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  1. Over and Out Inverness slumped out of the League Cup in unsurprising fashion after a 1-0 defeat at Tynecastle, Jamie Walker with a second half goal enough for the dominant Jambo's. Michael Gardyne was sent off just before the ninety minutes for a rash scissors tackle on Walker to add to our woes. The League Cup; its not for everyone, meh! Date: 25/07/2021 Venue: Tynecastle Park Attendance: 2989 Referee: Nick Walsh Hearts: 1 Manager: Robbie Neilson Lineup: Gordon; M Smith, Halkett, Kingsley, Cochrane, Pollock (Walker 66), Halliday (Haring 66), Mackay-Steven, Boyce, Gnanduillet (Henderson 84), Ginnelly Subs (not used): Stewart; McEneff, C Smith, Popescu, Watson, Denholm Scorers: Walker (75) Booked: Ginnelly (6), Pollock (56) Sent Off: none Inverness CT: 0 Manager: Billy Dodds Lineup: Ridgers; Duffy, Devine (Fyffe 76), Broadfoot, Deas (Harper 76), Walsh (McDonald 81), McAlear, McGregor, Gardyne, Sutherland (Jamieson 81), Duku (Allardice 70) Subs (not used): C Mackay; Hyde, Cairns, Hennem Scorers: none Booked: none Sent Off: Gardyne (88) a
  2. Hearts league cup Our involvement in this seasons opening event will come to an end once we face Hearts at Tynecastle on Sunday in a 17:15 kick-off in our final Group A game. It's been another disastrous League Cup campaign after the optimism of the opening encounter against Peterhead. Subsequent flaky performances against part-time lower league sides have seen the optimism replaced by despair. Not so much the defeats, but the performances have been poor leaving new gaffer Billy Dodds the daunting task of breathing new life into this rapidly deflating side. This game will be broadcast by Premier Sports. OFFICIAL PREVIEW Premier Sports Group A HOME AWAY POS. P W D L GF GA W D L GF GA GD PTS 1 Heart of Midlothian 3 1 0 0 3 0 2 0 0 4 0 7 9 2 Stirling Albion 3 0 0 1 0 2 1 1 0 5 4 -1 5 3 Inverness Caledonian Thistle 3 1 1 0 4 2 0 0 1 1 3 0 4 4 Peterhead 3 1 0 1 3 3 0 0 1 0 2 -2 3 5 Cove Rangers 4 1 0 1 5 4 0 0 2 1 6 -4 3 Stirling Albion finish second after beating Peterhead in the other Group A game this weekend. (Final Score 3-1) Dodds talking after the defeat to Cove Rangers So, having said he has not done any work with his defenders, Doddsy has promptly gone shopping and brought in another striker to bolster his misfiring forwards. Nineteen year old Lewis Jamieson has come in for a season long loan from Premiership side St Mirren. Quite what he has to offer compared to our own academy graduates has yet to be seen, but good luck to him anyway. Sean Welsh is still out but David Carson who missed the Cove game could feature. Lewis Jamieson will be included in the squad with Billy Mckay and Anthony McDonald still sidelined. Young right back Harry Nicolson has been loaned to Elgin City until January 2022 and gets a start on Saturday against East Fife.
  3. Hearts end our season Our season looked over inside ten minutes after Mackay-Steven ran at the defence before drilling a low shot into the bottom corner as the defenders backed off. McEneff doubled the lead with the aid of a deflection in the ninth minute to nestle the ball in the bottom corner again. Mackay-Steven notched his second as he poked his leg in between Deas and Ridgers to kill the game with half an hour gone. The second half was an anti-climax for both sides with no further scoring, and with results elsewhere our challenge has come to an end. ____________________________ After the disappointing draw with Dundee in midweek, our destiny was in the hands of others. All we can do is gather points and hope that others can lend a helping hand by taking points of Dunfermline and Dundee as we visit Tynecastle to take on Champions Hearts. All games kick-off at 3:00pm on Saturday, it's a massive day of football in the Championship. Scott Allardice was cleared to play in this one but Brad Mckay was suspended after the disciplinary committee met on Friday to decide the outcome of the red cards against Dundee. In came Cameron Harper at left back with Miles Storey starting. Roddy MacGregor and Shane Sutherland would be the impact players on the bench. Jamie Walker was not involved at Cappielow and Raith bound Cristophe Berra was also missing. Young defender Harry Cochrane has not signed a new contract and none of them would feature against Inverness. Neilson has twelve players out of contract this summer. Mackay-Steven came back into the side with Naismith and Henderson on the bench. ___________________________ A sunny Tynecastle was echoing with the disturbed sound of silence as The Caley Jags clapped the Champions onto the park as this covid restricted game kicked off with no fans in attendance. Scott Allardice had a shot deflected for a corner in the first minute and from the resultant cut back corner Scott Allan almost opened the scoring, his shot just clearing the bar. Ridgers gathered a header from Gnaduillet but moments later Mackay-Steven was allowed to run at the defence unchallenged before drilling a superb low shot behind Ridgers. The lead was doubled when a slight deflection took the ball out of the keepers reach and right in the bottom corner, McEneff the one with the strike. Gnaduillet almost got on the end of a great Haring cross to the back post as Hearts continued to dominate midway through the half, the ball getting knocked out for a goal kick as Ridgers and his defence closed him down. Game over with half an hour gone when Deas and Ridgers got in a fankle and Mackay-Steven prodded the ball into the net as the keeper came to collect and Deas tried to usher. Nightmare half hour from the Caley Jags! Ridgers saved from McEneff as Hearts threatened to run riot and the same two were involved before the interval as Hearts cigared it. Half Time: 3-0 Roddy MacGregor replaced Scott Allardice at the break and Toddy forced Craig Gordon into a save as he shot from wide right, the keeper saving without spilling. Despite a spirited second half showing especially from young substitute Arran Lyall the visitors failed to get a foothold in the game with Hearts looking more likely to add to their tally. A tidy twisting run forward by Scott Allan ended with a stabbed shot which Gordon gathered comfortably with around ten minutes left. Full Time: 3-0 In truth, we huffed and puffed while Hearts went through the motions without inflicting any further damage. So a late run on the stand side ended at Tynecastle as we fell short of reaching our target of a play off slot. Them's the breaks and it was a familiar scenario of too little too late. On the plus side, there's only one more preview and report to go... From BBC Sport Hearts manager Robbie Neilson: "Delighted, delighted. It's been a tough season for everyone. I'm delighted for the players. "I thought we were great. I'm really pleased with the performance. The game really suited Gary. It was a bit more open and expansive and you see the real Gary Mackay-Steven." Inverness CT interim manager Neil McCann: "We were much better in the second half. That's to be expected because we were so unlike ourselves. I lost my cool. Frustration boiled over. I shouldn't have done that. "Sore one. I feel really sorry for everybody connected to the club. We've just come up short." Date: 24/04/2021 Venue: Tynecastle Park, Edinburgh Attendance: 0000 Referee: Bobby Madden Hearts: 3 Manager: Robbie Neilson Lineup: Gordon; Smith, Souttar, Haring (Irving 40), McEneff, Logan, Halkett, Halliday, Gnanduillet (Naismith 65), Mackay-Steven (Pollock 80) Boyce Subs (not used): Stewart; Popescu, McGill, Henderson Scorers: Mackay-Steven (6), McEneff (9) Booked: none Sent Off: none Inverness CT: 0 Manager: Neil McCann (temporary) Lineup: Ridgers; Carson, Deas, Devine, Harper, D Mackay, Welsh, Allardice (MacGregor 45), Allan, Storey (Sutherland 73) Todorov (Lyall 56) Subs (not used): C Mackay; Duffy, McHattie, Vincent Scorers: none Booked: Carson (19), Welsh (57) Sent Off: none a
  4. until
    Hearts -V- Inverness CT - SPFL Championship Football @ Tynecastle Park, Edinburgh Saturday 24th April 2021 @ 3:00pm Covid restrictions, no fans Streaming available
