Scotty

Ach well, It was good while it lasted.... Inverness got the obligatory bums rush from St Johnstone, but this time with goals aplenty. Not having scored at Perth in the last four games, we kept that dismal record going, but unfortunately, St Johnstone read the wrong script and battered us stupid scoring twice in each half. I suppose this has been coming for a week or two, our last few away games being somewhat fortuitous, but it's still hard to take. It was more than sufficient to knock us off our lofty perch and put us back in our box, but with Motherwell and Aberdeen both losing, we still cling on to second spot. As Kirishima alluded to in the preview, hot property Stevie May was one to watch and he didn't disappoint, scoring the opener and having a hand in all four goals. Inverness suffered further disappointment prior to kick off with the news that David Raven would miss out along with James Vincent, but take nothing away from a rampant Perth side who scored further goals through Dave Mackay and a Steve Maclean double. Not a happy hunting ground for Inverness and so it turned out to be. Danny Devine went in at right back and youngster Liam Polworth got a start ahead of Toby Agdestein. If we think our club struggles to get fans through the door, then McDiarmid Park is even worse with a meagre 3020 turning up to witness St Johnstone at their best. Aaron Doran had the first attempt firing an angled ball across the face of the goal after a long throw-in bounced across the box, but there were no takers and at the other end Dean Brill was just that as he clawed away a close range effort from MacDonald right on the line with Saints players claiming for a goal, tremendous save. A relatively even first fifteen minutes was ended as Stevie May showed his potential sliding home a MacDonald cross to open the scoring, not sure about his goal celebration though. Number two followed nine minutes later as St Johnstone began to dominate the game. Neat interplay in the final third saw Dave Mackay running onto a May feed and he knocked the ball calmly behind Brill; 2-0 and counting. Wotherspoon made Brill work from a free kick before half-time but he saved comfortably and the sides changed ends with Inverness trailing for the first time this season. Half Time 2-0 One would have expected a few changes at the break as Inverness' tactics were simply ineffective with Polworth being left exposed by his more experienced team mates and the dreaded long ball was getting even longer by the second, poor Billy chasing shadows all afternoon. One team certainly needed to up their game and that is what happened. Unfortunately it was the home side that went through the gears and it was now Brill against the rest, the big stopper doing his best to keep the score down. Hasselbaink fired one towards the top corner which Brill did well to save and Doran did bring out the best in Mannus as he equalled some of Brills brilliance pushing the Inverness man's thirty yard drive over the bar. However, Stevie May was now the greater influence on events and he was ripping Inverness apart with his pace and power bringing out even more saves and close shaves at the visitors end. He was unlucky with a curling effort that went just wide after he cut inside the defender and Deano also kept out a couple of other attempts. May drove forward and played a great ball into the feet of Steve Maclean on the edge of the box. He was maybe fortunate that Brills' vision was blocked by two defenders, but he rifled a low drive beyond the keeper to ensure that Inverness were not getting back into this game, 3-0 and coasting. With ten minutes to go the hammering was complete. May made a mockery of suggestions that Graeme Shinnie is due a Scotland cap as he teased and danced round him out wide and when his ball came into the box Maclean had the simplest of tasks to prod the ball home. There endeth the scoring but Inverness had to endure a long ten minutes before being relieved of their embarrassment. Full Time 4-0 Oh dear, where do you start. It appears that Butcher's tactics away from home have been brought to task by some disgruntled fans and over the last few away games maybe there is a case to answer. You can't argue with our tremendous start to the season, but there is a lot of points still to be played for. It would be a shame if our season ended here in Perth once more as bogey boys St Johnstone once more hold the Indian sign over Inverness, and on this display they look like keeping that record for another season. Dean Brill was a standout as he battled bravely to stem the tide and was undoubtedly our best player. He had to be. However, you can't take it away from St Johnstone and in Stevie May they had the outstanding player on the park and would have been my MotM. With results going better elsewhere, Inverness drop to second place and let's hope that this was just a shocking day at the office and not the onset of a burst bubble. Date: 05.10.2013 Venue: McDiarmid Park, Perth Attendance: 3020 Referee: Steven McLean St Johnstone: 4 Lineup: Mannus, Miller, Mackay, Wright, Easton, Wotherspoon (Brown 86), Millar, McDonald (Davidson 83), Hasselbaink (Edwards 71), May, MacLean Subs (not used): Scobbie, Cregg, Banks, Fallon. Scorers: May (18), McKay (27), MacLean (73, 82) Booked: MacLean (76) Sent Off: none Inverness CT: 0 Lineup: Brill, Devine, Shinnie, Warren, Meekings, Doran, Draper, Polworth (Agdestein 75), Foran (Williams 89), Ross (Watkins 70), McKay Subs (not used): Esson, Greenhalgh, Tremarco, Cooper Scorers: none Booked: Foran (56), Doran (62) Sent Off: none

