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Gardyne volleys us to the top Goals from Sean Welsh and Michael Gardyne were just enough to put Inverness back to the top of the table despite a worldy goal from Lee Connelly for the visitors. Inverness deserved the win but made hard work of it before Gardyne scored a superb volley to win the points and ease the fans nerves. Billy Dodds had Michael Gardyne back from injury but Doran and Sutherland were on the bench after knocks last week. Sean Welsh was in the starting XI as Inverness looked to get back above Kilmarnock after they drew with Arbroath on Friday night. Queen of the South came North on the back of some indifferent form which showed they were better suited to playing away from home. No Dobbie as the prolific striker had left Palmerston after a glittering career. Much travelled former Ross County and Inverness player Alex Cooper was on the bench for the Doonhamers. Mark Ridgers was the first keeper in action as he smothered a weak shot from Lee Connelly with just sixty seconds gone; Connelly would do better later in the game.. Inverness responded with a Scott Allardice drive that fizzed a couple of feet wide in the fifth minute, although the keeper looked to have his post covered. Allardice's next involvement was a booking after a rash tackle out wide as Inverness made heavy weather of making any progress. However, Duku turned his marker and was brought down on the edge of the penalty box arc as David Carson fed the ball to him. Sean Welsh stepped forward and curled a sublime low free kick into the bottom corner from around twenty-five yards, the ball coming off the surface at pace. Tom Walsh almost got on the end of a Gardyne cross after a quick free kick, the ball just out of reach. Minutes later another Gardyne cross found Manny Duku but his header was glanced wide. Duku was causing problems for the defence with his awkward style and direct running, almost finding Walsh after another cut back into the box. Yet another Gardyne cross not connected with Duku's head as the striker passes up on another opportunity. Ten minutes to the break and the hosts are well in control although Queens are not completely out of it so far with only one goal separating the sides as another Gardyne cross evades two forwards in the box. After Gardyne was fouled wide left, a Walsh free kick was headed goalwards but it lacked sufficient power to trouble the keeper as the interval loomed. Half Time: 1-0 The visitors managed to make some progress early in the second half and Mark Ridgers pulled off a superb save and he was not to know it was adjudged offside. Substitute Reece McAlear stung the palms of the keeper as Inverness came back into the game. Broadfoot dollied a header into the keeper and when Johnston broke on the right side for Queens, he got the break of the ball but dragged his shot just wide across the keeper. Billy McKay replaced the hapless Duku around the hour as Inverness looked for the cushion. Clear chances were difficult to come by as the hosts won a couple of corners to no avail, but from the return ball, Walsh's cross bounced back off the corner of the bar. Out of nothing the visitors scored a superb goal through Connelly with a curling shot from the corner of the box high into the net across the keeper. Great strike! Lewis Jamieson replaced Allardice as Dodds decided a second goal was needed. It almost came at the other end as a cleared ball ricocheted off a defender and Ridgers had to look sharp to save. Just when Queens looked the more likely to score, Michael Gardyne volleyed in a beauty after a long through ball from Robbie Deas bounced up nicely for him to chest then volley home with power. Inverness pressed for a third goal and Carson and Gardyne were blocked in the six yard box as the clock ticked towards the ninety. With the hosts in command the referee ended the game to send Inverness back to the top of the table after a deserved win over a gritty Queens. Good performances all over the park with Michael Gardyne the pick of the bunch and honourable mentions for Sean Welsh, Danny Devine and David Carson. From BBC Sport Billy Dodds: "We had to work for