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Aberdeen only went and did it again didn't they!!!! 4 minutes into second half injury time Chris Maguire scored Aberdeen's 4th goal in a 4-3 win to keep their top 6 dreams alive and make it 17 games without a win against the Dons for ICT. This was a sickener for Caley Thistle in a game where the effort seemed to return to the players. This game had it all - 7 goals, 10 players booked, 2 sent off for off the pitch actions, and yet some excellent entertainment. Its been doom and gloom for the last few weeks but today's game, despite the last minute goal might have contained a glimmer of hope. Its bad for the defence to lose 4 goals, but there was effort, there were ICT goals, and there was entertainment... all things that had been missing in recent weeks. 29/03/08 Tulloch Caledonian Stadium, Inverness INVERNESS CALEDONIAN THISTLE 3 Bus (21 o.g.), Duncan (40), McBain (58) Team: Fraser, Tokely (Paatelainen 82), McGuire, Munro, Hastings, Proctor, Cowie, Duncan, McBain, Imrie (Hart 75), Niculae SUBS: Wyness, McAllister, Vigurs, Kerr, Malkowski ABERDEEN 4 Aluko (7), Nicholson (45), Miller (54), McGuire (94) Team: Soutar, Maybury, Considine, Bus (Maguire 46), McNamara, Foster, Nicholson, Severin, Aluko, Mackie (Duff 73), Miller SUBS: Pawlett, Walker, Touzani, Mair, Langfield Referee Dougie McDonald Attendance 5655 RIG: Just going to list various things I noticed or thought of during/after the game: Overall the game was poor in terms of the football played. Aberdeen seemed more likely to try and pass it but we were too reliant on hoofing the ball up the park as usual. However, there was some nice passing in places I felt. Our line up was odd. Not sure about Tokely in midfield really. He was caught out a lot by Aluko but stuck to his job well on most occasions. However, in our system the right midfielder needs to help cover back with our right sided full back and this he couldn't to due to this lack of pace and Proctor was often left exposed. The first Aberdeen goal was abysmal defending from Proctor, Tokely, Munro and McGuire. Far too easy for the lad to cut inside and stroke the ball past Fraser. Niculae being ball greedy! Why oh why did he not pick out Cowie all alone with an empty net in front if him? Worst decision by anyone of the entire 90 minutes. Odd goal to level with but we'll take it. I thought it was going to head out of play till Bus(s) arrived to smash a header into his own net. Duncans finish was a sweet strike and I believe his yellow for his celebration was incorrect however the highlights might clear this up as to what happened. Seemed that it was the reaction of Aberdeen players and fans that got him booked. Especially when you consider Nicholson celebrating in front of/baiting the ICT fans. Personally I think both should have been allowed but if MacDonald was to book Duncan then he should book Nicholson. It was a fantastic goal they equalised with but Hastings was too slow to close down and allowed Foster (?) too much time and space to pick out the runner into the box with McGuire static as Nicholson rose. Could Ikey have come for it? Cracking goal nonetheless but we made it easy. Duncans sending off - will be interesting to see just what he does with regards to "kicking the ball away" from MacDonald. Can't help but feel that there wasn't too much in it but we'll see (hopefully) in the highlights. Put us on the back foot for the 2nd half but we coped well under intense pressure at times though on other occasions we were falling apart. Seemed to galvanise the effort from the lads so that was appreciated given recent performances showing so little enthusiasm. Munro had a spectacular goal line clearance from Miller or Mackie I think it was. Miller then went on to miss an open goal as he sidefooted wide. More dodgy defending from us allowed this opportunity. Our free kicks at the edge of the box were atrocious. We had a horror one from Duncan against "Team X" but Imrie topped that yesterday with his one. Something we need to work on clearly. Any chance of Rankin giving the lads some pointers? Subs were interesting. I actually think the players he brought on were good - Hart added fresh legs and plenty of effort in the midfield and putting Marcus on retained our balance. However we could have used another pair of fresh legs in there to help us hold the ball up away from the goal. That's where Wyness came in. Players like McBain and Cowie were tiring badly although that's too be expected. We still looked a threat on the counter. Forced some corners and had a few reasonable efforts e.g. Marcus going for glory and I think Hart and Tokely both had breaks into the box that just failed to result in anything. Killer goal at the end where we just couldn't clear our lines and up popped Maguire to steal in to get the winner. Positives The sheer effort from the team was a huge positive and something we haven't seen in a long time. Some of the goals we scored were excellent I felt. I thought McBains goal was a great finish as it could so easily have got stuck under his feet (see Brown in the Rangers v Celtic game) Niculae was brilliant in holding the ball up and looking for the clever pass into space - no long ball mince here! Negatives The result obviously The possible lack of discipline from Duncan and Munro that resulted in the red cards The defence still needs a lot of work The fact that we were crying out for another pair of fresh legs to help take some of the heat off the lads towards the end was ignored FROM CTO Just back...traffic was shocking, much like our defending! However, I've been moaning about being bored at the last few games, and even though we lost that was an absolutely magnificent football match. We feared the worst after the Aberdeen opener, and at 3-2, but for the first time in months we had players out there who were sweating blood. Hundreds of fans stayed behind at the end to applaud the players off and they deserved it. Our third goal was a work of art as well - Niculae's one touch flick releases Cowie down the right, and his first time cross picks out McBain striding through the centre to score. Magic. POSITIVES Rossco - I was horrified by the decision to stick him on the right wing, and it took a while for him to settle there. But in the second half he was incredible. Had to be subbed because he looked like he would collapse from exhaustion. Roy McBain - also put in a magnificent shift second half, capped with a goal. Marius - simply a class act. Held up play well and set up so many of our attacks with clever flick on's. Hart - did well off the bench Brew - not his fault we lost. Tactically we were a bit better today, and the players gave everything second half. NEGATIVES Russell b***** Duncan - I think it is reasonable that your teammates receive a public apology. Whatever you got sent off for, you are an absolute moron. We're running out of central midfielders fast. Mind you, in his absence we looked twice the team we were. Phil McGuire - a wheelie bin would be more useful at centre-half. Utterly hopeless and a liability. Grant Munro - I don't care if the referee and standside linesman were completely incompetent (which they were) - if you were sent off after the game then you are a total idiot. Ian Black (or the absence of)- was apparently in the Heathmount while we were playing. Anyway, the best we've played in ages. At 3-3 we had at least as much chance of nicking it

