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  1. Tale of two penalties This game was decided by two penalties and a sending off as the sides had to settle for a point apiece in a 1-1 draw at the Caledonian Stadium. Rory Loy slotted Dundee's penalty home to take the lead after David Raven was sent packing, but Greg Tansey returned the favour just after the hour. That ended the scoring but not the chances, with Liam Polworth left pounding the turf after dragging a glorious opportunity wide late in the game. As expected, our injury situation dictated how we approached this game and the addition of Miles Storey to the casualty list saw Iain Vigurs start wide left with the versatile Danny Williams helping out up front. Gary Warren was a welcome addition to the bench, even if he might still be on crutches. Dundee began with the side that ended the Kilmarnock game. That meant there was no starts for Gary Harkins, Kane Hemmings or Darryll Meggatt. They made way for Thomas Konrad, Paul McGowan and Nicky Low. Heavy overnight wind and rain gave way to a pleasant Saturday afternoon and just under 3000 turned up to see if our fortunes could change. As is traditional, we started brightly without threatening and the game soon settled into a midfield tussle with neither keeper being troubled. There were a few half snippets, but everything would fizzle out before the keepers were made to work. We did find the net once our wide players worked out how to get the ball beyond the first defender, but unfortunately Josh Meekings was flagged for offside as he headed smartly into the net. I suppose the best chance of the half fell to Ryan Christie, but he elected to chest down a long cross rather than use his head, in doing so he was closed down before shooting. What were Dundee doing while we plugged away? Well, virtually nothing, that'll be why Hartley had them warming up on the pitch five minutes before the second half started. Half Time 0-0 Well, it seemed to work as Dundee raced to the opposition box right from the restart. Only five minutes into the second period David Raven tackled Greg Stewart as he was about to shoot and referee Brian Colvin who was handily placed had no doubt it was a spot kick and to make things worse, he sent Raven for an early bath for his troubles . Rory Loy converted from twelve yards as Fon-Williams tried to cover the opposite side of the goal frame. Things looked bleak for Inverness and we expected the worst. The sending off left acres of space for Dundee to exploit and we were now under the cosh. Nicky Low had a shot deflected for a corner and from he resultant ball into the box, Healey headed wide from a good position. Despite Dundee's dominance since Raven walked, Inverness drew level after 65 minutes. A decent break forward saw Polworth hitting the turf out wide in the box as he tried to cut back inside. It looked like a penalty, but play raged on and Ryan Christie spotted his chance. He burst onto the loose ball trying to head towards the corner flag, and before you could say for fecks sake ref, Colvin pointed to the spot as Christie was upended. Fair enough, one penalty from two shouts and when the dust settled, Greg Tansey tucked the ball into the bottom corner. That sparked Dundee into more activity around our box but again most moves were breaking down without Fon-Williams being pestered. Ricardo Calder and Kane Hemmings upped the pace when they were introduced and we did well to prevent Dundee from getting ahead. Healey and Hemmings had forced Fon-Williams into making tremendous stops but it was at the other end where the points should have been won. Josh Meekings saw the headlines in the Courier as he burst into the box wide on the right side, but he blazed his shot high and not very handsomely into the North Stand. Well at least that's where I thought it ended up. We received a boost when Gary Warren made a surprise return to action after his leg break and that locked the back door. We ventured forward, and after some neat interplay the ball looked to sit up nicely for Liam Polworth, but the midfielder dragged his shot across the goal from around twelve yards and that endeth the opportunities for the home side. Dundee would still pressure our defence, but with Warren in there we looked impenetrable and held on for a welcome point, much to Dundee's frustration, especially with us being reduced to 10 men for most of the second half. Full Time 1-1 It was a game of two penalties, simple as that. Neither side looked capable of carving out their own chances and it was probably fitting that the outcome was decided on penalties. Dundee will feel disappointed that they could not get the better of the ten men, but in all honesty they were atrocious in the first half and they could not take full advantage of a side reduced in numbers. Sounds familiar. A point each was probably a fair reflection on the overall play and neither side looked as if they were worth more than that. For us, it's a step in the right direction, even with more injuries to contend with and a sending off for Raven, but the biggest cheer of the day was reserved for ooooohhh Gary Warren. MotM could be nobody else but Ryan Christie, who at times looked like the only home player tying to achieve something. His work rate was simply tremendous and some of his touches were sublime, fitting that he won the penalty that gave us a point. He was well backed up by Owain Fon-Williams in goal and Josh Meekings at the back. One or two others need to up their work rate though and Iain Vigurs will need to know that his honeymoon period is over and he must knuckle down to some serious hard graft. We have no room for luxury players at the moment. James Vincent's goal in the cup final seems like a lifetime away now as he struggles to create anything. I'll put it down to a shortage of players and some guys having to play unaccustomed roles. Welcome back Gary. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lm8oRPZjnwo&t=11s Date: 31/10/15 Venue: Caledonian Stadium Attendance: 2940 Referee: Brian Colvin Inverness CT: 1 Lineup: Fon Williams, Raven, Tremarco, Vincent, Meekings, Devine, Tansey, Williams (Warren 79) , Polworth, Christie, Vigurs (Sutherland 66) Subs (not used): Esson, Wedderburn, Horner, MacRae Scorers: Tansey (pen.64) Booked: none Sent Off: Raven (50) Dundee: 1 Lineup: Bain, Holt, Konrad, Stewart, Low (Calder 70), Loy (Hemmings 71), Ross, McGowan, McGinn, Healey, Gadzgalov Subs (not used): Mitchell, Irvine, Meggatt, Harkins, Skelly Scorers: Loy (50) Booked: none Sent Off: none
  2. 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)
  3. Rank rotten Hamilton Accies deservedly went home with all three points against a shambolic Inverness who are still under strength due to injuries to key players. Goals in each half where Hamilton profited from Inverness errors saw them leave the Caley Jags without a win since the Scottish Cup final. Carlton Morris and Louis Longridge did the damage after Inverness failed to capitalise on a bright opening where Dani Lopez failed to take any of his three excellent opportunities. A bright day at the Tulloch Caledonian Stadium would soon be overshadowed by the bleak display on the park as Inverness toiled whilst Accies spoiled. A small band of visitors would leave the ground merry, the majority would vent their anguish and frustration at another inept display. Read on. Yogi gave starts to Ryan Christie and Dani Lopez in the hope that they could ease our striking problems, but, as would be revealed, the broken record continues with no cutting edge in the final third. Hamilton had not beaten Inverness last season, that was about to change. The home side got off to the better start and it looked as though it was only a matter of time before we would open the scoring. Christie, Mutombo and Lopez were linking well and creating chances. Lopez fired a shot across goal in his first attempt, narrowly missing the target and soon after he headed a Draper cross goalwards, but his effort lacked the power and direction to beat McGovern who dived low to his right to save well. His third effort should have resulted in the opening goal but somehow he could not direct the ball into the net from close range after good work down the wing by Mutombo. The fans were applauding every move as we danced our way forward. Those same fans were not so pleased at the end of the game. Accies were starting to get to grips with our play after fifteen minutes and Grant Gillespie came close with a long range shot which had Williams diving across goal, but the ball fizzed past the wrong side of the post. That warning was not heeded though and after eighteen minutes, Hamilton went ahead. We gave away cheap possession half way up the park. Crawford set Morris on his way and he kept his head to slot the ball easily behind Fon Williams for the opening goal. That might have been harsh on Inverness, but the lack of a proven striker is damning to say the least. From there on in, Hamilton were never really troubled and Inverness would do well to keep the score to one at the break as we fell out of the game. Gramoz Kurtaj had a shot blocked by Fon Williams and Ali Crawford could not adjust his wee feet quick enough to tap the ball into the net and the chance was gone. Lucky break for Inverness. Half Time 0-1 Would the second half bring some joy to the fizzogs of the home fans. Well, no would be the answer. Lopez did try to curl one into the top left corner from outside the box, but it was all a bit choreographed as McGovern clutched the ball comfortably. Not enough pace on the shot to beat the keeper although it was on target and Dani had another on target later, but it was a trundler that the former County keeper collected with ease. Hamilton were content to hold their advantage and we did our best to keep it that way as time after time moves broke down on the right side with David Raven in particular having an off day. The wine must have been extra strong in the hospitality suite as they awarded him the sponsors man of the match. My word! We did have a bit more joy on the left side after Wedderburn and Tremarco were introduced but there were no takers for a couple of inviting crosses into the penalty box, not helped of course when a fresh air shot sums up our day. Meh! The icing was on the Accies cake when they caught us out again right at the end and Longridge put the final nail in our coffin, game over. Full Time 0-2 Plenty of room for improvement as our poor start to the season continues, and at this moment it is difficult to see when or if their will be any change to that. Injuries of course are the big talking point, but lack of firepower is lingering long. In truth, we matched Hamilton in most aspects of the game without causing them too many problems. Both goals were the result of our own mistakes and unfortunately for us we were punished on both occasions. Difficult to pick out anybody after such a poor overall performance, but I suppose Fon Williams did what he had to do and when Wedderburn and Tremarco came on we looked better balanced. Time to get Tremarco in at left back and let the more creative Danny Williams forage further forward. Plenty of disgruntled fans leaving the stadium and the boos are getting more audible as the plight darkens. Next up we are away to Nick Ross and Dundee. Oh dear, it looks like it's going to be a long season if our fortunes don't change soon. Last year is history, time to start this campaign. Date: 22/08/15 Venue: Caledonian Stadium Attendance: 3003 Referee: Euan Anderson Inverness CT: 0 Lineup: Fon Williams, Raven, Draper, Devine, Williams, Tansey (Tremarco 66), Polworth, Mbuyi-Mutombo, Christie, Vigurs (Wedderburn 76), Lopez (Horner 77) Subs (not used): Esson, Ferguson, Brown, Sutherland Scorers: none Booked: Devine (30), Tremarco (81) Sent Off: none Hamilton Acc: 2 Lineup: McGovern, Gordon, Tena, Tagliapietra, Kurakins, Gillespie (Docherty 63), Imrie, Crawford, MacKinnon, Kurtaj (Longridge 91), Morris (Nade 79) Subs (not used): Martin, MacDonald, Watson, Boyd Scorers: Morris (18), Longridge (91) Booked: Crawford (35), MacKinnon (43), Morris (60) Sent Off: none
  4. Derby joy for County. Iain Vigurs started in the only change from last weekend with Danny Williams starting on the bench. The usual low attendance for a League Cup televised game was evident and the other change was our strip, playing in our away colours. A bright opening for the home side as they tried to banish the blues after a dreary ninety minues against St Johnstone. After ten minutes, Storey broke into the box from a ball slipped through the defence by Polworth, but as the keeper stood tall, Storey shot weakly at him and the chance was gone. Great opportunity to open the scoring and the young striker will be aggrieved that he never did better. Inverness were dominating the possession and Tremarco broke on the left. His cross was back headed by Storey but the defender was right behind him to block it. More persistence saw Inverness gain a free kick on their left side and Tansey's effort was deflected for a corner which came to nothing. Fifteen minutes gone and more had happened in this game so far than the entire ninety minutes last Saturday. Ryan Christie was prominent at the heart of every Caley Jags probing and was always looking to thread someone in. A quick throw out saw Polworth stumble on the ball as it hit his heels and Woods got a shot away, but it was deflected for a corner. Boyce could have done better with a header after 20 minutes, but he angled it just wide as County got to grips with the game, and Fon-Williams had to look sharp to deny the eager County strikers from a dangerous cross as he stooped to gather it. Martin Woods was denied by the bar with a stunning strike from thirty yards which dipped and sliced over Fon-Williams but smashed down off the bar and away to safety. A bolt from the blue and it almost broke the deadlock. The game was racing from end to end and there was plenty of action to keep the fans entertained. Half an hour gone and the game had evened out with both sides giving it a go, Ryan Christie receiving some rough treatment from the County midfielders. Iain Vigurs took some retribution and a deserved booking for a clumsy tackle on Gardyne but the free kick was easily cleared. The game was getting broken up with some petty fouling as the half time whistle approached and the crisp passing from the first quarter had disappeared. We really need to do something about our quality at throw-ins. Another one taking an eternity to see through and once more the ball lost cheaply. It's almost an advantage for the opposition when we gat a throw-in. Carl Tremarco gave away a free kick five minutes before the break and Christie skimmed a header behind for a corner. From the corner, Jackson Irvine stooped to head cleanly into the net as the defence stood watching with nobody on the back post. Criminal! Good goal for County, sloppy from Inverness. You