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Devine intervention. It almost literally was a Devine intervention as the former Inverness player was adjudged to have handled the ball late on in what had been a difficult watch in difficult conditions. Penalty it was and returning hero Sean Welsh scored from the spot to win all three points in a game that really neither side deserved anything from. We'll take it though on a day where Ayr United gave everyone else hope after beating Dundee United 2-0. Inverness kept it quiet, but James Keatings was nowhere to be seen as they reverted to the squad that thumped Morton in the Championship, with Miles Storey starting up front with Jordan White. Apparently James had picked up an injury in training late in the week and will undergo tests to see the extent of his injury. Dunfermline had new signing Greg Kiltie starting his first Championship game for them and Cammy Gill was in the sticks in preference to Ryan Scully. Loan signing Harry Cochrane from Hearts was on the bench but Anthony McDonald missed out with an ongoing back problem. Former ICT defender Danny Devine was on the bench for the Pars. It was a very windy East End Park that greeted fans and players alike as they took to the park for this Championship encounter in front of around 3,500 hardy souls. Miles Storey set the ball rolling as we kicked off at 3:00pm. Never mind, the steak bridies will keep you going til the end. Kevin Nisbet had the first attempt in the second minute but shot well wide. Greg Kiltie then saw a shot blocked for a corner and Carl Tremarco managed to scramble it clear as the Pars opened the game on the front foot. Inverness responded and Tom Walsh had an effort blocked by Paul Paton. Tremarco then got a header on target but Cammy Gill was well placed to stop it. Midway through the half and it's the hosts that are controlling possession but there's no clear cut opportunities of note in the difficult windy conditions. Play continued this way up to the interval with neither side able to take the initiative and at the orange slices the wind was the only winner as many were struggling to recall a worse forty-five minutes of football. Half Time 0-0 No changes at the break, here's hoping there's something to cheer in the second period. Nisbet went through the middle but he shot wide as was befitting a game of this lack of quality. Lewis McCann had an effort blocked and then shot over the bar as Inverness seemed content to afford the Pars plenty of possession, dangerous ploy if you ask me. Turner and McCann tried to get shots away and won another corner. On the hour and Robbo had seen enough of this rubbish and replaced David Carson with Sean Welsh in a bid to get to grips with the midfield and Jordan White was removed in favour of Nikolay Todorov. Almost immediately we responded to the threat of someone else being subbed and Miles Storey realised he was on the park but shot wide from inside the box after Tremarco got a ball through to him. The final sub for Inverness saw the lively Roddy MacGregor replace Tom Walsh, and a minute later Dunfermline shuffled their pack in a bid to win all three points. Danny Devine was the final sub of the day and that's when we knew the points were safe....... A bit more action in the final ten minutes and Aaron Dorran had a twenty yard shot parried away by Gill. With five minutes to go Inverness were awarded a penalty when Danny Devine was penalised for hand ball as James Vincent burst into the box. Up stepped Sean Welsh to score from the spot as he smashed it straight down the middle. Cheers Danny, we owe you one........... ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ From BBC Sport Dunfermline manager Stevie Crawford: "It was a game we certainly didn't deserve to lose. In terms of effort and commitment I can't fault them today and it's bitterly disappointing that we've lost to a penalty kick late on." Inverness Caley Thistle manager John Robertson: "From 20 minutes in you could have had your money on a 0-0 draw. We turned a draw into a win and it sums up Dunfermline's luck at the moment because they didn't deserve to lose." ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Caley Jags TV have these highlights up................(using the word highlights generously) Our own RIG was less than impressed with the game but pleased with the outcome An absolutely awful game of football. Aimless hurried balls forward for the most part coupled with poor balls in from the wide areas meant there was nothing to get excited about for the first hour or so. Todorov offered surprisingly little when he came on but MacGregor really helped drive us forward and Welsh showed Carson and to a lesser extent Vincent how to properly keep the ball moving through midfield recycling it well and ensuring continual movement across the pitch as we probed for a way through. Doran had our best chance when a wild swerving effort was stopped by Gill before Devine was punished for a handball in the box and Welsh dispatched the spot kick with confidence. Dunfermline were howling but we were far from impressive ourselves. Still, win when you're playing badly is the sign of champions right...? Barry Wilson talking to the media after the game........... Date: 14/09/2019 Venue: East End Park, Dunfermline Attendance: 3426 Referee: Nick Walsh Dunfermline Ath: 0 Lineup: Gill; Comrie, Martin, Ashcroft, Edwards (Devine 78), Turner (Cochrane 72), Paton, Beadling, Kiltie, Nisbet, McCann (Coley 72) Subs (not used): Scully; Todd, Ryan, McGill. Scorers: none Booked: Turner (31) Sent Off: none Inverness CT: 1 Lineup: Ridgers; Rooney, Donaldson, McCart, Tremarco, Doran, Carson (Welsh 61), Vincent, Walsh (MacGregor 71), Storey, White (Todorov 62) Subs (not used): C Mackay; McHattie, Harper, Trafford. Scorers: Welsh (87 pen) Booked: MacGregor (89) Sent Off: none a

