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Taxi For Christie 　 　 Visitors Kilmarnock arrive in Inverness on the back of an excellent couple of recent results, notably beating Dundee United last week with a last gasp winner. The Killie result was welcomed at Inverness as it kept Dundee United off our backs in the meantime as we opened up a six point gap over the Arabs, albeit having played a game more than the Taysiders. Inverness continued their fine form with another win at Paisley. Their current theme of getting ahead comfortably then hanging on somewhat was evident once more. A first half that saw numerous chances go abegging was almost undone as St Mirren fought back to get a foothold in a game that should have been beyond them at half time. However, we are also fairly resillient this season and goals by Greg Tansey and Ryan Christie were good enough to beat the Buddies who scored through Jim Goodwin. Iain Auld thrust a dishevelled looking mic towards Ryan Christie at a blustery Caledonian Stadium and asked the young star about his return to the side.......................... . Inverness are now undefeated in seven league games, winning six and drawing the derby clash with County. We are on 51 points, 19 ahead of 8th place Kilmarnock. Whilst not amongst the top five scoring sides, our defensive record has been the backbone which our season has revolved round, only Aberdeen and Celtic have better goals against. The Ayrshire side are well clear of the relegation battle just now and are looking to get into the top six. Their form has been rather erratic thus far, hence their mid-table position, showing only five wins. Three of Killies five wins have come on the road, at Ross County, St Mirren and St Johnstone. Since we last played Killie, they found out that 'Magic' Johnston was not magic after all and relieved him of his duties with another former Jambo, Gary Locke the man they have put their trust in just now. Locke's first game in charge was a nil nil draw at Hamilton, followed by last weeks excellent win over the Arabs, so his tenure has got off to a great start, and that could be the catalyst they have been looking for. 　 Killie lost Robbie Muirhead to Dundee United, a move that sparked Johnston's withdrawal from his post. They acquired Nathan Ecclestone after he was released by Partick Thistle, the striker becoming a journeyman at the tender age of 24, having turned out for Huddersfield, Charlton, Coventry and Blackpool, as well as the Harry Wraggs. James Vincent misses out with a hamstring injury. Man of the moment Aaron Doran has sought specialist help over a groin problem, while goalkeeper Dean Brill and captain Richie Foran remain out. That will give Ryan Esson another turn in goal, and Ryan Christie will be looking to get another start after scoring last week. Marley Watkins is coping with being the main threat although it's not his forte, but is getting great support from the rest of the team. A bonus for Inverness is the news that Alexei Eremenko is suspended, adding to a couple of injuries that Locke is keeping close to his chest. 　

West side story 　 　 Inverness are on the road again with a day out at Paisley to visit struggling St Mirren on Saturday. That will be our fourth trip to the wild west in a month, having also toured Maryhill, New Douglas Park and the scheme down Kilmarnock way. All wins, incidentally. The Buddies are having a torrid time of it but that does not mean this will be an easy ride for Inverness as they will now be scrapping for every point available to help them climb away from the relegation battle with County and Motherwell. Inverness received a massive boost late in the week. Not the news that 50 shades of Grey was being shown at the cinema, but when Josh Meekings signed on for another two years. Josh has been a mainstay at the heart of our defence over the last couple of seasons and his partnership with Gary Warren is one of the reasons our defence is normally pretty miserly. Still a young lad with plenty of pace and power he will certainly gain more by staying at Inverness for another couple of seasons before heading on to pastures new. Great investment by the club. Another bit of good news, and I say this with some trepidation is that Yogi has been named Manager of the Month for January. That accolade normally brings with it a curse and we will be watching with interest to see if it affects Inverness. This season we seem to be poles apart in terms of quality and teamwork, certainly the league table will vouch for that. However, we do have something in common. St Mirren lost top scorer Kenny McLean to Aberdeen during the January sales and at the same time Billy Mckay went to Wigan. We have played St Mirren four times already this season. A 0-1 league win in October was followed by a draw at the same venue in the Scottish Cup. The replay up North saw Inverness win comfortably by 4-0, but the league game in January was a much tighter affair which Inverness won 1-0, thanks to a Billy Mckay goal, (where is he when you need him?). St Mirren have failed to win a single home game in the league so far this season, although they did manage to beat Dunfermline Athletic in a league cup game in August. 20 goals for and 41 against sees them sit second bottom of the table whereas third placed Inverness can boast 35 goals for and only 22 goals conceded. St Mirren added a couple of players in the transfer window, attacking midfielders Emmanuel Sonupe from Spurs academy, and Kieran Sadlier, an Irish u21 international. Both could feature at some stage this weekend and Yohaan Arquin returns after suspension. Inverness will have to do without Richie Foran and Dean Brill, and a similar starting line up to last week is anticipated. A new name for the injured list is Aaron Doran who has a groin strain. Prediction for this one is another narrow win for Inverness to pile on the woe for the Buddies.

