Scotty

OUCH! Inverness fans took a sore one as they watched their team being dismantled by an energetic Partick Thistle in the battle of the Jags. It was a day to forget for the Caley Jags side as their unbeaten home run was ended in spectacular style by a team that have sussed us out big time. While we tapped the ball around the back quarter in tentative style, Partick's cut and thrust won the day and they deservedly crushed us 4-0. Much of this was down to our own error ridden display, but take nothing away from Partick, they took full advantage of the situation and trounced us with their high intensity pressing game. Two first half goals from Ryan Stevenson were added to after the break by Gary Fraser and Conrad Balatoni. Inverness had a couple of strikes ruled out for interference by Billy McKay from a Raven shot and a couple of interlopers who took to the field to relieve the boredom. (naughty boys, don't do this at home children). Rig has posted this excellent report and it's too good not to use.................. That performance and result! How else can you react to something like that? Abysmal from ICT today and what a way for the unbeaten home record to go. Our normally reliant defence was all at sea today. Midfield never got going and we struggled to create anything up front. Every player, maybe except Tansey, should be pretty disappointed with how they played today. First chance of the game went the way of ICT when Watkins sprang the offside trap but his low shot went wide of Gallachers right post. We perhaps started the better of the two teams but Partick took the lead thanks to a mistake at the back which set the tone for the day. Elliot was able to send a cross in from the ICT left side and as Brill waited to collect the low ball Stevenson stole in just in front of him and poked the ball into the net. Rotten goal from an ICT perspective but it was excellent anticipation from Stevenson to nip in and grab the opener. ICT tried to get back into things but Partick were all over them pressing Inverness high up the pitch. Partick had clearly cottoned onto the desire to play the ball around at the back or, at goal kicks, short to either the centre backs or wide to Shinnie or Raven sitting on the left or right touchline. At one goal kick, when most players tend to congregate on one side of the pitch on the half way line, Partick had around six players inside the Inverness half anticipating a short ball from Brill to his defenders or a short lofted pass to the flanks. Time and time again Partick chased and harassed the Caley players who tried to pass it out from the back and each time the Inverness players were forced back or conceded possession. The second goal was a direct result of this intense pressing game. A short ball from Brill to Warren was closed down and the ball won back by Higginbotham who turned and fed the onrushing Stevenson who coolly placed a shot beyond Brill. Having the luxury of watching the second goal again, I didn't realise that we had struggled to clear the ball so badly. I had initially thought we played it short to Warren but we were hemmed in by Thistle, ball back to Brill, clearance gets headed back towards our goal and Higginbotham wins a header which is then flicked into the path of Stevenson. Still not great from our point of view. For the rest of the half ICT were restricted to long range efforts with Tansey being denied twice by Gallacher. Brill then stopped it becoming 3 - 0 when he produced an outrageous save from a Seaborne header. it was a bit like the save Mikey Fraser pulled off in a win over Celtic. Half Time 0-2 Into the second half and ICT started well but Partick made it 3 - 0 when a cross came in from the ICT left and Fraser leapt highest to nod in via the bar. It looked like Brill should probably have come to claim the cross as he didn't look too far away from it but that may be harsh as my view from the other end of the ground may not be the best. Game over. Caley tried to at least get on the score sheet and there followed an incident packed couple of minutes. Draper burst into the Partick penalty area and tried to find a team mate to pass to but pressed on towards goal before tumbling over under pressure from a couple of opponents. It looked like a reasonable claim for a spot kick but I wasn't completely convinced and, more importantly, neither was Beaton and he waved play on. Tansey struck another wide range effort not long after which Gallacher was equal to as he sprang to his right and pushed it round the post. From the resultant corner Warren went tumbling over in the box and there were more claims for a penalty and again Beaton waved them away. The ball was cleared to Raven who smashed the ball into the net from about 30 yards but Beaton ruled that Mckay was offside and as he ducked out of the way of the ball he was interfering with play. Will be interesting to see that one again but alternative maryhill who was at the game said Mckay also tried to the flick the ball on so perhaps it was the right decision. Partick grabbed a fourth with another cross from the ICT left which was headed in this time by Balatoni. After this the game pretty much fizzled out. Partick had done their job and sat back and defended for the rest of the game. ICT prodded and probed but struggled to break down the Partick defence. The only incident