Cruise Control Inverness went back to the top of the league after Celtic briefly took over by virtue of winning the early kick-off at Kilmarnock by 5-2. By ten to five Inverness had restored themselves ahead of Celtic after cruising effortlessly past a surprisingly subdued Hibernian with a scoreline that flattered Hibs somewhat. A Billy McKay double and a Richie Foran strike were the counters, but in all honesty Hibs could have had no complaint if that score had been doubled but it ended 3-0 to the League leaders. A rather tepid first half gave way to a more entertaining second half as Inverness opened the throttle out and tore into Hibs with a bit more guile, the introduction of Ben Greenhalgh injecting some much needed pace and trickery to the front line in a game that was dying on it's feet. Inverness started with the same eleven that went to Pittodrie as our mysterious injured trio were revealed as Foran, Doran and Warren, but all three took their place in the starting line up. Hibs had been in fine scoring form prior to this game and were looking to better their attempts at winning games in the North, but as it turned out, they had nothing to offer and many misplaced passes and schoolboy errors littered their play throughout the ninety minutes. A sizeable away support were looking for their side to continue their five game unbeaten run but with defending like that it was never going to happen. The biggest certainty was that Billy McKay would get on the score sheet and he duly obliged after just eleven minutes, a terrible mix up in the Hibs box between Nelson and keeper Williams gifting Billy a simple tap in for the opener. Vincent had released Shinnie down the left, his cross took a slight deflection, but when Nelson stepped out of the way, the ball bounced off a startled Williams to the feet of McKay who bounced the ball into the empty net. Comedy defending, McKay not interested in that though, 1-0 to the homesters. McKay should have made it two six minutes later. Once more Vincent was the supplier as he knocked a ball into McKay as he sprinted towards the box. Billy took it brilliantly on the run, but he screwed his shot wide from the angle with only the keeper to beat. Willie Collum was doing his best to ruin the spectacle stopping the game at every opportunity and it had the desired effect as the ball was pinged back and fore and in and out of play. The pitch could not be blamed for the poor control, especially from the Hibees, but neither side dominated the next spell of the now untidy game. Paul Heffernan benefited from a long ball out of defence headed forward by Collins but he slammed his shot well wide, justice seemingly done as he appeared to be a yard offside, the watching officials unable to read the rules. Big Ross Draper slashed at a volley at the other end, but was nowhere near finding the target as both teams struggled to find any fluency; thanks Mr Collum. James Vincent was booked after half an hour, possibly exacting some revenge for an earlier Hibernian misdemeanour as he rashly upended Ryan McGivern, and this was the pattern for the rest of the half as the game bordered on tedium, with Inverness always one step ahead of a struggling Edinburgh side. Inverness were forced into a change as Vincent took a knock and he was removed for his own safety as much as injury, Ben Greenhalgh replacing him, and he would stake a claim for a regular berth with some old fashioned wing play. Half Time 1-0 The second half saw a vast improvement in the game as the home side upped the tempo and Hibs simply went into reverse, but not before Draper made a timely intervention in the box to slow down a sporadic Hibs attack, Tom Taiwo lashing the loose ball high, wide and not very handsome. Just on the hour mark, Inverness doubled their lead with a superb strike from captain fantastic Richie Foran. Doran sprited clear on the right and his deep cross was brilliantly kept alive be Greenhalgh, who headed back from the goal line and onto the top of the bar acrobatically. The headed clearance eventually fell to Foran after Nick Ross cleverly let it run through him, and Foran blasted the ball high past a diving Williams for number two from sixteen yards. The Inverness machine was purring beautifully now and David Raven, not normally noted for his goal scoring exploits almost added a third goal. Fortunately for Raven, Dean Brill