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The struggle continues A visit to East End Park is on the cards for this weekend. With both teams conveniently knocked out of the Scottish Cup, then we can play catch-up on this postponed fixture from the end of December. Kick off is 3:00pm and with fan restrictions lifted, a healthy crowd is anticipated as the omicron cobwebs get blown away. Inverness' cup winning manager John Hughes is now the man in charge at East End Park with the unenviable task of lifting the Pars up the table. It's an opportunity for both clubs to get back on track after festive flops and the stakes are high at both ends of the table. OFFICIALPREVIEW TICKETS/STREAMING/SUPPORTERS BUS/MATCH INFO Venue - Head 2 Pld Won Drn Lst For Agst + / - Home 22 9 8 5 28 21 +7 Away 23 9 9 5 28 25 +3 Neutral 2 0 1 1 3 4 -1 Total 47 18 18 11 59 50 +9 This is the only Championship fixture this weekend Pos Team Pld W D L F A Pts 1. Arbroath 22 11 8 3 35 16 41 2. Inverness CT 21 10 7 4 29 17 37 3. Kilmarnock 21 11 4 6 27 15 37 4. Raith Rovers 22 9 8 5 29 22 35 5. Partick Thistle 20 9 6 5 33 19 33 6. Hamilton Ac. 22 6 6 10 24 37 24 7. Ayr United 21 5 6 10 19 34 21 8. Morton 21 4 8 9 24 31 20 9. Q.O.S. 21 4 6 11 21 33 18 10. Dunfermline 21 3 9 9 19 36 18 This seasons clashes show that despite their present status, the Pars will no doubt present us with another difficult hurdle to overcome. We were fortunate to come away with a point in the first fixture but we slumped to a 2-1 defeat at the Caledonian Stadium on 13 November: Under Par: Inverness opened the scoring after probing well for over twenty minutes. Michael Gardyne drifted inside and the Pars defence opened up allowing him to get a shot away. It came back off the woodwork and Billy Mckay reacted first to knock the ball into the net. However, Dunfermline got their first win of the season as Inverness fired blanks thereafter, and goals from Kevin O'Hara assisted by a massive Danny Devine deflection and a great solo effort from Dom Thomas won the points for the Pars. Another bad day at the office continued with Inverness slipping to third following wins for Killie, Raith and Partick. Last Time Out: Inverness flopped for the fourth game in a row as we were held at home by equal bottom club Queen of the South. We came from behind to go 2-1 ahead but threw the points away when Carson teed up Queens sub Roy to make it 2-2. Donnelly had put Queens ahead before Mckay and Walsh gave us the lead. However, as is our tale of woe just now, we can't see out a game and that's one loss and three draws in the last four games. At this rate, promotion looks a long way off. Dunfermline's tale of the tape is confusing as well. A draw with Raith Rovers in the derby, thrashed 5-0 at Morton then last game a 1-0 win over Hamilton Accies. That leaves them bottom of the league in the relegation slot, level on points with Queen of the South, who we failed to beat last week. Latest Team News: Inverness have been dealt a major body blow with the news we were all dreading. It's not a rumour, Scott Allardice is out for the season. Ryan Fyffe has extended his loan at Nairn County. Aaron Doran and Cameron Harper were also missing last week. Awaiting further team news..............And here it is: Welsh u21 forward Sam Pearson has joined on loan from Bristol City. Joining Sam at Inverness is Dundee United forward Logan Chalmers who comes in on loan as well. Both players will join the squad at East End Park. Since the January sales, Dunfermline have lost defenders Ross Graham who has been recalled by Dundee United and Mark Connolly has returned but has been loaned out to Irish Premier side Dundalk. So far, Col Donaldson is the only new defender at East End Park arriving on loan from Dingwall. Up front, Kai Kennedy has been loaned out to Hamilton Accies by Rangers and Arbroath have taken Craig Wighton on loan. One forward has arrived, and that is Steven Lawless (winger) who has been without a club since leaving Motherwell in October 2021 ICTFC Under 18s beat St Johnstone 2-1 this afternoon. Goals from Ben Barron and Kenny MacInnes Well done lads

