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Caley Thistle made it 5 wins out of 5 with a hard fought 3-2 victory over Hearts at Tynecastle. An excellent strike from Russell Duncan gave ICT a half time lead and a Rankin penalty extended it early in the second. Hearts fought back through Berra on the hour mark, and seemed to have secured a point with a 90th minute penalty strike. Graham Bayne however scored deep in injury time to win it for ICT. 22/12/07 Tynecastle Stadium, Edinburgh HEART OF MIDLOTHIAN 2 (Berra 62, Velicka 90pen) Kurskis, Neilson, Zaliukas, Berra, Wallace, Ivaskevicius (Mikoliunas 65), Jonsson, Palazuelos, Driver, Ksanavicius (Elliot 34 (Pospisil 65)), Velicka Subs: McGowan, Cesnauskis, Goncalves, Basso INVERNESS CT 3 (Duncan 22, Rankin 53pen, Bayne 90 ) Team: Fraser, Tokely, McGuire, Munro, Hastings, Cowie, Black (Wilson 81), Duncan, Rankin, McBain (Bayne 70), Niculae Subs: McAllister, Gillespie, Kerr, McCaffrey, Malkowski Referee William Collum Attendance 16202 Craig Brewster stuck with the same formation that has done him so well over the last four games, but due to David Proctor's red card las week, he was forced to make one change to the side with Ross Tokely returning from suspension to take his place. For Hearts, the surprise was probably that they kept faith in Eduardas Kurskis in goal and after gifting a late winner to Rangers last week, he was to have a late impact on this game too. Caley Thistle had the first attempts on goal in this skirmish with a couple of Ian Black efforts that had Kurskis looking a little less than confident and in 6 minutes, Hearts Velicka tested Fraser who couldn't hold his shot, but had McGuire on hand to clear. A couple of minutes later and it was Marius Niculae having a chance at the other end courtesy of a Rankin pass. Just as Marius was about to unleash his shot, Berra nipped in and cleared. Back to the other end now - in the 11th minute - this time with Lee Wallace tearing down the left. He then cut the ball across but Ivaskevicius was denied by an excellent Fraser block. The ball quickly broke back to the midfielder, whose second effort was deflected wide. Less than a minute later Ksanavicius hit the crossbar with a great 22-yard shot. A goal was coming, and with play ranging from end to end it really could have come from either side ... luckily for us, it was Caley Thistle who opened the scoring through Russell Duncan in 21 minutes and what a well worked goal it was. Ian Black started the move by finding John Rankin in space on the left, Rankin then managed to play a crossfield ball to Don Cowie who was on the edge of the box with his back to goal. He took a touch then played it short for Russell Duncan who blasted it low into the corner of the net. Hearts were dealt a blow just after the half-hour mark, with Ksanavicius limping off after a challenge from Ross Tokely. He was replaced by Calum Elliot. Hearts did have one more decent chance before half-time but Driver could only play the ball directly at Fraser after receiving a Velicka cross. Half Time: Hearts 0-1 ICT Into the second half then and five minutes in, it was Hearts who had the first real attack when Velicka had a chance from the edge of the box but it was pushed away by Fraser and the danger was gone. A minute later Hearts would be left rueing this chance as Caley Thistle went upfield and scored ! Russell Duncan broke up a Hearts attack deep in his own half, ran down the wing and waited until just the right moment before playing a perfectly weighted pass to Niculae that left the last defender helpless. Niculae bore down on goal and Kurskis was left with no option but to bring him down. A penalty was awarded, and perhaps surprisingly, the colour of the card issued to Kurskis was only yellow. John Rankin took the penalty, and although the keeper went the right way, the ball had been placed perfectly and he couldnt get a touch to it. 0-2. It was do or die for Hearts now and in the 60th minute, Mike Fraser, who had an excellent match once again, tipped a dipping Palazuelos shot over for a corner. From the corner however, Hearts equalised through Berra who powerfully headed it down and into the net, although, with so many bodies in the box and on the line, the last touch could have come from anyone. After this lifeline, Stevie Frail committed his last two subs in an effort to get something from this game and this was to prove decisive in the end. For the next 20-25 minutes Caley Thistle and Hearts traded attempts at goal, with both Niculae and Mikoliunas coming close but it was to be the final five minutes that would provide a lot of talking points. 5 minutes from the end, Russell Duncan chased down a ball that Kurskis was attempting to shield out for a goal kick and as the keeper picked it up after it had crossed the line, the two players briefly tangled. Kurskis however raised his hands to Duncan and when all was said and done, both players received yellow cards. Unfortunately for Hearts, Kurskis had been booked earlier when conceding the penalty and his yellow was quickly followed by a red card. Worse still for Hearts was that they had used all three subs so could not take off an outfield player and use their sub keeper so Lee Wallace was the player who was given the Keeper's top for the last five minutes. Despite the drama, Hearts went up the park and scored a last gasp equaliser... In what looked like a very soft award, McGuire was adjudged to have fouled Velicka in the box, was booked for it, and then Velicka himself sent Fraser the wrong way from the penalty spot. 2-2 and literally seconds to go. But it was not over yet!!! This time it was Caley Thistle's turn to go up the park and score. McGuire started the move on the half way line with a pass to Bayne, Bayne then passed wide to Cowie and he sent the ball into the box. A Hearts defender (Zaliukas) carelessly backheeled it into the path of Bayne and he sent it low into the net past a helpless Wallace from 15 yards. Final Score: Hearts 2-3 ICT and 15 points out of 15 for Craig Brewster !!

