tm4tj

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

10p Game After the pay what you want, comes the 10 pence game. It would appear that the clubs don't need money these days. This is a remarkable gesture from Hamilton Accies in recognition of their former player and manager Alex Neil who moved on to Norwich recently. As a tribute to him, the Accies have reduced prices to the number he wore, 10, hence the 10p admission prices. The midweek games saw Inverness walk all over a poor St Johnstone while Hamilton felt the full force of the unpredictables, Patrick Thistle who routed the Accies 5-0. These results have seen a 5 point gap open up between the teams as Inverness remained in 3rd place due to United drawing with St Mirren with Hamilton in 5th. Inverness were the victors in the two previous games this season, winning 2-0 at New Douglas Park and 4-2 in the return game at Inverness. Richie Foran is out, but still an important part of the set up, working behind the scenes. Choices for Hughes who, if any, he brings in after a convincing win in midweek. Martin Canning is the man tasked with keeping Hamilton at the top end of the table, not an easy job following behind the local legend. Short preview this week due to technical problems. My laptop is in thirty bits. Not good. Tm4tj prediction is brief as well. I am tipping Inverness to pile more misery on Accies recent form and take all three points back North.

Pay What You Can It's innovation time at Tulloch Caledonian Stadium this Tuesday night as the club introduce a Pay What You Can strategy as the January purse strings tighten on us all. This is the first time a Premiership club has tried this and credit to the Caley Jags board for recognising the plight of the football fan in trying times for fans and clubs alike. See the full story on the official sight right here at http://ictfc.com/news/club-news/1456-pay-what-you-can-v-st-johnstone It's the turn of Scottish Cup holders St Johnstone to visit the Highland capital having already defeated us 1-0 in a typically dour encounter in Perth when the fall guy Brian Graham tricked Willie Collum into awarding a penalty. The same player scored from the spot and has since been handed a two game ban for his cheating and the bungling Mr Collum demoted through the ranks for a couple of weeks for his misinterpretation of the laws, not just for this game, but a series of game changing blunders. The last six encounters have resulted in four wins for Inverness and two for Perth. Both defences have conceded 21 goals, but it's in attack where Inverness hold the advantage with 30 goals against St Johnstone's 19. That is the main reason we hold a nine point advantage over the Perth men. However, the recent reverse at McDiarmid Park in December was in the middle of a three game losing streak which we seem to have rectified by winning our last three games. Since beating us, St Johnstone have beaten Dundee United before losing to Aberdeen and Hamilton and then triumphing over our Nemesis, Partick Thistle on Saturday. Captain Dave Mackay and Steven Anderson were the scorers David Raven and Greg Tansey are both suspended for this one with Raven being unable to carry out his punishment at the weekend due to the Tannadice game being off. Bringing Devine in at centre back and moving Meekings to right back is an option as that is where Josh originally plied his trade. This should open the door for a fit Marley Watkins and James Vincent to return with young Ryan Christie raring to go as well. Plenty of options for Hughes. St Johnstone are without injured midfielders Chris Millar and Murray Davidson and former Scotland international James McFadden is suspended but Lee Croft and Brian Easton are available. tm4tj prediction:- with a full strength squad I would have had no hesitation in promoting a home win as the safest bet. However regular first choice defender David Raven and midfielder Greg Tansey are under disciplinary suspensions which will weaken the side, although Hughes has plenty of options for replacements. Danny Devine has deputised with seamless ease previously and he could fill the void. I still believe Inverness have enough at their disposal to take all three points, but St Johnstone always seem to make it difficult for teams to break them down. Marley Watkins extra pace has been missed recently and he could return to add a bit of width to our attack. Michael O'Halloran is a threat for the visitors and could unsettle a makeshift defence, but it's a home win for me, however be prepared for a tense struggle.

