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Gardyne volleys us to the top 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. Billy Dodds had Michael Gardyne back from injury but Doran and Sutherland were on the bench after knocks last week. Sean Welsh was in the starting XI as Inverness looked to get back above Kilmarnock after they drew with Arbroath on Friday night. Queen of the South came North on the back of some indifferent form which showed they were better suited to playing away from home. No Dobbie as the prolific striker had left Palmerston after a glittering career. Much travelled former Ross County and Inverness player Alex Cooper was on the bench for the Doonhamers. Mark Ridgers was the first keeper in action as he smothered a weak shot from Lee Connelly with just sixty seconds gone; Connelly would do better later in the game.. Inverness responded with a Scott Allardice drive that fizzed a couple of feet wide in the fifth minute, although the keeper looked to have his post covered. Allardice's next involvement was a booking after a rash tackle out wide as Inverness made heavy weather of making any progress. However, Duku turned his marker and was brought down on the edge of the penalty box arc as David Carson fed the ball to him. Sean Welsh stepped forward and curled a sublime low free kick into the bottom corner from around twenty-five yards, the ball coming off the surface at pace. Tom Walsh almost got on the end of a Gardyne cross after a quick free kick, the ball just out of reach. Minutes later another Gardyne cross found Manny Duku but his header was glanced wide. Duku was causing problems for the defence with his awkward style and direct running, almost finding Walsh after another cut back into the box. Yet another Gardyne cross not connected with Duku's head as the striker passes up on another opportunity. Ten minutes to the break and the hosts are well in control although Queens are not completely out of it so far with only one goal separating the sides as another Gardyne cross evades two forwards in the box. After Gardyne was fouled wide left, a Walsh free kick was headed goalwards but it lacked sufficient power to trouble the keeper as the interval loomed. Half Time: 1-0 The visitors managed to make some progress early in the second half and Mark Ridgers pulled off a superb save and he was not to know it was adjudged offside. Substitute Reece McAlear stung the palms of the keeper as Inverness came back into the game. Broadfoot dollied a header into the keeper and when Johnston broke on the right side for Queens, he got the break of the ball but dragged his shot just wide across the keeper. Billy McKay replaced the hapless Duku around the hour as Inverness looked for the cushion. Clear chances were difficult to come by as the hosts won a couple of corners to no avail, but from the return ball, Walsh's cross bounced back off the corner of the bar. Out of nothing the visitors scored a superb goal through Connelly with a curling shot from the corner of the box high into the net across the keeper. Great strike! Lewis Jamieson replaced Allardice as Dodds decided a second goal was needed. It almost came at the other end as a cleared ball ricocheted off a defender and Ridgers had to look sharp to save. Just when Queens looked the more likely to score, Michael Gardyne volleyed in a beauty after a long through ball from Robbie Deas bounced up nicely for him to chest then volley home with power. Inverness pressed for a third goal and Carson and Gardyne were blocked in the six yard box as the clock ticked towards the ninety. With the hosts in command the referee ended the game to send Inverness back to the top of the table after a deserved win over a gritty Queens. Good performances all over the park with Michael Gardyne the pick of the bunch and honourable mentions for Sean Welsh, Danny Devine and David Carson. From BBC Sport Billy Dodds: "We had to work for it but I thought our attitude was fantastic. My experienced players came up trumps. Sean Welsh with a brilliant free kick and Michael Gardyne with a great finish." Allan Johnston: "The least we should have come away with was a point with the way we played, especially in the second half so we are a little bit frustrated. We have to make sure we learn from that." From CTO Robert: Pretty dominant first half without creating any clear cut chances, but deservedly ahead after a great free kick by Welsh. We failed to kick on after the break and it was no great surprise when the equaliser went in, as