acrobatically kept out his clearance header much to the full backs relief. The goal of the game came two minutes later, a Draper headed clearance found Billy McKay running towards the Hibernian box. With plenty to do, McKay turned the defender and lashed a fabulous strike behind Williams from twenty-two yards out; what a belter, and Billy dented claims that he is only a penalty box striker. Greenhalgh arrowed a useful ball into the box and McKay got his head to it, the keeper stopping it low down at his near post. Inverness were now cruising and it was a case of how many. The afore mentioned goal machine David Raven almost got a goal at the right end this time, his long swinging cross landing on Williams' crossbar. Greenhalgh and Doran were by now tormentors in chief and Hibs were being torn a new one as Inverness turned the screw. Doran was unfortunate not to score as Ben jinked his way down the left and fizzed a great cut back across the box, Dorans low strike was incredibly turned away by Hanlon going the wrong way, but sticking out his big toe to divert the ball for a corner, some clearance. Collins made Dean Brill work with a late header low down to Brills' left, but he was in no mood to concede and dived down to keep the ball out and deny Hibernian a consolation counter. Full Time 3-0, going on 6. A game that saw Inverness return to the top after a superb second half display and the introduction of Greenhalgh certainly warmed the fans up after a miserable first forty-five. Another three points and another clean sheet as the visitors failed to trouble the scorers and one strange substitution. It appears that having more than one Ross in the side can be a tad confusing. With Ross Draper about to be summoned, Nick Ross made his way to the touchline to get some instructions, but ended up on the bench after thinking the name Ross was his, when in fact it belonged to Ross Draper. Confused.Com. Anyway, it mattered not as we won convincingly in the end. Nick did receive a booking at one stage for simulation. In all honesty, I don't think that is part of his game, but Collum thought otherwise and carded him, just another way of showing his incompetence. The Long Man got on the park for a few minutes, but only at half-time for a chat with Ryan Esson. Aye Owain, it's not always a good idea to go to a bigger club. tm4tj MotM is not always easy to pick and it's not always about who scores lots of goals. However, a quality display by Billy McKay all over the park ensures that he gets my vote, and his second goal was a peach. Richie Foran ran him close with another all round display and a good goal to boot. The defence was rarely troubled and no need for any of them to look for plaudits, but once again as a unit they were brilliant. Ross Draper had a solid game in midfield and the introduction of Ben Greenhalgh gave us a glimpse of things to come. Aaron Doran was strangely subdued in the first half, but certainly woke up in the second and was unlucky not to score. I suppose the only mystery remaining is will McKay get any assistance up front from big Toby, but on this form he doesn't need it! All in all, a good team performance and back on top for now, just how we like it; pleasing. Date: 28.09.2013 Venue: Caledonian Stadium Attendance: 4261 Referee: Willie Collum Inverness CT: 3 Lineup: Brill, Raven, Shinnie, Vincent (Greenhalgh 35), Warren, Meekings, Mckay, Draper (Agdestein 89), Foran, Doran, Ross (Polworth 79) Subs (not used): Esson, Devine, Tremarco, Williams Scorers: McKay (11, 61), Foran (59) Booked: Vincent (29), Ross (37) Sent Off: none Hibernian: 0 Lineup: Williams, McGivern, Hanlon, Nelson, Robertson, Craig, Collins, Stevenson, Taiwo (Zoubir 62), Heffernan (Vine 67), Thomson (Stanton 80) Subs (not used): Murdoch, McPake, Tudur-Jones, Forster Scorers: none Booked: none Sent Off: none

Inverness scrape into Quarter-Finals Billy McKay opened the scoring after ten and a half minutes to banish the blues after the defeat at Pittodrie. However, we failed to increase our lead and Dundee clawed their way back into the tie, Dean Brill keeping out the Dark Blues on the stroke of half time as he parried a Craig Beattie effort to safety. Inverness struck the woodwork in each half through Ross and an acrobatic McKay effort, but were unable to get that extra cushion which gave Dundee the confidence to have a go. Brill made a couple of excellent saves to deny Dundee an equaliser as they pressed hard in the second half, and with Inverness in jitter mode and looking more desperate as the game went on the away fans were made to suffer for the cause. Heading towards the ninety minutes and Brill once more shows his value with another super stop, which sees Inverness crawl into the next round by the narrowest of margins. Inverness did what they had to do and avoided the banana skin, but Dundee might feel they deserved another half hour to take the tie to a possible penalty shoot-out, but with Brill in fine form it was not to be their