Scotty

Eurodoor slammed shut Inverness were beached at the Global Energy Sandpit when Ross County left us seething and checking lastminute.com for new holiday destinations as we failed to get the result required to send us through the EuroDoor. Inverness failed to cope with the loss of their entire first choice midfield as Draper, Foran and Jones were all absent for such a crucial game leaving Andy Shinnie ploughing a lone furrow on the Dingwall tattie field. A super strike from Andre Hainault sealed our fate with St Johnstone doing the business to steal the Euro slot from under our feet. It had been a tremendous season for both clubs leading up to this occasion but it was a bridge too far from our point of view. One trip too many to visit our neighbours who took control of the game and deservedly beat an out of sorts Inverness. County had a late call off with Paul Gallacher replacing the injured Michael Fraser in goal. To be honest, they needn't have bothered as Inverness never troubled the keeper and County mopped up some weak Inverness attacks which ended on the head of Boyd and Co. Owain Tudur-Jones was a surprise absentee for Inverness who started with young Connor Pepper out wide and Daniel Devine and Charlie Taylor trying to fill the void left by Draper and Foran who were serving bans. 6002 fans turned out and great credit to the Inverness fans who were having a ball, win or lose as they stayed behind to cheer their team long after the final whistle had sounded. Devine almost got Inverness off to the perfect start but his stabbed effort narrowly missed the target. County responded and Sproule should have opened the scoring after being set up by Vigurs but he clipped his shot over the bar with Reguero helpless. County were getting to grips with the game and Inverness were rarely seen in an attacking sense and Reguero had to look sharp to deny Mihael Kovacevic after he burst through a gaping void in the Inverness rearguard. Wohlfarth and Kettlewell both flashed shots just wide as County kept the pace up and Butcher was willing his side to get to the break unbreached. However, a goal was coming and after Inverness failed to clear an attack conclusively Hainault pounced on the loose ball to volley beyond Reguero from around ten yards, the goal coming just a minute before the break. Fotheringham still had time for one last attempt before the whistle but it went straight at Reguero. Half Time 1-0 Inverness lurked with a bit more intent after the break and Doran fired a volley straight down the keepers throat. Billy McKay almost snatched a leveller after re-directing a shot from Raven but it looped agonisingly wide. It was better from Inverness but we looked as though we could play all day without scoring. Reguero was doing his best to keep the score down with another fine save, diving low to his right but it was County who were now looking for more although Shane Sutherland almost teed up a strike for Shinnie but Gallacher was alert to it and snuffed out the chance and with it Inverness' Euro dream. Vigurs almost made it two in the last few minutes as he smacked a free kick off the junction of post and bar for what would have been a spectacular goal and the ref finally ended our day as the beach balls rained onto the pitch with the Inverness fans singing loud and proud on what was a massively disappointing result, but a fabulous season. Even Derek Adams clapped his appreciation, not missed by the Inverness end who quickly boo'd him in response, but the mood remained jovial long after the final whistle, but we were hurting. Full Time 1-0 tm4tj MotM goes to the away fans who were just brilliant despite the reverse, and Andy Shinnie oozed class but lacked support from those around him. 19th May 2013 Scottish Premier League Global Energy Stadium, Dingwall Ross County 1 - Hainault (43) TEAM: Gallacher, Kovacevic, Ikonomou, Boyd, Hainault, Lawson, Sproule (Cooper 90), Vigurs, Kettlewell, Fotheringham (Scott 80), Wohlfarth (Glen 67) SUBS: McCarthy, Munro, MacPhee, Porritt Booked: Sproule (27), Boyd (36), Kettlewell (55) Sent Off: none Inverness CT 0 - TEAM: Reguero, Raven, G.Shinnie, Hogg, Meekings, Pepper (Ross 36), Doran, Devine, Taylor (Sutherland 78), A.Shinnie, McKay SUBS: Esson, Laing, Polworth, Ferguson, Christie Booked: G.Shinnie (27), Meekings (71), Raven (90) Sent Off: none Referee Euan Norris Attendance 6002