Comedy of Errors Inverness once more failed to take advantage of the given situation by producing another abject display at home against a club staring at relegation. This time it was Queen of the South that showed up our lack of quality and Lee Connelly scored the opener in the first half with Willie Collum waiving away appeals for offside. Same old same old from Inverness in a dire first half. We looked to have got out of jail when the Queens defenders made a hash of clearing a long kick out from Mark Ridgers and Billy Mckay accepted the comical defending to prod the ball home. If ever a man needed a goal it was Tom Walsh who has been totally ineffective this season, but score he did after being sent into the box by Mckay before drilling the ball behind Josh Rae. Phew we all thought, thank feck for that! Alas we shot ourselves in the foot, or more accurately David Carson shot us in the foot as he teed up substitute Ally Roy who had only been on the park for one minute. Surprisingly we actually jumped back into second place thanks to other results, but it's a complete mystery how we have done this given the dross we are subject to at the moment. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ As expected, Aaron Doran once again missed out. Also missing was Scott Allardice who they kept quiet about and Cameron Harper. Still waiting for confirmation that Allardice's injury is season ending or just a rumour, but he is not included today. That left us with only six on the bench, two of those being youth players. Queens made three changes from their last outing with Shea Gordon making his debut for the 'Doonhamers' and Willie Gibson returning after injury. Another flat calm afternoon with a covid restricted crowd in attendance saw the hosts set the ball rolling attacking the South Stand end. I'll let RIG tell the story. I know I know, you've all read it before, but this is how it is I'm afraid. That was grim. After a decent opening 15 - 20 minutes from Queens, during which they probably should have scored at least once, we started to get on top and looked like ending the first half the stronger side. Queens main attacking plan seemed to be trying to slide the ball in behind our CBs for Connelly to latch on to and we got a glimpse of this when Paton (I think) burst through and looked set to round Ridgers but fortunately a well timed challenge snuffed out this threat. Deas had a couple of decent chances which fell to him at the left edge of the box but your CB filling in at left back probably doesn't have the greatest shooting boots in the world and it showed as he snatched at both efforts. Walsh had a good chance to score as well but I think he tried to be too cute and attempted to shoot back across Rae in goal instead of sending a shot away from him. The opening goal looked miles offside but that was probably because there was one Queens player standing ahead of Connelly before he raced clear to round Ridgers and, eventually, put the ball into the net. At the time I thought he was offside but folk watching on the stream said he was played onside by Broadfoot. Still annoying given we had a taste of this minutes before with the aforementioned Paton chance. In the second half and Devine made a desperate challenge to stop a second Queens goal throwing himself in front of a goal bound shot from a few yards out. A bit of route one got us level with a long thump downfield by Ridgers and it looked like Gibson got in a right state trying to decide if he was going to clear the ball or not and Mckay took it off him to bundle in the equaliser. Route one Sutherland had a good chance to get the second goal for us but seemed to take forever to actually get his shot away and a Queens defender did well to deflect the effort behind for a corner. The second for ICT did come eventually with Mckay flicking the ball on for Walsh who got in behind the defence and finished well across Rae. But only a few minutes later Queens were back level and no one seemed to know what exactly had happened with Roy turning hom a cross whilst in an offside position. At the game I could only think that the ball had come off an ICT player so Roy couldn't therefore be offside and from what I've read it seems the ball was actually played to him by Carson so the goal, sadly, stood. An absolutely gutting result with Arbroath winning and other sides around us faltering. Queens looked decent in spells but seemed a bit of a mess at the back and it's frustrating that we couldn't take advantage of this as I felt we had enough chances to put the game to bed. That said I still think we were very poor again and whilst the likes of Mckay and McAlear turned in good performances we need more from the likes of Walsh (although he did score today) and we also need some fresh faces in quickly to try and give the squad a lift. Talking to BBC Sport Inverness CT head coach Billy Dodds: "My players showed a brilliant appetite to get back into it. When you feel it's gone against you with