have to say that goal was coming before the break as County were getting on top of the midfield as we ran out of ideas early. Half Time 0-1 Liam Boyce was first to try his luck after the break as he created a yard of space but fired over the bar from a tightish angle. But the warning signs are there and moments later a Gardyne shot is deflected behind Fon-Williams by Danny Devine after the keeper looked to have it covered. Game over, and Dingwall almost sealed it with a flashing header that went just over. Storey burst down the right but his cut back was missed by Vincent and straight to the other end where Fon-Williams fingertipped a shot behind at the expense of a goal kick. Meh. Devine almost gifted a third for County losing the ball in the right back position. When County worked it into the box, Gardyne was thwarted by a diving save from the home keeper. Another let off for a struggling Inverness. Martin Woods caught a booking for clipping Christie as Inverness tried to respond and Devine nodded a Tansey free kick just behind. Jackson Irvine was leading our midfield a merry dance as he strutted his stuff and drove County forward at every opportunity. Horrendous phase of the game for Inverness and Fon-Williams joined in the comedy as he let the ball fall from his grasp as he tried to throw it out then changed his mind. It's difficult to watch now as County look more likely to score a few more goals. Storey shot tamely into the keepers hands as he tried a rare shot, but it was not going to trouble anyone before County continued their dominance. Disaster struck once more as Miles Storey went down clutching his leg after a challenge from Robertson and everyone held their breath, but he was able to continue after some treatment. Tansey was next for the fresh air shot as he acrobatically missed an overhead kick. Oh how the County fans were enjoying this. Substitute Danny Williams fired a low ball into the box and a Ryan Christie flick almost went in, but it hit the base of the post and bounced into the keepers arms. Better from Inverness though. More punishment for Christie in midfield as he was once again targeted. With fifteen minutes left, it looked as though Inverness were out of the competition. Some good work by Williams and Storey on the left saw Inverness win a corner as Christie was manhandled to the ground once more. Nothing came from the corner, but once more we worked hard on the left and when the ball arrived at Tansey's feet some thirty yards out, the folk in row P in the North Stand ducked. No need to though as Greg hit a daisy cutter into the bottom corner. Inverness had woken up and another run forward by Christie saw him upended thirty yards out but nothing given. Plenty to play for as one more goal would set up extra-time. Christie was again clattered by Davies as Inverness searched for a leveller, but Tansey's free kick was too high for Devine who was adjudged to have been fouling anyway. Into the last ten minutes and the hosts had the impetus now, but one more for County would finish it and they knew it as they slowed the pace of the game making time wasting substitutions to eat away some valuable seconds. Tansey went close as he drove towards the box on the right side, however his shot across the keeper went a yard wide. A corner went abegging as well as the game went into 4 minutes of time added on and County used their noodle to waste more time near the corner flag. Woods blasted a free kick well over as time slipped away from Inverness and when Tremarco fell over the ball again the game was up. Full Time 1-2 Too little too late from Inverness and County deserved to go through against our makeshift side. We started well, finished well, but had little to offer in the middle hour of the game. Slack marking allowed Irvine his free header and a bit of misfortune for the second, but we could not complain at being only two down as County dominated the middle section of the game. Great finish from Tansey but overall, we did not do enough to take the game to another half hour. A not unexpected result, but nonetheless still hard to take given our recent troubles and little light at the end of the tunnel. MotM for Inverness was Ryan Christie who took a lot of stick from the robust County markers and was unlucky not to score with a neat flick late on. Where now for Inverness as County go into the hat along with St Johnstone. Well, it's league action on Saturday in what is looking like a must win game for us as our season disintegrates. Date: 27/10/15 Venue: Caledonian Stadium Attendance: ???? Referee: Steven McLean Inverness CT: 1 Lineup: Fon Williams, Raven, Tremarco, Vincent, Meekings, Devine, Tansey, Polworth, Christie, Vigurs, Storey Subs (not used): Esson, Wedderburn, Horner, Williams, Sutherland Scorers: Tansey (78) Booked: Vigurs (31) Raven (74) Sent Off: none Ross County: 2 Lineup: G.Woods, Fraser, Robertson, Davies, Reckord, Dingwall, M.Woods, Irvine, Gardyne, Boyce, Curran. Subs (not used): Severn, Boyd, Graham, Foster, Franks, Murdoch, Schalk Scorers: Irvine (41) Gardyne(48) Booked: Woods (57) Davies (80) Sent Off: none
  5. We're bottom of the league and you're no Inverness were embarrassed for the third time in a week as local rivals Ross County won the Highland derby 3-2 at the Caledonian Stadium. Inverness were a shambles in the first half as County went two goals ahead through a Liam Boyce double, assisted by an absent defence. Scott Boden scored a hotly disputed goal for Inverness just before the break. However, Boyce completed his hat-trick in the second minute of the second half with his markers deserting their posts once more. Ross Draper reduced the deficit after 65 minutes, but County held on to earn a deserved victory and leave Inverness rooted to the foot of the table after two games. hislopsoffsideagain posted this on the forum, and it's too accurate not to use. If you weren't at the match, don't let the scoreline fool you into thinking this was a close game. 3-2 flattered us; if County had won by three or four there would have been little to complain about. Other than the abysmal performance, of course... We looked completely unprepared for this game. County always press us high up the pitch right at the start..yet we didn't seem to have anticipated this at all. We barely got out of our own half in the first quarter of the game, because we kept giving the ball away or having to punt aimless long balls. All of the goals we conceded were dreadful in their own way. We may as well have not had any defenders on the park at the first goal. Gardyne was allowed lots of space and time to cross and Boyce was inexplicably unmarked about eight yards out. McNaughton had been marking him, yet ended up about three yards away from him and miles underneath the ball. The second goal might have been prevented had we not taken so long over substituting McNaughton (who took ages to limp off) that we had to play with 10 men. It was a great first touch and finish by Boyce though, but if we'd not been playing a defender short it probably would have been preventable. Despite the fact that McNaughton clearly couldn't continue, Foran didn't bother summoning Horner for a good minute or two afterward. Amateurish. For what it's worth, Raven (who Gardyne had on toast in the opening 15 mins) was a far better centre-back than McNaughton. The third goal, the obligatory soft-goal-conceded-from-a-set-piece (three games in a row now!) was completely deflating, coming right at the start of the second half. The long punt forward hung in the air for aeons. Any half-decent keeper, and most lousy ones, would have come for it and claimed it. Fon Williams stayed rooted to his line. Worryingly, Warren was beaten remarkably easily in the air by Boyce. Earlier, Fon Williams handled outside his box, but the ref played advantage and County inexplicably missed with the goal gaping. Had it not been for the advantage, the keeper might have seen red instead of the subsequent yellow. As for us, it sounds like our first goal was extremely fortunate, as County fans (and a few ICT ones) are saying the ref blew his whistle for an apparent infringement before Boden scored, only to change his mind after the ball went in and he'd spoken to his linesman. The County players were absolutely incensed. The second was a great hit by Draper, but apart from a goalline clearance from Cikos shortly after, we didn't really look like scoring. Full Time 2-3 Lots and lots and lots to worry about. The body language from the players was terrible. It was striking that, during stoppages from injuries, the County players were receiving instruction and encouragement from their bench, whilst our management team stood with arms folded and our players wandered away from each other with hands on hips and heads down. No-one looked like they wanted the ball except Boden, who rarely got it within about ten yards of where he was, and Tremarco, who was the only other player worth a pass mark. We had four very decent midfielders on the pitch - Draper, Tansey, Polworth and Vigurs - all of whom were really poor in possession. Anyone watching that fiasco could make the mistake of thinking that we had a rookie manager who was way out of his depth... ps, if you notice I have Andrew Dallas down as the referee. I'm not so sure he is one after a totally incompetent performance from an official who had no understanding or control over the game. In a display of total inadequacy he booked nine players overall in what was not a dirty game. Shame on you Dallas. From County TV --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Inverness CT - 2 - Boden (45) Draper (65) Fon Williams, Raven, Tremarco, McNaughton (Horner 27), Warren, Polworth, Draper, Vigurs (Doran 75), Tansey, Boden, King (Mulraney 56). Subs not used: Esson (GK), Brown, Fisher, Sutherland. Ross County: - 3 - Boyce (7, 26, 47) Fox, Cikos, Routis, McEveley, Gardyne (Franks 90), Woods, Boyce (McShane 90), Curran (Schalk 87), Foster, Davies, Quinn. Subs not used: McCarey (GK), Dingwall, Graham, van der Weg. Referee: Andrew Dallas. Attendance: 4204.
  6. Bore draw Defences were on top at the Caledonian Stadium as Falkirk came North with a clear game plan; do not concede. It worked as Inverness struggled to break them down with former Partick player Abdul Osman outstanding for Falkirk, and combined with our wayward shooting that ensured the battling Bairns went home with a point. Chances were at a premium in an instantly forgettable first half. The tempo improved in the second but despite some near misses around the Falkirk box it was left to Mark Ridgers to ensure we also took a point as he blocked a late effort from substitute Shayne Lavery from six yards. Some odd results today with County, Dundee United and Dunfermline losing we actually moved further away from the Pars in fifth place. A decent visiting crowd were on hand to see if they could lift the Bairns out of the relegation scrap with a total of over 2800 in attendance on a brisk and blustery afternoon in the Highland Capital. As mentioned above, it was an instantly forgettable first forty-five with the most apt description coming from AJS as he slithered and shivered down the stairs at the interval. Bland! Enough said Sandy. The only plus points for me were that Coll Donaldson was immense at the back for us mopping up every ball forward from Falkirk and Abdul Osman did likewise at the other end to ensure it was a total stalemate. In our defence, the Bairns probably had more to gain from keeping it tight and their tenacity and close shackling of our players made for a dull first half. The pace of the game quickened after the break as Inverness drove towards the North Stand and Charlie Trafford shot wide as more urgency came into our play. Harry Burgoyne saved from man of the moment Aaron Doran as he looked for his fifth goal in as many games, but like his team mates, most efforts were not causing the big keeper too many issues. Harry again denying Doran and a succession of three corners came to nothing. Kevin McHattie had one of our best moments when he flashed a volley just wide from the edge of the box when it looked as though it might find the bottom corner, the ball going agonisingly the wrong side of the post. Brad Mckay met a Chalmers corner from the right but it flashed just wide of the post with defenders relieved to see it miss, the ball rolling out for a corner off Edjenguele's shins . White directed a header well wide on the run under pressure from the two centre backs, the ball just not running for the big man today. Doran came closest of all when he appeared on the left side of the box as he collected a disguised pass from Polworth, but his goalbound shot was cleared away from inside the six yard box by Jordan McGhee. Polly then guided the clearance just wide under pressure from the defender. That could easily have been the opener but for a fortunate block by Edjenguele on Polly, the ball going for a corner. A wonderful jinky run into the box by Trafford almost set up a chance for Tom Walsh but he wanted to take an extra touch to be sure and his right footed effort was subsequently blocked. Would have been nice for Polworth to get one on his 200th appearance but he will need to be sharper if he wants to hit the back of the net. Too ponderous around the box for my liking although he was always looking to create something for others, especially in the second half. The customary late flurry brought little reward for Inverness and right at the death Falkirk almost stole it. Substitute Shayne Lavery pounced on the ball plumb in front of Mark Ridgers but the Inverness stopper stood firm as his shot went into his chest to avoid us losing another sore one to the Bairns. It would have been nothing short of robbery had defence minded Falkirk stolen all three points as they did last time they were here. It was miserable enough dropping two points but as it turned out we lost no ground and as for Falkirk, they actually dropped to second bottom after Partick whipped Morton 3-0. Man of the Match for Inverness was Coll Donaldson. Boy are we going to miss you in the Semi-Final. Abdul Osman was the same for Falkirk proving to be a big obstacle and dominated everything in the air at his end. He's a big unit. Here's the footage from Caley Jags TV Inverness CT manager John Robertson said on BBC Sport: "It was disappointing because we had by far the better chances in the second half. The first half was a total non-event. I don't think people realise how bad the wind was. It was really, really strong blowing straight through the park." Date: 30/03/2019 Venue: Caledonian Stadium Attendance: 2817 Referee: Gavin Ross Inverness CT: 0 Lineup: Ridgers; B Mckay, Donaldson, McCart, Tremarco, Trafford, Polworth, McHattie, Chalmers (Walsh 65), Doran, White (Austin 77) Subs (not used): C Mackay, Rooney, McCauley, D Mackay, Machado. Scorers: none Booked: Trafford (61), B Mckay (89), Sent Off: none Falkirk FC: 0 Lineup: Burgoyne, McGhee, McKenna, Edjenguele, Osman, Dixon, Paton, McShane, Petravicius (Jarvis 74), Keillor-Dunn (MacLean 62), Rudden (Lavery 86) Subs (not used): Mitchell; Waddington, O'Hara, Robson Scorers: none Booked: Dixon (28) Sent Off: none a
