoring with a second half goal which was sufficient to knock Inverness off our perch at the top of the table and hand the onus to Hamilton Academical. Partick had the luxury of missing a late penalty, but were never threatened by Inverness who were obviously afflicted by the curse of the Manager of the Month award. RossP has a full match report ready for us................... Manager of the Month curse strikes... In a week where many of the country have filed complaints to the bias reporting of our BBC (with regards to a certain vote coming up), I would anticipate a similar level of grievance from the ICT fans watching today's refereeing performance. John Rowbotham lookalike Stephen Finnie spent the game awarding a variety of baffling decisions, from turning a blind eye to Partick players' dangerous challenges and time wasting tactics; whilst also strangely letting the likes of Watkins and Warren away with very physical retaliation! This was a game that reminded me of the semi-final against Hearts last season where we were naive, conceding cheap free kicks and allowing Partick to disrupt the tempo of the match. Inverness began in a positive fashion however, where we took an early lead - an outstanding interchange between Raven and the forward players, leaving Doran with a chance to sweep the ball into the bottom corner. An excellent goal where we moved the ball up to the final third quickly and incisively. Unfortunately that was one of the very few times we showed that level of urgency. Partick were soon on level terms with an equaliser from the diminutive Lawless. Shinnie was hugely at fault for not noticing early on that Lawless only had a left foot. This lack of a awareness led to him giving the right midfielder the freedom of Firhill to come inside and aim a shot into the bottom corner of the net. Incredibly disappointing to lose such a cheap goal after so many minutes of resolute defending. A few minutes later ICT had an excellent opportunity to equalise with Tansey dithering over a shot from outside the box, with Fox stranded after a failed attempt to dispossess Mckay. Immediately following this chance, Partick won a corner and edged ahead with a powerful header from Abdul Osman who rose above his markers. Several children in the crowd voiced their dismay at the lack of cover on the post... I'm sure there was a tactical reason for Hughes to leave it empty that us armchair tacticians (and infants) wouldn't understand. Chances for both teams came and went before the end of the half, with Mckay failing to convert Doran's wayward chip and fashioning a weak overhead kick. The whistle to complete the half was met with boos from the away crowd, directed at the antics of Higginbotham and the reluctance of Finnie to discipline his behaviour. Half Time 2-1 ICT came onto the pitch early for the second half, eager to atone for the poor first half. It was clear however that Draper was not fit to continue, feeling his right knee/thigh while he moved. Despite this, it took 10 minutes for Williams to take the place in the centre of midfield. This was the moment that ICT then lost the middle of the pitch, allowing Partick to collect the loose balls and keep the majority of play in our half. The writing was further on the wall with Osman losing control of his legs after getting an elbow injury, Higginbotham not able to move one metre to the byline when grounded and Fox time wasting from the very beginning of the half. Partick sealed the result with an opportune 3rd goal, where villain of the day Higginbotham converted a cut back following a wild clearance from our defence. Chances to get back into the game were few for ICT and tended to come from the cross field passes from defence to the wide midfielders. Watkins had a goal rightly ruled out for offside and Shinnie was one of many players to dither too long on the ball near the 18 yard box. A cheap penalty was conceded by Warren in the final moments, with Brill saving well from the Partick No. 9, Kris Doolan. Full Time 3-1 A deserved loss, where Partick were by far the more effective team. We were lackadaisical in possession and when closing down the opposition. Christie found himself dropping very deep to get possession and Mckay didn't display the same kind of movement and sharpness he'd shown earlier in the campaign. Naive defending and reaction to 'sportsmanship' led further to our demise. Very few players achieved pass marks today, with only perhaps Raven and Watkins on the right hand side performing to our high expectations. This was the game for Hughes to use the likes of Ross, Williams and Polworth to freshen up the team. Now he has a selection headache for Tuesday v Rangers in the cup, where he has to decide whether to keep a team that showed lethargy today or bring in fresh legs against a team full of confidence. Whatever his decision, this game will likely have a huge baring on getting our season back on track. Date: 13.09.2014 Venue: Firhill Stadium, Glasgow Attendance: 2917 Referee: Stephen Finnie Partick Th: 3 Lineup: Fox, McMillan, Seaborne, Balatoni, Carroll, Higginbotham (Elliott 84), Bannigan, Osman, Lawless (McDaid 90), Doolan, Stevenson (Craigen 76) Subs (not used): Gallacher, O'Donnell, Muirhead, Wilson Scorers: Lawless (19), Osman (23), Higginbotham (72) Booked: Bannigan (45), Higginbotham (51) Sent Off: none Inverness CT: 1 Lineup: Brill, Raven, Warren, Meekings, Shinnie, Watkins, Draper (Williams 56), Tansey, Christie (Polworth 72), McKay, Doran Subs (not used): Esson, Tremarco, Devine, Sutherland, Ross Scorers: Doran (13) Booked: Draper (11), Watkins (80) Sent Off: none