it but I thought our attitude was fantastic. My experienced players came up trumps. Sean Welsh with a brilliant free kick and Michael Gardyne with a great finish." Allan Johnston: "The least we should have come away with was a point with the way we played, especially in the second half so we are a little bit frustrated. We have to make sure we learn from that." From CTO Robert: Pretty dominant first half without creating any clear cut chances, but deservedly ahead after a great free kick by Welsh. We failed to kick on after the break and it was no great surprise when the equaliser went in, as they had tested us a few times before it. It was a very good finish. That was the kick up the backside we needed and we got the winner through Gardyne from a long ball by Deas, with Jamieson playing his part by distracting the defence. However, we need to be more clinical and put teams away when we are on top, and stop making it hard for ourselves. Pick for me today was Gardyne, closely followed by Welsh. From CTO RIG: Deserved win. We largely cigared that today save for a period in the second half when Queens got their equaliser and looked like they might steal a point but fortunately we were able to go up a gear and get a deserved winner. Smashing performance from Gardyne. He might be 58<<disclaimer alert>> but he's still as fit as anyone in our squad and still has plenty to offer. Pacey and direct and not afraid to have a crack at goal when some might take an extra touch too many (Duku). Lovely finish for the winner and a deserved MotM. Devine continues to be perhaps our most consistent performer. He almost score a comedy own goal but other than that he was excellent again and stepped out of defence on numerous occasions to intercept balls forward from Queens. Carson was again solid at RB and MacGregor, before his injury, was running the midfield. Walsh was disappointing though and I feel that he's not really hit the height he did in his previous stint with us. Connelly looked useful for Queens who did press and harry us a lot in the first half but seemed to cease after conceding a goal and seemed content to let us knock the ball about looking for an opening. Unfortunately a fair bit of our play broke down in the final third (we definitely lacked a killer pass at times) but I felt we dealt with their few attacking opportunities quite well. Their equaliser was absolutely stunning but fortunately we just upped our game a bit and took a deserved win. All in all, a very pleasing day. Doddsy Here's the goals, three crackers... Date: 25/09/2021 Venue: Caledonian Stadium Attendance: 1184 Referee: Alan Newlands Inverness CT: 2 Manager: Billy Dodds Lineup: Ridgers; Carson, Broadfoot, Devine, Deas, Walsh, Welsh, Allardice (Jamieson 76), MacGregor (McAlear 54), Gardyne, Duku (Mckay 63) Subs (not used): Mackay; Harper, Sutherland, Doran Scorers: Welsh (12), Gardyne (81) Booked: Allardice (9) Sent Off: none Queen of the South: 1 Manager: Allan Johnston Lineup: Brynn; Gibson, Mckay, Connelly, Debayo, Liddle (Junior 67), McGrory (Fitzpatrick 73) East, Joseph, Nditi, Johnston (Paton 87), Subs (not used): Cowie; Cooper, Chima, Henderson, Scorers: Connelly (74) Booked: Nditi (85) Sent Off: none a

Queens visit. After dropping our first points of the season last weekend to bottom club Dunfermline, seventh place Queen of the South come calling on Saturday to the Caledonian Stadium, the game kicking off at 3:00pm. We had Mark Ridgers to thank for earning us a point at East End Park as he pulled off two tremendous saves late in the game to deny the Pars their first win of the season. The draw was sufficient to keep Inverness top of the table but Kilmarnock and Arbroath gained some ground at the top end whilst the Pars stay rooted to the foot of the Championship. Queens went down 2-0 at home to Arbroath as their indifferent start to the season continues, beating Raith away one week, losing at home to Arbroath the next. It would appear that their away form suits them better than playing at Palmerston at the moment. Stat Attack First Competitive Meeting Dec 17th, 1994 Scottish Cup (Rd 1) (H) 1 - 2 Most Recent Competitive Meeting Apr 10th, 2021 League (Championship) (A) 1 - 1 Last 10 Competitive Meetings 1 - 1 (A) 0 - 1 (H) 3 - 0 (A) 3 - 1 (H) 2 - 0 (A) 2 - 0 (H) 2 - 0 (A) 1 - 2 (H) 3 - 3 (A) 0 - 0 (H) Venue - Head 2 Head Pld Won Drn Lst For Agst + / - Home 19 11 2 6 34 23 +11 Away 18 7 7 4 31 19 +12 Neutral 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Total 37 18 9 10 65 42 +23 Biggest Victories Dec 4th, 2020 League (Championship) (A) 3 - 0 Apr 17th, 2004 League (H) 4 - 1 Dec 6th, 2003 League (H) 4 - 1 Aug 1st, 1998 League Cup (Round 1) (A) 4 - 1 Heaviest Defeats Oct 10th, 2009 League (H) 1 - 3 Mar 21st, 1998 League (H) 0 - 2 Aug 13th, 1997 Challenge Cup (Rd 1) (H) 0 - 2 Highest Attendance Oct 18th, 2003 League (A) 3,547 Highest Home Attendance Oct 10th, 2009 League (H) 3,011 Pld W D L F A +/- Pts 1. Inverness CT 6 5 1 0 7 1 6 16 2. Kilmarnock 6 5 0 1 8 1 7 15 3. Arbroath 6 4 1 1 14 4 10 13 4. Partick Thistle 6 3 0 3 11 10 1 9 5. Raith Rovers 5 2 1 2 7 6 1 7 6. Ayr United 6 2 1 3 7 8 -1 7 7. Queen of the South 6 2 0 4 7 10 -3 6 8. Morton 6 1 1 4 5 10 -5 4 9. Hamilton Academical 6 1 1 4 6 14 -8 4 10. Dunfermline 5 0 2 3 3 11 -8 2 As the stats show, Inverness have the upper hand in this fixture but Queens won 0 - 1 in the last one at the Caledonian Stadium in February 2021 when Nortei Nortay scored the only goal of the game as the visitors burst forward around the hour to win in Inverness for the sixth time out of nineteen visits. Other games this weekend Arbroath 0-0 Kilmarnock (Friday 19:45) Will this one sort the men from the boys? Nope. Ayr United v Morton (Saturday 15:00) Mid table supremacy? Dunfermline v Hamilton (Sat 15:00) Relegation battle? Raith Rovers v Partick (Sunday 15:00) - Raith Rovers v Dunfermline ***catch up game Wed 29th Sept 19:05 Streaming from ICTV * Ticket Info Official Preview Match Info AGM 2021 - Statement Hospitality v Morton Lewis Hyde to Rothes Aly Riddle to Forres * Users in England: The English FA was granted ‘blocked hours’ protection pursuant to UEFA Article 48 which prohibits the transmission of matches within its territory during the period of ‘blocked hours’. (refer to Help). Users who are later found to have purchased from within England, will have their purchase refunded and be unable to watch the stream. I see that petty out of date rules by closed shop jobs for boys organisations are still alive and kicking. I fail to see that watching a stream of a Scottish game in England will make much difference to the size of the crowd south of the border. They will be banning kilts next Latest Team News Michael Gardyne has missed the last couple of games but trained hard on Thursday. Aaron Doran and Shane Sutherland were injured at East End Park and Dodds will wait until Friday before finalising his team selection. This could open the door for Cameron Harper and Billy Mckay for a start and maybe Lewis Jamieson will be pushing for some game time. Allan Johnston was disappointed with the result last week and despite plenty of possession and opportunities he felt they failed to make the most of their opportunities. Defensive lapses costing the Doonhamers and not clinical enough in front of goal. Queens are of course Dobbieless, and that has to be a bonus for the opposition. He doesn't score many, but when he does... Billy looking ahead

The run goes on Partick Thistle came North with high hopes of ending Inverness' great start to the campaign in the knowledge that they have been scoring at the rate of three goals per game apart from Arbroath where they suffered a 3-0 defeat at the hands of the Red Lichties. Billy Dodds had food for thought after the cup win over Buckie last week where Billy Mckay and Lewis Jamieson staked their claims for a start after scoring performances over the Highland League side. They started on the bench as he went with the tried and tested so far this season. Ian McCall had old enemy Brian Graham up front with Zac Rudden on the bench and watch out for defender Tunji Akinola who packs a punch with his feet. After a difficult first half, Inverness ran out comfortable winners against Partick Thistle in a second half goal blitz. The visitors dominated the first forty-five and Scott Tiffoney drilled the opener