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League Cup Action at Alloa Inverness visit Recreation Park Alloa on Tuesday night, or to be more correct, the Indodrill Stadium in the knock out stages of the Betfred League Cup for a 19:30 kick off. Close We booked our place in this first knock out round after topping our group despite losing a penalty shoot-out in our second game against relegated Dundee United. A narrow win over Cowdenbeath in our opening game was followed by the United draw and an unexpected 5-1 win at Dunfermline before we routed Arbroath 7-0 in our final group game. The late flurry of goals gave us great expectations for our opening League game last weekend against Partick Thistle, but it proved to be a false dawn for Richie Foran as we slumped badly to a 2-0 defeat at Firhill. Nothing new there then! Alloa have been the surprise qualifiers from group D where the current League Cup holders Ross County were expected to progress. However, the Wasps had other ideas and won all of their fixtures including a tremendous 3-2 win over County and a wonderful away result at Raith Rovers, winning 1-0. They then carried this form into their League One opener against Peterhead and last seasons relegated team from the Championship trounced the Blue Toon 4-0, a result that will not have gone unnoticed by Richie Foran. We have played Alloa in the League Cup before, and that ended with a resounding 6-1 win for Inverness in season 2005/2006, our last meeting with the Wasps. Overall we have a relatively good set of positive results over the Clackmannan side with thirteen wins against four, and nine drawn games. Alloa warmed up for this game by thumping Peterhead 4-0. Jordan Kirkpatrick scored two spectacular goals with Kevin Cawley and Isaac Layne getting one apiece. They have also fired home ten goals in their four League Cup games so far. Jack Ross has recruited well and they have added a bit of toughness in defence with experienced thug Jim Goodwin signing on and he has Culum Waters from Celtic alongside him. Midfielder Jordan Kirkpatrick looks to be an excellent signing with an eye for goal. We expected more from our squad at Partick, but it was the same old as we went down rather tamely by 2-0. Many fans wondering why last seasons top player Ross Draper was benched. We were also guilty of not providing much for striker Scott Boden to feed off and Alan Archibald had obviously done his homework as the much heralded Jake Mulraney was marked out of the game and rendered ineffective. It's early days in Richie Foran's managerial career and he acknowledges that this performance was not good enough. What will he do to change it though? We were comfortable in the group stages against lower league opposition, but as soon as we stepped up a level, our frailties were exposed. Aaron Doran is still to get back on the park although he appeared on the bench against Partick, but Josh Meekings has not featured at all. This will be no walk in the park and Alloa's confidence will be sky high, whereas we got a sharp reality check at Firhill. We will need to be at our best to get the job done and should have the know how to do it, but our lack of attacking threat was evident despite the raft of goals in the group stages. This could go into overtime, and that's maybe where our fitness should help us get the job done, but the wasps are buzzing just now. Close encounter with Inverness edging it.

What is it with Partick Thistle? Richie Foran's side lost their first big test going down 2-0 at Partick in the seasons opener after a rather insipid display which disappointed the away support given the promise offered in the League Cup showing, where goals were in abundance. Goals in either half from Chris Erskine and David Amoo were enough to give Partick the points as Inverness rarely threatened and they can have no complaints about the three points staying in Glasgow. Alternative Maryhill was on hand to witness Foran's first Firhill visit as manager. New season, new manager, new signings, same old story for Inverness Caley Thistle at Firhill. This was a disappointing season-opener that showed, once again, that there are few managers better than Alan Archibald at setting up his teams to contain and nullify the ICT threat, and provided a useful reminder to those of us buoyed with enthusiasm after the last two Betfred Cup Games that there is a significant difference between lower-league and Premiership sides, that even the most promising new signings will need time to adjust to their new surroundings and new opponents, and that we should probably temper our more extravagant predictions about top-three or top-two finishes. Richie Foran opted to continue with the starting line-up that had beaten Dunfermline and Arbroath so convincingly, which meant a back five of Fon Williams, Raven, McNaughton, Warren and Tremarco, Polworth and Tansey in the centre of midfield with Mulraney and King on the wings, and Vigurs playing an advanced midfield role behind the lone striker Boden. The decision to continue with a winning side was understandable, but the consequent omission of Ross