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Inverness, Scottish Cup Winners How good does that feel! What a day that was, one that started for me at five in the morning when the alarm went off in North Kessock and ended in Edinburgh around midnight with a grin etched on the face. Inverness Caledonian Thistle are the 2015 Scottish Cup winners. Many made massive sacrifices for the cause, coming from around the globe. It was well worth it in the end, although in true tradition, we don't do anything the easy way and that was credit to Falkirk who can count themselves a tad unlucky after a courageous second half performance where Inverness weathered the storm to eventually lift the cup after having to play out the final twenty minutes with ten men. We went in at the break a goal to the good after getting to grips with the game halfway through the first period, Marley Watkins finishing with aplomb after a seven man move. Carl Tremarco was sent packing after 75 minutes after he mis-controlled a ball and then scythed down Blair Alston as he sped goalwards. Schoolboy error from Carl that was punished five minutes later when Peter Grant headed powerfully home from the vacant left back position. However, an unlikely hero came forward and James Vincent applied the finishing touch after Jamie MacDonald spilled a Watkins shot. The rest is history. The fans were in good spirits in the build up to the game and plenty of shouting juice had passed the lips. Inside the stadium there was a marvellous card display from the Inverness end and it was a pleasure to be part of it. Massive congratulations to all who set that one up, it looked fantastic. Inverness fans were dealt a blow before kick off as semi hero David Raven was out which left us with an unfamiliar back four. Esson in goal but in front of him, only Josh Meekings was in his normal position. Devine replaced the suspended Gary Warren and Carl Tremarco was at left back with departing captain Graeme Shinnie filling in at right back with Raven missing. Danny Williams was on the bench and Aaron Doran started. Falkirk were minus the cup-tied Mark Kerr and John Baird, but Rory Loy started, despite Houston claiming he might not make it. A bright afternoon saw Falkirk get off to the better start, but it was a typical cup final, all a bit cagey in the opening exchanges, nobody wanting to make the first mistake. Whilst always keeping the fans attention, there was little goalmouth action with defences on top as Inverness began to edge their way forward with around twenty minutes gone. Ryan Esson was eventually called into action and comfortably saved a low shot from Will Vaulks from outside the box. Vaulks fired a vicious shot from thirty yards eight minutes later and that one had the Falkirk fans off their seats as the ball ruffled the top corner of the net. Alas for the Bairns, it was the wrong side of the net. Closest call yet though, phew! We were not at our best but at least we were not behind. That close shave seemed to alert Inverness to the dangers and Aaron Doran brought a save from Macdonald as we started to pass the ball better, although the defence were needing more help from the front men who were not holding onto the ball. Shinnie then had our best attempt so far as he fired a shot come cross wide with Watkins lurking, and it was evident the tide was turning. Watkins then had a shot saved as it went straight at the keeper and a corner followed soon after. We were now controlling the pace of the game and the 38th minute saw Inverness go ahead with a wonderful team goal. Falkirk lost possession deep in the Inverness half. We transferred the ball smartly up the right side in a seven man move. The final touches saw Aaron Doran slip a tidy ball through to Marley Watkins and his pace and power saw him drift goalwards to slide the ball past MacDonald for the opening goal. Scenes of Red and Blue in the Inverness end as jubilation broke out in the stands. The dream was now in full swing as the half ended with Inverness on top. Half Time 1-0 I don't know what Houston said at half time, but it transformed the Bairns. They were up for this and we would have to weather the storm as they surged forward looking for a leveller. Vaulks was the main threat and he went close again five minutes after the restart. On the hour mark and Blair Alston lifted a shot just over inside a packed box as Falkirk upped the pace. Inverness were by now finding the Bairns to be more of a handful than they should have been as they won successive corners and Vaulks again shot over. Substitute Botti Bia Bi went very close soon after and manager of the year John Hughes decided to make a change. Little did he know how important that change would be as he introduced James Vincent for young player of the year Ryan Christie. With 75 minutes on the clock, Carl Tremarco was invited to leave the field by Willie Collum after he lost the ball then brought down Alston. No complaints this time though as Collum had little option. Tremarco was distraught and Inverness would have to play out the game with ten men. Vaulks again tested Esson from close range as the Bairns smelled blood and went for the jugular. Inverness were reduced to frantic defending and the fans were watching through