out of nothing as the defence backed off. Manny Duku was denied by a combination of keeper and post but it was Partick that should have scored a second, however Mark Ridgers did well to deny Brian Graham. Harsh talking at the break saw Inverness come out for the second half with the bit between the teeth and Kirk Broadfoot was the unlikely hero as his twenty yard shot evaded the outstretched fingertips of the keeper to level the score. Shane Sutherland did well to drill in the second from an angle after the keeper fluffed his lines allowing Shane to slot in from twenty yards. The third was a peach as Duku stepped over the ball and Aaron Doran fired high into the net for a brilliant goal and game over. That's five wins out of five and the run goes on... Doran with the pick of the goals... Perennial cheat Brian Graham seemed to be involved in an off the ball altercation which left David Carson enraged. He was removed from the park by McCall immediately after. It's about time this thug in a football strip was taken to task. Resident seer Immortal Howden Ender never saw that second half coming... O2B back home. So nice to quaff in the Innes and take my place in the North Stand. What a wonderful day or what a wonderful 45 minutes. As usual I may be brutally direct with my comments BUT we are definitely going in the right direction!! First half was a mare but the eejit McCall decided to defend what they had and did not go for our throat. We were looking all at sea for a while but we were given the chance to get back the control and although the rest of the first half was poor we had gone onto the front foot and never really looked troubled after going a goal down and we morphed into the Kilmarnock system. This was the absolute epitome of a tale of two halves. And it started with a Kirk Broadfoot attack and a drive that went in like a slow motion camera take. But that started a complete control over the proceedings. And so enjoyable to watch and to relax. We went into complete control and it could have been 6 or 7. When was the last time that you heard Ole shouts for 18 consecutive ICT passes. My return home will live forever in the memory. RIDGERS ¥¥¥ Possibly at fault for the goal but assured and rarely troubled. CARSON ¥¥¥ Solid - but sorry - a reliable shoe in but not a wing back. BROADFOOT ¥¥¥¥ Caught out by pace for the goal but untroubled and leading thereafter. Goal brought on the total change in proceedings DEVINE ¥¥¥¥ As good a player as the first time round but minus the lapses in concentration. Building a fine central defensive partnership DEAS ¥¥¥ Another solid performance and keeping Harper at bay. Gives us future options though WALSH ¥¥¥ Has not produced his best and is in danger of benching but again is some player to call on. ALLARDICE ¥¥¥ Jeez does he blow hot and cold but the central midfield warrior that we have lacked. MacGREGOR ¥¥¥ Disappointed after his Killie display but he is a Christie in the making. DORAN ¥¥¥¥ Played out wide in the first half and simply does not have the pace anymore BUT bringing him more central and drifting may have been the tactic to win us the game- and what a sweet strike SUTHERLAND ¥¥¥¥¥ May not be everybody’s cup of vodka but he was the man who shone in BOTH halves. May not be polished but his drive and commitment - and his goal- elevated him above everybody else on the day. DUKU ¥¥¥ Improved in the second half but I am still not convinced. Anyone care to join me in a few “Doddsie” From CTO: RIG Stunning turnaround. Absolutely stunning. Probably the first game this season we have actually gotten out of second gear and we ended up tearing Partick apart. First half was pretty even although Partick had the best chances with the Tiffoney strike and the Graham sitter. Carson seemed well out of position for the opener and Broadfoot and Devine didn't really handle the situation well either but after Ridgers stood up well to deny Graham and we got to half time at 0 - 1 you still felt if we got an early goal then we might go on to get something. And we absolutely did that and then some. The second half performance was just sublime. I can see why Partick felt they could let Broadfoot