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25 years on On our 25th Anniversary game and a moment to remember the legend that set us on our way, Alan Hercher, many fans were left wondering if those that started it all would have been out of place on a day where the occasion was greater than the game. Inverness fumbled their way to three points thanks to a Miles Storey thunderbolt not dealt with by Arbroath keeper Darren Jamieson with around ten minutes left. It all started well for the Smokies as they took the lead in the 25th minute. A Jason Thomson cross found it's way to Bobby Linn standing all on his own at the far side of the box. He was given ample time to control the ball, tee it up and drive it into the net without being pestered by a defender. Shoddy from Inverness but Linn didn't care. We levelled the game just on half time when James Keatings threaded a great ball into the box and Aaron Doran ran onto it and slid the ball neatly home. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ John Robertson sprung a couple of surprises before kick off. Jordan White retained his place as main striker and Shaun Rooney started at right back after a lengthy lay off through injury in pre-season. Charlie Trafford was benched (huff) with James Vincent starting. Dick Campbell was without Gavin Swankie but danger man Steven Dorris started, however his day only lasted quarter of an hour. Almost 2300 fans welcomed the sides onto the park and with some original legends looking on, there was a rousing minutes applause to remember the legendary Alan Hercher who scored that memorable hat-trick in our opening League game 25 years ago against Arbroath. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Speaking on BBC Sport Inverness CT manager John Robertson: "There was a lot of distractions this week with everything going on - the 25th anniversary, fact it was Arbroath and the launch of the Alan Hercher Enclosure and our tribute to our first ever captain today. "I thought we started well. We lost a goal and it rocked us a bit but then we got a really good equaliser and we kept pressing and pressing and pressing and eventually got the goal." Arbroath manager Dick Campbell: "We are winning 1-0 and we end up losing 2-1 and the second goal is a mistake by the keeper - you would expect him any time to stop that shot. "I've no complaints about the way we are going about our jobs. We've seen in these first two games that we really have to work hard. But the harder you work the luckier you get." ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The newly surfaced pitch looked in great condition considering the downpours in recent days and Arbroath were first to have a go but Mark Whatley's free kick went wide with Ridgers watching it closely. Aaron Doran responded at the other end but he shot tamely straight at the keeper and had a second effort stopped in similar fashion minutes later. Bobby Linn was proving to be the visitors best option and with Rooney getting little help from Walsh, he stood off him and that gave Linn the space to probe his way into the box and he saw one effort go over and Mark Ridgers save his second attempt. White headed wide and soon after Dorris was replaced by Michael McKenna, the striker unable to continue after picking up a knock. Inverness started to take control of the game at this point but we passed up on some great opportunities to open the scoring. Carson, Doran, Walsh and Keatings all having goes. The most audacious effort came from Keatings as he connected well with an overhead kick but Jamieson reacted well to save. Shortly after Jordan White headed tamely at Jamieson, Arbroath took the lead. A deep cross found Linn once more in space and he steadied himself before rifling a powerful shot through the keeper and into the net. Two minutes later he was given more space than the fans in the North Stand would have liked him to have but Ridgers saved his effort. However, Inverness worked their way back into the game and just on half time a brilliant ball from James Keatings saw Doran run through the middle to guide the ball home. Half Time 1-1 The second half had barely started when Arbroath almost snatched a second goal but a ball into the box was missed by defenders and forwards alike and the chance was gone. A swift break forward down the right saw Walsh cut a low ball into the path of Doran but his first time shot was somewhat strangled and Jamieson smothered the ball. One of the few incisive breaks forward amongst our mostly casual and pedestrian approach. Jamie McCart headed wide as the pressure mounted on the visiting defence and we would inflict more problems for them