their fingers as the final twenty minutes would take a lifetime to pass. Within five minutes of Tremarco leaving, Falkirk were level. A free kick on the left flank saw Alston pick out Peter Grant who wanted it most and he flashed a powerful header high into the net for a not undeserved equaliser. Game on. James Vincent went to right back with Shinnie moving over to the left as Inverness re-jigged after the sending off. There was nothing else for it but to get up the park and have a go or face the prospect of extra time and penalties. That threat disappeared when Watkins pace saw him break forward to surge clear of the defence with Falkirk caught up the other end. He slowed down outside the box and tried to curl a low shot to the left of the keeper. Now then, I've seen better shots but MacDonald fluffed his lines as he dived low to his left. He only succeeded in pushing the ball to the left side of the box and James Vincent who had made a lung bursting run to catch up with Watkins got to the loose ball first and knocked it into the empty net. Absolute pandemonium in the Inverness end once more and there were only five more minutes of normal time to hold on to our advantage. Luke Leahy went close in the ninetieth minute as Falkirk tried to scramble the game towards extra time and five minutes of time added on saw a huge sigh from the Highlanders. Nick Ross replaced Man of the Match Marley Watkins with three minutes remaining but Falkirk could not find that elusive second goal and the end result was just fantastic for Inverness Caledonian Thistle and their fans who were singing and dancing in the Hampden Stands. Full Time 2-1 It was tough and hard to bear for the Falkirk fans who had witnessed their team give their all, but it's all about scoring the most goals and we did just that. More scenes of Red and Blue followed as the Inverness contingent stayed to cheer the victors and witness the Cup presentation. Graeme Shinnie leaves for Aberdeen now, but he might never experience this again, as he kissed the cup and waved it above his head, duly followed by the rest of the squad. What a moment to be a Caley Thistle fan. 21 years in the making but a combined 239 years of magnificent history. Celebratory beers were the order of the day and I met up with some Falkirk fans in the Horseshoe Bar where Gordon Mason presented me with a trophy off his back. He gave me a Falkirk shirt and wished us all well. Great fans and a credit to their club. MotM will be going to Marley Watkins who scored the first and made the second with a little help from Jamie Macdonald. In truth, and here is the unsavoury bit, there were not too many contenders for the title, most players having an off day. Danny Devine was better than most and Graeme Shinnie, as always, gave everything. We struggled up front and Eddie Ofere has had better days. In fairness to him, we rarely got the ball forward so it's hardly his fault. Carl Tremarco will be disappointed but he performed well up to that point. It is unfair to pick out anyone though, good or bad so I'll leave it there and say congratulations to everybody from the ball boys to the the fans, what an achievement for our club. Steve Hislop and Bobby Mann were not far off in their predictions and I met Barry Wilson after the game as well, all in all, a great day out and there would be another one on Sunday as the Cup was paraded through Inverness. Match Highlights... Celebrations continue in Inverness... Date: 30/05/15 Venue: Hampden Park Attendance: 37149 Referee: Willie Collum Inverness CT: 2 Lineup: Esson, Shinnie, Meekings, Devine, Tremarco, Christie (Vincent 72), Draper, Tansey, Doran (Williams 78), Watkins (Ross 93), Ofere Subs (not used): Mackay, Horner, Polworth, Kink Scorers: Watkins (38), Vincent (86) Booked: None Sent Off: Tremarco (75) Falkirk: 1 Lineup: MacDonald, Duffie, McCracken, Grant, Leahy, Alston, Vaulks, Taiwo, Sibbald, Smith (Bia Bi 63), Loy (Morgan 95) Subs (not used): Muirhead, Bowman, Dick, Cooper, Blair Scorers: Grant (80) Booked: Taiwo (76) Sent Off: None

It's Our Time The 2015 Scottish Cup Final has arrived and no big Bhoys in sight, only Bairns. And, as the slogan says: It's Our Time. Inverness and Falkirk have made it through to the final and will meet at Hampden on Saturday 30th May in what could be an historic occasion for both clubs. This competition originated in season 1873/1874 when Queens Park won the first of their 10 Scottish Cups. The first ever final was witnessed by around 2500 fans as the Spiders beat Clydesdale 2-0 at the original Hampden Park. Celtic are leading the way with 36 wins, Rangers are next on 33 with Queens Park on 10. There are some wonderful names etched on to the trophy. Vale of Leven are three times winners, Third Lanark and Renton have won it twice and St Bernard's have their name on it too. There has been some wonderful scorelines in this, the 130th Scottish Cup, the oldest football trophy in the world. Bo'ness United beat Elgin City 5-4 in their replay after drawing 4-4 at Borough Briggs. It took 25 penalties to separate Stirling Albion and Hurlford after a 1-1 and 2-2 draw. Cove Rangers were the top scorers in a single game, beating Hawick Royal Albert 9-0. Spartans made the fifth round after beating Morton 2-1 to be