Long Ball Incoming? The Kingdom of Fife is the destination this Saturday, 3:00pm is the time and more specifically walking down the Halbeath Road at East End Park is the venue as Inverness Caledonian Thistle return to Championship action after the Chocolate Cup games last Saturday. The past weekend saw the less glamorous disruption of international football which reared it's ugly head over the weekend. Thankfully that embarrassment has now passed and we can get on with life without shouting and swearing at the TV for a wee while. What a shambles, at least the Chocolate cup brought about some joy for a handful of supporters around the country. Scotland could learn a thing or two from Kosovo about their application during a game. Great commitment from them and no shortage of quality and control. Sadly, Scotland possess none of the required attributes at the moment. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Tickets are available at East End Park on the day of the match Adult: £20 Concessions – (Over 65s, Under 18s, FT Students, Disabled and Unemployed) : £14 Under 12s: £6 The ICT Supporters Travel Club are running a bus to East End Park The Bus leaves the Social Club at 10.15am and the Stadium 10.30am Fares: £20 or under 16s £15 Book through their Facebook page HERE or on 07462218717 On DAFC site Legends and Charlie D's will be open on Saturday for home and away fans from 11.30am. OFFICIAL PREVIEW ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Over last weekend, Dunfermline were dumped out of the Tunnock's Caramel Wafer cup by fellow Championship contenders Alloa Athletic. Despite taking a first half lead through debut signing Greg Kiltie, the Wasps stung the Pars with goals from Thomson and Trouten to progress to the last sixteen. After giving Celtic a tough time in the League Cup, the pars have failed to kick on and subsequent championship defeats by Dundee United and Arbroath were not received well by the fans, exacerbated by Alloa knocking them out of the Challenge Cup last week. That poor form has the Pars second bottom with just one point. However, it's early days yet. Whilst Dunfermline were losing out, Inverness were beating Morton once more. Fresh from the 5-0 thrashing of the Cappielow crew the previous week at the same venue, a much changed side dished out another lesson to the Greenock guys in a comfortable 3-1 win. A superb goal from Nikolay Todorov was added to by Aaron Doran and Miles Storey. Todorov also had a penalty well saved before John Sutton stabbed in a consolation for the Ton. Here's Toddy's cracker...... The Cup draw sees Inverness at home to Dunfermline's conquerors Alloa in the next round. That tie will be played on 12th or 13th October. Incidentally, one week after this game, we play Alloa at home in the Championship. Sounds familiar. Unfortunately, the Chocolate Cup games give little away in terms of possible team selections for the bread and butter of the Championship. Dunfermline handed debuts to Greg Kiltie and Tom Lang with a starting debut for Gabby McGill. Inverness made eight changes from the side that won 5-0 the week before. It was great to see Sean Welsh back at his best as he strolled through this game and a rare start for the big Bulgar, Nikolay Todorov, who took his goal brilliantly. We also had keeper Cammy Mackay along with Roddy MacGregor, Cameron Harper, Kevin McHattie Charlie Trafford and Miles Storey starting. Matheus Machado and Lewis Hyde also came off the bench and showed some great touches. Changes off the park as well as Barry Wilson and Scott Kellacher were in charge of the squad for the day and did a great job of overseeing the occasion. What these games do provide is a challenge for fringe players to show what they can do and it generates competition for starting places. All of the players who played looked as though they had every right to be there and they played with a slickness that is sometimes missing. However, I suspect we will revert to type for the visit to Fife. Long ball incoming! Lot's of activity in the summer sales for the Pars after finishing 7th last season. That was their downfall last year, will it hinder them again this campaign? Here's their list of incomers: Aaron Comrie, defender (St Johnstone); Thomas Bragg, defender (Southampton); Gabriel McGill, forward (Middlesbrough, undisclosed); Paul Paton, midfielder (Falkirk); Euan Murray, defender (Raith Rovers, undisclosed); Josh