  5. Virtual game ends all square Neil McCann's 'tenure' got off to a tremendous start when Miles Storey made amends for his penalty miss in midweek. He opened the scoring after muscling Michael Smith off the ball to drive it behind Gordon after ten minutes. Hearts were on the slow burner but got back on level terms after half an hour when the defence parted to allow Liam Boyce space and time to knock the ball into the net from six yards. The second half was relatively quiet until a late surge from Hearts saw Boyce hit the bar then Ridgers make a good stop from Walker. Neil McCann's first team selection was a 4-4-2ish which saw Nikolay Todorov, Daniel Mackay and Scott Allardice drop to the bench with Miles Storey, Sean Welsh and James Keatings on from the start in the virtual ticket derby. Robbie Neilson has a wealth of talent with the likes of Jamie Walker, Peter Haring and Christophe Berra on the bench. Recent signing Gary Mackay-Steven, Gary Naismith and Liam Boyce, who loves to score against us, in the starting XI. That's the same line-up that drew against Morton last week. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Some fans made great sacrifices to ' virtually get to the game'. None moreso than our own Gringo and here's his tale: "Even though I was watching on the box it was as if I was there. During the day I'd been building up to the game by posting updates on Facebook of my virtual trip up from Coventry 0 on the motorcycle. I left home at 0800 and got to the stadium around 1720. One or two thought I was actually travelling and they pointed out that I shouldn't be travelling from England to Scotland due to it being non essential travel and dear Nicola said it's against the law" Anyway. I though we played well and deserved the point. The ref was whistle happy and stopped the flow of the game. Craig Gordon needs to grow a pair after his spat with Carson. And there really should have been an early red for whatshisface of Hearts. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The game kicked off in front of a virtual crowd of over 11,000 and Mark Ridgers was the first keeper to pull a shot out of the air in the second minute from McEneff. The same player had another shot charged down in the fourth minute as Hearts pushed forward. Miles Storey had the first meaningful attempt for Inverness, his shot from distance saved comfortably by Craig Gordon after five minutes although the visitors were in control of possession in the early stages. The Caley Jags opened the scoring when Keatings chipped a great ball forward from the half way line for Storey to chase. He had enough pace and power to force the error from Michael Smith and Storey anticipated well to knock the ball into the middle of the empty net. Gervane Kastaneer was booked for a clumsy tackle on Sean Welsh who thankfully recovered after some treatment as we all held our breath. Inverness were denied what looked like a penalty when David Carson was sent to the turf unceremoniously after Propescu turned his back on him but Referee Nick Walsh didn't want to know. (sounds familiar). A couple of minutes later Shane Sutherland appeared to delay his shot allowing it to be blocked inside the six yard box, another hand looked to have been involved, again nothing given. Could easily have been number two. The goodwill from Tynecastle seemed to have gone completely with Storey next to be fouled heavily. From the resultant free kick another scramble in the box saw Carson go down again as the defence hoofed the ball away to safety. Duffy took a booking for halting Mackay-Stevens progress and from the free kick did well to head clear for a corner. The corner flashed across the box dangerously but nobody in maroon was on hand to attack the ball; goal kick. The free kicks were mounting for both sides as retribution seemed to be the order of the night. From one such free kick, Liam Boyce was left unmarked to drive the knockdown into the net from close range. Scorer Boyce knocked a header at the back post wide as Hearts upped the pace, the visitors more prominent for the last fifteen minutes. Heats looked the most likely to add to their tally as the interval drew closer but neither keeper was overworked and it was all square at the break with the visitors having slowly clawed their way back into contention. Half Time 1-1 Armand Gnanduillet was on from the start of the second half but it was Inverness that almost scored when Robbie Deas was just inches away from connecting properly with a back post header, but it went wide. Gnanduillet was looking like he was going to be a handful as he tried to latch onto a couple of balls around the box. Walsh, the clown referee, then booked David Carson for challenging Gordon who also picked up a card for his reaction. Sub Jamie Walker made a good run down the right after Smith set him free but the defence cleared at the expense of a corner. Walker was involved with a few attacking moves since his introduction as Hearts looked for a second goal with twenty minutes left. A bit of checkmate ensued as we entered the last fifteen minutes and Scott Allardice lashed an ambitious effort well over the bar. In truth most of the second half has been untidy as free kicks and tiredness took over. An odd moment from a ball into the Inverness box when Boyce headed onto the top of the bar with Ridgers spectating. He was still spectating when the ball bounced down at his feet and back up again before grabbing it as he faced his own net. Some late Hearts pressure put the home defence under pressure and a ball by the awkward Gnanduillet fizzed across the box but beat everyone and went out for a goal kick. Ridgers made a great block from Walker and his palmed clearance was met by Mackay-Stevens who headed wide under pressure. That was the last action of the game and a hard earned point for Neil McCann in his first game in the dugout. Full Time 1-1 Danny Devine was pleased enough with the point against a top side as he spoke on BBC Sport. Craig Gordon said Hearts were looking for three points but will settle for one. After an entertaining first half, the second was a bit of an anti-climax. Lot's of misplaced passes but plenty of effort. Neil McCann couldn't praise his side enough and thought we were deserving of our point. From BBC Sport Inverness CT interim manager Neil McCann: "I'm proud, I must admit. I'm delighted with the boys. We've only had one-and-a-half sessions. They gave me everything. "They were brilliant and limited Hearts to very little. We'd like to polish up our football, but I can't have any complaints." Hearts head coach Robbie Neilson: "We're disappointed, that's three draws on the bounce. People have got to realise it's very difficult to play in the Championship. You have to earn the right to play. "To be sitting 12 points clear is a fantastic achievement for the players. We have no given right to turn up and win football matches. We've got to take the positives from that." He wears a 'Magic Hat' Full Highlights from Caley Jags TV Date: 26/02/2021 Venue: Caledonian Stadium Virtual Attendance: '11,356' Referee: Nick Walsh Inverness CT: 1 Manager: Neil McCann Lineup: Ridgers; Duffy, Deas, Devine, Harper, Carson (Allardice 66), Welsh, Keatings, (Todorov 78) Macgregor (D Mackay 57), Sutherland, Storey Subs (not used): C Mackay; Nicolson, B Mckay, Hyde, , Scorers: Storey (10) Booked: Duffy (30), Welsh (36), Carson (52) Sent Off: none Hearts: 1 Manager: Robbie Neilson Lineup: Gordon; Smith (Irving 80), Halkett, Popescu, Kingsley, Mackay-Steven, McEneff, Naismith (Walker 62), Kastaneer (Gnanduillet 45), Boyce Subs (not used): Stewart; Haring, Berra, Henderson Scorers: Boyce (36) Booked: Kastaneer (15), Kingsley (32), Gordon (52) Sent Off: none a
  6. 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