they had tested us a few times before it. It was a very good finish. That was the kick up the backside we needed and we got the winner through Gardyne from a long ball by Deas, with Jamieson playing his part by distracting the defence. However, we need to be more clinical and put teams away when we are on top, and stop making it hard for ourselves. Pick for me today was Gardyne, closely followed by Welsh. From CTO RIG: Deserved win. We largely cigared that today save for a period in the second half when Queens got their equaliser and looked like they might steal a point but fortunately we were able to go up a gear and get a deserved winner. Smashing performance from Gardyne. He might be 58<<disclaimer alert>> but he's still as fit as anyone in our squad and still has plenty to offer. Pacey and direct and not afraid to have a crack at goal when some might take an extra touch too many (Duku). Lovely finish for the winner and a deserved MotM. Devine continues to be perhaps our most consistent performer. He almost score a comedy own goal but other than that he was excellent again and stepped out of defence on numerous occasions to intercept balls forward from Queens. Carson was again solid at RB and MacGregor, before his injury, was running the midfield. Walsh was disappointing though and I feel that he's not really hit the height he did in his previous stint with us. Connelly looked useful for Queens who did press and harry us a lot in the first half but seemed to cease after conceding a goal and seemed content to let us knock the ball about looking for an opening. Unfortunately a fair bit of our play broke down in the final third (we definitely lacked a killer pass at times) but I felt we dealt with their few attacking opportunities quite well. Their equaliser was absolutely stunning but fortunately we just upped our game a bit and took a deserved win. All in all, a very pleasing day. Doddsy Here's the goals, three crackers... Date: 25/09/2021 Venue: Caledonian Stadium Attendance: 1184 Referee: Alan Newlands Inverness CT: 2 Manager: Billy Dodds Lineup: Ridgers; Carson, Broadfoot, Devine, Deas, Walsh, Welsh, Allardice (Jamieson 76), MacGregor (McAlear 54), Gardyne, Duku (Mckay 63) Subs (not used): Mackay; Harper, Sutherland, Doran Scorers: Welsh (12), Gardyne (81) Booked: Allardice (9) Sent Off: none Queen of the South: 1 Manager: Allan Johnston Lineup: Brynn; Gibson, Mckay, Connelly, Debayo, Liddle (Junior 67), McGrory (Fitzpatrick 73) East, Joseph, Nditi, Johnston (Paton 87), Subs (not used): Cowie; Cooper, Chima, Henderson, Scorers: Connelly (74) Booked: Nditi (85) Sent Off: none a

Queens visit. After dropping our first points of the season last weekend to bottom club Dunfermline, seventh place Queen of the South come calling on Saturday to the Caledonian Stadium, the game kicking off at 3:00pm. We had Mark Ridgers to thank for earning us a point at East End Park as he pulled off two tremendous saves late in the game to deny the Pars their first win of the season. The draw was sufficient to keep Inverness top of the table but Kilmarnock and Arbroath gained some ground at the top end whilst the Pars stay rooted to the foot of the Championship. Queens went down 2-0 at home to Arbroath as their indifferent start to the season continues, beating Raith away one week, losing at home to Arbroath the next. It would appear that their away form suits them better than playing at Palmerston at the moment. Stat Attack First Competitive Meeting Dec 17th, 1994 Scottish Cup (Rd 1) (H) 1 - 2 Most Recent Competitive Meeting Apr 10th, 2021 League (Championship) (A) 1 - 1 Last 10 Competitive Meetings 1 - 1 (A) 0 - 1 (H) 3 - 0 (A) 3 - 1 (H) 2 - 0 (A) 2 - 0 (H) 2 - 0 (A) 1 - 2 (H) 3 - 3 (A) 0 - 0 (H) Venue - Head 2 Head Pld Won Drn Lst For Agst + / - Home 19 11 2 6 34 23 +11 Away 18 7 7 4 31 19 +12 Neutral 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Total 37 18 9 10 65 42 +23 Biggest Victories Dec 4th, 2020 League (Championship) (A) 3 - 0 Apr 17th, 2004 League (H) 4 - 1 Dec 6th, 2003 League (H) 4 - 1 Aug 1st, 1998 League Cup (Round 1) (A) 4 - 1 Heaviest Defeats Oct 10th, 2009 League (H) 1 - 3 Mar 21st, 1998 League (H) 0 - 2 Aug 13th, 1997 Challenge Cup (Rd 1) (H) 0 - 2 Highest Attendance Oct 18th, 2003 League (A) 3,547 Highest Home Attendance Oct 10th, 2009 League (H) 3,011 Pld W D L F A +/- Pts 1. Inverness CT 6 5 1 0 7 1 6 16 2. Kilmarnock 6 5 0 1 8 1 7 15 3. Arbroath 6 4 1 1 14 4 10 13 4. Partick Thistle 6 3 0 3 11 10 1 9 5. Raith Rovers 5 2 1 2 7 6 1 7 6. Ayr United 6 2 1 3 7 