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Astra-nomical days in Romania People often refer to an extraordinary, yet fleeting occurrence as a JFK moment. When Inverness CT went in a bowl in Switzerland for the Europa League draw in June 2015, it was hardly a life changing event, but I will never forget where I was when the news filtered through from home as to who we had drawn, and where we were headed. I was sitting in a square in Salzburg having lunch as you do! European qualification had already been guaranteed before the Scottish Cup Final, a draw at Dundee clinched our historic third place. Will we ever see the likes again? Perhaps in hindsight I shouldn’t have stayed away from Dens Park, but I was obsessed with my 500th ICT game being the Cup Final, and that was what happened. I wrote about the joy of that Cup Final in an article “It’s my club”, which was printed in Football Weekends magazine in 2016, and can also be found elsewhere on my blog. The first paragraph of that piece is well with recounting here; “A man down, pegged back by an equaliser, Inverness were struggling, it felt like we were on the ropes. Was the Scottish Cup dream about to end? It was Falkirk we were playing after all, a known bogey team in years past. They traditionally beat us in most August encounters and had knocked us out of both cups, as well as relegating us in one season. Indeed that painful occasion was the last game between the two teams in May 2008, seven years ago. However, this was May 2015, a different generation of player with none of the mental blocks that we the fans associate with the name Falkirk! The clock was ticking down on a sun drenched Hampden, when suddenly the ball broke to Marley Watkins, still well inside our half, but he started to run, and run with the ball toward the goal he sped. A little turn inside, he shot, it wasn’t his best ever effort, a trundler, but the pace caught out the Bairns keeper Jamie MacDonald who merely diverted the ball into the path of the on rushing James Vincent, who had sprinted from our box! It fell beautifully for him; Goooooooooal!! We had just won the Scottish Cup! A club just 21 years old at that stage had just won the oldest trophy in world football! (FA Cup is an older competition, but the Scottish Cup trophy is older!). It’s a trophy bigger clubs have craved for 114 years without success, or waited more than 100 years to win for the first time ever”. Nearly five years on it still seems incredible, a boy’s own story, something they can never take away from us. That cup victory was undoubtedly the pinnacle for the club, but for a more global citizen, one obsessed with football in certain lands around the world, getting to see my team in Europe had always been my dream. So much so, when Inverness went to Denmark in 2007 for pre-season training and a couple of games, I had to be there. So one July evening I sped down the railway tracks from Copenhagen to Sjaelland, and the quaint town of Nykobing Falster for the clubs first ever game on foreign soil. We were five strong that night (Don Taylor, his wife and son amongst us) as Liam Fox claimed the first ever ICT goal outside Britain in a 2-1 loss to Nykobing Falster Alliance. A few days later, our number had grown by one as David Proctor scored the only goal of the game against much tougher opponents in FC Nordsjaelland from Farum near the capital, a club who would not only end up playing Queen of the South in Europe five years later, but continue a journey towards being one of Denmark’s top teams. Given I was in Denmark for friendly matches, (I have only ever been at one ICT friendly in Banff!) you can imagine how keyed up I was when I knew my club name was going into a UEFA draw. I was prepared to go almost anywhere (Israel was my only no go at that time, Kosovo has been subsequently added to the list), but I was more dreaming of Almaty in Kazakhstan (as far east as we could go!), or any of our Nordic neighbours especially Iceland or the Faroe Islands, the possibilities were endless, all very exciting as the Welsh would say. Having won the Scottish Cup we were nibbled onto the Second Round directly, and with so many “and/or” potential pitfalls from Round One we could have drawn, it would make for very short notice booking. As it was, I was sitting quaffing a glass of chilled white wine over lunch in the Plaza de Mozart in Salzburg when the news filtered through the Tyrolean mountains to my mobile that we hadn’t drawn and and/or” but Astra Giurgiu. I hadn’t a clue where in România Giurgiu was, but the club name was familiar to me as they’d had a few European outings previously, one with Celtic rang a bell. I also learned that St Johnstone were going to Armenia, information of amusement for the sender as he knew I was travelling with an Armenian lass. My boss back in Edinburgh is a huge St Johnstone fan, both home and away, as well as every European game he could possibly get too (He has only missed one in Minsk, Belarus because of the lack of time to get a visa!). While I had no direct number for him, I was immediately messaging a colleague back home in the office with information to pass on, as St Johnstone were Yerevan bound in just over two weeks, a lot sooner than our tie. He called me that night and took more information and was all booked long before I walked back into the office the following week. I had always regretted that none of my bunch of fellow ICT fans had been up for going to Denmark, but okay those were friendly matches. I was more dismayed that none of them could go to Romania. I knew there was going to be a fine away support but I started to have second thoughts as I didn’t really fancy the Bucharest to the banks of the Danube and Giurgiu on my own, having by then looked at a map and discovered the location of Astra’s home town. Then my luck started to turn, and from a most unlikely source. Luciano, a Brazilian friend from Porto Alegre, who works as a translator for FIFA amongst others, wrote to me to say he had a Romanian colleague who would be more than willing to help me. By the end of that day we hadn’t just arranged that Razvan was picking me up at the airport, but he’d happily drive me down to Giurgiu, nip across to Bulgaria for a meal, as well as share the game with me, and he wasn’t even into football! Wonderful little things like this keep happening to me through life, football opens doors and starts new friendships, I am a lucky man. I went ahead and booked my trip, Thursday to Monday, and as luck would have it, two Romanian top tier games were scheduled for that weekend in the capital, I was going to get my fill of football in a country I had never set foot in before. Romania was a land I was reasonably well versed with courtesy of my dad’s brother and his wife, who worked at the British Embassy in Bucharest during the Ceausescu years, and some of the stories they told left a marked impression on a young lad! One that always amused me was that they used take advantage of the “diplomatic bag” to run a well stocked shop in the basement for the embassy families as the Bucharest shops were largely bereft of anything worthy of eating! I have for a longtime sighted my aunt and uncle as the pioneers of my love for travel. They led a fascinating life, having met and married in Beirut during the ‘50’s, a city they described like Paris back then, as well as working in Baghdad well before it disintegrated. Unfortunately I would only had the pleasure of visiting them at his last posting ahead of his retirement, much nearer to home in Lille, long before the Euro Tunnel had breathed life into this northern French city. Ahead of flying out, the 2015/16 campaign for Scottish clubs had got underway and my boss had enjoyed his time in the Armenian capital even if the heat was searing, but his team had come home with a fine 1-0 win. The following Thursday in Perth