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Blown Away Arbroath came off the foot of the table at the weekend after beating Morton, something Inverness had failed to do one week ago. Inverness were starting to flirt with the wrong end of the table after the Morton result. A windy encounter saw Jack Hamilton gave the hosts the lead right on the interval, punishing some weak defending to slot home. Just after the break Shane Sutherland headed Inverness level. This game was carried forward from 2nd January when a frozen pitch saw the game called off. John Robertson had to make some defensive alterations with Robbie Deas and Daniel Devine missing. In came Brad Mckay and striker come centre half Nikolay Todorov. Miles Storey returned to action up front with Doran, MacGregor, Allardice and Carson on the bench. Dick Campbell handed Jack Hamilton his home debut with bin man Linn the wide provider. Plenty experience on the bench as well with Gavin Swankie and Kris Doolan. A very windy but dry Gayfield met the sides as the game kicked off with Alan Newlands the man in charge. First big chance of the game fell to Jack Hamilton but he mishit a Bobby Linn cross from six yards when it looked easier to score. The strength of the wind was evident when big Mark Ridgers struggled to get the ball thirty yards up the park from a goal kick before the wind halted the ball. Gaston on the other hand had no problem getting the ball to land in Ridgers' box. Aye, we all knew the weather would be a problem, let's see who masters it best. A strong burst on the deck down the left was the best we mustered after fifteen minutes but Storey's cross went behind. The pace of the game was dictated by the conditions and a midfield battle ensued with some untidy tackles ending in numerous free kicks. one such incident saw Keatings replaced by Scott Allardice after 25 minutes. Ridgers had to grab a corner kick from right under the bar as Arbroath got two corners in succession, the second one swirling into the box dangerously, a third soon followed as Linn curled a ball across the box that evaded everyone. Similar to Hamilton's early miss, Storey swung a ball into the box and Daniel Mackay couldn't get enough contact under challenge and the chance evaporated. A slack clearance in our box offered a glimmer of a chance to the Smokies five minutes before the break, but the loose ball was eventually cleared. Most Inverness bursts forward were going through Storey but the final ball is not forthcoming. Just on the interval, Arbroath opened the scoring through Jack Hamilton. He held off a weak challenge on the edge of the box before cutting a low ball back across Ridgers and into the back of the net. The jovial commentators enjoyed that as they headed for half a coo and bread as the interval came along Half Time 1-0 Half cow scoffed and there were no changes at the break, but the visitors squared the game within three minutes when Shane Sutherland headed a Cameron Harper cross in from close range. Good pressure from the Caley Jags kept Arbroath hemmed in and ended with Allardice rifling a shot across the keeper and just wide of the far post. Sutherland found himself without a marker at the far post from a Harper free kick, but unfortunately he fluffed his lines and the ball trundled into the keepers hands. Hamilton missed a sitter from six yards when he headed a tempting cross well over the bar. At the other end a Sutherland shot was charged down then another effort was put behind by Gaston, the corner wasted. Allardice's tenacity saw the home defence make a couple of blocks as we looked to get our noses in front with about ten minutes left and Cammy Harper forced Gaston into a routine save. Kris Doolan does like a goal against Inverness and he almost snatched the win but his shot bounced back off the base of the post with Ridgers beaten. Let off for the visitors. A couple of late corners came and went for Inverness but to no avail and a share of the points it was. Full Time 1-1 A draw about right but Arbroath will rue missing the better chances. I suppose a point in these conditions is fair enough for the endeavour on the park and hopefully everyone avoided hypothermia. Highlights can be seen at ArbroathFCTV Robbo talking post match Date: 03/02/2021 Venue: Gayfield, Arbroath Attendance: 000 Referee: Alan Newlands Arbroath Fc: 1 Manager: Dick Campbell Lineup: Gaston; Thomson, Little, O’Brien, C Hamilton, McKenna, Craigen, Williamson, Hilson (Doolan 80), J Hamilton (Donnelly 80), Linn (Stewart 61) Subs (not used): Gallagher, Swankie, Gold, Whatley Scorers: Jack Hamilton (45) Booked: none Sent Off: none Inverness CT: 1 Manager: John Robertson Lineup: Ridgers; Duffy, B Mckay, Todorov, Harper, Welsh, Vincent, Keatings (Allardice 22), Sutherland, D Mackay (Doran 71), Storey Subs (not used): C Mackay; Nicolson, Fyffe, Carson, MacGregor Scorers: Sutherland (48) Booked: Duffy (68) Sent Off: none a