Caley Thistle have yet to record a win over Aberdeen, and although today looked like it might be a good chance given recent form, the Dons maintained that record with a 1-0 victory. The game appeared to be heading for a 0-0 draw when Ross Tokely gave away a penalty in the 83rd minute. Barry Nicholson scored the spot kick and grabbed all three points for the Dons. 02/01/08 Pittodrie Stadium, Aberdeen ABERDEEN 1 (Nicholson 83pen) Team: Langfield, Byrne, Mair, Foster, Jamie Smith, Clark, Nicholson, Severin, Young (De Visscher 76), Miller, Aluko (Lovell 64) Subs: Jonathon Smith, Crawford, Touzani, D Smith, Soutar Inverness CT 0 Team: Fraser, Tokely, McGuire, Munro, Hastings, Cowie, Black, Duncan, Rankin (Hart 79), Bayne, Niculae Subs: Proctor, Wyness, Vigurs, Gillespie, Duff, Malkowski Referee Mike Tumilty Attendance 13372 Inverness Caley Thistle travelled to Aberdeen in good spirits after a convincing 3-1 victory and a fine display against Kilmarnock in their last game. Aberdeen would have been of a similar mind, despite a dwindled squad to pick from, given that they had gone 11 games without loss at Pittodrie Stadium. Darren Mackie, Michael Hart, Andrew Considine, Jackie McNamara and Zander Diamond were all missing for Aberdeen due to injury whilst Inverness CT travelled with a full squad. Everyone in attendance at the match took time out to pay tribute to Phil O’Donnell with a minute’s applause before the game got underway. The Caley Thistle fans are no stranger to a cold breeze given the location of the stadium, but the wind here at Pittodrie was blowing with a vengeance and it was no surprise that everyone was huddled up trying their best to escape it….even some of the players had donned gloves in an attempt to fight off at least some of the chill. The first real opportunity of the match fell to Miller, but he failed to threaten with a header that went safely wide of the mark. Mair had an attempt with the head shortly afterwards when Young played Aluko into the corner and he got the cross in to Mair inside the area. He failed to get any real power into the header and it was easily gather by Michael Fraser. Inverness CT were playing very much the better football and had most control in midfield, but both teams found themselves unable to make any real impact on the game, with the wind conditions so bad it was impossible to play anything accurate through the air and with the pitch looking like it had only been freshly ploughed that morning it was difficult to play the ball on the deck. With the Caley Thistle wing backs pushing forward so much in recent games and finding themselves within shooting range on a regular basis during matches then I think they could do with a little practice in that regard. Shots were few and far for both teams and on the only effort of any real note for ICT during the first half Richard Hastings was the last man in a great piece of play involving Bayne and Rankin, only for him to repeat his efforts of last week and send it, once again, over the bar. Half Time: 0-0 Neither team had been inspiring during the first 45 minutes and were in need of a little team talk, and the fans were desperate to head for a hot drink to try and warm the cockles. This game had all the makings of one of those affairs where both teams just spend 90 minutes cancelling each other out, although I suspect is more down to the wind cancelling everyone out. Marius Niculae had been largely quiet in the first half and Ross Tokely looked to be having an off day and was far less effective pushing forward from right back as we’ve come to expect. The teams took to the pitch for the second half and the only thing in our favour was that we were now playing with the wind at our backs. Given the stalemate of the first half I thought we might have seen one, or both, teams make some half time changes, but that was not to be. The second half was a carbon copy of the first with both teams failing to penetrate the final third of the pitch and cause the opposition any problems. A free-kick played long into the box by Russell Duncan found the head of Ross Tokely for the first real attempt on goal by ICT in the second half, but he couldn’t get high enough to head it down and it climbed harmlessly over the bar. Black looked to have used the wind to his advantage soon afterwards when he spotted a line to the net from 30+yards out. Despite the man on and being under a little pressure he rocketed a right foot shot at goal. Langfield who had been on decent form all day barely managed to connect with it and had to twist his body to get enough on it to tip it out for the corner kick. Niculae was next to test Langfield…Bayne had done what he does best and chased a lost effort to the corner, only for him to manage to catch the ball and bring it under control. He then sent it back down the line and it was crossed in to the head of Niculae who never got enough on it as he sent it low past the left hand post. Caley Thistle were managing to put some slick passes together and it was the next move down the right that saw the ball cleared to Bayne who was also denied by Langfield from the edge of the area. Hastings got another crack at goal when he made a terrific run to support the midfield and found the ball played neatly to his feet. With two Aberdeen players in front of him he had little option but to take a pop from 25 yards. This time the ball was low and travelling and the Aberdeen keeper did well to get a hand to it to parry it wide. On any other day and against a lesser keeper Inverness CT might have been a couple of goals up at this stage, but it wasn’t to be and the deadlock was broken under controversial circumstances. Miller had managed to break though into the area but was heading away from goal when Tokely had charged in to cover. There was shoulder to shoulder contact and Miller went down like a sack of seed potatoes…quite apt given the conditions of the pitch…and the referee was conned into awarding the penalty. Nicholson stepped up and sent Michael Fraser the wrong way before slotting the ball into the left side of the net to make it 1-0 to the home side with under 10 minutes left in the game. ICT had little to offer in an attempt to recoup a point from the game, and had it not been for another fine save by Fraser near the end when Miller again found himself through on goal, ironically after shoulder charging Munro off the ball in similar fashion to what he got his penalty for. Full Time: 1-0 Think it would be wrong to say the game was dull, but the conditions didn’t help and it resulted in a lot of sloppy play which was interlaced with some fine link up play by ICT. None of that changes the fact that we left without any points and have to come calling another day in order to secure that elusive first win over the Dons.