though, Scottish football hit a new low when Euro novices Alashkert won 2,1 and went through on the away goal rule. Another week on, and a car load of us sped up the A9 from Edinburgh for the first leg of Inverness v Astra tie. Looking back, it still feels a slightly surreal thing that we hosted European football, but a good crowd had turned out for the occasion. The lack of commercial exploitation of this game, or indeed the cup final has always rankled with me. The club produced a half and half scarf for an embarrassing debacle, when the visitors were some sort of Liverpool kids team, unworthy opponents for the Testimonial of Barry Wilson. A huge crowd turned out that night in the rain, many to pay Barry respects, but others believing they were going to see at least one or two well known Reds players. The Anfield kids got a right good going over with a 5-0 home win! A similar scarf or even a pennant would have been good, a worthy souvenir to mark the game, but instead the club decided to merely ramp up the price of a normal edition of the programme by two pounds, and that was it. Then before the game, we were faced with the slightly odd scenario of a newly signed goalkeeper thrown straight into the team, Owain Fon Williams. Somehow this became the news which rather overshadowed the game itself. Those who’d taken us to glory the season just past were worthy of their moment on the European stage was my opinion, and remains that way to this day! Astra were skillful, cute, streetwise and downright depressing in the art of time wasting and game management, “skills” that developed from periodically tumbles to an almost constant occurrence every time someone got too close or dared to tackle, as we powered up the second half pressure. Astra are not known as Darcii Negri (the black devils) for nothing! Their manager Marius Sumudicahad, (who was subsequently banned for two months that season for his involvement in match fixing) had been a bit mouthy in the run up to the game, and that side of the gamesmanship continued in the days afterwards too. The whole occasion sits with me in the pantheon of dull memories, like the League Cup Final with Aberdeen, both games occasions where the fans didn’t have a whole lot to hold onto and think, “If only”. Yet we were by no means second best, and matched the Romanians in every department without manufacturing any absolutely glaring opportunities, but we did have more shots on target. As it was, the game was decided by a dubious free kick awarded midway through the first half on the edge of our box, where Constantin Budescu, who jostled with our Ryan Christie as man of the match, whipped an exquisitely taken free kick up and over the wall into the net beyond the flailing new keeper. Owain had been too far to one side of the goal, offering Budescu an all too tempting large slice of the goal, but it was a great strike, even if the feeling at the time was this was a goalkeeping error. Before anyone was packing their bag for Romania, the day after the first leg in Inverness, we were back in a pot in Neon for the next round of the competition, part of an “and/or” duo with Astra that paired us with West Ham United. Given this was our first Euro campaign I can honestly say this brought a feeling of disappointment, after all who wanted an Anglo-Scottish clash, albeit a high profile clash! I am sure I wasn’t alone in wanting somewhere more exotic than London, where we’d already been for a friendly with Charlton Athletic. Of course, we could only concern ourselves with any such travel arrangements if we could get by Astra, and that was going to be a tall order. The full Europa League draw had also brought the possibility of my Kazakh charges Kairat coming to Scotland for the first time to play Aberdeen. They had shown St Johnstone the way absolutely thumping Alashkert 3,0 in Almaty and were almost certainly looking to be in the next round. The Dons just had to do their part of the bargain and see off Croatian side Rijeka, a tricky tie without doubt, but they had stunningly won the away leg by a similar score, so the Kazakhs were coming, barring a total collapse by one of the three-nil winners! It was an early morning start with a 6am flight to Amsterdam to catch a connection onward to Bucharest on the morning of the game. With the time difference it was technically an 8am start Romanian time, just 11 hours before the kick off. I have never set off abroad wearing a football shirt before, but the pride in this instance, knowing my team were playing that day in some far off land was wonderful. Sods law of course that the only person who made any comment to me before I boarded the plane was a Falkirk fan, still looking to vent about how we taken their cup away! Once I was in my seat I did see two more Caley Thistle lads board the plane, and I can only assume they were on the next leg too, but I never saw them again! The entire journey had gone without a hitch, and upon clearing customs at Bucharest airport, Razvan was already awaiting my arrival. Timescales even allowed for us to swing by my hotel to check in, drop my luggage in the room etc after all it would be a late return following the game. The drive down to the Danube seemed to whizz by, we had plenty of chat, but burning away within me was anticipation and excitement about the game. Everything had been going smoothly until we hit the city limit of Giurgiu, (pronounced -jure jew) where the entire inside lane was wall to wall trucks, and this continued in such a line all the way to the Romanian border post just before the bridge across the Danube to Bulgaria. The problem was, this old crossing was in the process of being upgraded, and the road was down to a single track, meaning only one side could move at a time. The odd way they had chosen to do that was to allow traffic to move for around 30 minutes in one direction at a time! While cars weren’t even attempting to go across as much, once we were through passport control it was a case of switching off the engine and waiting for four lanes of traffic to fight it out to merge into one solitary line for the crossing. It was boiling hot, and with the windows down it was no use, thank goodness for the air conditioning. There was no turning back, we were technically in no man’s land between the two countries and I was already fretting that if it was like this on the way back, how ironic would it be to miss the kick off stuck in a traffic jam so close and yet so far. Once it was our turn to move we eventually manoeuvred between two juggernauts, but generally you weren’t going to argue with them. With the border formalities on the Bulgarian side complete, we were off in the direction of nearby Ruse, the town on the opposite bank to Giurgiu. This was first venture to Bulgaria, but little did I know at that time, my next partner would be from here, but not only that, she had spent a lot of her earlier life in Ruse. A little more than fifteen months later she’d be sitting with me at Fir Park, Motherwell cheering on Inverness! The world revolves around small coincidences and fates, making them part of the magic of life. Razvan and I had time to walk around Ruse a little, the centre was nice, if not spectacular, followed by a rather splendid meal sitting outside near the town square, with my one beer of the day! I suspect I was the only fan taking in the pre-match rituals in Bulgaria! I was always conscious of the time, nervous about getting stuck on the bridge going back, but thankfully the queue was considerably less going north and we were headed for the Stadionul Marin Anastasovici with plenty of time to spare. The stadium was actually on the outskirts of Giurgiu, quite close to the main Bulgaria – Bucharest highway, so I never did see any more of the town other than the football ground. We parked up and initially headed round behind the main stand, but the only place