tm4tj
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I met the guy's brother the other day, Whyte van Man..................
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Aye he awsn't touched, he just never ran quick enough and fell over, no dive, just fell over. And it was Hogg who made the blooper was it not.
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It may just be me, but I didn't think he dived. I thought his wee leggies just never went fast enough. He was causing problems for us with his quick feet, tricky player. Sometimes people just fall over, not a crime to be honest.
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He got praise in the match report on here :- Well, last week at Pittodrie young Spaniard Roman Golobart was crucified for his Spanish dancing. He must have been taking lessons as this week his potential was there for all to see, he even had time to woosh a couple of Killie players as he displayed an arrogance and panache that will glue him to the Caley Jags support, well done Golly and man of the match award fully justified.
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Och aye bishybashyboshy..................but you get nothing for scoring goals in the warm up.
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Now now, don't bite
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Full match report now published Much easier to do when we win
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No. That's not him.
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yep...........he was the fellow with the whistle............he went all soft after a while and gave everything to Killie, but someones got to do it
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It might have been better if it was closed...............my brain is sore
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Inverness edge out Killie in entertaining tussle. Inverness eased their frustration with a 2-1 victory over a sprightly Kilmarnock. The visitors were on the back foot from the offset but Inverness could not consolidate their early superiority and settled for a draw at half time. Goals from Tade and Shiels ensured there was plenty of talking points at the break as Killie started to assert themselves. The game proceeded in the same fashion after half time, Killie dominating play for the first ten minutes then Karma; the game went into a lull and either team could have clinched the winner. As it was, young Graeme Shinnie produced the goods and scored a deserved winner for the Caley Jags with the clock running down. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Well, that's the monkey off the back. Just when you thought it would never happen, along comes a win, let's hope they are like buses. A warm glow came over me at ten to five yesterday, no, I never wet myself, not this time, just the satisfaction of a deserved late winner was all it took. Take a bow Graeme Shinnie. After last season's illness problems he looks to have made the left back berth his own, with the added bonus of a cracking goal to boot; it's enough to make grown men weep. That he was outshone by one other player was a mere detail, this young lad is going places. He has been immense since returning to the squad and already there are cries of Kenny who. Inverness were down to the bare bones for yesterday's visit of Kilmarnock. With an extensive injury list it was more like an episode of Casualty as Butcher tried to assemble a squad for the game. Esson assumed control of the keepers jersey with Ross Tokely shuffled across to right back. Hogg and Golly were the centre backs with Graeme Shinnie at left back. Austrian Thomas Piermayr was pushed further forward in the absence of Jonny Hayes with Gavin Morrison accompanying Doran and Foran in the supply division, with the as yet non scoring Gregory Tade doing the chasing up front. How would we fare against one of last seasons entertainers? The Innes bar refurb was adjourned and the stage was set for the game, even the weather was kind to us, were the God's in our favour? Surely not, that would be a first. Not sure what happened, but the taxi had us in the stadium ten minutes before kick off ; what was that all about, still, we settled down for the game and it took a bit of getting used to. Killie kicked towards the North Stand in the first half which did seem rather bizarre, but it had a strange effect on the side. We actually played football for half an hour. We stroked the ball around like nobody's business, Brazil eat yer heart out. 27th Aug 2011 Tulloch Caledonian Stadium I.C.T. 2 - Tade (26), G.Shinnie (89) TEAM: Esson, Tokely, Hogg, Golobart, G.Shinnie, Ross, Piermayr, Morrison, Foran (A.Shinnie 81), Doran (McKay 89), Tade (Sutherland 71) SUBS: Tuffey, Laing Booked: Piermayr (40), Tade (56), G.Shinnie (77) Sent Off: none KILMARNOCK 1 - Shiels (35) TEAM: Bell, Fowler (Fisher 80), Kroca, McKeown, Ada, Kelly, Buijs, Dayton, Shiels, Pascali, Hutchinson (Galan 64) SUBS: Jaakkola, Hay, Harkins, Racchi, Pursehouse Booked: Fowler (79), Kelly (87) Sent Off: none Referee Bobby Madden Attendance 3348 Inverness started the game in sprightly fashion, passing the ball on the deck and taking the game to the visitors. Killie were on the back foot for the first half hour as Butcher appeared to have got his half time pep talk in early. Nick Ross firing over the bar in the third minute showed our intentions as a shoot on site policy overtook the walk the ball into the net strategy that has been our ilk of late. Piermayr trying the same a few minutes later as we continued to outplay a bemused Kilmarnock, and the home fans. Who were these guys? Confidence was oozing from the same players who slumped to defeat at Ayr only three days earlier. Shinnie, Piermayr and Tade contiued the trend as Killie were pushed into their own box and Bell looked lively to deny Tade, but not for long. With twenty six minutes on the clock, Inverness got the breakthrough their intricate play richly deserved. Not often you can use that term when describing our endeavours of late. The grafting Richie Foran broke free on the right and he delivered an inch perfect cross for Gregory Tade to power home his first goal for Inverness. We talked about lack of passion in recent weeks. Well, that theory just went out the window as Tade