Hearts came into this game on a high after an excellent win against Rangers last week. Caley Thistle on the other hand, despite playing well in spells last week came with a record of 6 defeats in 6 games, the last being a 5-0 thrashing at the hands of Celtic. While some may have doubted the appointment of Brewster the manager, no-one had any doubts about his qualities as a player and he showed how valuable he can still be on the pitch with the winning goal against Hearts deep into injury time.... 22/09/07 Tulloch Caledonian Stadium, Inverness INVERNESS CT 2 Wyness (64), Brewster (90) Team: Fraser, Tokely, McGuire, Munro, McBain, Wilson (Morgan 85), Black, Duncan, Cowie, Niculae (Brewster 86), Wyness Subs: D McDonald, Vigurs, A MacDonald, Hastings, Malkowski HEARTS 1 Black (34og) Team: Banks, Neilson, Berra, Tall, Wallace, Zaliukas, Kingston, Ivaskevicius, Driver (Stewart 46), Ksanavicius (Pospisil 69), Velicka (Elliot 46) Subs: Jonsson, Kancelsku, Goncalves, Kurskis Referee Steve Tumilty Attendance 4918 ICT had played some of their best football of the season in the last two outings against Hibs and Celtic but were still to put any points on the scoreboard. We’d gone down 0-3 to Rangers in our opening game of the season and now faced Hearts, who only last week beat that same Rangers team 4-2. We were still chasing our first points of the season and this wasn’t going to be an easy fixture by any stretch of the imagination. Many were surprised when the team lines were read out and they learned that Brewster had kept himself on the bench for this one. A Striker who had proven he knew where the oppositions net was at Aberdeen before joining us as player/manager. The starting eleven had remained unchanged following last weeks defeat – 5-0 at the hands of Celtic FC – but our bench looked like we were going out there with attack in mind. The early action was reminiscent of our last trip to Easter Road where we pressured from the off and won two corners in the opening 5 minutes. All the pressure was on Hearts for much of the half. Cowie was again proving his worth from set pieces – twice he sent in balls that were met with strong headers, one to the head of Munro and the other to Rossco who were both unlucky to go narrowly wide. Cowie and Niculae both had decent long range efforts…Niculae putting his over the bar and Cowie being unlucky to see his saved by Banks…before an unfortunate break at the opposite ends saw Black divert a crossed ball into our own net to put us a goal down, very much against the run of play. Hearts only other efforts from the half were professionally saved by Fraser. In one last push not long before the HT whistle, Niculae knocked a ball down to Wyness who looked poised to stick it in the net – and if it hadn’t been for a last ditch effort by Tall that’s exactly where it would have gone. Half Time: ICT 0 v 1 Hearts A goal down but the chances were there and we just needed to make better use of them in the second half. Caley Thistle started brightly after the break with a shot from Wyness being saved and a header going narrowly wide. We continued to pressure and Hearts didn’t appear to have many answers. Hearts made a couple of surprise substitutions at half time…Driver had been making life difficult for us on the right and looked like one of the few in the Hearts team who was going to be a real threat and he was replaced by a largely ineffective Michael Stewart. This seemed to give Rossco more opportunity to push forward and create a threat. We had to wait until nearly 20 minutes in to the second half for the equaliser. Wilson hit his volley straight at Banks who could only succeed in parrying it. The ball then fell to Wyness who had the simplest of jobs to brush it into the back of the net. 1-1…Come on ICT!!! McGuire, who was lucky to still be on the pitch given the whinging and moaning he had directed at the ref for most of the game, was to come close about 10 minutes later. It was Cowie once again who sent a great ball in from the corner and on to the head of McGuire who couldn’t have done any better and we watched on with frustration as it was cleared off the line. The game was starting to look very much like finishing 1-1, but Kingston came close for hearts with about 10 minutes left on the clock. ICT had conceded a free-kick on the edge of the box and Kingston send a wonderfully