of note was when Gallacher tried to take a goal kick and two young ICT fans ran onto the pitch, one tried to pull down his shorts and the other 'scored' a goal. Gallacher seemed to take it well and when I asked him after the game what he thought of it he said that he was raging he hadn't kept a clean sheet. Full Time 0-4 Partick just seem to have our number this season and I can't say I am looking forward to the Cup game in February. We need to try and find a way to combat the apparent high intensity, pressing game that they employ against us otherwise we will be getting thrashed again in a couple of months. Rig has it spot on. We were the architect's of our own downfall. Brill won't want to see some of the goals again although he did pull off a tremendous save just before half time. Our only threat, albeit from long range was Tansey who struck at least four on target that Gallacher was able to keep out and he get's my MotM, just ahead of the two rogues who 'invaded' the pitch. Date: 13.12.2014 Venue: Caledonian Stadium, Inverness Attendance: 2723 Referee: John Beaton Inverness CT: 0 Lineup: Brill, Raven, Warren, Meekings, Shinnie, Vincent (Doran 65), Tansey, Draper (Christie 65), Williams, Watkins, McKay Subs (not used): Esson, Ross, Devine, Tremarco, Polworth Scorers: none Booked: none Sent Off: none Partick Th: 4 Lineup: Gallacher, O'Donnell, Balatoni, Seaborne, McMillan, Osman, Bannigan (Wilson 82), Elliott, Fraser, Higginbotham (Lawless 74), Stevenson (Eccleston 80) Subs (not used): Fox, Craigen, Lindsay, McDaid Scorers: Stevenson (12, 40), Fraser (49), Balatoni (56) Booked: Elliot (35) Sent Off: none

Late show at Dens Park A late counter from Ryan Christie nicked the points for Inverness in a close encounter at Dens Park. Greg Stewart tapped in at the back post to open the scoring after 21 minutes, but who else, Billy McKay squeezed in the equaliser before the hour with Christie's goal coming just before the ninety minutes were up. On form David Clarkson failed to keep his sensational scoring spree going and Inverness came from behind to take all three points back up the A9. This result tucked Inverness in below Celtic in second place and Dundee slipped just out of the top-six. Reporters were in short supply this weekend, but our own Inverness fans have their say on how the team performed at Dens Park............. Rig thought we were a bit below par, but still went home chuffed:- Fantastic result for us. I don't think we played that well but to not perform that well and still get the three points is a great outcome. Good chances for both sides seemed to be few and far between. Dundee, as others have said, edged the first half whilst we had the better of the second. Disappointing goal to concede for the opener from an ICT perspective. Free kick looped to the back post and we seemed to lose track of the ball and the Dundee players which let Stewart steal in at the back to side foot home. We didn't really get going in an attacking sense in the first half. Perhaps our best chance was from a Tansey corner which was met by Meekings and his header crashed off the bar. I'm still not sure how we equalised to be honest. Mckay found himself with space to pick a shot which Bain seemed to save then it came off Mckay and or a Dundee defender and ended up in the net. After this we upped our game and the substitutes swung it for us. Doran and Christie gave us more of a spark up front and the latter grabbed the winner when Watkins beat McPake to a ball down the touchline and crossed for Christie and it looked like he stuck out his foot to poke the ball in beyond Bain. Aside from our goals and the Meekings header I felt we were relatively toothless going forward. Especially after our recent attacking performances against Motherwell, Hamilton and St Mirren. Dundee marshalled us pretty well and I felt we did likewise with the likes of Clarkson barely getting a sniff. AJS observed the proceedings similarly:- Game was not a classic in terms of quality. We struggled to keep our shape and found it hard to get in behind Dundee in the first half. They are not much of a team to watch themselves, relying heavily on set pieces to create chances which they got their goal from, players like Tansey and Williams were struggling to get time on the ball to knock it about. 2nd half saw us making better use of the wings, huge chunk of luck for Billy's goal but when you play well you get the breaks like that, the introduction of Doran and Christie was well timed, we really took the game to Dundee late on and grabbed the chance that came our way, good ball in and a great finish from Ryan to create some late scenes in the away end. Given his current form Clarkson was in the thinking im sure but thought Warren and Meekings did well to keep him quiet. He showed some decent touches but never got a sniff at goal. Signs of a great team when you play poorly but win, we ever stopped trying and got rewarded for our efforts. Yogi deserves credit for the double change. It's what won us the game. Davie added:- Pace of the game was a bit slower, mainly because Dundee had to overload the midfield to snuff us out. That and the fact that it was really windy out on what was a pretty scabby looking lumpy pitch. We did really well to win this one. It seems Ryan Christie got booked for leaving the field of play whilst