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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

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

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.

Inverness CT -V- Arbroath Championship Football Matchday 3 Saturday 31st October 15:00 Caledonian Stadium Unfortunately these will be closed doors games due to Covid19

Inverness CT -V- Ayr United Championship Football Matchday 2 Saturday 24th October 15:00 Caledonian Stadium Unfortunately these will be closed doors games due to Covid19

Inverness CT -V- Cowdenbeath The 'Blue Brazil' come North Tuesday 13th October 19:45 League Cup (Group stages) Unfortunately these will be closed doors games due to Covid19

Caley Jags weather the storm. Inverness ran out comfortable winners as the game was played out in a mini storm. James Vincent opened the scoring on the half hour from a corner in a dull first half. A brighter second half saw James Keatings score a tremendous swerving free kick from 35 yards before Semple pulled one back for Queens in the middle of a storm. We'll put that one down to the weather. Miles Storey put the game to bed ten minutes from the end when David Carson slid a ball into the box for Storey to poke home off the post. The outcome was never really in doubt and just the tonic on a freezing night when the weather deteriorated as the game went on. Credit to both sets of players for getting through the game without hypothermia setting in. Stirling Observer had this to say on CTO............. Good win. Queens were very poor. Took a wee while to settle into the formation but the goal certainly helped. Great corner from Keatings, with whip and dip. Vincent flicked it in. Second goal was a direct free kick from Keatings. It was a Ronaldo-esqe strike through the ball to give it swerve and dip. Keeper appeared to be distracted by this or the runners and messed up his balance. Ball went in quite centrally but moved an awful lot. Good strike from about 35 yards out. 3rd was a good run (again) by Carson. Was fortunate his flick through deflected into the path of Storey who was sharp to pounce and toe poke it in off the far post. Couldn't really see what happened with their goal. <checks video> Defence wasn't overly troubled. Mchattie swept up everything and Toddy won everything in the air. Formation suited most of the players particularly Keatings, Storey and Rooney. Carson had a super game again. Won back so many balls by harassing the opposition. Doran and Walsh seemed to enjoy their cameos off the bench. Corner flag on a bender..... Miles better............ Brrrrrŕrrrrrrrr Date: 10/03/2020 Venue: Caledonian Stadium Attendance: 1811 Referee: Steven Reid Inverness CT: 3 Lineup: Ridgers; Rooney, Todorov, McHattie, Tremarco, Carson, Trafford, Vincent, Harper (Doran 77), Keatings (Walsh 76), Storey (White 88) Subs (not used): C Mackay; Davies, MacGregor, Scorers: Vincent (30), Keatings (57), Storey (79) Booked: Tremarco (29) Sent Off: none Queen of the South: 1 Lineup: Stewart; Ledger, Kilday, Semple, Kidd (Petravicius 39), Lyon, Pybus (Hamilton 75), Wilson, Mercer, Oliver, Dobbie (Paton 62) Subs (not used): Leighfield, Devine, Gourlay. Scorers: Semple (72) Booked: Ledger (88) Sent Off: none a

Queens visit Another Tuesday, another game at the Caledonian Stadium, this time we host Queen of the South looking to get over the disappointment of a poor result at Alloa on Saturday. The game kicks off at 7:45pm. At the weekend, we went down to the Wasps who were absolutely buzzing. Only two goals which flattered Inverness who also saw a host of opportunities wasted. First half goals from Lee Connelly and Kevin O'Hara saw us leave Clackmannanshire empty handed. However, the disappointment was tempered by the fact that we actually gained a point over our nearest challengers over the week as all other sides drew again. I know, I know, it's clutching at straws a wee bit, but it's all we've got to be happy about after a grim week. Queen of the South went ahead in midweek only for Dunfermline Athletic to peg them back with a penalty just after half time. Gary Oliver had put Queens on their way to their first win in nine games but Jonathan Afolabi levelled from the spot. The Doonhamers have slipped into the play-off slot at the wrong end of the league thanks to Alloa beating us. However, we are still closer to them on points than we are to league leaders Dundee United. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Match Info Tickets Sports Bar Official report v Alloa Digital Matchday Programme ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Two other games on Tuesday night Partick Thistle v Dunfermline Athletic Dundee v Ayr United Queen of the South play Ayr United on Friday night. This is the third meeting between the clubs this season with Inverness victorious in the first two games, both 2-0 wins home and away. Queens are close to the relegation danger zone and will be looking to rectify that so expect a tough encounter where on their day, any team is capable of beating anyone in the league. Given our reluctance to beat teams in the bottom half of the league, this will not be an easy task. Hopefully the rude awakening at Alloa will stir the team and get us back on track. Sean Welsh and James Vincent missed the game at Recreation Park and Lewis Toshney came off injured after only three minutes. The news regarding Toshney is not great, he is expected to be out for at least a month with an injury to his quad muscle, and that leaves us wafer thin at the back with the run-in and Chocolate biscuit cup coming up. Once more Queen of the South will be relying heavily on top scorer Stephen Dobbie. Always a threat, Dobbie has eleven goals to his credit this term, meagre by his own standards. However, he is one of the best finishers in the Championship. Ignore him at your peril......... Simon Macdonald RIP The funeral service will take place on Wednesday 11 March at 12.30pm in the Funeral Home of William T Fraser and Son, Culduthel Road, Inverness, IV2 6AB, and thereafter to Kilvean Cemetery. All friends and colleagues past and present welcome. Family flowers only please, and money donations to the Scottish Burned Children’s Club welcome. As a mark of respect for Simon, the Fans will do their own tribute at the Challenge Cup Final against Raith Rovers. We're planning on having a minutes applause in the 44th minute for Simon / Bronson during this game. Something to note for later this month and feel free to make others around you at the game aware.

No Shock, Aitken & Water man.. Inverness progress to the final of the Chocolate Biscuit Cup despite Storm Dennis and referee Greg Aitken doing their best to ensure that the team from the Highlands would not line up in the final against Raith Rovers at the end of March. A torrential downpour and Gael force winds turned the game into a lottery. Mebude opened the scoring early in the first half as he was given time and space to turn and drill a low shot beyond Ridgers. Substitute James Keatings volleyed home from the edge of the box to level matters just before the break. Keatings was wrongly sent off by the inept Greg Aitken as, not for the first time this season, he made our task more difficult. However, the ten men prevailed when Miles Storey crashed a loose ball into the net with twenty minutes left. Despite late pressure from the young Gers, Inverness held firm and move into the final. Mebude should have added a second for Rangers before we scored but he smacked his effort off the bar when a goal looked easier. Both sides had chances to score more but it ended at 2-1 for the hosts. Aitken got little right as he angered the home support and management. What appeared to be a perfectly legitimate 'goal' by Tom Walsh was ruled offside and the sending off of Keatings was just a joke. It's little surprise to hear that Inverness will be looking to get the red card rescinded. I'm sure the Rangers youngsters will be embarrassed by the assistance they were offered from the officials. They certainly did not need any of it as they showed good quality without the need for these clowns to intervene. The goals....... Date: 16/02/2020 Venue: Caledonian Stadium Attendance: 1741 Referee: Greg Aitken Inverness CT: 2 Lineup: Ridgers; Rooney, Toshney, McHattie, Tremarco, Walsh (Doran 79), Trafford (Keatings 29), Carson, Vincent, Storey, White (Todorov 74) Subs (not used): C Mackay; B Mckay, Harper, MacGregor. Scorers: Keatings (44), Storey (73) Booked: Rooney (??), Toshney (81), Keatings (48) Sent Off: Keatings (58) Rangers u21: 1 Lineup: Firth; Patterson, Palmer (McCausland 83), Breen, Shiels (Maxwell 87), Hastie (Young-Coombes), Finlayson, McPake, Dickson, Awokoya-Mebude, Kennedy Subs (not used): Kinnear, Butterworth, McClelland, Miller. Scorers: Mebude (6) Booked: none Sent Off: none a