Caley Thistle were crushed by the Dandy Dons in this CIS League Cup quarter-final. 3-0 down at half time, the CaleyJags went on to lose 4-1 thanks in big part to the defence once again conceding penalties... not one this time, but two in 20 minutes, both of which Barry Nicholson slotted home for two thirds of his hat trick. Lee Miller scored the other goal for the Dons and it was Graham Bayne who got a consolation for ICT. 31/10/07 Pittodrie Stadium, Aberdeen Aberdeen 4 Nicholson (10pen, 21pen, 78) Miller 45 Team: Langfield, Hart, Diamond, Mair, Byrne, Smith (Foster 59), Nicholson, McNamara, Aluko (Considine 72), Young (Clark 30), Miller Subs: Kelly, Maguire INVERNESS CT 1 Bayne (68) Team: Fraser, Tokely, Munro, McCaffrey, Hastings, Wilson (Niculae 79), Duncan, McBain (Rankin 79), Cowie, Bayne, Wyness (Morgan 79). Subs: Malkowski, Proctor. Referee John Underhill Attendance 7270 The Internutters Supporters Bus was full again and spirits remained high following our visit to FirPark and our 4-0 routing of Gretna at the weekend. It appeared that many fans were making the effort to travel to this game for fear of missing out on the opportunity to witness victory against Aberdeen at our 15th time of trying. Traffic on the A96 hadn’t been too bad, but on hitting Aberdeen it seemed that everyone had decided to get out in front of us and the delayed arrival put pay to the pre-match refreshments. I think it’s only right that I point out that I was the only one on the bus who had made the effort to get into the Halloween spirit, although I was slightly more pleased that others at the game had decided to dress up!!! After dropping everyone off I managed to blag my way into a free parking spot in the car park and headed round to join the crew for the match. A quick visit to the tea stalls for a pie and a coffee and we were ready to cheer the team on to victory. Caley Thistle started well enough and although we weren’t pressuring Aberdeen early on we didn’t look to be under any great threat either….but that all went quickly pear-shaped when after only 9 minutes when a clumsy tackle by Hastings on Young inside the area resulted in a Penalty for Aberdeen. Nicholson stepped up and slotted the ball away to leave us chasing the game from the start. Aberdeen looked likely to stretch the lead only a minute later when a Nicholson free-kick found the head of Young only 6 yards out…fortunately for ICT he sent it over the bar. The scenario was repeated in reverse at the other end shortly afterwards when Don Cowie sent a ball in to the head of Tokely, this time the ball went wide, but at least we could chalk up our first attempt on goal. Caley Thistle looked like they had picked themselves up and dusted themselves down following the early penalty and they were playing some smart intelligent football. They were managing to keep hold of the ball when they had it and they were breaking down the Aberdeen attack from a decent distance up the park. That’s why it was even more frustrating when on the 20 minute mark another stupid tackle in the area by McCaffery gifted Aberdeen the second penalty which Nicholson once again put away with ease. Caley Thistle weren’t bereft of opportunities…far from it and Duncan was next to threaten the Aberdeen goal on the half hour. His 30 yard volley is becoming a bit of a trademark and he was unfortunate to see this one miss narrowly to the left. Young was substituted just afterwards and Chris Clark took his place. The opportunities continued to present themselves for ICT. A shot by Down Cowie went straight to the hands of Langfield and a drive by Duncan was tipped round the post for a corner, but the much needed goals continued to elude us. Aberdeen’s 3rd goal was to arrive just before the break, and if the first two had been a gift, then this one came with full wrapping paper and a bow. A totally unnecessary back pass was lofted in to Fraser from about 40 yards out. Despite facing an onrushing Miller, Fraser decided not to let the ball run out and instead try to be a little to cocky and take on the player. In an attempt to jink past the forward Fraser slipped and gifted him the easiest of finishes to make it 3-0 to the home side going in at half-time. Half Time: 3-0 Caley Thistle hadn’t played badly in the first 45 minutes and had it not been for 3 costly errors then I fail to see where Aberdeen would have got any goals or have posed any real threat. In saying that though, when you’re coming out for the second half chasing a 3 goal deficit then you don’t need to be the best football brain in the world to recognise that you need to make changes to the formation to increase your attacking threat and go for broke. Despite these thoughts, we returned to the field having made no changes. We did however start the brighter of the two teams and are positive play almost paid off 10 minutes in when a Tokely cross was met by a firm header from Wyness. Yet again Langfield seemed to be in the right place as the ball went straight to his chest for an easy save. Wyness was denied by Langfield yet again on two minutes later when his left foot drive was easily saved and it was the same story for Wilson when his effort was parried by the on-form Langfield and a second effort went narrowly over the bar before Wyness followed suit putting another ball high and in to the stand. Finally we managed to get a ball in the back of the net thanks to the efforts of Bayne. Wyness had caught the Aberdeen defence napping and seized on a ball which he slid through to Bayne for him to knock in to the bottom right corner. 25 minutes to go and 2 goals down, if we could continue the form we had been showing, get a little more clinical in front of goal and cut out the errors then we may just be able to pull this one back. We continued to push forward without much of an end product for the next 10 minutes and with about 15 minutes on the clock Brewster looked to be preparing for a triple substitution. At last, it looked like we were going to put on an extra forward and go hell for leather to try and scrap our way back into it. It wasn’t to be and any thoughts of a fight back were put firmly to bed on the stroke of 77 minutes. A ball by Chris Clark in to space in front of goal was left by McCaffery and Fraser gifting Nicholson the easiest of opportunities to score his hat-trick and he didn’t need asking twice as he stuck it away to make it 4-1. Caley Thistle then made the ritual 80th minute substitutions, although I don’t know what Brewster now expected of them. McBain was replaced by Rankin, Wilson was replaced by Morgan and despite the need for an extra forward Wyness became a straight swap for Niculae. Despite the game being all over bar the shouting you can’t fault the players for keeping it going right to the end. Rankin was the first of the subs to have a go, but his 30 yard shot went narrowly wide. Niculae was up next but he failed to get full contact on the ball and it went straight to the hands of Langfield (where have I used that line before!!). Niculae was to have another go only 2 minutes later only to miss right and again saw himself denied when on the stroke of full-time his downward header failed to beat Langfield. Full Time: Aberdeen 4 v 1 ICT Had it not been for the silly errors which resulted in all 4 goals for Aberdeen this game could have been a whole different story. In fact, if you showed anyone the video for this game and simply removed the goal footage you would forgive them for predicting the result as being the other way round. It was the nature of the goals that left me feeling let down at the end of this game. We’ve played games this season where we were unlucky not to have got a result despite some great play, but we have nobody but ourselves to blame for tonight’s result…yes we were robbed…but we were robbed by our own stupid mistakes.

