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New Start Same Problems The first game after the olde CEO was prized from his oligarchy bubble saw a decent crowd turn out in appreciation of the efforts of Alan Savage to right the wrongs. It won't happen overnight, but the first steps have been taken to put some life back into the ailing Caley Jags. On the park, Musa Dibaga replaced the injured Jack Newman in goal with emergency loan keeper from Clach Martin MacKinnon on the bench. Keith Bray kept his place with Adam Brooks on the bench. Montrose were the visitors and they are a more settled side although Michael Gardyne was suspended with former Inverness youth player Matheus Machado starting. Both teams were looking for their first win of the League campaign. Kane Hester scored after twenty minutes but on the interval Montrose were reduced to ten men when Sean Dillon was sent off. After the break it was one way traffic against the ten men and no surprise when Adam MacKinnon equalised. However the winning goal eluded us and it was a point apiece. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ It was an overcast, breezy and somewhat chilly afternoon with an Autumnal feel about it as the teams emerged from the tunnel, Inverness in their new strip, the visitors in white tops with black shorts. Prior to kick off Captain Billy Mckay was presented with a wee memento on reaching 300 appearances for the Caley Jags, not to mention his 112 goals for the club. The first action saw Keith Bray's shot deflected at the expense of a corner when he spun on the edge of the box and tried to get his shot away in the seventh minute. Twenty minutes in and what a finish for the opening goal. Former Elgin player Kane Hester opened the scoring with a tremendous strike into the top corner from a tight angle after his miscontrol seemed to deceive Danny Devine to give the visitors the early advantage. Machado was booked a minute later. Billy Mckay came close to levelling the scores after half an hour when Cammy Gill turned his shot across the keeper onto the post with his fingertips. It was a half littered with fouls and Luis Longstaff shot over ten minutes before the break. Sean Dillon headed over at the other end before he received a second yellow card for a late challenge on Billy Mckay. How dare he on his 300th appearance! That was on the interval to leave the visitors to face the second half a man short but a goal to the good. HALF TIME: 0-1 Mathew Strachan replaced Flynn Duffy at the start of the second half and Gill denied Longstaff shortly after. The other Duffy was hooked for Callum MacLeod ten minutes into the half and Mckay was again foiled by Gill as he shot from inside the box. It was turning into a procession towards Cammy Gill and Longstaff and Gilmour had a go before Adam Mackinnon equalised just after the hour, drilling home from outside the box. He almost scored a second momnents later. Mckay would not find that elusive strike as Gill saved again and Gilmour was blocked before Davidson should have done better at the back post. MacKinnon had another couple of attempts ten minutes from the end and Mckay was denied for the 300th time by the keeper in the top corner. We plugged away until the end but try as we did, the winning goal eluded us and it ended all square. FULL TIME: 1-1 A disappointing result but we did create enough chances to win three games. However, as has been our downfall over the last few seasons, we struggle to get the ball in the net. Great for Adam MacKinnon to get his first goal, and with a bit of fortune he could have scored another couple. Overall the concensus of opinion is that it is a bit of improvement on recent dire performances but we still have a long way to go. Let's not forget we played against 10 men for the whole of the second half. Doofers Dad summarised neatly: Of course it is very disappointing to not to beat a 10 man part time team at home, but I felt there were a lot of positives yesterday. We laid siege to their goal for lengthy periods in the second half and created more chances than we have for a long time. It got the crowd going and was quite exciting to watch. (Dunc, please take note.). A mixture of very narrow misses and weak efforts meant we couldn't find the winner but it could just have easily have been a victory by 3 or 4 goals. How that would have changed the mood! Pos Team Pld W D L F A Pts Table after today's draw with Montrose 1. Kelty Hearts 3 2 1 0 6 1 7 2. Q.O.S. 3 2 1 0 4 1 7 3. Annan Athletic 3 2 0 1 4 3 6 4. Alloa Athletic 3 1 2 0 4 3 5 5. Dumbarton 3 0 3 0 5 5 3 6. Montrose 3 0 3 0 2 2 3 7. Stenhousemuir 3 1 0 2 2 4 3 8. Inverness CT 3 0 2 1 2 3 2 9. Cove Rangers 3 0 1 2 3 6 1 10. Arbroath 3 0 1 2 1 5 1 If you can make out what is being said, you are better than me... Sort this out, the wind did the same last time. Can just about make it out in the interview, but it sounds like keeper Jack