Aerosol Day It's a week where some olde relics were dug up at Drumnadrochit, and I don't mean Johndo, Johnboy, Scarlet Pimple and Mantis, and it's almost to the day of that famous Scottish Cup win over Celtic that Inverness travel to Glasgow to do battle in the Cup once more. The task this time is just as daunting as we play the team that has turned us over twice already this season. It's Nemesis time as we go to Firhill to take on the Maryhill Magyars. Maryhill Magyars I hear you youngsters say. That name was attached to the side in the heyday of Ferenc Puskas, the great Hungarian footballer of the fifties and along with the Harry Wraggs is one of the finest nicknames in Scottish Football. It would appear that when they play us, they revert to type and have dished out two Goulashings scoring seven goals and even had the luxury of missing a penalty. We have played Partick five times in The Cup, two of those being replays, and have only progressed to the next round once, a 3-0 victory in January 2009. In saying that, Partick have only won one of these games over the allotted time when a Scott Paterson goal on a horrendously wet night in March 2002 saw them into the draw for the Semi-Final. Looking more like a member of Oasis, he scored a fantastic free kick from thirty yards to win the game for the Jags and set up a clash with a now reduntant side called Rangers. Our last outing saw us struggle on the heavy turf at the Caledonian Stadium, adding to the Billy Mckay hangover which resulted in a frustrating draw with Ross County in the Highland derby. Partick fared even worse, going down 1-0 to local rivals St Mirren in an equally scrappy affair at Firhill. That results show Inverness sitting level on points with Aberdeen having played a game more and Partick some twenty two points behind us in ninth place. Recent results in the league will tell us that we have won five of our last six games. Partick have only one win and two draws out of six. The smart money would go on Inverness you would think. However, the form book goes out the window now as the Cup is a whole different ball game as they say. The transfer window came and went and Inverness were only window shopping it would seem, the only activity being Billy Mckay's outward bound trip to Wigan. Partick were proactive in the market and added Rangers defender Ryan Finnie until the end of the season. Calum Booth the Hibs midfielder was also added to the squad but the big scoop was the re-signing of Lyle Taylor on loan for the season. He scored 7 goals in 20 games for the Harry Wraggs last season and will be a major boost for them. Nathan Ecclestone has left the Firhill building by mutual consent. Inverness' Dean Brill is unlikely to be risked after his knee injury and Ryan Esson will continue in goal. the back four will be the same, but it's in midfield and attack where we have many options, depending on the strategy employed by Yogi. Marley Watkins looks likeliest to continue in the strikers role, and the fans would like to see Ryan Christie as his assistant. Danny Williams put in a good shift last weekend and should retain his starting berth. Tansey and Draper will provide the steel, and the rest is up for debate, with Ross, Doran and Vincent in the running for the providers position. Partick are keeping team selections close to their chest, but they do have the knack of beating us, so maybe they won't change much from the start. However, Lyle Taylor could get a game, which is more than the injured Sean Welsh or the suspended Jordan McMillan. So, an entertaining cup game to look forward to as Inverness continue with life after Billy. But wait, there's a downside to all this. Willie Collum is back after his break from refereeing proper games. He was stood down for a few weeks due to his incompetence, but will be in charge tomorrow. I believe they are also introducing the invisible white aerosol spray used in the world cup. I wonder if he sprays himself would he disappear. Just a thought. tm4tj prediction:- Strange as it may sound, but I'm taking Inverness to get into the next round, maybe with the aid of a replay up North. If we can cope with Partick's high pressing game and feed Watkins, then it's possible to get a result. A word of warning though. This is just my opinion, so don't rush down to the bookies and put loads of money on an away win.