  7. Virtual game time It's been a hectic week for the Caley Jags. An away day at Ayr, midweek game in the Highlands, a temporary manager installed, title favourites Hearts visiting the Caledonian Stadium and Neil McCann's first match in the Caley Jags dugout in front of a massive virtual crowd. Welcome Neil and haste ye back John Robertson and Scott Kellacher. Can we have a virtual score of 3-0 please. Thank you! Yes, it's been a massive success the virtual ticket sale and could add some much needed dosh to our accountants wee purse. Thanks to all who contributed and to all who made this possible. "A number of weeks ago, our club CEO Scot Gardiner was approached by Stevie Kilgour, the General Secretary of the Federation of Hearts Supporters, to discuss how Hearts fans could look to assist Caley Thistle during what has been an extremely onerous financial period for Scottish football." Buy Tickets Here Worrying news ahead of the Alloa fixture was manager John Robertson being given compassionate leave after a family bereavement. All this on top of Robbo's recent openness regarding the stress and strain the pandemic has put on all walks of life including his own during these unprecedented times. Add the serious illness Scott Kellacher has been dealing with and it was no surprise that the board felt the need to bring in someone who was prepared to help out and someone who has had previous experience in organising a football team. So here we are with Neil McCann offering his services to help out an old mate. Thank you Neil and good luck to all involved. After clawing Alloa back, going ahead then ending up drawing, it felt like a loss. It ended 2-2 but many felt we undid some of the good work we achieved at Ayr. Alloa benefitted from a couple of close calls, a missed penalty and some defensive naivety to earn their point. Wallace Duffy scored his first senior goal and what a goal it was. Possibly thirty yards into the roof of the net with his standing leg. Boom! James Keatings put us ahead after Miles Storey cut the ball across the box where Keatings hit a controlled volley into the bottom corner. A penalty award should have seen us take all three points but insistent penalty taker Storey shot weakly and keeper Parry saved easily. To then rub salt into the wound Trouten scored a late penalty to level the game and that's how it ended. Here's the goals against Alloa. Duffy..... Booooom! Last 10 Competitive Meetings against Hearts 1 - 2 (A) 0 - 1 (A) 0 - 3 (N) 0 - 5 (A) 1 - 1 (A) 3 - 3 (H) 1 - 5 (A) 0 - 0 (H) 0 - 2 (A) 2 - 0 (H) Looking at the above statistics, our last win over Hearts was on September 11th, 2015, 7:45 PM at Tulloch Caledonian Stadium. Incidentally, Miles Storey scored a last minute goal on that Friday night. James Vincent got the opener, let's hope he is fit for this game. Is that an omen? Hearts were held to draws in their last two outings where Morton and Queen of the South came away with a point as Hearts came from behind in both games to level the score. They left it very late at Palmerston where Liam Boyce scored a 90th minute penalty. Neil McCann will have been well versed on the capabilities of his acquired charges despite only getting to know them since after the Alloa game. I'm sure he would have been well impressed by the likes of David Carson and James Keatings and hopefully he can get the best out of the rest. Danny Mackay and Roddy MacGregor will be out to impress and Miles Storey would do well to listen to McCann's advice. I'm sure most of the squad will benefit from some time with the 'new' gaffer. Wallace Duffy was as shocked as anyone to score that spectacular goal. You could tell he was new to scoring judging by his awkward non celebration. What a belter though. I'll let Neil explain how he came to be here... ***Latest Team News*** Usual candidates missing for the Caley Jags; the long term four and as noticed against Alloa Sean Welsh and James Vincent were not on the team-sheets. It looked as though everyone else came through unscathed and there's little scope for change. Hearts have a depth of squad that only Dundee can get close to, so it matters little if they have one or two missing. This post has been promoted to an article
  8. Virtual game time It's been a hectic week for the Caley Jags. An away day at Ayr, midweek game in the Highlands, a temporary manager installed, title favourites Hearts visiting the Caledonian Stadium and Neil McCann's first match in the Caley Jags dugout in front of a massive virtual crowd. Welcome Neil and haste ye back John Robertson and Scott Kellacher. Can we have a virtual score of 3-0 please. Thank you! Yes, it's been a massive success the virtual ticket sale and could add some much needed dosh to our accountants wee purse. Thanks to all who contributed and to all who made this possible. "A number of weeks ago, our club CEO Scot Gardiner was approached by Stevie Kilgour, the General Secretary of the Federation of Hearts Supporters, to discuss how Hearts fans could look to assist Caley Thistle during what has been an extremely onerous financial period for Scottish football." Buy Tickets Here Worrying news ahead of the Alloa fixture was manager John Robertson being given compassionate leave after a family bereavement. All this on top of Robbo's recent openness regarding the stress and strain the pandemic has put on all walks of life including his own during these unprecedented times. Add the serious illness Scott Kellacher has been dealing with and it was no surprise that the board felt the need to bring in someone who was prepared to help out and someone who has had previous experience in organising a football team. So here we are with Neil McCann offering his services to help out an old mate. Thank you Neil and good luck to all involved. After clawing Alloa back, going ahead then ending up drawing, it felt like a loss. It ended 2-2 but many felt we undid some of the good work we achieved at Ayr. Alloa benefitted from a couple of close calls, a missed penalty and some defensive naivety to earn their point. Wallace Duffy scored his first senior goal and what a goal it was. Possibly thirty yards into the roof of the net with his standing leg. Boom! James Keatings put us ahead after Miles Storey cut the ball across the box where Keatings hit a controlled volley into the bottom corner. A penalty award should have seen us take all three points but insistent penalty taker Storey shot weakly and keeper Parry saved easily. To then rub salt into the wound Trouten scored a late penalty to level the game and that's how it ended. Here's the goals against Alloa. Duffy..... Booooom! Last 10 Competitive Meetings against Hearts 1 - 2 (A) 0 - 1 (A) 0 - 3 (N) 0 - 5 (A) 1 - 1 (A) 3 - 3 (H) 1 - 5 (A) 0 - 0 (H) 0 - 2 (A) 2 - 0 (H) Looking at the above statistics, our last win over Hearts was on September 11th, 2015, 7:45 PM at Tulloch Caledonian Stadium. Incidentally, Miles Storey scored a last minute goal on that Friday night. James Vincent got the opener, let's hope he is fit for this game. Is that an omen? Hearts were held to draws in their last two outings where Morton and Queen of the South came away with a point as Hearts came from behind in both games to level the score. They left it very late at Palmerston where Liam Boyce scored a 90th minute penalty. Neil McCann will have been well versed on the capabilities of his acquired charges despite only getting to know them since after the Alloa game. I'm sure he would have been well impressed by the likes of David Carson and James Keatings and hopefully he can get the best out of the rest. Danny Mackay and Roddy MacGregor will be out to impress and Miles Storey would do well to listen to McCann's advice. I'm sure most of the squad will benefit from some time with the 'new' gaffer. Wallace Duffy was as shocked as anyone to score that spectacular goal. You could tell he was new to scoring judging by his awkward non celebration. What a belter though. I'll let Neil explain how he came to be here... ***Latest Team News*** Usual candidates missing for the Caley Jags; the long term four and as noticed against Alloa Sean Welsh and James Vincent were not on the team-sheets. It looked as though everyone else came through unscathed and there's little scope for change. Hearts have a depth of squad that only Dundee can get close to, so it matters little if they have one or two missing.