Draper, a player proven to be highly comfortable and effective at this level, probably contributed to Caley Thistle’s inability to seize control of this match at any point. Draper took a place on the bench, alongside Aaron Doran. The opening ten minutes set the tone for much of what was to follow: rather than taking the game to the ICT players, Partick seemed content to allow them possession, but closed down and marshalled attackers very effectively whenever they got into the final third, doubling up on Mulraney to make it difficult for him to exert any influence, and maintaining a solid back line that restricted Caley Thistle, in the main, to shots from distance. An early example of this was when King cut in from the left and fired a shot a couple of feet over from about twenty yards out; later in the half Mulraney gained a rare bit of space and made a similar attempt coming in from the opposite wing, but his shot ballooned high over. It also became clear in the opening exchanges that this was going to be a stop-start game characterised by niggly fouls, not all of which would have been given by a less whistle-happy referee than Nick Walsh. On twenty-four minutes, ICT were given one of their best opportunities of the half when Billy King was brought down on the edge of the box after a tricky run at the Partick defence. In attempting to place the ball to the left of the keeper, however, Greg Tansey succeeded only in sending it off the wall for a corner, which was dealt with well by the Glasgow side. Partick then had their own chance when Liam Lindsay got on the end of a David Amoo free kick into the Caley Thistle penalty area, but his downward header went wide of Owain Fon Williams’ right hand post. The opening goal came during a period where ICT had enjoyed one of their best spells of possession without being able to do much with it, and while the goal was an excellent example of fluid counter-attacking football, it also raised questions about the Inverness players’ willingness or ability to get close to and close down their opponents as effectively as the Partick players were able to do. During the slick passing move that culminated in Chris Erskine receiving Steven Lawless’ pass on the right-hand corner of the ICT penalty area and bending a fine left-foot shot past Fon Williams, Vigurs, Raven, Polworth and McNaughton all failed to challenge effectively, either diving in too late or not committing at all. Obviously this will happen at times throughout the season, but it was a little worrying to see the team cut open quite so easily by a side that hadn’t looked particularly threatening going forward, and is something that the manager must hope can be tightened up before his players come up against faster and trickier teams. As half time approached, Caley Thistle had a couple of half-chances to even up the scoreline. A diagonal ball from Liam Polworth found Boden approaching the right-hand corner of the penalty area, but the ICT striker sent a weak shot across the goal and well wide. A few moments later, Iain Vigurs worked space on the left hand edge of the area, but instead of shooting elected to play in Tremarco, who seemed to stumble and failed to make meaningful contact with the ball. Half time: Partick Thistle 1, Inverness Caledonian Thistle 0 The second half started similarly to the first, with Caley Thistle allowed plenty of the ball but unable to make their possession count, despite winning six free kicks in the opening ten minutes of the half. The best effort for ICT during this period was a shot from twenty yards by Greg Tansey, after being played in by Liam Polworth, which flew wide of the Partick keeper’s right hand post. Caley Thistle’s frustration began to show, with Polworth getting agitated over the referee’s failure to book one of the Partick players after yet another foul, and it was perhaps this frustration, coupled with having been robbed of possession far too easily, which led to Iain Vigurs’ unnecessarily clumsy challenge on Sean Welsh, and thus to the goal which finished the match as a contest. Welsh took the free kick himself, floating it over the ICT defence towards the head of Abdul Osman. His header back into the Caley Thistle penalty area was helped on by Liam Lindsay, and David Amoo forced the ball over the line from a yard out, with the Inverness defenders outmuscled and floundering. Foran gave his chosen starting eleven five more minutes to try to play themselves back into the match before making his first change. Perhaps a little surprisingly, although he had had a largely ineffective afternoon, it was Jake Mulraney who made way for Ross Draper, with Polworth taking up Mulraney’s berth on the right wing. Draper’s commitment to the cause was exemplified by a thunderous fifty-fifty challenge with Liam Lindsay which led to the Partick player having to be substituted, but this change, and the subsequent appearance of Fisher for Vigurs, did little to improve the Caley Thistle performance and nothing to influence the eventual result. If anything, the final half hour was ICT’s least effective or urgent passage of play, despite being