Life after Billy 　 It's derby day on Saturday and Inverness have been dealt a couple of hammer blows in the last week with the news that Graeme Shinnie is off to Aberdeen at the end of the season. It get's even worse with Billy, small K Mckay signing a two and a half year deal at English Championship club Wigan Athletic. Whilst Shinnie is still around for the foreseeable future, Mckay has been bought for around £150k plus and will be a big miss for the Inverness club as we look to build on five straight wins, a run that started at New year with a 3-1 win in Dingwall. Our opponents are trying desperately to gather enough points to steer clear of relegation, but it's eleven games since County last tasted victory. It's not only transfers that have upset the apple cart. Dean Brill was stretchered off at the end of the Hamilton game. The early prognosis was that he had damaged his knee on landing and at the time it looked as though he might have to sit out a few games. The good news is that Ryan Esson will be an able deputy should he be required to play against County. Inverness hold the upper hand this year over our neighbours. The first game at our stadium ended in stalemate, a 1-1 draw. It was the proverbial game of two halves, and two keepers really. Dean Brill pulled off a handful of excellent saves in the first half but was helpless to stop Yoann Arquin opening the scoring. County could have been out of sight by the break, but the second half belonged to Inverness. Marley Watkins levelled early in the half but Mark Brown was in tremendous form to deny Inverness thereafter with a string of superb saves. Neither of these keepers look like making the game with Tony Reguero the favoured option at the moment for County and Brill nursing a sore knee. The second meeting saw County take a pounding from the eager Inverness forwards and a deserved 3-1 victory for the visitors in Dingwall flattered County somewhat. Aaron Doran does like a goal against the County and he scored twice before Jackson Irvine powered home a header. However outgoing striker Billy Mckay scored a sublime third for Inverness to settle the game with seventeen minutes left and that ended County's hopes of a comeback. The transfer window has been kinder to County though and this will be a whole new ball game. Defender Cameron Burgess has signed from Fulham, along with Marcus Fraser, a 20 year old from Celtic. So that's two young central defenders to help shore up the Staggies suspect defence. The have also acquired Darvydas Sernas, a Lituanian international midfielder with 35 caps. He is an experienced player having plied his trade across Europe and Australia. Striker Craig Curran has signed until the end of the season from Nuneaton Town looking to add some much needed fire power. Another plus for County is that the lackadaisical Arquin has been sent packing. He lasted only 33 minutes of the New Year derby before being hooked by a less than impressed Jim McIntyre. His first role as a St Mirren player was to get sent off against County in the relegation six pointer, but that was not enough to help County out as the ten man Buddies scored a late winner to pile on the misery in Dingwall. Latest Team News for Inverness is a tad worrying. Dean Brill and Marley Watkins could be out and the possibility of Inverness carrying on without Billy Mckay is a matter of concern. The positives are that Ryan Christie may well get the opportunity to shine in an advanced position and Aaron Doran will be looking to start, along with the new improved version of Nick Ross. The Staggies will be boosted by the new additions to their squad as they look to scramble their way off the foot of the table. Jackson Irvine and Terry Dunfield return after missing the defeat by Celtic. It has been a hectic week for Inverness and Yogi has made a feature length film to update us on some of the goings on at the Caledonian Stadium tm4tj prediction:- More difficult than normal to get this one right with County having additional staff and us in the process of losing two influential players. That could have a detrimental effect on our performance, but when Mckay had a lean spell, others were chipping in and we need that to happen again. Great to see Nick Ross adding a goal to his recent promising displays and Marley Watkins is another that knows what it feels like to score in this derby. Aaron Doran seems to keep his best for these games and will be an important player, let's hope he can manage another this Saturday. Another loss could see them slip further behind St Mirren and that will give them the incentive to be in our face this Saturday. Maybe the new arrivals will upset any rhythm County have and that is only good for us, and with that in mind, I'll go for a home win, might be tight though. Take a look at how it all worked out in the two games earlier this season............

Inverness now own Accies Inverness moved to within a point of Aberdeen as they overcame Hamilton in the 10p game at New Douglas Park. It was a quiet first half with Hamilton just having the edge but an own goal by Grant Gillespie and a team goal finished by Nick ross made it four defeats on the bounce for the Accies and five wins on the trot for Inverness. The 10p admission price made for a large crowd looking for Hamilton to bounce back after three losses, with the visitors hoping to build on their fine run of four wins in a row. At the end of the game, Inverness now get to keep Hamilton Accies after our third win over them this season. Meh! Immortal Howden Ender has penned this wonderful report for us. ANOTHER AGONISING AFFAIR AGAINST ADMIRABLE ACCIES There was as much chance of seeing a goal in that first half as being served in one of the local hostelries. However I was later advised that the local publicans had feared an influx of Old Firm fans due to the Cellic playing early doors and Sevco getting postponed. Anyone we managed to squeeze in to the Tap to raise a dram to Frank McAvoy and Alex O'Neil. If you had been doing a pay at half time to define your entertainment rating