curving ball round the wall only to see it come back off the post. Frustration was setting in among some fans that we had again left it very late in the game before making our substitutions…Brewster and Morgan came on for Niculae and Wilson with barely 5 minutes left in the game. Brewster was immediately in and winning everything coming in his direction and Morgan wasn’t really seeing much of the ball…in fact, I’m not entirely sure he had touched the ball until just before the stroke of 90 minutes when he sent a cross in towards Brewster who caught it on the volley and almost burst the Hearts net. Who knows what happened in the last 2 minutes…and to be honest…who cares!!! Full Time: 2-1 The effort shown by the team in our last 3 outings had finally been rewarded and I don’t think anyone who had watched the match would deny that ICT were the ones who deserved the 3 points. Hey, even if you thought it should have been a draw, then consider it just deserts for having gotten nothing from the Celtic or Hibs games….lol.

Substitute Michal Pospisil scored with his first touch of the ball in the 81st minute to give Hearts all three points in this match. Club Historian Ian Broadfoot supplies the official report from this match. HEARTS 1-0 Inverness CT 10th February 2007 Tynecastle Stadium, Edinburgh HEARTS 1 (Pospisil 82) Team: Banks, Tall, Zaliukas, Berra, Fyssas, Kingston, Brellier, Driver, Klimek (Pospisil 81), Jankauskas (Bednar 61), Elliot (Jonsson 73) Subs: McCann, Karipidis, Wallace & Kurskis INVERNESS CALEDONIAN THISTLE FC 0 Team: Fraser, Tokely, Dods, Munro, Hastings, Wilson (McSwegan 84), Duncan, McBain, Rankin (Morgan 63), Bayne, McAllister Subs: McCaffrey, Black, Soane, Paatelainen, & Ridgers Referee Eddie Smith Attendance 16631 Not a good performance by either side and it looked for a long time as if 0-0 was on the cards. Michael Pospisil came off the Hearts bench with nine minutes left and he proved to be an inspired substitution as, within a minute, his goal changed all that. Barry Wilson was ICT captain for the day to celebrate his 300th appearance but it proved a sore defeat for the veteran in more ways than one. He collided with Julien Brellier in 20 minutes and, after treatment, came back wearing a head bandage. The one thing you can be sure of when playing against Hearts these days is that you can be sure of nothing. Charlie Christie had no idea of the probable Hearts line-up so could only concentrate on preparing his own side – he fielded the same eleven that started last week against Dundee United. Once the team lines were issued much of the chatter surrounded the fact that Craig Gordon was once more not in the Hearts squad. Stevie Banks continued in the Hearts goal and the substitute ‘keeper was Eduardas Kurskis who arrived from Lithuanian club Kaunas in the January transfer window. The starting eleven included Polish striker Arkadiusz Klimek – another January arrival at Tynecastle. The match kicked-off at 2pm to avoid a clash with the Scotland v Wales rugby international at Murrayfield. Banks was the Hearts’ hero with just one minute on the clock when he parried a net-bound Graham Bayne volley then, at the other end, Klimek shot over the bar. A Takis Fyssas shot went past Mike Fraser’s post in 18 minutes then the ‘keeper blocked an Andrew Driver shot with his legs in 24 minutes. The rest of the half produced little but Banks did save from Wilson and Rory McAllister just failed to connect with a Wilson low ball inside the area. Half Time: 0-0 Into the second half but little of note until the closing period. A Driver volley went wide, Fraser blocked a Roman Bednar shot and a Bednar header went over the bar. In 70 minutes Rory McAllister latched onto a Richard Hastings cross but his header came off the bar – a rare chance for the visitors. Hearts could have scored with ten minutes left when a Calum Elliot cut-back ran across the face of the goal but no one was there to take advantage. With eight minutes left, just when it looked like ending in stalemate, substitute Pospisil popped up and netted with a back post header after a Driver cross from the left. Full Time: 1-0 Charlie Christie responded by bringing on Gary McSwegan as a third striker but despite a surge towards Banks no equaliser was forthcoming. Eighth place was retained but with just a goal-difference lead over Dundee United.

