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With our most creative player subbed off, this was now going to be a massive test of the character of Kellacher's side. Montrose had Graham Webster on from the start of the second half. Gilmour headed on a corner but Mckay knocked it wide five minutes into the second half and Danny Devine lofted a shot over as the hosts looked to get back on level terms. A Paul Allan header off James Nolan's cross was held by Cammy Gill and the pressure was mounting on the visitors defence with Adam MacKinnon having an attempt blocked and Gilmour heading wide. Mckay was denied again by Gill. Charlie Gilmour must have a head like a threepenny bit as he headed wide again and Ben Brannan made his debut replacing MacKinnon. With ten minutes of normal time left up popped Keith Bray with a diving header ably assisted by Remi Savage's ball and Danny Devine's first time cross. No more than we deserved for our second half dominance but a lack of efforts on target meant it ended all square in the Highlands. FULL TIME: 1-1

First Half An overcast but frost free morning gave way to glimpses of sunshine as kick-off approached. By 3:00 it was an almost pleasant afternoon with a breeze as the game got underway. First attempt of the afternoon saw a Billy Mckay shot blocked and then Charlie Gilmour fired over after a free kick. Not much to talk about ten minutes in but hot prospect Owen Stirton had a shot blocked after twenty minutes with neither side able to make much progress in the final third. With half an hour gone both keepers could have gone for a coffee such was the dearth of activity around the penalty boxes. Graig Wighton and Billy Mckay exchanged misses and with that comment came the kiss of death as young Callum Sandilands, on loan from Hearts, opened the scoring for the visitors, chipping home from inside the box. Not the scoreline Scott Kellacher was hoping for and it went from bad to worse when Luis Longstaff went off injured to be replaced by James Nolan. This fired Inverness into action and Mckay had another effort blocked, this time by Gill before Alfie Bavidge hit the bar from outside the box. Just before the break Musa Dibaga saved from Sandilands at the expense of a corner and at the other end Keith Bray fired wide. HALF TIME: 0-1

Unchanged from last week. Gardyne & Machado not listed and defender Aulay Martin recalled from his loan at Junior side Montrose Roselea.

