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Hughes the Daddy 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. The Caley Jags should be turning up in midweek, weather and covid permitting, the game is scheduled for a 7:45pm kick-off on Wednesday night. It's an early opportunity for both clubs to get back on track after festive flops and the stakes are high at both ends of the table. OFFICIAL PREVIEW & STREAMING INFO Last time out Inverness failed to play on Boxing Day but our last game was a dismal failure as Accies won 2-1 in the Highlands before Xmas. 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. Dunfermline went down 3-0 at home to team of the season so far Arbroath. Their previous game was abandoned at Kilmarnock just after the hour with the score tied at 1-1, the fog making it impossible to continue, a real thick pea souper. Could have done with some fog in Inverness that day. That game was Tommy Wright's last one in charge of Killie as he was sacked after it. 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 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. Raith Rovers 19 9 6 4 27 19 33 4. Kilmarnock 18 10 2 6 23 13 32 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 18 2 7 9 16 30 13 Other fixtures on Wednesday night Killie v Morton Partick v Ayr Utd Arbroath v Accies & Raith v Queens postponed. First game between the sides this season saw Dunfermline get their second point of the season in a goalless draw at East End Park. They went one better in November with a 2-1 win at the Caledonian Stadium as we imploded. Here's our summary from that game: Under Par: Inverness opened the scoring after probing well for over twenty minutes. M****** G****** 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. Meh! Despite that result, after fourteen games, the Pars were still bottom of the league on ten points with Inverness third on twenty-five. Latest Team News We had to pull out of our Boxing Day fixture against Partick Thistle due mainly to an outbreak of covid and the related isolation process. A Dodds alludes to in his pre-match interview we have some back although I think that might be a bit of a smoke screen and we could still be seriously depleted. Only time will tell and see what Wednesday night brings. Sean Welsh has been injured and may still be receiving treatment, but it would be a bonus to have him back. Bit of deja vu from the November game with a diluted squad - Inverness were somewhat depleted with only five on the bench and Sean Welsh, Shane Sutherland, Manny Duku and Wallace Duffy all missing. On the bright side, David Carson returned to action at right back and Reece McAlear was in midfield. The Pars had a full bench which included Nicolay Todorov Ryan Dow and Craig Wighton. John Hughes was watching over his new side with Greg Shields taking charge of his final interim game as gaffer. Yogi made his first signing in the experienced Steven Lawless from Motherwell Dodds looking tentatively ahead to Wednesday night View full article

Accies 2-3 Killie Accies had two penalties saved by Killie keeper Hemming before they reduced the leeway with four minutes to go. Meh! Killie' s first goal was a penalty to draw the level in the eighth minute. Raith losing 2-0 to Ayr United was a wee bonus but hats off to Arbroath. If only Dunfermline had won 5-0 instead of getting pumped 3-0 by the Smokies, then we would be top of the league tonight.