Chocolate Biscuit action Hold your horses, we play Rangers Colts in the Chocolate Biscuit Cup semi-final this Sunday at the Caledonian Stadium, Inverness. I bet you all forgot about this competition. Kick off for this one is 16:10 with the P&J Lounge within the stadium being open for a day of televised football, the drinks starting to flow at 12 midday. Ross County are the current holders of the Challenge Cup having beaten Connagh's Quay 3-1 in the final last season. The last round of the competition was played three months ago, I kid you not. So, back in November, we knocked out Clyde after a penalty shoot-out and Rangers u21's beat Wrexham 2-0. The other semi-final will be between Partick Thistle and Raith Rovers which will be played on the Friday night ahead of our game on the Sabbath. (Raith Rovers wait for the winners of this tie after they beat Partick Thistle 2-1. It was a frantic end to the game as Partick went two down with 15 minutes to go but they fell just short and hit the post as Raith hung on. They'll be dancing in the streets of Raith etc......) We have been in the final of this competition four times, winning the Challenge cup twice. To be honest it's an event that does not really come to life until the final stages for many fans. So here we are in the semi's against Ranger's finest youngsters and the opportunity to go further and gain some confidence as the league campaign gets to the business end. It's not for everyone, but our last final against Dumbarton showed what it meant to them and their fans as they lit up the day in Perth, their first final since the bronze age. Here's how we won the trophy two seasons ago......... Who are Rangers u21's/Colts. I imagine they are the finest hand picked youngsters who have been gathered from around the country and tied to Rangers on contracts that our players can only dream about. Add in a couple of seasoned professionals and there you have it. A team capable of challenging those outside the premiership in a trophy for the best of the rest. Rangers senior side won this competition in 2016. Rangers Team for the 2-0 win over Wrexham Wright; Patterson (Young-Coombes 31), Edmundson, Breen, Flanagan, Mayo, Barjonas, Maxwell, Dickson (Butterworth 87), Atakayi (Lyall 76), Kennedy. Subs not used: Budinaukas; Williamson, O'Connor, Miller. Goals: Jamie Barjonas (35), Nathan Young-Coombes (71) ***Inverness Team News*** John Robertson has fitness doubts over Aaron Doran and Lewis Toshney. Doran took a knock late in the home game against Alloa Athletic and Toshney, who had been cup-tied, has fluid on the knee which requires attention. Otherwise, it should be business as usual. Robbo insists that he has had The Rangers Colts watched a couple of times but admits it's difficult to know which players they will choose their squad from due to the nature of the competition. It could be a case of perm any XI from a possible thirty or so players. Good luck with that John. ***LATE NEWS*** The dates for the Scottish Cup game at Easter Road have been set and it's Friday night football for the Caley Jags. The game will also be televised live on BBC Scotland with a 7:45pm kick off ?Our @ScottishCup Quarter Final against @HibernianFC will take place on Friday 28th February at 19:45pm and will be shown live on @BBCScotland Ticket Information for Inverness fans will be announced over the weekend ? https://t.co/xPUhTigW3k

Livi Blown Away. An even first half where both sides had efforts cleared from the goalmouth produced no goals with defences on top. The wind was causing as much havoc as the officials. Sean Welsh fired just wide at the start of the second half, but he made no mistake with a free kick on the hour to open the scoring. Plenty of huff and puff thereafter, but no further scoring and it's the Caley Jags that go into tomorrows draw for the next round. That draw has now been made and we will travel to Easter Road to take on Hibernian on the weekend of the 29th February. Welsh buries the free kick.......scorcher. Despite claiming a clean bill of health, there was no sign of Aaron Doran's name on the paperwork. Sean Welsh started but James Keatings was on the bench. Livi made five changes to the squad that went to Dingwall in midweek, but Dolly Menga still started on the bench. In went Schofield, Lawson, Lamie, Jacobs and Souda, out went McCrorie, McMillan, Taylor-Sinclair, Sibbald & Robinson. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The managers on BBC Sport Inverness CT manager John Robertson: "It's a measure of this club's history in the Scottish Cup that people don't really see our result today as a shock. A surprise maybe, but not a shock." Livingston manager Gary Holt: "We talked at half-time about not making mistakes, and it's a mistake that cost us, simple as that." ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ RIG summed it up like this............... the midfield trio of Welsh, Carson and Trafford were excellent. Slightly disappointed in Storey and Walsh as, in the first half, we seemed to get real joy out of attacking Livi down the flanks, particularly the right side, and it was a shame we didn't try and take advantage of their apparent lack of midfield cover for the fullback. Although Livi had more of the ball I think we had the better chances overall. Ridgers didn't have much to do until late in the game when Livi flashed a shot straight at him. Defensively I think we were pretty comfortable. Tremarco had a good game and Rooney started well but was less involved in the second half.Good away support in both numbers and voice. Fair play to them. Good to see Douglas Ross still as effective a linesman as he is a politician. Doofers Dad added........... We certainly coped with the conditions better but it was the commitment of the entire team which so impressed. Livi were chased and harried when they got the ball, and as a result were rarely able to impose themselves on the game. Nobody had a poor game but Welsh, Carson and Trafford were all excellent in midfield. Also a mention to Mckay and McHattie who did a great job in central defence following the departure of the established 1st choice pairing. We have these excellent team performances from time to time and one just wishes that this level of commitment was shown on a more regular basis. Match highlights from Caley Jags TV Robbo likes it.... Hear from goal scorer Sean Welsh Date: 08/02/2020 Venue: Caledonian Stadium Attendance: 1512 Referee: Don Robertson Inverness CT: 1 Lineup: Ridgers; Rooney, B Mckay, McHattie, Tremarco, Walsh (Vincent 83), Trafford, Welsh, Carson, Storey (Todorov 90), White. Subs (not used): C Mackay; Harper, Keatings, MacGregor. Scorers: Welsh (61) Booked: Tremarco (74), Carson (90+3) Sent Off: none Livingston Fc: 0 Lineup: Schofield; Lawson, Brown, Guthrie, Lamie, Bartley, Jacobs (Sibbald 77), Pittman, Souda (Robinson 73), Lawless (Menga 66), Dykes. Subs (not used): Maley; McMillan, Taylor-Sinclair, Crawford Scorers: none Booked: Lawless (45) Sent Off: none a

A Blast from the past. It could be billed as an explosive cup tie as auld mates Livingston provide the opposition on Saturday as we meet in the 5th round of the Scottish Cup. BOOM BOOM! (Apparently the road opened with a bang after the device was detonated) Here's something to ponder over. On the day of this tie, 20 years ago to the day, Inverness Caledonian Thistle emerged from the ashes and this phrase was begat. SuperCaleygoballisticCelticareatrocious. Just let that sink in for a minute or two. This will be Livi's second trip to the Highlands in four days having played Ross County in a midweek premiership game. We made it thus far by beating Alloa Athletic 2-3 and Livi produced a late comeback to dispose of Raith Rovers 3-1 after Rovers led until the last 13 minutes. So, it's a wee while since we last hung out with Livi, having followed them through the leagues. We have had some memorable games against the Lions, and some instantly forgettable ones. Our last game against them was a 1-0 win for the Caley Jags in a Championship encounter in April 2018 when Liam Polworth (remember him), scored the only goal of the game in front of 740 fans at the Toni Macaroni. Ahhhh, those were the days...... Livingston went on to gain promotion via the play-offs that season by removing Partick Thistle from the premiership, winning home and away, while we just failed to make the top four after making a late run in the league, but falling at the third last hurdle when Dunfermline snatched a 95th minute equalising goal to deny us. Overall results against Livi are pretty even, the Caley Jags just shading it by a couple of wins and five goals. However, since we went down, Livi have been able to deal with life in the Premiership whilst we are struggling against the Arbroath's, Alloa's and Ayr's of this world. Livi sit comfortably in fifth place in the premiership and well clear of the dreaded drop, a top six place looks to be on the cards. It appears that Livi don't play quite as well when they are on the grass, their form away from the comfort of their own synthetic surface shows them to be vulnerable, something the village team at Dingwall exploited in midweek as a brace from Billy Mckay saw County take the points on Wednesday night. However, a word of warning, they are a strapping side and will pose problems to whoever our defence are. Dolly Menga, a substitute in midweek is a bag of tricks and will need to be shackled. Of the current squads there are a few players who have been on the books of both clubs. Our gaffer John Robertson was a player manager and present coach Barry Wilson played in Europe for them. Strikers Jordan White and Nikolay Todorov also donned both shirts. As well as departed players, the Caley Jags have injury concerns over the rest of the defence with Shaun Rooney, Kevin McHattie and Mark Ridgers all nursing knocks after the Alloa game last week. Lewis Toshney is cup-tied (is he even a real thing), although Cameron Harper has been recalled from Elgin City. According to the latest news, we have a clean bill of health after all the knocks last week, minus Toshney who is cup-tied. Here's Johnny..... Livingston went with an unchanged starting XI against Ross County in midweek, but added Dolly Menga to the bench in place of Alan Lithgow. XI: McCrorie; McMillan, Taylor-Sinclair, Brown, Guthrie, Bartley, Pittman, Sibbald, Lawless, Robinson, Dykes. Subs: Maley, Lamie, Lawson, Jacobs, Crawford, Souda, Menga.