the first goal you can let the heads go down - they didn't. "They kept battling away and then we lose another questionable goal - not because of the officials but because of the interpretation of the law. There's a couple of players standing slightly offside and they gain an advantage." Queen of the South manager Allan Johnston: "I thought we played well for long periods. "It was a really good team performance and we were really unlucky to come away with just a point. "We were under pressure from a big, physical team at the end. We gave away cheap goals, which has been a thing too often from my point of view." Date: 15/01/2022 Venue: Caledonian Stadium Attendance: 479 Referee: Willie Collum Inverness CT: 2 Manager: Billy Dodds Lineup: Ridgers; Carson, Broadfoot, Devine, Deas, Walsh, Welsh, McAlear, MacGregor (Duku 64), Sutherland, Mckay Subs (not used): C Mackay; L Nicolson, Hyde, Duffy, Jamieson Scorers: Mckay (62), Walsh (73) Booked: Mckay (8), Deas (45) Sent Off: none Queen of the South: 2 Manager: Alan Johnston Lineup: Rae; Johnston, Nditi, Gibson (Fitzpatrick 76), East, Gordon (Debayo 70), McGrory, Liddle, Cooper, Connelly, Paton (Roy 76) Subs (not used): Cowie, Joseph, McKechnie, Junior Scorers: Connelly (39), Roy (77) Booked: Nditi (60), Liddle (61) Sent Off: none a

Shut that window Second bottom Queen of the south come calling to the Caledonian Stadium to take on second top Inverness Caledonian Thistle. Saturday afternoon at 3:00pm is the kick-off. Queens have lost their last two fixtures and Inverness are without a win in their last three games. Time to close the transfer window before we have nobody left to play out the season. OFFICIAL PREVIEW/STREAMING/TICKET INFO Venue Pld Won Drn Lst For Agst + / - Home 20 12 2 6 36 24 +12 Away 19 8 7 4 33 20 +13 Neutral 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Total 39 20 9 10 69 44 +25 Pos Team Pld W D L F A Pts 1. Arbroath 21 10 8 3 33 15 38 2. Inverness CT 20 10 6 4 27 15 36 3. Kilmarnock 20 11 3 6 26 14 36 4. Raith Rovers 21 9 8 4 28 20 35 5. Partick Thistle 19 9 5 5 32 18 32 6. Hamilton Ac. 21 6 6 9 24 36 24 7. Ayr United 20 5 6 9 19 32 21 8. Morton 20 3 8 9 22 31 17 9. Q.O.S. 20 4 5 11 19 31 17 10. Dunfermline 20 2 9 9 18 36 15 FRIDAY 19:45 Partick 1-1 Killie SATURDAY 15:00 Ayr Utd v Morton Dunfermline v Hamilton Inverness v Queens Raith Rovers v Arbroath Inverness have picked up six points from the two games between the clubs this season, both ending 2-1 in favour of the Caley Jags. CTO Summary from 25th September: Goals from Sean Welsh and Michael Gardyne were just enough to put Inverness back to the top of the table despite a worldy goal from Lee Connelly for the visitors. Inverness deserved the win but made hard work of it before Gardyne scored a superb volley to win the points and ease the fans nerves. CTO Summary from 19th November: The visitors opened the scoring when Billy Mckay converted a first half penalty. They doubled their lead when he added a second from a superb Carson cross but Queens forced a tense finish when Lee Connelly smashed the ball into the net to give them hope. However Inverness saw out the game to claim the points and move a point behind leaders Kilmarnock who play Arbroath on Saturday. Last Time Out The Caley Jags recovered from a goal down to draw with Raith Rovers last weekend. The points were shared thanks to two spectacular goals from Ethan Ross and Reece McAlear. A poor first half for the hosts saw Raith lead at the break but a better performance after the interval earned a share of the points although Raith will be aggrieved that they never ended their 22 year wait for a win over Inverness. Queens were deservedly beaten by Kilmarnock in a 2-0 defeat at Palmerston. Alan Johnston had this to say about it on BBC Sport: "It was never a penalty. There was a tug of the shirt but I've seen it again and it was way outside the box. But we continue to give away cheap goals. We have a fight on our hands. That's for sure." That's something like only four wins in 25 games since Alan Johnston went to Palmerston. The sort of form that gets teams relegated. Unfortunately, on the whole, we seldom take full advantage of this and often find ourselves struggling to dominate these games. That needs to change now if we want to remain interested in topping this league. Showing some urgency from the start would be an improvement on recent offerings. Latest Team News Billy Dodds saw Sean Welsh return last week as a second half substitute against Raith Rovers. Aaron Dorran missed out with a thigh injury and is a major