the last non league side in the competition. It's been a wonderful tournament so far, but my favourite result thus far was Inverness 3-2 Celtic. A stunning performance by Inverness who stopped Celtic in their bid for a treble and gave us all a break from the hype coming out of Parkhead. Of course, it's not the first time that Falkirk have been in the Scottish Cup final. They won the cup in 1913 at Parkhead, defeating near neighbours and good enemies Raith Rovers 2-0. They were managed by Willie Nicol on that occasion. Englishman Reg Smith was the gaffer when they won it for a second time in 1957 at Hampden Park, beating Kilmarnock 2-1 after a replay and have been losing finalists twice, in 1997 and 2009. Both of these defeats were only by a solitary goal which shows that Falkirk will be well up for this. Write them off at your peril. We know enough about Falkirk to understand that this will be a tough task. Oh yes, it was Falkirk that put the final nail in our coffin in the year that Craig Brewster took us to the brink of relegation before he was removed from office. And who was the man that masterminded our downfall? Yes, you've guessed it, none other than our very own John Hughes, and he will know better than most that the Bairns will be just as determined as Inverness to take the cup back to their big wheel instead of a bridge and a castle. Inverness have taken out three Premiership sides in St Mirren, Partick Thistle and Celtic whilst they also accounted for Raith Rovers. Falkirk have quietly worked their way to the final by knocking out teams from outwith the top league. They started by seeing off Cowdenbeath by a single goal when Inverness were drawing with St Mirren at Paisley before taking them North and dismantling them 4-0. In the fifth round, Falkirk edged past Brechin City by the odd goal in three as Inverness beat bogey side Partick Thistle 1-2 in Glasgow. The quarter finals saw Falkirk win 0-1 at Palmerston and Inverness oust Raith Rovers by the same score in the Highlands. The semi-finals were more interesting. Hibs gave Falkirk the runaround but were hit with a sucker punch as Craig Sibbald headed them into the final. The following day Inverness did the treble as they knocked Celtic out of the cup for the third time. Goals from Tansey, Ofere and Raven put Inverness through after extra-time, but defender Josh Meekings had a big hand in that result. Falkirk have been on gardening leave for the last month, but we have been busy securing third place in the league. Three wins on the trot was enough to get us to Europe. Our final practice before the final was at Parkhead last week and we thank Celtic for providing the opposition for our reserves. What do we know about Falkirk this season? Well, we do know that Falkirk have a local lad playing for them just now. Alex Cooper, who comes from North Kessock is in their squad and has scored against Inverness before when playing for Ross County. Alex is the son of former County manager Neale Cooper and can be a tricky customer. Rory Loy has been grabbing the headlines this season and will be joining Dundee after this game. He has scored 12 goals this term, but has been injured recently although Peter Houston reckons he will play some part in the final. Keeper Jamie Macdonald is an excellent stopper and he played for Hearts when Inverness knocked them out of last seasons League Cup semi-final. Mark Kerr has a wealth of experience to call on having been at Dundee United and Aberdeen amongst others. The Bairns ended their season fifth in the Championship, missing out on the play offs by seven points. They managed 53 points from their 36 games and finished the season with a zero goal difference. Fourteen wins and eleven defeats and 48 goals scored is the Bairns' stats. Peter Houston was in the stands watching the game against Celtic where the Hoops beat our second X1 5-0. He would not have learned much from that as only three of those that started that game are likely to begin the final. Gary Warren is suspended due to that archaic rule that tally's up your yellow cards then bans you from the showpiece final. Ridiculous rule that surely needs to be addressed. Gary missed the League Cup final last season through suspension as well. Dean Brill and Richie Foran will be watching from the stands along with Gary Warren, but Yogi will have a full squad to choose from otherwise. Let's not forget, this will be captain Graeme Shinnie's last game for Inverness, and lifting the trophy would be a fitting end to a wonderful time here. Falkirk have been well rested prior to this game. John Baird is cup-tied and the striker will not be included in the squad, likewise Mark Kerr, both will be missed by the Falkirk side. Rory Loy could feature as Houston has already stated. There's always a downside to these events, and news that Willie Collum will referee the final is as welcome as FIFA executives organising the World Cup. Ach well, somebody has to do it. The Bookies have Inverness as favourites to lift the cup. That's not often something that sits well with us. I thought I would ask a couple of experts to see which team they thought would get their ribbons on the Scottish Cup, and here's what Steven Hislop and Bobby Mann had to say. "First of all, I would