in a position where they should have been chasing the game, with a weak Vigurs shot and a Fisher header that was easily saved being the only chances of note. In the end, Partick Thistle comfortably deserved the victory for their superior defensive organisation and their more clinical play going forward. Full time: Partick Thistle 2, Inverness Caledonian Thistle 0 The post-match comments from Richie Foran struck the right note, acknowledging the disappointingly flat nature of the team’s attacking play while vowing to remain patient and praising the players for their commitment so far. However, with two important games to come this week, against in-form Alloa in the Betfred Cup, and then against local rivals Ross County, who had a similarly disappointing league curtain-raiser yesterday, it will be interesting to see what sort of response Foran gets from his players and whether he will make immediate changes to his starting line-up. One thing is clear: it is far, far too early to make any meaningful predictions, whether they are of glorious success or impending doom. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Venue: Firhill, kick off 15:00, Saturday 6th August 2016 Partick Thistle - 2 (Erskine 36) (Amoo 60) X1: Cerny, Booth, Welsh, Lindsay (Azeez 78), Osman, Amoo, Doolan, Erskine (Edwards 72), Lawless, Devine, Gordon. Subs: Scully, Azeez, Wilson, Edwards, McDaid, Syme, Pogba Inverness CT - 0 X1: Fon Williams, Raven, Tremarco, McNaughton, Warren, Polworth, Vigurs (Fisher 76), Mulraney (Draper 66), Tansey, Boden, King. Subs: Mackay, Draper, Doran, Brown, Horner, Fisher, Sutherland Referee: Nick Walsh Crowd: 2943

Matchday One at Firhill Saturday afternoon in Maryhill, under the twisted leer of Kingsley and assorted Buckied freeloaders on the canal towpath, sees the first match of Inverness Caledonian Thistle’s 2016-17 Scottish Premiership campaign, and another new chapter in the club’s already rich history well and truly underway. From the opening paragraph, you might have detected that Altenative Maryhill is the author of this Preview. Opinion among the Inverness support was divided, sometimes fiercely, over John Hughes’ recruitment, tactics and management style last season, but while his eventual departure was mourned by some and celebrated by others, the majority of ICT supporters seemed to welcome the announcement of club captain Richie Foran as his successor. Naturally, however, questions were raised: would Foran still be too close to the players to command the respect of his squad in his new role? Would he have the profile, contacts and scouting network to attract a decent quality of player to the club? Would he be able to develop a playing style that was more attractive and effective than the latterly much-criticised, but overall largely successful, approach adopted by Hughes? Would his lack of experience tell in periods of adversity and increased pressure? Was the board’s awarding of a four-year management contract to an existing employee simply the cheap option? Obviously, these are very early days, and it will be some time before we can say confidently that all these questions have been answered, but the signs so far are very promising indeed. Foran in his early interviews, while acknowledging the benefits Hughes’ playing philosophy had brought the players, promised a return to a more direct, attacking style of football which would yield more chances and goals, and this commitment was reflected in the signings of striker Scott Boden from Newport and winger Jake Mulraney from Queen’s Park Rangers on three- and two-year deals respectively, and the recruitment of Billy King, a winger with significant Scottish top-flight experience, on loan from Hearts. Meanwhile, the signing of Kevin McNaughton, a Scottish international with 201 appearances for Aberdeen and almost 300 for Cardiff City, seemed to suggest that Foran could indeed attract players of quality to the club. The real hope, however, has come from the team’s performances on the field, in the Betfred Cup group stages. In the first two games, against Cowdenbeath and Dundee Utd, the team’s play sometimes lacked fluency, and there was a failure to capitalise on final balls, but Foran’s avowed attacking intent was evident in King’s frequent threatening runs and particularly in the pace and trickery exhibited by Mulraney in his two second half substitute appearances, while Kevin McNaughton, deputising at centre half for the injured Josh Meekings, strolled through the games, showing his class and experience. With the promotion of Mulraney to the starting line-up against Dunfermline, Foran’s team clicked as an attacking force. While a positive and combative Pars side caused Caley Thistle problems in the first half, defensively they simply could not cope with Jake Mulraney, and where chances had been squandered in the previous two games, here the Inverness attackers were clinical, with Iain Vigurs claiming the perfect hat-trick from an advanced midfield role, King being rewarded for his willingness to run at players and shoot on spec with a deflection that brought another goal, and even left-back