Gable Endies at Home Montrose are the visitors this weekend and if you can make it along early there's a Supporters Trust Meeting at 12:30 ahead of the game in Bar94 where they will endeavour to give you an update on the Administration process. Should be an entertaining game this Saturday with Inverness on the up and Montrose struggling of late and starting to tread water with one relegation play-off place still up for grabs. At present we hold the trumps for that with eleven games left to Alan Salvage our season. We drew the first encounter 1-1 but a stirring away performance in the second game saw us leave Montrose with a 3-2 victory at the beginning of December. They have their own Alfie Bavidge in Owen Stirton on loan from Dundee United and he has banged in six goals in just a handful of games. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ FANS MEETING 12:30 Full details are in the flyer below, but the meeting gives fans an opportunity to put questions to Charlie Christie, Scott Young or the Supporters Trust Board. Charlie and Scott will be giving updates on the club's situation and Charlie will be sharing some memories of the club's first 30 years. The meeting is open to all fans and we hope to see many of you there, and remember there is an extra bus being provided by Stagecoach at 12.00 noon from the Bus Station, allowing time to grab a pie or drink before the meeting starts. Concession passes are valid, with the single fare being £2.40. 🚍 - - 🥧 - 🍺 - ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ⚽ Match/Ticket/Bar94/Info ⚽ Supporters Trust Meeting 🚍 Early Bus to Stadium 🕛 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Venue Pld Won Drn Lst For Agst + / - Home 7 3 2 2 8 11 -3 Away 6 3 2 1 9 7 +2 Neutral 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Total 13 6 4 3 17 18 -1 Thirteen meetings in total with just the three defeats so far spanning 30 years starting with a 3-1 defeat at Links Park in October 94 in a division Three encounter with Sergei Baltacha the manager. Montrose nearly scored very early in the game but Mark McRitchie saved well from Colin McGlashan. In the 22nd minute a Charlie Christie cross was only inches from Norman MacMillan's head. In the 32nd minute McRitchie again saved at full length from a McGlashan shot. One minute later MacMillan put the visitors in front when he latched on to a Mitchell through ball and shot home. Things went badly wrong in the second half for Caley Thistle when in 58 minutes Paul MacKenzie was sent off for a second bookable offence. It was an uphill struggle after that and it was no surprise when Montrose equalised through Grant in 68 minutes. As the visitors tired McGlashan put Montrose in front with a tremendous shot in 74 minutes and one minute from time McRonald made it three with an overhead kick. Our next meeting in February was even worse. We were hammered 4-0 at home when a Stuart Beedie brace, with Milne and Mark Haro all scoring second half goals without reply. We won the third game 1-0 through a last minute goal from Wilson Robertson but ended as we began with a 3-0 doing at home in April thanks to strikes from Neil McAvoy, Colin McGlashan and Shaun Smith. Montrose went on to gain promotion this season with a late run for the finishing line pipping Ross County for the second place finish. Caledonian Thistle ended the season in mid-table and Forfar Athletic were the Champions. Those were the days... Last 10 Competitive Meetings 3 - 2 (A) 1 - 1 (H) 1 - 0 (H) 0 - 0 (A) 1 - 1 (H) 3 - 2 (H) 2 - 0 (A) 2 - 0 (H) 2 - 2 (A) 0 - 3 (H) INVERNESS CT The Season So Far D L D D W D D D L / W L(11)D W W W L W L W W L W W L W Since Scott Kellacher was handed the reins in game 11, there has been a more positive approach to