8 -1 7 7. Queen of the South 6 2 0 4 7 10 -3 6 8. Morton 6 1 1 4 5 10 -5 4 9. Hamilton Academical 6 1 1 4 6 14 -8 4 10. Dunfermline 5 0 2 3 3 11 -8 2 As the stats show, Inverness have the upper hand in this fixture but Queens won 0 - 1 in the last one at the Caledonian Stadium in February 2021 when Nortei Nortay scored the only goal of the game as the visitors burst forward around the hour to win in Inverness for the sixth time out of nineteen visits. Other games this weekend Arbroath 0-0 Kilmarnock (Friday 19:45) Will this one sort the men from the boys? Nope. Ayr United v Morton (Saturday 15:00) Mid table supremacy? Dunfermline v Hamilton (Sat 15:00) Relegation battle? Raith Rovers v Partick (Sunday 15:00) - Raith Rovers v Dunfermline ***catch up game Wed 29th Sept 19:05 Streaming from ICTV * Ticket Info Official Preview Match Info AGM 2021 - Statement Hospitality v Morton Lewis Hyde to Rothes Aly Riddle to Forres * Users in England: The English FA was granted ‘blocked hours’ protection pursuant to UEFA Article 48 which prohibits the transmission of matches within its territory during the period of ‘blocked hours’. (refer to Help). Users who are later found to have purchased from within England, will have their purchase refunded and be unable to watch the stream. I see that petty out of date rules by closed shop jobs for boys organisations are still alive and kicking. I fail to see that watching a stream of a Scottish game in England will make much difference to the size of the crowd south of the border. They will be banning kilts next Latest Team News Michael Gardyne has missed the last couple of games but trained hard on Thursday. Aaron Doran and Shane Sutherland were injured at East End Park and Dodds will wait until Friday before finalising his team selection. This could open the door for Cameron Harper and Billy Mckay for a start and maybe Lewis Jamieson will be pushing for some game time. Allan Johnston was disappointed with the result last week and despite plenty of possession and opportunities he felt they failed to make the most of their opportunities. Defensive lapses costing the Doonhamers and not clinical enough in front of goal. Queens are of course Dobbieless, and that has to be a bonus for the opposition. He doesn't score many, but when he does... Billy looking ahead

Stalemate It was top versus bottom on the Halbeath Road as Inverness visited Dunfermline Athletic. Unfortunately it was a rather turgid affair that ended goalless and that was down to keeper Mark Ridgers who made two fantastic late saves to deny Nikolay Todorov and Craig Wighton who could have taken the points as the Pars looked to get their season up and running. As it was, it ended all square with Inverness remaining top and Dunfermline staying bottom. Michael Gardyne missed out again as Aaron Doran made his 300th appearance for the Caley Jags. Unfortunately his day was terminated at the interval as The Pars dished out some strong arm tactics, especially in the first half which saw Doran replaced by Harper and Shane Sutherland replaced by Billy Mckay ten minutes before the break. Dunfermline had Fon Williams, Kai Kennedy and Nikolay Todorov on from the start as they went searching for their first win of the season. --------------------- From BBC Sport: Dunfermline Athletic manager Peter Grant: "We've had a tough few weeks with Covid and the results and it's not easy to keep going and keep fighting and they showed the spirit that I know they have." Inverness CT manager Billy Dodds: "It was going to be a battle, I knew they would work hard, I thought we were decent first half and they had the best chance second half. There weren't a lot of great chances in the game, I think a draw was a fair result but we had to battle for it." --------------------- Shane Sutherland saw an effort saved by Fon Williams fifteen minutes in as Inverness made the better start to the game and Mark Ridgers thwarted Nikolay Todorov as the hosts responded. Clear cut chances were at a premium in a dour first half with neither side really catching the eye. The most disappointing aspect of a poor first half was injuries to Sutherland and Doran. Half Time 0-0 After the interval with neither side able to capitalise on some promising build up play the hosts gradually began to assert themselves on the ball and chances were being created. Inverness were looking more vulnerable as the game opened out and offered little clear threat in front of goal, snatching at shots and heading wide without forcing Fon Williams to make a