Another Clean Sheet Inverness eased past a lifeless Kilmarnock with relative ease as they built on another clean sheet to pull away in the second half with a superb team goal from Aaron Doran and a thunderous strike from Greg Tansey that eventually found the net off the keepers back. The first half was verging on tedium with Inverness always holding the trump cards, but defences were on top and chances were at a premium. The second period saw Inverness move smoothly through the gears whilst Kilmarnock remained in neutral and there was only going to be one winner. This result sees Inverness sitting on top of the league, unbeaten, unbreached, and understandably chuffed. Capital Caley will have a report for us before he turns into a Heed Army disciple............Or maybe not, you'll have to put up with me again. A miserably wet night and early morning gave way to some rays of solar luminance and by the time kick off arrived at 3:00pm the ground was swathed in bright sunshine for what promised to be an entertaining game. Dean Brill and the defence are setting new standards at Inverness this season with their fourth clean sheet in a row, could they make it five and total 600 goal free minutes. Still no Richie Foran or Danny Devine for the home side and James Vincent was also absent again. Aaron Doran featured from the start, but Gary Warren pulled a late sickie and Ross Draper dropped into a defensive role. Kilmarnock had the giant Michael Ngoo on from the start with the impressive Robbie Muirhead dropping to the bench alongside former Scotland International Lee Miller and the elegant but somewhat overweight Alexei Eremenko. Aaron Doran has a long way to go to catch up with 'Tubby' Eremenko. To say this game took a while to warm up is a bit of an understatement. Inverness weaved some pretty patterns around the pitch as Killie seemed intent on not conceding. Neither side made much headway to be honest and it was about ten minutes before half time when Doran curled an effort just over from his trademark position on the left side of the box. Five minutes before the break and Ngoo headed over from a good position but he had been well marshalled by makeshift defender Ross Draper and his partner Josh Meekings. Half Time 0-0 Right from the restart there looked to be more urgency about Inverness and Doran raced onto a long through ball but the keeper just beat him to it. The passing was slicker and more direct with Killie struggling to get a hold of the ball and a good passing move ended with Shinnie firing a 25 yard effort on target, unfortunately too straight at the keeper who palmed the ball to safety. The passing game was in full flow now and a slick combination saw Watkins skip into the box and although there appeared to be a tangle of legs, no penalty was given with Watkins spread-eagled on the turf. An eight man move ended with Doran clipping a tidy ball to the back post where Raven met it with his head only for Letheren to dive full length to turn the ball round the post for a corner. Better was yet to come and a ten man move started on the edge of Brill's box ended with Shinnie threading Doran through on goal and the cheeky chappy deftly dinked the ball through Letheren's legs for a sensational team goal. Doran seemed delighted by this and celebrated with the fans behind the goal at the foot of the North Stand which earned the Irishman a yellow card, but it was worth it. Another swift move saw substitute Nick Ross involved, but not in the way he would have liked. Watkins sprinted into the box and teed up McKay who hit a shot towards the top corner, however it was nasty Nick this time as he blocked the ball with his chest sending him onto the turf. But wait, fortunately for Nick, the ball eventually rebounded to the feet of Greg Tansey some forty five yards out. Now Greg, as we know likes to crack the ball pretty hard. He looked up, took a few strides forward and absolutely leathered the ball towards the postage stamp corner of the goal. Letheren flew across his line but the ball crashed of the junction of bar and post and ricocheted onto Letheren's back, from there it bounced behind him into the net for a stunning second Inverness goal. Full Time 2-0 A comfortable and comprehensive win for Inverness after a slow start where both teams jostled for possession. Inverness upped the anti after the break and Killie were second best from there on in. Two stunning goals and another clean sheet, not a bad afternoon for Yogi's slick side. Kilmarnock never looked like scoring and can have no complaints about the manner of the defeat which leaves Inverness sitting on top of the league with thirteen points from five games. Highlights can be seen here and Calum Tomato put Yogi through his paces after the Killie game...... tm4tj MotM:- Plenty of good performances once more from the home side. Ross Draper could have a career as a centre back when he gets fed up of being a midfielder. Greg Tansey is spraying the ball around and his goal was a belter. Josh Meekings showed once again that he is one of the best centre backs in the division and some of the interplay between midfield and front was a joy to behold in that second half. For me, Ross Draper just nicks it for a tremendous display in an abnormal position, but what a great team performance in that second period. One man who gets few points from today's game was Dean Brill who could have sat in the North Stand for all he was asked to do, but the fifth clean sheet has set a new club record and that is fantastic reward for solid displays from Dean and the defence. Date: 30/08/14 Venue: Caledonian Stadium Attendance: 3830 Referee: John Beaton Inverness CT: 2 Lineup: Brill, Raven, Meekings, Draper, Shinnie, Watkins, Tansey, Williams, Doran, Christie (Ross 76), McKay Subs (not used): Esson, Devine, Horner, Tremarco, Polworth Scorers: Doran (75), Tansey (80) Booked: Tansey (67), Doran (76) Sent Off: none Kilmarnock: 0 Lineup: Samson, Barbour, Connolly, Pascali, Chantler, McKenzie (Johnston 46), Hamill, Clingan (Miller 78), Slater, Ngoo (Eremenko 55), Magennis Subs (not used): Brennan, Cairney, Ashcroft, Muirhead Scorers: none Booked: Eremenko (86) Sent Off: none