Edwards, defender (Airdrieonians, undisclosed); Kevin Nisbet, forward (Raith Rovers); Kyle Turner, midfielder (Stranraer); Ryan Dow, forward (Peterhead); Tom Lang, defender (Clyde); Lucas Berry, forward (Fife Elite); Ben Swinton, goalkeeper (AM Soccer Club); Matthew Bowman, defender (unattached). It appears that the loan arranger is pretty shrewd at his job and some talented lads came in on loan: Harry Cochrane, midfielder (Heart of Midlothian); Anthony McDonald, midfielder (Heart of Midlothian); Greg Kiltie, midfielder (Kilmarnock); Josh Coley, midfielder (Norwich City). Out went: Kallum Higginbotham, forward (Real Kashmir); Jackson Longridge, defender (Bradford City, undisclosed); Robbie Muirhead, forward (Greenock Morton); Ryan Williamson, defender (Partick Thistle); Mark Durnan, defender (Falkirk); Aidan Connolly, midfielder (Falkirk); Louis Longridge, forward (Falkirk); Brandon Luke, midfielder (Stenhousemuir); Myles Hippolyte, forward; James Craigen, midfielder; Lee Robinson, goalkeeper; Sean Murdoch, goalkeeper (retired). Loan ended: James Vincent, midfielder (Dundee and now at Inverness); Faissal El Bakhtaoui, forward (Dundee); Ryan Blair, midfielder (Swansea City); Bruce Anderson, forward (Aberdeen). John Robertson has the almost unprecedented luxury of a mostly injury free squad although Brad McKay and Mitch Curry are still absent. However, Sean Welsh played in the Challenge Cup game against Morton and put in a MotM performance and will be knocking on the door. Nikolay Todorov stated his case for a start but Robertson is likely to start with Jordan White ahead of the big Bulgar. I expect the starting XI will be nearer the one that beat Morton 5-0 in the league game although all those that played last week did their prospects no harm at all. That will mean our back five will consist of the new Tokely, (Shaun Rooney), the back on form Coll the wall Donaldson and the man with the laser guided left foot Jamie McCart who has turned into a quality defender. Carl Tremarco should make up the back line and that's a great base to build your team from. Stevie Crawford will have at least one of his loan signings from Hearts available this week. Harry Cochrane is ready to go, but Anthony McDonald could miss out with a back injury. Another loanee Greg Kiltie will no doubt be a shoe-in after his debut goal last week. Crawford is looking for a reaction after last weekends dismal performance against Alloa and will no doubt be making a few changes. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Championship fixtures this weekend Friday 19:05 Arbroath v Partick Thistle Saturday 15:00 Ayr United v Dundee United Dundee v Alloa Athletic Dunfermline v Inverness CT Queen ot South v Morton ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Episide 3 from the Shufflers is online and and can be found on their Wyness Shuffle podcast page. No stone is left unturned as the guys check out everything to do with the Caley Jags, and more. Rubber bumpers and all that, have a listen to these podcasts, it will set you up for the weekend and always remember, any similarities to real life are purely coincidental.....? If you like a wee flutter, our partnership with FansBet can offer you something. Just click on FansBet to get started. "Remember to select CaleyThistleOnline when you register and you’ll be helping us support ICT fan causes." FansBet are partners with Supporters Direct Scotland and already have many impressive stories of giving back to and empowering fans, ranging from funding away travel, share purchases, backing safe standing projects and many more. You can read some of FansBet’s Giving Back stories on their blog at https://blog.fansbet.com/fansbet-giving-back/partners/fan/ Always remember to adopt safe gambling and responsible policies.

CZECH MATES Just over a thousand fans at the Caledonian Stadium were shown how to make a noise for the Caley Thistle boys by our Czech mates as they watched Inverness knock Morton out of the Chocolate Cup by 3-1. They certainly showed the locals how to generate some nose and they seemed to be enjoying themselves. Cheers for the visit and I'm glad we could get some goals for you. Dekuji přátelé Inverness made eight changes to the starting line-up from the team that beat Morton 5-0 the week before in the Championship. With Barry and Scott in charge the fringe players got their chance to show their talent. One of those made his mark with a stunning curler into the top corner in the 25th minute as Nikolay Todorov put Inverness ahead. Aaron Doran added a second goal six minutes later and Miles Storey benefited from every keepers nightmare as his shot from a very tight angle went through his legs into the net. I don't know about Ramsbottom, but he certainly made a horses arse of trying to stop the ball! We were afforded the luxury of a missed penalty when keeper Ramsbottom atoned for his earlier blooper by making a brilliant save to deny Toddy a second goal. Trafford had won the penalty after being brought down by McLean, but Toddy grabbed the ball. Morton got a late consolation but in all honesty were outplayed on the day and can have no