celebrating. Presumably Mr. Collum didn't see how greasy that area of the pitch was and if Ryan had tried to stop or turn he would have been on his arse in double quick time. Never fear. Here's the proof that we can come from behind Yogi and Billy chat after the Dens Park win.............. CTO fans had Marley Watkins once again as our most valuable player with Danny Williams also producing another busy performance. Warren and Makay were others who got nods of approval. John Hughes though is gaining more fans as the season grows and it's hats doffed for Yogi as humble pie gets scoffed in copious amounts every week. Date: 06.12.2014 Venue: Dens Park, Dundee Attendance: 5400 Referee: Willie Collum Dundee: 1 Lineup: Bain, McGinn, Konrad, McPake, Irvine, Thomson (McBride 71), McAlister, Boyle (Tankulic 62), Harkins, Stewart (Ferry 39), Clarkson Subs (not used): Schenk, Dyer, Roberts, Wighton Scorers: Stewart (21) Booked: Ferry (60), Tankulic (85) Sent Off: none Inverness CT: 2 Lineup: Brill, Raven, Meekings, Warren, Shinnie, Vincent (Christie 71), Draper (Ross 84), Tansey, Williams, Watkins, McKay (Doran 71) Subs (not used): Esson, Devine, Tremarco, Polworth Scorers: Mckay (55), Christie (88) Booked: Christie (88) Sent Off: none

Buddies Hammered in the Cup Inverness dismantled St Mirren in the cup, scoring four and in reality letting St Mirren off lightly. First half goals from Gary Warren, and a Greg Tansey penalty put Inverness in control and strikes from Danny Williams and captain Graeme Shinnie completed the rout. after the break. The score flattered the Paisley outfit and Tommy Craig's peg is a bit more shoogley. As expected, Marley Watkins returned to the starting eleven along with Greg Tansey. Nick Ross stepped down from the side that started at Paisley with Ryan Christie joining him on the bench. For St Mirren, Jim Goodwin came back into the defence with Thompson, McGinn and Osbourne starting again. A sparse crowd of just over 1300 attended the game on a chilled evening after a bright winters day. It was a fairly level opening to the game with the home side dominating possession and playing the passing game, often frustrating the fans as much as the St Mirren players. Indeed Dean Brill had more touches than the whole Paisley side. The retention policy would pay off soon enough as Inverness won a corner after 20 minutes. Tansey whipped the ball to the near post and Gary Warren bulleted a header behind Ridgers for the opener. Three minutes later and Watkins latched onto a long ball that curled round the defence. As he forced his way into the box, Goodwin went to ground and appeared to bring Watkins down with his arm. Penalty no doubt and Greg Tansey hammered the ball to the keepers right, the goalie going the opposite direction. We then squandered three great opportunities before half time. These were glaring misses and should have seen St Mirren buried before the break. Danny Williams trundled the ball into the keepers hands from ten yards, straight at the keeper when either side would have seen him score. Vincent did likewise from even closer range, cushioning a header into Ridgers' midriff. The third was more down to misfortune, Warren's back post header netbound until the defender threw himself at the ball, blocking it under the bar with part of his body. Half Time 2-0 St Mirren were more stubborn for around fifteen minutes after the interval, and after 56 minutes Thompson headed over unchallenged. A warning for Inverness that there was still work to be undertaken. Just before the hour, Meekings almost added to his seasons tally of three, but he was off balance as he tried to smash a shot with his right foot on the turn, the ball slicing well wide. The pressure was mounting now on the St Mirren defence as Inverness saw off their mini-revival. Surging breaks forward were becoming more frequent and in one such surge, Williams fed McKay who smashed a close range shot off the underside of the bar, but when the ball came back out to the edge of the six yard box, Williams crashed a low shot into the back of the net. This goal ended all hope of a St Mirren comeback and it was shooting practice for Inverness thereafter, The visitors goal leading a charmed life. The arrival of Doran just added to the Buddies misery as he jinked and spun his way around the Paisley defenders. Doran, Christie and Tansey all missed efforts, but none moreso than sub Nick Ross who dallied before trying to get a shot away and the chance was lost. However, captain courageous Graeme Shinnie showed his strikers how to finish, running onto a through ball to curl it beyond Samson and complete the scoring on a night to forget for the Buddies. Full Time 4-0 In truth, Inverness crushed a toothless St Mirren side, scoring four and missing another half dozen great chances. The worrying aspect is that none of the forwards found the back of the net, but hey ho, as long as the rest are contributing it's onwards to the next round of the cup, where Partick Thistle will provide a sterner test. For Tommy Craig, your taxi awaits, tm4tj MotM:- Garry Warren scored one, could have scored another couple and showed some fleet footed touches akin to Pele. Great all round performance from the big central defender. Ably assisted by most of the others, but notably Watkins, Williams, Shinnie and Draper. Date: 02.12.2014 Venue: Caledonian Stadium, Inverness Attendance: 1326 Referee: Calum Murray Inverness CT: 4 Lineup: Brill, Raven, Meekings, Warren, Shinnie, Vincent, Draper, Tansey, Williams (Doran 76), Watkins (Christie 73), McKay (Ross 83) Subs (not used): Esson, Devine, Tremarco, Polworth Scorers: Warren (20), Tansey (pen23), Williams (67), Shinnie (90) Booked: Shinnie (2) Sent Off: none St Mirren: 0 Lineup: Ridgers, Naismith, McAusland (Brown 62), Kelly, Tesselaar, Goodwin, Reilly (Drury 52), Osbourne (Ball 72), McLean, McGinn Thompson Subs (not used): Kello, Marwood, Teale, Caldwell Scorers: none Booked: Goodwin (22) Sent Off: none