Inverness Pay The Penalty Inverness slumped again when others around them were faltering, this time only drawing with second bottom Alloa. A first half penalty was tucked away by Iain Flannigan after Shaun Rooney and or Brad Mckay rashly bundled Kevin O'Hara over in the box. We eventually equalised through Jordan White on the hour when he held off the defenders challenge in the box to turn and slot home from close range. White should have won the game with the last attack of the match but headed against the bar when it looked easier to score. Despite a dominant second half, Mark Ridgers had to be alert to block an effort from close range on the rare occasion Alloa ventured forth while we squandered numerous opportunities to make debut keeper Wright work too hard. Despite the dropped points, Inverness remain second top, and Alloa remain second bottom. Shaun Rooney appears to be here until the summer and he was on the park at right back. Tom Walsh started with James Keatings out injured, and Brad Mckay and Kevin McHattie filled the Coll & Jamie shaped hole in the heart of our defence. Alloa were without the injured Jamie MacDonald and young debutante Kieran Wright was in goal. Goal shark Kevin O'Hara was the sting in the Wasps attack. Inverness kick started the game but it was Kevin O'Hara that was first to make a keeper work, Ridgers holding on to his long range effort. Inverness responded and a blocked shot from Aaron Doran brought a corner to the hosts and then Tom Walsh had his attempt blocked as well before O'Hara once more tried his lick from distance, the ball deflecting for a corner. The first decent opportunity fell to Jordan White but Kieran Wright grabbed the ball comfortably as White failed to connect properly. Carl Tremarco popped up towards the front of the box at a corner and his header dipped just over the bar as Inverness looked most likely to score. Alloa broke the one way traffic when a Kevin McHattie back header was intercepted by Robert Thomson, thankfully he shot wide, but it was the hosts that mostly held the upper hand. Miles Storey broke down the right side and cut the ball low across the box but Doran smothered his shot and it trundled safely into the arms of the keeper. White saw a header sail over the bar, unfortunately that would be a recurring theme for the big striker. Boom! Out of nowhere, Alloa were afforded room down our right side and when O'Hara broke into the box, a combination of Brad Mckay and Shaun Rooney targeted the Alloa man. It looked as though it was Rooney who unceremoniously barged O'Hara over as Mckay tugged his man and there was no hesitation from Kevin Clancy as he pointed to the spot. Ridgers guessed right, but Iain Flannigan had sufficient power on his spot kick to find the bottom corner, just out of Mark's reach. If it's any consolation to us, Coll Donaldson did likewise for County yesterday. Meh! Almost immediately, we could have equalised. However Storey set a new record for vertical shooting as he lashed a great ball into the box high above the stand, straight out of the Jordan White heading textbook. Trafford fired a shot from twenty-five yards but it was straight down the young keepers throat as he parried then picked up the ball. Storey saw a header saved by Wright but it was at the other end where a goal almost came. Ridgers and or McHattie had to be at their best to deny Cawley after we got in a bit of a scrambulation in and around our own box. Another chance would come our way as White met a deep cross, but as he stretched out to volley the ball he could only knock it tamely into the goalies gloves. Half Time 0-1 We looked more urgent at the start of the second half and pinned Alloa onto the back foot, but a couple of deflected efforts came and went without troubling Wright too much. Sean Welsh made a welcome return to action and on the hour, White would not be denied though and the big lad did well to control an awkward ball into the box from Welsh on the right, hold off his marker and turn the ball into the net from six yards. No more than we deserved at this point in the game. We looked as though we were going to overrun Alloa now as Rooney began to surge forward but his sterling efforts saw no takers in the box, Doran being denied a couple of times. However, Alloa reminded us that they were also on the park when Ridgers had to make a great save to deny O'Hara after James Vincent gift wrapped a loose ball to the visitors. Best moment of the match from the hosts when substitute David Carson skipped across the Alloa defence before shooting just wide. Close but no cigar! In a frantic ending to the game Ridgers made a desperate stop to deny O'Hara or Alan Trouten, White headed over, Doran had a shot saved and right at the death Jordan White smacked the bar with a close range header when he should have been bugling the net. Doh! Mark Ridgers was our MotM with Shaun Rooney having a good second half. Good to see Walsh and Welsh getting up to speed and wee David Carson looked lively when he came on, really unlucky with the rasping shot that fizzed past the corner of the post and bar. Bottom line though is it's more points dropped against teams at the bottom end of the table, and that won't be good enough to keep us in second place should we continue to falter. The goals.... Speaking to BBC Sport Inverness CT assistant manager Barry Wilson: "I'm frustrated. We were chasing the game after the penalty, which we felt was of the soft variety. Results elsewhere went for us but we've not taken our chance to go further ahead." Alloa Athletic manager Peter Grant: "I've been delighted with our performances. We showed another side today the way they had to dig in at a tough place to come." Full Highlights from Caley Jags TV........... Bazza was on post match duty........ Date: 01/02/2020 Venue: Caledonian Stadium Attendance: 1914 Referee: Kevin Clancy Inverness CT: 1 Lineup: Ridgers; Rooney, B Mckay, McHattie, Tremarco, Doran, Trafford (Welsh 57), Vincent (MacGregor 73), Walsh (Carson 74), Storey, White Subs (not used): C Mackay; Harper, Toshney, Todorov Scorers: White (59) Booked: Storey (45+1) Sent Off: none Alloa Athletic: 1 Lineup: Wright; Taggart, Dick, Deas, Stirling, Hetherington, Cawley, Robertson, Flannigan, O'Hara, Thomson (Trouten (63)) Subs (not used): Wilson, Gilhooley, O'Donnell, Buchanan, Connelly Scorers: Flannigan (30 pen) Booked: Sent Off: none a

***Game off*** There's another preview wasted; meh! It's Dobbie time. Steven Dobbie takes the rest of his entourage North this weekend as Inverness host Queen of the South at the Caledonian Stadium. The game kicks off at 3:00pm and let's hope the wind and rain relents somewhat so we can avoid trampolines and other objects seen hurtling around Inverness this past week. Oh dear, the weather has won, the game has been called off on Friday after a 12:00inspection. Our last game saw a return to form as we ran out comfortable winners over a resurgent Dundee at Dens Park. Two superb first half goals from Aaron Doran and James Keatings gave us the platform to go on and dominate the first forty-five and from there on in we were never in danger. What a difference a week made after the disappointment of the Arbroath defeat to end 2019. The Doonhamers took on the other half of Dundee at Palmerston but narrowly went down 1-0 as Mark Connolly headed the winner early into the second half. After last week's games, Queen of the South find themselves in sixth position, ten points behind second place Inverness but still only three points above the relegation play-off place occupied by Morton. These two teams have a crucial catch up game to play against each other. Lots of players moving back and fore in the January sales and Mitch Curry has returned to Middlesbrough after his injury disrupted spell in the Highlands. I suppose he was more of a Korma than a Vindaloo, but good luck to him for the future. Less pleasing are the strong rumours that Coll Donaldson could be on his way over the bridge on a pre-contract while Shaun Rooney could be heading to Dundee, with St Johnstone showing interest as well. Another in danger of leaving is Tom Walsh, although he would be less of a miss due to recent injury problems, although on his game he can be a match winner. I'm afraid money talks, and we won't be splashing much cash around unless we get contracts bought out now. Anyway, it's all speculation at the moment, but it's no secret that Donaldson and a few others would prefer a bigger wage. In fact, rumours would have it that half our squad are being targeted such is our financial disposition. Cest la vie! Gringo's thoughts.......... Caley Jags are so difficult to predict these days. They blow very hot and cold. This should be a massive three points for us but....I'm struggling to find any confidence that they can do so. Distractions of higher wages and new contracts could have an affect on the minds especially if we concede the first goal. Some guys might get that 'well I'm leaving soon for a higher wage anyway so this game doesn't matter attitude' I'd hope they are more professional than that though. NPL says FT 2-1 Pfffftttt A bit damp around the penalty box