celebrated in front of the North Stand............whatever was he thinking! Great goal and great celebration Gregory. He pumped his chest and stared long and hard into the faithful, scared the sh!t out of me. Maybe that was borne out of sheer relief or maybe he had been reading some of the posts regarding his style of play. Whatever, the lad was playing great and rummeling up the Killie back line at every opportunty. Unfortunately, it appeared that the Inverness players could not believe they were giving Killie the runaround. The goal sparked a mini revival from Kilmarnock as they suddenly started to believe in themselves. It must have been a tortuous half hour for the visiting fans, but their day was about to get brighter. Mr Madden intervened and all of a sudden Kilmarnock were benefitting from decisions that were previously going our way. Whilst Inverness were enjoying the lions share of the game, Kilmarnock are nobodies kicking boys and were always dangerous on the occasions that they ventured forward. They changed the pattern of play after thirty five minutes when Dean Shiels curled in a beauty from the left side of the field, the ball evading the outstretched Esson as it bent round him into the bottom corner. Fabulous goal, albeit against the run of play at that moment, but things were about to change. Esson was becoming less of a spectator as Killie found a new self belief and they suddenly realised it was not Brazil they were playing. He was eventually called in to action as he turned away a Hutchinson shot at the expense of a corner just before half time. For Inverness, it was a good time to take a break as Killie were now on the ascendancy. Half Time:- 1-1 The second half started like the first half finished; Killie searching for an opening and Inverness defending in depth, Esson saving a Dayton shot in the first minute of the half. Dayton was about to endear himself to the home fans with a serious of attempts to change the rules of the game, he was in truth becoming a bit of a thorn in the Inverness ranks. Inverness though, were not idle and Tade almost scored another as a header flashed agonisingly wide, and Doran shot from distance. It was Killie though that looked the likeliest to go on and win the game at this point as Pascali headed over. Tade entered Mr Madden's book rather harshly as he protested his innocence, but the lad was doing some shift. Ben Hutchinson then cracked one off the post and shortly after headed over when well positioned, that was to be his last involvement as he was replaced by Jorge Galan with half an hour to play. In seventy minutes Foran should have done better as his header went wide with the goal at his mercy and the game entered another phase. The balance of play had levelled off and Inverness had weathered the Killie storm, not quite Hurricane Irene, but still plenty of puff from the visitors. Shinnie and Fowler were noted by the whistler as play became a bit towsey, and Chris Hogg almost undid his good work as he erred to let Killie in. No damage done though. Play was becoming a bit stretched and chances were going abegging as the ref noted Kelly's name for ending Doran's day. Another injury woe for Butcher to deal with as he left the park nursing a serious looking shoulder problem. There was, however, still time for the game to be won or lost. Inverness were having a late surge and Graeme Shinnie burst into the left corner of the box from where he rifled a low shot across Bell and into the bottom corner; Ya beauty. Cue much jubilation in the North Stand and disgruntlement in the visitors ranks. This goal had brotherly love written all over it as Andrew had kindly provided the opening for Graeme. Not much time left for Killie to stage a comeback and there endeth the scoring in an entertaining encounter. Full Time:- 2-1 So, what did we make of that................This was a game of five halfs, with Inverness winning three of them! Well, last week at Pittodrie young Spaniard Roman Golobart was crucified for his Spanish dancing. He must have been taking lessons as this week his potential was there for all to see, he even had time to woosh a couple of Killie players as he displayed an arrogance and panache that will glue him to the Caley Jags support, well done Golly and man of the match award fully justified. Graeme Shinnie was another who showed us why we are asking Kenny who? He was solid at the back and the goal just topped off another fantastic display from the youngster. Full of energy and always willing to support the attack. Tokely was back to his best at right back, mind you, he has been the one constant this season. Now, I can't finish off without another plaudit for Gregory Tade. He has had his knockers, ooerr missus, but today was Tade day. Not a common thing for us to be scoring headed goals but he certainly buried that one. His passion shone through as he celebrated his goal as if he had just won the world cup, I'm up for more of this. No failures for Inverness although the disappointing thing for the fans was another couple of injuries picked up as if they are going out of fashion. Doran may have a dislocated shoulder and Foran was in trouble as he left the action. On the plus side, Billy McKay managed a few minutes at the end to make his competitive debut, so that's a bit of a boost. International break next weekend will give some a chance to repair themselves but one or two look to be longer term casualties, here's hoping they are quick healers. It's the Jambo's up here in a fortnight and another showing like yesterday might just be enough to appease the fans and get our season into second gear. A few rights were sorted post match in the Innes and all in all, a good day out; cheers. Sorry, no match footage found. -
Might pop into deeno's first, give them time to sort out the problems............drink is not first on my agenda
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The good news is the Innes bar is open...............the bad news is they are having a problem with the till but hope to have it sorted pronto. The refurb has been taking place so not everything is functional, no darts yet, but drink will be sold once till is functioning
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At the wages we offer, it's probably as long as anyone would commit themselves to. Just a guess.
