Scotty

Back to winning ways Inverness got back on track despite the Highland weather and moved back to second place in the SPFL with a deserved 2-1 victory over a resurgent Kilmarnock. A deflected Aaron Doran strike after seven minutes put the home side ahead and they looked to be on easy street when Graeme Shinnie rifled in the second in 52 minutes. But Inverness don't do anything the easy way and Darren Barr ensured a nervy finish for the home fans when he neatly tucked away a set piece to bring Killie back into play, but Inverness saw out the last fifteen minutes plus five minutes of added time to keep the points in the Highlands. AJS will have a full report for us after he thaws out and the feeling returns to his limbs. Warming to home comforts in a Highland winter ICT returned to home soil for the 2nd time in 4 days. Fresh as they could be from the 120 minute quarter final match against Dundee United that saw Terry and the boys reach the League Cup semi final for the second time in a row. With that epic encounter out of the way Premier League priorities were back on the agenda as we welcomed Kilmarnock to the Tulloch Caledonian Stadium. Allan Johnston has found his first job in the top flight a rather rough ride so far with his new look side hovering above the relegation area. However back to back 2-0 wins against Ross County and Hearts would have given the Killie boss a bit of promise going into this one as they went searching for their first win in Inverness since 2010. For Big Terry it would have been all about getting points back on the board. A combination of hard luck against Partick and our near neghbours forgetting to change their light bulbs saw us take no points from October. A barren spell without question but both the victory and the reward for it against United in the cup would have given the players the necessary boost going into this one. The starting 11 was unchanged with Graeme Shinnie staying in his unfamiliar role at right back while Marley Watkins and Carl Tremarco made their home league debuts. Amongst Kilmarnock's starting line up were a few recognisable faces. One being Kris Boyd (older and heavier) who has helped himself to several goals against ICT in the past and former Ross County midfielder Michael Gardyne. Also on Killies bench was former ICT stopper and fans favourite Antonio Reguero who returned to Inverness for the first time since leaving the club in the summer. Despite the torrential weather it was quite an open game to begin with. Kilmarnock probably looked the stronger in the opening stages. Keeping the ball well and putting our defence under a bit of pressure. Their first attempt of note fell to Jackson Irvine. Clohessy's deflected cross was headed up by Meekings as opposed to away and Irvine gathered it before attempting the half volley. From about 25 yards he generated plenty of power but his shot was well gathered Brill as it came straight at the big stopper. Despite being on the back foot early on ICT notched themselves an early lead with a combination of good work and the rub of the green. Foran picked out a good pass to Marley Watkins and following a good run down the right he sent the ball in to Billy McKay. His path to goal was well blocked but he held the ball up well before laying it back to Aaron Doran. With time to shoot he didn't hesitate but his effort looked to be heading wide before it clipped off Clohessy to both divert it on target and wrong foot Craig Samson as it rolled into the net. Kilmarnock didnt let up though and Kris Boyd came close to equalizing. Tesselaar took advantage of some slack play from Watkins before making a powerful run through the middle. He laid it out to Boyd who cut inside before unleashing a crisp drive that flew just over the bar with Brill at full stretch. Michael Gardyne was next to have a go for the away side who were enjoying a good spell of the ball. He made a weaving run towards the box with Warren and Meekings watching closely. He was forced onto his weaker right foot and saw his effort sail high over the bar. Dean Brill almost had another moment to forget as his pass out of the box fell straight at the feet of Gardyne but fortunately he could'nt find a way round the big stopper and he soon had Meekings, Warren and Richie Foran back covering. ICT responded to the Killie pressure and nearly doubled the lead in rather bizarre circumstances. Graeme Shinnie flighted in a free kick looking for someone to head it on but with the ball flying high in the air it was caught by the wind, so much so that it had Samson scrambling to his left hand post as it looked likely