  9. 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
  10. 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
  11. Caley Thistle travelled to Tynecastle off the back of 2 victories and some much improved performances. Unfortunately, this game turned out to be a pretty drab affair that had 0-0 written all over it until Hearts youngster Gary Glen played a nice one-two before slotting the ball away on the 80th minute. Caley Thistle stay in 9th spot and now wait for the visit of Gretna on Saturday. 26/04/08 Tynecastle Stadium, Edinburgh HEART OF MIDLOTHIAN 1 (Gary Glen 80) Team: Banks, Thomson, Karipidis, Berra, Goncalves, Jonsson, Palazuelos, Cesnauskis (Wallace 52), Mikoliunas, Elliot (Zaliukas 76), Glen (Robinson 92) SUBS: Screpis, Rapnik, Ivaskevicius, Ridgers INVERNESS CALEDONIAN THISTLE 0 Team: Fraser, Tokely, Proctor, Hastings, McBain, Wilson (Paatelainen 72), Duncan, Imrie, Cowie, Wyness (Bayne 65), Niculae (McAllister 83) SUBS: Vigurs, Black, Kerr, Malkowski Referee Dougie McDonald Attendance 15,423 Immortal Howden Ender has this Starometer for us. He's no a happy bunny. Fraser **** Looked very assured today and saved us from a much bigger defeat - Impressed - MOM Rosscoe ** Real Jekyll and Hyde performance Proctor ** Despite what the eejit Brewster may think - he proved today that he is not a central defender. Hastings ** If only Caley 100 was here - he would have been crucified - Sturdy enuff defensively but hoof hoof hoof. McBain - ***: Looked good in the first half but went a bit Invisible in the second - but that is Ok at left back - Worth a run here as I had strenuously advocated. Bazza - ** Struggled - why is he playing him from the start - he is a half hour man away from home :029: Cowie ** can someone tell me where he was supposed to be playing. Brewster is totally wasting him. Duncan ***: Excellent defensively until he is forced to pass !!! :029: Imrie *** Played his heart out but still looks like an SFL player in the SPL. Wyness * Bye Bye Denzil - why did you last so long today - ANSWER - Brewster humiliation. Niculae ** Usual totally ineffective away performance. I am NOT going to say anything about the subs BREWSTER was totally INEPT tactically - we went 4-4-2 when it was crying out for a 4-5-1. :018: :018: :018: He played Marius as the hole and Wyness and Bayne as the front men - FECKIN RIDICULOUS. What a feckin waste - Marius played a few good touches but did bugger all :023: :023: Brew actually appeared to be taunting Black - The game totally cried out for his introduction. Brew is an arrogant power mad .......... censored
  12. Inverness Caledonian Thistle were deserving losers in what has to be one of the worst performances they have ever put together since joining the SPL. The display on the park today was so bad it was verging on the comical and at times it was hard to know whether to laugh or cry. 0-3 going on 0-6 and we had nothing to respond with. 01/03/08 Tulloch Caledonian Stadium, Inverness INVERNESS CT 0 Team: Fraser, Tokely, McGuire, Munro, Hastings, Cowie (McAllister 83), Black (Proctor 73), Paatelainen (Wyness 46), Duncan, Imrie, Niculae Subs: Vigurs, McBain, Kerr, Malkowski HEART OF MIDLOTHIAN 3 Karipidis (22), Elliot (33, 47) Team: Banks, Neilson, Karipidis, Berra, Wallace, Jonsson, Palazuelos, Driver (Ivaskevicius 64), Mikoliunas (Screpis 72), Nade (Beniusis 84), Elliot Subs: Glen, Tall, Zalukas, Ridgers Referee Alan Freeland Attendance 4489 With only one win under our belt since Craig Brewster and Marius Niculae picked up Manager and Player of the month awards you could be forgiven for thinking that our demise is some kind of sick conspiracy. ICT seem to be on self-destruct and nobody seems to know what to do other than watch as the clock tics away!!! Recent results against Hibs and Celtic weren’t the best, but at least the team showed some willingness to fight and attempt to battle back in those matches, but against Hearts it was an entirely different kettle of fish. We got off to not too bad a start and were the ones applying pressure to Hearts in the first 20 minutes, albeit it phases and without much in the way of an end product. The only shot I can remember going in the direction of the goal was Duncan around the 15 minute mark, but even that sailed harmlessly high over the bar. We weren’t playing brilliant football, but we seemed to be edging it over what looked like an equally mediocre Hearts team….that was until the 22nd minute. Hearts won a corner and Driver delivered a high ball in to the middle of the box which Fraser looked to be coming to collect with ease, but for some reason he stopped and decided to back pedal towards his line giving Karipidis all the time in the world to pick his spot and head the ball in to the back of the net. This was the moment when the wheels really fell off for ICT, our midfield started to sit so deep they had the defence in their back pockets and even when we did manage to avoid tripping over each other and get the ball up the park, we had nobody to keep it there and it came straight back at us. The only time our midfield seemed willing to cross the half way line was when Fraser was taking a goal kick. To rub salt in the wounds, Referee (I use the word in it’s loosest form) Alan Freeland seemed to be making it up as he was going along. Despite Mikoliunas diving about like the Sugar Plum Faerie for most of the game it wasn’t until he tried to break the legs of Hastings that he caught the refs attention…and even then he got a yellow card for what was clearly a dangerous challenge and would have seen any other ref give a red without hesitation. On the few occasions we did push forward we were slow to get back and defend once we gave up possession and that was a regular occurrence during this match. Hearts second goal, and the first for Elliot in 2 years came when ICT were caught napping. We had lost possession on the left and failed to break down a run on the right before the ball was played down the line to Nade. Nade then made it look like he was out for a stroll in the park as he nutmegged Munro, stepped over a fresh air challenge by Duncan and then cut the ball back past McGuire who had left Elliot standing alone in the middle of the box….0-2 Hearts. The best efforts for Caley Thistle came towards the end of the first half when Niculae was unfortunate not to have stuck 2 half efforts away to level the scoring. The first chance came from a cross ball deep in to the box, but it was a little too high for Niculae to get above it to head it done and he nodded it over. The second chance saw Niculae again make a break deep in to the box as Tokely crossed the ball from the right. Niculae stuck out a leg, but the ball took a bounce and even at full stretch he couldn’t get enough on it to put it in to the net. 2 Goals down at half-time, but a glimmer of hope that we could actually create something up front and might be able to come back in to this if we could send out the real Caley Thistle team for the second half. For the first time I can remember in long enough, we actually made a tactically sound substitution at half time. Half Time: 0-2 Paatelainen made way for Wyness to give us 2 strikers up front. It wasn’t long before all hopes of a comeback were dashed though and on 47 minutes Black made the biggest error of the game. He attempted to pass the ball back through a crowd of players to Fraser, but he failed to get enough on the ball and it forced the Caley Jags goalkeeper to come out to the edge of his area to make the challenge. He was first to the ball but failed to clear it and was slow to get back to his line….this gave Elliot time to pick himself up off the ground and float the ball over the sauntering Fraser to make it 0-3 for Hearts. At this stage most of the team seemed to give up, even those who might have been accused of putting in some effort just weren’t bothering and the only people who seemed to be playing with any passion were Niculae and Tokely…we hadn’t exactly been peppering the Hearts goal, but for the bulk of the second half nobody seemed to be interested in having a go, even from distance. Freeland’s catalogue of ridiculous decisions continued to grow when he failed to book Mikolionas for diving, even after gesturing that is what he had done and telling him to get up. He also produced his card from his pocket in another tussle, but seemed to change his mind after much remonstrating from the Hearts players. The most bizarre decision of all came when the nearside linesman made what felt like the first correct decision of the game in awarding ICT a corner, only for Freeland to overrule it and give the goal kick. In all honesty, the poor refereeing had no effect on the outcome, but it’s no wonder other teams don’t want Freeland officiating their matches when you see such a poor and incompetent display as that…it really was a performance of the lowest order. Rory McAllister replaced Don Cowie on 83 minutes and showed that he was at least hungry to prove himself and win a starting place in the team on a more regular basis. A late drive from 25 yards would have had the Hearts Keeper beaten but it inched narrowly over the bar to put an end to what should have been a more comprehensive loss. Full Time: 0-3 “I Believe” is the adopted motto of the ICT fans, and they tried their hardest to lift the team throughout the match, but it becomes difficult when it is obvious to all that the team have lost belief and that the Manager and ICT Board are making decisions which are having a serious negative effect on the performances on the park.
