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SO MUCH MORE THAN A CUP CRUISE
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08:50 - 08 January 2007
Caley Thistle's Scottish Cup win at Forthbank appears to be the sort of straightforward thrashing SPL teams should be able to give Second Division sides.
But the result could mean more to the Highlanders - both in advancing in the national competition and in league form improvement.
Cup progress first. Since their 1994 formation, Inverness have earned a reputation for being a side capable of shocking any other in a knockout tournament.
But after their wins as a lower-league outfit away to Celtic, Hearts and Motherwell over the years, last season they received some payback.
Being taken to a replay by Ayr United was bad enough. But losing on penalties to Partick Thistle - another team from Scottish football's third tier - in the next round was worse.
It seems, though, that lessons have been learned and the rout of Stirling was ruthless.
Even if Stirling's status doesn't quite match that of Charlie Christie's Inverness team, they are still a side unbeaten in the league at home in five months.
It was a cup tie in which many people reckoned Inverness could slip up. But Caley Thistle proved the doubters wrong and the result will lift morale.
Combined with recent league results, Caley Jags now have three wins in four games to their credit and things appear to be on the up after a dismal run.
Whether those at Caledonian Stadium liked it or not, the criticism Inverness got for going nine fixtures without a win at the end of last year was merited.
It was, after all, their worst run of SPL results and, following praise received for a previous eight-match sequence without defeat, detractors were merely being consistent.
Two weeks ago, Inverness were looking at being just four points above bottom side Dunfermline - but now they are 13 clear of the Pars.
However, difficult games lie ahead for Inverness and meetings with Aberdeen, Hibs and Celtic loom in the next three weeks.
Positive results against these teams, like those already achieved this term, will secure the plaudits once more.
Before this cup tie, Inverness had won on two previous visits to Forthbank - as a Second Division side during their 1998-99 league campaign.
The latter was a 5-1 rout but this cup result was even more comprehensive, with two goals in the first 12 minutes setting the tone.
Craig Dargo scored first after John Rankin had taken advantage of slack defending to set up Dargo's easy finish.
Stirling's Steven Bell chested the ball down for right back Paul Hay to clear, but midfielder Rankin got between them to take possession and cut the ball back for Dargo to bundle in on the line.
The second Inverness goal, from Dennis Wyness, was more pleasing on the eye. Roy McBain crossed from the left, Graham Bayne headed down and former Aberdeen forward Wyness volleyed home from 20 yards.
Having gone more than four months without a goal, Wyness now has two in as many games and he looks more like his old self.
Ross Tokely also went close for Inverness in the opening stages and Caley Jags were cruising towards victory.
That delighted the large travelling support who, enthusiastically led for some reason by a man with a Celtic tattoo on his arm, sang and banged drums in celebration.
But Stirling threatened to make a game of it within two minutes as David O'Brien got ahead of Darren Dods to roll a shot past Mark Brown and in off the far post to make it 2-1.
There was to be no Stirling comeback, though, as McBain added his name to the Inverness scoresheet with his first goal of the season.
His initial shot, which had been going in, hit Wyness and rolled back to him, and he fired it beyond home goalkeeper Myles Hogarth to make it 3-1.
Dargo then grabbed his second, the goal of the day when he skipped past two players after a neat one-two with Wyness and chipped Hogarth from 25 yards.
Two minutes after half-time, Barry Wilson drilled a low shot in off the post from just outside the penalty area to make it 5-1.
Caley Thistle completed the scoring midway through the second half when Alan Morgan burst in from the right to net from a narrow angle.