meaningful save. The same could not be said of Mark Ridgers who defied the odds to palm away a fierce diving header from Todorov from point blank range and pounced on the loose ball to deny a certain goal. He then beat away another shot from Craig Wighton as the game entered time added on, these two saves earning him his fifth clean sheet of the Championship. Dunfermline looked a much better side than their recent form had indicated and could easily have taken all three points at the end but for MotM Mark Ridgers who denied them access to his goal. Unfortunately Inverness also looked like they were in a false position at the top of the league as they struggled to impose themselves on the game. Maybe the two first half injuries hindered us somewhat, but in truth, we were not convincing from the start and will feel it's a point gained, and not two points lost. Still top of the league by one point despite Killie closing the gap after beating Partick Thistle and the Smokies still breezing along nicely in third only three points behind the leaders. Queen of the South come North next week with Hamilton Accies to follow. Bring it on. Date: 18/09/2021 Venue: East End Park Attendance: 3158 Referee: David Munro Dunfermline: 0 Manager: Peter Grant Lineup: Williams; Comrie, Watson, Gaspuitis, Edwards, Dow, Dorrans, Pybus (Thomas 68), Kennedy, O'Hara (Wighton 45), Todorov (Cole 81) Subs (not used): Mehmet; Macdonald, Allan, Jones Scorers: none Booked: Pybus (37), Todorov (43), Watson (48), Cole (85) Sent Off: none Inverness CT: 0 Manager: Billy Dodds Lineup: Ridgers; Carson, Broadfoot, Devine, Deas, Doran (Harper 45), MacGregor, Allardice, Walsh, Sutherland (B Mckay 36), Duku (Welsh 70) Subs (not used): C Mackay; Duffy, Jamieson, McAlear Scorers: none Booked: Deas (27) Sent Off: none a

Surprise Surprise East End Park is the venue on Saturday as surprise Championship leaders Inverness visit the Kingdom of Fife to take on surprise packet Dunfermline Athletic. I say surprise packet, as that is exactly what The Pars have become under the guidance of former Alloa Athletic manager Peter Grant. I fully expected the Pars to be challenging at the opposite end of the table given their financial backing and the assumed quality of their squad. Unfortunately for them they find themselves languishing at the foot of the table and winless after four games with only a draw against Morton to show for their troubles. They do have a Fife derby to come against Raith Rovers, but that won't be easy either. They have shipped three goals against Partick, Arbroath and Ayr United and their fans are now talking boycotts in an attempt to use fan power to force the board to act now before their season is completely ruined. Look out for the mass exodus on the hour. However, beware the scalded cat! In stark contrast, Inverness are on a winning run of five games on the bounce in the Championship, have the manager of the month in Billy Dodds, and sit top of the table having already beaten three of the favourites in Raith, Kilmarnock and Partick Thistle. What could possibly go wrong? PPV Stream @ ParsTV £12 OFFICIAL PREVIEW ROBBO BOOK VIDEO WATCH SUPPORTERS BUS Stat Attack First Competitive Meeting Aug 7th, 1999 League (A) 0 - 4 Most Recent Competitive Meeting Mar 20th, 2021 League (Championship) (A) 1 - 0 Last 10 Competitive Meetings 1 - 0 (A) 1 - 1 (H) 1 - 3 (A) 2 - 1 (A) 2 - 0 (H) 1 - 0 (A) 1 - 0 (H) 0 - 1 (A) 2 - 2 (H) 3 - 0 (A) Biggest Victories Jul 26th, 2016 League Cup (Group C) (A) 5 - 1 Heaviest Defeats <ouch> Aug 12th, 2017 League (A) 1 - 5 Aug 7th, 1999 League (A) 0 - 4 Highest Attendance Apr 10th, 2004 Scottish Cup (Semi-Final) (N) 13,255 Head 2 Head Venue Pld Won Drn Lst For Agst + / - Home 21 9 8 4 27 19 +8 Away 22 9 8 5 28 25 +3 Neutral 2 0 1 1 3 4 -1 Total 45 18 17 10 58 48 +10 Overall stats sway in our favour with the last ten meetings showing that Inverness have been more dominant in recent years. A far cry from the 4-0 thrashing dished out on our first venture into the Championship back in August 1999 when the Pars brushed aside the upstarts from the Highlands who dared to move up through the leagues to challenge the central belt dominance. In our defence we were reduced to ten men and conceded two late goals. Pld W D L F A +/- Pts 1. Inverness CT 5 5 0 0 7 1 6 15 2. Kilmarnock 5 4 0 1 6 1 5 12 3. Arbroath 5 3 1 1 12 4 8 10 4. Partick Thistle 5 3 0 2 11 8 3 9 5. Queen of the South 5 2 0 3 7 8 -1 6 6. Raith Rovers 4 1 1 2 6 6 0 4 7. Ayr United 5 1 1 3 5 8 -3 4 8. Morton 5 1 1 3 5 9 -4 4 9. Hamilton