Bleak House We were hoping for a White Xmas, instead we got a Dickensian novel, Bleak House, as Arbroath deservedly took all three points with a disciplined performance against a complete team of misfits with only Mark Ridgers earning his crust. The goal came just after the break with Luke Donnelly stroking home after we lost the ball near the visitors box. That triggered a terse exchange between Ridgers and his defence with Rooney the brunt of the exchange. All this came after an eye gouging first half which was topped by a more than inept second half with Arbroath more likely to increase their lead without having to try too hard. You can only paper over the cracks for so long and today we were found wanting as part time Arbroath, not for the first time this season, turned us over. It's such a shame that a decade of so many highs has ended with an all time low. Ridgers had to make a great block in the first half and two terrific second half saves to spare our blushes further whilst we were incapable of troubling the keeper who worked harder kicking the mud off his boots on the goal post than dealing with anything Inverness had to offer. On a weekend when every other result was in our favour, we could not help ourselves, and that's a bit of a concern. In fact, we are almost as close to Alloa Athletic as we are to Dundee United, only one point in it. I suggest we will be closer to the team at the bottom come the end of the season. Mark Ridgers was our MotM and that should tell you all you need to know about our inability to trouble Arbroath. I can't think of any outfield player who deserved passmarks other than possibly Miles Storey who at least put in some effort although not always channeling his runs in the right direction or getting an end product with wasteful crosses. Charlie Trafford made less mistakes than others, but played it safe instead of hurting the defence. Otherwise, we were a complete omnishambles. We remain second in the league for now, but unless we kick on, then we won't be there come the end of the season. Take nothing away from Arbroath who will be rightly delighted with the result, but this report is all about our inability to play football at a level required for promotion. In truth, the Smokies cigared this, so well done to them for a very successful year Manager reaction from BBC Sport: Inverness CT manager, John Robertson: "We were horrendous, quite as simple and straightforward as that. From the first whistle we looked lacklustre, didn't have any energy, any zip, didn't move the ball about. It looked like the players thought it's only little old Arbroath - little old Arbroath showed exactly what it takes to be a professional football team." Arbroath manager, Dick Campbell: "Anybody watching the game today would respect what we're about and it wasn't an undeserved result for me. To come up here and score a great goal like we did is fantastic - and I didn't see my keeper having having a lot to do. I couldn't be happier with points, I'm that soft and might give them Tuesday off now." Angry John...... Match reaction on CTO Plenty of unhappy Bunnies. Doofers Dad: I'm finding it hard to understand that a team that has been playing pretty well recently, who could have increased the gap between 2nd & 3rd to 6 points and who should have felt they had a point to prove after a poor 3-0 defeat earlier in the season at Arbroath, can put in such a truly awful performance. They should have been really up for this game. Instead, it looked as if most of them simply couldn't be bothered. And I don't think I can remember a game when possession has been given away so easily so often. It was like watching a 2nd rate pub side at times. It was just dreadful. Jack: I cannot believe the ***** I've just witnessed. We're bloody 2nd in the league and are being played around by a part time team who's main striker works the bin lorry every other day. Muirtown Jaggy: Slow, predictable, lethargic, sloppy....... it was hard to tell who the part time team was !!!!!!! Absolutely woeful, some players really need to be having a word with themselves. Does Robbo have enough about him to sort this out !!!! Not so sure. Caley100: That was a feckin disgrace. Total rubbish from start to finish! You would think Robbo and the coaches would have learned after the last two games against Arbroath what tactics would be an improvement. Rig: That was the first time Arbroath have ever beaten us in Inverness and, based on today, it'll be a long time until we beat them again. A truly shocking performance from ICT. Yngwie: Had a question for you all...... Question: Which spectators sat through both this and the corresponding away defeat? Answer: The ICT outfield! ? Have a great 2020, see you all then. tm4tj and the editorial team Date: 28/12/2019 Venue: Caledonian Stadium Attendance: 2287 Referee: Graham Beaton Inverness CT: 0 Lineup: Ridgers; Rooney, Donaldson, McCart, McHattie, Doran (Curry 64), Carson, Trafford, Storey, Keatings (MacGregor 64), White (Todorov 70) Subs (not used): C Mackay; B Mckay, Tremarco, Vincent, Scorers: none Booked: none Sent Off: none Arbroath: 1 Lineup: Gaston; Whatley, Little, O'Brien, Hamilton, Stewart, Virtanen, Gold (Murphy 83), Linn (Kader 73), McKenna, Donnelly (Spence 77) Subs (not used): Jamieson, Thomson, Swankie, Doris. Scorers: Donnelly (47) Booked: Hamilton (20), Virtanen (76) Sent Off: none a

I'm dreaming of a White Xmas Arbroath will be the visitors this weekend as they head North for this Championship encounter with Inverness at the Caledonian Stadium, 3:00pm will be the kick off time. It's the last game of 2019, so come along and see if we can keep our form going and maybe get some revenge for our last encounter with Arbroath. The Smokies certainly smoked the Caley Jags in the last encounter when they ran away with the game in a deserved 3-0 win at Gayfield. Scott Stewart opened the scoring in the first half and a Bobby Linn penalty was added to by Omar Kader late in the second half to hand Inverness their second 3-0 reverse in a week. In truth, the scoreline that day flattered Inverness although we can point a finger at a virus that was working it's way through the Caledonian Stadium around that time. Since that defeat at the beginning of November we have put together a decent run apart from a setback at Firhill a fortnight ago when we lost 3-1 again to Partick Thistle. It started with another virus induced laboured performance over Clyde (0-0) in the Chocolate Biscuit Cup. It went to penalties where Mark Ridgers made two saves to see us through. Partick apart, we have played four Championship games without conceding a goal whilst scoring seven with wins over rivals Dundee, Ayr United, Alloa and Dunfermline. In that same period, Arbroath have had five Championship games without a win, managing only two points from draws with Dundee and Ayr United. They also needed a replay in the Scottish Cup to see off Auchinleck Talbot after a 1-1 draw at Beechwood Park, Ayrshire. After the 3-0 result at Gayfield, Arbroath found themselves level on 20 points with Inverness, but these results now show a 10 point gap has opened up as we move to second while Arbroath sit in seventh. Last time out we overcame Dunfermline in the Highlands with a hard fought but deserved 2-0 win although we had to thank Mark Ridgers for making two or three crucial blocks to keep the Pars out, or to be more precise Kevin Nisbet from scoring. Otherwise, it was a competent performance with a goal in each half from Shaun Rooney and Jamie McCart. Whilst we were beating the Pars, Arbroath were going down at Palmerston to Queen of the South. A Dan Pybus strike and an own goal from Ricky Little secured the points for the Dumfries side and continued Arbroaths poor run. Championship games this weekend starting with the Dundee derby on Friday night. Yes it's derby weekend all round and Arbroath are our nearest........ Dundee United v Dundee (Friday) Ayr United v Queen of the South Dunfermline Athletic v Alloa Athletic Inverness CT v Arbroath Morton v Partick Thistle Here's our goals from the win over Dunfermline last week. Team News John Robertson has been without Sean Welsh for nearly three months now and Tom Walsh is catching him up as he sits out for another week with his hamstring. Brad Mckay was not in the squad last week either but James Vincent returned to the bench before coming on as a sub. Kevin McHattie deputised for Carl Tremarco last week who had taken a knock the previous week, however, Tremarco, Vincent and Mckay should all be in the squad tomorrow. I'm sure Robbo will be looking for more return from his strikers who had the day off last week with defenders Rooney and McCart doing the business. So, like Gregor, we can all dream of a White Xmas, just like the ones we used to know and hope the big man starts scoring again. Arbroath went with this line-up against Queen of the South at Palmerston and Dick Campbell is happy enough with his sides contribution to the Championship so far. And so he should be, especially the likes of Bobby Linn who likes a goal against the Caley Jags. Arbroath manager Dick Campbell has taken heart from recent performances in some tough games even though he thought they deserved more points. “I will happily admit that we are ahead of where I thought we would be at this stage and if we finish with a couple of teams below us by the end of the season then I will be a very happy man.” If you like a wee flutter, our partnership with FansBet can offer you something. Just click on FansBet to get started. "Remember to select CaleyThistleOnline when you register and you’ll be helping us support ICT fan causes." FansBet are partners with Supporters Direct Scotland and already have many impressive stories of giving back to and empowering fans, ranging from funding away travel, share purchases, backing safe standing projects and many more. You can read some of FansBet’s Giving Back stories on their blog at https://blog.fansbet.com/fansbet-giving-back/partners/fan/

Xmas Cheer Inverness collected all three points with an ultimately deserved win over a persistent Dunfermline Athletic. Despite mostly dominating the first half, we had Mark Ridgers to thank thrice for excellent blocks to deny Kevin Nisbet on each occasion, one just before the break was crucial, and that meant that Shaun Rooney's goal around the half hour gave Inverness the lead at the interval. The Pars were more prominent in the second half without really threatening, but Ridgers had to make another good block to thwart Nisbet again to keep his clean sheet, and a second half header from Jamie McCart sealed the win with ten minutes remaining. This result keeps Inverness four clear in second place with Dundee United disappearing over the horizon. Carl Tremarco was out injured with Kevin McHattie taking his place and Tom Walsh and Brad Mckay missed out again. Stevie Crawford was without the suspended Greg Kiltie, Joe Thomson getting his first start for nine months. Paul Paton and Lewis McCann started with Harry Cochrane and Kyle Turner on the bench alongside former Inverness loan player Anthony McDonald. A tentative opening quarter by both sides with James Keatings shooting just wide early on from inside the box. Mark Ridgers made his first save from Kevin Nisbet after 15 minutes when he spread himself well to deny the on form striker, then grabbed his follow up header. That was slightly against the run of play, but showed that the Pars would be dangerous on the counter. Scully was forced into making a fingertip save from what looked to be a header from one of his own defenders, the ball being tipped behind for a corner after a dangerous cross into the box with Jordan White lurking with intent. Neither keeper was overworked but after half an hour Inverness opened the scoring when Shaun Rooney was on hand to knock a Keatings cross behind Scully from 10 yards after a corner was cleared back to the Caley Jags man out wide. The hosts were now in control of midfield with Charlie Trafford and David Carson prominent and Scully had more to deal with than Ridgers, but on the stroke of half time the big Inverness keeper did well to prevent Nisbet getting an equaliser as he spread himself once more when one on one. Half Time 1-0 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ What the managers said on BBC Sport Inverness Caledonian Thistle manager John Robertson: "On the face of it, it seems the perfect day. As a manager you want the three points, a clean sheet and the performance too. "We were a big threat at set pieces and I think that second goal at the end of the day was deserved. We still had to concentrate, still had to be lively as Dunfermline have players who can hurt you if you don't keep an eye on them." Dunfermline manager Stevie Crawford: "It's a very difficult place to come, we had chances we could've scored from and were punished. "The second-half we huffed and puffed. Inverness managed the game really well, and we never created enough goalscoring chances to get back into the game." ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Dunfermline looked more determined after the break but with little cutting edge Ridgers was left to deal with the odd cross and a few clearances. The hosts were looking more comfortable as the half wore on and with a bit more composure could have added to their tally. Jamie McCart headed over from a corner with twenty minutes left as the home fans were looking for the cushion of a two goal lead. It would come ten minutes from the end and this time McCart rose unchallenged at the back to loop a header across the keeper into the far corner. Bit of a soft goal for Dunfermline to lose but a vital second goal for Inverness. Still work to do and Ridgers denied Nisbet for a third time with another excellent block to hold on to the clean sheet. The game ran away from the Pars and at the end of the day they can have little complaints after failing to capitalise on three one on ones with Ridgers who stood firm and gets my vote for MotM. Mark was well supported by his back line who were prepared to defend in depth when needed and willing to turn defence into attack with some great out balls. Defensively sound for most of the game that was a great way to get over the defeat at Firhill last week and puts a wee dent in the Pars run towards the play-off places. Shaun Rooney was the sponsors vote and he had a great second half with a couple of trademark bursts down the touchline. Aaron Doran was also lively and kept the visitors defence on their toes. There were some failures, but it's not a day for complaints with three points in the bag and a clean sheet. Here's the goals............ Here's Dunfermlines take on the game..... Robbo match reaction......... Table and Championship scores from yesterday Inverness CT 2-0 Dunfermline Alloa Athletic 0-2 Morton Dundee United 4-0 Ayr United Partick Thistle 0-1 Dundee Queen of the South 2-0 Arbroath Date: 19/12/2019 Venue: Caledonian Stadium Attendance: 2116 Referee: Alan Newlands Inverness CT: 2 Lineup: Ridgers; Rooney, Donaldson, McCart, McHattie, Doran (Todorov 89), Carson, Trafford, Storey, Keatings (Vincent 74), White (Curry 85) Subs (not used): C Mackay, Harper, Machado, MacGregor. Scorers: Rooney (33), McCart (80) Booked: Donaldson (65) Sent Off: none Dunfermline Ath: 0 Lineup: Scully; Comrie, Ashcroft, Devine, Martin, Dow, Beadling (Turner 43), Paton, Thomson (Ryan 74), Nisbet, McCann (McDonald 62) Subs (not used): Gill; Lang, Cochrane, Edwards. Scorers: none Booked: Comrie (35) Sent Off: none a