complaints at the scoreline. To add to the starting paragraphs, despite the massive changes made by both sides, Inverness looked slick on the immaculate surface at the Caledonian Stadium. The pitch has never looked better for many a year after this summers upgrade and re-lay. Morton on the other hand seemed intent on not losing a goal. Some of our interplay was a joy to behold given that many have not been involved in the first XI most weeks. Morton's keeper looked nervy early on flapping at crosses and with a bit of fortune we could have been three or four up at the interval. Todorov took his goal well, a superb curler from just inside the angle of the box across the top of the keeper. Doran took advantage of the ball bouncing in front of the defender and ran in behind to slip the ball home for the second and well, Storey squeezed the ball in from a very tight angle when the keeper should really be looking to block. The penalty was not so much missed as superbly saved, Ramsbottom guessed right and got down low to his right to keep the ball out. The visitors got a wee lift from that and we experienced some forays into our box thereafter from whence they managed to grab a consolation through Sutton who stabbed home from six yards. Sean Welsh was MotM and he is running away with the votes on CTO for this game. Nothing to complain about to be honest so that's a good thing all round. Here's a great shot of our Czech Mates in action from Caleyjags.com Great backing from our foreign fans who contributed immensely to the atmosphere in a sparsely populated North Stand but managed to get the locals involved in making some noise. Brilliant Match reaction................ One of our Wyness Shufflers liked what he saw Really impressive outing for the young lads. Harper looked like he had been playing LB for years and whilst I suspect Tremarco will regain his place it's good to know that we have a capable deputy there to come in. Hopefully Robbo starts to give Harper some more game time as this could well be Tremarco's last season as a player with us. MacGregor was excellent. Seemed to be playing right midfield for a period in the first half but looked like he came in towards the centre in the second and Machado was a real live wire. Some of his crossing wasn't great but his movement off the ball is excellent. Both MacGregor and Machado were unlucky not to score. I think we've got some real players for the future in those three. Great to see Welsh back as well. He and Trafford both performed well in central midfield and Storey looked lively on the right flank. Worth praising Donaldson and McHattie also. Donaldson had the cigars out for most of the game and McHattie again showed he's a capable back up at this level for us. Yes he's not the greatest defender but we're going to struggle to sell a back up slot to anyone of any real talent so he works well for us based on this. Jaggernaut summed it up perfectly for me: All in all, there were some really good performances. Welsh, Doran, Storey and Todorov stood out for me, and keeper MacKay's distribution was first class. Mchatttie and Donaldson were solid at the back and both full backs put in good shifts up and down the wing and some good crosses. I thought Trafford had a far better second half and MacGregor had some nice touches to link the play. Machado has great feet, and just needs to know when to lay the ball off to a player in a better position, but I love his directness. As I said in a previous post, I think we now have the strongest squad we have had in quite a few seasons. In past seasons we have had a good first eleven and a bench that wasn't as strong, but now we have competition for all areas on the pitch. Good results can breed confidence, so lets hope we can take it into our next game at Dunfermline. Here's the action from Caley Jags TV............. Hot Toddy............... And Scott was pleased................. Dunfermline away next week, Saturday @3:00pm, East End Park. Date: 07/09/2019 Venue: Caledonian Stadium Attendance: 1021 Referee: Willie Collum Inverness CT: 3 Lineup: C Mackay; Rooney, Donaldson, McHattie, Harper, Doran (Machado 65), Trafford, Welsh, MacGregor Todorov (White 80), Storey (Hyde 90) Subs (not used): Ridgers; McCart, Vincent, Keatings. Scorers: Todorov (25), Doran (31), Storey (56). Booked: none Sent Off: none Morton: 1 Lineup: Ramsbottom; McLean (C), Grant, Muirhead, Orsi, Salkeld (Sutton 65), Lyon (Jacobs 62), Blues, Livingstone (Easdale 88), Colville, Baird. Subs (not used): Rodgers; Strapp, Hynes, Garrity Scorers: Sutton (78) Booked: Colville (82) Sent Off: none a