Replay required after cup stalemate Inverness and St Mirren have it all to do again after a 1-1 draw at the first time of asking left the clubs looking at a replay this Tuesday night at Inverness. The Buddies opened the scoring after 17 minutes when Marc McAusland scored from close range. Inverness upped their game after the break and they deservedly equalised through Josh Meekings who fired home through a ruck of players. St Mirren had a boost prior to kick off with the news that Steven Thomson was fit enough to start along with John McGinn and Isaac Osbourne. Alas, not even that was enough to entice the Paisley fans away from the Xmas shopping as less than 2000 turned up to watch shot-shy Saints take on high flying Inverness. Inverness were without the suspended duo of Greg Tansey and on form Marley Watkins. Nick Ross surprisingly got the nod ahead of Aaron Doran and Ross Draper returned after suspension. Talking to the press seems to work then. It was a low key opening to the game but that changed after seventeen minutes when McAusland scored. Inverness never dealt convincingly with a corner and the ball was cut back by Jason Naismith to McAusland who turned and fired home from close range. A novelty for the Buddies fans this season, some just staring in disbelief before they realised just what they had accomplished. Inverness tried to respond but Billy McKay shot just wide from outside the box. Kenny McLean did likewise at the other end some ten minutes later as The Mirren looked to add to their lead. Ross Draper headed narrowly wide from a corner as Inverness looked to get back on level terms before the break and his next action was a booking right on half time for fouling. A poor forty five all round and not enough effort being put in by the visitors as they struggled to make much headway. Half Time 1-0 The half time pep talk seemed to add a bit more urgency to Inverness but not before Brill was forced to make a save from Thomson's shot that was heading for the keepers right corner. Christie was starting to threaten and he shot wide from outside the box as Inverness asserted themselves on the game. David Raven was next up and he missed the target as well, but a goal was coming as St Mirren found themselves penned in for long spells. McKay shot over from a free kick and Danny Williams tested Ridgers as the pressure mounted. However, the goal came from an unlikely source. Josh Meekings has netted twice already this season and he notched his third after St Mirren lived dangerously from a corner. Tom, Dick and Harry had a go but it was Meekings who delivered, driving the ball through bodies from around 12 yards to level the tie. Raven had a defenders attempt that sailed over and substitute Aaron Doran fared no better. McKay and Christie ended the off target shooting as Inverness finished the game well on top, but unable to find the quality or finesse to get the winner. The game petered out and both sides will be pleased to enter the draw for the fifth round. I suspect Inverness will be the happier of the two though as St Mirren will be heading North in midweek for a tie that will only cost £15 to watch. Full Time 1-1 Overall a fair enough result with neither side getting the clear cut chances to bury the tie. St Mirren were rarely seen as an attacking force after the break and Inverness deservedly equalised, so it's all to play for on Tuesday night. The good news for Inverness is that Watkins and Tansey will be back and that should make a difference. MotM is going to Ross Draper. Just back from suspension and not afraid to put himself about. In fact he got his yellow just before the break and was content to take over the Ross Tokely villain role right up to the final whistle, so if it annoys the Paisley fans, then that's good enough for me. Well done to Spartans FC who put out Morton with a last minute winner. They took care of Clyde in the previous round and a big draw would be just reward for their efforts. Dundee advanced at the expense of Aberdeen in the early kick off. Motherwell, Hamilton and Ross County also ended their interest in the cup, as did Brora and Bo'ness who shipped five by the Smokies. Date: 29.11.2014 Venue: St Mirren Park, Paisley Attendance: 1957 Referee: Calum Murray St Mirren: 1 Lineup: Ridgers, Naismith, McAusland, Kelly, Tesselaar, Reilly, Osbourne (Teale 80), McLean, McGinn (Drury 60), Thompson (Ball 74), Marwood Subs (not used): Kello, Brown, Caldwell, Baird Scorers: McAusland (17) Booked: none Sent Off: none Inverness CT: 1 Lineup: Brill, Raven, Meekings, Warren, Shinnie, Draper, Williams, Christie, Ross (Doran 74), Vincent, McKay Subs (not used): Esson, Sekajja, Devine, Horner, Tremarco, Polworth Scorers: Meekings (63) Booked: Draper (45) Sent Off: none