Festive Fare It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas and Dunfermline Athletic are the visitors on Saturday with both clubs looking to bounce back after disappointing results last weekend. The game will kick off at 3:00pm at the Caledonian Stadium as Xmas shopping start to bite. So, if you want to avoid all the mind numbing festive jingles in the retail park, get yourself down to the Stadium and get behind the Caley Jags as they try to fend off a Dunfermline side who will be challenging for a play-off slot come the end of the season. Once again we slumped to defeat against a Partick side that were thrashed 5-1 by the Pars recently, albeit the Harry Wraggs had a man sent off in the fourth minute. That's a second 3-1 doing from Partick this season. Alex Jones opened the scoring just after the interval but a superb James Keatings overhead kick restored parity before Steve Saunders put the Partick Jags back in front. Dario Zanatta ended the scoring and made the points secure in injury time and left the Inverness fans frustrated by our inability to break down the hosts and take something from the game. Meanwhile, Dunfermline staged a mini comeback with ten men against Dundee after trailing 4-1. A couple of late counters were not quite enough to earn them a point but once more Kevin Nisbet was on the scoresheet. The Pars other scorers were Ryan Dow in the first half and second half goals from Nisbet and Lewis Martin. Greg Kiltie was sent off after an hour which made the fightback all the more remarkable but they fell just short. Kiltie will miss the game against Inverness. Other Championship fixtures this weekend Alloa Athletic v Morton Dundee United v Ayr United Partick Thistle v Dundee Queen of the South v Arbroath Inverness CT v Dunfermline This is the second meeting this season, the first ended in a narrow 1-0 win for Inverness at East End Park. A Danny Devine foul allowing Sean Welsh to score from the spot. Our last ten competitive meetings shows four wins each and two draws. Inverness have won the last two encounters, both by 1-0 scorelines. Five players in the current squads have played for both clubs, Brad Mckay, Jordan White, Shaun Rooney, James Vincent and Danny Devine. Six if Anthony McDonald gets some game time for the Pars. Remember kids, don't let anyone tell you Santa is not for real. Here is Buffy the Vampire Santa all prepared for her day in the press box at the Caledonian Stadium. Prior to the game, she will be in the bar getting tanked up for the day ahead. Busy period for all Santa's. James Vincent returns to the squad on Saturday after a full weeks training although he might have to settle for a place on the bench. No word on Tom Walsh although I suspect he will be missing once more. Brad Mckay was on the bench last week. With the sports bar open from 1:00pm, there's every chance that Santa will be over the limit, watch this space.......... Here's Steveie Crawford ahead of the game this Saturday....

Storey is Miles better.... Inverness did what they had to do to remain in second place, and they did it in style. A fine finish from Jordan White in the 20th minute was built upon by born again Miles Storey after the break who sprinted from ten yards inside the halfway line before drilling the ball through keeper Doohan who will feel he should have done better on that occasion. However, Doohan was the reason that the score remained closer than it should have been with a handful of excellent saves to deny the eager Caley Jags men who thouroughly deserved the win to keep them behind leaders Dundee United. Inverness went unchanged from last weeks win over Alloa Athletic whilst Ayr United were likewise with Steven Bell coming on to the bench. Inverness were looking for their third win on the trot and in contrast Ayr were looking to avoid a hat-trick of defeats on the bounce. A crowd of under 2000 were on hand to watch this game as the miserable weather continued with a blustery wind adding to the clilled downpours. The hosts started in confident mode and Jordan White headed a James Keatings corner over in the fifth minute. Aaron Doran was poleaxed on the edge of the box a minute later but the referee was not interested. The first of many frustrating calls by a referee out of his depth. Keatings volleyed across the box but it narrowly missed the keepers left hand post as the pressure mounted on the Ayr goal. A free kick over and another effort from Keatings showed our intent and a goal was imminent. Ayr's one fleeting glimpse of goal in the first half came when a long ball forward saw Mark Ridgers come thirty yards off his line only to miss the tackle. However, by the time Ayr got the ball under control and lofted it towards the box Inverness had bodies back and the opportunity fizzled out. David Carson picked up the ball in an attacking area inside the centre circle and drove forward before feeding White just outside the box. The big man took one touch then offloaded early as a defender tried to block. This seemed to wrong foot the keeper and the ball was tucked into the bottom corner with Ross Doohan stranded. Great goal from the big striker and no more than Inverness deserved. Miles Storey was beginning to see more of the ball after a sloppy start to the game with some wasted opportunities to deliver a telling ball. He got on the end of a long clearance from Ridgers but Doohan saved comfortably low down. He forced Doohan to earn his money shortly before the break after we dispossessed Ayr near the centre circly. The ball fell to Storey and he strode forward before unleashing atesting 25 yard effort that the keeper did well to claw away with a diving save. Half Time 1-0 Ayr began the second half on the front foot as the Caley Jags looked content to weather the storm, however Ayr got the break of the ball after a clearance fell kindly to them off the back of a defender but Alan Forrest shot across the face of the goal sneaked just wide of the post. Storey was looking sharper as the game wore on and when a clearance from a corner came to him some 15 yards inside his own half he did what he can do best. He sprinted clear with pace and power before deciding whether to cross or shoot. He elected to shoot and the ball squirmed away from Doohan and rolled slowly into the net for a superb individual goal. That eased the pressure in the home stands and gave us a cushion to work with. That second goal seemed to take the wind out of the Ayr sails and we looked most likely to add to our tally. Carl Tremarco went off injured to be replace by Kevin McHattie just after the hour. With twenty minutes left, Keatings and Doran linked well around the box and when Keatings returned the pass to Doran it took a superb reaction save from Doohan to keep the score at 2-0 after Doran's shot from 10 yards was goalbound. Storey was now in full flow and when he burst down the right flank, his cross was met first time by Keatings only for Doohan to pull off another tremendous save low down to his left. Ayr's best moment came soon after when Ridgers did well to spread himself and block an effort from Mark McKenzie after he was set clear on the right side of the box. The Doran and Keatings double act linked well again and after Doran jinked his way into the box it was left to Doohan to once more deny Inverness a third goal with five minutes left. We finished the game on the front foot and Todorov saw a header booted off the line as the game ran away from Ayr. Good afternoons entertainment despite the horrendous conditions and a well deserved three points for the hosts. Miles Storey was given the sponsors MotM award and few could complain about that although David Carson has picked up most votes on the CTO voting. No failures today with the defence once more back to their best, three wins and three clean sheets. Carson and Charlie Trafford were in control of the midfield and Miles Storey used his power to good effect, especially in the second half. James Keating was unfortunate not to score today and but for some heroics from Ross Doohan, Inverness could have gone nap! Weekend Scores in the Championship Inverness CT 2-0 Ayr United Arbroath 1-1 Dundee Dundee Utd 2-1 Alloa Dunfermline 3-1 Morton Queen ot South 1-2 Partick Miles Better...........MotM Robbo impressed........... Match highlights from Caley Jags TV Date: 07/12/2019 Venue: Caledonian Stadium Attendance: 1833 Referee: Gavin Ross Inverness CT: 2 Lineup: Ridgers; Rooney, Donaldson, McCart, Tremarco (McHattie 64), Doran, Carson, Trafford, Storey, Keatings (MacGregor 85), White (Todorov 86) Subs (not used): C Mackay; B Mckay, Harper, Curry Scorers: White (20), Storey (63) Booked: Rooney (39) Sent Off: none Ayr United: 0 Lineup: Doohan; Houston, Muirhead, Byrne, Harvie, Geggan (McKenzie 68), Docherty, Kelly, Moffat (Kerr 78), Moore, Forrest (McGuffie 69) Subs (not used): Hare-Reid; Bell, Ecrepont. Scorers: none Booked: McKenzie (90+2) Sent Off: none a