As Robert the Bruce said.... If at first you don't succeed..... It's the second time of asking and we are due to play Arbroath at Gayfield on Wednesday night with a 7:45pm kick-off. This game was re-scheduled from 2nd January due to a frozen pitch on that occasion. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ PPV from Arbroath FC TV @ £12 Official Preview ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ To be perfectly honest, our season is in absolute disarray at the moment with re-scheduled games in abundance. Add in Scottish Cup ties that were postponed, then put on hold, this campaign is a disaster for the Caley Jags. On top of that, our inability to attract players North during the pandemic is a cause for concern when all around us are strengthening their squads. It has certainly raised a few eyebrows and we could be in more danger of staving off relegation than pushing for a top four finish. One bright note is that Scott Allardice has signed on for another couple of years. He has been one of our better bargains and is well worth the contract. Last time out we drew 2-2 at Morton. That may have been seen as a decent result, but when you consider that we threw away a 2-1 lead against ten men for fifty minutes then it simply was not good enough. A point not lost on manager John Robertson who was unusually despondent after the game. Last 10 Competitive Meetings against Arbroath. Click on scores to open out further options. 3 - 1 (H) 0 - 1 (H) 0 - 3 (A) 2 - 1 (H) 0 - 3 (H) 7 - 0 (H) 2 - 0 (A) 2 - 2 (A) 3 - 1 (H) 3 - 1 (A) We did manage to play Arbroath earlier in the season and eased to a 3-1 win in the Highlands. Dan Mackay, Scott Allardice and Nikolay Todorov were the scorers. Allardice's goal was his first for the Caley Jags and what a thumper it was. Kris Doolan scored the opener for Arbroath while Pixellot were following the linesmans head. The Red Lichties last outing was a bonus for them as they beat the very same Morton that we failed to beat at Cappielow. Loan signing Jack Hamilton opened his Smokies account after coming in from Livingston. That result lifted Arbroath off the foot of the table. Incidentally, that was Hamilton's 11th goal of the season, a man worth watching. He had previously been on loan at East Fife and did well up here in the League Cup group stages with the Fifers. Lichties two games before the win at Morton were draws with Dundee and Queen of the South.

Queens of the ice age frozen off. ***POSTPONED*** Another rearranged game due to go ahead on Saturday afternoon with Queen of the South the visitors. Should snow, ice, covid or road blockages not stop this one, it is scheduled to kick-off at 3:00pm with live streaming available from Caley Jags TV - Pixie Lott for a £10er. However, let's not get ahead of ourselves as the words that we all dread have been uttered by the club. "There will be a pitch inspection at 9am tomorrow morning ahead of the match against Queen of the South". Now there's a surprise! It could be an opportunity for us to bounce back after a disappointing draw against the ten men of Morton. Easier said than done given our lack of game time over the last month. Last 10 Competitive Meetings against Queen of the South back to Jan 13th 2018 3 - 0 (A) 3 - 1 (H) 2 - 0 (A) 2 - 0 (H) 2 - 0 (A) 1 - 2 (H) 3 - 3 (A) 0 - 0 (H) 2 - 0 (A) 3 - 1 (H) At Cappielow we were without Brad Mckay and more importantly striker Miles Storey. With Kai Kennedy off to Raith Rovers, we were bereft of the guile needed to prize open a stubborn defence, and when we did, a lack of composure ensured we would not run away with the game despite the Ton being a man short for over half of the match. All this has not best pleased Robbo who has let them know in no uncertain terms that it's simply not good enough to just turn up and claim the points. You tell them John... Queens are on a bit of a roll since we last played them on December 4th. They took a thrashing at Tynecastle the week after (6-1) then lost to Morton and Dundee. However, since then they beat Raith Rovers 0-2 on 29th December, they have been on the up. Victories over Ayr United, Queens Park and Morton along with a draw against Arbroath have lifted them above Inverness in the table although we do have three games in hand. In fact we have games in hand over everyone, but that does not equate to points in the bag; think Morton in midweek. Connor Shields is the man on form just now and Queens now seem to have enough talent on board to ease away from the relegation area. Shields has nine goals this season, and more worrying for us seven in the last six games since Xmas. Team news not forthcoming but Robbo hinted at some changes after the slackness at Cappielow. I'll keep it short as there is no guarantee the game will go ahead, so look out early morning for any news from ICT FC.