when Miles Storey replaced White on the hour. He showed some good pace when he sprinted down the left side on a surge but the move petered out after an Arbroath defender bounced of Storey as he flexed his muscles. Powerful stuff and it would pay off with just under ten minutes to go. Storey got his reward after a thumping shot caught out the keeper, the sheer power of it deceiving him. Maybe he should have been able to keep it out, however, I'll give Miles the benefit of the doubt as he unleashed his shot from around the same area that Linn scored from after Tom Walsh picked up a loose ball and drove across the face of the box before feeding on to Storey. We looked to get a third but some staunch defending kept us at bay and in time added on Mark Ridgers had to be alert to ensure we never turned a win into a draw after he saved a Luke Donnelly shot from close range low down near the post. So, not the classic we saw 25 years ago, but a welcome three points against a well organised Arbroath side who despite having Dorris replaced still caused problems for our disheveled defence with Bobby Linn their star man. Difficult to pick any standouts for Inverness but David Carson put in a good shift and did lots of tidying up so he get's my nod for best on the park. Miles Storey did well when he came on, his bustling style causing problems for the defenders and well done to Mark Ridgers for staying alert right to the final whistle. The real Man of the Match was Alan Hercher. Footage from Caley Jags TV Here's Robbo......... And he's Miles better now............ Date: 10/08/2019 Venue: Caledonian Stadium Attendance: 2298 Referee: Mike Roncone Inverness CT: 2 Lineup: Ridgers, Rooney, Donaldson, McCart, Tremarco, Doran (Todorov 73), Carson, Vincent, Walsh, Keatings, White (Storey 60). Subs (not used): C Mackay; Harper, Machado, MacGregor, Trafford. Scorers: Doran (44), Storey (82) Booked: Donaldson (47) Sent Off: none Arbroath: 1 Lineup: Jamieson; Thomson, Little, O'Brien, Hamilton, Stewart (Donnelly 84), Murphy (Gold 74), Whatley, Linn, Doris (McKenna 16), Spence. Subs (not used): Gaston; Kader, Wilson Scorers: Linn (26) Booked: Spence (5) Sent Off: none a

The Smokies are coming After a slow start at Tannadice last week, 25 years on from the historic visit of Arbroath FC, Inverness welcome the now Championship newcomers Arbroath to the Caledonian Stadium on Saturday in a 3:00pm kick off. We won't mention Bon Accord, or the lack of pies at Gayfield. However we will mention that you cruised to the League 1 title last season, ending seven points clear of Forfar Athletic. Congratulations on that achievement. To celebrate our 25th year in existence, we will be wearing out new 3rd kit with the ICT 25 logo on it. Very smart indeedy. These kits are now on sale at the club shop or you can order them through the official site. Lets hope they can kick start our season in this game which is as close to the 25th year of the one that started it all. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Cast your mind back 25 years to the Glorious 12th. No, not the start of the grouse shooting, but our first home game in the Scottish Football leagues. Caledonian Thistle, as we were known back then, and what a momentous occasion that was. How fitting it was that club captain, hero, legend and all round terrific guy Alan Hercher scored the first three League goals for this club. In midweek, it had all kicked off on 9th August 1994 for Caledonian Thistle with a 2-0 League Cup win at Firs Park, East Stirlingshire where Wilson Robertson and Alan Hercher netted the goals to see us progress to a tie against Dundee. On Saturday August 12th, a crowd of 1700 saw the Caley Jags beat Arbroath 5-2 at Telford Street and the rest is history. Sadly Alan Hercher is no longer with us having been taken too soon, but his memories will live forever in the archives of this club. After Hercher had scored a twenty minute hat-trick, the Lichties hit back with a couple of goals through Brock and Reilly, but further goals from Paul McKenzie and Wilson Robertson put us firmly on the radar. We have gone on to have a wonderful roller coaster of emotions since then culminating in the Scottish Cup win over Falkirk at Hampden Park on 30th May 2015. Here's to the next 25 years! Watch the action here, you might even see yourself in Telford Street............ There's an article on the OFFICIAL SITE regarding the 25th anniversary match. OFFICIAL PREVIEW ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ On matchday one we suffered badly at the hands of a rampant Lawrence of Arabia who scored all four goals for the Arabs with Tom Walsh scoring what turned out to be little more than a consolation for the Caley Jags. By the end of the game we were well beaten, but it could have been a different outcome had we taken some early chances, notably James Keatings hitting the post before United took the lead. As it was, Shankland showed why United are forking out the big money for him. Arbroath entertained a Dobbieless Queen of the South at Gayfield and their opener ended goalless. That was their first game in the Championship for sixteen years and they will be reasonably happy with a point to get their season off and running. Steven Doris passed up on a couple of good opportunities and he will be a handful for any club. Arbroath manager Dick Campbell said: "You would have to be happy with a point when we're playing a full-time team. We're not going to be easy fodder for anybody, because we've got good players." Added to their League 1 winning squad are Derek Gaston, goalkeeper from Morton; Scott Stewart, defender from Airdrie; Robert Wilson, defender from Berwick and James Murphy, who is a midfielder. Brad Mckay was helped off the park at Tannadice, his neck in a brace and he ended up in hospital to get checked out, bruising is the problem. Along with Shaun Rooney, Sean Welsh and Mitch Curry he will miss this weekends game against Arbroath. Rooney and Welsh are reported to be doing light training in their recuperation process. Aaron Doran has been cleared to play after a suspected broken finger has proven to be ok. We have a problem at right back with David Carson filling in, but he's not really filling that role with any conviction. Charlie Trafford has become a liability with a yellow card in the refs pocket with his name on it before a ball is kicked. Choices for Robertson to make. We keep hearing how good some of our youngsters are, so it's about time we actually saw them. However, we won't be seeing Daniel Mackay or Daniel Hoban unless we go to Elgin. They have been loaned out until January. See OFFICIAL SITE. Dick Campbell is as shrewd as they come and he will get the most out of his part-time squad. His new additions will compliment his title winning squad with Steven Doris the main goal threat. Bobby Linn is another with a bit of pedigree and worth keeping the shackles on him. The experienced former Dundee midfielder Gavin Swankie will be a key player for Arbroath. Midfielder Michael McKenna and defender Thomas O'Brien will be looking to start. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Have a listen to the latest podcast from the Wyness Shuffle. This one is entitled A SEAGULL IN A CARRIER BAG. Don't ask me where they get the names from, but well worth a listen and keep up the good work guys. SHAUN ROONEY: MUTILATOR was the opening podcast and it has been well received. In hindsight, maybe it should have been called Shaun Rooney mutilated given his absence through injury picked up in pre-season. Hopefully, Rooney and Welsh will be back sooner rather than later as they begin light training. Fansbet are sponsors of CTO Odds for today. H10/19 - D 3-1 A9/2

New Striker nets the goals. Unfortunately for Inverness it was United's new man Lawrence Shankland that grabbed a brace of headers in the first half to put the Arabs into the break 2-1 ahead. Tom Walsh had levelled for Inverness but that only lasted for a couple of minutes before Shankland restored United's advantage. James Keatings had hit the post before the opening goal came along. Brad Mckay was stretchered off midway through the half with Carson moving to right back and James Vincent coming on. Shankland completed his headed hat-trick in the 53rd minute. Jordan White and James Vincent went close for the visitors and Vincent cleared one off his own line. However, Shankland completed the misery for Inverness when he scored a fourth with five minutes left. Nearly 200 visiting fans saw new signing Miles Storey make the bench for Inverness and James Vincent and Nikolay Todorov sat beside him with David Carson starting. Top striker Lawrence Shankland started and it wouldn't take him long to make his mark........... A frantic start saw Inverness survive a melee in their own box and then James Keatings hit the post from twelve yards after a ball in from Jordan White with the keeper beaten. Lawrence Shankland was brought in to score goals and he opened his Championship accounts in the seventh minute as he headed a Louis Appere cross behind Mark Ridgers. Keatings forced Siegrist into making a save as Inverness hit back two minutes later and at the other end Nicky Clark shot over on the break. A sore one for Brad Mckay as he is helped from the park in a neck brace after falling awkwardly, James Vincent replacing him with