Omicron 1-0 Football Game off due to outbreak of covid Read Club Statement here You might as well have the Preview anyway, it's no use to anyone now Omicron has appeared just in time to ruin Xmas, well, to be more precise, Boxing day. New restrictions will be in place for all games from Boxing Day, so be sure to check the Match Info from your club as a 500 crowd limit will be imposed on outdoor events. Unfortunately, what that means is that NO away fans will be permitted in to the Stadium. Omicron or not, how appropriate is it that we should play against the team that has Brian Graham plying his trade for them on Boxing Day. Yes, Partick Thistle are the opponents on the day when traditionally, gifts are given to the poor during the season of goodwill to all men, apart from Brian Graham. You can catch the action at 3:00pm on Sunday or watch the live stream from ICTV for £15. We passed on the opportunity to consolidate our position at the top of the table last weekend which has baffled many after the thrashing dished out to Morton the previous week. Accies threw a spanner in the works winning at the Caledonian Stadium last week which resulted in part time Arbroath hitting the top of the table on goal difference half way through the season. You've got to doff your cap to the main man with the bunnet who has done a tremendous job at Gayfield. Nonetheless, Merry Xmas from the CTO editorial team Pos Team Pld W D L F A Pts 1. Arbroath 18 9 7 2 30 14 34 2. Inverness CT 18 10 4 4 26 14 34 3. Raith Rovers 18 9 6 3 27 17 33 4. Partick Thistle 18 9 4 5 30 16 31 5. Kilmarnock 17 9 2 6 20 11 29 6. Hamilton Ac. 18 5 5 8 17 31 20 7. Q.O.S. 18 4 5 9 19 26 17 8. Ayr United 18 3 6 9 16 32 15 9. Dunfermline 17 2 8 7 18 28 14 10. Morton 18 2 7 9 16 30 13 Other Championship games on Boxing Day Ayr Utd v Rovers Dunfermline v Arbroath FC Accies v Killie Morton v Queens Venue - Head 2 Head Pld Won Drn Lst For Agst + / - Home 21 9 5 7 33 30 +3 Away 20 5 6 9 21 28 -7 Neutral 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Total 41 14 11 16 54 58 -4 Last Time out We went down 2-1 at home to Accies after surrendering a lead given to us through Cameron Harper in the 65th minute. That was his second goal for the club, his first in the Championship. Two goals in the space of three minutes from David Moyo and Andy Winter turned the game on it's head as Accies responded when we regressed. As we passed up chances to score it was deja vu from the first encounter this season, but they had eleven on the park this time. Disappointing result and we need to be more clinical around the box. Strange thing to have to say given the way we dealt with Morton, but an all too familiar scenario this season. Partick did us all a favour at the weekend when a late goal in the fog at Firhill saw them beat 10 man Raith Rovers and put themselves back in contention only three points off the pace. Kyle Turner scored the winner in the 96th minute with Raith playing out the final half hour without the red carded Cristophe Berra. First encounter this season ended at 3-1 to the Caley Jags after Partick had dominated the opening 45. Here's our summary from that game: After a difficult first half, Inverness ran out comfortable winners against Partick Thistle in a second half goal blitz. The visitors dominated the first forty-five and Scott Tiffoney drilled the opener out of nothing as the defence backed off. Manny Duku was denied by a combination of keeper and post but it was Partick that should have scored a second, however Mark Ridgers did well to deny Brian Graham. Harsh talking at the break saw Inverness come out for the second half with the bit between the teeth and Kirk Broadfoot was the unlikely hero as his twenty yard shot evaded the outstretched fingertips of the keeper to level the score. Shane Sutherland did well to drill in the second from an angle after the keeper fluffed his lines allowing Shane to slot in from twenty yards. The third was a peach as Duku stepped over the ball and Aaron Doran fired high into the net for a brilliant goal and game over. That's five wins out of five and the run goes on... Perennial cheat Brian Graham seemed to be involved in an off the ball altercation which left David Carson enraged. He was removed from the park by McCall immediately after. It's about time this thug in a football strip was taken to task. Latest Team News Billy Dodds has been without Sean Welsh for a couple of weeks and Aaron Doran limped off last week against Accies. Otherwise, we should have a fairly full squad to choose from unless we have had any more mystery training injuries to contend with. Loosely connected to three of the teams mentioned in this preview, I see that Dougie Imrie has been appointed as the new Morton manager. The former Accies, Inverness and Morton player has a tough job on his hands there but good luck to him in that role. Ian McCall View full article