our matches which has resulted in improved performances and a more enjoyable matchday experience all round. Alas we were brought back to earth with a disappointing result in our last game of 2024, a crushing 1-4 defeat at home to Cove Rangers. We'll have to put that one down to a bad day at the office. However, we bounced back in our first game of the second half of the season in the six pointer against Dumbarton with a hard fought 2-0 win. That win over Dumbarton was a vital one and the introduction of Alfie Bavidge was a welcome one as he opened the scoring early in the first half. Charlie Gilmour slotted in the clincher in the second half to give us a cushion over the Sons and to narrow the gap on Annan to seven points. We took part in the only League1 game last weekend and came away from Annan with a resounding 3-0 win, Alfie Bavidge netting again with Keith Bray and then Billy Mckay from the spot. *It was then on to Palmerston on the Tuesday night but in a five goal encounter we went down 3-2. Alfie Bavidge notched his third goal in three games and Keith Bray added a second but goals from Adam Brooks (2) and Jordan Allan kept the points in Dumfries. We bounced back with a resilient 1-2 win at Alloa in our third away game on the bounce, Dunfermline bound Keith Bray with his fourth of the season and Alfie Stewart. We got our revenge at home to QotS (1-0) with Alfie Bavidge scoring his fourth goal in five appearances. Alas it was a bridge too far at Arbroath last week and we went down losing three without reply. The Stenhousemuir fixture was postponed and is re-arranged for March 11th. We went to Kelty and came away with a narrow 1-0 win thanks to Alfie's 5th goal in 7 appearances. Montrose up next and a win would be helpful and much appreciated with only 11 games left in our fixture list. Latest Team News from within: Scott Kellacher has not mentioned any fresh injury worries but is focussed on four of the next five games being at home for the run in with a total of six of our final games at the Caledonian Stadium against five teams who play on artificial surfaces. Good news if we can use that to our advantage. So, the big emphasis is on our home form. Pos Team Pld Gd Pts 1 Arbroath 25 12 43 2 Cove Rangers 25 13 41 3 Stenny 25 11 41 4 Alloa Ath 26 6 37 5 Queen of Sth 26 -3 35 6 Kelty Hearts 25 3 31 7 Montrose 26 -7 30 8 Annan Ath 26 -19 27 9 Inverness CT 25 1 25 10 Dumbarton 25 -17 8 Montrose Last Six: D L D D W L At the end of January Montrose picked up an away point with a 2-2 draw at Annan, Stirton and Lyons scoring early goals. A home defeat to Stenhousemuir followed (0-3) with two draws on the bounce against Alloa (2-2) and Cove (1-1). The highlight of the last six was a rousing 2-3 win at Dumbarton with (Stirton x2 & Quinn scoring). Last week saw them well beaten at Home by QotS. <<<That was Stewart Petrie's squad for the win over Dumbarton. However, last week Machado started with Masson coming off the bench. Not a great run by Montrose and that has seen them sink perilously close to the relegation scrap. Owen Stirton is top scorer with six goals on loan from Dundee United. He seems to be the Gable Endies equivalent of our own Alfie Bavidge. Experienced arrival in the shape of Craig Wightman to back him up. Callum Sandilands is a promising young forward player in from Hearts. Matheus Machado is still at Montrose as is the imbecilic Michael Gardyne. Good footballer, bit of a tool though. January Sales: Loan in: Owen Stirton, forward (Dundee United); Callum Sandilands, forward (Heart of Midlothian); Craig Wighton, forward (Dunfermline Athletic); Kieran Freeman, defender (Raith Rovers). Kane Hester has signed on again at Elgin City and Defender Callum Hannah has gone back to Raith Rovers.