Chocolate Biscuit Cup Morton come back up the A9 this weekend no doubt looking for some revenge after last Friday nights heavy defeat. The Challenge Cup game kicks off at 3:00pm at the Caledonian Stadium with chocolate bars replacing tins of fizzy juice as the sponsors this season. We have had the DIY cup, the whisky, Alba, Ramsdens, Petrofac, and the fizzy pop cup. It's now called the chocolate biscuit cup, and this weekend we entertain Morton once more. I'm sure they will be delighted to be returning North so soon after Friday nights TV drubbing in the Championship. This time it's the Tunnock's Caramel Wafer Cup. I kid you not, that's the new name for the Challenge Cup. Who knew! Last week saw us rack up our biggest win in the Championship with a 5-0 thrashing of Morton, although a dour first half gave little indication of what was about to unfold. Jame Keatings opened the scoring just before the break and scored a second one minute into the second half. Jordan White, Coll Donaldson and Nikolay Todorov added some extra polish to the turd as we ran out convincing winners in the end, and with Morton unable to convert a penalty, Mark Ridgers saved to maintain a clean sheet. Overall it was a dominant performance, although the first half was a bit of a non event. A word of caution however. I don't imagine David Hopkin will let this one slip and I'm sure he will have tightened up all the loose nuts and bolts. Morton were a shambles in the second half but let's not get carried away after one big result. How often have we seen players running in on goal only to see their effort saved or slip by the post. Last Friday all the stars were aligned and every time we went through on goal we scored. 80% of the time that doesn't happen, however, we will take it but I won't be expecting that every week. Robbo has hinted that there may be some subtle changes on the cards as he rotates his squad to give fringe players an outing. That's all good and well, but I hope that's not to detract from the competition and take the opponents too lightly after the previous encounter. I doubt Morton will be feeling the same way and they will probably be looking to exact some revenge for that heavy defeat. In the North of Scotland Cup semi-final in midweek, an Inverness CT XI moved into the final after beating Clach. They will play Brora Rangers in the final on 5th or 6th October. There was game time for some players needing to boost their fitness ................ Given the squad that played in the 4-1 win over Clach in midweek, it looks as though Nikolay Todorov may well start with Miles Storey up front and possibly the exciting young talent of Roddy MacGregor. Matheus Machado could also be worth a shout. Jamie McCart took a bash on his fizzog on Wednesday night but hopefully he is fit if needed. Cameron Harper is scheduled to start this one. Sean Welsh played against Clach and is nearing match sharpness and Kevin McHattie played 45 minutes. So plenty of choice for Robbo, although according to Robbo it's Barry Wilson and Scott Kellacher who will be calling the shots. David Hopkin has brought in two loan signings since last Friday. It's no surprise that both are defenders. Adam Livingstone comes in from Motherwell as a left back for the season. Jack Baird has plenty Premiership experience with St Mirren and will be at Morton up to the January window at least. 26 DREAM RINGS AND 104 FREDOS There's the latest podcast from the Wyness Shufflers. Have a listen to the guys, it's another great effort from them and will Paul McGowan's barber sue........? If you like a wee flutter, our partnership with FansBet can offer you something. Just click on FansBet to get started. "Remember to select CaleyThistleOnline when you register and you’ll be helping us support ICT fan causes." FansBet are partners with Supporters Direct Scotland and already have many impressive stories of giving back to and empowering fans, ranging from funding away travel, share purchases, backing safe standing projects and many more. You can read some of FansBet’s Giving Back stories on their blog at https://blog.fansbet.com/fansbet-giving-back/partners/fan/ Always remember to adopt safe gambling and responsible policies.

ICT 4- 1 CLACH Cammy Mackay has to produce an excellent save to deny Martin MacDonald in the 6th minute. Keatings has the ball in the net soon after but it's flagged for offside. 14: Jordan White opens the scoring with a header after a great assist from Matheus Machado. Keeper saves a header from Keatings and Storey speeds forward but MacLennan saves. 32: James Keatings doubles our lead! He takes down a great ball from McCart and he finishes past MacLennan. 36: Penalty to ICTFC! Welsh is taken down by MacLennan, but the keeper atones and saves the spot kick by Welsh. Half Time 2-0 at Inverness and at Brora it's also 1-0 to the hosts against Ft William Cameron Harper replaces Kevin McHattie as the second half begins. 50: White gets a third goal for Inverness from a Storey cross, and Ft William level at Brora (Ross Gunn) 58: Gillies fires just wide for Clach from range 62: Keatings cross finds its way to Machado in the box but he fires over from close range 65: Clach have one back as Eachainn Miller heads in at the back-post and Brora go back in front at Dudgeon Park 2-1. 69: Bad news for Inverness as Jamie McCart receives treatment and he isn't going to be able to continue. ffs 70: White completes his hat-trick as he taps in from close range after meeting Machado's cross from the left. Brora go to 3-1. Full Time 4-1 at Inverness and 3-1 at Brora Incoming - Inverness CT v Brora Rangers final coming up. 6th October @Mosset Park Forres v Brora Rangers.