Game off Oh dear. Once again the old problem of calling games off too late reared it's ugly head. United allegedly had the heaters on since Thursday morning but amazingly there were still pockets of ice around the threadbare goal areas. Many Inverness fans had already left, some as far as Perth before the decision to call the game off was officially announced after a second pitch inspection. Some buses made it to Bruar, little consolation if you ask me. This has been posted on the official United site stating the reasons and a reduced offer for tickets when the game is eventually played. January 17, 2015 A Club spokesperson said: “Naturally we’re very disappointed the game can’t go ahead due to the sub zero temperatures we have experienced overnight. Despite taking every precaution and our undersoil heating being on since first thing on Thursday morning, there are patches of the pitch that are a safety hazard for the players particularly in and around the goalmouth areas. We don’t want to take any chances with player safety and as such, while we wanted to give the game as much chance to happen as possible, we also wanted to give fans adequate notice to save unnecessary travel. “We have also decided that, as a good will gesture in appreciation of the effort being made by supporters at this time of year, we will let supporters of Inverness and Dundee United attend the rescheduled fixture for £5.” However, some choice quotes have been doing the rounds:- £15 to go to Bruar and back...money well spent, said AJS on twitter, however, it got better for him......To Bruar and back for a pish and a Subway. Rare away day experience....... Pointless journey. F*%*!n shambles. Hoping Tuesdays on now. Bev tweeted.........not a happy supporters bus heading north. What a shambles......we didn't even get a toilet stop......... Paul was not too happy..........Doesn't take a genius to know that #ICTFC against #DUFC isn't a local derby. Either make a decision early or don't. It's not rocket science. Gringo was grumpy as well.......Nice one SPFL. Let the ICT fans and team travel down the icy A9 for a couple of hours and then.....and only then....call the game off. You really are a fecking joke. Anon.........absolutely disgraceful that a basic need cannot be fulfilled I can understand IF the heating failed. It that doesn't seem to be the case, who is doing the ground staffing for United, Stevie Wonder? And the final complaint was .....The SPFL were willing to risk fans travelling on the notorious A9 in these conditions. Tells you all you need to know about where we come. Anyway, fair play to United for reducing the prices for the next one, but could it have been averted in the first instance, and, if in doubt, could it have been called off sooner.

GAME OFF Tannadice is the venue this Saturday with United hosting third equal Inverness in the weekends top game, where only goal difference separates the sides. At the other end of the spectrum, Ross County have St Mirren as visitors in the ongoing relegation battle. Inverness picked up an excellent three points last Saturday when a Billy Mckay double helped the 10 men to overcome Kilmarnock. David Raven had been sent off just after the break and Inverness did it the hard way, coming from behind to win convincingly by 1-2, despite the numerical disadvantage. Mckay's two goals were well worth the long trek for the Inverness fans, his tenacity, interplay and invention worthy of a bigger stage. United had to wait until Monday night for their game when they ousted Hamilton at New Douglas Park in a five goal thriller. United saw a two goal lead dwindle away before Sean Dillon headed the winner to take them above Inverness in the table. Stuart Armstrong and Mackay-Steven had put United in the driving seat before the Accies drew level, but it was United that took all three points. So, excellent away wins for both clubs that keeps them on the heels of Aberdeen and Celtic. Inverness are on a three game winning run after losing the previous three. United have two wins and a draw in their last three games, including a thumping 6-2 derby win over the Dark Blues. Over the last ten games, United have accumulated nineteen points, one more than Inverness. United are top scorers in the league with forty-two goals which is twelve more than the Caley Jags whereas our defence has conceded seven less than United's. The first encounter this season saw Inverness win 1-0 in the Highlands thanks to an early Marley Watkins strike. In truth though, the score was kind to United who managed to keep it to one goal. Billy Mckay missed a few chances that day, I'm not so sure he is in the same mood right now after his clinical display at Rugby Park. United's Gary Mackay-Steven is a talented youngster and has been attracting attention from none other than Celtic who are allegedly preparing a package, but it has been reported that United would take no less than £250K to let the 24 year old Thurso lad leave Tannadice. Sheffield United have already been told to take a hike with their £80K bid. John Hughes will be without the suspended David Raven. Marley Watkins and James Vincent missed the trip to Kilmarnock, but look to have recovered from their minor knocks. Maybe a gap in the market for Danny Devine to come into the defence although Ross Draper has covered there before and Josh Meekings was originally played at right back. Over to you Yogi. Incidentally, Ibra Sekajja has left the building and signed for Livingstone. Jackie McNamara is without centre-backs Callum Morris and John Souttar as well as striker Mario Bilate. However, United should have signed the powerful former Motherwell striker Henri Anier in time for him to be included in their squad for this game. Anier scored nine times for Motherwell in forty appearances and will sign a two and a half year deal. It looks as though Gary Mackay-Steven has signed a pre-contract agreement with Celtic and will join the Scottish Champions in the summer. I wonder if that will affect his focus for the remainder of the season? Full back Mark Wilson has left the building. tm4tj prediction:- This is one of the toughest fixtures on the calendar. However, if you want to mix it with the big boys, this is the right end of the table to be at. Tannadice is not an easy place to get anything from and when United are in full flow they are a joy to behold. The addition of Anier will add strength to an already impressive strike force which is the leagues top scorers. The United front men are backed by an equally impressive midfield who are not afraid to get in amongst the goals. Their defence is suspect though and are more akin to a mid-table side and that is where we will find any joy that comes our way. We will miss David Raven who has been a regular contributor, but Yogi has choices and that could be important who he decides will fill Raven's boots. With Watkins and Vincent at his disposal, we can also boast a decent attacking force, and Christie will be champing at the bit to test his skills with United's engine room. The winner of tomorrow's game will jump into second place in the table, and that's incentive enough for Inverness to take all three points in a tight affair. By the way, on this very day in 1931 Dundee United recorded their biggest ever win by beating Nithsdale Wanderers 14-0. Jock Bain scored a hat-trick and Tim Williamson bagged five. On the same day, Inverness Caledonian Thistle were erm, unheard of. We were there in spirit though in the shape of Caledonian FC and Inverness Thistle. The Motherwell v Killie game has been postponed due to damage at Fir Park.

