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Do We Have To After the poor result at the Caledonian Stadium on Saturday, many fans are asking this question: Do we have to play them again? Unfortunately the answer is yes, and it's only three days after the rubbish we were subject to at the weekend. Hamilton away on Tuesday night is the venue, 7:45pm is the kick-off time. Dodds said after the game that he could "see the life being drained out of his players". For many supporters the enthusiasm is draining from their very souls making it difficult to back the present regime. Only three home wins this season has left Inverness hovering just above the relegation tussle. If things get any worse we will be involved in that tussle. The optimist in me is saying a good run of results could see us scrape into the play-offs at the top end of the table, however that seems a long shot at the moment. Many fans that venture onto the forums are questioning their sanity. Sitting out in the open air on bitterly cold Saturday afternoons watching error strewn frustratingly poor quality football is not encouraging them to splash their hard earned cash on another season ticket. The big talking point is how can we beat Livingston, who are fourth in the Premiership 3-0, then one week later get turned over by the same score by bottom of the Championship Hamilton Accies at home. Something we are getting used to now as we have only two wins in our last eleven games against Accies. Of course we live in eternal hope but even the most ardent of fans will be looking to this game with trepidation rather than anticipation. The only good news from Saturday is that Austin Samuels made a twenty minute appearance, so that's another one ticked off the list. Sutherland, Walsh, Woods, Ram and MacGregor still to make a return. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Match/Ticket/ Supporters Bus Info Killie Cup Tickets ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Nothing has changed since the last game three days ago therefore there's little information to impart. Accies have learned how to beat us and carry out their plan of action to a man and stick rigidly to their task. We may be slightly better suited to playing away from home. Unfortunately the results against Accies are still not forthcoming at either venue of late. Team Lines from Saturday: ICTFC: Ridgers, Carson, Duffy, Devine, Harper, Henderson, Welsh (Boyd 79), Allardice, Shaw (Cairns 76), D Mackay (Samuels 69), B Mckay Subs (not used): C Mackay; Deas, Thompson, Delaney, Hyde, Doran ACCIES: Fulton; Tumilty (Lawson 73), Owens, D McGowan, O'Reilly (McGinn 87), L Smith (Stephenson 58), Shiels, C Smith, Martin, De Bolle (Winter 73), Tiehi (Zanatta 87) Subs (not used): J Smith; Easton, Newbury, Latona CTO summary from last game : After last weeks cup result at Livingston, many were expecting better things. However the Caley Jags have the knack of ruining the weekend with another horror show against a poor Accies side who seem to be able to beat us whenever they want these days. In truth we were the architect of our own downfall with misplaced passes, defence at sixes and sevens and was that really a penalty. Difficult to pick a MotM from that performance but David Carson was one of the few who made himself available all the time and was willing to get forward. Just when it looked like we might be turning a corner we come up with a performance like that. It defies logic to be honest and even the diehards are wondering why they bother. Here's what Billy said on Saturday 😡 Last 3 Competitive Meetings v Accies - The 0-2 was the Challenge Cup game. 0 - 3 (H) 0 - 2 (A) 0 - 1 (H) Pos Team Pld W D L F A Pts 1. Queens Park 25 13 5 7 49 34 44 2. Dundee 24 12 6 6 40 27 42 3. Ayr United 24 11 6 7 46 32 39 4. Morton 24 10 7 7 35 28 37 5. Partick Thistle 24 11 3 10 43 38 36 6. Raith Rovers 25 9 7 9 33 33 34 7. Inverness CT 24 8 8 8 34 35 32 8. Cove Rangers 25 6 8 11 32 51 26 9. Arbroath 25 4 10 11 24 40 22 10. Hamilton Ac. 24 5 6 13 22 40 21 And here's Billy ahead of tonight's game

Hamilton Hammer Hapless Hackers The season begins in earnest now with most sides having recruited in the January sales and squads should now be optimised for the last third of the season. For Inverness that's not so much about bringing new players in, it's more about getting injured players back on the park. This game is the first of a double header against Accies with six points up for grabs, but we have found Hamilton difficult to get point from of late. Billy Mckay was in a rich vein of form lately, 8 goals since New Year and just like magic, Austin Samuels appeared on the bench alongside Robbie Deas. Accies had Connor Smith on from the start after he had been cup-tied since his loan deal from Hearts and Rheagan Tumilty started as well. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ First Half Inverness started the game on the front foot with Nathan Shaw involved in most things good, however the final ball would be elusive. Unbelievably, Billy Mckay of all people missed an open goal from around six yards after being teed up by Daniel Mackay, his simple roll into the net hit the post when it was easier to score. Accies eventually grew into the game midway through the half without troubling Ridgers. In fairness, Fulton in the Accies goal wasn't over exerted either and it was little surprise that it was goalless at the interval. HALF TIME:0-0 Two minutes after the interval Accies took the lead and once more it was self inflicted. Nathan Shaw who had been prominent in the first half passed the ball to the opposition around the halfway line. Lewis Smith and Jean-Pierre Tiehi burst forward but they were blocked and Lucas De Bolle got the break of the ball after the initial burst forward broke down and he buried the loose ball behind Ridgers. Match Reaction on CTO Every week I think to myself, this is rubbish, it can't get any worse than this, and every week ICT manage to do it. I have watched football in Inverness for around 50 years, and I can honestly say that I've never seen such rubbish. Dodds needs to resign if he has any degree of respect left for the club. To be beaten at home by the bottom club is unacceptable. We started well, first 20 minutes I thought if we keep this up we could win this, then we went to our default position, lose the ball cheaply, can't string passes together, defend badly, don't work their keeper and revert to Hoofball. I really can't wait for this season to be over. We need a total clear out in all departments, starting with Dodds and his coaches. Abysmal result. Defeat was fairly predictable as we usually struggle against Hamilton - 3 wins for them in their last 4 trips here - but the margin of this defeat is an absolute shocker. Pos Team Pld W D L F A Pts TABLE NOT LOOKING SO GOOD FOR US NOW 1. Queens Park 25 13 5 7 49 34 44 2. Dundee 24 12 6 6 40 27 42 3. Ayr United 24 11 6 7 46 32 39 4. Morton 24 10 7 7 35 28 37 5. Partick Thistle 24 11 3 10 43 38 36 6. Raith Rovers 25 9 7 9 33 33 34 7. Inverness CT 24 8 8 8 34 35 32 8. Cove Rangers 25 6 8 11 32 51 26 9. Arbroath 25 4 10 11 24 40 22 10. Hamilton Ac. 24 5 6 13 22 40 21 Date: 18/02/2023 Venue: Caledonian Stadium Attendance: 2171 Referee: Mathew MacDermid Inverness CT: 0 Manager: Bily Dodds Lineup: Ridgers, Carson, Duffy, Devine, Harper, Henderson, Welsh (Boyd 79), Allardice, Shaw (Cairns 76), D Mackay (Samuels 69), B Mckay Subs (not used): C Mackay; Deas, Thompson, Delaney, Hyde, Doran Scorers: none Booked: Allardice (63) Devine (72) Sent Off: none Hamilton Accies: 3 Manager: John Rankin Lineup: Fulton; Tumilty (Lawson 73), Owens, D McGowan, O'Reilly (McGinn 87), L Smith (Stephenson 58), Shiels, C Smith, Martin, De Bolle (Winter 73), Tiehi (Zanatta 87) Subs (not used): J Smith; Easton, Newbury, Latona Scorers: De Bolle (47), Tiehi (80), C Smith (87 pen) Booked: O'Reilly (13), Tumilty (30) Sent Off: none a

Back to Business After a weekend of Cup action it's back to League duty this weekend as the hunt for points at both ends of the table intensifies. Forget the previous twenty-odd games, the season begins in earnest now with most sides having recruited in the January sales and squads should now be optimised for the last third of the season. For Inverness that's not so much about bringing new players in, it's more about getting injured players back on the park and it was great to see Robbie Deas in the squad at Livingston, a sign that we are slowly getting back to full strength with Scott Allardice and Cammy Harper also having taken part over the last three games. This is a home game on Saturday and is scheduled for a 3:00pm start at the Caledonian Stadium. We then visit Hamilton three days later in a re-arranged fixture from before Xmas on 21st Feb at 19:45. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Match/Ticket/Info Scottish Cup v Killie Raise the Roof ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Venue H2H v Accies Pld Won Drn Lst For Agst + / - Home 16 5 4 7 25 20 +5 Away 12 6 2 4 17 15 +2 Neutral 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Total 28 11 6 11 42 35 +7 Historically we have a decent record against Accies although in recent games when we should have been the dominant force we have struggled to cope having won only one of the last six encounters, and that was an end of season fixture when Accies were winding down and we were gearing up for the play-offs. It's only two wins in ten if you stretch further back. Last 10 Competitive Meetings v Accies 0 - 2 (A) 0 - 1 (H) 4 - 0 (H) 1 - 1 (A) 1 - 2 (H) 1 - 2 (A) 2 - 1 (H) 0 - 3 (A) 1 - 1 (H) 1 - 1 (A) This time last year we played out an entertaining 1 - 1 draw at Hamilton: Accies took an early lead through Josh Mullin after a defensive blunder by Reece McAlear. Great finish from the Accies player though as he arrowed the ball high into the net from twenty yards (Josh Mullin). We levelled when Sam Pearson scored his first goal for the club on the half hour and that's how it stayed at the break, although David Moyo almost got a touch on a low ball fizzed into the box just on the whistle. No further scoring after the break despite plenty of opportunities at both ends and Joe Hardy almost snatched it at the end with the last kick of the ball. Good