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Ayrshire double header part two. Yes folks, after the humiliation of midweek at Somerset Park it's part two of the Ayrshire themed week as Kilmarnock head north to face a bedraggled Inverness Caledonian Thistle. Inverness slumped to a 1-0 defeat at the hands of Ayr Ayr super Ayr on wednesday evening and confidence is at an all time low. To add insult to injury, (no pun intended), Jonny Hayes joins the list of casualties after damaging his shoulder against Ayr. Where do Terry & Mo turn now? A season which started full of promise with a new look squad and murmurs of playing the ball on the deck has suddenly become a mini crisis as one solitary point from five SPL games, with the added termination of our League Cup employment, makes for grim reading. Our injury list is as long as it's ever been and the news that Tom Aldred has returned to Watford has rocked the already disgruntled fans. We have not quite reached the stage where the shoes come off, but another two or three games without a win will certainly have the tongues wagging. It's easy to say that the release of our backbone from last season has been the difference between success and failure and that the gelling operation has taken longer than expected, but the buck stops at one place, the manager. Butcher has remained upbeat despite the setbacks in the league games, but he found it more difficult to accept the manner in which the club slipped out of the cup on Wednesday. Once again a lack lustre first half was followed by a much livlier second forty-five, but once again we failed to make the most of our opportunities. Maybe the return from injury of Billy Mackay will inject some much needed opportunism in front of goals, who knows, we have yet to see what he is capable of, but the longer this goes on, the more weight will be on his young shoulders. Match Stats : This league fixture in Inverness has been pretty even, with four wins apiece and two games drawn. Forty goals have been scored in ten fixtures, that's a healthy four goals per game. A couple of high scoring encounters when Killie won 3-4 in 2006 and a 3-3 draw the previous season. The biggest winning margin was a 3-0 victory for Inverness in April 2008. The best away victory came last December when Killie won 1-3, with goals from Bryson, Kelly and Hamill. Richie Foran scored the Inverness goal that day. Inverness did triumph in a Scottish Cup game on a snowy saturday in Feb 2009, goals from Pavels Mihadjuks and one Adam Rooney making sure that Inverness reached the quarter finals. Where are they now? Maybe we should go back to using the yellow ball. Just to compound Killies day, Kevin Kyle was red carded in this game for elbowing David Proctor. This was Butcher's first win in charge of the Caley Jags, coming after a no scoring draw with Celtic. However, the revival did not last for ever and Inverness were out of the cup in the next round and relegated at the end of the season, Falkirk having a big say in both events and red cards for Lionel Djebi Zadi and Ross Tokely. Indeed, where are they now, only Esson, Tokely and Foran remain at Inverness. Current Form Inverness sit bottom of the league for a reason. The worst defensive record in the league and one point from the first five games. Three of those goals against have come at home. A poor start to the season for Butcher's men, but not an uncommon occurance for the Jags, seen as slow starters by many. A break for cup duty in midweek should have lifted the spirits, but it was more doom and gloom for the supporters as Ayr looked more like the SPL side as they defeated Inverness 1-0. I have to say that our form so far this season has been disappointing to put it mildly. Kilmarnock have only played four league games and they sit in sixth place with six points. They crushed Hibernian 