It took a Ross Tokely goal to win this game. Unfortunately, the goal was an own goal and it meant Caley Thistle still haven't beaten the Dons as they held on to win it 2-1 One bright spot however was the 58th minute Dennis Wyness goal... a goal that sees him become the first player to hit 100 goals for ICT. 21/10/07 Tulloch Caledonian Stadium, Inverness INVERNESS CT 1 (Wyness 58) Team: Malkowski, Tokely, McGuire (Proctor 67), Munro, Hastings, McBain, Black (Wilson 81), Duncan, Cowie, Niculae (Bayne 85), Wyness Subs: D McDonald, Vigurs, Kerr, Fraser ABERDEEN 2 (Young 8), Tokely (62 og) Team: Langfield, McNamara, Diamond, Mair, Foster, Nicholson, Severin (Byrne 43), De Visscher (Touzani 79), Young, Miller, Mackie (Lovell 46) Subs: Aluko, Maguire, Smith, Kelly Referee Eddie Smith Attendance 6023 This was the 14th time Caley Thistle had gone head to head with Aberdeen and it was the 14th attempt at notching up the first victory against our East Coast neighbours. Craig Brewster had made some changes to the team that faced Kilmarnock a fortnight ago – Hastings was back in the squad after being out with an injury which also saw him miss out on International duty for Canada recently, Wilson had been relegated to the bench to keep a space for McBain who pushed forward into his more natural roll on the left of midfield, but most noticeable was the change of personal between the sticks with Fraser being replaced by loan keeper Zibi Malkowski. The Caley Jags didn’t get off to the brightest of starts and looked unsettled for the first 25 minutes of the game…this was most apparent in the 8th minute when Ross Tokely was drawn out of position, missed his tackle and let Young of Aberdeen through in a dangerous position. The rest of the defence seemed intent on standing back and allowing him to get the shot off. Unfortunately Malkowski wasn’t able to get down fast enough and the ball squeezed under his body and in to the back of the net, despite opinions that it should have been an easy save. Aberdeen had taken early control of the game and continued to push forward; fortunately for ICT they weren’t able to produce an end product which was causing us any difficulty. Niculae had the first real chance for ICT around the 20 minute mark but unfortunately it went straight in to the hands of Langfield. This seemed to spur on the Caley Jags though and they upped their game, we were on the ascendancy with Niculae, Wyness, Black and Cowie all getting a chance to shoot at goal as the game pushed on towards the half-time whistle. Half Time : Inverness CT 0 – 1 Aberdeen Having replaced Severin just before half time due to an injury, Aberdeen also had to replace Mackie at half time….on came the man who has posed more problems for ICT than the rest of the Aberdeen team together….Steve Lovell. Caley Thistle started the second half brightly and it was our turn to dominate on possession and be making the push towards the Aberdeen goalmouth. However, we seemed to be suffering the problem as Aberdeen had done early in the game and were unable to produce much of a threat on goal. This wasn’t helped by referee Eddie Smith, he hadn’t had much to do the whole game, which was probably just as well as the majority of his calls seemed to be given the wrong way. We were looking the most likely to score the next goal and that couldn’t have arrived in better fashion. A clever run in to the 6 yard box by Wyness was timed perfectly to meet an accurate cross from Hastings. Wyness had escaped his markers and was free to slot the ball confidently beyond Langfield…his 100th goal for ICT, but more importantly an equaliser and (deservedly) a chance for us to take something from this match. Caley Thistle still looked the stronger of the two teams, keeping possession for large spells and still looked most likely to score in the final 30 minutes. In fact, it was an ICT player who was next to net…unfortunately in the wrong end. Ross Tokely jumped to defend against a cross in to the box and seemed to receive a slight nudge which saw him head the ball past Malkowski to make it 1-2 for Aberdeen. McGuire was subbed off shortly afterwards, I had thought he picked up a knock earlier in the game and had been limping, so I’m not sure if he’d been trying to play through it and struggling or if he picked up another bang, but Proctor was to take his place having being brought back to Inverness by Brewster upon his return. Niculae was unlucky to shoot wide around the 70 minute mark and their really wasn’t too much else to talk about us the ball seemed to spend most of its time in the middle third of the pitch. Aberdeen then seemed to come back in to the game and were looking to try and catch us on the break, and had it not been for the slight eagerness of Vischer and Lovell who were both caught offside on separate occasions then Malkowski may have faced a tougher test. Duncan looked like creating a carbon copy of the goal he scored against Falkirk last month when he wellied a right footed volley from about 25 yards out and had it gone anywhere other than straight at Langfield then Duncan would be holding 2 of this seasons top 3 goals for ICT. McBain had been largely ineffective for most of the match and looked like a prime target to be replaced by Wilson who I’d spotted warming up and getting kitted up in preparation for the substitution. I was therefore slightly shocked to see that it was Black who had been signalled to come off the park…he had been struggling a little in the middle, but he’d also looked like one of our greatest threats when we were pushing forward and had a couple of decent shots on goal. A tiring Niculae was replaced shortly afterwards by Bayne. Niculae has been unlucky not to have broken his duck in the SPL this season and he’d put in another good shift in the Blue and Red stripes. Some people remain unconvinced, but I have little doubt that he is making a valuable contribution to the team and will gain rightful recognition in due course. Full Time: 1-2 Other than Duncan getting a yellow card for being unable to keep his trap shut, the game kinda fizzled to a close. Room for improvement on the part of the Caley Jags, but not an altogether bad performance. We face Aberdeen on their turf again in 10 days time – Halloween Night – maybe the Bogeyman can help us put one over on our Bogey Team!!!