Academical 5 1 1 3 6 12 -6 4 10. Dunfermline 4 0 1 3 3 11 -8 1 Other fixtures this weekend, all 3:00pm Saturday Hamilton v Ayr United Morton v Raith Rovers Partick v Kilmarnock Queens v Arbroath LATEST TEAM NEWS Michael Gardyne missed out last week having picked up a knock in training prior to the Buckie Thistle cup game. Looks like we are mostly free from injury with Billy Mckay and Lewis Jamieson champing at the bit as they remained on the bench last week. Look for a relatively unchanged squad this weekend. If it's not broke, don't fix it! We have also recruited someone to watch videos. Good work if you can get it. Dunfermline will have Owain Fon Williams, Nikolay Todorov and Kai Kennedy in their squad as they look to get off the bottom of the table. Aaron Doran will make his 300th appearance this weekend. Let's see if he can add to his 50 goals he has scored for the Caley Jags

The run goes on Partick Thistle came North with high hopes of ending Inverness' great start to the campaign in the knowledge that they have been scoring at the rate of three goals per game apart from Arbroath where they suffered a 3-0 defeat at the hands of the Red Lichties. Billy Dodds had food for thought after the cup win over Buckie last week where Billy Mckay and Lewis Jamieson staked their claims for a start after scoring performances over the Highland League side. They started on the bench as he went with the tried and tested so far this season. Ian McCall had old enemy Brian Graham up front with Zac Rudden on the bench and watch out for defender Tunji Akinola who packs a punch with his feet. 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... Doran with the pick of the goals... 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. Resident seer Immortal Howden Ender never saw that second half coming... O2B back home. So nice to quaff in the Innes and take my place in the North Stand. What a wonderful day or what a wonderful 45 minutes. As usual I may be brutally direct with my comments BUT we are definitely going in the right direction!! First half was a mare but the eejit McCall decided to defend what they had and did not go for our throat. We were looking all at sea for a while but we were given the chance to get back the control and although the rest of the first half was poor we had gone onto the front foot and never really looked troubled after going a goal down and we morphed into the Kilmarnock system. This was the absolute epitome of a tale of two halves. And it started with a Kirk Broadfoot attack and a drive that went in like a slow motion camera take. But that started a complete control over the proceedings. And so enjoyable to watch and to relax. We went into complete control and it could have been 6 or 7. When was the last time that you heard Ole shouts for 18 consecutive ICT passes. My return home will live forever in the memory. RIDGERS ¥¥¥ Possibly at fault for the goal but assured and rarely troubled. CARSON ¥¥¥ Solid - but sorry - a reliable shoe in but not a wing back. BROADFOOT ¥¥¥¥ Caught out by pace for the goal but untroubled and leading thereafter. Goal brought on the total change in proceedings DEVINE ¥¥¥¥ As good a player as the first time round but minus the lapses in concentration. Building a fine central defensive partnership DEAS ¥¥¥ Another solid performance and keeping Harper at bay. Gives us future options though WALSH ¥¥¥ Has not produced his best and is in danger of benching but again is some player to call on. ALLARDICE ¥¥¥ Jeez does he blow hot and cold but the central midfield warrior that we have lacked. MacGREGOR ¥¥¥ Disappointed after his Killie display but he is a Christie in the making. DORAN ¥¥¥¥ Played out wide in the first half and simply does not have the pace anymore BUT bringing him more central and drifting may have been the tactic to win us the game- and what a sweet strike SUTHERLAND ¥¥¥¥¥ May not be everybody’s cup of vodka but he was the man who shone in BOTH halves. May not be polished but his drive and commitment - and his goal- elevated him above everybody else on the day. DUKU ¥¥¥ Improved in the second half but I am still not convinced. Anyone care to join me in a few “Doddsie” From CTO: RIG Stunning turnaround. Absolutely stunning. Probably the first game this season we have actually gotten out of second gear and we ended up tearing Partick apart. First half was pretty even although Partick had the best chances with the Tiffoney strike and the Graham sitter. Carson seemed well out of position for the opener and Broadfoot