Xmas is coming We face Hamilton Accies on Saturday in the Championship, fresh from our mauling of Morton last weekend, but can we sustain that level of intensity as we enter the heavy winter schedule? The game kicks off at 3:00pm at the Caledonian Stadium with live streaming available from ICTV at £15 if you are unable to get to the stadium. We are due Accies a doing after our lousy performance down there on 2nd October against ten men for over an hour. Let's hope we can continue to build on our performance from last weekend. If not, Raith, Arbroath, Killie and Partick are waiting in the wings... OFFICIAL PREVIEW MATCH INFO*TICKETS*STREAMING Venue - Head 2 Head Pld Won Drn Lst For Agst + / - Home 13 4 4 5 20 17 +3 Away 10 6 1 3 16 12 +4 Neutral 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Total 23 10 5 8 36 29 +7 First Competitive Meeting Jan 25th, 1997 Scottish Cup (Rd 3) (H) 1 - 3 Most Recent Competitive Meeting Oct 2nd, 2021 League (Championship) (A) 1 - 2 Last 10 Competitive Meetings 1 - 2 (A) 2 - 1 (H) 0 - 3 (A) 1 - 1 (H) 1 - 1 (A) 1 - 0 (A) 0 - 1 (H) 4 - 3 (A) 0 - 2 (H) 2 - 0 (A) The first meeting of the clubs this season saw Inverness fail to beat ten man Accies at NDP despite the hosts playing over half the game a man short. Lewis Smith and Andy Ryan had put Accies two up inside twenty-six minutes before Reegan Mimnaugh was red carded after half an hour. We huffed and puffed for the next hour before eventually getting an injury time consolation by he who shall not be named, but it was too little too late to retrieve the situation. That was our first League defeat of the season at the Fountain of Youth, but it left us three points clear of Kilmarnock in second place at the beginning of October. Since then we have gained a further fifteen points and remain top, but with Raith Rovers and Arbroath breathing down our neck. Accies have added nine points since that first meeting and are heading the bottom half of the table in a League where anyone can beat the rest on their day. Other fixtures this weekend Arbroath v Morton Kilmarnock v Dunfermline Partick v Rovers Queens v Ayr Utd Pos Team Pld W D L F A Pts 1. Inverness CT 17 10 4 3 25 12 34 2. Raith Rovers 17 9 6 2 27 16 33 3. Arbroath 17 8 7 2 28 13 31 4. Kilmarnock 17 9 2 6 20 11 29 5. Partick Thistle 17 8 4 5 29 16 28 6. Hamilton Ac. 17 4 5 8 15 30 17 7. Ayr United 17 3 6 8 16 29 15 8. Dunfermline 17 2 8 7 18 28 14 9. Q.O.S. 17 3 5 9 16 26 14 10. Morton 17 2 7 8 15 28 13 Last Time Out We trounced a hapless Morton 6-1 at Cappiellow. Doran, Sutherland (2), Mckay, McAlear with a screamer and Jamieson scored the goals in a one sided affair. Ugwu replied for Morton just on the break from the spot. Accies drew 1-1 at Somerset Park with Ayr United in a highly competitive encounter. They opened the scoring through Lewis Smith five minutes before the interval but Tomi Adeloye headed Ayr level three minutes after the break and that's how it ended. Latest Team News Sean Welsh will require more time to rest up. Other than that we should have a fairly healthy squad although Roddy MacGregor was also missing last week. View full article