4-1 a couple of weeks ago and have drawn with Hearts, Motherwell and Dundee United. Killie have only scored one away goal so far this season. On the other hand, they have only lost one goal as well. They remain unbeaten after four games. Team News Inverness have plenty of problems ahead of this game as the injury list has increased steadily with Jonny Hayes damaging shoulder ligaments. He is added to a list that includes Cox, Tudur-Jones, Gillet, Proctor, Mackay, and Meekings. With no recognised out and out strikers available, Butcher has had to use Foran, Tade and Sutherland as front men, a ploy that has not set the heather on fire so far. The defence has been changed on a weekly basis due to injuries and suspensions and with young Spaniard Roman Golobart being thrown in at the deep end it was the final straw for Tom (The Tank) Aldred who returned to his parent club Watford. That was a bemusing move by the management as Tom looked to be a steady if unspectacular centre back in pre-season, but was left out as soon as the new kid on the block arrived; how odd. The midfield will be without the enigmatic Irishman Jonny Hayes. His pace and trickery will be sorely missed but this will open doors for Tade, Morrison and Sutherland to make an impact. Andrew Shinnie also had a run out at Ayr as a second half substitute and he is another who could find a starting place. Tuffey played well in goals, however I would expect last seasons player of the year Ryan Esson to return to action for the SPL match. Kilmarnock gaffer Kenny Shiels has lost the services of central defender Ryan o'Leary for the season after he damaged cruciate ligaments in last weeks 0-0 draw with Hearts. Paul Heffernan is also out with a calf strain and David Silva is a longer term absentee. Tim Clancy is on his way to Motherwell and that combined with the injury to O'Leary means Shiels is on the lookout for another stopper. This move for Clancy will free up some money for Killie to fill the gap left by O'Leary, and Shiels is looking further afield in his search for a replacement. Former Motherwell defender Paul Quinn is a name being touted around as a possible target. He is plying his trade at Cardiff City just now in the Championship League. tm4tj Prediction : This is traditionally a high scoring game. However, only one of these sides seems capable of doing that at this moment, although the Inverness defence is conducive to high scoring encounters. This augers well for Kilmarnock and although my heart says one thing, my head tells me a different story and only one outcome. A win for the visitors; at best a point for the homesters. Butcher was scathing in his assessment of his squad at Ayr in midweek and he told BBC Sport :- "I feel badly let down and I think the club feels badly let down as well - the players know, as I've told them in no uncertain terms, that they have to pull their fingers out and get going again," he said. "We have enough in the squad to have done a lot better and that's the most disappointing thing; players are playing well below their level at the moment and, as a team, we're playing well below our level as well. "I don't like teams to be hungrier than mine, but Ayr certainly were and full credit to them - I wish them good luck in the next round." Will this get the desired reaction from the team or will it have an adverse effect, we will find out this Saturday. ***Latest Team News:- Billy Mackay should make the bench and that will give the fans a boost as goals are at a premium just now. Greg Tansey is reported to be struggling with a knee knock and could miss out adding to the Highlanders injury problems. The news on Jonny Hayes is not good either, up to eight weeks is the prognosis for the wee man. Get well soon. Other News:- All three Scottish clubs crashed out of European action this week, nothing new there then.