to drop into the net, fortunately for Kilmarnock's number 1 it fell just wide. With half time drawing near ICT were beginning to see some more of the ball, and Ross Draper, who was the extra time hero during the week had a golden chance to double the advantage going into the break. Some more good work down the right from Watkins saw him get past Tesselaar and eventually lay it back for Draper on the edge of the area. The big man struck it well enough but it flew just over the bar and was straight down the middle, Samson had it covered all the way. Half Time 1-0 With the 2nd half under way ICT soon doubled their advantage much to the delight of a soaked and frozen home crowd. Graeme Shinnie made the most of his new position and following neat one two between himself and Foran he beat his man and cut inside before striking a sweet, left footed effort across Samson and into the bottom corner of the net. Shinnie's first of the season. Ironically Shinnie scored his first ICT goal in a 2-1 win over Kilmarnock 2 seasons ago. ICT seemed to have the better of the second half. Aaron Doran and Billy McKay both had close range efforts that tested Samson's gloves. While Killie were trying from distance with Sammy Clingan's long range effort flying high and wide from about 30 yards. With about 15 minutes left Kilmarnock pulled themselves right back into the game. Sammy Clingan flighted in a free kick which fell right at Darren Barr who struck it wonderfully on the volley and curled it past Brill. His first goal for the club and in some style. ICT's response was almost immediate. A neat exchange between Doran and Shinnie saw the latter put in a wonderful in swinging cross that picked out substitute Danny Williams. He managed to get a decent header on the ball but unfortunately for him with Samson sprawling he saw his effort bounce off the base of the post. With the match drawing to a close Allan Johnston fired on William Gros to add some extra firepower but it was ICT who looked the more likely to score in the closing stages. Aaron Doran tried his luck from distance but his drive flew wide of the mark. Doran then picked out Billy McKay on the wing. Wild Bill endured another frustrating afternoon in front of goal but this was his best chance. He cut in on his weaker side and had a good sight of goal but saw his effort float over as injury time beckoned. The back four soaked up what little pressure Killie offered in the final minutes and the match drew to a close. Full Time 2-1 In summary :- The conditions did not help. High winds and heavy showers are never pleasant but you just have to buckle down and carry on. Our overall play is not as fluent as we would like to see. Part of it I think is down to the box to box presence of James Vincent being absent and the other part is that teams are shoring up defensively to close us down. The fact we can play a game of a scrappy nature and win is in a bizarre way reassuring for me. We can win playing well and win when not quite at our best. Common sign of a top team. As long as we win I'm happy. AJS MotM :- Richie Foran - Was excellent defensively. Mopped up so much at the back and also did all he could to start attacks. The 2nd goal paid tribute to that as it came from a fine move that he started. A great Captains performance. Date: 02.11.2013 Venue: Caledonian Stadium Attendance: 2948 Referee: Steven McLean Inverness CT: 2 Lineup: Brill, Shinnie, Warren, Meekings, Tremarco (Devine 88), Draper, Foran, Ross (Polworth 81), Doran, Watkins (Williams 72), Mckay Subs (not used): Esson, Greenhalgh, Pepper, Agdestein Scorers: Doran (7), Shinnie (52) Booked: Tremarco (74) Sent Off: none Kilmarnock: 1 Lineup: Samson, Tesselaar, Irvine, Barr, Boyd, Johnston (Clingan 60), Clohessy, McKenzie (Gros 80), Gardyne (Muirhead 88), O'Hara, Pascali Subs (not used): Reguero, Fowler, Ashcroft, Kiltie Scorers: Barr (76) Booked: none Sent Off: none

Inverness edge thriller Inverness edged out Dundee United after a pulsating cup tie which had more bookings than Eden Court, a red card, a mass brawl, Butcher and Jackson sent to the stand, extra-time and an injury time winner off the cross bar which means Inverness head for their second semi-final in as many years. Keith Watson opened the scoring in the fifth minute when he smashed a shot high into the net from fifteen yards giving Brill no chance. Inverness then knocked on the United goal for the remainder of the game and Gary Warren buried a header to level the scores before Ross Draper scored the winner via the underside of the bar in the 120th minute. Nadir Ciftci was sent off just before half time for