TV Show With BBC TV looking on, Inverness and Morton served up a Friday night first half horror show. Thankfully, in stark contrast, the second half was full of entertainment. In a lifeless first half at the Caledonian Stadium, neither side was able to get the handful of fans inside the ground excited However, just before the interval Aaron Doran made a half yard of space for himself inside the box and fired a wicked shot at Rogers. He parried the shot away and James Keatings guided the loose ball back into the net from ten yards. One minute into the second half and Keatings bagged his second as he rifled the ball home from 12 yards on the right side of the box. The third came about after a good bit of ball retention ended with Jordan White rolling the ball into the net. Mark Ridgers saved a miserable penalty from Nicky Cadden after David Carson handled from an overhead attempt. Coll Donaldson met a corner from Keatings at the front post to nod down into the net to make it four nil. Substitute Nikolay Todorov got into the act and drilled one past Rogers from 18 yards, and there endeth the scoring. John Robertson made one change to his starting personnel by bringing back Jordan White up front with Miles Storey starting on the bench alongside Nikolay Todorov, Roddy MacGregor and Sean Welsh. David Hopkin threw Celtic loan youngster Stephen Welsh straight into his defence with the dangerous Nicky Cadden up front. Robbie Muirhead and Scottish Cup final scorer Peter Grant were on the bench. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Speaking on BBC Sport Inverness CT manager John Robertson: "Morton were hard to break down but we got the opening goal. In the end I don't think it flattered us. Some of our attacking play in the second half was superb. "Tonight was tremendous. I was really pleased with the style of play. It's pass and move. We got our reward for our hard work and some of the finishes were first class." Morton manager David Hopkin: "We tried to get to half-time goalless and we managed to get to 43 minutes. I think it gave the impetus to Inverness and we just continued to give away really sloppy goals. "I'm disappointed with the performance and I'm disappointed with myself. I've told the players in no uncertain that I won't accept it." BBC iPlayer The Dundee derby ended up 6-2 to United as they thrashed their near neighbours Saturdays games are Arbroath v Dunfermline Partick Thistle v Ayr United Queen ot South v Alloa Athletic ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A sparse crowd watched on as the proverbial dull as dishwater game unfolded in an instantly forgettable first 42 minutes. With no atmosphere at the ground it was difficult for players to motivate themselves. There was however one shining light and that came from an unexpected source. Shaun Rooney was dribbling his way into the area reserved for Tokely folklore as he danced his way down the right wing on numerous occasions. The big man is putting his heart and soul into the game and was immense in that first half. His Cruyffesque turns and nutmegs were a joy to behold as the game edged towards the break. The pressure had been mounting on the Morton rearguard and when Tom Walsh pinged a ball into the box, it went as far as Doran. He skipped inside his man and shot at goal but Rogers could only push his shot out and Keatings calmly knocked the loose ball home. Relief at last! Another moment of magic from Rooney saw him fire another great ball into the box but Dorans wee legs were not quite long enough and his header crashed off the bar. What a finish to the half after such a dull opening. Half Time 1-0 We started where we left off and within a minute Keatings grabbed his second goal as he shot across the keeper from the right side of the box after Jamie McCart had sent him clear with an excellent ball forward. We threatened to cut loose now and a Tom Walsh volley from the angle saw Rogers deny him at his near post with a super save. Morton tried to hit back but a McLean header was cleared off the line by David Carson who popped up in the right place at the right time. McCart made a superb tackle to thwart Salkeld advancing as he threatened to go in on goal. We toyed with Morton's defence for a bit but there was an end product this time as James Vincent sent a precise ball through a gap which saw White neatly slide the ball through the keepers legs into the net as he bore down on goal. Two minutes later Morton were awarded a penalty. An overhead kick was sliced onto the flailing arms of Carson who looked as though he was learning the Highland Fling. Nicky Cadden stepped up but he thought he was Messi and chipped the ball straight into the grateful hand of Mark Ridgers. Up stepped big Coll Donaldson at a corner and he headed down Keatings whipped cross behind Rogers for a decisive fourth goal as Morton looked to have capitulated. Todorov came on for White in the 80th minute and before the 81st had scored the fifth goal of the night after he was released through the middle by Carson, and that was his second attempt inside a minute as he drove the ball through the keeper from the edge of the box. What an impact from the big Bulgar, at least I thought that's what my mate said! We saw the game out thereafter and completed a fine 5-0 win. Who knew after such a poor first half. Never in doubt I hear you say..... Difficult to knock any players after such a resounding win. James Keatings was given MotM but Shaun Rooney was also superb with his marauding runs. Jamie McCart's defending and pin point accuracy with his long balls was a joy to behold. Good to see Donaldson getting some reward for his attacking prowess in the box and White scored a tidy goal on the