and Devine didn't really handle the situation well either but after Ridgers stood up well to deny Graham and we got to half time at 0 - 1 you still felt if we got an early goal then we might go on to get something. And we absolutely did that and then some. The second half performance was just sublime. I can see why Partick felt they could let Broadfoot rumble forward for about 40 yards unchallenged as I don't think anyone in the ground expected him to find the bottom corner with a trundling effort but it's what he did and we again benefitted from another goalkeeping cock up when Sneddon forgot to grab the ball and Sutherland finished well from a narrowing angle. The best was the third with a lovely dummy from Duku and a cracking whipped shot from Doran to complete the turnaround. A utterly fantastic performance! What a shame that less than 2,000 ICT fans were there to see it. Maybe some are concerned with COVID and staying away (and that's fine) but if you know anyone who isn't going along to the stadium on match days then do your best to get them to come along because we have a real shot here at going up. It's probably as strong a squad as we've had in seasons (Billy Mckay on the bench not getting a game FFS!) and when we get going we are playing some excellent stuff. Bring on Dunfermline away! Doddsy Date: 11/09/2021 Venue: Caledonian Stadium Attendance: 2148 Referee: Euan Anderson Inverness CT: 3 Manager: Billy Dodds Lineup: Ridgers; Carson, Boadfoot, Devine, Deas, Doran, Allardice, MacGregor (Welsh 79), Walsh (Harper 74), Sutherland, Duku (McAlear 83) Subs (not used): C Mackay; Duffy, Mckay, Jamieson Scorers: Broadfoot (51), Sutherland (68), Doran (71) Booked: Deas (45+2) Sent Off: none Partick Thistle: 1 Manager: Ian McCall Lineup: Sneddon; Foster, Holt, Mayo, Akinola, Tiffoney, Bannigan, Turner (Hastie 69), Docherty, Smith (Rudden 69), Graham (McIver 79), Subs (not used): Stone; MacIver, Gordon, McKenna, Murray Scorers: Tiffoney (17) Booked: Bannigan (55) Docherty (70) Sent Off: none a

Double dose of Jags Another top of the table clash this weekend as promoted Partick Thistle head North on Saturday to take on the Caley Jags. It's a 3:00pm kick off at the Caledonian Stadium and with free scoring Partick going well, expect a big crowd and a tough game. We put four past Buckie Thistle last weekend with a side that had 10 changes from the one that beat Killie 1-0 in our last Championship encounter. Robbie Deas was the only survivor from Rugby Park and there were some excellent performances and firsts for Lewis Jamieson, Cameron Harper and a brace for Billy Mckay. Partick had a tougher task but they advanced after beating Stranraer 2-0 with a fierce Tunji Akinola strike and a late Kevin Holt header seeing off their hosts. OFFICIAL PREVIEW Stat Attack First Competitive Meeting Aug 4th, 1998 League (H) 1 - 0 Most Recent Competitive Meeting Dec 14th, 2019 League (A) 1 - 3 Last 10 Competitive Meetings 1 - 3 (A) 1 - 3 (H) 2 - 1 (A) 1 - 2 (H) 1 - 0 (A) 3 - 2 (H) 1 - 1 (A) 0 - 0 (H) 0 - 2 (A) 4 - 1 (A) Biggest Victories Apr 30th, 2016 League (A) 4 - 1 Jan 10th, 2009 Scottish Cup (Rd 4) (H) 3 - 0 Apr 27th, 2002 League (H) 3 - 0 Heaviest Defeats Dec 13th, 2014 League (H) 0 - 4 Highest Attendance Feb 23rd, 2002 Scottish Cup (Quarter Final) (A) 8,700 Highest Home Attendance Mar 5th, 2002 Scottish Cup (Quarter Final Replay) (H) 5,037 Venue Pld Won Drn Lst For Agst + / - Home 20 8 5 7 30 29 +1 Away 19 5 5 9 21 28 -7 Neutral 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Total 39 13 10 16 51 57 -6 As the stats show, the sides are fairly evenly matched overall although Partick have won the last two encounters, both by 3-1. Good news week with both Cameron Harper and Roddy MacGregor extending their contracts by a further two seasons. Impressive business by the club as they invest in the future of these young stars. Latest Team News Michael Gardyne was injured in training ahead of last week's Trust Cup match with Buckie. With many players rested after our stunning start to the campaign, Billy Dodds will have the managerial headache of sorting out his best XI after a few caught the eye against Buckie. Notably scorers Billy Mckay and Lewis Jamieson and it was good to see Anthony McDonald performing so well after recovering from injury. Plenty of food for thought. Partick had some players on duty at the Scotland u21 game in Turkey where a late goal saw the Turks salvage a draw. Lewis Mayo played from the start and Zac Rudden came off the bench with keeper Harry Stone an unused sub.