his involvement in a mass scrum when Gary Mackay-Steven had hit the turf after being shot by a sniper. It would be easier to name the players who were not booked as the referee went card happy, seemingly flashing a total of 12 yellows and a red, but that might just be an estimate. When the dust settled, it was Inverness that deservedly go forward to another semi-final spot giving the home fans something to look forward to in the spring while the large away support, some 750 of them, went home to lick their wounds and reflect on what might have been had they kept their discipline. Immortal Howden Ender has the unenviable task of sorting this one out and getting a full report to us........... Well, Michael Fish got the forecast wrong yet again. The storms were supposed to be limited to Southern England but "Hurricane Clancy" encircled the Tulloch Caledonian Stadium and created chaos. Messrs Butcher and Malpas may not be allowed to say it but that was undoubtedly the worst officialdom display witnessed in Inverness for many years, if not ever. 12 bookings, a red card and Butcher and Jackson dismissed to the stand!! It was a niggly affair but Clancy and his crew (especially the stand side linesman) simply lost control and dished out cards like a game of Snap. Neither team can really complain though as the decisions were crazy in both respects - perhaps apart for the sending off. It was actually a rather enjoyable evening and prior to the sending off it was an end to end affair. ICT were taking control before the melee but it was one way traffic after that and there were more tired legs than bookings by the end. It all started off in the 5th minute when Ryan "how did I manage to stay on the pitch" Gaulds speculative cross reached Watson who launched a Scud missile at the goals and Brill had no chance. Possibly harsh but Aaron Doran may have closed him down quicker. After that it was attack after attack, half chance after half chance, for ICT and the Arabs looking dangerous on the break. We had efforts from Doran, Draper, Ross and Watkins which all went close but to no avail. Surprisingly the main "miss" culprit was Billy McKay - who looked a bit off the pace all night. The game turned just before half time when we were entertained in Royal Rumble fashion when Richie "The Rock" Foran allegedly axed McKay-Steven ("The Undertaker") and the wee man threw himself over the ropes and out of the ring, falling at the feet of "The Butcher" who gave him a few choice words of consolation. And then the handbags started flying, leading to Ciftci being rightly dismissed and Butcher and Jackson heading for the Coach park in the stands. It probably said a lot that McKay-Steven stayed in the dressing room at half time. Half Time 0-1 The second half started with more and more digs and fouls. Rankin picked up a booking for a silly trip on Watkins but paid the price as Graeme Shinnie delivered a peach of a cross and Gary Warren rose above all and fair leathered the equaliser off his napper. At that stage it felt like it was just a matter of time before we finished them off. But United were resolute and shut up shop. Clerzniak played a stormer although some of his play acting could get him a game in goals for Partick Thistle. McKay missed another chance and picked up a knock in the making. That goal was enough to extend the game into extra-time and the pattern remained the same, Inverness on the front foot and United defending in depth. The longer the game went it felt like penalties were again on the horizon. United were clearly playing for it and we were increasingly dreading it. We had two good penalty claims in the last 15. McKay's would have been soft but the foul on Foran was crystal clear - but not to Mr Clancy!! Just when it looked forlorn Williams hit the bye line and his excellent deep cross was met majestically at the back post by Ross Draper. We were spared the drama and agony of penalties and we were heading to our second league cup Semi Final on the trot. Full Time 2-1 (after extra time) To be fair it was slightly unjust on United and their impressive midweek support but they did just go in to negative mode. Warren was awarded the MotM and I have no problems with that. Ross and Doran were the other stand-outs for me. February 2014 is looking good. Inverness were joined in the semi-finals after Wednesdays games by Aberdeen, St Johnstone and Hearts. Should make for an interesting draw on Thursday at 15:00. Date: 29.10.2013 Venue: Caledonian Stadium Attendance: 2133 Referee: Kevin Clancy Inverness CT: 2 Lineup: Brill, Shinnie, Warren, Meekings, Mckay, Draper, Foran, Doran, Ross (Agdestein 100), Watkins (Williams 85), Tremarco (Polworth 107) Subs (not used): Esson, Devine Scorers: Warren (54) Booked: Warren (30), Tremarco (43), Mckay (90), Foran (90) Sent Off: none Dundee Utd: 1 Lineup: Cierzniak, Dillon, Robertson (Butcher 79), Watson, Gunning, Paton, Gauld, Rankin, Ciftci, Armstrong (Graham 46), Mackay-Steven (Gomis 46) Subs (not used): McCallum, Goodwillie Scorers: Watson (5) Booked: Gunning (41), Paton (43), Mackay-Steven (45+1), Dillon (52), Rankin (53), Robertson (61), Gomis (109), Graham (120) Sent Off: Ciftci (42) This post has been promoted to an article