rumble forward for about 40 yards unchallenged as I don't think anyone in the ground expected him to find the bottom corner with a trundling effort but it's what he did and we again benefitted from another goalkeeping cock up when Sneddon forgot to grab the ball and Sutherland finished well from a narrowing angle. The best was the third with a lovely dummy from Duku and a cracking whipped shot from Doran to complete the turnaround. A utterly fantastic performance! What a shame that less than 2,000 ICT fans were there to see it. Maybe some are concerned with COVID and staying away (and that's fine) but if you know anyone who isn't going along to the stadium on match days then do your best to get them to come along because we have a real shot here at going up. It's probably as strong a squad as we've had in seasons (Billy Mckay on the bench not getting a game FFS!) and when we get going we are playing some excellent stuff. Bring on Dunfermline away! Doddsy Date: 11/09/2021 Venue: Caledonian Stadium Attendance: 2148 Referee: Euan Anderson Inverness CT: 3 Manager: Billy Dodds Lineup: Ridgers; Carson, Boadfoot, Devine, Deas, Doran, Allardice, MacGregor (Welsh 79), Walsh (Harper 74), Sutherland, Duku (McAlear 83) Subs (not used): C Mackay; Duffy, Mckay, Jamieson Scorers: Broadfoot (51), Sutherland (68), Doran (71) Booked: Deas (45+2) Sent Off: none Partick Thistle: 1 Manager: Ian McCall Lineup: Sneddon; Foster, Holt, Mayo, Akinola, Tiffoney, Bannigan, Turner (Hastie 69), Docherty, Smith (Rudden 69), Graham (McIver 79), Subs (not used): Stone; MacIver, Gordon, McKenna, Murray Scorers: Tiffoney (17) Booked: Bannigan (55) Docherty (70) Sent Off: none a

Double dose of Jags Another top of the table clash this weekend as promoted Partick Thistle head North on Saturday to take on the Caley Jags. It's a 3:00pm kick off at the Caledonian Stadium and with free scoring Partick going well, expect a big crowd and a tough game. We put four past Buckie Thistle last weekend with a side that had 10 changes from the one that beat Killie 1-0 in our last Championship encounter. Robbie Deas was the only survivor from Rugby Park and there were some excellent performances and firsts for Lewis Jamieson, Cameron Harper and a brace for Billy Mckay. Partick had a tougher task but they advanced after beating Stranraer 2-0 with a fierce Tunji Akinola strike and a late Kevin Holt header seeing off their hosts. OFFICIAL PREVIEW Stat Attack First Competitive Meeting Aug 4th, 1998 League (H) 1 - 0 Most Recent Competitive Meeting Dec 14th, 2019 League (A) 1 - 3 Last 10 Competitive Meetings 1 - 3 (A) 1 - 3 (H) 2 - 1 (A) 1 - 2 (H) 1 - 0 (A) 3 - 2 (H) 1 - 1 (A) 0 - 0 (H) 0 - 2 (A) 4 - 1 (A) Biggest Victories Apr 30th, 2016 League (A) 4 - 1 Jan 10th, 2009 Scottish Cup (Rd 4) (H) 3 - 0 Apr 27th, 2002 League (H) 3 - 0 Heaviest Defeats Dec 13th, 2014 League (H) 0 - 4 Highest Attendance Feb 23rd, 2002 Scottish Cup (Quarter Final) (A) 8,700 Highest Home Attendance Mar 5th, 2002 Scottish Cup (Quarter Final Replay) (H) 5,037 Venue Pld Won Drn Lst For Agst + / - Home 20 8 5 7 30 29 +1 Away 19 5 5 9 21 28 -7 Neutral 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Total 39 13 10 16 51 57 -6 As the stats show, the sides are fairly evenly matched overall although Partick have won the last two encounters, both by 3-1. Good news week with both Cameron Harper and Roddy MacGregor extending their contracts by a further two seasons. Impressive business by the club as they invest in the future of these young stars. Latest Team News Michael Gardyne was injured in training ahead of last week's Trust Cup match with Buckie. With many players rested after our stunning start to the campaign, Billy Dodds will have the managerial headache of sorting out his best XI after a few caught the eye against Buckie. Notably scorers Billy Mckay and Lewis Jamieson and it was good to see Anthony McDonald performing so well after recovering from injury. Plenty of food for thought. Partick had some players on duty at the Scotland u21 game in Turkey where a late goal saw the Turks salvage a draw. Lewis Mayo played from the start and Zac Rudden came off the bench with keeper Harry Stone an unused sub.