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Killie Preview now published on main page. It's a bit doom and gloom, but that's how it is at the moment........... Oh no, another game to watch
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Hope you looked after the guys Harry Ayr report now published Cup woe for Inverness
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Revenge is sweet for Ayr. Inverness were sent tumbling out of the Scottish Communities Cup at Somerset Park under Ayr's new floodlights. There would be no repeat of the thrashing dished out last time and Ayr would go on to make the headlines; deservedly so. A low strike by Eddie Malone on the hour was enough for the Honest Men to get the better of the SPL side who are suffering from a confidence crisis at the moment. Ayr had dominated the first half but Inverness came out of the blocks flying at the start of the second half, however our failings in front of goal are there for all to see and it is Ayr who progress to the next round of the competition at the expense of the SPL's bottom club. A small but perfectly formed band of Inverness fans witnessed another setback for this season, it's maybe just as well there were only a handful there. Harry's bar was much quieter this time around as the teams took to the field about to test out Ayr's new floodlights. It was the Honest Men who started the game brightly and Jonny Tuffey was in action in the first few minutes to deal with a couple of corners and a strike on target. Michael McGowan curled an effort round Tuffey's post in the fifth minute as Ayr pushed the SPL strugglers onto the back foot. Martyn Campbell left the field in the ninth minute after sustaining an injury to be replaced by Armstrong, but the flow of the tie continued as Inverness struggled to cope. Shane Sutherland tried his luck from 18 yards and at the other end Moffat sent an angled shot high over the bar as the game opened out a bit more. In the 22nd minute Inverness suffered another blow when Jonny Hayes went off with a shoulder injury and his replacement was Nick Ross. Not the news that Inverness fans wanted to hear with our already extensive injury list leaving us a bit threadbare. The McGowan show was about to start as he sent an effort just wide with the aid of a deflection off Thomas Piermayr. On the half hour he curled a free kick just wide from 25 yards and moments later Aaron Doran went even closer for the Caley Jags as he shaved the bar with his free kick. McGowan though was proving to be a difficult customer to deal with and he got on the end of a Geggan feed but Tuffey was able to beat away the shot. That man McGowan again turned his marker for the umpteenth time but once more Tuffey matched the shot and kept the scoreline blank. 24/08/11 Somerset Park, Ayr Ayr Utd 1 - Malone (60) TEAM: Cuthbert, J.Robertson, Malone, Smith, Campbell (Armstrong 10), McKernan, McGowan, Geggan, Wardlaw, Roberts (Tiffoney 65), Moffat (R.Robertson 85) SUBS: McWilliams, Burke Booked: Wardlaw (53) Sent Off: none I.C.T. 0 - TEAM: Tuffey, Piermayr, Tokely, Sutherland (A.Shinnie 65), Hogg, Doran, Hayes (Ross 22), Morrison (Tade 77), Foran, G.Shinnie, Golobart SUBS: Esson, Laing Booked: Golobart (40), Tade (90) Sent Off: none Referee Brian Winter Attendance 987 Inverness' frustration was beginning to show and Golobart was yellow carded for upending Wardlaw, but with half time approaching Eddie Malone made a timely intervention as Nick Ross was about to open the scoring. Billy Reid would have been the happier man at the break and Inverness will once more have their ears bent by Terry Butcher after a poor first half, but Ayr were certainly the better in the opening period. Half Time: 0-0 Right eenuff mun, the Caley Jags came out of the blocks flying at the start of the second half. In the 47th minute the woodwork denied Inverness as a Tokely shot came back off the post and a grateful Kevin Cuthbert gathered the ball. Gareth Wardlaw earned a booking for simulation as he dropped in the Inverness box. However, a few minutes later Ayr took the lead when Malone hit a low drive into the net after a McGowan corner fell to him. This spurred the Inverness side into more frenzied action but without an out and out striker the goals never materialised. Andrew Shinnie replaced Sutherland as Butcher tried to freshen up his attack and Tiffoney came on for Roberts as Inverness turned the screw, Shinnie having a volley on target immediately. A great chance for Ayr to seal it as Geggan heads a McGowan cross just wide in 74 minutes from around eight yards, but the score remained at 1-0 with the game still in the balance. With just over ten minutes to go Gregory Tade entered the fray at the expense of Gavin Morrison, this was the last throw of the dice for Butcher. The visitors were now camping in the Ayr half and Foran saw a header well saved by Cuthbert as the seasiders held on grimly. Unbelievably the Gods are still against us as a last gasp 'goal' from Ross Tokely was adjudged to be offside, much to the relief of a tiring Ayr United but there was still time for that man McGowan to bring out another stop from Jonny Tuffey. A couple of minutes of time added on was not enough for Inverness to force the tie into extra time and Ayr deserved their moment of glory as Inverness slumped to yet another frustrating defeat. Full Time: 1-0 No complaints from me about the result, we knew it was going to be tough and so it proved, but our inability to take advantage of the chances that do come our way is rather worrying. Well done to Ayr who took a terrible beating in 2010 but turned it round this time and humbled the SPL club. The panic buttons have not been pressed yet, but there are signs that this is going to be a long season as the treatment table get bigger every week. These are tough times for Butcher and Malpas as the side seem incapable of securing a win and confidence is draining away before our very own eyes. Kilmarnock are up this weekend and unless the signing fairy visits Inverness soon, then we might have to be content with another week at the foot of the table. -
And from Ayr site 36 min: It's the McGowan show. He turns his marker inside out before drawing Tuffey into another good save - Inverness are chasing shadows at the moment.
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Shane in the acton 13 min: First sign of Inverness as an attacking force. John Robertson fails to clear his lines for Ayr and Shane Sutherland gathers before launching an effort just wide from 18 yards.