for the visiting fans was two caged areas on the opposite side of the ground, so we joined a queue of happy ICT fans to buy our tickets from a wee garden shed at the end of the road. Ticket prices, like the meal in Ruse, were jolly cheap. I have no recollection exactly how early it was that we arrived, maybe 30/45 minutes before kick off, but the whole Invernessian gang were here and in absolutely fine voice they were too. Many were a wee bit worse for wear, as I am sure the combination of beer and the heat had taken its toll a bit on some. I am unsure if anyone actually knows the exact number of visiting fans, somewhere between 500-600 I reckon, maybe circa 500 travelling under official parties, but the Bucharest newspaper the day after put it down as 600. After all, if the club were only counting official party fans we had the odd rogue DIY traveller like me, coupled with my very own Romanian ICT fan for the night in Razvan. The cage was a frustrating nonsense and trying to take some keepsakes was a bit of a nightmare through the wire, but going outside the cage near the pitch only brought admonishment from the stewards if you lingered too long. Thinking about it, were any Astra fans, save the official party in Inverness? They certainly didn’t make themselves heard. Here in Giurgiu, the club quickly realised that bringing souvenirs round from the club shop in the main stand to the juice bar for the away fans was going to render significant sales. We for sure drank the fridge dry and pretty much cleared them out of shirts and scarves! I have to confess as Gary Warren led the team out from the far corner beside the Astra lads (see cover photo), I had a lump in my throat, this occasion was more magical for me than the cup final. Never in my football supporting days, spanning 47 years now, did I ever think I would see my team playing competitively in Europe, and the pride was swelling an emotion within me. The game started at an extraordinarily sedate pace, perhaps given the heat and how early it was in the season, but we settled immediately, passing the ball around without fear or intimidation. Indeed, while Astra fans were here in reasonable numbers, it was the away fans who were making all the noise. In the first half, had VAR been around Warren would have won us a penalty, wrestled to the ground in the box, but as usual the ref just played on in those days. Minutes later, just ahead of half-time, Ryan Christie had a brilliant shot that was just tipped over the crossbar superbly by the keeper. Christie, still a youthful lad, grew into this game and commanded the midfield ahead of more illustrious players on the Astra team. We continued to press for that all important goal to level the aggregate, and a lot of the danger was stemming from Ryan. He found himself sandwiched between two Astra defenders in the second half having taken the ball down exquisitely in the box, but this time it was no penalty. In the end Astra held firm, it ended 0-0.There was absolutely no disgrace in narrowly going out to this Romanian side who were on the way to the greatest season in the clubs history, winning the league title for the first time. West Ham were sent packing in the next round, not just in 2015/16, but the very next year too, and in all 4 games the Hammers couldn’t beat Astra once. The applause at the end of the game for our Euro heroes was loud and passionate, the players came over to thank us and stayed longer than normal applauding back all with a mixture of pride and frustration written all over their faces, we had come that close. It was a relatively quick transfer back to Bucharest, with a hug and all my thanks of gratitude to Razvan, who had been incredible. He would call me occasionally in the coming days to make sure things were going well, and even invited me on a trip to the Carpathian mountains to visit his father, but I needed to see Bucharest before venturing any further. I slept like a log that night, disappointed that we had gone out, but we are still unbeaten away from home in Europe! I had earmarked Friday as my Bucharest culture day, and the city has a lot to enjoy and see. I had read that it has been described as Paris of the East, and aside from a smaller Arc de Triomphe, which was under maintenance scaffolding in 2015, a lot of the central areas buildings had a whiff of Paris. One building that certainly didn’t feel Parisian was the Palace of Parliament, the enormous construction undertaken to appease the megalomania of the Ceaucescu’s, a place that was at one time merely their home! I really enjoyed my days in the city, it had a wonderfully relaxed feel, wonderful restaurants too. On Saturday night I had arranged to meet a longstanding Bucharest friend Alexandra and her partner. While I had danced around many buildings in the area of the old town, I hadn’t been down these narrow streets before I met them, and it was only subsequent to my trip and seeing videos of the Inverness fans that I realise that this was where the Caley Thistle fans had all congregated, enjoying the relaxed traffic free, cafe society and the fine selection of local and International beers, as well as giving the locals a few recitals of the Highlanders song book, “Sweet Caroline” et all. By Saturday night, if any ICT fans were still in the city, I never saw any. Earlier in the day I had met two lads in a cafe who’d actually stayed in Giurgiu and they described it as “dusty”! I was on my way to Dinamo’s stadium when I bumped into them, but they weren’t up for coming to see the Saturday afternoon game between FC Voluntari and Pandurii Targu Jiu! Voluntari were new into the top flight, and although not from Bucharest, they were sharing with Dinamo Bucharest for the season because their own ground didn’t meet the necessary requirements. The Dinamo stadium was where our very own Romanian hero Marius Nicolae was playing his football at the time. The two lads who’d decline a game in the sun were probably the wise ones as this was a horrible 0-0 draw. On Sunday night, I decided to unearth another ICT shirt, wearing it to the Stadionul National to see Steau Bucharest v CFR Cluj. If any ICT fans were still hanging around my shirt would have been a way of starting a conversation, but it also helped to blend in with the Steau faithful whose colour scheme is similar, if a tad more red. Alas I suspect that Sunday night I was maybe the last Inverness fan in the city, as no ICT shirts were spotted, but our TV appearances in Romania had made the locals become familiar with our story, and most spoke great English! I was disappointed when the teams were read out, upon discovering that another Caley Thistle “cult” player of yesteryear, Gregory Tade wasn’t playing. Asking the guy next to me about him, he told me Gregory was being rested by the manager so he could play in the Champion’s League in midweek against Partizan Belgrade! Our Gregory had done well for himself! I still recall him, long before he played for ICT as an awkward lad trying his best up front for Stranraer, but he always seemed to miss more opportunities than he scored. Gregory had just joined Steau that summer having transferred ironically from tonight’s opponents Cluj. I used the zoom on my camera and spotted him loafing in the posh seats in the main stand. It was a pity I hadn’t seen either Marius or Gregory play, but what were the chances of the two big clubs of Bucharest seeing their attacks being led by ex-ICT players at the time we played in Romania! Did either of them head down to Giurgiu to watch us? More likely they watched on TV as it was live in Romania, unlike in Scotland, which was scandalous, but should we be surprised? For the record, I watched my third draw in four days, but at least this time the game had goals in an entertaining 1,1 draw played out in a fantastic stadium. At breakfast in the hotel ahead of going to the airport