end of some great team play. Toddy was also impressive so great competition for the strikers role. If there is any criticism, it's come from a poor first half where we found it difficult to create and were second to a lot of balls in midfield, our passing below par at times. However after we scored we were different class. RednBlackComeback summed it up neatly: Thought it was quite a scrappy first half, until Rooney made a run from virtually his own corner flag all the way to Morton's penalty spot . It seemed to change the game and we scored shortly after. Second half we got a perfect start and never looked back. Can't remember the last time we won 5-0 at home in the league. Tremendous result! If you can access BBC iPlayer, the whole game can be seen HERE Match video will be uploaded when available............... Robbo is pleased MotM James Keatings talks after his two goals...... Date: 30/08/2019 Venue: Caledonian Stadium Attendance: 1400 Referee: Alan Newlands Inverness CT: 5 Lineup: Ridgers; Rooney, Donaldson, McCart, Tremarco, Doran (Storey 74), Carson, Vincent, Walsh, Keatings (MacGregor 82), White (Todorov 79). Subs (not used): C Mackay; Trafford, McHattie, MacGregor, Welsh, Todorov, Storey. Scorers: Keatings (43, 46), White (67), Donaldson (77), Todorov (80) Booked: Rooney (61) Sent Off: none Morton: 0 Lineup: Rogers; Welsh, McLean, Jacobs, Millar, McAlister, Strapp, Colville (Sutton 64), Cadden (Muirhead 81), Nesbitt (Salkeld 53), McHugh. Subs (not used): Ramsbottom; Grant, Blues, Orsi. Scorers: none Booked: Jacobs (34), Salkeld (57) Sent Off: none a

Friday night Footie After what seems like a lifetime, another game comes along this weekend at the Caledonian Stadium. However this one is Friday night footie with Greenock Morton the visitors, the game kicking off at 7:05pm with BBC Scotland cameras looking on. Rumour has it there will be very few away fans as many are boycotting the game due to the scheduling of the match for TV purposes. Last weekend we shared the points with Dundee at Dens Park in a goalless draw. This was a much improved performance from the dull League Cup affair when we went down to a Danny Johnson strike. This time we more than matched Dundee and could easily have taken all three points after creating a number of decent opportunities. Unfortunately we spurned most of them but went very close on a few occasions with keeper Hamilton pulling off a couple of excellent saves as well. Morton are the new TV luvvies with their last game also being televised. They came from 2-0 down to defeat Partick Thistle 3-2. Three goals in an eight minute spell late in the second half from Nicky Cadden, John Sutton and Brian McLean turned the game in their favour and lifted them to second in the Championship. There's also a first Dundee derby taking place on Friday night at Tannadice with United looking to keep their winning start to the season going and Dundee hoping to do everyone else a favour. David Hopkin has replaced Jonatan Johansson as manager at Cappielow, coming back to the club he supported as a kid and began his playing career with. The former Livingston manager joined in the middle of May and has begun shaping his side for his three year tenure. He raided Livvi and took Nicky Cadden with him. He also has a loan deal for Cameron Blues. Other players he will be looking to do a job for him are Keeper Danny Rogers on loan from (Aberdeen), forward Robbie Muirhead (Pars), midfielders Aidan Nesbitt, (Dundee United), Kyle Jacobs (QotS) and Calvin Orsi (Brechin), defender Peter Grant (Carlisle) and 36 year old John Sutton as player coach. They have also just added young Celtic defender Stephen Welsh on loan from Celtic for the season. Amongst the notable departures are forward Gary Oliver and defender Lee Kilday, ( both QotS); Robert Thomson, forward (Alloa Athletic); Derek Gaston, goalkeeper (Arbroath); Charlie Telfer, midfielder (Falkirk); Michael Tidser, midfielder (Falkirk). Greg Kiltie has returned to Kilmarnock and Andrew Dallas has gone back to Rangers. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ OFFICIAL PREVIEW DIGITAL MATCHDAY PROGRAMME ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Robbo will be without Brad McKay for another couple of months after further examination showed he has a cracked vertebrae. Get well soon Brad. Mitch Curry is also sidelined for a few weeks. Sean Welsh was on the bench against Dundee but may not be fully fit yet. Charlie Trafford missed out last week with a knock but should make the squad. David Hopkin had this line-up to choose from in their game against Partick Thistle: Morton (V Partick Th): Rogers; McAlister, McLean, Grant (Colville 68′), Strapp, Jacobs, Lyon (Millar 4′), Blues (Sutton 57′), Cadden, Nesbitt, McHugh Defender Henk Van Schaik has mutually terminated his contract at Morton after joining from Livingston in the summer. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Here's a game coming up for next weeks diary........... ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ If you like a wee flutter, our new partnership with FansBet can offer you something. Just click on FansBet to get started. "Remember to select CaleyThistleOnline when you register and you’ll be helping us support ICT fan causes." ICT WIN 20/29 - DRAW 14/5 - MORTON WIN 7/2 FansBet are partners with Supporters Direct Scotland and already have many impressive stories of giving back to and empowering fans, ranging from funding away travel, share purchases, backing safe standing projects and many more. You can read some of FansBet’s Giving Back stories on their blog at https://blog.fansbet.com/fansbet-giving-back/partners/fan/ Always remember to adopt safe gambling and responsible policies.