David Carson moving to cover at right back. The visitors were gaining a foothold in the match and following a couple of corners, Tom Walsh was on hand to knock the loose ball home after a Jamie McCart header rebounded near him. Sadly, we never got time to settle on that leveller and Shankland headed his second of the game within a minute of Walsh scoring, Paul McMullan the provider. We steadied the ship once more but at the break United had a slender but not insurmountable lead. Half-Time 2-1 Eight minutes into the second forty-five and 'Lawrence of Arabia' notched his third goal of the afternoon. Another cross from Appere, another header from Shankland, another goal for United. What on earth have our defenders been doing in training? Big turning point came a couple of minutes after the goal when Jordan White missed a great opportunity to get us back into contention, but he missed the target from close range. And that my friends is the difference between success and failure. Keatings also shot over as we came to terms with our predicament and soon after a double substitution, but it was the same olde story (no pun intended). Doran came close to connecting to a ball from Walsh at the back post but the final nail in the coffin was coming. Cammy Smith saw an effort hacked clear as United went for a fourth to kill the game off and it duly came with around five minutes left on the clock. Who else but Man of the Match Lawrence Shankland who will be given the freedom of the city before the end of the season as he turned and shot past Ridgers effortlessly from inside the box before Inverness were spared any further punishment as Shanks was subbed. Predictably, our familiar slow start to a season continues to haunt us and it looks like the long ball approach is not going to get us far in this division given that every team has seen it coming for the last couple of years. Time to knuckle down and start playing football before we get left behind once more. Our normally reliable defence has taken a battering of late and that's three right backs down now. Coll Donaldson needs to re-focus and get back to his player of the year status. It appears that his performances are suffering recently. If anyone finds his mojo, please return it to John Robertson, c/o The Caledonian Stadium, Inverness (for now anyway). ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Speaking to BBC Sport Dundee United head coach Robbie Neilson: "I was delighted with the performance right from the start. I thought to a man they played very well. "Shankland has been great since he came in. I think the other players have got to take credit for the as well because they brought him into the group and you can see he's getting the benefits." Inverness CT manager John Robertson: "There were key parts of the game where we felt that had we defended properly first we'd have kept in it, but we missed good opportunities at the wrong time. "And they had a man who they paid big money for and that's exactly why they've done it, that was a masterclass in finishing." ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Caley Stan was a touch more lenient to the cause: "So, a painful watch - United were better than us in every department but i still think the main issue is in the centre of the park - there isn't a combination among Trafford/Carson/Vincent that either protects the back 4 or provides a platform for the creative players to get into the game. The long ball is a necessity as a result, and Doran and Keatings are wasted without balls to feet. We have to hope United are just way too good for this league and we're having our usual slow start. Video footage will be added when available. We've had better days.............. Man of the Match................I'll have to think about that one............. No doubt about it, it's Lawrence of Arabia with his four goal performance. What a start to his United career as he takes the plaudits. Shanks very much. Here's Robbo talking after the game Here's another Storey for you........... Date: 03/08/2019 Venue: Tannadice Park Attendance: 7023 Referee: Steven McLean Dundee United: 4 Lineup: Siegrist, L Smith, Connolly, Reynolds, Robson, McMullan, Stanton (Harkes 76), Butcher, Appere, Shankland (Banks 88), Clark (C Smith 65) Subs (not used): Mehmet; Chalmers, King, Banks, Watson Scorers: Shankland (7, 31, 53, 86) Booked: none Sent Off: none Inverness CT: 1 Lineup: Ridgers; B Mckay (Vincent ), Donaldson, McCart., Tremarco, Trafford, Carson, Doran, Keatings (Storey 71), Walsh, White (Todorov 71) Subs (not used): C Mackay; Harper, McHattie, MacGregor. Scorers: Walsh (30) Booked: Carson (61), Trafford (77) Sent Off: none a