the next day, the news was playing quietly in the corner and scenes of Inverness fans in Bucharest appeared, as well as clips of us in the stadium in Giurgiu, as part of the morning sports bulletin. I asked the waitress what they were saying, so she stopped and listened to the last seconds of the piece and turned to me and said “they are in awe that so many people had come from such a small city to cheer their team”. I flew out of Bucharest with a very wide smile. The footnote to all these European games in June/July 2015 was two weeks later in Aberdeen, where I had written a piece on Kazakh football for the programme and was given free tickets for the centre stand. I finally got to see and meet some Kairat fans as they held firm amid a Dons whirlwind of efforts near the end to knock the home team out. My yellow and black jacket and broad smile gave me away at the end as people scowled out! Somehow I had played witness to three Scottish teams going out of Europe that summer, and none were as unlucky as Inverness. Will we ever see the likes again? That is why we are football fans, the strength to dream is hidden in the unknown variables of our beautiful game. This piece is dedicated to all the Caley Thistle fans who ventured to Romania, and Denmark in 2007. These were days to remember. Thanks to James Rendall for this look back at our greatest achievement to date. Football adventures with James Rendall And, just for an extra celebration, you can relive the Scottish Cup Final on Saturday as Inverness go to Hampden to play Falkirk. The game can be found on the Inverness Caledonian Thistle facebook page with Kick Off at 15:00

Statement from ICTFC THE JOINT RESPONSE GROUP CAN CONFIRM THE DECISION OF THE SCOTTISH FA BOARD TO SUSPEND ALL DOMESTIC PROFESSIONAL AND GRASSROOTS FOOTBALL UNDER THE JURISDICTION OF THE SCOTTISH FA UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE Read the full article here ICTFC have also released a statement regarding one of their players having reported in with similar conditions to Coronavirus. Read the article here

Caley Jags weather the storm. Inverness ran out comfortable winners as the game was played out in a mini storm. James Vincent opened the scoring on the half hour from a corner in a dull first half. A brighter second half saw James Keatings score a tremendous swerving free kick from 35 yards before Semple pulled one back for Queens in the middle of a storm. We'll put that one down to the weather. Miles Storey put the game to bed ten minutes from the end when David Carson slid a ball into the box for Storey to poke home off the post. The outcome was never really in doubt and just the tonic on a freezing night when the weather deteriorated as the game went on. Credit to both sets of players for getting through the game without hypothermia setting in. Stirling Observer had this to say on CTO............. Good win. Queens were very poor. Took a wee while to settle into the formation but the goal certainly helped. Great corner from Keatings, with whip and dip. Vincent flicked it in. Second goal was a direct free kick from Keatings. It was a Ronaldo-esqe strike through the ball to give it swerve and dip. Keeper appeared to be distracted by this or the runners and messed up his balance. Ball went in quite centrally but moved an awful lot. Good strike from about 35 yards out. 3rd was a good run (again) by Carson. Was fortunate his flick through deflected into the path of Storey who was sharp to pounce and toe poke it in off the far post. Couldn't really see what happened with their goal. <checks video> Defence wasn't overly troubled. Mchattie swept up everything and Toddy won everything in the air. Formation suited most of the players particularly Keatings, Storey and Rooney. Carson had a super game again. Won back so many balls by harassing the opposition. Doran and Walsh seemed to enjoy their cameos off the bench. Corner flag on a bender..... Miles better............ Brrrrrŕrrrrrrrr Date: 10/03/2020 Venue: Caledonian Stadium Attendance: 1811 Referee: Steven Reid Inverness CT: 3 Lineup: Ridgers; Rooney, Todorov, McHattie, Tremarco, Carson, Trafford, Vincent, Harper (Doran 77), Keatings (Walsh 76), Storey (White 88) Subs (not used): C Mackay; Davies, MacGregor, Scorers: Vincent (30), Keatings (57), Storey (79) Booked: Tremarco (29) Sent Off: none Queen of the South: 1 Lineup: Stewart; Ledger, Kilday, Semple, Kidd (Petravicius 39), Lyon, Pybus (Hamilton 75), Wilson, Mercer, Oliver, Dobbie (Paton 62) Subs (not used): Leighfield, Devine, Gourlay. Scorers: Semple (72) Booked: Ledger (88) Sent Off: none a

Queens visit Another Tuesday, another game at the Caledonian Stadium, this time we host Queen of the South looking to get over the disappointment of a poor result at Alloa on Saturday. The game kicks off at 7:45pm. At the weekend, we went down to the Wasps who were absolutely buzzing. Only two goals which flattered Inverness who also saw a host of opportunities wasted. First half goals from Lee Connelly and Kevin O'Hara saw us leave Clackmannanshire empty handed. However, the disappointment was tempered by the fact that we actually gained a point over our nearest challengers over the week as all other sides drew again. I know, I know, it's clutching at straws a wee bit, but it's all we've got to be happy about after a grim week. Queen of the South went ahead in midweek only for Dunfermline Athletic to peg them back with a penalty just after half time. Gary Oliver had put Queens on their way to their first win in nine games but Jonathan Afolabi levelled from the spot. The Doonhamers have slipped into the play-off slot at the wrong end of the league thanks to Alloa beating us. However, we are still closer to them on points than we are to league leaders Dundee United. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Match Info Tickets Sports Bar Official report v Alloa Digital Matchday Programme ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Two other games on Tuesday night Partick Thistle v Dunfermline Athletic Dundee v Ayr United Queen of the South play Ayr United on Friday night. This is the third meeting between the clubs this season with Inverness victorious in the first two games, both 2-0 wins home and away. Queens are close to the relegation danger zone and will be looking to rectify that so expect a tough encounter where on their day, any team is capable of beating anyone in the league. Given our reluctance to beat teams in the bottom half of the league, this will not be an easy task. Hopefully the rude awakening at Alloa will stir the team and get us back on track. Sean Welsh and James Vincent missed the game at Recreation Park and Lewis Toshney came off injured after only three minutes. The news regarding Toshney is not great, he is expected to be out for at least a month with an injury to his quad muscle, and that leaves us wafer thin at the back with the run-in and Chocolate biscuit cup coming up. Once more Queen of the South will be relying heavily on top scorer Stephen Dobbie. Always a threat, Dobbie has eleven goals to his credit this term, meagre by his own standards. However, he is one of the best finishers in the Championship. Ignore him at your peril......... Simon Macdonald RIP The funeral service will take place on Wednesday 11 March at 12.30pm in the Funeral Home of William T Fraser and Son, Culduthel Road, Inverness, IV2 6AB, and thereafter to Kilvean Cemetery. All friends and colleagues past and present welcome. Family flowers only please, and money donations to the Scottish Burned Children’s Club welcome. As a mark of respect for Simon, the Fans will do their own tribute at the Challenge Cup Final against Raith Rovers. We're planning on having a minutes applause in the 44th minute for Simon / Bronson during this game. Something to note for later this month and feel free to make others around you at the game aware.