doubt. Youth player Harry Hennem will continue his loan spell at Brora Rangers until the end of the season. More disturbing news though if true is that Scott Allardice is allegedly out for the season if you believe the latest rumours. Another equally disappointing one is that Robbie Deas is the subject of a six figure bid (£150K) by St Johnstone to lure our defender to McDiarmid Park, following the footsteps of defenders Jamie McCart and Shaun Rooney. Meh! I bet that next up for scrutiny will be Shane Sutherland; what's the odds on that... As an aside, but equally annoying: Daniel Mackay has joined Killie on loan, and loan Ranger Kai Kennedy has gone to Hamilton Accies. Willie Gibson should return for Queens who should also have former County and Inverness player Alex Cooper plying his trade at left back. Keeper Sol Brynn has been recalled by Middlesbrough but midfielder Don McMahon comes back from his loan to Dalbeattie Star. Here's Doddsy...

Rovers still waiting after 22 years Title challengers clashed at the Caledonian Stadium for the second time this season and it was only Killie that benefitted after a score draw in the Highlands. A spectacular strike from Ethan Ross put Raith in front as the hosts struggled to create anything. Mark Ridgers had to be alert to deny Ross Mathews a second goal to keep it at one before the interval. We upped the pace after the interval, but chances were still at a premium early on. However, our pressure paid off when Reece McAlear lashed a low shot behind the outstretched Jamie Macdonald from near thirty yards to level the game, and despite efforts from both sides it remained 1-1 at full time. ÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷ Inverness were without Aaron Doran although Sean Welsh made the bench. Anthony McDonald and Michael Gardyne were already out the door, one of them with the well wishes from ICTFC. Raith had long term absentees in Lewis Vaughan and Brad Spencer but Christophe Berra returned after suspension and recent additions Ben Williamson, Sam Stanton and Jamie Gullan were all in the squad. It was an excellent afternoon for a game of football, a flat calm after the horrendous conditions of last week. Game on! It was a cagey opening quarter to the game as both sides probed for an opening. Sam Stanton and Ben Williamson were looking sharp for the visitors who looked to carry more direct threat when they went forward whilst the hosts flattered to deceive as they strolled around the park as if it was a Sunday League kick about. The best Inverness could muster was a blocked Billy Mckay shot from a very tight angle where there was virtually no hope of finding the net. In contrast the visitors movement and pace was a joy to behold, then I remembered they were the opposition. The goal was a prime example of the different approach the teams had to attacking football. Mark Ridgers quickly threw the ball out to Tom Walsh who ran thirty yards with the ball before being halted on the edge of the box, seemingly exhausted by his effort. Jamie MacDonald gathered the ball and sent it up the park to Ross who shrugged off a challenge, drove forward and powered a shot into the top corner. I rest my case. After twenty minutes of anti-football, the game exploded into life with a stunning strike from Ethan Ross. He gathered the ball just inside the Inverness half and easily turned his marker. He drove into space twenty yards further forward before unleashing an unstoppable shot high into Ridgers' right side from around thirty-yards. What a goal that was, and you could only applaud the strike, although questions should be asked about the space afforded to Ross. Billy Mckay looked to have levelled matters but his strike from six yards was ruled to be offside after he latched onto the ball when it was lobbed back into the box. Ten minutes before the break Mathew Ross forced Ridgers to dive low to his left to keep out a speculative twenty-five yard effort that was creeping in at the near post, the keeper turning the ball round the post for a corner. After his stunning goal, Ross must have been hugely disappointed to drag a shot wide from fifteen yards seven minutes before the break. Half Time 0-1 Dodds had seen enough and changed things around at the interval, hooking the ineffective David Carson and right back Wallace Duffy for Reece McAlear and Manny Duku. Despite the changes, Raith were still on top although there appeared to be more urgency about our play and Frankie Musonda headed over before Ethan Varion shot wide. Duku was looking to be a handful for the