This match was Caley Thistle's 100th SPL game and a first ever victory over the Dons was the hope. John Rankin appeared to have achieved this when he scored in the 86th minute but Steve Lovell equalised in the 3rd minute of injury time to salvage a point for the Dons. ABERDEEN 1-1 ICT 13th January 2007 Pittodrie Stadium, Aberdeen ABERDEEN 1 (Lovell 90) Team: Langfield, Hart, Anderson, Foster, Nicolson, Severin, Clark, Brewster (Considine 44), Maguire (Dempsey 46), Miller (Lovell 79), Mackie Subs: , Touzani, Donald, Smith, Soutar INVERNESS CALEDONIAN THISTLE 1 (Rankin 86) Team: Brown, Tokely, Dods, Munro, Hastings, Wilson (McCaffrey 89), Duncan, Rankin, McBain, Wyness (Dargo 80), Bayne Subs: Black, Morgan, Soane, McAllister & Fraser Referee Mike McCurry Attendance 10300 Man of the Match As the 100th SPL match played by Caley Thistle this was a milestone, but a second was just missed as once more Aberdeen’s scalp proved elusive. For the third time this season the teams drew 1-1 and, as in November, both goals were late on with Stevie Lovell saving the Dons in the last minute. This time the equaliser was well into added time after John Rankin had made it 1-0 with four minutes of normal time left – this was the club’s 777th league goal and the 118th in the SPL. Richard Hastings was fit again so it was back to ICT’s familiar 4-4-2 formation and Craig Dargo moved to the bench. Aberdeen were missing the suspended Zander Diamond but Craig Brewster made his first start against his former club. It was to be a dismal afternoon for Brewster as he left the field with a dislocated shoulder just before half time and will be out for an extended period. Wild weather throughout Scotland caused a number of postponements but this game went ahead despite a gale-force wind. Barry Nicholson shot over in 11 minutes for Aberdeen then Dennis Wyness had the first chance for ICT in 16 minutes when he hit from 25 yards but Jamie Langfield saved with little trouble. Wyness headed over seven minutes later then Graham Bayne shot over. In 26 minutes Barry Wilson appeared to be brought down by Langfield after a mix up between the ‘keeper and Michael Hart but the referee waved play on despite strong protests from the visitors. Just before half time a Wilson free kick curled past the wall and over the bar. Brewster then sustained his shoulder injury and had to head for hospital. Half Time: 0-0 At the interval he was replaced by Andrew Considine and Gary Dempsey also replaced Christopher Maguire. Aberdeen were looking for a penalty when Lee Miller went down in the box but once more Mike McCurry made no award. Rankin curled a long range shot wide then in 66 minutes Bayne hit over following a Rankin corner. Bayne was the provider in 86 minutes when he stroked the ball into the path of Rankin and he hit past Langfield from 18 yards to make it 1-0. This was no more than the visitors deserved but it was not enough. With nearly three minutes of added time on the clock, substitute Lovell came to the Dons rescue when he lobbed over Mark Brown to make it 1-1. This was a bitter blow for Caley Thistle who richly deserved all three points. Full Time: 1-1 There was no time for a comeback as the whistle went before the match could even restart. Caley Thistle remain eighth on 28 points and Aberdeen stay third on 39.

Inverness CT 1-1 Aberdeen Caley Thistle are now unbeaten in 8 games but a last gasp equaliser from Steve Lovell means that ICT have still to record a win over the Dons as the spoils are shared at the Tulloch Caledonian Stadium 06th November 2006 Tulloch Caledonian Stadium Inverness Caledonian Thistle 1 (Bayne 78) Team: Brown, Tokely, Dods, Munro, Hastings, Wilson, Duncan, Rankin, McBain, Dargo (Wyness 81), Bayne, SUBS: McCaffrey, McSwegan, Soane, Sutherland, McAllister, & Fraser Aberdeen 1 (Lovell 90) Team: Langfield, Hart, Anderson, Severin, J. Smith, Nicholson, Mackie (Maguire 82), Clark (Considine 67), Dempsey (Lovell 79), Miller, Foster SUBS: Diamond, D. Smith, S. Smith & Soutar Referee Dougie McDonald Attendance 5744 Man of the Match John Rankin (ICT) The first Monday night Setanta TV match involving Caley Thistle ended in a disappointing draw in front of a better crowd than had been anticipated. That elusive win against Aberdeen was just a minute of the regulation ninety away when substitute Stevie Lovell cancelled out Graham Bayne’s 79th minute opener. It was not a classic match but, despite the lack of clear shots, both sets of supporters were vocal in their encouragement and seemed to enjoy the spectacle. With Ian Black still suspended Russell Duncan continued in midfield for ICT and Gary McSwegan made his first squad appearance. Aberdeen’s Jamie Smith came back from injury to replace Zander Diamond. There was little to report in the opening period but there was some fun when the far side assistant referee dropped his flag while awarding Caley Thistle a 13th minute corner. Two successive corners were cleared after some panic in the Aberdeen defence then Darren Dods had a header blocked and a follow-up shot saved. Aberdeen’s first real effort was a 19th minute snap shot from Gary Dempsey but it went wide. A minute later Craig Dargo sent a long range shot goalwards at the other end and it spun just wide left with Jamie Langfield struggling. The visitors were awarded a free kick 22 yards out in 27 minutes but Jamie Smith’s chip came off the wall for a corner. Close to the break Langfield held a low John Rankin shot but otherwise there was little on target. Half Time: 0-0 Chris Clark hit well wide in 56 minutes and an off-balance Dargo shot was saved by Langfield in 63 minutes. The home side were creating more than Aberdeen but the pressure was not translating into shots on target. In 72 minutes Richard Hastings did well to rob Darren Mackie in the home box and three minutes later Michael Hart chipped over. The long-awaited opening goal came in some style in 79 minutes. A clever Dargo pass from just outside the box found Roy McBain racing down the left and his inch-perfect cross was headed home by the diving Graham Bayne from seven yards. A minute later Barry Wilson was through into the Aberdeen box when he went down as Michael Hart slid in – the home camp claimed a penalty but there was no award. Hopes of sealing the victory diminished as Aberdeen pushed upfield and two minutes from time a Chris Maguire acrobatic kick came off the bar. Andrew Considine was following up but he could only head over. The Dons continued to press and a minute later a Hart cross from the right reached Lovell via Lee Miller and the substitute hit it home with his knee from a yard out. Full Time 1-1 The three added minutes produced nothing and it ended 1-1 with Caley Thistle remaining fifth.