Wasps Buzzing Inverness had to re-shuffle the back four in the third minute with Lewis Toshney unable to continue, Kevin McHattie replacing him. A deflected shot by Lee Connelly opened the scoring after 12 minutes, the ball entering the net off Brad Mckay. Alloa were on top in the early exchanges but Neil Parry had to make a brilliant save to deny Jordan White midway through the half. Alan Trouten extended the lead before half an hour had gone, scoring from close range. No further scoring after the break, but Alloa were well worth the three points. It should have been more, the woodwork came to inverness' rescue a couple of times in the second half. For Inverness it's a thoroughly disappointing result, undoing the good work in midweek. The only thing in our favour was we only lost one point on everyone else as the rest of the games ended in draws. Therefore, this week saw us gain a point on our nearest challengers. Still, in truth, it's results like this that have cost us big time and left Dundee united alone at the top. One step forward, two steps back! Brad Mckay returned to defence with Kevin McHattie dropping to the bench. James Vincent and Sean Welsh were still out. For Alloa, Ian Flannigan missed out but Neil Parry made his second start between the sticks after returning from injury. Great report on CTO forum from RIG............... Daylight robbery. We should have been absolutely pumped rotten today. I can barely remember troubling Parry until a couple of minutes from the end when Walsh flashed a shot just over / onto the bar. The rest of the game Alloa took us to pieces aided by some lacklustre defending from us. There was no one with the entire mountain range of the Ochils to stop Alloa taking the lead with Connelly having far too much time and space to lash a shot beyond Ridgers. Apparently it took a deflection but it was hard to see for sure from the other end of the ground. Not too long later the second arrived. Harsh free kick against White for handball but again we looked shoddy defending the resultant cross which found Trouten at the back post and he tucked the ball in from close range. There didn't look to be any ICT player in close attendance and if there was there were still other Alloa players unmarked in an apparent breakdown of who was marking who. Our only real chance came when White tried to seize on a knock down but from a couple of yards out he couldn't connect with the ball and Parry gathered. Second half Alloa initially seemed to sit in before quickly realising that a defensive pairing of Brad Mckay and Kevin McHattie can be easily be gotten at, and set up utterly destroying us. Star of the show Scott Banks tested Ridgers when he broke free and curled a lovely shot towards goal but Ridgers leapt across to block it. Alloa then missed what looked like an easy chance to get that third goal. Alloa forced Ridgers into a save but, with the ball bobbling just in front of him, he couldn't hold on and the ball broke free to an onrushing Alloa player who rounded Ridgers but then hit the post from a yard or two out. Banks again showed real class as he did spin after spin to dance through the ICT midfield and defence and he was unlucky to see another good effort go over the bar and Alloa had a further chance when they rattled the crossbar. Our only real second half chance came when Walsh sent a half cross half shot onto the bar but we were well and truly gubbed today. A lot to think about in the coming weeks. Highlights from AlloaTV Honest John..... Date: 07/03/2020 Venue: Recreation Park, Alloa Attendance: 712 Referee: Steven Kirkland Alloa Athletic: 2 Lineup: Parry; Robertson (Buchanan 66), Stirling, Taggart, Dick, Cawley, Hetherington, Trouten, Banks (Brown 86), Connelly (Thomson 76), O'Hara, Subs (not used): Wright; O'Donnell, Scorers: Connelly (12), Trouten (28) Booked: Thomson (78) Sent Off: none Inverness CT: 0 Lineup: Ridgers; Rooney, Toshney (McHattie 3), B Mckay, Tremarco (Todorov 76), Doran, Carson, Trafford, Walsh, Storey (Keatings 63), White Subs (not used): C Mackay; Harper, MacGregor, Scorers: none Booked: Trafford (60), Sent Off: none a

A spot of Recreation After a good set of results in midweek, the Caley Jags head to Recreation Park Alloa, looking to consolidate their position in second place in the Championship, the game kicking off at 3:00pm. Inverness were the only team to win in midweek as the other four games ended goalless. This will be the sixth meeting between the sides this season, with Inverness having three wins, the other two games were draws. Last time together we struggled to a 1-1 draw against the Wasps. A first half penalty was tucked away by Iain Flannigan but Jordan White rescued our day with a goal on the hour. Last time at Recreation Park we were on Scottish Cup duty and edged out Alloa 2-3 thanks to a late goal from Charlie Trafford. Alloa's top scorer Kevin O'Hara scored twice to square matters after Aaron Doran and Jordan White had Inverness ahead twice. We never find it easy on the artificial surface and I expect it will be no different this time round. Championship fixtures this weekend Aloa Athletic v Inverness CT Ayr United v Dundee Dundee Utd v Partick Thistle Dunfermline v Queen of the South Morton v Arbroath Here's Johnny.............. OFFICIAL PREVIEW Sean Welsh and James Vincent missed out in midweek but Lewis Toshney added some much needed solidarity to our defence. Brad Mckay will be available for selection after his red card against Hibs in the Scottish Cup and Robbo is hopeful Vincent will be added to the squad. Alloa's main threat will be 14 goal Kevin O'Hara although he is not the only player we need to be wary of. Kevin Cawley, and Alan Trouten are well aware how to find the back of the net, and at the other end Neil Parry made a welcome return to the goals, shutting Dundee out with a tremendous performance in midweek. That's some save by Neil Parry in midweek................. Bronson It should be noted that after the passing of the legend that is Bronson, his funeral arrangements have been released. RIP Simon. On behalf Simon’s immediate family, we would like to express our heartfelt thanks to everyone who has been in touch, shared their memories of him and offered their support. It has been truly humbling – we knew he was a great bloke, but this has surpassed even our expectations. His death will leave a huge hole in the hearts and lives of all who knew him. The funeral service will take place on Wednesday 11 March at 12.30pm in the Funeral Home of William T Fraser and Son, Culduthel Road, Inverness, IV2 6AB, and thereafter to Kilvean Cemetery. All friends and colleagues past and present welcome. Family flowers only please, and money donations to the Scottish Burned Children’s Club welcome. Please share this information with anyone else you think would like to know. — feeling heartbroken. As a mark of respect for Simon, the Fans will do their own tribute at the Challenge Cup Final against Raith Rovers. We're planning on having a minutes applause in the 44th minute for Simon / Bronson during this game. Something to note for later this month and feel free to make others around you at the game aware.