Ayr Pressure Ayr United will try to keep the pressure on Inverness in this top end clash this weekend as the Honest Men come North looking for three points after their midweek loss to the Pars, whilst the Caley Jags will be hoping to make it three wins on the bounce. It's second versus third in the Championship and an opportunity for the hosts to consolidate their position within the top four whilst doing some damage to the other contenders. Ayr United lost 1-0 at Somerset Park to Dunfermline Athletic thanks to a strike from Kevin Nisbet, his ninth goal in five games. Inverness remained in second place and this game would be the perfect time to lay down a marker and state our intentions. Defeat would be a blow and undo the good work of the last couple of weeks and hand Ayr, Dundee and Dunfermline the impetus to get right in the mix for second place. We overcame a difficult hurdle last week by beating Alloa Athletic 2-0 at the Indodrill Stadium. It took a fortuitous Scott Taggart own goal to get us going but there was nothing fortunate about Aaron Doran's half volley from 17 yards after Jordan White layed off the ball to him just on the break. No further scoring after the interval but the Wasps had a Dick sent off for a rash challenge on James Keatings. The week before, we had battled hard for a narrow win over Dundee, Doran scoring the winner in that game. It's good to see Doran getting back amongst the goals. He is the top scorer in our squad with 44 goals in 263 appearances and has scored four times this season. His form has picked up recently and he is starting to look a lot sharper than he was at the start of the season. The sketch is one by local artist Sophie Robb. There's been a murder & Pick that one out...... Here's the goals from the Rooney show @ Somerset Park... Team News from Ayr United web site: Steven Bell returns to the squad after illness but Kris Doolan and long-term absentees Jamie Adams and Andy Murdoch remain on the sidelines. Luke McCowan serves the second game of his two match ban. Mark Kerr said: “We were extremely disappointed on Tuesday night with the result and the performance so it’s good to have another game quickly to try and rectify that. It is never easy playing against Inverness but we have a big incentive knowing a win will put us back into second place. We are heading up this morning (Friday) and training this afternoon so we will be well prepared.” Championship games on Saturday 14th December Inverness CT v Ayr United Arbroath v Dundee Dundee United v Alloa Athletic Dunfermline v Morton Queen of the South v Partick Thistle Heeeeeeeere's Johnny............ And here's a man on good form just now.............. If you like a wee flutter, our partnership with FansBet can offer you something. Just click on FansBet to get started. "Remember to select CaleyThistleOnline when you register and you’ll be helping us support ICT fan causes." FansBet are partners with Supporters Direct Scotland and already have many impressive stories of giving back to and empowering fans, ranging from funding away travel, share purchases, backing safe standing projects and many more. You can read some of FansBet’s Giving Back stories on their blog at https://blog.fansbet.com/fansbet-giving-back/partners/fan/ .

Getting better! Inverness edged above Dundee in the table after a hard fought 1-0 victory in the Highlands. An Aaron Doran goal in the 16th minute was enough to take all three points in a game that Dundee enjoyed the possession but it was their hosts that created the better chances although we had Carl Tremarco to thank for a wonderful headed clearance to prevent the ball from ending up in the net before the interval. We weathered a Dundee fightback and should have added a second when Doran was clean through but dallied on the ball which allowed Hazard to snatch the ball from his feet when he really should have been bulging the net. However, his early counter was sufficient to move us into third place in the Championship. With the virus on the wane, we managed to get one or two back on the park but were still without James Vincent, Mitch Curry, Roddy MacGregor, Tom Walsh and Sean Welsh with Shaun Rooney and James Keatings making the bench. Dundee had Josh Meekings on from the start but there was no room for Danny Johnson who started on the Dark Blues bench. The hosts brought out the first save of the game when Conor Hazard comfortably denied Aaron Doran in the third minute from a free kick. Declan McDaid was looking dangerous for the visitors but the final ball was proving to be elusive despite Dundee enjoying the lions share of possession. David Carson had a shot blocked but in the sixteenth minute he would be the provider for Doran to score from a very tight angle as he met Carson's cross outside the back post. The wee man tucked the ball away brilliantly into the roof of the net to open the scoring. Carson's next attempt will probably enter the Guinness Book of Records for the wildest sliced shot in the history of the game; ever. We were living somewhat dangerously at times but the lads were putting in some effort as we kept Dundee at arms length with Mark Ridgers having little to do other than gather a few crosses comfortably. For all their possession, we were untroubled at the back until captain Carl Tremarco appeared from nowhere on the line to make a diving headed clearance from one of his own defenders (McCart) with Ridgers caught in no mans land a couple of minutes before the break. Where did he come from??? Half Time 1-0 No changes at the interval and the pattern continued, Dundee with the ball, Inverness with the determination to keep them out. Around the hour and Inverness passed on a glorious chance to seal the points. Doran was sent clean through on goal from the halfway line, but as he decided what to do, Hazard stole the ball off him before he made his mind up when it looked simple enough to shoot into the net. Great opportunity gone for a two goal cushion. The flow of the game was changing now as we became more visible around the visitors box and it was Dundee who were now looking to hit on the break as we flashed a number of balls across their box, but no takers for them. Fortunately our defensive unit was in solid formation and everyone was doing their job which restricted Dundee to fleeting glimpses of our penalty box with some great last ditch tackling preventing Dundee on the few occasions they tried to progress. It had been an edgy afternoon for the fans in the North stand, but we played out the final ten minutes at the right end of the park and Doran should have made the keeper work but his curled effort from the edge of the box dipped over the bar. Keatings did similar with a free kick as we ended the game on top and claimed all three points. This was a much improved performance from the one that saw the side slated for a lack of everything against Clyde in the Challenge cup a week ago. Tremendous effort all over the park although it took Miles Story about 85 minutes to burst into life. David Carson won the sponsors MotM, but today there were a few candidates all over the park. Great to see the defence keep a clean sheet and my MotM is going to Coll Donaldson who along with Carl Tremarco put their bodies on the line time and time again. What a captains clearance from Tommy to keep us ahead at the interval and Donaldson and McCart were back to their best and singing from the same hymn sheets today. Aaron Doran put in some shift, especially in the second half when he back tracked numerous times, much better from the wee man who scored his fourth goal of the season. Good all round effort from everyone, but it will be in vain if we can't keep up the same energy levels when playing the Alloa's and Arbroath's of this league. We have played better, but let's not forget that Dundee were expected to be at the top end of the league, so to take all three points from a tough encounter is pleasing. ? Doran's goal with Carson's assist Match reaction from BBC Sport Inverness CT manger John Robertson: "Our game plan was excellent and we had a real threat on the break. Our tactics were spot on today and we were competitive over the park for 70 minutes. "If we'd been a wee bit more clinical we could have won by a couple in the end. "It's a pleasing win. We felt we could keep getting at them. In the end I think we deserved the win and did enough to merit all three points." Dundee manager James McPake: "There wasn't much between the teams but we just didn't perform to the levels we've shown we can get to. "I think we were very wasteful. We had a lot of possession but not in the right areas where we should be hurting teams." Date: 23/11/2019 Venue: Caledonian Stadium Attendance: 2184 Referee: David Munro Inverness CT: 1 Lineup: Ridgers; B Mckay (Rooney 71), Donaldson, McCart, Tremarco (Keatings 82), Doran, Carson, Trafford, McHattie, Storey, White (Todorov 64) Subs (not used): C Mackay; Harper, Machado, Hyde Scorers: Doran (16) Booked: Todorov (74), Donaldson(75), Doran (83),Trafford (90) Sent Off: none Dundee: 0 Lineup: Hazard; McGhee (Kerr 70), Forster, Meekings, Mackie, Byrne (Todd 61), Dorrans, Ness, McGowan (Johnson 61), Hemmings, McDaid. Subs (not used): Ferrie; McPake, Robertson, Moore. Scorers: none Booked: Hemmings (75), Dorrans (90+1). Sent Off: none a