Newman has gone back to Tannadice for treatment. Sounds like he could be out for some time. Date: 17/08/2024 Venue: Caledonian Stadium Attendance: 1902 Referee: Alastair Grieve Inverness CT: 1 Manager: Duncan Ferguson Lineup: Dibaga; W Duffy (MacLeod 55), Davidson (Thompson 86), Devine, Savage, F Duffy (Strachan 46), Bray, Gilmour, A MacKinnon, Longstaff (Brooks 77), B Mackay (Ferguson 86) Subs (not used): M MacKinnon; Walker, Keogh, C Mackay Scorers: A MacKinnon (63) Booked: F Duffy (40), Gilmour (45) Sent Off: none Montrose FC: 1 Manager: Stewart Petrie Lineup: Gill; Williamson, Quinn, Masson (McKenzie 59), Steeves, Hester (Maciver- Redwood 70), Dillon, Lyons (Trialist 70), Hannah (Shrive 58), Brown, Machado (Smith 77) Subs (not used): Mathews; Scorers: Hester (20) Booked: Machado (22), Dillon (34 & 45+1), Masson (38), Steeves (72), Smith (87) Sent Off: Dillon (45+1) a

Gable Endies Trip North A week is a long time in the changing faces of Caley Thistle. Montrose are the visitors this weekend as news of a Savage intervention overpowered the extra sensory perceptions of fantasy that were wafting around the Caledonian Stadium as if they were going out of fashion. Not since the early days of LSD have we been subjected to such psychedelia and hallucinatory fables that we were experiencing at the moment as philanthropist or fantasist Ketamine McWannabe attempted to pull the wool over the eyes of those we once trusted to lead our club in search of the holy graill. He did manage to bluff his way through a few clowns, but sense and sensibility will now take over as the prodigal son, Alan Savage, returns to stabilise the club. The club motto is 'Pride of the Highlands'. It was about to be altered to 'Laughing Stock of the North'. But wait! There is a God afterall, his name is Savage, Alan Savage. Was it written in the stars... ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Match/Ticket Info Savage Intervention Supporters Trust Forensic Audit topic on CTO Safety Message ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ On hearing the news, the fans turned a Whiter Shade of Pale: To be honest, it was akin to a scene from the Wizard of Oz with the Munchkins showing much merryment. We skipped the light fandango, turned some cartwheels across the floor, I was feeling kind of seasick, when the crowd called out for more. The room was humming harder, and the ceiling flew away when I called out for another drink the waiter brought a tray... Apologies for the lack of Football information on the preview this week. Unfortunately a lot has happened in a very short space of time and it's difficult to keep abreast of the situation as it changes everytime you log in to the laptop. What we do know is that Alan Savage will conduct a 'forensic review' of all that is concerning the club in these difficult times. Scotty has started a topic on CTO to discuss this. Scot Gardiner has been shown the door and with Alan Savage at the helm we can be assured that all will be upfront and integrity will return. However, this is just the tip of the iceberg and the deeper they dive, the more we will know about our plight. We are not out of the woods by any means, but it is the first positive step forward in what will be a long arduous trek after years of self inflicted decline from within. Last Time Out Inverness lost out again at Annan as they did on League Cup duty when a Tommy Goss penalty was the difference between the two sides. Goss also scored the only goal in the League Cup game. A disappointing result on the back of a 1-1 draw against Dumbarton in the League opener at the Caledonian stadium. Danny Devine opening our account on half time but a resurgent Son's perked up after the break and got a deserved equaliser. Billy Mckay makes his 300th appearance for Inverness tomorrow. What a legend sitting on 112 goals. Note to Dunc. Billy is a striker, so let's see him strike please. Montrose have drawn their opening two fixtures in the League. A 1-1 draw at home to Kelty was followed by a goalless draw at Arbroath. Craig Brown scored the goal on the hour against Kelty who hit back soon after through Cunningham. Surprise surprise, but Michael Gardyne was sent off after an hour against Arbroath and will be suspended for the trip North. We will find Montrose a stubborn team and our last encounters with them saw us scrape through the play-offs at the end of last season. That's sort of irrelevant now with our playing staff decimated and morale at rock bottom. <<<That was their starting XI against Arbroath last week. No massive squad changes from last term but Gardyne suspended. In: Ben MacIver-Redwood, forward (Stirling University); Craig Smith, defender (Heriot-Watt University). Loan in: Blair McKenzie, defender (Aberdeen); Callum Hannah, defender (Raith Rovers). Out: Liam Callaghan, midfielder (Arbroath); Ben Hermiston, forward (Deveronvale, undisclosed); Craig Batchelor, forward.