Stalemate Dundee and Inverness shared the points in an even encounter at the Kilmac Stadium in Dundee. Carl Tremarco came closest to breaking the deadlock, hitting the base of the post with a deflected shot in the first half and Jamie McCart headed narrowly past for the visitors after the break. John Robertson had Jordan White on the bench alongside Nikolay Todorov as he freshened up the attack with Miles Storey starting as striker. Dundee had new signing Kane Hemmimgs on from the start beside Danny Johnson. Handyman Josh Meekings was on the bench. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Speaking on BBC Sport Dundee manager James McPake: "I think it was a disappointing afternoon, we were well off where we were last week against Aberdeen. "There is a really good squad of players in there that we believe we should be a lot more consistent. I certainly need to find a way to get this right. "The concern is that we need to live up to the expectations of these fans, they need to see a team out on that park that is winning week in week out, we need to find a way to get that." Inverness CT manager John Robertson: "This is where I have got to praise Dundee and Dundee United. They have never said it is going to be a two-horse race, other people have said it - pundits, radio, TV, newspapers. They should be with the quality of players they are bringing in, the money they are able to spend, backed by a really vociferous home support, both teams, a tremendous crowd for Dundee, and they will take that away from home as well so you would expect them to be up there and they will, I don't think there is any doubt about that. "But I think the likes of ourselves, Dunfermline, Morton, Partick, Queen of the South, Alloa, Arbroath etc, everybody else in the league, we are not going to make it easy for them, we are going to fight tooth and nail." OFFICIAL REPORT ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ In the second minute James Keatings headed high over the bar with James Vincent looking better placed to nod on target as the visitors made their intentions clear. Aaron Doran brought a great one handed save from Jamie Hamilton after he fashioned out a shooting opportunity from 25 yards, dipping his shoulder to ghost past a couple of defenders before firing low to the keepers left. Mark Ridgers stooped to gather a Finlay Robertson effort from inside the box as the Dark Blues responded. Forster did well on the left and his cross looked dangerous before Ridgers punched the loose ball away. Dundee picked it up again though and Paul McGowan drove just over the bar from distance. A Declan McDaid free kick had to be tipped over the bar as he shot from around thirty yards, the big keeper watching it closely. A Keatings corner to the front post was met by Carl Tremarco and his low stab at the ball seemed to take a deflection onto the base of the post and behind for another corner. From the second corner Coll Donaldson headed narrowly over with the aid of a deflection off Forster. Just before the break an opportunity for both sides to break the deadlock. Tidy play by Dundee saw Kane Hemmings released on the left side of the box but he dragged his low shot across the face of the goal and at the opposite end Doran flashed a shot high and wide as the half ended, and it remained goalless at the interval. Half Time 0-0 We started the second forty-five where we left off and Tom Walsh was blocked six yards out as he tried to get his shot away. From the resultant throw in, we worked the ball back across the park and Doran picked up the loose ball on the edge of the box. Unfortunately his powerful drive was a tad too high over the junction of bar and post. Miles Storey had a great opportunity as he broke clear on the left but like Hemmings previously, he shot early and dragged it just wide, the ball trickling past a scrambling Hamilton's left hand post. From a Keatings free kick into the box, the ball bobbled around before Jamie McCart took control of it and as he skipped over some legs he dinked a wee chip towards the back post that saw Hamilton relieved to see the ball drift just wide. That brought about aa vociferous round of boo's from the home fans who were not impressed by their team being opened up so easily. Ten minutes to go and Hemmings rose unchallenged in the box but his looping header dipped over the bar with Ridgers watching anxiously. A tremendous run from Shaun Rooney saw him bludgeon his way through two or three bodies before Forster unceremoniously brought him down to earn a booking. From the free kick McCart saw his free kick deflected wide as Inverness pushed for a winner. Doran's corner was met by McCart but his glancing header went agonisingly wide and as time ticked away a long ball forward from MotM McCart was well controlled by substitute Nikolay Todorov but his parting shot took a slight deflection as it flashed past the post. From the corner Jordan White headed goalward but he got no purchase on the ball and Hamilton grasped it. In time added on White almost won the game after Doran stood up a cross into the penalty area. White rose to meet it but his header was just wide of the top corner with Hamilton flying across his goal helplessly. Much better performance than the league cup defeat at the same ground and Inverness were able to create the better opportunities and will justifiably feel pleased with their contribution. Plenty of opportunities for both sides and neither manager could be too despondent with a point apiece. Caley Stan is feeling much more positive after watching the game........ "The highlights are a bit flattering but we definitely created the better chances, especially in the last 10 to 15 minutes. A very obvious change in style without a target man and even when we brought the big guys on it was to get the ball out wide and put crosses in rather than hitting it long early. None of our front 4 really got into their stride in this game - Keatings in particular was disappointing, but Robbo had the options on the bench to change it - something we didn't have at all for most of last season. The midfield 2 had a much better balance and McCart stood out at the back. Overall, even though it wasn't a great performance, I left feeling more positive about the season ahead than I did beforehand." Date: 24/08/2019 Venue: Dens Park (Kilmac) Attendance: 5016 Referee: David Munro Dundee: 0 Lineup: Hamilton, Kerr, Forster, McGhee, Marshall, Byrne, McGowan (Todd 54), Robertson (Nelson 68), McDaid, Hemmings, Johnson (McPake 60) Subs (not used): Ferrie; Meekings, Moore, Anderson Scorers: none Booked: Robertson (62), Forster (86) Sent Off: none Inverness CT: 0 Lineup: Ridgers; Rooney, Donaldson, McCart, Tremarco, Doran, Carson, Vincent, Walsh (Todorov 85), Keatings (MacGregor 71), Storey (White 70) Subs (not used): C Mackay, Harper, McHattie, Welsh. Scorers: none Booked: Donaldson (32), Storey (67) Sent Off: none a