Carl Tremarco getting in on the act after being first to the rebound from a Greg Tansey free kick. The pattern continued in last Saturday’s 7-0 trouncing of Arbroath: Vigurs, King and Tremarco, with an unlikely brace, all found the net again; Scott Boden provided even more cause for optimism, with a well-taken hat-trick; and despite not being on the scoresheet, the man of the match, by common acclaim, was Mulraney, who already looks to be a gem of a signing. In terms of style and recruitment Foran is already beginning to answer the questions posed when he took over, and those who doubt whether he may be able to command and motivate players, and make difficult and unpopular choices, may be encouraged by the apparent increase in the fitness and work rate of Iain Vigurs, and the surprising decision to leave Ross Draper, a mainstay during the club’s most successful period, on the bench for the games against Dunfermline and Arbroath. Foran has stated that the club is still keen to bring in one or two more players, and most supporters would agree that another, more mobile attacker is needed to either complement or provide an alternative to Boden and Alex Fisher, but with any new deals looking increasingly unlikely before Saturday’s game, Foran’s main area of focus, and the supporters’ main source of intrigue and debate, will be deciding who gets the nod to start against Partick. Will Draper be restored to the team against a side that has frequently overpowered and over-run the ICT midfield in recent seasons, and if so, will it be Polworth, or Mulraney, the man for whom Draper made way, who drops to the bench? Will there be any room for Aaron Doran, finally restored to the squad again against Arbroath, after a year out through injury? How close to fitness is Josh Meekings, and when he is ready to return, will it be in central defence? And if so, does the impressive McNaughton drop out, or does he take one of the full-back roles in place of either fans’ favourite David Raven or the vastly-improved Carl Tremarco? These are, to employ a football cliché, pleasant problems for a manager to have, and the result of the club managing to put and keep together what looks, on paper, like one the strongest first-team squads the club has yet had. Of course, the optimism could yet prove premature; some of the new players, notably Mulraney and Boden, are as-yet untested against Premiership opposition, Partick Thistle are a team that has a strong record against ICT, notwithstanding a 4-0 home defeat to John Hughes’ team in the final weeks of last season, and they too are entitled to feel positive about their prospects this season after a 100% record in the Bedfred Cup group stages, and a summer recruitment programme that looks to have strengthened the first team squad. Chris Erskine, a folk-hero at the club, has returned in midfield after a spell at Dundee Utd where his talents seemed to be squandered by poor management, and has already impressed in with two goals in the Betfred Cup games; Ziggy Gordon, one of Hamilton Accies’ standout players over recent seasons, will be the new first choice at right back, while attacker Ade Azeez apparently rejected a new contract offer at Wimbledon to join the Maryhill club. A Partick recruit more familiar to ICT supporters is Danny Devine, signed to replace highly-rated central defender Danny Seaborne, who rejected a new contract. While Devine was a very useful deputy to Josh Meekings and Gary Warren in his first two seasons in Inverness, his period last season as a first choice centre half, during Meekings’ injury lay-off and then mystifying deployment at right back, revealed some shortcomings in positional sense and decision-making, and while he was perhaps scapegoated by supporters to some extent for defensive frailties that stemmed from the team set-up as a whole, Foran may see him as a potential weak link to be exploited in the Partick defence. Predictably, a recent press interview with Devine, in which he claims to have made a step up in his club career on the grounds that Glasgow is, shock, horror, a bigger city than Inverness, has been used to ramp up the non-existent tension ahead of this interview. Expect blood to flow in the streets of Maryhill. An intriguing and potentially very enjoyable game lies ahead then, and hopefully the interest and positivity around the Foran revolution will see a large and noisy travelling support there to back Inverness. [A quick note to travelling supporters; the underground is off, and the best options for getting to Firhill from the city centre are either to share a taxi, which shouldn’t cost much more than a fiver, or to get a number 60 or 61 bus from the corner of Hope St and Sauchiehall St, to around Queens Cross church on Maryhill Road. Don’t try to go to Maryhill train station – it’s almost as far from the ground in the opposite direction as Queen St is.] It’s hard game to call, and one that I suspect will feature more goals than we’re used to seeing between these sides, but in the spirit of optimism, I’m going to predict a final scoreline of Partick Thistle 2, Inverness Caledonian Thistle 3.