  13. 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 !!
  14. 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.
  15. 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.
  16. 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.
  17. 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.
  18. 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.
  19. Miles Better Inverness bagged their first win of the season against early pacesetters Hearts in an ultimately deserved 2-0 victory. It took a long time coming but we grew in confidence as the game went on and we were able to complete the job with a late clincher. James Vincent opened the scoring after 49 minutes and debut striker Miles Storey capped a whirlwind display with an Andy Shinnie like finish in the final minute. This was no more than we deserved as we finished the game with a flourish, Hearts on the other hand finished the game with ten men after Oshaniwa appeared to raise his fist against the napper of our other new face Tobi Sho-Silva. A very healthy away support swelled the attendance over the four thousand mark, no doubt looking to see if the Jambos could hit the top of the league, even if it might just be for one night ahead of the top of the table clash at Pittodrie. It was great to have James Vincent and Josh Meekings back in the side to stabilise the erratic recent performances and newbie Miles Storey was plunged in at the sharp end to address our lack of goals. On loan midfielder Ryan Christie started and Carl Tremarco was at left back with Danny Williams floating further forward. This looked to be our best starting eleven available given our injury problems. Iain Vigurs was on the bench along with another new signing, Tobi Sho-Silva and club captain Richie Foran. The visitors were pretty much at full strength and handed Danny Swanson his first start for his new club. Jamie Walker, Billy King and Gavin Reilly started on the bench. A bright evening saw Inverness strut their stuff on a well manicured pitch, and it was the home side that started better, but as in previous games, lacking any goalmouth action. One obvious difference was the pace shown by Miles Storey who was chasing balls, giving us another dimension that had been previously lacking. Hearts came more into the game after the first quarter and it looked as though it would be a repeat of the Hamilton game as errors began to creep into our play, offering Hearts the chances to get forward. If truth be told, whilst it was an entertaining enough encounter, the big away support was probably all that was keeping this game from slipping below mediocrity as both sides struggled to get behind defensive barriers and I imagine some stern words would be spoken by both managers at the break. Few first half highlights to report. Juanma tried to convince the referee he had been impeded in the box, aye right, and an appeal for handball against Ryan Christie who got in the way of a shot from a couple of yard distance on the edge of the box. Rightly dismissed and half time came without either keeper getting his hands dirty. Half Time 0-0 The pep talks seemed to get the message across that more was required and Inverness looked a yard smarter after the interval. We worked the ball down the left through Danny Wiliams but he was denied a cross into the box. He then back tackled the defender and Christie picked up the loose ball. He flicked it between two Hearts players and surged past them before arrowing a low ball into the box. Plenty to do yet, but James Vincent has done this before getting in ahead of the defender to ram the ball into the net for our first goal at home this season. Relief all round and joy in the North Stand. The game opened out after this but Fon Williams was still untroubled as Hearts were reduced to striking from distance, and striking them poorly at that. trundling a few wide of the mark. It was similar at the other end as we looked to add the killer second goal, but there were plenty of stoppages for niggly fouls and play was being repeatedly halted. At 1-0 there was always going to be the danger of losing the lead, something we have done twice already, but Yogi had other ideas and went for glory. Hearts sub Jamie Walker was lively when he came on and had a couple of attempts go wide and a jinking run into the box saw him prod the ball over. Yogi had seen enough and replaced Christie with Tobi in a bold move to get more out of this game. He had a dramatic impact after entering the fray, flashing a header over the bar when he could easily have scored. The tall striker certainly looks to be one to watch as he was winning headers and going on mazy runs, dragging the tiring defenders around the park. Hearts were still in it though and more misplaced efforts kept Inverness ahead as Iain Vigurs came on with fifteen to go, replacing scorer James Vincent. Ross Draper almost became an unlikely hero as he drifted forward, leaving defenders in his wake, but unfortunately he could not pick out Storey or get his shot away and the moment was gone. Great work by the big man though. You could sense something was going to give and it almost did in a goalmouth melee, Storey involved amongst others, but too many bodies got in the way and the ball was hacked off the line eventually. Oshaniwa saw red after clashing with Tobi on the goal line whilst waiting for a corner to be taken. I hope Gary Cornish has a better chin than Tobi, but no excuse for the defender pushing his fist onto Tobi's head. From the corner that ensued he almost headed the second, but Bauben got in the way in front of the line and the ball deflected off him just wide. We would not be denied though and Vigurs sent over a tantalising ball similar to Christie's for the opener and Storey picked up at the back edge of the six yard box. He shimmied and thrashed a left footer home from eight yards to settle the points and the jangling nerves. Still time for Hearts to salvage some pride, but Patterson headed wide and the game had passed the Jambos by as Inverness recorded their first win of the season. Full Time 2-0 tm4tj MotM:- Tough one to call with a few players performing well. James Vincent got the sponsors award, probably for his goal on his comeback from injury, but he did have a decent game. Most of the plus performances came in a better second half and Christie, showed why Celtic bought him as he set up the opener. Carl Tremarco was another who showed up well, linking defending with providing the extra man wide left. New strikers Miles Storey and Tobi indicated that they will be a handful for the best of them and look to be an exciting prospect. Storey might even be quicker than Marley Watkins, but for me, MotM goes to Ross Draper for his industry up front and at the back, not to mention his Diego Maradona impression where he burst through the Hearts midfield into the box. Deserved better, but he is my choice for Man of the Match. Date: 11/09/15 Venue: Caledonian Stadium Attendance: 4160 Referee: Steven McLean Inverness CT: 2 Lineup: Fon Williams, Raven, Meekings, Devine, Tremarco, Draper, Tansey, Vincent (Vigurs 76), Christie (Sho-Silva 72), Williams, Storey Subs (not used): Esson, Lopez, Foran, Wedderburn, Horner Scorers: Vincent (49), Storey (89) Booked: Devine (51), Tansey (82) Sent Off: none Hearts: 0 Lineup: Alexander, Paterson, Ozturk, Rossi, Oshaniwa, Buaben, McKirdy (Reilly 77), Nicholson, Sow (King 59), Swanson (Walker 67), Delgado Subs (not used): Hamilton, Augustyn, Pallardo, McGee Scorers: none Booked: Paterson (43), Delgado (90) Sent Off: Oshaniwa (86)