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Bright start by Ayr
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I don't blame the lad, whisked up here then ignored; I smell a rat.
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Community service for Inverness players. Inverness return to Ayr this Wednesday evening on League Cup business, this season called the Scottish Communities League Cup. Alas, this will be a far cry from the last visit. Cast your mind back to 24th April 2010. Inverness were the newly crowned Champions of the first division with Dundee's last glimmering hope being scuppered at Starks Park in midweek. A sizeable crowd applauded them onto the park and they put on a dazzling display in the Ayrshire sun. Harry's bar was was packed to the rafters and the pavements were awash with celebratory beer. The good folk of Ayr went along with the fun as a team high on confidence and still running on adrenalin thrashed United 0-7. The sermon from big Terry from the pinnacle of the main stand at Somerset Park was mesmerising as he orchestrated the crowd, like puppet's on a string, raising and lowering the tempo of the celebrations at the mere movement of his fingertips. Aye, that was a day to remember. This time the mood in the camp is not so encouraging. One solitary point from five starts sees Inverness firmly at the foot of the SPL. Confidence has taken a battering, new players are finding their feet and an injury ravaged squad are licking their wounds akin to a frightened rabbit caught in the headlights. Strikers have gone out of fashion at Inverness and a once capable defence, used to holding a positive goal difference has leaked goals at every opportunity. Methinks Harry could handle the mob single handed this time, although IHE will no doubt do his best to make the place look busy. It's a long way for a midweek game, but the lure of standing on a terrace is too much for some to resist, however I doubt we will be looking at humbling Ayr United on this occasion. It's more than likely to be a case of Inverness trying out more formations and personel whilst trying to progress to the next round by whatever means we can. One thing for sure, underestimate Ayr at your peril. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Proctor will tell us who is likely to play in this one, over to you Proc...................... Inverness Caledonian Thistle have a welcome break from their torrid league campaign on Wednesday night as they make the long trip down to Somerset Park for a Scottish Communities Cup second round tie against Ayr United. Hosts Ayr United Sit 8th in the IRN-BRU First Division having picked up two points from three games. On Saturday The Honest Men came back twice to draw with Falkirk despite having Martyn Campbell sent off. On August 13th Ayr managed a 1-1 draw against League favourites Dundee at Dens Park. Brian Reid’s men have clearly shown they can compete with the bigger teams in the First Division. Can they cause an upset and beat SPL opposition on Wednesday night? Inverness have had an awful start to the season. With just one point from five games and a host of injury problems. A Roman Golobart mistake combined with a lack of power in front of goal meant that the Caley Jags lost 2-1 to Aberdeen and remained bottom of the table. Will Terry Butcher look to alter his starting eleven ahead of this crucial cup tie? Previous Meetings Caley Thistle fans do not have to go too far back into their history to think of a legendary match against Ayr. The date April 24th 2010 will bring back warm memories to the Inverness faithful as the newly crowned First Division Champions thumped relegation threatened Ayr United 7-0 at Somerset Park. Not that the jubilant support would remember much of the game due to the conga lines, bagpipes and pitch invasions on the terraces that day, oh, and Harry's Bar. Games between these two teams have traditionally been high scoring affairs. On December 2nd 2000 ICT beat Ayr 7-3 at Caledonian Stadium. The sides were drawing 3-3 at half time but ICT netted 4 in half an hour in the second half to make it the highest aggregate score in the club’s history. Amongst the scorers that day were Caley Thistle legends Dennis Wyness, Mike Teasdale and Paul Sheerin. Team News Inverness Caley Thistle’s squad are ravaged with injuries. Billy MacKay and Josh Meekings are both still to make their debuts but will miss Wednesday’s game. Owain Tudur-Jones (knee) and Lee Cox (groin) are both long term injury worries, while Kenny Gillet and David Proctor could feature after their hamstring injuries appeared to be less serious than originally thought. One man definitely available for the cup tie is Ross Tokely. Tokely served his dubious one match suspension for a red card against Rangers. Ayr United only have one injury doubt. Alan Trouten is still recovering from a groin injury he suffered at Den’s Park two weeks ago. Martyn Campbell is included in the squad despite his sending off as his ban does not include this competition. Key Players Eddie Malone (Ayr United) – Malone scored against Falkirk at the weekend despite being an injury doubt for the game. The former Dundee and St Johnstone player made thirty appearances at Somerset Park last season and will be keen to continue his run on the team with a cup upset. Mark Roberts (Ayr United) – Roberts was Ayr United’s top scorer last season netting 27 goals in 43 appearances. The former Partick Thistle man has started the 2011/2012 season well with two goals from three appearances. Mark has the scoring power his opponents so desperately crave and could cause ICT fans much heartache. Shane Sutherland (Inverness CT) – Many Caley Thistle fans are itching to see Sutherland get a spell in the first team. If Butcher gives him a chance on Wednesday night the 19-year-old could stake his claim as the striker ICT need to change their fortunes. Roman Golobart (Inverness CT) – Golobart signed on loan from Wigan Athletic last week. The Spaniard made a terrible mistake against Aberdeen that lead to their second goal. Roman will want to redeem himself by helping guide Inverness to the next round of the cup. Ayr United are playing well in the First Division and are known for Cup upsets. Just last January they put Colin Calderwood’s Hibernian out of the Scottish Cup. Inverness built a reputation as cup specialists but have let that reputation slip in recent years. Due to the Communities Cup having no replays. Wednesday night will see the one team progress to the next round of the competition. Will it be the struggling top flight team or the newly promoted Division One upstarts?