Back to the Championship    As if we have not played Morton often enough over the last few weeks we have to play them again on Saturday, the fourth meeting already this season. However, this is infinitely more important than the last couple of 1-1 draws. It's back to the Championship on Saturday and a chance to atone for dropping out of the Scottish Cup to Morton after a penalty shoot-out defeat.  Tuesday's replay ended level after ninety minutes with Muirhead and Devine scoring within the ninety minutes. However, after Danny saw his spot kick saved, Gary Oliver netted his to send Morton through to face Motherwell in the next round and left Inverness to concentrate solely on the Championship. That game was the result of a previous draw in Inverness, Mckay and Reilly sending the tie to a replay. The first meeting this season was a Championship encounter at the Caledonian Stadium with Inverness getting the better of a stubborn Morton, easing to a 2-0 win thanks to goals from Billy Mckay and Mi***** Ga*****. Match-Ticket-Bus-Streaming-Info Last 10 Competitive Meetings 1 - 1 (A) 1 - 1 (H) 2 - 0 (H) 4 - 1 (A) 0 - 1 (H) 2 - 2 (A) 3 - 2 (H) 1 - 2 (A) 3 - 1 (H) 5 - 0 (H) Venue Head 2 Head Pld Won Drn Lst For Agst + / - Home 18 12 4 2 46 16 +30 Away 15 8 3 4 28 18 +10 Neutral 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Total 33 20 7 6 74 34 +40   Pos Team Pld W D L F A Pts   1. Inverness CT 16 9 4 3 19 11 31 2. Raith Rovers 16 8 6 2 26 16 30 3. Kilmarnock 16 9 2 5 20 10 29 4. Partick Thistle 16 8 4 4 29 14 28 5. Arbroath 16 7 7 2 26 13 28 6. Hamilton Ac. 16 4 4 8 14 29 16 7. Ayr United 16 3 5 8 15 28 14 8. Morton 16 2 7 7 14 22 13 9. Dunfermline 16 2 7 7 15 25 13 10. Q.O.S. 16 3 4 9 13 23 13 As the table shows, we are at opposite ends, but based on the cup games there's little to choose between the sides. Thanks to results after our 1-0 win over Killie on the Friday night, we now sit on top of the pile with some interesting encounters coming up this weekend. Friday 10th December Ayr United v Hamilton Saturday 11th December Dunfermline v Queens Partick Thistle v Arbroath Raith Rovers v Killie fc They say familiarity breeds contempt, it also affords the opportunity for both clubs to cancel each other out. That's what has happened over the last couple of games against Morton and it's going to take a bit of inventive creativity to unlock either defence, or perish the thought, a blunder in defence. Whatever the case, let's hope for a bit more energy across the pitch.  And hopefully Morton have brought the away changing room up to standard after Billy Dodds made public his concern over the state of them in his condemnation of their fit for purpose suitability. Latest Team News Sean Welsh will be out for a couple of weeks after coming off early in the Cup replay, so there's a change already. Aaron Doran will possibly miss out as he has been struggling to recover. Manny Duku was on the bench on Tuesday, maybe we will see a return of the awkward gangly style that confuses him as much as the defenders.     View full article

Or not.

Maybe an opportunity for Daniel to come back on loan....

Hibernian: Jack Ross exits as head coach - https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/59591315

Spoilsport....

Replay It's a Scottish Cup replay at Cappielow on Tuesday night as Inverness take on Morton to see who travels to Motherwell in the next round. The first game ended at 1-1 in the Highlands with strikes from Billy Mckay and Gavin Reilly taking the game to a replay, probably something neither club will relish. Since then an Inverness XI went out of the Challenge Cup to Raith Rovers on penalties. That was largely a squad littered with fringe players ahead of the big fish which was played out on Friday night. That game went well when Sean Welsh scored a screamer as Inverness beat Kilmarnock in a televised game to go to the top of the table. Whilst Inverness were slinking out of the Challenge Cup, Morton were also departing that competition as they went down 2-1 to Queen of the South at Palmerston. On Saturday, Morton drew 2-2 with Ayr United with Reilly and Oksanen scoring to tie the game. League form indicates that Inverness should be favourites to go into the next round, but on the evidence of the original tie, Morton were the ones forcing the pace of the game and deserved a second bite at the cherry. This is the first of a double header against the 'Ton as we play them again on Saturday in the Championship. That is surely more important for both clubs, especially given our good result against Killie, and for different reasons given Morton's result against Ayr in the bottom half of the table. MATCH INFO & TV STREAMING Latest Team News Reading between the lines, I think it's fair to say that Mr Gardyne has probably left the building. His footballing skills will be missed, but his team bonding efforts were uncalled for and disruptive. Would be good if we could draw a line under this and a statement from the club would be appreciated. Hopefully we have no more niggles to worry about although Manny Duku and Wallace Duffy were not in the squad for the Killie game. However, will we be putting all our eggs in one basket, or will we put our fingers in more than one pie. That my friends is the burning question. Morton; well we should not be too concerned by what they do, but what we do ourselves, so let's not get too hung up about them.

Paul Sheerin and Falkirk have parted company.