night and it is Inverness that take their place in the hat for the fourth round draw. In that hat, Inverness will definitely find St Johnstone, Hibernian and Morton, with another 4 ties being played tomorrow night. Shock of the night was Morton knocking Celtic out of the cup with former Inverness Caledonian Thistle player Dougie Imrie slotting home a penalty in extra-time for the Greenock side, and despite Celtic piling on the pressure the Morton goal just survived for a wonderful victory for the team second bottom of the Championship. In Wednesday nights games, Aberdeen trounced Falkirk and Dundee United similarly defeated Partick Thistle with Motherwell edging out Livingston. Hearts and Queen of the South went to extra-time and penalties before the Jambos clinched their place in the hat. The game ended 3-3 after 120 minutes with Hearts going through 4-2 on penalties. There were Hat-Tricks for Hibernians Liam Craig, Aberdeens Scott Vernon and David Goodwillie of Dundee United. Who said it was a dull competition? The draw for the quarter-finals of the Scottish League Cup will take place at Hampden Park this Thursday, September 26, at 3pm. The quarter-final draw is not seeded and games will be played on the midweek of October 29/30. Date: 24.09.2013 Venue: Dens Park, Dundee Attendance: 1682 Referee: Stephen Finnie Dundee: 0 Lineup: Letheren, Irvine, Gallacher, Davidson, Lockwood, Riley, McAlister, Rae, Conroy, MacDonald, Beattie (Doris 67) Subs (not used): Twardzik, Dyer, Monti, Boyle, Scorers: none Booked: Beattie (16), MacDonald (40), Davidson (82) Sent Off: none Inverness CT: 1 Lineup: Brill, Raven, Meekings, Devine, Shinnie, Draper, Foran (Agdestein 90), Doran (Polworth 61), Vincent, Ross, McKay Subs (not used): Esson, Greenhalgh, Tremarco Scorers: McKay (11) Booked: Draper (29), Raven (45), Devine (89) Sent Off: none

Sub sinks Inverness with late strike Inverness relinquished their unbeaten start to the season going down to a late Scott Vernon strike at Pittodrie. The second half substitution paid dividends as Vernon scored a superb goal, chesting down, swivelling, and rifling a shot beyond the outstretched arms of Dean Brill for what proved to be the winner in a tough encounter at the seaside. Neither side dominated the game although Inverness had plenty of the ball in the second half, but one goal line clearance was not enough to earn Inverness a share of the points and the Dons just edged it in a game that had 0-0 written all over it. AJS will have a full match report for us when he gets back down to earth................... Reporting back to earth..................... Once the full time went for the first time in a long time I was eager to leave. Not because I needed to pee (which I did), not because I needed a drink (I'd had plenty already). It was because I tussled with reality and had to accept that my beloved team were not unbeatable and are human just like everyone else. When you go on a run like ICT have you almost forget what its like to lose but when it finally hits you its not something you like. But the real test is shaking it off and moving on. I'm not going to deny it. This was a poor game but Aberdeen just about deserved the 3 points and were probably the more hungry out of the two sides. ICT will be frustrated that they could not play the style of football that has been on show in recent weeks and were made to pay thanks to a shrewd move from Derek McInnes. Scott Vernon may not be the most classy of strikers in general but there was nothing average about his goal. It was a fabulous strike. As said the game itself was far from a classic. Both sides failed to flow and lacked the quality that could have been shown, considering the names on the team sheets. It was clear from kick off that Aberdeen were the side in the early ascendancy with Hayes and Wylde stretching the play and Zola's towering presence keeping Meekings and Warren on their toes...and in the air. Chances from open play were few and it was mostly set pieces were the danger lay. The first chance of note fell to Joe Shaughessy who saw his downward header from a Hayes corner strike off his own team mate in Zola who was lurking next to Dean Brill. There was a brief scramble before Foran hooked the ball away. Peter Pawlett was next to have a go. He latched onto a stray Meekings header but saw his low effort go wide of goal. ICT were trying to respond but were often found lacking in the final third, misplaced here, overhit there. Poor Billy was mostly looking for scraps and was often being out muscled by Reynolds and Hector. Aberdeen continued to press and Dean Brill was soon called into action. Pawlett's long pass was well controlled by Zola who laid it back to Cammy Smith, his powerful drive was parried away by Brill at his near post and from the resulting corner Considines swerving header drifted wide. Brill was again in the thick of it as he made a fabulous, fingertip save to deny Hector from another corner. The first half was a rigid