ABERDEEN 1:1 INVERNESS CT Caley Thistle made another journey along the very familiar A96 to play former landlords Aberdeen and came back with a well deserved point. Ian Broadfoot provides the official report from Pittodrie Stadium 5th August 2006 Pittodrie Stadium, Aberdeen ABERDEEN 1 (Crawford 28) Team: Langfield, Hart, Byrne, Anderson, Foster, Clark, Smith, Nicholson (Dempsey 48), Touzani, Lovell (Mackie 57), Crawford (Severin 78) Subs – Stewart, Winter, MacAulay & Soutar INVERNESS CALEDONIAN THISTLE 1 (Wilson 88) Team: Brown, Tokely, Dods, Munro, Hastings, Wilson, Black, Rankin, McBain (McAllister 84), Wyness (Bain 72), Dargo (Keogh 90) Subs – McCaffrey, Duncan, Sutherland & Fraser Referee Calum Murray Attendance 11955 Man of the Match Stephen Crawford (Aberdeen) Caley Thistle made another journey along the very familiar A96 to play former landlords Aberdeen and came back with a well deserved point. Two well-matched sides duelled in the sun with Aberdeen having the edge in the first half and ICT fighting back in the second before scoring a very late (and bizarre) equaliser. Charlie Christie made three changes to his starting eleven with a fit-again Ross Tokely replacing Stuart McCaffrey at right back, Richard Hastings returning to the left back slot at the expense of Stuart Golabek and Roy McBain coming into midfield in place of Russell Duncan. Christie’s assistant Donald Park reached the milestone of 100 club games in the assistant manager role, including his time alongside John Robertson. Aberdeen started well and Grant Munro showed his mettle in the sixth minute with an excellent tackle on Stevie Crawford as he headed for goal. Two minutes later Tokely sent Barry Wilson clear down the right but his dangerous cross was cleared. Dennis Wyness then had a glimpse of goal but his angled shot from the right went wide. This good ICT spell continued and in ten minutes a Craig Dargo cross from the right reached Wyness and he went down in the box as he turned to shoot. The referee was right on the spot and he waved play on but the ICT camp felt it was a penalty. Aberdeen gradually began to exert pressure on the ICT defence but it held firm until the 28th minute when a Ricky Foster through ball reached Crawford seemingly offside. As Mark Brown narrowed the angle Crawford stretched to slide the ball home. The offside protests were waved away and the goal stood. A minute later Barry Wilson took a very quick free kick from 35 yards out as Langfield positioned himself but it flew just wide. Aberdeen pressed for a second goal with Jamie Smith prominent – he hit off target twice then a fierce drive rebounded off the back of Ian Black. In 36 minutes a low Barry Nicholson free kick from 25 yards was punched clear expertly by the diving Mark Brown. The half ended with flurries at both ends but no more scoring. Half Time: 1-0 The Aberdeen defence was put under pressure from the start of the second half and in 53 minutes Wilson was unlucky to see his on-target shot blocked by one of his own players in a crowded box. Dargo set up McBain in 64 minutes but his angled shot from the left was deflected for a corner. At the other end Brown did well to take a bouncing ball at the feet of Darren Mackie in 72 minutes. With ten minutes left a neat cut inside from Tokely found Dargo on the right of the Aberdeen box and in space – his rising shot went over the bar. Time was running out and it looked as if all the efforts had been in vain - that changed two minutes from the end of the regulation 90. The architect was Hastings as he robbed Gary Dempsey on the left and slipped it to Dargo on the edge of the box. His lob goalwards looked an easy catch for Langfield but he somehow dropped it under pressure (mainly from his own players) and it fell for Barry Wilson facing an open goal and just three yards out. Unable to believe his good fortune he calmly rolled the ball in for the equaliser. The five added minutes produced only frustration as the game degenerated into a series of fouls and bad tempered exchanges. Full Time: 1-1 A point apiece was fair and Caley Thistle move up a notch to tenth.

Ian Broadfoot reports from Inverness as the Dons visit. Caley Thistle and Aberdeen share the points in this tussle at the Tulloch Caledonian Stadium. Jamie Smith scored for the Dons but Graham Bayne equalised near the end after coming on as a sub. Saturday 15th October 2005 Tulloch Caledonian Stadium, Inverness INVERNESS CALEDONIAN THISTLE 1 (Bayne 73) Team: Brown, Tokely, Dods, Hastings, Morgan, Proctor, Fox (Black 86), Duncan, Wilson (Hart 87), Wyness, Dargo (Bayne 60 ) Subs – Golabek, Parratt, McAllister & Fraser ABERDEEN (Jimmy Calderwood) 1 (Smith 55) Team: Esson, Diamond, Severin, Anderson, McNaughton, Nicholson, Dempsey (Winter 75), Muirhead, Smith, Mackie (Lovell 62), Crawford (Stewart 80) Subs – Foster, Considine, MacAulay & Langfield Referee S Dougal Attendance 6809 Man of the Match Barry Wilson (ICT) An old football cliché summed up the day – Caley Thistle really did get out of jail thanks to substitute Graham Bayne’s 73rd minute equaliser. In the dying minutes a surge towards Ryan Esson’s goal could have led to a winner but a draw was a huge relief after conceding most of the play to a good Aberdeen side. The one thing Aberdeen could not do was shoot on target and Mark Brown had a quiet afternoon. The one exception was Jamie Smith’s 55th minute wonder strike from 30 yards – it was a joy to behold for the visiting fans as it rose into the net and even the home fans acknowledged that it was a goal to remember. With Craig Brewster suspended Craig Dargo came back into the starting line-up and the player/manager was forced to watch from the stand and communicate with the dug-out by mobile phone. A through ball in the first minute reached Dargo but he was ruled offside. Stevie Crawford headed wide at the other end in six minutes then in twelve minutes Kevin McNaughton curled a shot wide after the home defence had blocked shots from McNaughton and Darren Mackie. A foray towards the Aberdeen goal in 17 minutes saw a Dargo ball from the right wing elude the outstretched leg of Dennis Wyness. Back to the ICT end and a Scott Severin header went straight to Brown and a Smith low shot strayed wide. A classic double shuffle from Wyness in 27 minutes made space to send in a curling ball which Dargo flicked into the air and Esson took high. From then until half-time it was mostly Aberdeen apart from a Dargo 25 yard shot which went wide in 39 minutes. Half Time: 0-0 Five minutes into the second half Esson cleared from the left side of his box and it reached Wilson on the half-way line. He attempted the spectacular but it went wide with Esson scrambling back. An Alan Morgan curling free kick was held by Esson in 52 minutes before Smith’s classic strike in 55 minutes gave Aberdeen the lead. The Dons looked for a second but Caley Thistle slowly clawed their way back into the game. Liam Fox shot over in 67 minutes then Morgan hit a long low ball not far wide. As the home crowd grew restless salvation was at hand. In 73 minutes Esson could only parry a David Proctor shot and Bayne hit high into the net from inside the six-yard box. Aberdeen tried to get back on top but Crawford could only shoot wide and McNaughton hit high over the bar. With two minutes left Richie Hart set off down the left past three Aberdeen players then found Wyness inside – his shot was held by Esson. Into added time Wyness was back assisting his defence then broke clear on a run down the left. He set up Hart who was supporting in the middle – as Hart prepared to shoot Russell Anderson stepped in to clear. There was still time for Esson to collect a Russell Duncan free kick amidst futile claims that he had handled outside this box. Full Time: 1-1 A 1-1 draw was much appreciated by the home camp but Aberdeen manager Jimmy Calderwood was furious that his side had not held on for victory.