Holders ease through Holders Inverness faced free scoring Highland league side Buckie Thistle in the second round of the Challenge Cup at the Caledonian Stadium. Barry Wilson was tasked with sorting the side for this one with a number of fringe players getting a run out, 10 changes in all, and former Caley Jags midfielder Spider Stewart was the man in charge of Buckie with Max Barry one to watch amongst others. Buckie had high hopes of causing an upset citing as evidence their 31 goals scored so far in the Highland League plus an excellent 3-1 win over Brechin City in the previous round. Buckie set the ball rolling and the were unfortunate not to go ahead after they hit the bar through Andrew McAskill, just after Cammie Mackay had denied Kevin Fraser with an excellent save from his shot. Mackay denied Buckie again with a crucial save with his legs from a close range header from Sam Urquhart before the hosts began to assert themselves. Inverness eventually got to grips with the game and home pressure finally paid off. It was a simple goal when it came, a deep free kick from Aaron Doran was planted firmly behind Kevin Main in the Buckie goal by Lewis Jamieson. That was his first goal for the club and he almost got his second when he cut into the box and curled an effort towards the top corner, alas the head of Lewis MacKinnon did enough to make the ball come back off the crossbar with Main beaten. Inverness were well on top at this time but Buckie managed to inject some life into their game and foraged forward a couple of times before the break. However it was Sean Welsh that almost added a second as he burst onto a tremendous ball into the box from Reece McAlear but Main did well to block the shot and left Welsh limping into the break Half Time: 1-0 After the interval it was more of the same, Inverness prepared to be patient and Buckie looking to hit on the break. Cameron Harper scored his first for the Caley Jags after the ball broke to him as Tom Walsh challenged Main, the ball bouncing off the keeper and Harper had the presence of mind to lift the ball over the stranded keeper and after an eternity, the ball bounced into the net. Jack Murray stung the palms of Cammy Mackay as the ball broke to him on the right side of the box, the keeper earning his clean sheet. Billy Mckay rounded off the scoring with two late trademark Billy Mckay goals, his first on his return to Inverness and his 67th and 68th overall. From CTO: RIG summed up nicely. Pretty easy in the end despite Buckie starting the better with a couple of really good chances to open the scoring. Lots of nice quick, crisp passing around the box but too often it amounted to nothing. Mckay and Jamieson impressed up front and linked well together. Nice header for Jamieson to open the scoring and there's something almost reassuring about Billy Mckay bagging goals in the red and blue of ICT. I thought Hyde gave a pretty good performance at RB as well. Nice to be able to make 10 changes and still steam roller the opposition irrespective of what level they are playing at. Buckie are no mugs but I felt we handled them pretty well for the majority of the game. Bring on Elgin... Date: 04/09/2021 Venue: Caledonian Stadium Attendance: **** Referee: Callum Scott Inverness CT: 4 Manager: Billy Dodds Lineup: C Mackay; Duffy, Hyde (Allardice 85), Deas, Harper, McDonald (Walsh64), Welsh, McAlear, Doran, Jamieson, B Mckay Subs (not used): Ridgers; Sutherland Scorers: Jamieson (24), Harper (67), B Mckay (81, 90) Booked: McAlear (58) Sent Off: none Buckie Thistle: 0 Manager: Graeme Stewart Lineup: Main, Wood (Goodall 80) McKinnon (Cowie 60), J Murray, McLaughlin, Fraser, MaLeod (C Murray 68), Macaskill, Urquhart, Pugh, Barry Subs (not used): Herbert; Munro Scorers: none Booked: none Sent Off: none a

In Dodds we Trust   A wee break from the Championship this weekend as we face high scoring Buckie Thistle in the SPL Trust Trophy. That's the Challenge Cup to you and me of which we are the joint holders with Raith Rovers when Tunnocks Caramel Wafers were the sponsors. The game kicks off at 3:00pm on Saturday at the Caledonian Stadium, and if you can't make it to the ground, then live streaming is available from ICTV at a mere £10. Games against Buckie Thistle are like buses. None for years then two come along within months of each other. We do like a cup game against green and white hooped teams. We have a decent record against them right up to Scottish Cup semi-finals. This time it's Buckie Thistle, a team we put out of the Scottish Cup last season with a very late Daniel Mackay goal in a 3-2 win at the fishing town. It was scarcely deserved as Buckie were equal to a mostly youthful Inverness side, and despite going behind to a James Keatings goal after 35 seconds they fought back when Jack Murray deservedly headed Buckie level fifteen minutes in. A shot from distance by Sean Welsh restored the visitors advantage but a final flurry of activity saw Callum Murray equalise only for Dan to score two minutes later. Credit to Buckie for making this difficult for the youngishl Inverness side and a trip to Dingwall beckoned and ultimately an away tie at Paisley where we bowed out of the cup to a late St Mirren goal. OFFICIAL PREVIEW Anyway, to the job in hand, a testing tie against a high scoring Buckie Thistle who sit second in the Highland League behind the Broch. Buckie have scored an incredible 31 goals in just seven games. A thumping 10-0 win over Keith the highlight. To get to this round, Buckie disposed of Brechin City at the Hedge by 3-1 with Sam Morrison, Sam Urquhart and Callum Murray scoring the goals in an impressive performance. Unfortunately Sam Morrison was red carded late in the game and will miss this tie. Buckie have already drawn with leaders Fraserburgh and the only blemish was a 2-0 reverse against Rothes. They warmed up for this game by trouncing Formartine United 5-1 away from home at North Lodge Park. Inverness are themselves in fine form in the Championship, winning their opening four fixtures on the trot, all by 1-0. An excellent well drilled performance at Rugby Park saw the Highlanders come away with all three points to put Inverness on top of the table on their own with twelve points from four games after Michael Gardyne scored his first goal for the club, a thumping shot from twelve yards palmed into the roof of the net by the keeper. Boom! Latest Team News It looks like some fringe players will be involved in this one with Barry Wilson seeing this as an ideal opportunity to give the likes of Cameron Harper and Billy Mckay some game time whilst resting up some of the guys that have put us on top of the Championship after four games. Michael Gardyne picked up an injury in training and will Maybe Cammie Mackay will get a run out between the sticks as well. However, there's a fine balance between resting players and still remaining competitive. Buckie are not to be underestimated.         