Dark Blue test Crunch game coming up and the Xmas trees are not even up in living rooms across the North. Dundee venture forth to the Highland capital on Saturday as we look to get back on track after a disastrous run of results that has yielded only one win in our last six games. Kick off is at 3:00pm. Crushing defeats to Dundee United and Arbroath were particular lowlights, but the manner of our performance against League 1 Clyde in the Challenge Cup left a lot to be desired. We looked as uncomfortable as Prince Andrew at an interview but thankfully our penalty kicks were emphatic enough to see us through. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ League Match Ticket Prices Adult Senior Citizen 16-25 Under 16 Main £22 £17 £17 £6 North/Away £20 £15 £15 £6 Tickets available from the Club Shop, over the phone on 01463 222880 and online HERE All Armed Forces personnel can gain entry to Saturday’s game against Dundee for the discounted price of £10. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Having picked up only four points from a possible fifteen in our last five Championship games, we find ourselves above Arbroath on goal difference only and one point behind this week's visitors Dundee with their neighbours United looking likely to run away with the title. This is the only Championship game on this weekend with others involved in the Scottish Cup Dundee have been indifferent lately, but nine points from their last five games have seen them climb above us in the table after an inauspicious start to the season. Two defeats to Partick Thistle and the Arabs were countered by wins over Morton, Alloa and Ayr United. Inverness have suffered badly over the last few weeks as a sickness bug took it's toll on the playing staff and management team. That could explain our recent dip in performances since we beat Queen of the South 2-0 at Palmerston at the end of October. Tom Walsh, Roddy MacGregor and Shaun Rooney will miss out along with Sean Welsh. Here's Robbo talking ahead of tomorrows game. Dundee boss James McPake had this team for the Dundee derby last time out:- Dundee (V Dundee Utd): Hazard, Kerr, Forster, McGhee, Mackie, Byrne, Dorrans, McGowan (Johnson 64′), McDaid, Nelson (McPake 66′), Hemmings. Dundee have a full squad other than keeper Jack Hamilton who misses out through illness.

Clyde pay the penalty Clyde were the visitors for the quarter final tie in the Chocolate Biscuit Cup and it was literally survival of the fittest for both sides who had depleted squads. A sickness bug at the Caledonian Stadium has been doing the rounds on and off the park and Clyde were somewhat diminished with an injury ravaged squad. Strangely, Inverness fielded what on paper was almost a regular first team squad. Not necessarily a good thing to be honest. Clyde were without top scorer David Goodwillie amongst others. Let's be frank, this was a rank rotten performance with Inverness looking like a second division Welfare team. That's maybe doing Welfare league sides a disservice such was our inability to play football. We struggled badly to create anything worthy of note and Clyde looked more likely to score from open play than us. We had MotM Mark Ridgers to thank for a couple of great saves, one in particular warming the palms of the home fans when McStay let fly from 25 yards. We couldn't muster any decent chances in 93 minutes of football. Thankfully, our penalty kicks were brilliant, absolutely clinical and with Ridgers making two superb saves we go into the semi-finals with Raith Rovers, Patrick Thistle and the Rangers u21 team. Our penalty takers were Todorov, Tremarco, Donaldson and Keatings. Grant and McMullin were the Clyde scorers. Nothing to see here, move along............ Bazza after the game.......... Danny Lennon: "Regardless of going out, which is disappointing, we took a lot from the game today. To come and play a team going well in the Championship and compete - and how we did in the second half was absolutely fantastic. We had probably the best two or three chances." "We can take confidence from how well we acquitted ourselves. What's pleasing is how we started the game - that's something that's been indifferent for us in recent weeks. We're stretched at the moment but the players that came in did very well." "Our fans (126) were there to be seen and heard today and I thank all of them for making the journey. Although we're disappointed not to be in the semi-final, we can take a lot of positives from the game and I'm sure the fans - like us - want to see that on a regular basis." Date: 16/11/2019 Venue: Caledonian Stadium Attendance: 1066 Referee: Gavin Ross Inverness CT: 0 (4 pens) Lineup: Ridgers; B McKay, Donaldson, McCart, Tremarco, Doran, Trafford (Carson 81), Vincent, Curry (Keatings 63), Storey, White (Todorov 70) Subs (not used): C Mackay; Harper, Machado, Scorers: Penalty shoot-out: Todorov, Tremarco, Donaldson, Keatings. Booked: Carson (83) Sent Off: none Clyde FC: 0 (2 pens) Lineup: Mitchell, Duffie, McNiff, Howie, Rumsby, Grant, Wallace, McStay, Smith (Lamont 72), Cuddihy, Lyon (McMullin 83). Subs (not used): McGee, Allison, McNiven, . Scorers: Penalty shoot-out: Grant, McMullin. Booked: Duffie (33), Wallace (73). Sent Off: none a

Chocolate Cup weekend Bully-off against the Bully Wee on Saturday is at 3:00pm at the Caledonian Stadium with the visitors in the middle section of League1 and Inverness in the middle of a shocking slump. I don't even think we can blame HMRC. It's a break from League business though as we enter the quarter finals of the Challenge Cup, this year sponsored by Tunnock's Caramel Wafers and if you are quick off the mark you might even get some freebies prior to kick-off. Why the Bully Wee? From the Clyde FC Official Website:- As nicknames go, "The Bully Wee" is quirky and affectionate. It's not clear when it was first coined, or by whom, but it has been synonymous with Clyde. There appear to be three main theories how the name originated. The first refers to the fact that Clyde's support and possibly players were drawn from the Bridgeton area. Renowned for their pugnacious character the support were 'wee bullies' and hence the Bully Wee. The second theory takes a European dimension. Apparently some Frenchmen were at Barrowfield around 1900. Upon a disputed goal they cried: "But il'y, oui?" This translates as: "Their goal, yes", but sounds very like "Bully Wee". Our third and by far the most credible theory is that "Bully" was a Victorian synonym for first-rate/good/worthy. As Clyde were a small club it seems obvious that "Bully Wee Clyde" must have rolled off the tongue. The Bully Wee began life at Barrowfield Park in 1877 before moving to Shawfield in 1898. Their record attendance at Shawfield was for a game against Rangers in 1908 when 52,000 were at the game. That puts Shawfield at sixth place in the record attendances for Scottish football grounds. Clyde have come a long way since they were kicked out of Shawfield in 1986. 15.3 miles in fact and they now play out of Broadwood, Cumbernauld, the scene of one of our great achievements when we beat Clyde 2-1 to top the First Division before going on to promotion the following week on helicopter Saturday. What a day that was back on the 8th of May 2004. Goals from Liam Keogh and Stevie Hislop were enough to edge out Clyde who had levelled the score through an Ian Harty penalty until Hissy headed into the top corner with 10 minutes to go: Scenes! Turn the clock back Robbo, you were in charge then as well! Back to the future It's a chocolate themed weekend coming up with Inverness playing in the Chocolate Biscuit Cup and ironically we are as much use as a chocolate teapot just now. We are absolutely Tunnock's at the moment with only one win in our last five matches. It doesn't help when we have a Willy Wonka at the helm (according to some) but we certainly need a golden ticket to get us out of this mess. Now that takes the biscuit, crackers isn't it! We could really do with a boost as we are a bit flakey just now. Last week was one of the worst results in the history of the club since it joined the Leagues some 25 years ago. The 5-2 thrashing of Arbroath seems a long time ago now as the Smokies absolutely binned us last week with a comfortable 3-0 win over an uninspired Inverness who seem to have lost the plot. These players need to take a long hard look at themselves and ask if they actually give a feck whether they pull on the jersey or not. Wouldn't have happened on Hercher's shift! Even Bobby Mann had more pace than half of the current squad. Most of them lack the quality, the passion, the drive, the focus, the invention, in fact the basic skills of the game. If we were not in such a poor financial state, I doubt many would be retained. I suppose you only get what you pay for (buttons), let's hope we don't pay too much for the current squad. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Thanks to competition sponsors Tunnock’s there will be a limited stock of FREE Caramel Wafer Biscuits to supporters attending the match. The offer is one per person and while stocks last, so get down early! TICKET INFO Adult: £10 - Concessions (Over 65s, 16-25s, Juniors): £5 Under 12s: FREE (With an accompanying ticket holding adult or concession). ***Club Statement*** Two directors join the board. David Cameron (no not that one) and Allan Munro ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Our last Tunnock's game saw us defeat Alloa Athletic 3-0, just one week before we struggled to a 2-2 draw against the same side in the Championship. We have made many changes to the starting XI for these ties and hopefully this game will not be an exception as the guys that played at Arbroath have lost something. Rumours of an advert circulating on facebook in the Arbroath Neighbourhood Watch pages are so far unfounded. The advert is alleged to have been from a man who went only by the name of John. He said that whilst in Arbroath at the weekend with his mates an entire football team had lost it's mojo. It may be reluctant to be returned to it's rightful owners, but if found could you please contact Inverness Caledonian Thistle football club, the Caledonian Stadium, Inverness. Thanks, John. Meanwhile, back to the task in hand, maybe a change of personnel will see players who want to put in the effort and pull on the jersey. Cammy Mackay has been between the sticks for these games so far and should continue, although Mark Ridgers is one of the few who are not to blame for our demise. If the manager has any ideas left, surely the likes of Storey, will be binned, he has been a waste of space since he came back, flattering to deceive. He must be doing something in training, but we never see it on a matchday. Have the likes of Doran and Tremarco seen better days? Get the young team on the park with Harper, McHattie, MacGregor, Machado surely having as much to offer as the impostors that get the regular games. ***Latest News*** The sickness bug that has been lurking around the Stadium for a week or two now is still lingering on and James Keatings seems to be suffering at the moment. John Robertson, Scott Kellacher, Barry Wilson Ryan Esson will possibly be in charge of the squad and other unnamed players are also suffering but he expects the squad to be along familiar lines with a couple of exceptions. It's not looking great down at the stadium with this bug running through the team, that might explain the lethargy shown over the last month as performance on the park has certainly dipped from being top of the League for four minutes to losing three of the last four games and conceding six goals in our last two whilst scoring zero! Raith Rovers are the first team through to the Semi-Finals after beating 10 man Elgin City 3-2 last night. Shane Sutherland scored for Elgin and good to see Daniel Mackay back on the park after his recent injury. Defender Mathew Cooper was also in the Elgin ranks as they played the last half hour with 10 men. Other Q/F ties Rangers u21 v Wrexham Stenhousemuir v Partick Thistle Here's Machado opening his account against Alloa.... Clyde lost 1-2 against Peterhead in League 1 last Saturday, Two goals from former Inverness striker Rory McAllister (remember when we all slagged him off ), were enough to see off Clyde who scored late on through defender Scott Rumsby. To put our humiliation into perspective, it was Clyde that knocked Arbroath out of the competition at Gayfield with a 2-0 win. An own goal and one from Chris Johnston set Clyde up for this tie against Inverness. Just let that sink in for a moment. Former St Mirren manager Danny Lennon is the man in charge of Clyde and he reckons he has similar problems to Inverness judging by his comments after the Peterhead game. Danny: "At half-time we asked the players to install a bit of pride and reminded them that their reputation, every time they take to the pitch in a Clyde jersey, is under the microscope. It's a response that I'm asking for too often at the moment." Rumour has it that David Goodwillie could well miss this game through injury and Clyde are down to the bare bones. Should make it an even game then. Danny Lennon might even have to list himself on the bench such is the plight of the Broadwood side. If you like a wee flutter, our partnership with FansBet can offer you something. Just click on FansBet to get started. "Remember to select CaleyThistleOnline when you register and you’ll be helping us support ICT fan causes." FansBet are partners with Supporters Direct Scotland and already have many impressive stories of giving back to and empowering fans, ranging from funding away travel, share purchases, backing safe standing projects and many more. You can read some of FansBet’s Giving Back stories on their blog. Always remember to adopt safe gambling and responsible policies.