  7. What's the Storey, Miles Glory. Inverness fell behind after twenty minutes when some pinball ended with McInroy drilling the ball home from inside the box. Sutherland was unlucky when his header crashed off the bar with the keeper beaten. Miles Storey scored with a stunning left foot shot high past a despairing Fon Williams to level the game with around 25 minutes left and that's how it ended, all square in the final game of 2020, a year we all want to forget. Happy New Year when it comes. Second placed Dunfermline Athletic came North for this 6:30pm kick-off at the Caledonian Stadium as we moved into the second phase of this seasons shortened Championship. No fans of course as we have now been plunged into tier 4 for covid 19, but live streaming was available from ICTFC. The Pars were looking to build on some good results which has them second in the Championship behind Hearts, we were looking to get back on track after a poor performance at Alloa and a day off last Saturday when we should have been at Cappielow. John Robertson went for a more experienced squad with Sean Welsh, Aaron Doran and James Vincent returning to the starting XI. James Keatings missed out with a thigh strain. Wallace Duffy and Davis Carson were on the bench with young guns Roddy MacGregor and Kai Kennedy Kevin O'Hara started this one with DecLan McManus on the bench along with Fraser Murray and Ryan Dow. After a minute silence in memory of Jim McLean the game went ahead and it was five minutes in before Robbie Deas broke forward on the left side before firing a shot from distance which was easy enough for Fon Williams to gather. Euan Murray was next to try his luck but he headed over. Captain Murray was always going to be a threat from set pieces. A great ball into the box from Cammy Harper saw no takers as the game approached 15 minutes with defences on top in an open game. The Pars opened the scoring with a rather fortunate goal. Nothing wrong with the strike, but the ball fell kindly for them twice before it was put behind Ridgers by Kyle Turner just after 20 minutes. Moments later, Kerr McInroy flashed a snapshot wide as we all held our breath, the ball whistling just wide. We almost responded immediately but a tremendous cross from Harper was headed strongly off the bar by Shane Sutherland with the keeper well beaten. He rose well to power his header but it was a fraction too high and smacked the crossbar. Sutherland brought out a brilliant one handed diving save from the keeper soon after as he shot from distance following a defensive slip by the Pars, the ball being tipped over for a fruitless corner. Ten minutes before the break we had a Devine intervention in the six yard box to deny a certain tap-in goal at the back post as a low ball across the box was cleared over the bar at full stretch by Danny Boy with Kevin O'Hara lurking with intent. The goal apart, there was little between the sides as the interval approached with Inverness winning a couple of corners and a header went harmlessly wide from the returning ball into the box after the second corner. A rare burst forward after we gave away the ball in the visitors half saw Kevin O'Hara test Ridgers right on the break, the big keeper down quickly to his low shot from the edge of the box to save comfortably. HALF TIME 0-1 Kai Kennedy replaced Aaron Doran at the interval. Doran had taken a knock in the first half and continued after treatment but had remained in the dressing room. Ridgers saved a deflected shot eight minutes into the second half as The Pars looked dangerous on the break at the start of the half. Sean Welsh fired wide as the hosts responded but the play was getting untidy and Miles Storey might have done better when he was set free inside the left side of the penalty box, instead his half hit shot rolled meekly into the keepers hands. However, his next major involvement was stunning when it came along. Fon Williams cut out a dangerous cross after good work down the left flank, Kennedy injecting a bit of urgency about proceedings since he was introduced after the interval. Sean Welsh entered the referees book for a scything tackle in midfield as we looked to break down a resolute Pars defence but with around half an jour left it was not looking too good. Out of the blue, Inverness scored a screamer with 66 minutes on the clock. Miles Storey turned on a long throw-in from Brad Mckay just outside the box and lashed a powerhouse of a shot into the keepers top right corner. What a strike by Storey from around 25 yards across the keeper and into the roof of the net with Fon Williams clutching at thin air. A bit of ball flapping in the home box led to a corner as Allardice deflected the eventual strike for the Pars but the ball was headed tamely over from the set piece. Into the final ten minutes and still all to play for as the Pars pushed for a winner. The visitors pressed hard as the clock ticked down and with Danny Devine going off injured it was backs to the wall in a frantic finish. A couple of yellow cards later and it was all over, a hard earned point for both sides. What the managers said on BBC Sport Dunfermline manager Stevie Crawford: "Really pleased with the first-half performance. We created a number of chances. Inverness had a decent spell and put us under pressure in the second half, but we responded well and tried to win the game." Inverness CT manager John Robertson: "It was a very good game. We started slowly and didn't quite get going. We battled back into it. We tweaked the system at half-time and it was a different game, we totally dominated the second half." Match Highlights, look out for the Glory Storey thunderball @66mins A point each right eenuff... Date: 29/12/2020 Venue: Caledonian Stadium Attendance: 000 Referee: Euan Anderson Inverness CT: 1 Lineup: Ridgers; B Mckay, Deas, Devine, Harper, Doran (Kennedy 45), Welsh, Allardice, Vincent, Sutherland (D Mackay 88), Storey (Todorov 85) Subs (not used): C Mackay, Duffy, Carson, MacGregor Scorers: Storey (67) Booked: Welsh (64), B Mckay (87), D Mackay (90+4) Sent Off: none Dunfermline Ath: 1 Lineup: Fon Williams; Comrie, Mayo, Watson, E Murray, Edwards, Wilson, McInroy (Dow 66), McCann (McManus 69), Turner, O'Hara (Thomas 80) Subs (not used): Gill; Whittaker, Berry, F Murray Scorers: Turner (23), Booked: Turner (90+5) Sent Off: none a
  8. Pars visit Second placed Dunfermline Athletic head North on Tuesday 29th December for a 6:30pm kick-off at the Caledonian Stadium as we move into the second phase of this seasons shortened Championship. No fans of course as we have now been plunged into tier 4 for covid 19. The game can be streamed live, see tweet below from ICTFC. Sad news this week with the passing of Jim McLean. Former Dundee United manager who dared to build a team that Would go on to beat Barcelona home and away twice. Condolences to his family and friends and the extended football world who knew his worth. One of the great managers to grace the Scottish game. RIP It all started back in October when we went to East End Park for the first game of the season under covid19 restrictions. The Pars proved to be too strong for an injury decimated Caley Jags who conceded two goals in the final twelve minutes to take the points in a 3-1 win. Nikolay Todorov had given Inverness a second minute lead before captain Euan Murray levelled after twenty. Unfortunately two goals saw the Pars run out winners, Ryan Dow and Declan McManus with a belter were the late scorers. We were inactive on Boxing Day as storm Bella drenched Cappielow and the game was called off around 10:00am. The previous week we earned zero points as we slumped at Recreation Park after taking an early lead through Brad Mckay. A stunning free kick from Innes Murray drew the Wasps level before a Mark Ridgers blunder gift wrapped the points for Alloa after Robbie Thomson volleyed towards goal. Whilst we were undermining our recent recovery, the Pars took four points from their last two games. A tremendous three goal comeback at Dens Park was backed up by a hard earned win over Arbroath on Boxing Day, Kevin O'Hara with a 91st minute winner as Owain Fon Williams kept the Red Lichties at bay. At Dens Park the hosts had taken a three goal lead which they held until the 78th minute. Goals from Watson, McManus and a 93rd minute equaliser from man of the moment Kevin O'Hara earned a point for the Fifers. What a signing he has been. With our game against Morton having been postponed, I would hazard a guess that Robbo will still be looking at making one or two changes with Wallace Duffy now ready to return to action. I doubt there will be sweeping changes although starting Aaron Doran might be an option with Kai Kennedy being kept quiet over the last couple of weeks and could be more of an impact player later in the game. Dunfermline will not need to alter much, if it's not broken, don't fix it. Here's their starting XI for the Arbroath game. 1 Owain Fôn Williams; 22 Lewis Mayo, 44 Paul Watson, 5 Euan Murray (c), 3 Josh Edwards, 16 Steven Whittaker, 11 Ryan Dow, 8 Kyle Turner, 15 Iain Wilson, 23 Dom Thomas, 10 Declan McManus. At the moment, this is how I see it. The Pars look likeliest to keep second place for themselves with Dundee shaping up for third. That leaves Raith, Ayr, Morton and ourselves scrapping for the final play-off position. A lot can change between now and the end of the season, but you would expect Dundee and Pars being able to strengthen as required and us and the rest having to make do with what we have. As a distraction to the weekly Championship games, the second round draw for the Scottish Cup takes place on Tuesday evening. The 2020/21 Second Round draw takes place tomorrow at 7:15pm on the ScottishCup YouTube and Facebook page. ICTFC will be ball number 27 in the draw...aaaand we are away to ball 8 Any further team news will be added to preview when available. Here's a wee tune to see us through the winter of woe...
  9. Dee grab late point After a pulsating game at the Caledonian Stadium it ended all square. Liam Fontaine opened the scoring just before the interval reacting quickest to a rebound from the crossbar. Robbie Deas deservedly equalised with twenty minutes left and James Keatings put the hosts ahead three minutes later only for Jordan McGhee to peg us back again eight minutes from the end. No damage done to either club although with Dunfermline losing to Morton, it tightens up in the middle of the table. Hearts pumped Queens 6-1 to move further ahead at the top. Matchday 7 and Dundee were the visitors to the Caledonian Stadium to take on the Caley Jags in a battle for mid-table supremacy. The game kicked off at 3:00pm with a hand picked crowd of just 300 in attendance to this game. Both sides had got off to an inauspicious start to the campaign but were edging upwards recently. Something had to give. The last time the clubs met was in front of over 5,000 fans at Dens Park when first half goals from Aaron Doran and James Keatings put Inverness second in the table with Dundee six points behind in fourth. All this was in a previous life before covid19 came along and closed the world. The atmosphere was less raucous today, (muffled cheering and polite hand clapping), with only the chosen few allowed entry in a tier 1 covid zone. How would it pan out today?... Both sides were near to full strength, Inverness still without Kevin McHattie, Lewis Toshney and the likes of David Carson who needs match fitness along with three or four others who are being eased back up to speed. Dundee were reported to be at full strength with on loan Celt Jonathan Afolabi back in the squad after he missed the Arbroath game. That will be competition for Danny Mullen and Osman Sow. Jordan Foster and Callum Moore are both back in training but will be doubtful if they make the bench today. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Speaking to BBC Sport Inverness CT manager John Robertson: "I'm very disappointed. Their goalkeeper Jack Hamilton's had seven or eight great saves and we missed two sitters. We got ourselves in front and then a lack of communication has cost a second goal." Dundee manager James McPake: "Their second goal was clearly offside. I'm proud of my players but gutted for them as it should be three points. You always need to battle when you come up here - we handled that side of things really well and gave as good as we got." ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Dundee kicked off towards the North Stand on a dour afternoon but it would make for better viewing on Pixie Lott, the skies overcast, the ground wet after days of rain. The league record for the Dark Blues in Inverness reads five draws and seven defeats in 12 trips up the A9... Dundee were first to show when Jakubiak volleyed wide with Ridgers a spectator. The hosts first opportunity fell to Shane Sutherland who also volleyed wide after great work by Miles Storey down the left, the shot flashing past the keepers right hand post. Great save by Hamilton after 20 minutes to deny Roddy MacGregor from the edge of the box after some good pressure from the Caley Jags. Danny Mullen broke forward on the Dundee right but the flag stayed down. It took a massive blocking tackle from Danny Devine to to stop him just as he pulled the trigger. Mullen stayed down for fully five minutes before getting back to his feet. He continued after more treatment. The game evolved into a tense midfield battle with defences on top. Ten minutes before the break Jordan McGhee powered a header off the crossbar from a corner and Liam Fontaine scrambled the loose ball into the net through a ruck of players in the six yard box. We almost responded immediately but a simple tap in ended with Dundee scrambling the ball to safety. Looked like Keatings blocked from close range. Another foray forward saw a header over the bar and soon after Storey delayed his effort and Hamilton got down to block with Sutherland in a promising position. Dundee once more scrambled the ball away just before the interval as Inverness pressed for a leveller, the ball just not quite rolling for us. Half Time 0-1 Five minutes into the half and from a corner Mullen lashed the ball just over the bar at the back post. Robbie Deas should have scored when the ball landed at his feet six yards from goal, but he inexplicably dollied it into Hamilton's body as the keeper sprawled across his line. Storey made a superb break down the right before a half cleared ball was headed goalwards by substitute Aaron Doran, but Hamilton saved down low. Plenty of home pressure now and Robbie Deas popped up at the back post to hammer the ball home after a corner from the left was flicked on to make amends for his earlier miss. Inverness turned the game on its head few minutes later when Sutherland headed on and James Keatings struck a low shot into the net. Jordan McGhee equalised minutes later after substitute Osman Sow knocked the ball into his path. Meh! In a frantic ending to the game substitute Nikolay Todorov had the ball in the net but it was ruled offside and that's how it ended, all square after an entertaining match where no quarter was given or asked. Dundee will be delighted with the point and Inverness will rue some missed sitters. Hamilton was probably Dundee's busiest man with some crucial stops. Both managers feel they deserved all three points. My money is on Robbo for the honesty bonus. McPake is lying through his teeth desperate to keep his job. Downside to all this was an injury to Shane Sutherland late in the game. OFFICIAL REPORT Robbo talking after the game... Date: 12/12/2020 Venue: Caledonian Stadium Attendance: 300 Referee: Craig Napier Inverness CT: 2 Lineup: Ridgers; B Mckay, Deas, Devine, Harper, Kennedy (Doran 67), Allardice, MacGregor, Sutherland (Todorov 81), Keatings, Storey Subs (not used): C Mackay; Duffy, Vincent, D Mackay, Welsh. Scorers: Deas (72), Keatings (75) Booked: Deas (45+1), Allardice (50), Keatings (90), B Mckay (90+4) Sent Off: none Dundee FC: 2 Lineup: Hamilton; McGhee, Fontaine, Jakubiak (Anderson 72), Byrne, Mullen (Sow 64), McGowan (McDaid 68), Ashcroft, Elliot, Marshall, Adam Subs (not used): Ferrie; Kerr, Forster, Robertson. Scorers: Fontaine (37) McGhee (82), Booked: Adam (84), Byrne (90+1) Sent Off: none a