It finished honours even at the Tulloch Caledonian Stadium after a more recognisable Hearts team - with Pressley restored to it as captain - held Caley Thistle at bay. Club Historian Ian Broadfoot reports from the match. ICT 0-0 HEARTS 25th November 2006 Tulloch Caledonian Stadium, Inverness INVERNESS CALEDONIAN THISTLE FC 0 Team: Brown, Tokely, Dods, Munro, Hastings, Wilson, Duncan, Black (Hart 73), McBain, Dargo (McAllister 87), Wyness (Bayne 79) Subs: McCaffrey, Rankin, Sutherland & Fraser HEARTS 0 Team: Gordon, Neilson, Fyssas (Wallace 68), Pressley, Aguiar (Mole 83), Hartley, Barasa, Brellier, Mikoliunas (McCann 86), Berra, Velicka Subs: Tall, Zaliukas, Jankauskas & Banks Referee Iain Brines Attendance 5603 Man of the Match Darren Dods (ICT) A good point earned against Hearts but with a rub of the green it could have been three. The unrest and management confusion at Hearts did not stop them from being dangerous opponents but Caley Thistle matched them in every department. Mark Brown came back from suspension to take his place in the home goal with Mike Fraser reverting to the bench, Ian Black came in for John Rankin and Dennis Wyness replaced Graham Bayne in the starting line-up. The big news from Hearts was that Stephen Pressley was back in the team and as captain. As the teams ran out the cameras were all trained on the Directors’ box to see the arrival of Vladimir Romanov and returning manager Valdas Ivanauskas, team matters were however still in the hands of Eduard Malofeev for one more match. Caley Thistle strode upfield from the kick-off but Hearts immediately counter-attacked and Paul Hartley sent an angled shot over the home bar from the right of the box. With five minutes on the clock a long Grant Munro free kick was met on the volley by Craig Dargo six yards out and he forced a good save from Craig Gordon – it all looked good but the offside flag was up. Another Munro free kick four minutes later led to a blocked Wyness shot and a cleared Roy McBain header. It all went rather quiet until the 26th minute when a Dargo pass set up Barry Wilson just outside the box. Wilson sent a strong bouncing shot goalwards but Gordon showed his class to divert it for a corner. On the half hour mark Saulius Mikoliunas robbed Ross Tokely but his on-target shot was parried by Brown. In 35 minutes a Wilson chipped free kick led to danger that was only ended when Gordon bravely smothered the ball under pressure. Gordon produced his best save of the match in 41 minutes when Black headed a Richard Hastings cross towards the top corner and the ‘keeper tipped it up in the air before catching it on the way down. Half Time: 0-0 Hartley was in a dangerous position five minutes into the second half but he slipped before he could shoot. With an hour gone Pressley volleyed well wide then a Mikoliunas shot from 18 yards was blocked. Bruno Aguiar tried a spectacular shot in 75 minutes but it safely cleared the bar. Caley Thistle substitute Richie Hart sent in an excellent cross a minute later but Dargo’s header was saved by Gordon. The closing period was almost all Caley Thistle and in 79 minutes a long Dargo run was set up by a neat Russell Duncan pass. Dargo headed straight for goal but his final shot went wide. Graham Bayne came on for Wyness and his height and strong presence caused the Hearts’ defence additional problems. Seconds after he arrived on the scene he latched onto a Munro free kick and headed across goal for Dargo – Gordon stepped in to save. In the closing ten minutes Hart hit wide from long range, Ross Tokely also struck wide, Gordon saved from McBain and Darren Dods headed off target. Brown had been rarely troubled but with three minutes of normal time left Hartley sent in a long shot which the ‘keeper expertly tipped for a corner. In added time Julien Brellier slid in to deny Wilson a shot then a Bayne effort was cleared. The last action was a bouncing shot from Hart that ran wide. Full Time: 0-0 A fine ICT performance but just one point and seventh spot retained.