Magnificent Seven Inverness routed luckless Arbroath 7-0 with a superb attacking display that had the home fans licking their lips in anticipation ahead of the start of the Premiership next weekend. The first was a howler from Smokies keeper Robbie Mutch as a trickler from Billy King squirmed through his hands and his open legs into the net. Scott Boden (2) and Carl Tremarco made it 4-0 at the break. Further goals from Iain Vigurs, Boden and Tremarco again completed the scoring. He never got on the scoresheet, but Jake Mulraney gave the Lichties defence a torrid time of it all afternoon and they were grateful when he went off after 73 minutes. Smokies Burnt A decent day for a game of football and the pitch was in pristine condition as the Fun Day gave way to the Betfred League Cup game with the Red Lichties the opposition. Aaron Doran was on the bench but Owain Fon Williams returned from his Euro vacation to get between the sticks. We were set up to have a go with Billy King on the left and Jake Mulraney on the right. Ross Draper was left on the bench with Tansey and Polworth doing the donkey work. Arbroath had former Inverness player Bryan Prunty starting up front, but given their list of missing players, there was only going to be one outcome. It took only ten minutes for the hosts to open the scoring although visiting keeper Robbie Mutch won't want to see that one again. Billy King looked to have spoiled a brilliant move down the left as he shot rather tamely at the goal. In golfing terms, he topped it. However as Mutch crouched down to scoop the ball up it went under him and trickled into the net. Disaster for the Smokies, maybe the scuffed shot confusing the issue, pleasing for the Caley Jags. Goal machine Carl Tremarco (yes you read it right) incredibly missed an open goal but Scott Boden scored a beauty as he drilled a shot wide of the keeper eight minutes after the opener from an incisive through ball from Tansey as Inverness built a head of steam. Arbroath were being put to the sword I'm afraid, and that was before someone switched on Jake Mulraney. This boy is electric, like a younger and quicker Cristiano Ronaldo. He will terrify defences this season with his pace and ball juggling skills. Iain Vigurs rattled the bar with a header from a King cross as the one sided contest raged on and it was no surprise when Boden scored a third, heading home from close range after a Tremarco cross was headed off the post by King before landing on the strikers napper. Tremarco would not be denied though and he got on the end of a Raven cross to score the fourth a few minutes before the break. Four up and Arbroath could have no complaints as King and Mulraney were causing havoc on the flanks. Half Time 4-0 The second half was only two minutes old when Iain Vigurs banged in the fifth from six yards. A tremendous ball from Polworth set Mulraney on his way and he picked out Vigurs who cracked the ball high into the net. For a moment, it looked as though he might have clipped it too high, but it hit the roof of the net for number five. That goal sparked the Smokies best spell of the game as they had a minor resurgence. Tremarco went back to his defensive duties when he hooked a Steven Dorris flick off the line when the striker should probably have scored and Fon Williams kept out a snapshot from Bobby Linn to keep his goal intact. After seventy-one minutes normal service was resumed and Scott Boden rounded off his day with a hat-trick, curling in after Vigurs slipped him through as the visitors ran out of power. Left back come striker Carl Tremarco ended the scoring late on after Gary Warren went on a mazy run, oooh. He picked the ball up around halfway, and waltzed past three defenders. He had obviously been watching Jake closely as he sped forward before teeing up Tremarco to bundle home number seven. Full Time 7-0 As comprehensive a result as you could ask for. Nobody is getting carried away after this given the difference in class of the opposition, but Jake Mulraney is going to set the Premiership alight if he keeps up this form. The guy is just awesome and well worth the entrance fee alone. He was my MotM despite tremendous displays from Boden, Tremarco, King, well everybody really. We will have tougher games ahead, but the Foran revolution is taking shape nicely and it was like going back in time to the Pele era as we went for the jugular. Seven goals going on a dozen. Tough luck on Arbroath who will have better days I'm sure, but we had a job to do and did it in style. The season begins in earnest next week as we head to Firhill to take on Partick Thistle. They won't know what hit them if we continue in this form with Mulraney the man for the job. Date: 23/07/16 Venue: Caledonian Stadium Attendance: 1316 Referee: Greg Aitken Inverness CT: 7 Lineup: Fon Williams, Raven, Tremarco, McNaughton (Brown 62), Warren Polworth, Vigurs, Mulraney (Fisher 73), Tansey, Boden, King (Draper 56) Subs (not used): Mckay, Doran, Horner, Sutherland Scorers: King (10), Boden (18, 25, 71), Tremarco (37, 88), Vigurs (47) Booked: none Sent Off: none Arbroath: 0 Lineup: Mutch, Thomson (Dunlop 46), Whatley, Hamilton, Phillips, Kader, Gold, Callaghan, Linn, Doris, Prunty (Hester 78) Subs (not used): Gomes Scorers: none Booked: none Sent Off: none