Dons Defeat This was a hard defeat to take after having so much of the play. Stuart Golabek made his 200th appearance and Ross Tokely equalled Charlie Christie's club record when he played for the 314th time. A huge crowd packed the stadium in the Spring sunshine and they saw the home side dominate for most of the game but fail to make the important breakthrough. The pressure on Aberdeen started in the first minute when Ryan Esson smothered the ball at Juanjo's feet then a Craig Brewster effort was deflected over the bar. Russell Duncan shot wide in 16 minutes, Barry Wilson did the same in 21 minutes then just after the half-hour mark a Brewster acrobatic effort was tipped over by Esson. The resultant corner was delayed as Russell Anderson was treated for a facial injury then finally led from the field. The corner reached Roy McBain and his low shot rebounded to Juanjo whose strike from a few yards out was held by Esson. Aberdeen were conspicuous by their attacking absence for most of this period apart from Noel Whelan's header over the bar in 24 minutes and Markus Heikkinen's high shot from 25 yards shortly after. The only goal of the game came in 39 minutes when a ball deflected off Grant Munro to the feet of Whelan who scored from 12 yards. Half Time: 0-1 ICT were less impressive in the second half but they had chances as Aberdeen seemed content to sit on their lead. A long Munro throw on the hour mark was punched away by Esson and scrambled clear. A high cross from Tokely in 66 minutes was met by Brewster but his header went across goal and wide. The closest Aberdeen came was in 74 minutes when a long throw from Richard Foster landed on the top of the bar. Substitute Bajram Fetai latched onto a Brewster flick in 79 minutes but his overhead kick was just off-target. Fetai had two close-range shots blocked close to the end before sub Bryan Prunty nearly equalised. A long Munro throw was headed on by Darren Dods and Brewster before Prunty headed goalwards. It looked net-bound but Esson popped up to push it onto the top of the bar. The last chance was gone and the Dons amazingly took the points. Full Time: 0-1 With three games left before the split ICT remain eighth, 11 points clear of Dundee United in twelfth spot. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Inverness CT: 0 Team: Brown; Tokely, Dods, Munro, Golabek, Wilson, Hart (Fetai 57), Duncan, McBain (Bayne 83), Juanjo (Prunty 71), Brewster Subs not used: Fraser; McCaffrey, Proctor, Hastings - Booked: Golabek (42), Brewster (75) Aberdeen: 1 Team: Esson; Hart, Anderson (McGuire 35), Diamond, Byrne, Winter (Foster 46), Severin, Heikkinen, Clark, Mackie, Whelan (Blaha 73) Subs not used: Preece; Stewart, Morrison, Muirhead - Booked: Clark (47), Whelan (60) Attendance: 7026 - Referee: Alan Freeland

Familiar surroundings but cup of woe. The difference between the sides proved to be former on-loan ICT player Darren Mackie. He returned to Pittodrie at the end of 2003-04, fought his way back into the side and his two goals put Caley Thistle out of the Scottish Cup. With Zander Diamond injured Aberdeen included defender Richie Byrne, newly signed from Dunfermline. Craig Brewster's starting eleven was unchanged but reserve keeper Mike Fraser was injured and his bench place was taken by 17-year old Jonathon Smith, only his second squad appearance. After good early play at both ends it was Caley Thistle who could easily have opened the scoring when a Richie Hart corner was headed onto the post by Brewster. In the event it was Aberdeen who scored first in 15 minutes. A Kevin McNaughton cross from the right was headed home by Mackie despite the presence of two defenders and the advancing Mark Brown. Nine minutes later a Richie Hart free kick into the box was touched in by Brewster from six yards - Russell Anderson and Markus Heikkinen were both in close attendance but Brewster's strength won the battle. Stuart Golabek then hit the bar and Brown saved from Steven Craig before the Dons once more took the lead in 34 minutes. A 22 yard drive from Jamie Winter took a slight deflection but Brown still managed an excellent diving save but Mackie was in like a flash to score from the rebound. Half Time: 1-2 Aberdeen should have sewn the game up in 51 minutes but Noel Whelan missed an open goal from six yards then Craig's follow-up header hit the bar. A good run by Mackie in 77 minutes led to another golden chance for Whelan. Mackie was on a hat-trick but unselfishly chose to pass to his strike partner - Whelan sliced it wide from eight yards. With five minutes left Mackie was again through but Brown took the ball at his feet. Four added minutes stretched to nearly six but Aberdeen did not look like surrendering their lead. In the dying seconds Esson came out of his box to clear upfield and Brown took the ball at the edge of his area with John Stewart chasing. Full Time: 1-2 The whistle went and Caley Thistle were out of the cup. The good news is that they can now concentrate on SPL survival. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Inverness CT: 1 (Brewster 24) Team: Brown; Tokely, Munro, Dods, Golabek, Wilson, Duncan, Hart (McBain 70), Juanjo (Fetai 77), Bayne, Brewster Subs not used: Smith; McCaffrey, Prunty - Booked: Hart (60) Aberdeen: 2 (Mackie 15, 34) Team: Esson; Hart, Heikkinen, Anderson, McNaughton, Byrne, Clark, Winter, Craig (Stewart 69), Mackie (McGuire 88), Whelan (Adams 80) Subs not used: Morrison, Blanchard - Booked: Clark Attendance: 10595 - Referee: Willie Young