Table Toppers Both sides had won their opening three fixtures with Killie having the better goal difference. Both sides had yet to concede a goal; something was going to give, and it did after five minutes. This game had the potential to be the toughest test so far in the Billy Dodds era and it was a tight affair but Inverness scored the only goal of the game when Michael Gardyne lashed the ball into the net via the keepers palms. That proved to be the winner. Blair Alston nicked one off the outside of the post before the interval and Mark Ridgers kept Killie out with his 4th clean sheet in a row in the Championship after denying Innes Cameron from point blank range to put the Caley Jags at the top of the table on their own. Tommy Wright was without Chris Stokes but had former Inverness midfielder Liam Polworth in his starting XI and his counterpart Billy Dodds fielded former Killie defender Kirk Broadfoot. Roddy MacGregor continued in midfield, with captain Sean Welsh on the bench amongst other strong attacking options. A bright afternoon and a healthy crowd greeted the teams as the game kicked off and it was only five minutes old when Michael Gardyne lashed the ball into the net via the keepers palms from the left side of the box around twelve yards out, Shane Sutherland with the assist. Immortal Howden Ender is back From CTO: When was the last time that we led a league after 4 matches? That was as good a vocal support at Killie as I have certainly witnessed. RIG sums the action up well but I have been busting to do a Smileymometer. Killie really did not look like scoring and we did look dangerous on the break. The only two negatives were that our final pass was abysmal and we could have racked up 4 or 5 otherwise. And I think that we could have employed swapping Gardyne and |Walsh on a regular basis (or was Gardyne played there because of Burke ?)Gawd do we look solid defensively. A structured back four and three or four making a second line in front and everybody pressing. Killie tried to play football at the back but let themselves down with hoof tactics when they ran out of ideas. It was also a good idea to tag team Burke (WWE style) early doors. And what a bunch of whingers the Killie fans are. It was as if they were expecting a non contact sporting event. RIDGERS * * * Did not really have that much to do but you can sense that his confidence is high and the players in front of him know that he will be there as a practical and reliable sweeper. Commanding is the word. CARSON * * * Still not convinced that he is a wing back. Gives 100% and gets stuck in but needs to learn the role. BROADFOOT * * * * Uses his head and experience to good use. The Killie hoof played to his strengths, DEVINE * * * * Pleasantly surprised as I was unsure about his return but he and Broadfoot complimented each other. DEAS * * * Had the task of shackling Burke. That did not come to fruition in the first 10-15 minutes but Gardyne gave him the support he needed thereafter WALSH * * * Played his role but wasted on the right. Killie evidently sussed that he is very left footed. ALLARDICE * * * Did not notice him at the start but he grew into the game and filled in a few gaps later on and added to the defensive structure playing in the hole in front of B & D. MacGREGOR * * * * * Thought that he was SUPERB, especially in the second half when he played further up. Some of his touches were SUBLIME. MOTM by a country mile GARDYNE * * * * Very impressed. Took goal well. Spent most of the match covering the danger of Burke. Ran his socks off and he an McGregor evidently are on the same wavelength. SUTHERLAND * * * * What he lacks in finesse he makes up for in effort and running, May well soon be a choice between him or Duku to partner Mckay. DUKU * * First time that I have watched him so I presume that he had a bad day at the office. I felt that he did not deal with the physicality. To be able to bring Welsh, Doran and Mckay off the bench - well enuff said Date: 28/08/2021 Venue: Rugby Park (BBSP) Attendance: 5004 Referee: Euan Anderson Kilmarnock: 0 Manager: Tommy Wright Lineup: Hemming; Naismith, E Murray, McGowan, Haunstrup, Alston, McGinn, Polworth (Armstrong 79), McKenzie (F Murray 63), Burke, Robinson (Cameron 30) Subs (not used): Walker; Sanders, Waters, Lyon Scorers: none Booked: Alston (75) McGowan (81) Sent Off: none Inverness CT: 1 Manager: Billy Dodds Lineup: Ridgers; Carson, Devine, Broadfoot, Deas, Gardyne, Allardice, MacGregor, Walsh Doran (69), Sutherland (B Mckay 86), Duku (Welsh 61) Subs (not used): C Mackay; Harper, Jamieson, McAlear Scorers: Gardyne (5) Booked: Devine (24), Sutherland (42), Allardice (88) Sent Off: none a