"We're top of the league and you're no" After a mere 4 months of residency in Dingwall, the Scottish League Cup became homeless on Tuesday night – minutes after Inverness CT convincingly beat Dunfermline to top Group C. The 5-1 score line at East End Park has put us in pole position to win the group, thanks to a +5 goal difference which we share with Dundee United who arguably have the tougher remaining fixture. Ross P has been looking at the revamped League Cup in more detail ahead of the visit of Arbroath. Before looking in detail at Saturday’s opponents, it is worthwhile refreshing the memory at the structure of this new tournament and address our chances of progression. The new format of the competition has 12 teams progress from the group stages, to join the 4 teams who are participating in or have been already been knocked out of European competition. The top 4 performing group winners become seeds in the last 16 with these European participants. The other 4 group winners are joined by the 4 best performing second placed teams. Up to speed so far? As mentioned, ICT need to win by a greater GD than any Dundee Utd win v Dunfermline to secure top spot in the group. What's also important to consider is GD will likely decide who finishes as one of the top 4 group winners and be seeded in the next round: Group B - St Johnstone 7 points, GD +5 Game to play = St Johnstone v Stirling Albion Group D - Alloa 9 points, GD +7 Game to play = Raith Rovers v Alloa Group D - Raith Rovers 8 points, GD +2 Game to play = Raith Rovers v Alloa Group E - Partick Thistle 9 points, GD +5 Game to play = Partick Thistle v Queen's Park Group H - Morton 8 points, GD +3 Game to play = Morton v Berwick Rangers have secured one of the top 4 already, leaving 3 up for grabs. In order for ICT to qualify as a seed they may have to outscore any St Johnstone win v Stirling AND hope that one of Morton or Partick Thistle mess up (assuming one of Alloa v Raith are also mathematically likely to qualify). All in all, the odds are against us. With this in mind, will Richie change the formation/style further to ensure we win by a large margin? Two (our only two) strikers starting perhaps? Will Jake Mulraney, so impressive against Dunfermline, have recovered from the kicking he has received in each game he’s played so far, in order to start? Will Owain Fon Williams start ahead of Cammy Mackay to give him at least 90 minutes of match action ahead of the first league game of the season? I think it will be a yes to each of these questions, as we have to go for the jugular against our League Two opponents to give us the best opportunity to qualify from the group as a seed. Inverness have enjoyed a very positive record against the Smokies, winning over two thirds of the fixtures played since first meeting in 1995. The most recent match was a 7-1 rout in an away pre-season friendly in 2013/14. Billy Mckay scored 5 that day, with current squad members Josh Meekings and Liam Polworth also netting. Other players of note taking to the field included David Raven, Gary Warren, Richie Foran, Aaron Doran, Carl Tremarco and Cammy Mackay… in addition to former striker Graham Bayne turning out for our opposition. Arbroath are missing quite a few of their more experienced starters due to suspension (Little, McCord and ex County player Jimmy Scott), with rumours online suggesting they may be missing up to 8 first team players in total. The three suspended players are an important part of the spine of the team, which will be significantly weakened through their absence. In an effort to strengthen the team ahead of Saturday Arbroath are attempting to bring in an unnamed defender on loan from Championship team Dundee United. Should no-one be signed in time Arbroath will be going into the match with a team short in height and experience, against an Inverness team who enjoy a myriad of tall, experienced players in comparison. Opposition players to look out for include former Inverness CT player Bryan Prunty who once scored for us in a 1-1 draw v. Rangers at Ibrox and fellow striker Steven Doris, who despite failing to score regularly at all his other clubs, went on trial at English Championship side Birmingham City in 2013. Late news from the Inverness camp is that Aaron Doran is very close to a return to action and could be considered for some game time against the Smokies. It would be fantastic to have Aaron back on the park, another option for Richie Foran to have with King and Mulraney already showing their worth in the wide areas. RossP prediction - The need is great for a win by a considerable margin. That, partnered with Arbroath's lower league status and missing personnel leads to significant confidence in a comfortable Inverness CT win. I predict a 4-0 victory, which should be enough to top the group. And our Welsh International Keeper has returned from the Euros...................