display but was not helped by a picky Craig Thomson who did not hesitate to call back play on what looked like several dubious calls for both sides. HT: Aberdeen 0-0 ICT The 2nd half saw ICT gather a bit more of the play and Billy McKay get their first real shot of goal. He picked up the ball out wide and cut inside but on his weaker left foot he could only strike straight at Langfield who gathered the shot with ease. With the game going stale Derek McInnes was the first to turn to his substitutes, bringing on Josh Magennis and Scott Vernon as Aberdeen looked to gain the lead. Magennis soon came close as he charged towards the area. It took a firm challenge from Warren to stop him in his track. Warren himself then had ICT's best chance of the game. He did extremely well to get his head on Graeme Shinnie's corner. It took a big deflection off Reynolds to divert it away from Langfield and looked rather close to the goal side of the line but was hooked clear by Cammy Smith. Whether it was in or not is open to interpretation. Billy McKay grabbed another chance to break the deadlock. Ross Draper attempted to carve an opening for himself. The ball fell to Aaron Doran whos shot was deflected out to Nick Ross. His knockdown found ICT's menacing number 7 who controlled the ball well on his chest but his acrobatic effort went high and wide. Soon after and with only 9 minutes remaining Derek McInnes' personnel shuffle paid off when Nicky Low's high ball was flicked on by Pawlett. Vernon took it on his chest about 12 yards from goal and despite having defenders close by he showed good control and even better finishing as he turned and hammered it into the bottom right hand corner of Brill's net. Vernon had played less than an hour's football this season prior to coming on but with a finish like that he will have given his manager something to ponder. With ICT chasing a result the efforts got more and more desperate. Toby Agdestein was brought on for a hardworking but ineffective James Vincent as high balls were fired up in search of ICT heads. It was Aberdeen who looked more likely to double the lead as Jonny Hayes marauded towards goal and found his effort with the outside of his left foot fall just wide of Brills far post. ICT's late surge for a draw in the closing stages and with seconds remaining won a corner. Both sides were packed in Langfield's box and Doran's searching corner found Foran who's knock down found Warren lingering with intent once again. He was inches away from connection for what would have been a great chance of stealing a point but it went wide and with that the game was brought to a close. FT: Aberdeen 1-0 ICT To summarise:- It was a disappointing display from both teams. Too rigid, too cagey and with the players that both sides had on the pitch it certainly was not a game played at full rate. Craig Thomson did not help. I don't like criticizing referees as I appreciate they have one of the most difficult and thankless jobs in sport. But given that he is held in such high regard he did not impress me at all. Both sides were called out on soft fouls and this did not help to the lack of flow already clearly evident in the game. There were a number of challenges that merited a booking that went unpunished and ones that didn't that saw players unnecessarily booked...and this was for both sides. I'm not saying he lost us the game, not at all but it certainly did not help it as a spectacle. In terms of what ICT need to do its maybe time to give some of the lads on the bench a run out. Aberdeen seemed to close down the space we were looking for too easily. Maybe time to shuffle things about tactically, its not like we are lacking options. One thing is for sure is that Billy needs much more support when he is on the ball. Too many times he was found isolated up top with big brutes like Hector knocking him off the ball. We were bound to lose sometime so now we have to show our metal, bounce back and build on the great foundation we have set with our early form. Starting at Dens on Tuesday. AJS's MotM :- Dean Brill - No clean sheet for Deano but he had no chance with Vernon's goal and the score could have been more if it wasnt for some of his saves. His stop from Hector's header was terrific. I'm glad to hear the club are looking to extend his stay beyond January. Date: 21.09.2013 Venue: Pittodrie Stadium, Aberdeen Attendance: 11251 Referee: Craig Thomson Aberdeen: 1 Lineup: Langfield, Shaughnessy, Hector, Reynolds, Considine, Jack, Smith (Vernon 78), Wylde (Low 58), Pawlett, Zola (Magennis 67), Hayes Subs (not used): Weaver, Murray, Robertson, Storie Scorers: Vernon (81) Booked: Smith (30), Jack (59), Hector (76), Vernon (90) Sent Off: none Inverness CT: 0 Lineup: Brill, Raven, Warren, Meekings, Shinnie, Draper, Foran, Ross, Vincent (Agdestein 81), Doran, McKay (Polworth 88) Subs (not used): Esson, Devine, Greenhalgh, Tremarco, Williams Scorers: none Booked: Draper (48), Shinnie (76), Raven (79) Sent Off: none