Hearts 4 - 1 ICT "Mother said their would be days like this" - Hearts ran out 4-1 winners in todays encounter at Tynecastle. Unfortunately the score doesn't reflect the game in which ICT battled hard, played well and created the chances... 26th August 2006 Tynecastle Stadium, Edinburgh HEARTS 4 (Pinilla 20, Mole 42, Driver 80, Aguiar 91) Team: Gordon, Costa, Pressley, Karipidis, Zaliukas, Wallace, Mikoliunas, Hartley (Aguiar 79), McCann (Driver 76), Pinilla (Makella 86), Mole Subs: Beslija, Lithgow, Fyssas, Banks INVERNESS CALEDONIAN THISTLE FC 1 (Bayne 31) Team: Brown, Tokely (Duncan 82), Dods, Munro, Hastings, Wilson, Black, Rankin, McBain (Keogh 82), Wyness (McAllister 44), Bayne Subs: Sutherland, Keogh, Morgan, McCaffery, Fraser Referee Steve Conroy Attendance 15912 Man of the Match Jamie Mole (Hearts) While ICT were beating Dumbarton in midweek, a nine –man Hearts team was crashing out of the Champions League in Athens. It was hard to predict whether they would be tired, and therefore ripe for the taking, or would be determined to bounce back quickly. In the event five personnel changes resolved the tiredness problem and they won this match convincingly. It was not quite as one sided as the scoreline suggests and ICT had chances to take something from the game – at 2-1 there was always the possibility of ICT taking a point but two Hearts goals in the last ten minutes sealed the victory. Caley Thistle reverted to the regular line-up, but with Craig Dargo not quite recovered from injury, Graham Bayne partnered Dennis Wyness up front. This changed just before half time when Wyness left the field injured and Rory McAllister replaced him. The first real challenge on the ICT goal came from an unlikely source in seven minutes. A long Craig Gordon clearance bounced awkwardly and Mark Brown was forced to tip it over. From Paul Hartley’s corner Saulius Mikoliunas hit over the bar. A Hearts breakthrough looked like coming in 11 minutes when Jamie Mole latched onto a Neil McCann cross and headed low towards the bottom corner. The large home support began to salute a goal but Brown dived to expertly push it behind for a corner. Nineteen proved an unlucky number for Caley Thistle when number 19 Mauricio Pinilla opened the scoring in the nineteenth minute. After a period of Hearts pressure McCann sent a cross from the left and Pinilla sidefooted it low past Brown from a few yards out. The visitors pressed for an equaliser and Barry Wilson came close in 27 minutes – he cleverly twisted past Mikoliunas and shot but Gordon punched it for a corner. On the half hour mark the small travelling support had something to cheer about when Graham Bayne made it 1-1. Wilson crossed from the right and Bayne lost his marker before heading the ball past Gordon from a couple of yards out. Dennis Wyness, making his 199th appearance for the club, came very close to scoring against his old team in 39 minutes when he dived to head a Richard Hastings cross from the left. It went wide and Wyness dislocated his shoulder in the process. He left the field a few minutes later and McAllister replaced him. Half Time: 2-1 Four minutes in to the second half Bayne raced through the centre with two defenders in close formation but he could only send the final ball wide. Hearts regained control and it was nearly 3-1 in 66 minutes when McCann hit the bar with Brown beaten. At the other end in 75 minutes Barry Wilson dived to head a Ross Tokely cross but he failed to connect six yards out. Any hopes of an ICT revival died in 80 minutes when Mikoliunas crossed from the right to the back post and Ross Tokely’s attempted headed clearance fell for Hearts substitute Andrew Driver – he sent an angled ball past Brown for 3-1. In the final minute another substitute Bruno Aguiar slid onto a low ball from the left and scored to make the final result 4-1. Full Time: 4-1 Disappointment for ICT after a good performance and they remain in tenth place.