just like to say that I was delighted to be asked to do a short preview on the Cup Final. I am heading to the game with my son and dad who have both watched me many times playing for Inverness Caley Thistle. Understandably, we are favourites to win this game, however, I don't think it is a gimme. Falkirk have a real blend of experience and youth and are managed by a Scottish Cup winner who knows what it takes to win a cup final. The spine of their team with MacDonald, McCraken, Taiwo and Rory Loy if he is fit will all help the young ones around them. Of course they also have Alex Cooper who will be doubly determined to try and put one over Caley for obvious reasons. Yogi will have all the boys well drilled on Falkirk and he also has players with cup final experience in abundance. He has winners throughout and if ever you want someone to fire you up for a game, it's 100% Yogi. I find it hard to pick out any of the team who could potentially be the biggest threat to Falkirk because if they play like they played in the semi-final, I have no doubt it will be Shinnie who goes up to lift the cup. Caley are a team with a great team spirit and the correct work ethic and not a team of individuals and that's why they will win the cup and send the fans home in party mood. Look out the sombrero's as Caley are going to Europe with a 3-1 win. Cheers, Hissy". Bobby was more direct, and added, "I would like it to be an open attacking game, but can't see it. Midfield will be very important, and who wins that battle in there will go on and be dominant in the game. That's when Inverness play well, as both full backs are good going forward especially Graeme Shinnie. Hopefully the big wide pitch will give them more space to create and cause more problems. I'm going for 2-0 for Inverness. Enjoy the game " So both of these club legends believe Inverness will be the ones that will be celebrating on Saturday night, I hope they are right. Anyway, no matter who wins, this final will have been played out with no bigotry, hatred or sectarianism evident and that can only be a good thing for Scottish football. All the best to Falkirk, but it is our time. The City of Inverness has been motivated by this game and has helped to raise the profile of the club by draping anything that doesn't move in Caley Thistle colours. The Cup has been out and about in and around the City and it would be nice to keep it up here for a whole year. Red Card Riley has managed to get this montage of messages put together from old and new friends. And from the City of Inverness comes goodwill................................. Here's a song from Sandy........... It's called Scenes of Red and Blue, let's hope there is scenes of red and blue in Inverness at the weekend.

Treble Party Poopers Cup finaIists Inverness have an invite to the Champions party this Sunday as we take on treble double winners Celtic at Parkhead. We might not be the most popular of guests having thwarted the Hoops in their bid for the treble. It's been a fabulous season for Inverness with lots of firsts achieved this season. Qualification for the Europa league, Scottish Cup final, highest points tally in Premier League, Manager of the Year for Yogi and Young Player of the Year for Ryan Christie. There are many more trotted out on CTO, but these are massive, and just reward for everybody concerned with Inverness Caledonian Thistle from the tea lady to the Chairman, the Twitter Account to the Facebook page, the youths who paraded their trophy at the Dundee United game and to all the players who pulled on the shirt this season. I nearly forgot the most important ones, and that's the fans who have followed our team through thick and thin. Yes, there were plenty of concerned punters when John Hughes took over as Caley Jags boss, but I'll tell you what, he has had worse seasons. Massive credit to Yogi and Russell Latapy for changing the way we played our football and winning over the fans. And it's wonderful to see our manager and our players get the recognition they deserve from their peers and the people who write about our national sport. On to the task in hand and it's always a troublesome trip to Parkhead on the day the Celts are parading their trophies. The party atmosphere always inspires them to greater things and many a side have been routed on this day. The bonus for us is that while it would be nice to engage them competitively, It is neither here nor there what the result is on the day as we have bigger fish to fry the weekend after. With that in mind, I would expect Hughes to change his side to remain competitive, but to protect his stars from any damage. Team news this week is not worth the paper it's not written on. We all know that Richie Foran and Dean Brill are out, but that's the only thing we can guarantee. My best guess is that Yogi will alter the structure of his team to ensure that he can maximise his options next week. Celtic, well they are out to celebrate and it matters not a jot who they put out against us, cos we are playing next week and you're not. Apologies to anyone that is looking for some clarification on team selections, but next week is our time. tm4tj prediction:- I reckon we will get pumped. Am I bothered. No, roll on the Scottish Cup Final.