  10. Dark Blue Visit Matchday 7 on Saturday as Dundee head North to the Caledonian Stadium to take on the Caley Jags in a battle for mid-table supremacy. The game kicks-off at 3:00pm with a selected crowd of 300 allowed to attend this game in a tier 1 covid zone. Both sides got off to an inauspicious start to the campaign but are edging upwards recently. Something has to give. last time the clubs met was in front of over 5,000 fans at Dens Park. First half goals from Aaron Doran and James Keatings put Inverness second in the table with Dundee six points behind in fourth. All this was in a previous life before covid19 came along and closed the world. ÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷ PPV Info Official Preview SPFL Matchcentre instructions Shane v Roddy How to get into the game Happy Birthday Cammy Mackay 21 ÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷ We made for pleasant viewing last Friday night in the televised game on BBC Scotland as we bageled Queen of the South 3-0. A game we largely dominated and scored three superb goals into the bargain. Kai Kennedy opened his big boy account via the keepers leg. Roddy MacGregor scored his second for the club with a marvellous 20 yard first time shot and Miles Storey completed the scoring, rifling a low shot into the bottom corner from fifteen yards. Great entertainment all round and coming off the back of a solid display and win over Raith Rovers, an encouraging performance that sees us climb into the middle of the table. Dundee edged out Arbroath 1-0 last week and have quietly eased themselves into contention in the middle of the table two points below Inverness. Paul McGowan made the difference with a superb solo goal. Both clubs have made their way to the middle of the table after a poor start to the season, and like Dundee, Inverness will be looking to get into the top four behind Hearts. However Dunfermline, Raith Rovers and Ayr United will have something to say about that with Ayr playing Raith on Friday night. With Ayr and Raith Rovers drawing, the incentive is there for Inverness to climb up to third in the table should they beat Dundee. Table ahead of Friday night's game and Other Championship games this weekend, Saturday @ 3:00pm unless stated. Ayr United 0-FT-0 Raith Rovers (Friday) Arbroath v Alloa Athletic Dunfermline v Morton Fc Hearts Fc v Queen of the South John Robertson has seen an upturn on the injury crisis in recent weeks with only Kevin McHattie and Lewis Toshney on the longer term list with David Carson back training but not fully match ready yet. Either way, the young players that have come into the side since the start of the season have been performing well. The likes of Roddy MacGregor, Cameron Harper and loan signing Kai Kennedy have been a joy to watch over the last couple of games and will be difficult to shift. Kennedy has been superb and every defender in this league will need to keep a close eye on him. Miles Storey for all his wastefulness can help to create for others and with James Keating getting up to speed thing are looking up. A couple of our young team have gone on loan to Highland League clubs. Midfielder Lewis Hyde joins Rothes until January. Shane Harkness is already at Mackessack Park. Defender Ryan Fyffe is off to local team Clachnacuddin until January. Good luck to all these guys as they look for some first team action. Don't be looking for many if any changes from the last couple of games. Jake McPake has been under pressure since the start of the league. A 6-2 hammering from Hearts opened their campaign but they have crawled upward since and are just above the drop zone.Paul McGowan has been in fine form, love him or hate him, but he is certainly a talented footballer. With the experienced Charlie Adam in the side, Dundee will provide a sterner test than hapless Queen of the South last week and this could well be a tight affair. Keeper Jack Hamilton is coming under scrutiny as the defence has been leaking goals and Adam Legzdins and Calum Ferrie are looking to get their hands in the gloves. However Hamilton pulled off some great stops against Arbroath last week and was crucial in their 1-0 win over the Lichties. Graham Dorrans has left the building but Osman Sow could be a big signing for the Dark Blues. The Wyness shufflers have been busy and they are looking for the grass. Takes all kinds I suppose, each to their own. Another great episode from the guys. Have a listen. Find the Whistleblower Running Order: 01.20 Disease & Vaccine The boys kick off by topically picking if X is the disease, what is the vaccine? 04.21 Charlie Christie Charlie sits down to discuss the season so far plus a certain recent Scotland game. 20.32 Game by Game All the action from the matches against Arbroath, Hearts, East Fife and Raith. 33.47 The 300 We talk to two of the lucky ICT fans who were at the home game v Raith. 41.20 Initiation Songs Just what songs have various players sung over the years? 43.54 Gary Cocker Host of Dundee FC podcast Walking Down the Provie Road, and sometime Terrace TV contributor, Gary Cocker runs us through the Dark Blues dismal season to date. 54.53 League Lookahead We preview the matches against Queens, Dundee and Alloa. 1.03.53 Roddy MacGregor Young Superstar Roddy pops by for a chat about the season. 1.16.44 Nightmare XI Another shocking footballer is added to the hallowed ranks. 1.20.38 Outro and the TWS mug!
  11. 300 fans, half a stream & a broken corner flag. James Keatings opened the scoring midway through the first half after Miles Storey broke forward before squaring to Keatings who calmly stroked a low shot into the net from fifteen yards. We had hit the woodwork twice in the first half through Storey without actually dominating. Scott Allardice doubled the lead after the hour. There was no further scoring but it turned out to be a comfortable win for the hosts with keeper Mark Ridgers restricted to catching crosses as Raith failed to trouble him. Jamie MacDonald at the opposite end kept Raith interested with three or four great saves coupled with some wayward efforts from our busy forwards. After matchday five, Dunfermline now head the table after their win over Hearts on Friday night coupled with Raith Rovers losing at Inverness. Ayr united dumped Dundee as well so the league table now looks like this with the Caley Jags climbing to the middle of the table. Hearts do have a game in hand against Alloa Athletic. It was the first game that fans were allowed into the stadium since the start of the covid19 pandemic. The North and South Stands were used to comply with social distancing and Raith Rovers were the visitors. Inverness still had a number of absentees through injury including David Carson, Lewis Toshney, Kevin McHattie and Wallace Duffy. We welcomed Aaron Doran and Miles Storey back to the squad over the last couple of games and Shane Sutherland who scored the winner last week against East Fife. Sean Welsh made the bench and Brad Mckay returned at right back with Duffy injured. Here's the managers speaking on BBC Sport: Inverness CT manager John Robertson: "Everything was great today. It was great to have fans back. Credit to both sets of player, they put on a very good show for them. It was a great game of football between two good teams."We took our chances well. We played really well but we had to because Raith Rovers are a very, very good side. It was a very, very good performance." Raith Rovers assistant manager Paul Smith: "We've had a fantastic start to the season but today we weren't quite at it. I thought Inverness deserved to win the game over 90 minutes."Jamie MacDonald had a couple of fantastic saves to keep us in the game. We had a lot of ball in the first half but our final ball wasn't good enough to create many chances." ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The two sides met almost a couple of weeks ago on League Cup duty, the game ending all square at 3-3 in Kirkaldy. Would it be another goalfest or would the Championship fixture be a more sedate affair with the priority being not to concede. Not an easy task with Manny Duku in the opposition team. The game kicked off at 3:00pm for those in the stadium. For those streaming, it was more likely that they were steaming as the SPFL failed to get round technical difficulties and the whole of the first half was missed. With a small percentage of fans in the ground the Caley Jags played towards the South Stand in the first forty-five. After ten minutes of posturing the game exploded onto the Raith Rovers bar as Miles Storey broke through the middle before moving right to unleash a ferocious shot that rocked the frame of the goal. What a strike that was and he was unlucky not to open the scoring with a sensational goal. The hosts were restricting Rovers to fleeting glimpses of the Inverness penalty box with Mark Ridgers untroubled other than a weak shot from Kieran MacDonald comfortably saved a couple of minutes after Storey's blistering strike. When Scott Allardice broke down a Rovers move in the centre circle, Storey sped forward like an express train. He held the ball up on the eighteen yard line before squaring to Keatings who was lurking around the penalty spot where he swept the ball home with ease to the delight of the South Stand. Not often you can say that at the Caledonian Stadium. Half an hour gone and Storey hit the woodwork again as the ball found him in space ten yards from goal. He looked a stick on for a tap in but he somehow got under the ball and hit the top of the bar with his effort when it looked easier to score. He had another go five minutes before the break as we looked to double our lead, but his shot was wide of the mark. Manny Duku was being well policed by Danny Devine and the most he saw of the ball was an effort blocked by our defence just before the break. Half Time 1-0 We came out of the blocks fast at the start of the second half, maybe trying to impress the streamers who now had access to the game after missing the first forty-five. A Storey cross was cleared to Roddy MacGregor who fired a shot across MacDonald but the keeper saved the low shot well. Storey again tested MacDonald but he stood up to the barrage and kept the ball out at the expense of a corner. All action now and a Keatings corner was close to crossing the line as it honed in on goal and minutes later the skillful Kai Kennedy set up Shane Sutherland but again the keeper did well to make a tremendous reflex save. Kennedy left a couple of Raith players needing to pay to get back into the ground as he sent them the wrong way down the left before cutting along the line, however his cross come shot was deflected behind for a corner. Would we rue these missed opportunities as Raith briefly threatened to get a grip on the game, Ridgers making a couple of routine stops. A bizarre booking for Armstrong after he threw away the broken corner flag before taking a free kick, yellow card for something he did or said. The free kick fizzled out and soon after we scored a second. Kennedy popped up on the right and went for the byeline before pinging an inviting cross into the box. Storey collected and then Allardice picked up the ball from him in the box and slotted neatly into the bottom corner. Another goal could have come two minutes later when the ball fell nicely to MacGregor on the edge of the box but he slashed his shot well wide from an inviting position. Storey and Harper combined to give Sutherland the chance at the far post but he slipped at the wrong time and the chance was gone. Kennedy sent a great ball into the path of substitute Daniel Mackay but once more MacDonald saved well as Raith ran out of ideas and we finished the game strongly. The full highlights on Caley Jags TV Overview: Comfortable win ultimately but despite squandering a few great opportunities we were never really troubled by Raith. Our defence was superb today with Devine and Brad Mckay on top. Harper was wayward with balls from defence but we never got punished for it and he got better as the game went on. Allardice is the find of the season, great engine and an eye for goal. Keatings showed his class at times and Miles Storey had a day of less bloopers. He really should have scored when he skimmed the top of the bar. His first effort which was also missed by our own twitter feed was a spectacular shot from 25 yards which crashed back off the bar. MacGregor sliced badly with the goal at his mercy but put in a great shift. Shane was maybe the quieter of our front men today. The wee man with the wee legs was again outstanding. He has the ability to beat any defender he wants. Tremendous close skill. A tanner ball player in olde money. Although we led 1-0 at half time, in terms of possession and ascendancy, we were not out of sight despite hitting the bar twice. Out of the blocks early at the start of the second should have seen us coasting but missed chances and good saves kept it close. Overall, we were worth the three points and good to see Welsh back on as a sub. Here's the goals only, enjoy! OFFICIAL REPORT FROM ICTFC Date: 21/11/2020 Venue: Caledonian Stadium Attendance: 300ish covid Referee: Alan Newlands Inverness CT: 2 Lineup: Ridgers; B Mckay, Deas, Devine, Harper, MacGregor, Allardice, Keatings (Welsh 82), Kennedy (Doran 88), Sutherland, Storey (D Mackay 82). Subs (not used): C Mackay; Vincent, Todorov, Nicolson. Scorers: Keatings (19) Allardice (68) Booked: Allardice (53) Sent Off: none Raith Rovers: 0 Lineup: MacDonald; Tumilty, MacDonald, Benedictus, Armstrong, Hendry, Duku, Mathews, Musonda, Tait (Spencer 75), Ross (Lokotsch 55) Subs (not used): Thomson; Mendy, Ugwu, Arnott, Coulson. Scorers: none Booked: Armstrong (60) Sent Off: none a