Too Little Too Late Inverness added their two new signings to their squad which meant Keith Bray was benched with Wallace Duffy returning to the starting XI and Musa Dibaga as back up keeper on the bench. Annan had one change with Josh Dixon replacing Paul Smith in midfield. Jack Newman had the only notable save of the first forty-five denying Aidan Smith after ten mintes. Other than that it was Annan on top without overly threatening. After the interval Annan were awarded a penalty after fifty minutes and Tommy Goss duly scored from the spot. That was the difference between the sides as Annan took all three points despite a late charge from the visitors. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Plenty of early posturing and the first action for the keepers saw Jack Newman save brilliantly from an Aidan Smith header in the tenth minute as Annan came close to the opening goal. Inverness' first effort followed soon after as Adam Brooks shot over from a tight angle. Annan were controlling the pace of the game in the first quarter and forced three corners to no avail. Smith again went close on the half hour when he shot just wide. Josh Dixon shot over from the edge of the box ten minutes before the break and Wallace Duffy picked up a yellow for abruptly stopping an Annan attack. Half Time: 0-0 Danny Devine gave away a penalty five minutes after the restart when he fouled Tommy Goss who got up to slot home the spot kick into the bottom corner. Luis Longstaff fired a free kick over the bar and Billy Mckay was denied by the keeper after a turn and run from Longstaff. Almost a tap in for Smith but for a great interception by the defence. Devine headed wide from a Charlie Gilmour free kick as we tried to get back on level terms. A double denial for Inverness as Gilmour's effort was well saved then Devine hit the underside of the bar from the recycled ball as we entered the final ten minutes. Bray shot wide as we pushed for an equaliser with Annan looking for the final whistle. Annan were by now hanging on by a thread and a couple of late corners for the visitors came and went before the final whistle ended the siege. Full Time: 1-0 More detail to follow>>> Date: 10/08/2024 Venue: Galabank Stadium Attendance: 0386 Referee: Alex Shepherd Annan Athletic: 1 Manager: Wullie Gibson (player manager) Lineup: J Smith; Gibson, Dixon (K Fleming 89), T Muir (Quintongo 70), McGowan, Todd, R Muir, Goss (Stevenson 89), Kilsby, A Smith, Zaid (Barnes 79) Subs (not used): G Fleming; Maxwell, Quigg Scorers: Goss (50 pen) Booked: McGowan (51) Sent Off: none Inverness CT: 0 Manager: Duncan Ferguson Lineup: Newman; W Duffy (Thompson 83), Davidson, Devine, Savage, F Duffy (Strachan 83), Mackinnon (Bray 74), Gilmour, B Mckay (Ferguson 74), Brooks (MacLeod 46), Longstaff Subs (not used): Dibaga; Walker, Keogh, C Mackay Scorers: none Booked: W Duffy (37) Sent Off: none a

30 years On... Thirty years on from our entry into the Scottish League system when we were then known as Caledonian Thistle, we head to Galabank Stadium, Annan, for a League 1 game, having already lost there this season in the League Cup group stages. This will be only the fourth meeting between the two clubs having won the first two 8-1 and 4-0 many moons ago before losing 1-0 last month. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Match/Ticket/Bus Info Thirty Years Ago Today ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Not much has changed since we played Annan a month ago. Ethan Cairns is still out with a health issue. Trialist keeper still not signed up. Spoke to the 'Owner', hopeful of adding another couple of players. Wallace Duffy is also still a possibility. Annan beat Cove Rangers last week in their opening League fixture. Second half goals from Max Kilsby, Josh Todd and Malik Zaid gave Annan a 3-1 win over Cove. That win put Annan at the top of the table on goal difference. The League cup encounter was a close affair against Inverness and Tommy Goss got the winner despite a promising display from Inverness where Ferguson felt we were unfortunate not to take something from the game. Whilst Annan were beating Cove, we were drawing with Dumbarton in a game of two halfs. An opening headed goal from Danny Devine put us ahead just on the interval in a lively opening 45'. Alas we went back ito our shell after the break and the Sons capitalised on that to draw level. The Good Old Days Who remembers this one? Four days before the legend that was Alan Hercher scored that opening day League hat-trick against Arbroath at Telford Street in a 5-2 League fixture, we faced East Stirlingshire in the Coca Cola Cup first round and came away with a 2-0 win thanks to first half goals from Wilson Robertson and Alan Hercher. Report by Ian Broadfoot: A fine performance by Caledonian Thistle in their first competitive match won them a second round tie against Dundee. The home 'keeper Moffat denied both Hercher and McAllister but the deadlock was broken in the 36th minute when Wilson Robertson scored after a 1-2 with Paul MacKenzie. Just on half time they went two