point, but ten games without a win now Pos Team Pld W D L F A Pts After tonights games 1. Queens Park 25 13 5 7 49 34 44 2. Dundee 24 12 6 6 40 27 42 3. Ayr United 23 11 6 6 46 31 39 4. Morton 24 10 7 7 35 28 37 5. Raith Rovers 25 9 7 9 33 33 34 6. Partick Thistle 23 10 3 10 42 38 33 7. Inverness CT 23 8 8 7 34 32 32 8. Cove Rangers 24 6 7 11 31 50 25 9. Arbroath 24 4 9 11 23 39 21 10. Hamilton Ac. 23 4 6 13 19 40 18 FRIDAY 17TH FEBRUARY (19:45) Morton 1-0 Dundee Queens Park 1-1 Raith Rovers SATURDAY 18TH FEBRUARY (15:00) Ayr United v Partick Thistle Cove Rangers v Arbroath Caley Jags v Hamilton Last Time Out It was cup action for both sides last weekend. Accies acquitted themselves well against Hearts after a shaky start but went down 2-0 with the Jambos scoring in each half through Humphrys and Devlin. In their last Championship fixture Accies drew 1-1 with title candidates Dundee. An early goal from Hearts loanee Connor Smith put Accies ahead only for Jordan McGhee to level before the interval and that's how it stayed as Accies gained a valuable point at the foot of the table. Inverness dumped the Livi Lions out of the Cup with two sensational strikes from on form Billy Mckay and a Sean Welsh header to progress to the quarter finals of the Scottish Cup. That has earned us a home tie against Kilmarnock on March 11th. Our last League game saw us come from behind twice to earn a point at home versus Morton. Second half goals from Billy Mckay and Ethan Cairns saw us grab a late point. That was Billy's 92nd goal for the Caley Jags whilst Ethan has a long way to go after notching his first goal with his first touch after coming on as a substitute. Cup Goals Accies have already beaten us twice this season although one of those games was against a weakened Inverness side in the Challenge Cup where the youngsters performed well despite going down 0 - 2. Great Effort by Young Team: Accies took an early advantage of the young squad Inverness had assembled and opened the scoring after only three minutes through an own goal. The young team responded well when Calum Mackay did brilliantly down the left and his cross made it's way to Keith Bray but his diving header was tipped round the post by Jamie Smith. Minutes later Mackay went through on goal but his shot caught the side netting. Tiehi and One replied for Accies with Ridgers gathering Tiehi's effort and One heading wide before a deflected shot from Winter earned a corner for Accies. Aaron Nicolson shot just wide midway through the half. Accies doubled their lead when Reegan Mimnaugh turned in Andy Winter's low cross. Mackay and Nicolson came close again. Just before the interval Mark Ridgers denied Gabe Forsyth from 25 yards. 2-0 at the interval with the young guys performing brilliantly and Jamie Smith the busier keeper, but Accies with the all important goals. H/T 2-0 Just after the hour Ryan One did well down the Accies left and his shot was parried by Ridgers and Caley Thistle get clear. Inverness made a couple of changes with twenty minutes left. Alistair Nixon & Calum MacLeod on, Ryan Barrett & Duncan Proudfoot off. 83rd minute Daniel MacDougall & Lewis Mackie on, Jack Walker & Aaron Nicolson off. 87th minute Danny Gillan on, Mark Ridgers off. Accies ended the game with ten players that had come through their own Academy as the game ran away from the Inverness XI who had acquitted themselves very well. Latest Team News Probably still too early for Robbie Deas, but great to have him back involved with the squad. Allardice, Harper, Shaw and Welsh have all returned and will be heading towards full fitness. Still some doubts over the whereabouts of our man of mystery, Austin Samuels. Not much information coming from the club surrounding his availability or otherwise. Sutherland, Walsh and MacGregor are still to come so we can maybe look forward to a wee surge towards the end of the season. Here's hoping. Hamilton's January business In: Reghan Tumilty, defender (Hartlepool United). Loan in: Connor Smith, midfielder (Heart of Midlothian); Dylan McGowan, defender (Kilmarnock); Tom Sparrow, midfielder (Stoke City). Out: Miko Virtanen, midfielder (Cove Rangers). Loan out: Michael Doyle, defender (Alloa Athletic). Good bit of business by Accies to bring in Reghan Tumilty on loan. Dario Zanatta is also a handy man to have in your locker and Lewis Smith has caused us problems before. Young Ryan One is developing into a great prospect. Accies are always up for a battle and points are usually difficult to prise away from them. The loans in of Connor Smith and Dylan McGowan will bolster the Accies defence who have conceded forty goals. However it's up front they have really under achieved scoring only nineteen league goals this season compared to our thirty-four goal haul. Billy Mckay has twelve league goals to his name. The prize for beating Livingston>>> After last weeks heroics, we face Kilmarnock on Friday 10th March 7:45pm. This tie will be screened live on BBC Scotland. As well as scoring two peaches against Livi, Billy Mckay was in the team of the week for his performance. That's Billy's 8th goal since the turn of the year.