Shadows The game was reduced to just that at half time as the gudgies looked like they had defaulted on their Hydro bill with the Global No Energy Stadium being left in darkness. Oh dear, it's not like anyone noticed! BT Sport were showing the game live and as if their advert was not bad enough, the stadium was plunged into darkness to leave the referee with no option but to pull the plug (no pun intended) on the game as the lights failed for the third time of asking. What a fiasco. As to the action itself, Nick Ross will not get a better chance to score but he scuffed an effort from close range as Inverness got to grips with the game. It was a game of few opportunities and Luckassen turned and smashed a shot high and wide in a rare County foray. Inverness almost snatched the lead on the stroke of half time as the previously booked Garry Warren looped a header to the top corner of Broonies goal, but the keeper tips it acrobatically over. One other event of note before the blackout, and I have to include this in it's entirety, but thanks to BBC sport for this one, it made me chortle loudly:- Inverness have the ball in the net as Ross rifles the ball home after Shinnie's free kick is flicked on but they're disappointed by a flag for offside. That looked a marginal decision; tighter than Obelix's trousers after a hearty meal of wild boar... Anyway, result is game abandoned at half time due to floodlight failure/or unpaid bills. Date: 25.10.2013 Venue: Global Energy Stadium, Dingwall Attendance: ???? Referee: John Beaton Ross County: 0 Lineup: Brown, Kovacevic, Gordon, Kettlewell, Boyd, Sproule, Quinn, De Leeuw, Luckassen, McLean, Carey Subs (not used): Fraser, Micic, Brittain, Mustafi, Maatsen, Ross, Saunders Scorers: none Booked: De Leeuw (42), Kovacevic (42), Luckassen (45) Sent Off: none Inverness CT: 0 Lineup: Brill, Shinnie, Warren, Meekings, Mckay, Draper, Foran, Doran, Ross, Watkins, Tremarco Subs (not used): Esson, Devine, Greenhalgh, Williams, Polworth, Pepper, Agdestein Scorers: none Booked: Warren (5), Draper (42) Sent Off: none

Bizarre Inverness were denied at least a share of the points by unheralded incompetency from the match officials, and in full view of a watching TV audience. Take nothing away from a dogged Partick Thistle side who battled hard to stem the flow, but with the referee and the far side linesman unable to understand the rules of the game and a Dean Brill fumble, Inverness lost their first game at home this season thanks to a Kris Doolan double being enough to outdo a Garry Warren header just after half time. A misty morning saw the sides take to the park for the 12:45 kick off with a sizeable travelling support hoping for the Harry Wragg's to pull off a shock result, and they would not be disappointed, but the controversy surrounding the game will rumble on for a while methinks. The injured James Vincent was replaced in the starting eleven by Ben Greenhalgh who had made a decent contribution in our last home game against Hibernian. The home side started brightly enough and soon had Partick on the back foot and conceding free kicks around their box, however free kicks are something we need to do a bit of work on and Doran curled one or two high and wide and not very handsome. Aaron Muirhead was yellow carded as early as the second minute for one of his many indiscretions. Ross Draper was putting himself about a bit and won another free kick which we promptly wasted but in the eighth minute we almost took the lead when Greenhalgh latched onto a ball in the box but his angled drive cannoned to safety off the base of the post. Partick were rarely seen in an attacking sense in the early part of the game but they took the lead against the run of play when Kris Doolan did well after some neat play down the Partick left saw him get a touch ahead of Meekings in the box and he turned and sent a low drive behind Brill from the angle of the six yard box. For all Inverness' possession, they were finding it difficult to trouble Fox in the