Raith defenders with his awkward style and he had a pop at goal from the edge of the box but it lacked the power to beat MacDonald and he held it comfortably. However, the tide was slowly turning and a weak Mckay header went wide before McAlear volleyed over the bar from inside the box. Reghan Tumilty missed a great opportunity to put some distance between the sides after a run down the right, but his cross come shot missed the target and his strikers and the chance was wasted. Musonda saw Ridgers save and at the other end Mckay headed weakly again. nonetheless the raids on the visitors goal were becoming more intensified. Half time substitute Reece McAlear squared the game with another superb finish from a similar position that Mathews tried from before the interval. The on loan midfielder fired a vicious low shot that skidded before bouncing across MacDonald into the bottom corner. Another superb goal from Reece, his second for the club. There was still time for the keepers to deny Aaron Arnott and Billy Mckay before time ran out and the points were shared as the game ended in frantic mode. Overall a draw was just about right. After an infuriatingly frustrating first half we got to grips with the pace of the game and two tremendous strikes maintained the status quo at the head of the table with Arbroath going down to Ayr united and Accies drawing with Partick. Killie tightened it all up after beating Queen of the South 2-0 in Dumfries. Best for Inverness were goal hero McAlear with Mark Ridgers making crucial saves to help us earn the point. From BBC Sport Inverness CT head coach Billy Dodds: "We didn't have our best day in the first half. The subs that came on did really well, not just because Reece scored. They just had an impact and that's what I needed. "I thought we deserved a draw in the end but I would have loved three points. We worked hard, created a few chances and could have stolen it." Raith Rovers manager, John McGlynn: "We are a bit gutted for the players who put so much effort into the game. We attacked really well, much better than we have been doing recently. Great goal by Ethan Ross and I've got to say their strike was a great goal as well. "It's never an easy place to come. We've not got a great record here. Although we are disappointed we take the point - we take the positives and dust ourselves down for next week." Dodds talking after the game... Reece McAlear Full Highlights from ICTV Date: 08/01/2022 Venue: Caledonian Stadium Attendance: 478 Referee: Don Robertson Inverness CT: 1 Manager: Billy Dodds Lineup: Ridgers; Duffy (McAlear 45), Broadfoot, Devine, Deas, Walsh, Carson (Duku 45), Allardice Welsh (73), Harper, Sutherland, Mckay Subs (not used): Esson; L Nicholson, Jamieson, MacGregor Scorers: McAlear (86) Booked: Devine (47) Sent Off: none Raith Rovers: 1 Manager: John McGlynn Lineup: MacDonald; Tumilty, Musonda, Berra, Dick, Mathews, Benedictus, Stanton, Varian (Poplatnik 76), Williamson (Arnott 84), Ross (Gullan 51) Subs (not used): Thomson, Lang, Zanatta, Connolly Scorers: Ross (24) Booked: Williamson (31), Dick (73), Gullan (80), Berra (81) Sent Off: none a

Duku Derby First home game of the year has third placed and fellow title contenders Raith Rovers coming North to face second place Inverness at the Caledonian Stadium on Saturday. The game is scheduled to kick off at 3:00pm, but given the recent weather and covid restrictions, don't hold your breath. This game has a restricted crowd of 500 Willy Wonka golden tickets allocated. Fear not if you failed to get a hold of a ticket as ICTV will be streaming the game at a mere £15. MATCH INFO OFFICIAL PREVIEW LIVE STREAMING £15 Pos Team Pld W D L F A Pts 1. Arbroath 20 10 8 2 33 14 38 2. Inverness CT 19 10 5 4 26 14 35 3. Raith Rovers 20 9 7 4 27 19 34 4. Kilmarnock 19 10 3 6 24 14 33 5. Partick Thistle 18 9 4 5 30 16 31 6. Hamilton Ac. 20 6 5 9 22 34 23 7. Ayr United 19 4 6 9 18 32 18 8. Q.O.S. 19 4 5 10 19 29 17 9. Dunfermline 19 2 9 8 18 31 15 10. Morton 19 2 8 9 17 31 14 Full fixture list scheduled for Saturday 8th January, all 3:00pm. Ayr Utd v Arbroath Accies v Partick Caley Jags v Raith Rovers Queens v Killie Morton v Dunfermline Venue - Head 2 Head Pld Won Drn Lst For Agst + / - Home 18 13 3 2 36 13 +23 Away 14 7 4 3 27 17 +10 Neutral 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Total 32 20 7 5 63 30 +33 The stats are stacked heavily against Rovers who we seem to hold the Indian sign over. All of their wins came in the early years, their last triumph over ninety minutes was a 2-1 win at the Caledonian