A goal-less draw against second placed Hearts keeps Caley Thistle in 6th place but Aberdeen and Motherwell are still in the three-way battle for the top 6 spot. Club Historian, Ian Broadfoot reports from this match at the Tulloch Caledonian Stadium Saturday 11th March 2006 Tulloch Caledonian Stadium INVERNESS CALEDONIAN THISTLE 0 Team: Brown, Tokely, Dods, Munro, Hastings, Hart, Black, Duncan, Morgan, Bayne, Dargo Subs – Golabek, McCaffrey, McBain, Keogh, Fox, Jackson & Fraser HEARTS 0 Team: Gordon, Neilson, Fyssas, Webster, Hartley, Hackett (McAllister 66; Goncalves 85), Cesnauskis, Berra, Bednar, Elliot, Aguiar Subs – Johnson, Mikoliunas, Pospisil, Petras & Banks Referee K Toner Attendance 5027 Man of the Match Richie Hart (ICT) A fine performance by Caley Thistle and they could easily have taken all three points. Hearts were always on the back foot and Mark Brown had a quiet afternoon. Richie Hart starred for the home side and brought out two tremendous saves from Craig Gordon late in the first half. Both sides were missing key players for a variety of reasons. The Dennis Wyness loan agreement with Hearts specified that he should not play against his parent club so the Dargo/Wyness strike partnership was severed. David Proctor was injured and Alan Morgan started. With Rory McAllister suspended, and the absence of Wyness, Caley Thistle were short on front players. Graham Bayne started with Craig Dargo and new signing Ben Jackson took a seat on the bench. Hearts were without Rudi Skacel, Stephen Pressley, Edgaras Jankauskas and Julien Brellier – but with a squad the size of a small nation this was not a major problem. It was a bitterly cold afternoon and Caley Thistle played into the wind in the first half. The excitement started in the first minute when Dargo chased a high ball from Hart and Gordon came well out of his area to clear – it reached Russell Duncan but Gordon got back just in time to take his on-target lob. A minute later a Paul Hartley corner was headed goalwards by Takis Fyssas and Mark Brown pushed it away. A second corner to Hearts created some confusion but the whistle went for a free kick to the home side and the danger was over. Two Alan Morgan shots were blocked in the seventh minute then Hearts danger man Roman Bednar closed in on Brown and he pushed his angled shot for a corner. A fine Grant Munro curling cross/shot from the left whistled past Gordon’s post in 25 minutes. Gordon saved a 25 yard low shot from Richie Hart on the half hour mark after good set up play by Morgan and Dargo. Gordon earned his appearance money in 36 and 37 minutes when he denied Hart twice. The first came when Morgan set Hart on course for goal through the centre – he drew Gordon from his line but the keeper saved his rising shot from point blank range. Hart tried again when a neat Dargo pass gave him a sight of goal from wide right – his shot was heading for the far top corner but the keeper reached it. Half Time: 0-0 With the wind behind them Caley Thistle spent the second half camped in the Hearts half. A long range free kick from Hart in 49 minutes proved awkward for Gordon as it carried in the wind but he caught it at the second attempt. In 55 minutes an Ian Black through ball for Bayne was taken by Gordon at the striker’s feet. Gordon held a header from Bayne in 77 minutes then a very good move ended with Bayne heading just over. Hearts were dealt a blow with five minutes left when substitute Jamie McAllister was stretchered off and had to be replaced. When play resumed the home side continued to press for a deserved winner. Gordon held a 25 yard low shot from Morgan then in added time Gordon came out of his box to clear a Duncan lob. There was still time for Gordon to hold a bouncing shot from Hart and for a Morgan 20 yard drive to be blocked after excellent set up play by Black. Full Time: 0-0 Hearts breathed a sigh of relief as the whistle went and it ended goalless. The point gained, and Livingston’s defeat, guaranteed SPL football in Inverness next season. Sixth place was retained and Aberdeen’s defeat moves them back to eighth. Motherwell moved up to seventh, a point behind ICT.