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Gringo & Son We have a new regular feature for you to read over, a sort of catch up on the last few days at all things ICT. Dave and Rob, better known as Gringo and Gringo Junior will be bringing you what's been happening and keeping us up to date with all the goings on in and around the Tulloch Caledonian Stadium. I'll leave it to the lads to describe what it's all about. Junior is first up with this piece of gossip. Enjoy ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The new season is upon us, some may say it started too early for their liking, and our beloved Caley Thistle are yet to get a win in 5 attempts. Decisions have gone against us, chances have been missed and we're suffering in the treatment room, but personally I don't think it's time to be pressing the panic button just yet. Terry and Mo have worked hard to bring in new faces after the release of so many players at the end of last season, and with the likes of Tudur-Jones and Tansey in the ranks, as well as the return of Aaron Doran on a permanent deal, things will soon happen for us. As I said, it's a new season and it's only just begun. 'Gringo and Son Articles' will be another new addition to ICT this season, on the internet at least, from whereby 'Gringo and Son' (That's my old man and me, hence the name) shall give our own personal opinions on all things ICT. Our own take on things happening on the pitch, behind the scenes and probably even our own matchday experiences. Perhaps even a 'Travel Documentary' from Gringo whenever he's traveled to games. "We walked to the station and got on the train. We got off the train at our stop and had a beer. Then we got on our next train, and had a beer. We got off the train at our stop and had a pint. Then, we got on the next train..." I think you get the idea! I am yet to make a game thus far, work and family commitments the issue, meaning Gringo has already got the 'Games per Season' family bragging rights, depite living almost 500 miles down the road! Even my mum, Mrs Gringo, has more games under her belt, something no lad is ever happy to admit! But I am actually quite pleased with how things have fared thus far since the end of last season. The release of so many players at the end of the last campaign didn't really cause much concern for me as the players that were being released had perhaps had their day, or weren't worthy of being kept on. Blumenstein was never out of the treatment room, Odhiambo had a shocking first touch and blew hot and cold, and Golabeck & McBain were perhaps past their best. Only one of the ten released, in my view, should have been kept on, and that was Grant Munro. Not because he is a local lad who came through our youth system, but because he is a useful, basic defender who gets the job done. Since having his captaincy taken away he was able to concentrate fully on his game and keeping the defence tight and well managed. Foran was definitely an appropriate replacement as captain (forgive the word 'replacement'), and has led by example ever since, but we're currently missing something at the back, and Grant's experience would have been an advantage in helping our new younger signings, as well as keeping us a little more solid at the back. Terry and Mo', despite being questioned about their decisions to release so many players, have done fantastic in bringing in some new blood, whilst also bringing back Aaron Doran on a 3-year permanent deal. Had any of us known we would have the likes of Welsh International player Owain Tudur-Jones in our ranks, as well as the aforementioned Doran, it's quite possible that many of the Caley Thistle faithful may not have been so harsh to judge the decision to release so many in the first place. Adam Rooney was, if you remember, still at the club having had a new contract offer placed on the table, and if we were able to keep hold of him, who knows how the season may have started? It's no question that we are perhaps missing Adam, but at the same time perhaps not as much as many would have thought. Yes, he scored over 20 goals last term, but the majority of those came from the penalty spot or against lower league opposition in cup competitions. On that basis alone, you could argue that any one of the current squad, Tade or Foran maybe, would be ample replacements for spot-kick duties, which so far have not come our way. It's more Adam's ability to hold the play up and time runs properly that we are perhaps missing the most in the final third this season. Five games have come and gone and judging by newspaper reports and listening to radio broadcasts, we have been pretty unlucky to not have a win under our belts yet. Our only point of the season so far came in a 3-3 draw away at East End Park, from which Gregory Tade received some criticism after the match for snatching a goal away