Keep off the Grass It's off to Rugby Park on Saturday as Kilmarnock host Inverness on their plastic pitch in a fifth versus seventh premiership match. They played Celtic on it on Monday and a furore broke out when Celtic were denied permission to train on the pitch prior to the game. Meh! Pitches have moved on since the original ones were installed in the eighties. Stirling Albion were the first to try it out at their then ground at Annfield in 1987. There are now 12 stadiums where grass is no longer used, Hamilton being the only other one in the Premier division. The state of the art 3G surfaces are reckoned to be as good as it gets and might be the way forward in our harsh winters. Water on the surface makes for a great game apparently. That shouldn't be a problem this weekend. Last Sunday, Inverness eventually saw off St Mirren thanks to a piece of magic from Billy Mckay, the striker flicking home an incisive cross from MotM David Raven half way through the second half. That win was on the back of an excellent derby triumph at Dingwall which broke a run of three defeats over the Xmas period. Kilmarnock had picked up some form recently with wins over Hamilton and St Mirren, but suffered defeat on Monday when Celtic won 2-0. Prior to beating Hamilton, Killie had gone nine games without a win, losing eight of those games. Our last few visits to Rugby Park have thrown up mixed results. Three wins and three defeats including that remarkable fireworks display when we won 3-6 in 2011. Nobody saw that one coming, but it was a game that will stick in the memory banks for a long time. We had a Shinnie hat-trick that day, but it was brother Andrew that did the damage, along with a brace from Gregory Tade and a single from Jonny Hayes. Killie's scorers were Dean Shiels (2) and Paul Heffernan. Worth noting that none of these scorers play for the clubs now. Some positive news for Inverness fans with Greg Tansey signing on for another couple of seasons, but we await deals for Shinnie, Watkins, Mckay, Meekings and Raven. Shinnie, Watkins and Mckay look to be the difficult ones to secure, but there is more hope for Meekings and Raven to be tied up. In the earlier game in August, Inverness ran out comfortable 2-0 winners. Aaron Doran opened the scoring in the second half and Greg Tansey scored with a superb long range shot that cannoned off the bar/post and Samson, with the keeper actually being credited with scoring the goal. That was a similar game to our last home game, the match taking a while to ignite, but overall a deserved three points. Marley Watkins missed the St Mirren game with a knock but that was our only worry. Richie Foran is out long term. That gave Nick Ross the chance to shine with Ross Draper returning to the bench after suspension. Carl Tremarco carried on at left back with Graeme Shinnie foraging around in midfield. I would expect a similar squad to face Killie. Allan Johnstone has the experienced (and sturdy) Alexei Eremenko to call upon. The Russian playmaker is built like a brick shit house, but his ability on the ball is unquestionable. With former Aberdeen player Josh Magennis on the books, Killie are not short of target men.Craig Slater returns to the squad after his suspension. His over exuberant celebration for scoring the winner against St Mirren saw him picking up his second yellow and subsequently missed the Celtic game. The referee as you might have correctly guessed for that chastising sending off was once more the incompetent Willie Collum. Enough said. Killie are reported to be lining up a bid to entice Kris Boyd back once more. Boyd is now out of favour at troubled the Rangers and if Killie can come up with a package, the proven scorer could find himself playing for the Rugby Parkers once more, the possibility of him lining up against us is a real prospect. tm4tj prediction:- I thought we might have to settle for a point at Dingwall, but a surprising return to direct football saw us emerge with an easy 3-1 victory. We reverted to type against St Mirren but still took the points, although the performance was a bit below par. It's not easy to work out which approach we will use, but my guess is it will be somewhat cautious and I wont be expecting fireworks this time, although a point won't be too shabby. We are capable of taking all three, but let's not be greedy as Killie are also capable of turning on the style and we have suffered at their hands before.