Joy at Jamboland: On Thursday Hearts sought a postponement of this fixture due to a flu epidemic sweeping Tynecastle. With two free Saturdays looming Caley Thistle wanted to avoid another rearranged match so were keen to play. The SPL refused the request and the match went ahead. Craig Brewster came back from injury for ICT with Graham Bayne reverting to the bench. John Robertson's weakened side played some neat passing football, and defended well for most of the game, but never troubled Mark Brown. A rare Hearts first half effort came in eight minutes when former Caley Thistle favourite Dennis Wyness shot high and wide from 22 yards. Juanjo tried an overhead kick at the other end but it went well wide. In 12 minutes Stuart Golabek sent a cross from the left towards the back post and Roy McBain headed powerfully goalwards. Craig Gordon was nowhere and Hearts were only saved by a fine Andy Webster goal-line clearance. Wyness set up Joe Hamill in 24 minutes but his early rising shot cleared the bar. Most of the first half was rather disjointed but things improved after the break. Half Time: 0-0 Wyness headed just over in 53 minutes with the home fans on their feet thinking it was in, but it was Caley Thistle who took the lead two minutes later. Not for the first time Juanjo was fouled on the right and Richie Hart took the free kick. Darren Dods rose high above a static defence to head home his first goal for the club. Hearts nearly equalised a minute later when Ross Tokely's attempted clearance skidded onto the top of the bar and over for a corner. Tokely redeemed himself seconds later with a fine block as Christophe Berra prepared to shoot. It was all over in 72 minutes when Barry Wilson chased a loose ball across the Hearts box and Gordon brought him down. Gordon saw yellow and Wilson hit the resultant penalty past the offending keeper to seal the points. The Hearts fans started to leave and their team spent the rest of the game on the back foot. Caley Thistle were content to play possession football over the final period. Wyness did have a sight of goal in 81 minutes but he hit it straight through to Brown. A Duncan lob into the Hearts box a minute later was taken by Gordon ahead of substitute Bryan Prunty. Full Time: 0-2 In added time Liam Fox made a good run through the middle but hit it too far and Gordon collected. A fine three points, eighth place maintained, seventh place in sight, undefeated in six SPL games, eleven points clear of bottom club Dundee United and all looking good. Celtic up next. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Hearts: 0 Team: Gordon; Hamill, Berra, Webster, Wallace, Cesnauskis (Pereira 64), Thomson, Janczyk (Thorarinsson 69), Miller (Elliot 84), Wyness, Weir Subs not used: Lithgow, Pelosi, Tierney, Moilanen - Booked: Gordon (72) Inverness CT: 2 (Dods 55, Wilson 72 pen) Team: Brown; Tokely, Dods, Munro, Golabek, Wilson (Fox 90), Hart, Duncan, McBain, Juanjo (Prunty 79), Brewster (Bayne 79) Subs not used: Fraser; McCaffrey, Hastings, Fetai - Booked: Golabek(90) Attendance: 9822 - Referee: Craig Thomson

Tale of two Penalties A well-earned point but three would have been amply justified. Craig Brewster stayed with the same team that performed heroics against Rangers. It was a strange afternoon with John Robertson and Donald Park in the away dug-out so soon after leaving Inverness but their knowledge of the ICT players did not pay-off. The 'home' side were in the driving seat for most of the game but the strong Hearts defence yielded little. Craig Gordon held a Richie Hart looping header in the 11th minute then a 15 yard Juanjo shot on the turn was blocked. Play switched ends and there was a dangerous moment when a Robbie Neilson ball across goal was cleared by Ross Tokely with Marc De Vries stretching for it. The big striker was the main Hearts threat all afternoon but he was well contained. It should have been 1-0 in the 15th minute when a Tokely through ball sent Juanjo clean through on Gordon. He had too much time and too many options as he tried to round the keeper but slipped and Gordon grabbed the ball gratefully. Grant Munro then limped off to be replaced by Richard Hastings. Juanjo went down in the box in 20 minutes after a 1-2 with Graham Bayne but nothing was given. Juanjo was tormenting the Hearts defence and he was brought down by Jamie McAllister in 28 minutes. Stuart Golabek's 25 yard free kick was held by Gordon. Tokely headed away a Paul Hartley free kick then another by Richie Hart was taken well by Gordon. The match flared up in 33 minutes when an Andy Webster barge on Graham Bayne ended with the ICT player heading forcibly for the dug-out and chaos ensued. Players clashed and, after order was restored, Webster saw red. Patrick Kisnorbo and Liam Keogh were both booked for their parts in the aftermath. The Inverness side pushed to take advantage of the extra man but nothing came off. The closest was in 39 minutes when Hart sent a low