Ten man Ton grab a point An early goal from Sean McGinty was cancelled out in the fourth minute by a Shane Sutherland strike. Daniel Mackay put the visitors ahead after fifteen minutes. Morton were reduced to ten men with half an hour gone after Rabin Omar stopped a break forward and picked up a second yellow. That seemed to spur Morton on and they had a 'goal' chalked off for climbing ten minutes before the break. no surprise when Morton grabbed a share of the points when Cameron Blue knocked home after sterling work by Gary Oliver. No more scoring and a couple of points missed out on by Inverness against ten men for over half a game. After a prolonged break for various reasons, the Caley Jags played their first game since drawing with Dunfermline on 29th December 2020. The enforced lay-off meant that our match sharpness would be questioned by a Morton side that have played three games since then, drawing twice and losing their last outing at Palmerston. It was an early kick-off at Cappielow, 6:30pm with live streaming available from Morton TV. Miles Storey was one of the players who failed to make it and Brad Mckay was nowhere to be seen either. Daniel Mackay getting a rare start and Wallace Duffy returning to right back with Brad out. David Carson was on the bench along with regulars James Keatings, Nikolay Todorov and Roddy Macgregor. Anton McElhone had Orsi, Salkeld, Lyon and McAlister on the bench with McGuffie, Oliver and Omar stating tonight. The winter weather looked to have taken it's toll on the Cappielow turf, some areas looking heavy before a ball was kicked in earnest. We didn't have long to wait for the opening goal as Sean McGinty fired high into the net with only three minutes on the clock. The visitors replied immediately, if not sooner when Shane Sutherland slotted home a minute later. Daniel Mackay then put Inverness ahead with a fine finish after a through ball from Aaron Doran, easing round the keeper to score neatly. Disaster for Ton after twenty-eight minutes when Rabin Omar stopped Sutherland bursting forward in the middle of the park and picked up his second yellow card of the night. He was sent packing for his troubles. That seemed to inject some urgency into the hosts and from a corner Morton McGinty had the ball in the net again but climbing was deemed to have occurred and the Inverness defence breathed a sigh of relief. Robbie Deas saw a shot saved as the Caley Jags looked for a cushion before the break, and just before the interval it was Morton that were sighing as Inverness had a 'goal' ruled out as well. Half Time 1-2 No changes at the break and five minutes in Morton survived a penalty claim when it looked like an arm was used to bring the ball under control in the box. Referee Stuart saw it as accidental after a long hard look at the incident. With heavy drizzle dampening the occasion errors were always going to be a danger. A long throw in from Strapp was returned to him and he launched a fierce shot that fizzed over the bar. An Inverness corner caused some concern in the home box but it was scrambled clear by the defence before Sutherland found himself shooting from an offside position. Morton almost levelled from a set piece when a Nesbitt free kick to the back post was knocked back almost onto the goal line, and with our defence ball watching Ledger tried to force it home. It was scrambled clear and when we eventually made our way to the far end Sean Welsh rasped a long range shot over the bar. Both keepers made routine saves thereafter before Sutherland made a hash of striking goalwards from a good position on the right side. Plenty of life still in Morton as we looked uncomfortable dealing with balls into the box. No sooner said than done! A good burst forward by Gary Oliver saw Cameron Blues knock the ball home from his cross eight yards out. Twelve minutes to go and a dribbler of a shot from Sutherland is cleared from the Morton line and substitute James Keatings' follow up volley is cleared. Morton are working so hard it's difficult to know if they have actually had a man sent off. A lung bursting run from Lyon allowed Strapp to cause more havoc in our defence as Morton looked to get a winner with five minutes of the ninety left. A late corner saw another one given as the clock passed ninety minutes but Morton clear well before