  20. Maroon 5 It might be a good name for a band, but it is not a great score to be on the wrong end of. Inverness were simply overrun by a rampant Hearts who were in Festival mood and handed us our worst defeat on the road for ages. Former Inverness favourite Don Cowie opened the scoring early in the first half and Conor Sammon added a second soon after. It got worse after the interval as Cowie scored on the restart and Sam Nicholson scored a quickfire double to leave us floundering. Ross Draper notched the proverbial consolation goal as the game ran away from us leaving the visiting fans none too happy with the fare they witnessed from Richie Foran's side. Immortal Howden Ender was less than impressed after making his way from Chorley to witness this shambles. His initial thoughts have found their way into the report, but after chilling out, he has a brief summary of the days events which were going well until he entered Tynecastle. ***Warning***. This report is not for the faint hearted. TOOTHLESS CALEY THISTLE This is how the report would have read if I had typed it last night - "MATCH REPORT - Home Safe - Pishedd but ICT were pisheddedder" Well were do I feckin start - Lets look at this comment first - Inverness Caledonian Thistle manager Richie Foran: "I don't think it was a 5-1. We had more chances on goal today than we had in the previous three games, but you've got to put the ball in the net." It could actually have been 25-5. We were slaughtered. It was embarrassing. 44% possession but NO width and NO penetration. 13 shots on goal and 7 on target - for on target add weak or directly at keeper. 7 corners all aimed at Gary Warren. Fer fecks sake. "They had that bit more belief when they had their chances. That's what we lacked." And where do they get that belief from. Sure Rice was barking orders but that is lukewarm. Foran looked like a feckin mannequin. Take the feckin suit off and give them laldy. Be more of Foran the nasty, snarling player, forget they were team mates and give them some good old Irish bollockings. "We had too many players underperforming as well. I've got to take a big part of the blame for that as well - I picked the team, I picked the tactics, I picked the training through the week." Fair enuff - Neither Butcher or Hughes would have said that. But the tactics are WRONG. However, we don't have any real replacements. I thought "If it was me - how could I change it ?" - Only by being ruthless and perhaps playing the yoof. "These players have proven over the years they are top players, but I'm not getting the best out of a few of them at the moment, so I'll take the blame for today." That is a fellow player talking - a buddy - a friend - not a manager. The blame will rest with Foran in the end but we have some of his old buddies playing cards in the feckin trenches. There are some who frankly are not playing for the shirt becos they probably think - "well who else is there". Apart from Warren and Tremarco NOBODY else looked like they were giving 100% - please refer to Grumpometer, because there is NOTHING to smile about !! So the only positive about yesterday was pre-match. Great to have trains running from Englandshire all the way to Embra. Great to be at a game again. And great to see many of the old faces and enjoy a dram or twenty. But then I had to go to Tynecastle - in the Over 65 gate though with the adult Mantis So to the game. Lets summarise. We made Don Cowie look like Wayne Rooney and Conor Sammon look like Slatan Ibrahimovic. Nuff feckin said. We played some neat stuff for 7 minutes. I don't know about anybody else but I hate that 1-2 touch technique fresh off the training ground. Toothless. And then I am sitting there looking at two banks of four that would have won a Synchronised gold feckin medal. But then it didn't change. It stayed like that. And I thought to myself - Somebody with guile will suss that and the olde 1-2 will be easy peasy. And then it was delivered by those two masters of skill - Cowie and Sammon - Fer fecks sake!! And then we allow Cowie time to measure and deliver a cross to a totally unmarked Ibrahimovic who rose UNMARKED like a majestic flounder at the back post. 2-0 and GAME feckin over. But did we pull up our sleeves and show what we were made off. NO we feckin didn't. We sat back and admired. We did not have the energy to press and we had holes all over the place. We were second to every ball. And we did get a chance - which we did - we fluffed the lines like an Amateur Dramatics line up in the West End. The lights were too bright for Boden (especially), Warren and Draper. GRUMPOMETER!! Von Willems - Looked like a POW at the back. Starved off confidence but equally starved of protection. Appeared too weak to shout and cajole the culprits in front of him. To be fair he had little chance with the goals but he is "invisible" to me. And why - oh why - the feck did he come out with Esson early at half time. WHY? Well should have been to change feckin jerseys. Raven - Sorry Mr Hughes - you were right !! Warren - 100% no doubt but 120% is too much. Too eager to get forward and left Meekings stranded at times. Meekings - Simply was NOT 100 % fit. He must have thought - who is the geezer at right back and where are the people who are supposed to be in front of me!! Tremarco - My MotM if only for determination and not putting his head down. Polworth - Why oh feckin why play him wide left. End of. Tansey - Shocking Draper - Drifted in and out of the game - said it a long time ago but Draper + Tansey does not equate. Vigurs - Why oh why play him in the feckin "hole". Totally wasted and he gave up. Mulraney - I was looking forward to see him play. Well he looked like a white Mutombo with less awareness. Nuff said. Cramp after an hour and stretchered off. *****. Boden Proven goalscorer in the lower English leagues. BUT he is NOT a feckin lone striker. And he had NO support. He did a lot of good running off the ball and got in positions to score twice before half time. Sure he fecked them both up but he got in that goalscoring position. Looked the most likely to score and what to we do. We feckin SUB him !! So take Fisher on and hook Mulraney and help out Boden. Too feckin simple. And Fisher looked and is a target man but NOT a lone striker. Great overhead kick attempt though Little Jack Horner should have been kept sitting in the feckin corner. Nice to see Doran back and he HAS to start next week which means that he wont. And I thought that McLean was very lenient. And we still amassed 4 needless yellows which bodes well for future suspensions!! Thanks IHE, I take it you were less than impressed then. Look away now...... Date: 20/08/16 Venue: Tynecastle Stadium, Edinburgh Attendance: 15880 Referee: Steven McLean Hearts: 5 Lineup: Hamilton; Paterson, Rherras, Souttar, Rossi, Nicholson, Cowie (Muirhead, 80), Djoum, Kitchen (Buaben 68), Watt, Sammon (Johnsen, 72) Subs (not used): Noring, Ozturk, Smith, Nowak Scorers: Cowie (7,47), Sammon (18), Nicholson (78,79) Booked: Kitchen (29) Sent Off: none Inverness CT: 1 Lineup: Fon Williams; Raven (Horner, 59), Meekings, Warren, Tremarco, Draper, Tansey, Mulraney (Doran, 64), Vigurs, Polworth, Boden (Fisher, 53) Subs (not used): Esson, Brown Scorers: Draper (87) Booked: Tremarco (11), Mulraney (12), Polworth (40), Horner (77) Sent Off: none abca
  21. Jambos edge it. After a minutes silence for former Hearts player Marius Zaliukas and all the fallen heroes, Hearts kicked-off just after 3:00pm. There was no scoring at the interval with few clear chances either way, although Boyce might have done better early on. Kai Kennedy looked most likely to unlock the home defence; Peter Haring booked after being nutmegged by the winger. Steven Naismith opened the scoring just after the interval and Nemesis Boyce added a second with twenty minutes left. Aaron Doran scored a late goal for the visitors with a superb header five minutes from time. Inverness pushed hard for a leveller but Hearts held on for the three points. Cristophe Berra made the bench for the Jam Tarts who had Steven Naismith and Peter Haring starting with Liam Boyce leading the attack. Aaron Doran, James Vincent and Shane Sutherland were fit enough to warm our bench as youngsters Daniel Mackay, Cameron Harper and Roddy MacGregor kept their place in the side after some bright performances. The sides were changed a bit from the recent League Cup encounter with Hearts bringing in the big guns for this Championship game. Inverness started brightly and Nikolay Todorov had the first chance in five minutes but Craig Gordon saved comfortably. Liam Boyce should probably have opened the scoring twelve minutes in but headed wide. That was moments after he just failed to get on the end of Kingsley cross. Wallace Duffy and Brad Mckay both made crucial blocks as Hearts threatened to break through but the visitors defence stood firm at the break. Half Time 0-0 The second half had barely started when Steven Naismith swept a ball from Kingsley on the left side behind Mark Ridgers to break the deadlock. Inverness responded well and when Kai Kennedy broke forward his shot was deflected behind for a corner. A spell of further persistence followed but Duffy had an effort blocked as we looked to get back on level terms. With twenty-two minutes remaining Liam Boyce doubled Hearts advantage when he flicked a cross from Ollie Lee into the net after some neat work down the right side. Aidy White almost made it three