ahead - Hercher distracted Ian Lee and a Scott corner ricocheted into the net off the defender. Alan Hercher was credited with the goal. In the second half the result was never in doubt and both MacDonald and Hercher nearly increased the visitors' lead. East Stirling did come close seven minutes from time when John Scott was forced to clear from his line. A few minutes later Robertson and Noble had shots saved by Moffat. In the last minute a Geraghty shot nearly gave East Stirling a consolation goal but it came off the bar. League Cup - Rd 1 Tuesday, August 9th, 1994, 7:30 PM at Firs Park, Falkirk Attendance: 899 Referee: M Clark Starting XI Mark McRitchie Dave Brennan Mark McAllister Mike Andrew Mike Noble John Scott Danny MacDonald Graeme Bennett Alan Hercher Paul McKenzie (Smart 66) Wilson Robertson Subs: Jim Calder (GK), Martin Lisle, Allan Smart

Game of Two Halves A rousing round of applause rang out from the crowd on the sixth minute in appreciation of the dedication of John Mackenzie, AKA the Immortal Howden Ender who sadly passed away last week. A fitting tribute as cheering and clapping broke out around the ground and one in which he would have loved to have led the way. Rest in Peace my well travelled friend. You would have enjoyed the first half. The second I'm sure you would have had some choice words for in your aftermatch summary. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ It was the proverbial game of two halves. Inverness were miles ahead in the first half and rubbish after the break. Plenty of possession and slick movement with new signings Flynn Duffy and Adam Mackinnon prominent in attacking moves. Charlie Gilmour brought out a tremendous reflex save from keeper Long, however most of the good work petered out when we got into the final third but we took the lead on the stroke of half time when Danny Devine sneaked in behind the defence to nod in unchallenged at the back post from a corner. Hey ho we all thought, lifes not so bad after all. Wrong!!! We allowed Dumbarton to dominate the next half hour and they deservedly levelled through Carlo Pignatiello as we seemed to go back into our shell. Niang was booked a second time for persistent fouling and reluctantly left the field when he was red carded. Billy Mckay cracked one off the bar and Charlie Gilmour and Remi Savage were denied by the keeper but it was a bit of an anti climax after a promising first half. Jack Newman also had to make a good save five minutes from the end to keep the score level when he denied Mumbongo. FULL TIME: 1-1 Flynn Duffy and Adam Mackinnon ran the show in the first half but we were strangely subdued after the break and got what we deserved. We reverted to sideways and backward passing and one can only assume the players were under orders to hold onto the ball rather than look for more, especially once Dumbarton were reduced to ten men. We really need our senior players to lead by example, but the likes of Longsraff and Mckay were not at the races today. This League should be the catalyst for Longstaff to take on defenders. Sadly he was guilty of backwards thinking instead. It was a mirror image of the League Cup game against Bonnyrigg. Three up at the break then absolutely nothing after the interval and playing second fiddle. The trialist keeper for Inverness was believed to be twenty-four year old Spaniard Musa Dibaga who has previously been at Whitehill Welfare and Boness United. Robert on CTO summarised thus: I thought we were pretty good in the first half and deserved to lead, and it could have been more if players had seen the runs on the shoulder Brooks was making. Gilmour came very close but the goalie somehow kept it out. We didn’t turn up after the break until we’d conceded, then we woke up a bit but couldn’t get a goal, Mckay coming closest when he hit the bar, and both goalies pulled off good saves late on. We also had a clear penalty turned down, with everyone seeing the handball apart from the officials. It was really a repeat of last season. Plenty possession but lacking the cutting instinct and taking the safe option too often. MacKinnon looked good and Duffy had a decent first half but faded after the break. He should have been subbed at the same time as MacKinnon. I’d like to think we will at least be competitive in this league, but we need to be more clinical than we were today. Date: 03/08/2024 Venue: Caledonian Stadium Attendance: 1469 Referee: Dan McFarlane Inverness CT: 1 Manager: Duncan Ferguson Lineup: Newman; Bray (Ferguson 84), Davidson, Devine, Savage, Duffy, Gilmour, Mackinnon (Macleod 67), B Mckay, Brooks (Thompson 84), Longstaff Subs (not used): Trialist (gk); Strachan, Corner, Walker, Keogh, C Mackay. Scorers: Devine (44) Booked: Brooks (57), Devine (85) Sent Off: none Dumbarton: 1 Manager: Stevie Farrell Lineup: Long; Lynas, Shiels, Durnan, Miller, Orsi (Mumbongo 74), Gray, Hilton (Blair 83), Niang, Ruth (Clark 83) Wallace (Pignatiello 46), Subs (not used): Blair, McGuffie, Grivas, O'Neil. Scorers: Pignatiello (59) Booked: Hilton (26), Niang (56, 79) Sent Off: Niang (79) a