Todorov appeared to miss a tap in as the ball bounced past him. McAdams did well to tip a deflected cross come shot away for a corner which ended the contest in a draw after more climbing at the back post was penalised. Full Time 2-2 A couple of points dropped against the ten men as we managed to get on a pitch for the first time in a month. Good to get amongst the goals but we looked vulnerable when Morton came forward. Maybe conditions and the lay off played a part but there's no rest for the wicked as Queen of the South come North at the weekend Here's what was said on BBC Sport Morton manager Anton McElhone: "Tremendous performance from the guys. It shows the determination, hunger and desire. "We knew that on the transition we could catch them out and the run from Cameron Blues was excellent. We are trying to strengthen; we've got a few more days and we are trying to do stuff." Inverness CT scorer Daniel MacKay: "It was good to get back in the team and get the goal - it was a brilliant ball through from Aaron Doran. "But it's about the result and from it nearly being a really good three points, to it just being the one point is disappointing." Match highlights can be seen here Date: 27/01/2001 Venue: Cappielow, Greenock Attendance: 000 Referee: Peter Stuart Morton: 2 Manager: Anton McElhone Lineup: McAdams; Ledger, Fjortoft, McGinty, Nesbitt, Oliver (Salkeld 79), McGuffie (Millar 63), Strapp, Blues (Lyon 73), Colville, Omar Subs (not used): McLean, McAlister, Muirhead, Orsi. Scorers: McGinty (3), Blues (66) Booked: Omar (19), Oliver (74) Sent Off: Omar (28) Inverness CT: 2 Lineup: Ridgers; Duffy, Deas, Devine, Harper, Doran (Keatings 70), Welsh, Allardice (Todorov 70) Vincent, Sutherland, D Mackay (MacGregor 83) Subs (not used): C Mackay; Nicolson, Hyde, Carson. Scorers: Sutherland (4), D Mackay (15) Booked: none Sent Off: none a

If at first you don't succeed It's the second time of trying to get this match played (postponed from Boxing Day) and that will be the same for another handful of games as a combination of snow, ice, Scottish Cup and covid19 have decimated our campaign. We will be playing catch-up for the foreseeable future with postponed Championship games against Arbroath, Queen of the South, Raith Rovers and Alloa to come, not to mention cup games against Buckie Thistle and possibly Ross County. Our last game was a 1-1 draw with Dunfermline on 29th December. Almost one month ago. Morton drew at Ayr that day and the same 1-1 scoreline at Alloa four days later. They have drawn with the Pars since(0-0) then and went down 2-1 at Dumfries last Saturday. Not the most profitable period for Morton, but at least they have been active. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Live Streaming from Ton TV £14 Kick Off 6:30 - Cappielow Official Preview ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Last 10 Competitive Meetings 3 - 2 (H) 1 - 2 (A) 3 - 1 (H) 5 - 0 (H) 2 - 2 (A) 1 - 0 (H) 2 - 1 (A) 1 - 1 (H) 3 - 0 (A) 0 - 2 (H) Latest Team News Kai Kennedy is now at Raith Rovers and he will be a big miss. Lewis Toshney and Kevin McHattie are not ready for action after long term injuries. Robbo has hinted that there are a couple of new niggly injuries that may require rest with a busy schedule coming up. I wonder if Wallace Duffy, Aaron Doran and David Carson might have benefitted from the enforced lay off and will be looking to get involved with the squad. Places up for grabs now, it's up to those given the opportunity to impress to make the most of it and stake a claim for a regular start. Morton Manager: Anton McElhone Morton team v QotS: McAdams, Ledger, Fjortoft, McGinty, Strapp (Oliver 78′), McAlister, Lyon, Salkeld, Colville, Nesbitt, Orsi. Championship table ahead of tonight's game at Cappielow After losing to Raith Rovers on Saturday, the Jambos gained ample revenge by pumping Raith 4-0 at Stark's Park last night. Regan Hendry of Rovers was sent off five minutes before the break with Hearts already two up. New striker Armand Gnanduillet added a late double. The Dundee v Ayr United game was frozen out. Given the amount of Previews wasted recently, that's all your getting but a tweet from Cappielow at 11:05 AM · Jan 27, 2021 sounds promising. ***In light of enquiries; tonight's match against @ICTFC is on. KO 6.30pm*** What could possibly go wrong