but his shot smacks the woodwork and Boyce had an effort deflected wide. The visitors plugged away and we got our just reward when substitute Aaron Doran head flicked a super Duffy cross into the opposite corner with Craig Gordon stranded guarding his near post. The ball bouncing in despite a despairing dive from the long keeper. We proceeded to make life uncomfortable for the Gorgie side but despite some flurries around the Jambos box the final ball always fell short of the intended target. When it did get through a couple of wild slashes at the ball went high and wide and time ran out for us. Despite the result, it was a decent performance from the young Inverness team and good to see Shane Sutherland and Aaron Doran getting on the park. Sean Welsh took some heavy challenges and Kai Kennedy looked lively. This was against a strong Hearts side whilst we were still without four or five regulars such as Miles Story, Kevin McHattie and Lewis Toshney with Doran, Sutherland, Devine Vincent and Keatings still building up towards full strength. The next two games are league cup ties and that will give us some more time to prepare for the rigours of Championship football while bedding in our new players and welcoming more back from injury. All is not lost yet! ROBBO POST MATCH Goals from Hearts Twitter Date: 07/11/2020 Venue: Tynecastle Park Attendance: 0 Referee: Bobby Madden Hearts: 2 Lineup: Gordon; Smith, Halkett, Popescu, Kingsley, Halliday, Naismith (White 72), Haring (Irving 61), Lee, Wighton, Boyce (Frear 84). Subs (not used): Stewart; Berra, Brandon, Henderson. Scorers: Naismith (47), Boyce (70) Booked: Haring (22), Halliday (56) Sent Off: none Inverness CT: 1 Lineup: Ridgers; Duffy, B Mckay, Deas, Harper, MacGregor (Sutherland 68), Welsh, Allardice, Kennedy (Doran 75), D Mackay (Keatings 75), Todorov Subs (not used): C Mackay; Fyffe, Devine, Vincent, Scorers: Doran (86) Booked: Deas (39) Sent Off: none a
  22. Capital Tester Most difficult fixture on the calendar coming up this weekend as we head to Gorgie to take on overwhelming Championship favourites Hearts. Another covid restricted game which kicks off at 15:00 on Saturday afternoon with Hearts one game behind leaders Dunfermline and Raith Rovers, having been at Hampden last weekend knocking Capital rivals Hibs out of the Scottish Cup. Hearts will be streaming the game live and I'm sure it will be superior quality to the "linesmans head" guff that we have been subject to at the Caledonian Stadium. However, many fans will draw the line at the price of the Tynecastle stream. £18.50 is taking the pi55. Have a word with yourself Hearts. Sad news this week as it was announced that former Hearts player Marius Zaliukas has passed away after battling with Motor Neuron Disease. Lithuanian Marius was the captain when Hearts won the Scottish Cup in 2012 beating Hibs 5-1. Taken too soon at the tender age of just 36. RIP Marius. The club's met at Tynecastle a few weeks ago in the group stages of the Betfred League Cup. An injury stricken Inverness side went down narrowly to the Jambos. Despite having to field many youngsters, we created a couple of great chances but it was a harsh penalty incident that saw Jamie Walker score from the spot. Hot Toddy missed a late chance to level but Hearts took the points. The opening game of the Championship season saw Hearts crush Dundee 6-2 with an outstanding performance. They followed that up with an edgy 1-0 win at Gayfield. Last week they dumped Hibs out of the Scottish Cup at Hampden to reach the final, Wighton and Boyce from the spot ending the interest of the Leith club. Keeper Craig Gordon was once again in top form to deny Hibs and will be a difficult man to get the ball past this season. Daniel Mackay opened his account for the season with this header just after the break against Arbroath. Other Championship games this weekend Alloa Ath v Dundee (Friday night) Arbroath v Queen of the South Ayr United v Dunfermline Ath Raith Rvrs v Greenock Morton ***LATEST TEAM NEWS*** Great to have Aaron Doran stretching his legs last week, albeit for only the last five minutes but it's a step in the right direction. Some are still a few weeks away from returning. Strikers Miles Storey and Shane Sutherland are out with hamstring injuries. Defenders Kevin McHattie and Lewis Toshney are out and Daniel Devine has been used sparingly. Midfielders David Carson and James Vincent were missing against Arbroath, Carson seemingly longer term. Sean Welsh and Robbie Deas returned to the starting XI last week and hopefully they showed no reaction to what turned out to be a rather gruelling match in Siberian conditions. Robbie Neilson has the luxury of a large squad to select from. Josh Ginnelly was outstanding in the League Cup encounter but was injured at Arbroath and missed the cup tie against Hibs. Jordan Roberts came in to replace him, but he is now a doubt. Such is the depth of the Jambos squad they can afford the luxury of Steven Naismith on the bench. And why not when former Dundee striker Craig Wighton is scoring goals. Liam Boyce is back as well so it's a strong Hearts team that will be looking to keep up with the leaders. They have their own injury problems with long term absentees like John Souttar (Ruptured Achilles) and Cristophe Berra (Torn Achilles) to contend with but the depth of talent at Tynecastle will minimise the damage by their absence. Peter Haring is building towards full fitness and Jamie Walker might need a late assessment. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ OFFICIAL PREVIEW £££ PPV Streaming £££ Aye Right! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Don't forget to have a listen to the Wyness Shuffle. There's plenty to get your teeth into in the Podcasts and they have managed to get some Caley Jags legends to talk to them over the months. Hear from real life legends like Charlie Christie and his loon Ryan, Greg Tansey, Gary Warren, Barry Wilson, Carl Tremarco, James Keatings, Josh Meekings... The list goes on right down to the marmite of Yogi Bear, The Magic Roundabout a seagull in a carrier bag and even Marge Simpson's mother! Robbo talking ahead of the trip to Tynecastle
  23. Hearts -V- Inverness CT Championship Football Matchday 4 Saturday 7th October 15:00 Tynecastle Park Unfortunately these will be closed doors games due to Covid19
  24. Betfred Action at Tynecastle An empty Tynecastle greeted the teams for the first competitive game for nearly seven months, the fans deprived of live action due to the covid19 restrictions. Both sides were much changed from last March with Inverness requiring a whole new back four amongst other departures. New signing Kai Kennedy was on u19 international duty but should be available for the Cowdebeath tie next week. Defender Wallace Duffy comes straight into the squad along with the returning Daniel Mackay and Shane Sutherland and newbies Robbie Deas and Scott Allardice. Danny Devine, Lewis Toshney, Kevin McHattie, David Carson, James Vincent and Aaron Doran never travelled down with injury concerns hanging over them all. Keeper Craig Gordon has returned to Tynecastle. Former Caley Jag forward Jordan Roberts, Elliott Frear, Mihai Popescu and Josh Ginnelly are all new down Gorgie road and left back Stephen Kingsley is a late signing. Christophe Berra and John Souttar are out long term and Michael Smith and former Ross County striker Liam Boyce are on International duty. Here we go........... A relatively inexperienced Inverness took to the field with Wallace Duffy going straight in at right back for Inverness and Shane Sutherland, Robbie Deas and Scott Allardice also making their competitive debuts. James Keatings and Nikolay Todorov were on the bench. The Jambos had Craig Gordon in goal and the main threats up front would be former Dundee striker Craig Wighton and Scotland International Steven Naismith with Josh Ginnelly the provider. Jordan Roberts was named as a substitute. Mark Ridgers kept the scoreline blank with a tremendous double save in only the second minute from Jamie Walker and Craig Wighton but three minutes later it was Craig Gordon with the heroics to deny a point blank Daniel Mackay header from a Shane Sutherland cross, diving low to his left to keep the ball out. Josh Ginnelly was prominent for Heart in the early exchanges and Sutherland was probing well for the visitors. Gordon was able to clutch a dangerous free kick from Scott Allardice when a touch might have produced a goal and Ridgers was alert to a Ginnelly effort from the