Pos Team Pld W D L F A Pts Arbroath 2-1 Kelty Hearts 1. Arbroath 25 13 4 8 40 28 43 2. Cove Rangers 25 12 5 8 42 29 41 3. Stenhousemuir 25 12 5 8 36 25 41 4. Alloa Athletic 26 9 10 7 37 31 37 5. Q.O.S. 26 10 5 11 28 31 35 6. Kelty Hearts 25 8 7 10 30 27 31 7. Montrose 26 7 9 10 27 34 30 8. Annan Athletic 26 7 6 13 29 48 27 9. Inverness CT 25 11 7 7 28 27 25 10. Dumbarton 25 5 8 12 32 49 8

Not immediately affecting us but an Arbroath win might keep Kelty in our sights.

An awful lot of wasted tape on the highlights. Could have cut it into three minutes. Another good win though, that's the important bit.

The Training Ground Derby Returns Had our previous incumbents got their way, this would have been known as the Training Ground Derby at New Central Park, Kelty. As it turned out, we were having none of that nonsense and went down the administration route and it's simply another away day for the Caley Jags. Our last visit incorporated the Immortal Howden Ender Memorial trip in memory of the much missed Johndo, and it ended on the park goalless. Kelty are having a decent season and we are trying to come to terms with our points deduction with our young side doing their utmost to keep us in this League. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Match/Ticket/ Info Supporters Bus Ben Brannan ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Venue: Just the 3 fixtures Pld Won Drn Lst For Agst + / - Home 1 0 1 0 1 1 0 Away 2 1 1 0 1 0 +1 Neutral 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Total 3 1 2 0 2 1 +1 The only win was a League Cup tie in 2022 when a last minute George Oakley goal was enough for a hard fought win: By George! We are off and running: The first ever fixture between the sides ended with a 1-0 win for the visitors. It took a late strike from George Oakley to separate the sides as the Inverness pressure eventually paid off. Billy Mckay hit the post with a header in the second half and keeper Darren Jamieson pulled off a string of saves to deny the eager Inverness side. Agyeman came close in the first half when Delaney cleared away from goal but that was as close as it got for the hosts with Ridgers making some routine stops. 2024 Nov 2nd League (League 1) 1 - 1 H 1,502 Aug 24th League (League 1) 0 - 0 A 692 2022 Jul 9th League Cup (Group Stage Group G) 1 - 0 A 601 INVERNESS CT The Season So Far D L D D W D D D L / W L(11)D W W W L W L W W L W W L Since Scott Kellacher was handed the reins in game 11, there has been a more positive approach to our matches which has resulted in improved performances and a more enjoyable matchday experience all round. Alas we were brought back to earth with a disappointing result in our last game of 2024, a crushing 1-4 defeat at home to Cove Rangers. We'll have to put that one down to a bad day at the office. However, we bounced back in our first game of the second half of the season in the six pointer against Dumbarton with a hard fought 2-0 win. That win over Dumbarton was a vital one and the introduction of Alfie Bavidge was a welcome one as he opened the scoring early in the first half. Charlie Gilmour slotted in the clincher in the second half to give us a cushion over the Sons and to narrow the gap on Annan to seven points. We took part in the only League1 game last weekend and came away from Annan with a resounding 3-0 win, Alfie Bavidge netting again with Keith Bray and then Billy Mckay from the spot. *It was then on to Palmerston on the Tuesday night but in a five goal encounter we went down 3-2. Alfie Bavidge notched his third goal in three games and Keith Bray added a second but goals from Adam Brooks (2) and Jordan Allan kept the points in Dumfries. We bounced back with a resilient 1-2 win at Alloa in our third away game on the bounce, Dunfermline bound Keith Bray with his fourth of the season and Alfie Stewart. We got our revenge at home to QotS (1-0) with Alfie Bavidge scoring his fourth goal in five appearances. Alas it was a bridge too far at Arbroath last week and we went down losing three without reply. Last weeks game v Stenhousemuir was postponed and it's off to Kelty this weekend. No news is good news so we will assume that there are no fresh injury worries. Pos Team Pld Gd Pts 1 Arbroath 23 13 40 2 Cove 24 12 38 3 Stenny 24 9 38 4 Alloa Ath 25 5 34 5 Queen of Sth 25 -6 32 6 Kelty Hearts 23 5 31 7 Montrose 25 -4 30 8 Annan Ath 25 -18 27 9 Inverness CT 24 0 22 10 Dumbarton 24 -16 08 Last Six: W L D D L L An early Xmas present for the Maroons as they beat Queen of the South with Cunningham scoring twice. However, their next game they drew a blank going down 2-0 at Dumbarton. Two draws followed at Montrose and Stenhousemuir with no goals in either game. Into February and defeats to both the Athletics has seen Kelty slip up somewhat as they now sit nine points off the top of the table. Only one win in six for Kelty. Ross Cunningham is top scorer in League1 with 11 goals. Scott Williamson has 7 goals but he has returned to Queens Park. Scott Allan is still at Kelty. January Sales In: Charlie Mulgrew, head coach; James Lyon, midfielder; Jamie Watson, defender. Loan in: Blaine McClure, midfielder (Rangers); Liam McLeish, forward (Queen's Park). Out: Michael Tidser, midfielder/manager. Loan ended: Samuel Cleall-Harding, defender (Dundee United); Scott Williamson, forward (Queen's Park).

FULL TIME Nairn 0-2 ICTFC - Keogh (60) Cairns (89)

Pos Team Pld Gd Pts 1 Arbroath 23 13 40 2 Cove Rangers 24 12 38 3 Stenhousemuir 24 9 38 4 Alloa Athletic 25 5 34 5 Queen of the South 25 -6 32 6 Kelty Hearts 23 5 31 7 Montrose 25 -4 30 8 Annan Athletic 25 -18 27 9 Inverness Caledonian Thistle 24 0 22 10 Dumbarton 24 -16 08 Alloa Athletic 2-0 Kelty Hearts Cove Rangers 3-1 Annan Athletic Dumbarton FC 2-3 Montrose Queen o t Sth 0-3 Arbroath

NEW DIGITAL MONTHLY UPDATE FROM THE CLUB To keep supporters updated on different aspects of the club, we’re delighted to launch a new free Monthly Digital Newsletter DOWNLOAD HERE The first issue contains: The latest from Head Coach Scott Kellacher Focus on feature with Billy Mckay Charlie’s Chat – The latest from Interim CEO Charlie Christie ICT Academy Update ICTWFC with Karen Mason Meet the Player: Remi Savage ICT Community Trust Column ICT Supporters Trust news

Luckily I never wrote a Preview.... Oh wait...