from Richie Foran. The game itself was probably the worst performance of our season so far, although the scoreline suggested otherwise. The defence was poor throughout, we lost two of our defenders to injury during the game, and we lost a last minute goal courtesy of a cracking free-kick in injury time. We are yet to gel as a squad and I suppose this was the danger when all those players were released last season. Finding replacements seemed to be the easy part, but getting them to gel has proved tough. It's great to see Chris Hogg back, but his lack of fitness has been clear to see, particularly in the match against Dunfirmline. Set-backs through injury are only going to lengthen the gelling process, with Tudur-Jones, Cox, Gillet, Meekings, Proctor and others all still weeks away from even being considered for selection. If that treatment table doesn't get quieter by Christmas, then I will maybe start to worry more. The calibre of player we have at the club now is strong, when you consider the internationals in our squad. Welsh International Owain Tudur-Jones being the first name on everyone's mind. We also have Aaron Doran of Ireland, Johnny Tuffey of Northern Ireland and Nick Ross with his Scotland under-21 call ups. I reckon that Shane Sutherland may also get a call up too in the near future, but he will obviously need more regular starts in our very own first team to get that accolade. A player who may, as suggested on the caleythistleonline.com forum, hold a key to our goalscoring troubles thus far in the current campaign. Only Terry and Shane will know the answer to that one. Off the park things haven't been going our way either and there is really only one thought on peoples mind when I say that - Rossco's rejected red card appeal for what was a clean and fair challenge on Steven Naismith against Rangers. As a topic that has perhaps been done to death, I'll not go on and on, but surely even the Rangers fans saying that Rossco took the player as well as the ball suggests that he won the ball in the first place. Video evidence and reports of the game all stood in the defence of Mr Tokely, so it makes me wonder just what kind of idiots we have running the SFA. It'll certainly be interesting to see how many of those decisions go for or against teams visiting Ibrox, or indeed Rangers themselves. One incident off the park that many people would not have heard about, involves a young lad who visitied the home fixture against Rangers after spending much of the last few weeks in Raigmore Childrens Ward. 13 year old Keiren Sutherland (No relation to Shane) suffers from Cerebral Palsy and has recently undergone a hip operation, which has obviously caused him some discomfort and pain. He follows Caley Thistle's scores but his preferred team is Rangers. The lad said himself that it's a win-win fixture for him, a situation that I know many ICT fans find themselves in, not just with Rangers, but with Celtic, Hearts, Aberdeen and other teams too. You can only imagine Keiren's delight when his Grandad told him he was to be going to be going to the match. His first trip out of hospital since he had the operation. What Keiren didn't know was that Caley Thsitle had in fact invited him along to meet both sets of players prior to kick off. Laura and the rest of the staff, players and management couldn't have done more to make Keiren's experience a memorable one. Even David Tanner of Sky Sports got in on the action by having his photo taken and signing his autograph. This really goes to show how much of a community club Caley Thistle are, even if the people they deal with turn up in opponent colours. Unfortunately Keiren's experience turned sour when his (now former) idol, Steven Naismith, refused to have a photo taken or sign his book, but such was the effort put in by ICT, he came away absolutely delighted. Richie Foran is apparently his new favourite player, despite him not playing for Rangers. Our next fixture should be an interesting one with a visit to Ayr United in the League Cup on Wednesday. Perhaps one of the best away days in recent years occurred at the very same venue in the penultimate fixture of the 09/10 season, when Caley Thistle were resounding 7-0 winners. I'm not expecting the same result this time round, but a win and a clean sheet would be very welcome. I'd love to see Shane Sutherland getting a start up front, and perhaps Johnny Tuffey will also get a game. But as with any cup affair we can't take our opponents lightly. We've had difficult cup games against Queens Park, Partick and even Elgin City in recent years, but in time we'll give someone a hiding. If that happens on Wednesday, it can only really act as a springboard to get our league campaign off the ground. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Cheers Gringo Junior, great first volume to catch up on the Caley Jags rollercoaster.