  12. Willie Wonka and the Goalden Tickets Raith Rovers are the visitors this weekend for Matchday 5 in the Championship, and it will be the first game at the Caledonian Stadium to allow fans in during the covid pandemic, albeit restricted to around 300 tier one season ticket holders. It's a step in the right direction for football and hopefully it will be a successful occasion on and off the park. The game kicks-off at 3:00pm on Saturday November 21st, a date for the diary. It might be a bit like Willie Wonka, but from little acorns and all that stuff... The good news for streaming fans is that last weeks offering for the East Fife game was a marked improvement from the first couple of Pixie Lott efforts. This time a camera operator was apparently in place and aided by a lack of sun from the west, the live pictures came across much better without any following of the lineman's follicly challenged head. So credit where it's due, well done to whoever took note of the many unhappy viewers from previous games although it would have been nice if they could have let us know what was happening and that they were going to do something about it. Anyway, sorted for now. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Matchday Protocol Video Fans return Ballot £10 PPV option for this game £10 Ian Broadfoot - Milestones & Memories ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The two sides met eleven days ago in the League Cup group stages at Stark's Park Kirkaldy. It was an entertaining game which finished 3-3 with Raith taking the bonus point after winning the penalty shoot-out 3-2. Manny Duku was a menace throughout and scored the opening goal before Shane Sutherland levelled for Inverness. A Danny Devine own goal put Raith back in front after Ethan Ross broke on the left before cutting the ball into the box and off the unfortunate Danny boy. Two quick goals for us from James Keatings (pen) and Roddy MacGregor, his first for the club, put us in the driving seat but Duku sent the tie to penalties in time added on. It was a good work out for both sides who will no doubt have some different personnel this weekend. Brad Mckay and James Vincent were both injured at Raith to add to out lengthy list of casualties. We played East Fife last weekend in the same competition and laboured to a 1-0 win in true Scotland style. We had Cammy Mackay to thank for that as he saved a penalty in stoppage time from Jack Hamilton. Shane Sutherland gave us the lead in the second half with a powerful header. Good points to come out of the game were a debut for Harry Nicolson and Miles Storey came off the bench on his return after injury. Also Cammy Mackay was in brilliant form with a super save earlier in the first half and ended his day with that superb penalty save. Rovers had a Fife derby to contend with and they also made life difficult for themselves but they saw off Cowdenbeath 1-0 with Manny Duku again on the scoresheet. I'm sure both sides will be stronger for this game with Dylan Tait back for Rovers and Lars Lokotsch available again. Jamie MacDonald will probably be between the sticks although Robbie Thomson did well against us and defender Kieran MacDonald could also return. That's seven goals already for Duku and he will need to be shackled if we are to take anything from this game. Here's a few words from Kai Kennedy John Robertson saw Miles Story return against East Fife and was able to rest one or two others with Aaron Doran and James Keatings coming on from the bench. Sean Welsh has missed a couple of games recently, let's hope he's just resting his fragile body as he's required for crucial games. Anyway, Robbo just wants to see this game out so we can regroup and hopefully get more players fully fit before the next round of Championship games on December 5th for us when we visit Palmerston on the Friday night. David Carson, Lewis Toshney and Kevin McHattie have been longer term casualties and time will be a great healer for them. Other Championship games this weekend & Table prior to Dunfermline v Hearts Dunfermline 2 - 0 Hearts (Friday night 7:45) Arbroath Fc -V- Morton Ayr United -V- Dundee Fc Queen Sth -V- Alloa Ath *** LATEST TEAM NEWS*** From the Official Preview: John Robertson said “I don’t think Wallace Duffy will make it, he’s still injured from last week.” “We’ve got players back in training this week, James Vincent has started to train, Sean Welsh has started to train but he’s still a bit tender, Miles Storey has done a bit more training, David Carson has started his running programme.” “The squad will be virtually the same as last week with the players with the possibility of one or two senior lads maybe on the bench. They’re still miles off it unfortunately due injury and fitness but it may well be that they can do something for us off the bench.” So there you have straight from the horses mouth. Latest from Raith with Paul Smith looking ahead to this game
  13. Keeper in the spotlight again Inverness won the game but all credit to East Fife for making this a tough tie. It took a penalty save by Cammy Mackay in stoppage time to keep us ahead after Shane Sutherland had opened the scoring in the second half. We had Mackay to thank for a wonderful save in the first half as well and he was my MotM. The final Betfred League Cup group A game was played out at an empty Caledonian Stadium with East Fife the visitors in our tier 1 covid restricted tie. The Fifers came North after losing narrowly to Hearts in midweek whilst we drew 3-3 with Raith Rovers. Hearts would progress to the next round from this group with Raith Rovers just missing out, let's find out what happened here.... The stream for todays game was free for everyone with Andy Bannerman on commentary and a cameraman controlling the camera. What a difference this made to the viewing experience. Well done ICTFC for getting this sorted. Brad Mckay, James Vincent, Wallace Duffy, Lewis Toshney, Kevin McHattie and Sean Welsh were all missing. Miles Storey made the subs bench after injuring his hamstring over a month ago. In comes Cammy Mackay and Harry Nicolson makes his competitive debut as Shane Sutherland gets more game time up front with Nicolay Todorov. East Fife's danger men were up front in Jack Hamilton and Ryan Wallace with eight goals between them this season. East Fife got the game underway in a vacant stadium, kicking towards the North Stand. Almost six minutes on the clock when a tidy dummy saw Kai Kennedy take the ball into the box but he couldn't get enough power on the shot and the keeper smothered the ball. Toddy was next to break into the box but was crowded out as he tried to get the ball away. Cameron Harper headed a dangerous ball to the back post behind for a corner in East Fife's first foray forward, but the defence cleared comfortably. Shane Sutherland snatched at a shot on the right side of the box but he dragged it across the goal and wide. A flurry of activity by the visitors saw Scott Allardice head clear but the follow up volley by Ryan Wallace was lashed well over the bar, high and wide. Good spell for the Fife side and they fired another long range effort a couple of yards over the bar. Toddy was thwarted on the eighteen yard line by a strong challenge by a Fifers defender. Series of good blocks by the Fife defence denies Inverness and it ends with MacGregor's shot taking a deflection and looping into the keepers arms. What a save from Cammy Mackay from point blank range to keep the score level. A header by Chris Higgins from six yards in a crowded box looked certain to score, great reactions from Mackay kept the ball out. Kai Kennedy was roving around the flanks causing problems for the defenders, winning free kicks wide right, but there were no takers for the crosses into the box as East Fife defend well. Aaron Doran did well to step inside his marker five minutes before the break but his shot from the edge of the box was well over. Most of the pressing coming from the home side but the Fife defence standing firm so far. Despite having plenty of the ball, it was the visitors that had the best chance of the half when they were denied by Cammy Mackay. In truth, Inverness looked void of ideas in trying to get behind a well drilled East Fife bus. Half Time 0-0 Striker Ryan Wallace was replaced at the interval by Thomas Collins. Probably bored by the game. Sutherland got a shot on target three minutes into the second half but it was too easy for the keeper then up the other end the Fifers headed narrowly over with a looping effort. Kennedy shot wide from around twenty-five yards but it fell away to the keepers left. Annoyingly, East Fife looked more dangerous than us at the start of the second half. However, the deadlock was broken when Sutherland rose highest to send a powerful header into the top of the net off a Cameron Harper corner. Back came the Fifers and a ball bobbled around our box before Mackay was able to gather. Mackay was quick off his line to save at the feet of the oncoming forward as the visitors stormed forward once more. The hosts then looked to get on top of the game and Kennedy sliced a volley over before he was replaced by James Keatings. Miles Storey made a complete arse of an effort when he went through looking suspiciously offside, but he sand danced around and lost the opportunity. What a numpty. A curling effort by Davidson went just over the bar as East Fife kept plugging away, still looking likely to get something out of this game. It's beginning to look a bit like watching Scotland play. We ended the game on the back foot, throwing bodies in the way and scrambling the ball away for a corner. But all was not lost as they were awarded a penalty in the 91st minute when Jack Hamilton was brought down by Robbie Deas. As I said, just like watching Scotland. And just like Scotland, the keeper saved the penalty from Hamilton brilliantly. What a save by Cammy low down to his left, similar to David Marshall, to earn the points as the game ended. Keepers are big news this week and Cammy Mackay was our hero with a crucial point blank save in the first half and a tremendous penalty save in time added on. Brilliant from young Cammy. Good performance from birthday boy Cameron Harper as well and a well taken header by Shane Sutherland won the game for us where we toiled to create for long spells. Facebook link for Robbo interview post match Date: 14/11/2020 Venue: Caledonian Stadium Attendance: 0000 Referee: Chris Graham Inverness CT: 1 Lineup: C Mackay; Deas, Nicolson, Devine Harper, Doran (D Mackay 65), Allardice, MacGregor, Kennedy (Keatings 78), Sutherland, Todorov (Storey 65) Subs (not used): Ridgers; Fyffe, Hyde, , Keatings, Scorers: Sutherland (64) Booked: none Sent Off: none East Fife: 0 Lineup: Hart; Higgins, Murdoch (Watson 69), Dunlop, Denholm (Dunsmore 61), Slattery, Smith (Watt 69), Agnew (Newton 75), Hamilton, Davidson, Wallace (Collins 45). Subs (not used): Long; McLaughlin Scorers: none Booked: Agnew (33) Sent Off: none a
  14. Inverness CT -V- Dundee FC Caledonian Stadium Saturday 12th December @ 3:00pm Championship Football Covid restrictions apply Live Streaming available from ICTFC
  15. Inverness CT -V- Raith Rovers Caledonian Stadium 21st November 2020 Championship football Covid restrictions apply Live Streaming available from ICTFC
  16. Fay Fife For Footie It's the final Betfred League Cup game for Inverness this season with the team Fay Fife the visitors to the Caledonian Stadium on Saturday for a 3:00pm kick-off. No no no, not the Rezillos, but the football side from Bayview. Nothing at stake for either side with Hearts heading the group. Here's the other ones fae Fife........ More good news, or not, depending on your view, but this game will be available for free to watch through the spfl portal/matchday centre. The information can be found by clicking on the link in the twitter feed below or the link provided. Some might say we should be paid to watch it, however, it won't cost you anything and you can watch the sun setting in the west and follow the linesman head or cars going on to the Kessock Bridge. Don't say we didn't warn you, but yer no payeen anyhing mun, so no complaineen this week. Enjoy! Free Stream from ICTFC Information In all honesty, nothing really matters after the drama that unfolded on Thursday night when Scotland qualified for the Euros after doing it the Scottish way. Twenty-four seconds of the ninety to go and leading 1-0. Boom! Extra time with our backs to the wall and a nail biting penalty shoot-out saw new heroes emerge for another generation with our very own Ryan Christie right at the top of the tree. Congratulations Ryan, we are all so proud of you, none moreso than your olde daddy, Charlie. The downside of Scotland qualifying is that a whole nation is now walking around humming "Yes Sir, I can Boogie, Ach well, you can'y have everything; the good news is that this version is much better than Baccara's effort in 1977.......43 years ago! Meanwhile, back at the Betfred League Cup: East Fife come North after running Hearts close in their last game, going down 3-2 at Bayview. Jack Hamilton and Ryan Wallace scored for the Fifers as they fell just short despite being 2-0 down after just 3 minutes. Hamilton and Wallace are making a habit of scoring goals this season and will be worth keeping an eye on. Inverness did well at Stark's Park but had to settle for a draw. Raith took the bonus point as we fired three penalty blanks. We got ourselves into a winning position but, like Scotland, did it our way as the menacing Manny Duku equalised in the 90th minute. Nonetheless, it was a decent performance from Inverness who scored through, Shane Sutherland, his first on his return to the club, James Keatings from the spot and Roddy MacGregor, his first for the club. But for a tremendous double save from Raith keeper Robbie Thomson we would have won the three points, however, it is what it is. A good workout for both teams and game time for returning injured players. Unfortunately, James Vincent came off in the first half as did Brad Mckay who looked to catch his foot on the astroturf. OFFICIAL PREVIEW FROM ICTFC RETURN OF FANS BALLOT Latest team news: As noted in the official preview, Brad Mckay and James Vincent are out. Wallace Duffy is struggling but Miles Storey might make the bench. More game time for those that need it and also an opportunity for for the young team to make their mark. Finally, we are all Ryan Christie, what a legend, from this young loon..... To Scotland hero, take a bow RYAN CHRISTIE A nation is forever indebted to you