Stadium back in October 2000. Ian Broadfoot had this report on the game: Injury-hit Caley Thistle lost this game because of a poor first half display. Despite this they nearly took the lead in 13 minutes when a David Bagan shot was blocked by Greig McCulloch and spun over the bar. Raith scored first in 16 minutes when Jim Calder failed to hold a Shaun Dennis cross and Jay Stein hit home the loose ball from six yards. In 21 minutes a poor headed clearance by Stuart McCaffrey was picked up by Andrew Clark and he set up Ivan Mballa and the Frenchman slammed the ball into the net from 12 yards. ICT had a penalty claim turned down in 38 minutes when Charlie Christie was brought down by Paul Browne. After the break the home side improved but Guido Van de Kamp denied them on several occasions. Paul Sheerin pulled one back in 79 minutes when he netted from close range after a good cut back by Roy McBain. Four minutes later Sheerin watched in frustration as Van de Kamp saved his low shot. As time ran out he came close twice more but Raith held on to win. This seasons encounters show that a superb Roddy MacGregor strike was the difference between the sides back in August. MacGregor Stunner: Inverness maintained their winning start to the league campaign, but it took a stunning half volley from substitute Roddy MacGregor to settle the points. It had been a relatively even game with the hosts having slightly the better of it throughout. Jamie MacDonald had pulled off three or four decent saves before Roddy struck from 25 yards, the ball flashing into the net past an outstretched keeper after some neat interplay outside the box involving Sutherland and Duku. Six points from two games, we could not have asked for a better start to the Championship. The return fixture at Starks Park ended all square. And the wait goes on: Plenty of endeavour in the first half at Starks Park but little quality in the final third resulted in a game void of goalmouth action over the first forty-five minutes for both sides. Biggest talking point was the sending off just before the break of Ross Mathews for what looked like a rash studs up challenge. Contentious maybe, but straight red dished out. After the break more space saw more chances created but it was Raith that broke forward and scored through Aidan Connolly. Inverness struggled to get back on level terms but eventually did ten minutes from the end when Sean Welsh drilled home from the edge of the box and that ended the scoring. Raith's quest for a win over Inverness goes into a 22nd year. Killie were the only winners in the Championship and closed the gap to three points but Inverness remain top. There was also a Challenge Cup game at the end of November where both sides made numerous changes. That went to a penalty shoot-out which Raith won 5-4 after a goalless ninety minutes. Last time out Inverness drew at Gayfield in a game dominated by the wind which made the pitch virtually unplayable. Prior to that we have not played since the shambles of the 2-1 home loss to Hamilton Accies on the 18th December. Raith drew 0-0 with Dunfermline on 2nd January as we were being blown around Gayfield. Raith have not won in their last three games with their form taking a dip recently. So, fairly uninspiring stuff from both sides ahead of this clash at the top. Latest Team News Billy Dodds has been without Sean Welsh since he was injured in the Scottish Cup tie versus Morton on the 7th December. We will hopefully have more players available after covid struck and isolations hit the club. Aaron Doran has been added to the injury list and will be out for a couple of weeks. One man who will be seen no more is Michael Gardyne who has left the building by mutual consent following some alleged misconduct which had an upsetting effect on the morale in the dressing room. He has appropriately joined the 'Table Endies' at Links Park. Also leaving the club but on better terms, Anthony McDonald's contract has expired and after only five appearances this season he has also left the building and has signed on at Edinburgh City. Raith Rovers have signed Hibs forward Jamie Gullan on a two and a half year deal. The 'Hammer' has been on loan at Starks Park three times previously making fifty appearances and already has 14 Rovers goals to his name. McGlynn has moved early in the market and midfielder Ben Williamson comes in on loan from Rangers and Sam Stanton from Dundalk. Christophe Berra should return to action for Raith, but Lewis Vaughan and Brad Spencer are out long term. Here's Billy - Where's Wally?