ball in from the right and Juanjo touched it just wide. Just after the break a Tokely cross from the right was met well by Bayne but Gordon saved his header. Half Time: 0-0 Robbie Neilson had a sight of goal in 54 minutes but Hastings popped up at the right moment to block the shot. Five minutes later Graham Weir closed in on Mark Brown but the keeper narrowed the angle and the shot trickled wide. Weir was again through in 62 minutes and he went down after contact with Brown as he tried to find an angle to shoot. The referee hesitated but, on the advice of his assistant, a penalty was awarded. Paul Hartley netted and, against the run of play, Hearts were ahead. It seemed rather a soft penalty but honours were evened up six minutes later when Juanjo went down at the other end and once more it was a penalty. Juanjo took it himself and scored. ICT pushed for a winner and in 69 minutes they came close. A Bayne header was blocked and it fell for Juanjo but it came to him at a difficult height and his shot hit the bar. In 75 minutes the Inverness defence was under pressure from a McAllister free kick but it was eventually cleared. A Tokely low ball across the Hearts goal ten minutes from the end looked good but no one could take advantage. A Tokely header was cleared for a corner in 84 minutes then, at the other end, a Pressley header was cleared off the line. The last chance fell to substitute Barry Wilson but as he raced for the ball, Gordon came out to punch it for a corner. Full Time: 1-1 A good point and tenth place held. ICT now have 15 points, the same as Dundee United and Livingston, with Dundee two points adrift at the foot of the table. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Inverness CT: 1 (Juanjo 68 pen) Team: Brown; Tokely (McCaffrey 89), Dods, Munro (Hastings 16), Golabek, Hart (Wilson 72), Duncan, Keogh, McBain, Juanjo, Bayne Subs not used: Fraser; Proctor, Fox, Prunty - Booked: Keogh (33), Golabek (60), Brown (62) Hearts: 1 (Hartley 62 pen) Team: Gordon; Neilson, Pressley, Webster, Hamill (Berra 84), Wyness (Stewart 46), Hartley, Kisnorbo, McAllister, De Vries, Pereira (Weir 46) Subs not used: Moilanen; McKenna, Janczyk, Sloan - Booked: Kisnorbo (33), Weir (68) - Sent Off: Webster (33) Attendance: 2011 - Referee: Calum Murray

Capital Punishment Caley Thistle travelled to Tynecastle in the hope that they could maintain the excellent form they showed in the game against Rangers and though they did produce another fine display, once again a defensive error was punished and the need to net at the other end let them down. Former ICT player Dennis Wyness was in the Hearts starting line-up and former Hearts star Juanjo Carricondo was in the ICT line-up as the teams kicked off on a beautiful afternoon. Caley Thistle immediately attacked the Hearts goal and in the early stages Stuart Golabek, Juanjo and Russell Duncan all had efforts at goal. Hearts took the lead in 15 minutes when Richard Hastings, making his first appearance of the season for the suspended Grant Munro, took too long to control the ball and Paul Hartley was onto the ball in a flash, moved forward and chipped over Mark Brown. The rest of the half was very even and entertaining and the half-time whistle went with the home side leading by the solitary goal. Half Time: 1-0 At the start of the second period Hartley’s corner was powerfully headed goalwards by Steven Pressley but Liam Keogh did an excellent job on the line and cleared the ball. Caley Thistle took the game to Hearts and Ross Tokely had the best chance of the game when he headed over from inside the six yard box from an excellent cross by Barry Wilson. Richie Hart had to come off with a back spasm after getting Patrick Kisnorbo's knee in the lower back and was replaced by Roy McBain and Steve Hislop replaced Juanjo on the hour mark. ICT continued to press for an equaliser and Tokely and Wilson both failed to hit the target. With 10 minutes remaining, substitute Hislop had to be stretchered off with a leg injury and he was replaced by Bryan Prunty. Caley Thistle kept pressing and Golabek shot wide from the edge of the penalty area. The last real chance of the game fell to substitute Prunty but he headed over from close range. Full Time: 1-0 Once again a tireless performance by the lads but nothing to show for it. Four home games in October will be critical for the team to move off the foot of the table. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Hearts: 1 (Hartley 15) Team: Gordon; Neilson, Pressley, Webster, Maybury, Hamill, Kisnorbo, Hartley, McAllister (Janczyk 83), Stamp (Sloan 83), Wyness (Elliot 63). Subs Not Used: Moilanen; MacFarlane, Berra, Stewart - Booked: McAllister (32), Pressley (58). Inverness CT: 0 Team: Brown; Tokely, McCaffrey, Golabek, Hastings, Wilson, Duncan, Keogh, Hart (McBain 53), Bayne, Juanjo (Hislop 60), Hislop (Prunty 82). Subs Not Used: Fraser; Dods, Thomson, Black - Booked: McBain (60) Att: 10,340 Ref: Kenny Clark