Toddy Niks it. Inverness took the lead after eighteen minutes through a Jordan White header. Morton squared the game through Aidan Nesbitt only for Shaun Rooney to put us back in front. Unfortunately Morton sub Reece Lyon equalised. However Todorov snatched a win from the jaws of a draw with an injury time goal, heading in off the post for a dramatic ending to the game. Inverness were the only Championship team to win on a night of three draws, so we stretch another two points away from the chasing pack. Phew! Inverness were without the suspended Brad Mckay after his red card against Hibs last Friday. Sean Welsh and James Vincent were out injured with James Keatings making the bench alongside u18 midfielder Kane Davies, his first involvement with the squad. Form side Morton were without Kris Doolan, Kyle Jacobs and Cameron Salkeld. A brisk night in the Highland capital saw Morton start brightly and Mark Ridgers had to make the first save of the game inside a couple of minutes from Nicky Cadden. Danny Rogers did well to save a header from Jordan White and a minute later he tipped behind an effort from Miles Storey after he cut inside. Rogers could do nothing to stop White opening the scoring a couple of minutes later with a header from a Tom Walsh cross. Walsh shot over the bar from outside the box as Inverness pressed for a second goal, but as the visitors settled Ridgers had to save another effort from Cadden. Cadden appears to be the most likely source for an equaliser and he fired a free kick just wide as play levelled out. Morton might feel hard done by as Inverness scored when keeper Rogers was struggling after taking a knock, but it's White's header that was the difference between the sides at the break. Half Time 1-0 Wintry weather greeted the teams as the second half got underway and a White header looped onto the top of the net and at the other end Baird headed over the bar from a corner. A second corner saw Luca Colville shoot just over as the vistors came out of the blocks sharply. A cross from Charlie Trafford found the head of White but a poor connection saw Rogers gather easily. On the hour Aidan Nesbitt levelled the game from a Strapp cross. Our lead was restored when Shaun Rooney headed home from six yards six minutes later, the assist from David Carson at a free kick. Morton keeper saved two efforts from White and MacGregor but it was the visitors that were next on the scoresheet after a spate of substitutions and it was substitute Reece Lyon from close range. Thankfully one of our own substitutes settled the game in the second minute of injury time. Carl Tremarco had headed a Doran ball across the box and there was Toddy to head it in off the post. A night of drama finished off with three points. Lovely jubbly!!! Coupled with all the other games ending goalless, then it's not such a bad night after all. Here's the goals......... From BBC Sport Inverness Caledonian Thistle manager John Robertson: "It was a rollercoaster. I thought first half we were great. Danny Rodgers kept the score down - we should have been two or three ahead. "It's 2-2 and you think it's going to be two points dropped. They hung in there and big Toddy's popped up for the last-gasp winner. It's a big, big three points for us." Greenock Morton manager David Hopkin: "Bitterly disappointed but fantastic effort from my players because I thought we deserved at least a point. "We've not matched three headers and that's what's cost us, but everything else in the game I thought we were the better team." Oooerrrr, I think your grapes are sour David Highlights from Morton TV Date: 03/03/2020 Venue: Caledonian Stadium Attendance: 1772 Referee: Craig Napier Inverness CT: 3 Lineup: Ridgers; Rooney, Toshney, McHattie, Tremarco, Walsh, Carson, Trafford, MacGregor (Doran 73), Storey (Keatings 79), White (Todorov 73) Subs (not used): C Mackay; Davies, Harper. Scorers: White (18), Rooney (67), Todorov (90+2) Booked: Trafford (64) Sent Off: none Morton: 2 Lineup: Rodgers; Tumilty, McGinty, McAlister, Nesbitt (Nesbitt 72), Orsi (McLean 81), Strapp, Blues, Cadden, Colville (Lyon 68), Baird Subs (not used): Ramsbottom; Muirhead, Millar, McHugh. Scorers: Nesbitt (61), Lyon (76) Booked: Tumilty (74) Strapp (90) Sent Off: none a

Raise a glass for Bronson One of the Championship's form teams venture North on Tuesday night in the shape of Greenock Morton. With 10 points from their last six games, only Arbroath can better that with 12 points. Our tally over the last six is a mere 7 points. The game has a 7:45 kick-off time as our hectic schedule kicks in. We went down heavily at Easter Road as the last Championship side standing. It ended 5-2 and we finished the game down to ten men, beaten, but not bowed. Morton made the most of their Saturday game as they thrashed Queen of the South 4-0. The goals came from Tumilty, Nesbitt, Cadden and McGuffie, that's 12 goals in their last four games including a 2-1 win at Somerset Park. Brad Mckay is suspended and James Keatings and James Vincent are doubts. OFFICIAL PREVIEW Robbo talking pre-match Sadly, football takes a back seat this week after news that one of our own larger than life fans has passed away with so much still to offer. No one saw it coming, no one saw the signs. Everyone thinks that men are so tough they don't give a shit. Well I have news for you. Men do care, men hurt, men cry, men can do all these things. It's OK to be not OK. Men need help as well so please please please tell someone, talk to your best buddy. More people understand than they will tell you. Many of us have felt low at some point. It's not something to be ashamed of, but help is out there, speak about it, please. Rip 'Bronson' a nicer guy you would struggle to find anywhere. It's difficult to come to terms with this. For his family and close friends, this is sad times, but please, be comforted in the knowledge that Simon was well loved and will be sorely missed. Heartbroken is a word used too readily, it is the word to describe the feeling amongst all who had the privilege and honour of being in Simon's company. Gringo posted this lovely heartfelt tribute to Simon. Words can not explain how I feel right now. Today I heard of the passing of one the nicest guys I ever met whilst supporting Inverness Caley Thistle. He was a laugh, a true Caley Thistle fan, a gent and was always in awe at my (our) long distance journeys that were made as a family to follow his (our) team. He was also a founder member of the infamous Highland March and also became the saviour of it too on that very first event. I shared the support bus with him on a number of occasions we're we talked football and rock music. From those halcyon days of the HM, the fun in the Innes Bar, the home matches and the away matches on the supporters bus I will never forget you Simon MacDonald ‘Bronson’ never. With a heavy heart I bid you farewell my friend and may you rest in peace now. My heart also goes out to all your family and friends. A pain unimaginable right now. I hope my words ease that awful pain somehow. Everyone on CTO will echo these thoughts and we all pass on our heartfelt condolences to Simon's family, friends and colleagues. Gone too soon, but will never be forgotten. Simon, you will never walk alone......