Smokies held. The Caley Jags started 2022 with a game played in poor conditions at Gayfield. In a first half controlled by the weather chances were minimal. Joel Nouble burst into the box along the byeline but Mark Ridgers blocked to snuff out the danger. Aaron Doran drifted a curling shot just wide soon after before firing a second one high over the bar minutes later. Colin Hamilton went close after a lay-off in the box but it rose just over the corner of the bar. Ridgers saved low from Nouble inside the box five minutes before the break as Arbroath looked to have mastered the wind better, but the big fellow scuffed his shot somewhat to make the keepers job easier. Cammy Harper replaced the injured Aaron Doran a minute before the interval, leaving our bench even more fragile as the half time whistle went at 0-0. A big scramble in the visitors box just after the interval from a corner saw us hack the ball clear after some pinball. James Craigen slid a ball across the face of the goal from the left but it was just wide of the post and at the other end David Carson appeared to clip the outside edge of the post as he fired an effort from the edge of the box. The game petered out thereafter with neither side looking likely to score as the ball eluded everyone at the vital moments and a draw it was. Grim stuff in less than favourable circumstances and a point apiece it was. Full Time: 0-0 The first game of 2022 was another top of the table clash, this time it's Arbroath who head the table with Inverness three points behind looking to close the gap in a six-pointer at Gayfield in front of a covid restricted 500. A live stream was available from ArbroathFC TV for those not able to attend the game. Could the Smokies maintain the gap or could Inverness closed the gap and reduce the the seven goal advantage that Arbroath hold? Remember, every goal is a double pointer today. Arbroath still have Joel Nouble for another couple of games and have taken Jack Hamilton back on loan (to add to the chaos with Chris & Colin already at Arbroath - Hamiltons R us) but were without the injured Scott Stewart. Inverness were returning off the back of a bout of covid on Boxing Day and a waterlogged postponement on the 29th against the Pars, who had been thumped on Boxing Day by Arbroath. Our last outing was a disappointing home defeat to Hamilton Accies, so no Festive cheer for us. Sean Welsh had been injured and was still missing with MacGregor, McAlear, Jamieson and Cammy Mackay all unavailable. Ryan Esson filled the sub keepers jersey with our bench a bit sparse. Inverness had the strong wind at their backs in the first half with conditions challenging to say the least. Clear chances were hard to find throughout the ninety minutes with David Carson coming closest for the visitors. Even top scorer Michael McKenna struggled to make any headway. Second half Substitute Jack Hamilton did find the net as he deflected a wayward shot behind Ridgers but he had come back from an offside position before sticking out a boot to turn the ball into the net and offside it was. The report is basically as in the summary as the wind ruined any chance that a game of football might break out. Well done to both sides for venturing out in that weather and trying their hardest to put on a show. Alas, the weather won convincingly, even beating the Smokies TV stream as it conked out for around twenty minutes in the first half. So, that's my excuse and I'm sticking to it. More detail in the OFFICIAL REPORT from ICTFC Dodds with the wind... Date: 02/01/2022 Venue: Gayfield, Arbroath Attendance: 494 Referee: Colin Steven Arbroath: 0 Manager: Dick Campbell Lineup: Gaston; Thomson, Little, O’Brien, Colin Hamilton, Chris Hamilton, Gold (J Hamilton 70), Craigen (Linn 79), McKenna, Nouble, Dowds (Hilson 82) Subs (not used): Antell; Swankie, Low, Donnelly Scorers: none Booked: none Sent Off: none Inverness CT: 0 Manager: Billy Dodds Lineup: Ridgers; Duffy, Broadfoot, Devine, Deas, Walsh ()Hyde 86, Carson, Allardice, Doran (Harper 44), Sutherland, Mckay (Duku 76) Subs (not used): Esson; L Nicolson Scorers: none Booked: Allardice (12), Broadfoot (63), Devine (72) Sent Off: none a