SCUNNERED..... Dundee United cruised to victory in the Highlands as disparity on the park mirrored that off the park. United were worthy winners as Inverness struggled to find any momentum and it was left to desperation and Mark Ridgers to keep the score down. Shaun Rooney deflected a forced Paul McMullan cross/shot into the net. A reaction save from Siegrist blocked a James Keatings effort before the break but that was as good as it got for the hosts. Nicky Clark stroked in the second as we unravelled and a cheap penalty saw Lawrence Shankland complete the scoring, but not the agony as we failed to trouble the United keeper with a series of fluffed attempts whilst United looked more likely to increase their lead. A poor day at the office that had the home fans shaking heads long before the end as we lose ground on the three teams above us. Almost 800 Arabs made the trek across the Drumochter Pass to land in the heavenly oasis drenched mirages in the highland capital. Just under 3000 drookit fans in the stadium in time for kick off as League Leaders Dundee United looked to strengthen their grip on the top of the table, and they did that in surprisingly easy fashion as their hosts simply watched in awe. We were all happy to see Paul McMullan get his 100th game for the Arabs, how sweet as we applauded his every move. United were the busier side in the early exchanges and Inverness were forced onto the back foot as McMullan, Clark and Harkes all showed their intent with efforts at goal and blocked shots. Aaron Doran had an effort charged down and just when we looked to be getting to grips with the pace of the game, disaster. We were unconvincing in trying to clear a ball forward and when it found it's way to the right, McMullan was allowed to cut in from the right and hit the ball hard into the ruck, the ball coming off Shaun Rooney just about on the line and ricocheting into the net. Nicky Clark fired a free kick over from a decent position as United continued on the front foot and Calum Butcher was left unchallenged to head wide ten minutes before the break. Our best chance fell to James Keatings as we got the break of the ball for once and he found himself directly in front of Siegrist about 10 yards out. The keeper spread himself and reacted brilliantly to save the point blank effort. And that was our only big chance of the half. Half Time 0-1. United flew out of the blocks at the start of the second half but it was Jordan White that had the first opportunity as he headed tamely at Siegrist before Mark Ridgers had to make a full length diving save from an Ian Harkes strike from distance at the other end. Louis Appere fed Calum Butcher in on goal, and but for another quality save from Ridgers, United would have doubled their advantage. A free kick from Keatings was curled over the bar as we responded to the activity around our box before a double substitution saw Storey and Walsh replace the ineffective mild Curry and twirling Doran around the hour. Shaun Rooney picked up a yellow, moments after getting away with a bit of 'road rage' after not being awarded a free kick and then hunting down his man in a fifty yard dash. He would leave the pitch injured shortly after to be replaced by James Vincent and that further reduced our attacking options as Toddy would remain on the bench. In the 71st minute James Keatings should have made the keeper work after Tom Walsh sent an inviting cross to the back post. However from just outside the sticks some three yards from goal Keatings fluffed his lines and headed down, wide and out. One minute later Nicky Clark was on the end of an incisive move to fire the ball past Ridgers from inside the box and effectively end the contest. Cut open like a tin of corned beef and finished sweetly. However, that didn't stop Miles Storey making a rash challenge in the box allowing Lawrence Shankland to score his 18th goal of the season. He doesn't need any help, but there you go. Calamitous defending. That took the stuffing right out of the turkey's in blue and we were fortunate not to concede any more with Ridgers saving from Cammy Smith and Appere shooting wide when it looked easier to hit the target. Inverness were best served by MotM Charlie Trafford with the only other candidates in blue being the busy David Carson and Mark Ridgers who made three or four crucial stops. The rest were quite frankly an embarrassment. We've had more riches and quality in our first season in the ranks than there was on display yesterday. The real quality came from those in Tangerine with Ian Harkes standing out for me and wee McMullan providing the ammunition for his strikers, unlike our wide players who would have been as well staying at home and keeping dry. General consensus online is that the gaffer could have made different choices with Curry looking particularly weak and Storey being a waste of a jersey, certainly in the wide position he has been played. The big talking point though is why goal scorer Nikolay Todorov is benched in preference to Jordan White as the target man and why do we keep adopting the long ball approach when we don't retain it after the punt. Over to you John! From BBC Sport Inverness CT manager John Robertson: "For the majority of the game there was very little in it. I thought their passing and movement looked a little bit sharper. They deserved to win the game in the end. "Big moments change games and it should have been 1-1 and then in the blink of an eye we were 2-0 down. The penalty allowed United to completely dictate how the game finished by just sitting in." Dundee United head coach Robbie Neilson: "I was pleased. We got the first goal and then in the second-half we were a bit more dominant. We got the second goal and that killed it. "It's a very, very tough place to come. I think a lot of teams will drop three points up here. It's a good three points and we move on to the derby now." No easy to respond when you've been stuffed.... And here is something for the club to chew over. That's more than the fans are getting......... Who ate all the pies? At every single Caley game I see the same routine, Not on the pitch nor the half-time draw, but it's such a woeful scene, The masses queuing for their pies are often left bereft, As the painful cries from the pie stand guys state "sorry, no pies left!" A simple head count every week would seem the best solution, To draw this daft scenario to a quite simple conclusion, The total sum of customers who "missed out" so to speak, Equates to the extra amount of pies you order for next week! (c) Kenny Adie 2019. Date: 02/11/2019 Venue: Caledonian Stadium Attendance: 2902 Referee: Grant Irvine Inverness CT: 0 Lineup: Ridgers; Rooney (Vincent 70), Donaldson, McCart Tremarco, Doran (Walsh 61), Carson, Trafford, Curry (Storey 61), Keatings, White. Subs (not used): C Mackay; B Mckay, K McHattie, Todorov. Scorers: none Booked: Tremarco (34), Rooney (62) Sent Off: none Dundee United: 3 Lineup: Siegrist; Smith, Watson, Reynolds, Robson, McMullan (Stanton 69), Butcher, Harkes, Appere, Clark (Connolly 86), Shankland (Sith 79) Subs (not used): Mehmet; Spoŕle, King, Cooney Scorers: Rooney(20 og), Clark(72), Shankland (76 pen) Booked: Harkes (90+2) Sent Off: none a