Partick goal although he had to look lively to tip a rasping shot from Draper over the bar after a good lay off on the edge of the box. Inverness were beginning to pressure the visitors and this led to a high corner count throughout the game, but corners don't win matches. Ben Greenhalgh was as ineffective as Doran with another free kick that was blasted high and wide as the half wore on. Just when you thought you had seen it all, along comes something new to keep you on your toes, and this one takes the biscuit! Inverness won a corner on the far side and Ross Draper conjured up a bit of skullduggery. He thought he had taken the corner and confirmed this with the referee's assistant, who apparently OK'd the move. Aaron Doran was let in on the secret and he then dribbled the ball to the box and crossed to Billy McKay whose shot was knocked off the line and fell to Doran who rifled a low shot through a ruck of bodies and into the net. Joy for Inverness, or so we thought. At this point it was noticed that Stuart Stevenson had raised his flag, and when Euan Norris spoke to him, the goal was chalked off. Bizarre for a number of reasons, but mostly for the time lag before the flag went up. That brought the half to a chaotic close and the Inverness fans and players were not happy, and justifiably so. Half Time 0-1 The home side were obviously still raging by the injustice and within a minute of the restart they drew level. Ross Draper forced his way through a couple of tackles before hitting the deck and from the resultant free kick, Warren rose highest to direct a header down and across the keeper and into the net. That should have spurred Inverness on to greater things, but there followed a period of inactivity as Partick tried to regain composure and Inverness appeared to be relieved to be back on level terms, despite the officials. However, Norris would come to Partick's rescue once more disallowing what looked like a perfectly legitimate Foran headed goal. McKay was penalised as Fox crumpled to the ground on his line, despite the keeper seemingly trying to claw the face off the aforementioned Billy. Another contentious decision, but more would follow, Polworth being given a free kick as he burst towards the visitors box about to unleash a shot. The free kick once more wasted by Inverness. The introduction of Marley Watkins with twenty minutes left was one of the bright spots in an otherwise grey day for refereeing and Inverness Caley Thistle. He certainly looks to have pace to burn and will be worth another look at in the near future. In reality it was too little too late as Inverness tried to gain the advantage, but it was game over from an unlikely source after 83 minutes. A cross from the Partick left was smothered, but as the ball jumped up and into Brill's safe hands, he took his eye off it and it dropped onto the waiting Doolan's foot for him to turn the ball into the net. Disaster for Brill, joy for the 340 visiting fans. A very late flurry of activity ensued around the visitors net but some stout defending and sheer misfortune denied Inverness a share of the points, the result being confirmed after Warren nodded another loose ball in the Partick box just over from close range. Full Time 1-2 A game that from this moment onwards will be known as the cornergate affair. The officials got this so wrong it's almost laughable, but it's not funny, and I'm no laughing. They should be held accountable for their actions and in all honesty should be made to sit their certificates again after reading the rule book. MotM must go to Stuart Stevenson, who is the only person who knows the truth and was Partick's match winner in a game that Inverness never looked like losing. Player nominations for me were Josh Meekings, Garry Warren and the duracell bunny that is Richie Foran. Marley Watkins did himself no harm with a pacey cameo and will be in contention for a start at Dingwall surely. Date: 20.10.2013 Venue: Caledonian Stadium Attendance: 3154 Referee: Euan Norris Inverness CT: 1 Lineup: Brill, Raven, Shinnie, Warren, Meekings, Mckay (Agdestein 90), Draper, Foran, Doran, Ross (Polworth 69), Greenhalgh (Watkins 71) Subs (not used): Esson, Devine, Tremarco, Williams Scorers: Warren (47) Booked: Foran (44), Warren (63) Sent Off: none Partick Th: 2 Lineup: Fox, O'Donnell, Taylor-Sinclair, Welsh, Muirhead, Balatoni, Craigen (Elliot 72), Bannigan, Doolan, Osbourne, Higginbotham (Lawless 82) Subs (not used): Gallagher, Forbes, Piccolo, Baird, Fraser Scorers: Doolan (19, 83) Booked: Muirhead (2), Osbourne (13), Welsh (41), Higginbotham (43), Bannigan (90) Sent Off: none