Smoking Smokies The form team of 2021 entertain their table topping rivals Inverness Caledonian Thistle as we first foot Gayfield on Sunday 2nd January. This game is scheduled for a 3:00pm kick-off and is the proverbial six pointer, but there is no guarantee of anything in these eerie times given our last two games were called off for covid at home to Partick and then a waterlogged pitch at Dunfermline. The game can be streamed live from Arbroath TV RAITH ROVERS MATCH INFO Have a good New Year when it comesFrom CTO editorial Arbroath took full advantage in the one game they played with an emphatic 3-0 victory over Dunfermline on Boxing day to put the part-timers top of the league on their own. Part-timers they may be, but they are a well drilled unit with a shrewd manager at the helm in Dick Campbell and you have to give them full credit for what they have achieved so far this season. The team is littered with quality players and in Michael McKenna they have a proven reliable goal scorer who would not look out of place in the Premiership. He scored his 12th goal of the season against the Pars and is the top scorer in the Championship. Pos Team Pld W D L F A Pts 1. Arbroath 19 10 7 2 33 14 37 2. Inverness CT 18 10 4 4 26 14 34 3. Kilmarnock 19 10 3 6 24 14 33 4. Raith Rovers 19 9 6 4 27 19 33 5. Partick Thistle 18 9 4 5 30 16 31 6. Hamilton Ac. 19 5 5 9 19 34 20 7. Ayr United 19 4 6 9 18 32 18 8. Q.O.S. 18 4 5 9 19 26 17 9. Dunfermline 18 2 8 8 18 31 14 10. Morton 19 2 8 9 17 31 14 January 2nd scheduled fixtures all 3:00pm Arbroath v Caley Jags Partick P Morton Queens v Accies Raith v Pars The spoils are even this term. We edged the first one at Gayfield when Shane Sutherland bustled his way towards the box before dinking a delightful finish behind Gaston. In the reverse fixture Arbroath returned the favour after we lost our way and took the points in a 0-1 win. A second half goal from McKenna sufficient to win the game against a toothless Caley Jags back in October. CTO summary from that one: Inverness toiled to make any headway in a dour first half, the poor fare on display being matched only by the miserable weather. We improved in the final ten minutes before the interval but clear chances were at a premium. After the break and some initial half chances for the hosts, McKenna scored with a cross/shot free kick that caught out the keeper, possibly wind assisted. Inverness still struggled to create clear openings, an all too familiar habit of late. They could have doubled their lead soon after but Ridgers was in the right place to put Little's header over the bar. Thereafter we ruined what little chances we had by a lack of quality around the box and stout defending by Arbroath. Well done to them, they did what they had to do, we need to take a long hard look at how we are going about our business. Last Time Out Inverness slumped to defeat as Accies won 2-1 in the Highlands before Xmas. This was the second defeat to Accies this season who have been struggling but seem to be able to cancel us out and win, not always with eleven men. Arbroath pumped Dunfermline 3-0 at East End Park on Boxing Day. Goals from Breen (og), McKenna and a late one from Dowds sealed Pars fate. Latest Team News Who knows what's happening after the covid intervention. On the plus side, our injury situation should not be any worse given that we have not played since the 2-1 defeat to Accies on the 18th December. More recovery time for our Captain, who appears to be made of rice paper, but if fit he can be influential on the park. Here's hoping. Arbroath's Joel Nouble could be playing his final game before heading back to Livingston with rumours circulating that Jack Hamilton is a strong contender to go the opposite direction. The big bustling striker will be missed at Arbroath as he scares the sh!t out of defenders with his physical presence. Should Hamilton join Arbroath, then that will be a decent bit of business for the Smokies as well. Fixture Rearranged Our cinch Championship match against Dunfermline Athletic will now take place on Saturday 22nd January, 3pm kick-off, at East End Park. BYOB...Buy your own birdie.