hosts. Halfway through the half Craig Halkett headed narrowly over, but it was defences on top thus far. Sean Welsh came close to the opener but unfortunately for the visitors he sliced his shot from 15 yards and the ball spun agonisingly over the bar. Wighton went even closer but his shot hit the bar and was put behind for a corner as Hearts began to pressure the Inverness defence. Ginnelly was pulling the strings for Hearts wide right and a cut back saw Andy Irving have his shot charged down brilliantly by Wallace Duffy. Game over for Shane Sutherland as he pulled up around three minutes before the break as we won a free kick which was cleared for a corner, and when it came in Robbie Deas fired a low volley back across the goal and out for a goal kick. The dangerous Ginnelly cut inside for the umpteenth time and fired just over from the edge of the box as Nikolay Todorov replaced the injured Sutherland. Half Time 0-0 No changes at the break and Ginnelly continued to provide for his strikers, Steven Naismith blocked by Robbie Deas as tried to pick his spot from the edge of the box. Good play by Roddy MacGregor won Inverness a free kick wide on the left but Allardice disappointingly lofted the ball harmlessly over. Ridgers pulled off a great save from Brandon after good work by Ginnelly, pushing the ball round the post for a corner. Five minutes later he produced another save in the top corner as Ollie Lee let fly from distance. A tricky run from Ginnelly saw the ball poked out for a corner and a second followed where Propescu slid a header just over the bar. Ridgers flapped at a high ball in the box and the resultant driven ball into the box saw Cameron Harper adjudged to have handled the ball. Harsh, but Jamie Walker didn't mind and he stroked home with Ridgers going the other way. PENALTY OR NOT! Duffy was replaced by Lewis Hyde just after the goal. Allardice moved to right back and made a good sliding tackle to deny Hearts a crossing opportunity. Inverness spurned a great opportunity as Todorov blazed a shot high and wide with 15 minutes left. Soon after, a James Keatings free kick saw the ball cleared and the follow up to Todorov who should have done better than volley wide. Jordan Roberts headed a good ball into the box wide in the last minute as the game entered three minutes of injury time. A good effort from Inverness but time ran out for the visitors as Ridgers diverted a Henderson shot for a corner in the final embers. Another injury concern for Robbo as Sutherland appears to have done his hamstring. Date: 06/10/2020 Venue: Tynecastle Park Attendance: 0 (covid) Referee: Steven McLean Hearts: 1 Lineup: Gordon; White, Brandon, Halkett, Popescu, Lee (Haring 82), Irving (Roberts 62), Walker, Ginnelly (Henderson 82), Wighton (Halliday 62), Naismith (Kingsley 74) Subs (not used): Stewart; Frear, Scorers: Walker (pen 62) Booked: none Sent Off: none Inverness CT: 0 Lineup: Ridgers; Duffy (Hyde 66), B Mckay, Deas, Harper, MacGregor, Welsh, Allardice, Sutherland (Todorov 44), Storey, D Mackay (Keatings 80) Subs (not used): C Mackay; Fyffe, Harkness. Scorers: none Booked: none Sent Off: none
  25. Betfred League Cup Kicks Off It will be a step into the unknown as the Caley Jags head to an empty Tynecastle Park to face relegated Heart of Midlothian in the group stages of the League Cup. Many teams will see this competition as another step in the pre-season when the covid disrupted campaign gets underway for teams outwith the Premiership. For teams below the Premiership, it's been almost seven months since their last competitive game. Our last one was a 3-1 win over Queen of the South on Tuesday night 10th of March. The world has changed a lot since then as Covid19 has taken over and as someone once said; "there's life Jim but not as we know it" Falkirk were the first team to take full points in the competition as Kilmarnock are unable to field a side due to recent covid infections. Six players have tested positive at Rugby Park and with quarantine affecting the rest of the squad, the Bairns have been awarded a 3-0 victory. Our next League Cup fixture against Cowdenbeath has been brought forward to 6:30 on Tuesday 13th October. Hearts will be smarting from their induced relegation as last season ended early and will feel they have a point to prove. They have played Partick Thistle twice in pre-season, winning 2-0 on both occasions. They have also beaten East Fife, and Falkirk scoring eight times without reply. The Gorgie side open their Championship campaign with a tough game against Dundee on the 17th October. Like most clubs, Inverness are feeling the pinch and a mass exodus in the summer has meant we have had to replace those that left. Col Donaldson, Jamie McCart, Shaun Rooney, Carl Tremarco have all gone. That's our entire back four offski. In midfield Tom Walsh will be difficult to replace with Charlie Trafford also moving on. Up front, Jordan White found a move to Motherwell an attractive proposition. It's not all doom and gloom though and Shane Sutherland returned from Elgin City. Danny Devine has also come back for a second shot at it. Defender Robbie Deas comes in from Alloa/Celtic and Scott Allardice will add some steel to the midfield. We will also see more of Daniel Mackay who returns from his loan at Elgin and the likes of Lewis Toshney, Cameron Harper and Roddy MacGregor. Stepping up to join the big boys are Academy graduates Ryan Fyffe and Harry Nicolson who have developed considerably in their loan spell at Ft William FC. ***Latest signing news*** We have secured young Rangers player Kai Kennedy until January and he could be a straight replacement for Tom Walsh out wide. Kai was a standout when Rangers colts came North in the Tunnocks Challenge Cup games last season. Unfortunately, Kai is joining the Scotland U19’s squad as they travel to England for a double header against them this week. That means he will be unavailable for selection until he returns North. We wish him well in both games and we are looking forward to welcoming him to the Highlands on his return where he will go straight into the 1st team squad. Wallace Duffy is a later than the latest signing and he joins on a two year deal from St Johnstone. The 21 year old was released from the Perth side and snapped up by Robbo. He looks destined for the number 2 shirt at the Caledonian Stadium and will go straight into the first team squad. Here's Wally..... Our friendlies started with 14 goals in two games against Elgin City and Nairn County before a youngish side beat Clach 2-0. Our final outing was against Elgin where we struggled to a 1-1 draw on a miserably wet Saturday afternoon. James Keatings has impressed in pre-season and Sean Welsh has had some game time. Shane Sutherland has been prominent and Miles Storey has bagged some goals as we search for our best formation and team selection. Lewis Toshney picked up a knock and could be rested. Brad Mckay has come through unscathed and could be needed at right back. There has been no sightings of James Vincent, David Carson, Kevin McHattie or Aaron Doran so far which could leave us light on experience across the midfield but could well open the door for Roddy MacGregor, Cameron Harper and Daniel Mackay to show their talent. Danny Devine is also out. Hard to say what Robbo feels will be his best options, but it looks likely that this game will mean more to Hearts than it will to the Caley Jags as we continue to build towards the opening Championship game at East End Park on Saturday 17th October. Robbo has already publicly stated that being ready for the start of the Championship is his priority as that is where we will be judged at the end of the season. Therefore I doubt we will see any of the missing players in the Hearts game and anyone carrying a knock will be given ample time to get to full fitness before the 17th. This may irk some of the fans but in reality it's in our best interest to prepare for bigger things. The likes of Keatings and Toshney took knocks and Brad Mckay is maybe not up to speed yet. Anyway, I'm sure some of the fringe players will be delighted to get some game time and stake a claim for regular football. Over to you guys..... ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ OFFICIAL PREVIEW ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Robbie Deas talks about his new job..... You can watch the action live on Premier Sports which is on Sky TV channel 412 or 429. Virgin Media Channel 551 or 552.
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