Away Draw at Home Another first; an away league game at 'home'. Despite the lack of goals this was an exciting end-to-end match, played in a cold, swirling wind. In the early stages it was Aberdeen who looked like scoring but, as the game went on, ICT came very close on several occasions. In the second minute a corner from Aberdeen's Chris Clark was headed goalwards by Zander Diamond, but it came off the post amidst sharp intakes of breath from the large visiting support. Three minutes later, a good move at the other end led to a Roy McBain low ball across goal from the left, but nobody could take advantage. The pressure returned to the Inverness end, and a Scott Severin shot from outside the box was deflected for a corner. There was a major let-off in 16 minutes when Stuart Golabek cleared a shot from Markus Heikkinen off the line. A curling ball into the six-yard area from Grant Munro in 20 minutes was turned goalwards by Graham Bayne's overhead kick, but Esson took it late at the top corner. Esson had to be quick to collect a loose ball four minutes later with Bayne nearly on it - Bayne went down but nothing was given. Liam Keogh sent a curling shot past the post in 29 minutes then Mark Brown took the ball at the feet of John Stewart. The best ICT chance of the half came in 33 minutes when a curling Ross Tokely cross from the right was met by McBain, but his diving header went past. Juanjo was, as usual, a real threat and, as the first half came to an end, he lobbed over then was tackled by Russell Anderson as he closed in on goal. Half Time: 0-0 Straight from the restart there was controversy, as Tokely went down injured in his own box and the referee allowed play to continue around him. The game was only stopped when Richie Hart also took a knock. The pressure on the Aberdeen goal increased and Hart shot over before a glancing header from Tokely forced a fine save from Esson. A bad pass-back on the hour mark allowed Juanjo in, but Esson saved well. Esson was again the hero with 20 minutes left when he blocked shots from Bayne and Juanjo in quick succession and Russell Duncan's follow-up was eventually cleared. Esson held an on-target Bayne header in 76 minutes. In a final Dons flurry, Brown had problems with a Richard Foster corner in the wind, but Duncan cleared the danger. Substitute Scott Muirhead then sent in a low, dangerous ball from the left but it came to nothing. In the end a draw was about right, but both teams regretted their missed chances. Full Time: 0-0 Craig Brewster must clearly be in the frame for the December Manager of the Month award; unbeaten in four games, a win at Motherwell and points taken off Rangers, Hearts and Aberdeen. ICT now turn the year in eighth place, four points above bottom-placed Dundee United. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Aberdeen: 0 Team: Esson, Hart, Anderson, Diamond, McNaughton, Clark (Muirhead 72), Heikkinen, Severin, Foster, Mackie, Stewart (McGuire 79). Subs Not Used: Blanchard, Morrison, Considine, O'Leary - Booked: None Inverness CT: 0 Team: Brown, Tokely, Dods, Munro, Golabek, Hart, Duncan, Keogh, McBain, Juanjo (Prunty 90), Bayne. Subs Not Used: Fraser, McCaffrey, Wilson, Hastings, Proctor, Fox - Booked: Dods (60), Munro (60) Attendance: 18,250 Referee: J Underhill

Neighbours do Home & Away Aberdeen’s first ever ‘away’ game at Pittodrie. The heavy pitch survived two inspections and the game went ahead. Once again Caley Thistle gave maximum effort but the need for an out-and-out goalscorer is clear. There was a cracking goal from Roy McBain but numerous missed chances. John Robertson made two changes from the side which drew with Motherwell - Juanjo Carricondo and Liam Keogh were relegated to the bench with Bryan Prunty and Roy McBain on from the start. The game got off to a lively start but both teams had difficulty on what was a very wet pitch. Aberdeen had the better of the early chances with Steve Tosh and Scott Severin both having chances but the early highlight was the superb reaction save from Mark Brown when he managed to tip a great effort from Derek Adams over the bar. The deadlock was broken just before the half hour when Adams worked a fine one-two with Chris Clark, cleverly turned Stuart McCaffrey and slotted the ball home from close range. ICT reacted and captain Stuart Golabek moved upfield and saw his fierce drive tipped round the post by David Preece. Minutes later and joy for the home support as their favourites got right back into the game with a brilliant equalising goal from midfielder Roy McBain who hit a superb drive from 25 yards which went in at the post. Half Time: 1-1 Caley Thistle began the second half in fine form and took the game to the visitors. Richie Hart had a fine effort saved by the goalkeeper and Bryan Prunty was unlucky with a header. Midway through the half and disaster struck when Brown was adjudged to have brought down Darren Mackie inside the box. Adams scored his second goal of the afternoon from the penalty spot. ICT made every effort in an attempt to get back into the game as they searched for an equaliser but they were now finding it very difficult on the heavy pitch. In the final minute of the match Caley Thistle lost a third goal. Golabek was dispossessed in the midfield and in his effort to get back to retrieve the situation he impeded Darren Mackie inside the penalty area. It was a clear penalty and Mackie stepped up to send the ball past Brown. Full Time: 1-3 Another game in which ICT matched the opposition for long spells but defensive errors which cost them dearly. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Inverness CT: 1 (McBain 36) Team: Brown; Tokely, McCaffrey (Keogh 86), Munro, Golabek, Wilson, Hart, Duncan (Black 76), McBain, Bayne, Prunty (Juanjo 70). Subs Not Used: Fraser; Thomson, Fox, Dods. - Booked: Golabek (60), McCaffrey (70), Brown (80) Aberdeen: 3 (Adams 28, 64 pen, Mackie 90 pen) Team: Preece; Hart, Severin, McGuire, McNaughton, Clark (Craig 67), Heikkinen, Tosh, Foster (Pasquinelli 79), Mackie, Adams (Stewart 85). Subs Not Used: Esson; Morrison, Considine. - Booked: Tosh Attendance: 9,530 Referee: Iain Brines