A bridge too far The Forth bridge proved to be a bridge too far for the Caley Jags who battled hard but were undone by a slick Hibs side who had too much pace and quality for the Championship side and in the end the gulf between the divisions was evident. Despite going down to ten men, Inverness battled hard for the fans but it was not to be. The writing was on the wall early on for the visitors who had three key players booked in the opening twenty minutes. That left players walking a tightrope and inevitably we had Brad Mckay sent off with fifteen minutes left. We held out until near half time, Mark Ridgers the early hero with a double save from a penalty kick. However our luck ran out in the 37th minute when Tom Walsh saw his shot strike the post. A minute later Hibs took the lead when defender Adam Jackson prodded the ball home from close range following a corner. The second goal came from a swift break upfield with Scott Allan finishing the break with a decisive effort into the net. Our valiant efforts would be in vain after the 70th minute when a Greg Docherty goal ended our interest in the competition. The Scottish Cup, it's not for everyone! We still managed to keep Hibs on their toes and Carl Tremarco replied a minute later to keep us interested for at least another minute before Brad Mckay ended all hope after being sent off. Substitute Stephane Omeonga scored the goal of the game when he fired high into the net from outside the box and it was high fives all round when James Gullan drilled home from inside the left side of the box. Still, we plodded on and Nikolay Todorov bundled the ball into the net with two minutes remaining to end the scoring. A deserved win for Hibs who showed too much class for Inverness, but we left the competition with our heads held high despite the scoreline. It could have been so different on a few fronts, but it is what it is. No shocks to be had at Easter Road and the Hibees dream of another Cup win lives on. Good luck to them. Bring on the Chocolate Biscuit Cup Footage can be seen on BBC Sport More match reaction to follow........... From BBC Sport Hibernian head coach Jack Ross: "It was a difficult tie for us. The expectation and pressure was all on us. We have to handle that and we did it for most parts. "It was always going to be an open game because of that. A difficult match but one we are delighted to come out on top of." Inverness CT manager John Robertson: "A massive moment went against us - a clear penalty kick. You need luck and that's where it deserted us. It's a penalty kick. "And, if he gives it, it's a red card because the player is not attempting to play the ball." Robbo post match........... Date: 28/02/2020 Venue: Easter Road, Edinburgh Attendance: 9937 Referee: Nick Walsh Hibernian: 5 Lineup: Marciano, McGinn, Jackson, Hanlon, Boyle (Horgan 84), Whittaker (Omeonga 69), Docherty, Stevenson, Allan, Doidge, McNulty (Gullan 80) Subs (not used): Bogdan; Slivka, Hallberg, McGregor Scorers: Jackson (38), Allan (58), Docherty (71), Omeonga (81), Gullan (84) Booked: Boyle (8), Doidge (47) Sent Off: none Inverness CT: 2 Lineup: Ridgers; Rooney, B Mckay, McHattie, Tremarco, Doran (Todorov 75), Trafford, Carson, Walsh, Keatings (Harper 78), White (Storey 63) Subs (not used): C Mackay, MacGregor, Russell. Scorers: Tremarco (73), Todorov (88) Booked: Trafford (14), Carson (18), Tremarco (22), McHattie (66), Rooney (75) Sent Off: B Mckay (74) a

Can we? There's only a Scottish Cup quarter final to be played on Friday night in the Capital of Scotland and guess who will be there? That's right, the Pride of the Highlands, Inverness Caledonian Thistle. We will be at Easter Road in time for the 7:45 kick off. If you can't make it, then BBC Scotland is the channel to find for full live coverage of the game. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ TICKET INFO The club can confirm that tickets for tomorrow’s Scottish Cup Quarter Final against Hibernian at Easter Road will be available from Ticket Pods at the South Stand from 6pm. Payments can be taken by cash or card. No season ticket discounts apply to tickets bought on the night Any remaining collections will be available from the he South Stand Ticket Pods TICKET PRICES Adult: £22 Concessions (65+/Students/Under 18s/Child): £12. 2 years old and younger are free James Keatings ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ In the last round Hibernian knocked out runaway Championship leaders Dundee United 4-2 after a 2-2 draw at Tannadice. Inverness edged out Livingston in a close affair, Sean Welsh scoring the only goal of the game at the Caledonian Stadium with a superb free kick in stormy conditions. Interestingly, Hibs drew with Livingston last week and that should be a confidence boost for the Caley Jags. This is a big ask for Robbo's men after a couple of tough Championship games that saw us go down 2-1 at Tannadice last Friday and them we beat Dunfermline 2-1 at East End Park on Tuesday night. What was encouraging in both of these games was the performances and level of commitment shown. The same will be required against Hibs although this might be a game we will do well to contain a Hibs side who are always willing to go forward, especially at home. Having knocked The Arabs out at the same venue then they will be confident of quelling a Highland resurgence in a competition that we are no strangers to. Robbo was the scourge of the Hibees in days gone bye. He had bulged the Hibs net on no fewer than 27 times in Edinburgh derbies. I'm sure he will get a warm reception tonight from the Hibs faithful. Who put the ball in the Hibees net, Johnny Robertson...... Lewish Toshney is cup-tied and Sean Welsh is still out with an ankle injury. 27 year old Christian Doidge is the man to watch for Hibs. He has been in tremendous form with 17 goals so far this season, including the one last week against Livi. He's a handful at 6ft 2in and will need to be shackled if we want to get back to Hampden. Robbo pre-match.... And man of the moment, James Keatings.............