  17. Smokies Smoked The visitors opened the scoring midway through the first half while Pixellot were looking elsewhere. Apparently Kris Doolan scored somehow. In the middle of a hurricane, Daniel Mackay levelled matters with a header early in the second half. Scott Allardice scored a thumping goal from near thirty yards out to put the hosts ahead. Nikolay Todorov secured the points with ten minutes left for our first win of the season. Well done to both teams for weathering the storm..... Still without a host of regular picks, John Robertson put his faith in the young guns to continue the good work they have put in over the opening two games of the Championship season despite the lack of a win. Arbroath come North searching for their first point after a difficult first two games for the Lichties. They had the measure of Inverness last season with two wins out of the three games played, one of those at the Caledonian Stadium. PPV streaming was available and with covid19 restrictions in place an empty Stadium would greet the teams, Inverness emerging from the tunnel, The Smokies coming from the tradesman's entrance at the South end of the ground. Here's how it played out on another damp and blustery afternoon in the Highlands. Robbo had a couple surprises up his sleeve with Sean Welsh and Robbie Deas starting with Aaron Doran on the bench alongside James Keatings and Daniel Devine. A horrendous afternoon greeted the sides and this impacted on the whole game. There would be only one winner on a windy afternoon in the Highland Capital, and that was Aiden, whose 50mph swirling gusts ensured it would be a difficult afternoon for both sides. The Lichties opened the scoring midway through the first half making the most of any advantage Aiden would provide. It was engineered and executed by two veterans. Bobby Linn broke on the left after Aiden intercepted the ball and when bin man Linn crossed into the box Kris Doolan was on hand to knock it home. The hosts struggled to make much headway as Aiden repelled every attack. The visitors would experience the same problems after the break. Half Time 0-1 It only took a couple of minutes for the Lichties to realise whose side Aiden was on in the second half as Daniel Mackay headed in the equaliser after good work by Kai Kennedy and Wallace Duffy. Aiden and abetting would then combine to give Scott Allardice the chance to sidefoot home effortlessly from nearly thirty yards, the ball flying high past a startled Gaston in goal. What a way to open your account in a Caley Jags strip. The visitors were rarely seen in the second half and it was no surprise when it opened up for Nikolay Todorov to stroke the ball into the net to seal the points ten minutes from the end. If truth be told, Arbroath were blown away in the second half as Inverness claimed their first win of the season, the Smokies still looking for their first points. Credit to both sets of players for staying on the park for 90 minutes in the middle of a storm. One of the main highlights was the sight of Aaron Doran on the pitch for the final five minutes. Great to see him back and hopefully he will build up to full speed in the next few weeks. FULL TIME 3-1 OFFICIAL REPORT from ICTFC Here's the managers talking on BBC Sport Inverness manager John Robertson: "That game should never have been played. It was impossible to find our rhythm in a 50mph wind in the first half." Arbroath assistant manager Ian Campbell: "We were on top and at half-time we went in 1-0 up deservedly. Second half, the wind caused us a lot of bother and John's game plan worked." Date: 31/10/2020 Venue: Caledonian Stadium Attendance: 0 Referee: Colin Steven Inverness CT: 3 Lineup: Ridgers; Duffy, B Mckay, Deas, Harper, MacGregor (Doran 86), Welsh, Allardice, Kennedy (Keatings 79), D Mackay, Todorov (Devine (90+1) Subs (not used): C Mackay; Hyde, Fyffe, Nicolson. Scorers: D Mackay (47), Allardice (71),Todorov (79) Booked: B Mckay (63) Sent Off: none Arbroath FC: 1 Lineup: Gaston; Thomson, Hamilton, Little, O'Brien, Gold, Linn (Donnelly 75) Ruth, Smith (McKenna 76) Doolan (Hilson 75), Virtanen Subs (not used): Douglas; Whatley, Swankie, Stewart. Scorers: none Doolan (24) Booked: none Sent Off: none a
  18. The Campbell's are coming Oh-Ho! Oh-Ho! Arbroath will be heading North on Saturday for matchday 3 of the shortened Championship season. It's a 3:00pm kick-off and another closed doors game due to covid19 restrictions. Let's hope the sun is not shining on the assistant referees napper this week. I'm certain some punters gave the linesman points in the Player of the Year poll, such was his stage presence last Saturday. The Smokies returned to Championship football last season and were a thorn in our side, inflicting a thumping 3-0 defeat at Gayfield and stunning Inverness 1-0 at the Caledonian Stadium. The first encounter saw Inverness stumble over the line with a 2-1 win. Fast forward to October, along came covid to save us more damage at the hands of the Red Lichties. Well done to Dick Campbell and his brother Ian and his coaching staff for an excellent season consolidating back into the Championship and taking some great scalps along the way. The game can be found live online by registering on the SPFL Portal and logging in to your account. Season Ticket holders will have a code to redeem and PPV viewers can watch the action for only a £enner. Let's hope the stream has been tweaked since last week. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ LIVE STREAMING Official Preview ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ It's not been a great start for either side this campaign. We lost at East End Park and salvaged a draw at home to Ayr United and the linesmans head. In our defence we almost have a full team on the treatment table. Yes, its a big table. Arbroath fell foul of the promotion bounce and lost 3-0 at Raith where the dancing in the streets began. Their second game saw them lose narrowly to Championship favourites Hearts in a game they probably should have taken something from. Former Dundee and St Johnstone player Gavin Swankie is back on the field after a season plagued with injury and his experience will be vital for the Lichties. Bobby Linn has always been a problem for our defenders and is still capable of troubling the best defences. Kris Doolan comes in from Partick Thistle to add even more experience and is a threat up front. His former Partick team mate James Craigen is another who has been round the block, as is Ricky Little, so plenty of guile within the squad to guide the younger members through another season in the Championship. Former Morton keeper Derek Gaston was a standout last campaign and is a difficult man to pass. With Hearts on Cup duty this weekend, it's a chance for front runners Raith Rovers and Dunfermline to stretch their legs at the top of the table which will leave the rest playing catch-up. Raith & Pars were the big winners last week and look likeliest to get in the Jambos face. Games coming up this weekend: Dundee v Raith Rovers Dunf Ath v Queen of the South Morton v Ayr United ICT FC v Arbroath Injuries R Us is the new trading name for the Caley Jags. Eight first team players missing last week is not really what the doctor ordered. Most will be out for the next few weeks which means we have to rely on the young team to see us through the opening month or two. In fairness, they have coped reasonably well in the opening two fixtures. Arise Sir Pixellot Right, it's time for a moan: Its Thursday 2:00pm, five days after the Ayr game and the silence from the Caledonian Stadium is deafening. The live streaming of the first home game was a mixed bag to be honest. It was supposed to go live around half hour before kick-off. However the wheel of doom was the only thing visible once we negotiated the registration and login. Just after 2:45 we suddenly got a live picture of players warming up. The image was distant, and looking from the main stand into the low Autumn sun from the West. Not only did that make viewing difficult, it made the stadium look like a public park as cars drove along the dual carriageway towards the Kessock Bridge. As the Pixellot system has technology allowing it to be unmanned, the automatic ball following sensor would often track the cars and more so the follicly challenged head of the assistant referee. I'm certain he will be given an assist for the Ayr goal as they surged forward down the stand side. I know it's all new to everyone, but maybe someone could have done their homework on this camera and worked out how to get the best out of the system and promote the club in the the best way possible. Surely it's better to look towards the main stand, even if it is empty, than stare into the glare of the sun and the landscape surrounding the Kessock Bridge. We had excellent highlights from our own Caley Jags TV which put the live stream to shame. Now, I'm not one for having a go at the club in general, but why has there been no feedback emanating from the Stadium to even explain the reason behind the poor quality of the stream. I'm in the "It's better than nothing" camp, but many paying customers feel disappointed with the offering received for their hard earned cash in difficult times. If I'm being totally honest, its hard to disagree, but for goodness sake speak up and tell the fans why this happened and more importantly what they are going to do about it before we face more ridicule from fans around the country. They have managed to do a promo for drive in movies and wall of fame tiles, how about a wee communication with feedback on how well the Pixellot system never did. I never liked her songs anyway...... Rant over and I hope a few tweaks make it more enjoyable for everyone Since then, Scott Gardner told the P&J "There were going to be teething problems for the first game. We didn’t think it was going to be a bald headed linesman, but you live and learn. If the sun is not out it’s not a problem. “The league are in charge of it. They are aware of it and working on it. “It wasn’t as bad as everyone was saying but it wasn’t ideal". Really! Understatement alert! ***Latest Team News*** First the good news. Kai Kennedy has been called into the Scotland u21 squad for the forth coming EUFA qualifiers against Croatia and Greece. He will also be available this weekend after featuring on the bench last Saturday. Now for the bad news: there is no more good news. The treatment table is massive. It's too soon for Aaron Doran, David Carson, Lewis Toshney, Kevin McHattie and Miles Storey. Sean Welsh, James Vincent and Shane Sutherland also missed out last week in a well kept top secret mission to not inform anyone what was happening to them. So, looks like we will be relying on the young guys to see us through these difficult times with hopefully Nikolay Todorov staying injury free. Without giving anything away, Robbo has hinted that one or two might make the squad, I'm guessing that might be Sutherland, Welsh and Vincent. The Campbell's are coming North with a pretty much injury and suspension free squad. Kris Doolan could well be starting and Bobby Linn would be a great impact player should he not be in the starting XI. They have run Hearts and Ross County close this season, expect this to be another difficult game. Don't forget your dose of Wyness Shuffle to blow away your Halloween blues. Pumpkins & PPV We pick out our Highland Highlight’s of the season so far (1:45) The pod picks over the bones of the recent games against Hearts and Cowdenbeath in the League Cup as well as our opening league matches against Dunfermline and Ayr (3:50) The Digital Elephant in the Room – match day streaming and thoughts on the experience so far (18:30) A View from the Opposition Terrace – Moff dials up Ayr fan and Ayrshire Post reporter Stuart Wilson to get his views on the draw with The Honest Men (24:59) We try to look into the future and predict what might happen in our forthcoming league games against Arbroath and Hearts before the League Cup restarts and we face Raith Rovers and East Fife (36:48) Get to know one of the new faces in the ICT squad as Wallace Duffy chats with Riley who continues grafting for freebies (49:45) Nightmare XI is back for Hallowe’en but who is next in line for a place in the side? (59:50) We received some great questions on Twitter this week. We do our best to answer them with the return of mailbag (1:04:12)
  19. 25 years on On our 25th Anniversary game and a moment to remember the legend that set us on our way, Alan Hercher, many fans were left wondering if those that started it all would have been out of place on a day where the occasion was greater than the game. Inverness fumbled their way to three points thanks to a Miles Storey thunderbolt not dealt with by Arbroath keeper Darren Jamieson with around ten minutes left. It all started well for the Smokies as they took the lead in the 25th minute. A Jason Thomson cross found it's way to Bobby Linn standing all on his own at the far side of the box. He was given ample time to control the ball, tee it up and drive it into the net without being pestered by a defender. Shoddy from Inverness but Linn didn't care. We levelled the game just on half time when James Keatings threaded a great ball into the box and Aaron Doran ran onto it and slid the ball neatly home. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ John Robertson sprung a couple of surprises before kick off. Jordan White retained his place as main striker and Shaun Rooney started at right back after a lengthy lay off through injury in pre-season. Charlie Trafford was benched (huff) with James Vincent starting. Dick Campbell was without Gavin Swankie but danger man Steven Dorris started, however his day only lasted quarter of an hour. Almost 2300 fans welcomed the sides onto the park and with some original legends looking on, there was a rousing minutes applause to remember the legendary Alan Hercher who scored that memorable hat-trick in our opening League game 25 years ago against Arbroath. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Speaking on BBC Sport Inverness CT manager John Robertson: "There was a lot of distractions this week with everything going on - the 25th anniversary, fact it was Arbroath and the launch of the Alan Hercher Enclosure and our tribute to our first ever captain today. "I thought we started well. We lost a goal and it rocked us a bit but then we got a really good equaliser and we kept pressing and pressing and pressing and eventually got the goal." Arbroath manager Dick Campbell: "We are winning 1-0 and we end up losing 2-1 and the second goal is a mistake by the keeper - you would expect him any time to stop that shot. "I've no complaints about the way we are going about our jobs. We've seen in these first two games that we really have to work hard. But the harder you work the luckier you get." ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The newly surfaced pitch looked in great condition considering the downpours in recent days and Arbroath were first to have a go but Mark Whatley's free kick went wide with Ridgers watching it closely. Aaron Doran responded at the other end but he shot tamely straight at the keeper and had a second effort stopped in similar fashion minutes later. Bobby Linn was proving to be the visitors best option and with Rooney getting little help from Walsh, he stood off him and that gave Linn the space to probe his way into the box and he saw one effort go over and Mark Ridgers save his second attempt. White headed wide and soon after Dorris was replaced by Michael McKenna, the striker unable to continue after picking up a knock. Inverness started to take control of the game at this point but we passed up on some great opportunities to open the scoring. Carson, Doran, Walsh and Keatings all having goes. The most audacious effort came from Keatings as he connected well with an overhead kick but Jamieson reacted well to save. Shortly after Jordan White headed tamely at Jamieson, Arbroath took the lead. A deep cross found Linn once more in space and he steadied himself before rifling a powerful shot through the keeper and into the net. Two minutes later he was given more space than the fans in the North Stand would have liked him to have but Ridgers saved his effort. However, Inverness worked their way back into the game and just on half time a brilliant ball from James Keatings saw Doran run through the middle to guide the ball home. Half Time 1-1 The second half had barely started when Arbroath almost snatched a second goal but a ball into the box was missed by defenders and forwards alike and the chance was gone. A swift break forward down the right saw Walsh cut a low ball into the path of Doran but his first time shot was somewhat strangled and Jamieson smothered the ball. One of the few incisive breaks forward amongst our mostly casual and pedestrian approach. Jamie McCart headed wide as the pressure mounted on the visiting defence and we would inflict more problems for them when Miles Storey replaced White on the hour. He showed some good pace when he sprinted down the left side on a surge but the move petered out after an Arbroath defender bounced of Storey as he flexed his muscles. Powerful stuff and it would pay off with just under ten minutes to go. Storey got his reward after a thumping shot caught out the keeper, the sheer power of it deceiving him. Maybe he should have been able to keep it out, however, I'll give Miles the benefit of the doubt as he unleashed his shot from around the same area that Linn scored from after Tom Walsh picked up a loose ball and drove across the face of the box before feeding on to Storey. We looked to get a third but some staunch defending kept us at bay and in time added on Mark Ridgers had to be alert to ensure we never turned a win into a draw after he saved a Luke Donnelly shot from close range low down near the post. So, not the classic we saw 25 years ago, but a welcome three points against a well organised Arbroath side who despite having Dorris replaced still caused problems for our disheveled defence with Bobby Linn their star man. Difficult to pick any standouts for Inverness but David Carson put in a good shift and did lots of tidying up so he get's my nod for best on the park. Miles Storey did well when he came on, his bustling style causing problems for the defenders and well done to Mark Ridgers for staying alert right to the final whistle. The real Man of the Match was Alan Hercher. Footage from Caley Jags TV Here's Robbo......... And he's Miles better now............ Date: 10/08/2019 Venue: Caledonian Stadium Attendance: 2298 Referee: Mike Roncone Inverness CT: 2 Lineup: Ridgers, Rooney, Donaldson, McCart, Tremarco, Doran (Todorov 73), Carson, Vincent, Walsh, Keatings, White (Storey 60). Subs (not used): C Mackay; Harper, Machado, MacGregor, Trafford. Scorers: Doran (44), Storey (82) Booked: Donaldson (47) Sent Off: none Arbroath: 1 Lineup: Jamieson; Thomson, Little, O'Brien, Hamilton, Stewart (Donnelly 84), Murphy (Gold 74), Whatley, Linn, Doris (McKenna 16), Spence. Subs (not used): Gaston; Kader, Wilson Scorers: Linn (26) Booked: Spence (5) Sent Off: none a
  20. All square with Ayr. Better late than never, the live stream burst onto the laptop 15 minutes before kick-off and it was game-on. Inverness had the first chance when Todorov headed off the underside of the bar, the ball adjudged not to have crossed the line. Todorov also slid one just wide as did Cameron Harper. Young keeper Silisano also made a couple of good saves to deny the eager hosts. Mark Ridgers made one great save and the ball ricocheted around the box like a game of bagatelle, but at the break it was 0-0 with Inverness making most of the running. Substitute Innes Cameron opened the scoring seconds after replacing Joe Chalmers before the hour. Nikolay Todorov squared matters with five minutes left. Ridgers denied Ayr at the death and a point apiece it was. It's the first live streamed match from the Caledonian Stadium and Ayr United were the visitors on a blustery October Saturday afternoon. It's another covid restricted game so no spectators allowed into the stadium. Nikolay Todorov was deemed fit enough to start, but Inverness were without Miles Storey, Sean Welsh, James Vincent, Aaron Doran, Lewis Toshney, Kevin McHattie, and David Carson. Shane Sutherland never made the squad either but Kai Kennedy would be available. Not a great start to the season for Inverness injury wise. That is possibly an award winning statement. Ayr have Luke McCowan suspended and Tom Walsh is out with a hamstring injury. New signing Cammy Smith started with Innes Cameron on the bench. What could possibly go wrong in the first live streamed game from the Caledonian Stadium. Well, that's another debate, it was watchable suffice to say. Maybe the camera's will be moved to the West side gantray as the low Autumn sun was causing as much havoc as the assistant referee's hairless head. On the park Todorov rattled the bar with a powered header and the ball bounced down and away in the first five minutes. Great effort from the big striker, the ball appeared to hit the bar, line, bar, line then scrambled away. Ooft! Ridgers made a superb one handed save in the 17th minute and from the following scrambulation, the ball ricocheted around before Brad Mckay popped up on the line to scoop clear. Cameron Harper fired a powerful free kick round the wall from the edge of the box but the keeper kept it out as Inverness controlled the pace of the game. Toddy went through on goal on a great ball forward but managed to hit the stanchion behind the goal instead of bulging the net. Good power from the big man, pity bout the finish. A loose ball on the angle of the box was curled wide as the hosts looked likeliest to open the scoring and a wonderful swift break from our own box saw Harper fed through on the left. Unfortunately his powerful shot rose just over the bar. Cammy redeemed more than his voucher moments later when he hooked one off his own line following an Ayr raid. That was a mere distraction from the attacking intent of the hosts and Daniel Mackay sent a swerving shot on target from distance that the Ayr keeper saved brilliantly. Half Time 0-0 However, we were undone by our own sloppiness just before the hour. Ayr substitute Innes Cameron slotted home calmly after an Inverness foray forward broke down tamely. Some shoddy backtracking and good speed from Ayr saw Cameron stroke the ball home tidily. Harsh on the hosts. The goal spurred Ayr on and Ridgers stooped to gather a shot from 25 yards comfortably. Kai Kennedy was introduced and he sent a long ball onto Toddy's head but the keeper gathered easily. Some frantic defending kept Inverness at bay as we probed for an equaliser. It would come in the 85th minute as Toddy turned on a super cross into the penalty area from substitute Ryan Fyffe and he wheeled before hitting it early, low behind a static keeper. Great goal and no more than we deserved. Into time added on and we had Ridgers to thank for pulling off a tremendous diving one handed save (think Mike Fraser against Celtic) to keep the score level. Top corner, top drawer. Considering our circumstances this was a good result with eight players missing. The debate about the streaming rages on elsewhere...... Official Match Report from ICTFC Highlights from Caley Jags TV Robbo talking post match https://www.facebook.com/ICTFC/videos/387817095577014 Date: 24/10/2020 Venue: Caledonian Stadium Attendance: 0 Referee: Alan Muir Inverness CT: 1 Lineup: Ridgers; Duffy, B Mckay (Fyffe 75), Devine, MacGregor, Harper, Allardice, Keatings (Kennedy 71), D Mackay, Todorov. Subs (not used): C Mackay; Hyde, Harkness, Scorers: Todorov (86) Booked: Devine (54), Allardice (68) Duffy (90 +1) Sent Off: none Ayr United: 1 Lineup: Silisano; Muirhead, Reading, Baird, Roscoe; Miller, Murdoch, Chalmers (Cameron 57), Moffat (Houston 79) Smith (Hewit 90+2), Anderson. Subs (not used): Hare-Reid; Kerr, Smith, McKenzie, Scorers: Cameron (57) Booked: Miller (62) Sent Off: none a
  21. Ayr today, gone tomorrow It's matchday two this weekend in the Ladbrokes Championship and the visitors to the Caledonian Stadium are Ayr United who have two former Caley Jags players in their ranks. Tom Walsh and Joe Chalmers joined the Honest Men in the summer and could be in the squad this weekend for the game that kicks off at 3:00pm. It is of course another covid restricted game played behind closed doors, with Alan Muir the man in charge of proceedings. Ayr's one and only win at the Caledonian Stadium came in 2003. That's seventeen years ago, and since then it has been five draws and four defeats for the Honest Men. Live streaming is available for all home Championship games through your season ticket or PPV for any game. The Ayr game will be our first broadcast match and can be viewed through the SPFL Portal. Let's hope it all runs smoothly. The link below takes you to the SPFL Portal from where you can view the games. You must have already registered to gain access to this portal. All live matches available on the platform are broadcast from a Pixellot camera, one of which has been installed at each Scottish Championship ground. The camera is unmanned and uses ball tracking technology. These cameras will produce 1080p (HD) footage and the broadcast will come with commentary. What could possibly go wrong...... ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Live Streaming link & PPV Official ICTFC Preview ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The opening fixtures saw mixed fortunes for the teams with Inverness going down 3-1 at East End Park. Nikolay Todorov had given us the lead in 88 seconds, converting a tantalising cross from Daniel Mackay. Unfortunately Pars captain Euan Murray scored his 4th goal of the season, all with the head, to level matters. Ryan Dow prodded home from close range as we failed to clear our lines in the last quarter of an hour and Declan McManus fired a superb strike into the top corner across keeper Mark Ridgers to seal the points. A disappointing outcome where we matched the home side for long spells but slackness at the back benefited Dunfermline who took full advantage and all three points with two goals in the final twelve minutes. To compound matters, goalscorer Todorov had to leave the pitch twenty minutes in after a nasty collision with Euan Murray where he took a heavy knock from which he never recovered. That's all three strikers crocked one game into the season to add to four other regulars that were unavailable. Meh! Here's the early strike from Toddy before he joined the crocked list...... Ayr opened their account by beating Queen of the South 2-1 at Somerset Park. Defender Michael Miller scored both goals with Stephen Dobbie grabbing a penalty for the Doonhamers. Both sides ended the game with ten men as Luke McCowan was sent off in stoppage time for Ayr with James Maxwell likewise for Queens just after the hour. Ayr had to thank nineteen year old Finnish keeper Viljami Sinisalo for making a magnificent save to deny Gregor Buchanan in the dying embers of time added on. A hard earned three points for Ayr, but it's three more than we got. Our injury woes are well documented with Miles Storey, Nikolay Todorov and Shane Sutherland all injured. David Carson, Lewis Toshney, Aaron Doran and Danny Devine all missed the Pars game although Devine was an unused sub. Kai Kennedy should be available after his isolation from the Scotland u19 squad covid problems. Dorans sketch is all we have seen of him so far this season. Here's the breakdown on the broken players: Lewis Toshney (hip flexor), Kevin McHattie (hip), David Carson (muscle), Miles Storey (torn hamstring), Nikolay Todorov (rib and lung bruising), Aaron Doran (knee) and Shane Sutherland (hamstring strain). Dario Zanatta was rested for the opener and Tom Walsh also missed out. Walsh has the Caley Jags jinx, hamstring problems. However, Joe Chalmers played and Patrick Reading made his competitive debut. Bruce Anderson and Michael Miller also featured and young Finnish keeper Sinisalo had a good afternoon. Other Championship fixtures this weekend. ARBROATH 0-1 HEARTS (Fri) ALLOA v DUNFERMLINE DUNDEE v MORTON QUEENS v RAITH ***LATEST TEAM NEWS*** John Robertson is without a number of players, particularly up front with Miles Storey and Nikolay Todorov out. Shane Sutherland is struggling to be ready in time and will be assessed late. Aaron Doran and David Carson have not featured in pre-season and Lewis Toshney was injured during it. Kai Kennedy has met his new pals and will enter the squad. Hopefully he will get some time on the park. Danny Devine will be fit enough to be included as he made the bench last week. Brad Mckay and Kevin McHattie have had to play in the opening games despite not being up to speed yet after a disjointed pre-season. Jesus Christ, he's like buses. Nothing for eight months then two images at the same time. Hi Aaron, hiya pal! Remember, all will be revealed soon as we enter the age of streaming where video will be the order of the day, so stay tuned to any statements coming from ICTFC or any of their media outlets such as Facebook or Twitter. Ayr signed Dundee United midfielder Cammy Smith on loan two days before they came North and he will go straight into their squad. He is signed until January, as is striker Innes Cameron who comes in on loan from Kilmarnock ahead of the trip North. Jordan Houston could return along with Zanatta, but Walsh looks set for another week or two on the sidelines. Luke McCowan is suspended after his late sending off against Queen of the South last Saturday. The evergreen Michael Moffat will be a threat as always. The 35 year old is still one to be watched and along with Cammy Smith will provide the pace and ammunition for the rest. Don't forget to check out all the latest from the fabulous Wyness Shuffle guys....