then 10p may just have been feckin accurate !! To be fair to Hamilton I thought that they bossed the first half whilst not really looking like a threat. To be fair also we did look solid at the back throughout and it was a couple of indisciplined moments of our making that jangled the first half nerves. Deano had one of his moments after 5 opening minutes when he clattered Meekings with an attempted clearance sclaff. The other was yet another needless booking for Gary Warren but the spirited Jesus Garcia then sent a free-kick over the bar. Fortunately the much derided Imrie also sclaffed his chance as well. Forgive me if I am wrong but our only efforts were both from Greg Tansey and only one was on target and did not exactly test Pinocchio McGovern. Deano to be fair redeemed himself holding a decent strike from Tony Andreu. And then they sold out of feckin pies before the half time whistle. Half Time 0-0 Yet again we came out in the second half like men possessed. I am really not sure what happened in the first 45 but we looked like we were going for a 1-0 on the break. We hardly put two passes together and then we play them literally off the pitch. Some of the passing and especially the movement was a joy to behold. Canning looked very nervy and perhaps the onus of player manager may be too much for him. His slip let in wee Billy and although Pinocchio saved well that was the cue for a change in the bossing. Grant Gillespie saw appeals for a Hamilton penalty turned down early in the second period but that really was the only scare we got from then forwards, Wee Billy then showed another side to his repertoire and set up both the goals - the second being as good a team effort as I have seen in a while. On 53 minutes Wee Billy looped a pass towards Graeme Shinnie, whose his shot rebounded off both McGovern and Gillespie before nestling in the net. It may have been slightly fortunate but it was well deserved. Pinnochio then prevented wee Billy and then turned a Meekings header wide. Full Time 0-2 With fifteen minutes to go we made the game safe with a delightful passing move. Again wee Billy and Ross Draper were the architects - combining down the left to provide an inviting cross that Ross duly slammed past a helpless Pinnochio. Draper possibly could have scored himself but he laid it off to Nick Ross. It was noticeable that the second goal heralded a stampede of departures from the away end as the Old Firm hangers on decided to leave and head for the Buckfast shop. And two eminent gypsies left early doors as well from the midst of the away support. Substitute Aaron Doran passed up a late opportunity to add gloss to the scoreline. But to put an absolute damper on the day Deano collapsed, under no apparent pressure, and it looked like he had jarred his knee. It was more worrying that it took almost 4 minutes to treat him and he was carted off on a stretcher. That also gave rise to the biggest cheer of the day for the return of the Esson. Lets hope Deano's injury is not as bad as once feared but I would say the we are extremely fortunate to have Ryan as back up. So we had seven shots in the second half with six on target, 60-40 possession and four corners. We only committed five fouls over the 90 minutes and, irritatingly to me, two of them resulted in two more needless bookings with Draper following Warren into the book. I even thought Brian Colvin had a good day at the office. I will leave it to Yogi to sum up the day - "I didn't enjoy the game .. There was a real apprehension before the game. We were getting a bit complacent and it showed in the first half... Second half we got back to what we're all about. Even if it wasn't a great performance it showed me the spirit and that's what got us the win. They were the better team in the first half and played some nice football. In terms of us getting on the ball and making things happen that's the worst I've seen us for a long while...But, credit to them in terms of still keeping that clean sheet... We're punching well above our weight. Our main goal at the start of the season was to stay up. I'm serious.. I'm just lucky I'm working with a bunch of boys that want to improve as footballers. We've got a happy, spirited team. It's all about getting results and if you're getting results your job is made easy". That must be the first time that I have wholly concurred with the closing statement from one of our managers > SMILEYMOMETER DEANO To be fair he had little to do but did his job when asked - GET WELL SOON BIG MAN RAVEN A quiet day at the office. Did not really notice him that much. MEEKINGS Again effective and nearly scored with a cracking header. WARREN Again solid but I do wish that he would cut out the needless fouls which lead to needless bookings and needless suspensions. TREMARCO Humble pie time fer moi !! Excellent performance and that included coming forwards. Much improved an my MOM WILLIAMS :smile: Another who was quietly effective and played in a more defence minded mode. And possibly suffered from the performances of Tremarco and Shinnnie and our preference to play down the left. DRAPER Excellent "holding" display but the same negative comments as Warren TANSEY Reminds me of a modern day Gary McAllister and that IS a compliment. ROSS Not quite sure what his role was but will give similar comment as to Williams. Did he take his goal well with calmness and assurity. McKAY Poor wee Billy must have been as frustrated as the fans in the first half but showed in the second that there is more to his game than goalscoring. And his constant movement was a joy to watch and relive. Inverness CT Brill (Esson 94), Raven, Shinnie ©, Warren, Meekings, Mckay, Draper, Ross, Tansey, Tremarco, Williams (Doran 79) Subs:- Vincent, Devine, Horner, Polwarth, Christie. Hamilton McGovern, Gillespie, Canning, Tana, Hendrie, Routledge, MacKinnon (Docherty 83), Crawford, Redmond (Brophy 69), Imrie (Longridge 82), Andreu Subs:- Watson, Hill, Antoine-Curier, El-Zubaidi. Referee:- Brian Colvin Crowd:- 5089 Final score Hamilton Accies 0-2 Inverness CT