Walsh winner dumps Pars Inverness were still without Sean Welsh for the visit to East End Park, but captain Carl Tremarco made his 200th appearance for the club. Lewis Toshney started with Tom Walsh and James Keatings on the bench. The Pars had two former Inverness players in their starting XI, Owain Fon Williams and Danny Devine. Form player Kevin Nisbet was leading the attack. Roddy MacGregor set the ball rolling in front of a decent crowd in his first start for some time, but Dunfermline were soon on the attack with Mark Ridgers palming away a dangerous low cross from Jonathan Afolabi, James Vincent mopped up before Kevin Nisbet could benefit. A few minutes later Ridgers had to deal with an effort from Nisbet inside the box. All the early pressure came from the Pars and James Vincent picked up an early booking as the hosts looked for an early advantage. Dom Thomas shot wide after Afolabi headed the ball down to him. Inverness still to get out of first gear. It's all Dunfermline thus far and in the eleventh minute Nisbet headed wide and moments later Afolabi shot just wide. It looks like it's going to be a long night for the visiting fans. Inverness' first venture forward and an Aaron Doran corner finds Lewis Toshney at the back post but from a tight angle he missed the target. As the visitors began to get to grips with the game Roddy MacGregor won a free kick some twenty yards out. Aaron Doran fired the ball high into the net off the underside of the bar to surprise everyone in the stadium. What a goal from Doran, his ninth of the season. Back came the Pars and Ridgers had to deal with an effort from Thomas and at the other end MacGregor headed wide. Five minutes before the break Nisbet diverted a low cross over the bar. As the half ended Vincent deflected the ball at the expense of a corner which saw a Ryan Dow shot cleared. Ridgers then saved from Kyle Turner, the last action of the first forty-five Half Time 0-1 No changes at the interval and the Pars got the second half underway, kicking towards the home fans in the Norrie McCathie Stand but the first opportunity went to Inverness as Jordan White headed over. Dom Thomas sent an effort goalwards but Ridgers was equal to it saving in the top corner and Dow put the rebound over the bar from a tight angle. Minutes later Ridgers held onto another effort from distance from the lively Thomas. Celtic loanee Jonathan Afolabi was next to try his luck but the youngster fired over the bar, his next effort would be held by Ridgers. James Keatings replaced young MacGregor on the hour and Carl Tremarco got something for his 200th game; a yellow card. Dunfermline level the score with twenty minutes remaining when Dom Thomas fired a tremendous shot into the top corner from outside the box after a poor clearance from Inverness. Substitute Tom Walsh was only on for a couple of minutes when he hit the post from the edge of the box. He would do better two minutes later when he shot low into the net after a White dummy, possibly with the aid of a deflection off Euan Murray. Keatings volleyed over the bar after a White shot was blocked as Inverness looked to put the game to bed. Lewis Martin headed over the bar in stoppage time and a late corner was defended well as Inverness held on for a valuable three points with news that Morton had beaten Ayr United 2-1, so a good night for the Caley Jags who go into second place on their own, three points ahead of Dundee. Here's the goals, a couple of belters. And here's a happy chappy..... Full Highlights from PARS TV Date: 25/02/2020 Venue: East End Park Attendance: 3357 Referee: Gavin Ross Dunfermline: 1 Lineup: Fon Williams; Comrie, Ashcroft (Martin 81), Devine, Murray, Dow (Ross 54), Paton, Turner, Thomas, Nisbet, Afolabi (McGill 68). Subs (not used): Gill; Thomson, Brawling, McCann Scorers: Thomas (70) Booked: Paton (30), Ashcroft (57) Sent Off: none Inverness CT: 2 Lineup: Ridgers; Rooney, Toshney, B Mckay, Tremarco, Doran (Trafford 80), Carson, Vincent, Macgregor (Keatings 61), Storey (Walsh, 71), White. Subs (not used): C Mackay; Harper, McHattie, Todorov. Scorers: Doran (23), Walsh (77) Booked: Vincent (10), B Mckay (20), Tremarco (61), Toshney (79) Sent Off: none a

8Steak Bridie time The pitfalls of a wee cup run and some bad weather will be upon us for the next few weeks. On Tuesday night we face Dunfermline Athletic at East End Park, the game kicking off a 7:45pm. That means it's steak bridie time! That will be followed by a Scottish Cup quarter final at Easter Road on Friday night. What a time to be alive! Dundee closed the gap to zero points on Saturday after they beat Queen of the South. We remain above them on goal difference only with Ayr and Arbroath a further one and two behind. Ayr United had their game at Arbroath abandoned at half time with the score level. The table looks like this with one other game tonight, Ayr v Morton. Dunfermline are just off the pace in sixth place and a win would put them right back in the mix. It's all getting rather congested in the race to be the best of the rest as The Arabs disappear into a mirage. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Match Information including ticket prices & Travel Club Info ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ We went down 2-1 at Tannadice in an entertaining game played in atrocious conditions. Jordan White scored inbetween counters from Louis Aperre and 28 goal Lawrence Shankland. We ran United close but Shankland was the difference on the night. Dunfermline's game on Saturday fell foul to the weather at Firhill. Here's Johnny..... Sean Welsh won't be attending this time as he is still broken. No reports of fresh injuries that I am aware of, so maybe a similar squad that played United or freshen it up with Lewis Toshney coming in to the back four. He is cup tied anyway so can't play at Easter Road. Dunfermline have had three weeks off prior to this game, their latest game falling foul of the wet weather last week. So they will be fresh as a daisy. Let's not forget, they have Danny Devine in their squad. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Don't forget the Quarter Final of the Scottish Cup is this Friday. Having beaten Livingston in the previous round, the Caley Jags travel to Easter Road to take on Hibernian, the game kicking off at 7:45pm. If you are unable to attend, then BBC Scotland will be screening the match live. Mon the Caley Jags