  22. Inverness CT v East Fife Betfred League Cup Group A Caledonian Stadium Saturday 14th November 3:00pm Unfortunately these will be closed doors games due to Covid19
  23. Fife Flyers TV sets were barely switched on when Nokolay Todorov opened the scoring in the second minute. He would leave the field injured to be replaced by James Vincent after nineteen minutes. Inverness held that lead until the twenty-third minute when captain Euan Murray headed his fourth goal of the season to level matters. That's how it stood at the break as both sides searched for a second goal. Ryan Dow put the Pars in front with twelve minutes left in a rather turgid second half. Declan McManus scored a superb third to seal the points turning on the angle of the box and firing high into the net. Deserved 3 points for the Pars as they get off to a flyer. The eagerly awaited start of the 20/21 Championship was here and our first game was a visit to an eerie East End Park for this closed doors encounter against Dunfermline Athletic. The Pars had invested their Commerzbank cash injection well taking on the likes of prolific striker Kevin O'Hara from Alloa Athletic. They have also added plenty of experience as well with Paul Watson, Declan McManus and Steven Whittaker (suspended for today) amongst others. This would be a stern test for an Inverness side still without regulars Aaron Doran, and David Carson, with Miles Storey and Shane Sutherland both injuring hamstrings in League Cup games. Kevin McHattie James Vincent and Danny Devine managed some game time against Cowdenbeath in midweek. With Hearts throwing down the gauntlet last night in a 6-2 drubbing of Dundee, it will be interesting to see who will cling on to their coat tails in a season of only 27 scheduled Championship matches. The Skids will introduce the players as normal, the fans will be glued to PPV streaming, and here we go as they also welcome Inverness into the valley...... Former Inverness keeper Owain Fon Williams was in goals for the Pars and Kevin O'Hara started up front with Declan McManus. Inverness had a new look back four since we last played Championship football. Inverness were without the injured strikers Storey and Sutherland. Danny Devine and James Vincent made the bench where we were down to the bare bones. RIG saw the game unfold like this........... Agree with that there maybe wasn't much in it in terms of possession but when the few chances in front of goal did arrive they tended to fall the way of Dunfermline. Good save from Ridgers to deny O'Hara (I think) at the near post in the second half. Criminal defending for all three of the Pars goals from our PoV with Mckay looking very limp for the both the first and third with the entire defence looking suspect for the second. The third, whilst being a cracking strike by McManus, should never have been offered up as an opportunity had Mckay just dealt with the ball instead of dallying on it. So many problems the result of our own slack play. Very little to get excited about in an attacking sense as well. As mentioned above MacGregor was ineffective on the left continually wanting to check back inside to get the ball onto his right foot and McHattie seldom got beyond him to offer a wide option. Duffy was a bit more aggressive down the right flank and but certainly not in a similar manner to what we have been used to with Rooney in the last. I think only Harper put in a decent cross after he came on with a lot of our attacking play focused through the middle of the pitch where I thought Wilson protected the defence well snuffing out any attacks that were building in the centre. Trying to be positive, we did have a lot of attacking players out that would hopefully have made a difference today but we would still have had that defence out there so... Pars TV worked fine for me although it did drop a couple of times but a quick refresh sorted that out. Commentary wasn't too bad either. ICT FC OFFICIAL REPORT Robbo talking after the game....... Here's the goals from DAFC Twitter feed Date: 17/10/2020 Venue: Caledonian Stadium Attendance: 0 Referee: Willie Collum Dunfermline: 3 Lineup: Fon Williams; Comrie, Edwards, Watson, E Murray (c), Dow, Wilson, Turner (McInroy 78), Thomas, O'Hara (F Murray 64), McManus. Subs (not used): .Gill; Mayo, Allan, McCann, Martin Scorers: E Murray (23), Dow (78), McManus (84) Booked: Wilson (45), Edwards (81), McManus (85) Sent Off: none Inverness CT: 1 Lineup: Ridgers; Duffy, B Mckay, Deas, McHattie, MacGregor (Harper 85), Welsh (c), Allardice, D Mackay, Keatings, Todorov (Vincent 19). Subs (not used): .C Mackay; Fyffe, Devine, Hyde, Harkness Scorers: Todorov (2) Booked: B Mckay (88) Sent Off: none a
  24. Bonus point struggle Inverness took the bonus point after a penalty shoot out, the game ending scoreless. Cammy Mackay saving twice as Todorov, Deas, Welsh and Allardice fired home from the spot. It was the first game at home since the 10th March when we beat Queen of the South 3-1 on a stormy Tuesday night. Seven months later and football is back at the Caledonian Stadium on a Tuesday night. With fans being subject to covid19 restrictions, the stadium was empty and silence prevailed. Nothing new for home games I hear many say! With live streaming not in place yet, it was left to standing on the Kessock Bridge or ICT FC Official twitter feed to keep us up to date with goings on at this League Cup group A game. One wonders why the streaming was such an issue for Inverness when practically every other side involved in the competition have managed to set something up. For goodness sake we even had a live feed for a friendly at Station Park Nairn. Here's the statement from ICT FC regarding Live Streaming. Maybe the twitter guys are locked out as well. Less than twenty minutes to kick-off and no team lines yet? Yippeee, they have arrived. Kevin McHattie and James Vincent returned to the starting XI with Cammy Mackay between the sticks. Shane Sutherland missed out through injury but Danny Devine made the bench. Game on but it was nine minutes in before we carved out the first chance of the game when Storey was sent through on goal but keeper Ross Sinclair blocked his effort with his legs. Story would go off injured two minutes later to be replaced by Nikolay Todorov. Daniel Mackay saw a shot gathered by Sinclair after twenty minutes. Five minutes later Sinclair was quick of his line to deny Mackay again. Deas shot behind from a corner and a free kick from range was fired well over as Inverness kept on the front foot. Cowdenbeath broke forward at pace, two on two but the low cross into the box bounced just behind Cox and the danger was mopped up. Five minutes before the break and there's little to enthuse over, another long range effort sails over the bar and the whistle brings the first half to a close, thankfully. It's fair to say we are dominating the game, its also fair to say it's mostly uninspiring so far. Half Time 0-0 The second period saw no changes as Toddy restarted the game and five minutes in we received a booking for simulation in the box. Dodgy if you ask me. Oliver Hamilton saw a shot drag just wide with Cammy Mackay sprawling across his line ten minutes into the half and Toddy shot wide after good play by Dan Mackay. Tremendous double diving save from the keeper to deny Sean Welsh and then Todorov, at the other end we mop up after Cox finds space in the box but is blocked. Brad Mckay heads a James Keatings corner wide as the pressure on the visitors mounts and Roddy MacGregor is inches away from getting on the end of a Todorov cross after he picked the defenders pocket. A Keatings free kick is bundled away from the box as the visitors survive again. Brad Mckay does well to stop a Cowdenbeath forage forward as they find space behind us. The Blue Brazil growing in confidence at our apparent lack of cutting edge and look to get forward more as the game enters the final phase. Dan Mackay manages to get the ball past Sinclair but it's cleared off the line inside the last ten minutes but there were no further opportunities for either side and the game entered penalty kicks to see who gets the bonus point. Full Time 0-0 Penalties ICT FC 4 Todorov, Deas, Welsh, Allardice Cowdenbeath 2 Hamilton, Swann Great work by Cammy and excellent finishes by the four scorers means that Inverness secure the bonus point. Hearts defeated Raith Rovers 3-1 with the aid of 2 penalties. However, they will need to go a long way yet to equal the shootout at Stranraer v Albion Rovers where a new record was set. Rovers eventually won 15-14. Wow! The only thing we know for sure is that the streaming works, pity about the display, but as Robbo keeps telling us, it's still pre-season! ***OFFICIAL MATCH REPORT FROM ICTFC*** Philosophical John..... Heres the penalty shootout Date: 13/10/2020 Venue: Caledonian Stadium Attendance: 0000 Referee: Graham Beaton Inverness CT: 0 (4pens) Lineup: C Mackay; Duffy (Devine 77), B Mckay, Deas, McHattie (Harper 65), MacGregor, Welsh, Vincent (Allardice 65), Keatings, Storey (Todorov 13), D Mackay. Subs (not used): Ridgers; Hyde, Fyffe, Harkness, Scorers: none Booked: D Mackay (51), Todorov (83), Welsh (92) Sent Off: none Cowdenbeath: 0 (2pens) Lineup: Sinclair; Pollock, Clarke, Todd, Glass, Miller, Taylor, Kavanagh, Cox (Renton 90), Herd (Swann 53), Hamilton. Subs (not used): Whyte; Easton, Sneddon, Owens Scorers: none Booked: Kavanagh (83) Sent Off: none
  25. Blue Brazil head North. Cowdenbeath are the visitors to the Caledonian Stadium on Tuesday 13th October as we play our second League Cup game which will also be a closed doors encounter. Don't forget, this game is an early kick-off at 6:30pm. Both sides sit at the bottom of of their group table with zero points. Hearts are at home to Raith Rovers later tonight with a 7:45pm kick-off. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Streaming Statement from ICTFC In conjunction with our new streaming partners and the SPFL, tonight will see our last full test of this new technology at the Caledonian Stadium and we had planned to make the game available for free but we have subsequently been told that this would be a breach of the competition rules. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Our opener at Tynecastle saw a relatively inexperienced squad go down 1-0 to Championship favourites Hearts. The game was decided through a dubious penalty decision gifted by Steven Maclean. A lot may have changed since covid19 entered our lives, but the standard of officiating in Scotland is still the same. Absolutely gross! A driven ball back into the box by Josh Ginnelly was adjudged to have been handled by the unfortunate Cameron Harper, despite his best efforts to keep his arms close to his body. Overall though, Hearts just edged the game although we had a couple of great opportunities to score, notably Nikolay Todorov near the end when he volleyed wide. Craig Gordon had denied Daniel Mackay in the fifth minute with a stunning point blank save from a header. Despite losing, the young Caley Jags side gave a good account of themselves considering we were without six regulars. One negative from the game was Shane Sutherland appearing to have done his hamstring just before half time. We had no game on Saturday as Raith Rovers entered the competition, beating East Fife 2-1 thanks to a late goal from Manny Duku. Liam Newton had given East Fife the lead but a penalty by Regan Hendry just on the break levelled matters before the 87th minute winner. Scenes! Like us, The Blue Brazil lost their opening fixture, going down 2-0 away to East Fife. Second half goals from Jack Hamilton and Ryan Wallace were the difference on the artificial surface at Bayview. Cowdenbeath had chances early in the game but East Fife gradually got on top in the second period. The first goal may have been fortuitous, but the second was a screamer from the right foot of Wallace on the volley, lashed into the top corner from the edge of the box. On Saturday, Cowdenbeath made Hearts work hard for the win before Craig Halkett headed home in the 77th minute. Beath keeper Ross Sinclair made a superb penalty save after 90 minutes to deny Jamie Walker from the spot. I'm sure we will also find the miners a difficult proposition on Tuesday night. Screamer from Wallace.... ***LATEST NEWS*** As we continue to build towards our Championship opener on 17th October it's encouraging to see that Danny Devine should be ready for Championship day one against Dunfermline. Whether John Robertson risks him tonight remains to be seen. Wallace Duffy and James Vincent are good to go as well but Shane Sutherland misses out. David Carson, Aaron Doran, Kevin McHattie and Lewis Toshney are still under wraps I presume??? Kai Kennedy is unable to make his debut as expected tonight because he has had to go into self isolation after Billy Stark tested positive for covid19. This caused the abrupt ending of the Scotland u19 international against England where Kai started the game. The match was halted before the interval and the subsequent encounter canceled. Sean Welsh will continue as club captain, let's hope he steers clear of injury this season and leads the team on the park.
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