Holders ease through Holders Inverness faced free scoring Highland league side Buckie Thistle in the second round of the Challenge Cup at the Caledonian Stadium. Barry Wilson was tasked with sorting the side for this one with a number of fringe players getting a run out, 10 changes in all, and former Caley Jags midfielder Spider Stewart was the man in charge of Buckie with Max Barry one to watch amongst others. Buckie had high hopes of causing an upset citing as evidence their 31 goals scored so far in the Highland League plus an excellent 3-1 win over Brechin City in the previous round. Buckie set the ball rolling and the were unfortunate not to go ahead after they hit the bar through Andrew McAskill, just after Cammie Mackay had denied Kevin Fraser with an excellent save from his shot. Mackay denied Buckie again with a crucial save with his legs from a close range header from Sam Urquhart before the hosts began to assert themselves. Inverness eventually got to grips with the game and home pressure finally paid off. It was a simple goal when it came, a deep free kick from Aaron Doran was planted firmly behind Kevin Main in the Buckie goal by Lewis Jamieson. That was his first goal for the club and he almost got his second when he cut into the box and curled an effort towards the top corner, alas the head of Lewis MacKinnon did enough to make the ball come back off the crossbar with Main beaten. Inverness were well on top at this time but Buckie managed to inject some life into their game and foraged forward a couple of times before the break. However it was Sean Welsh that almost added a second as he burst onto a tremendous ball into the box from Reece McAlear but Main did well to block the shot and left Welsh limping into the break Half Time: 1-0 After the interval it was more of the same, Inverness prepared to be patient and Buckie looking to hit on the break. Cameron Harper scored his first for the Caley Jags after the ball broke to him as Tom Walsh challenged Main, the ball bouncing off the keeper and Harper had the presence of mind to lift the ball over the stranded keeper and after an eternity, the ball bounced into the net. Jack Murray stung the palms of Cammy Mackay as the ball broke to him on the right side of the box, the keeper earning his clean sheet. Billy Mckay rounded off the scoring with two late trademark Billy Mckay goals, his first on his return to Inverness and his 67th and 68th overall. From CTO: RIG summed up nicely. Pretty easy in the end despite Buckie starting the better with a couple of really good chances to open the scoring. Lots of nice quick, crisp passing around the box but too often it amounted to nothing. Mckay and Jamieson impressed up front and linked well together. Nice header for Jamieson to open the scoring and there's something almost reassuring about Billy Mckay bagging goals in the red and blue of ICT. I thought Hyde gave a pretty good performance at RB as well. Nice to be able to make 10 changes and still steam roller the opposition irrespective of what level they are playing at. Buckie are no mugs but I felt we handled them pretty well for the majority of the game. Bring on Elgin... Date: 04/09/2021 Venue: Caledonian Stadium Attendance: **** Referee: Callum Scott Inverness CT: 4 Manager: Billy Dodds Lineup: C Mackay; Duffy, Hyde (Allardice 85), Deas, Harper, McDonald (Walsh64), Welsh, McAlear, Doran, Jamieson, B Mckay Subs (not used): Ridgers; Sutherland Scorers: Jamieson (24), Harper (67), B Mckay (81, 90) Booked: McAlear (58) Sent Off: none Buckie Thistle: 0 Manager: Graeme Stewart Lineup: Main, Wood (Goodall 80) McKinnon (Cowie 60), J Murray, McLaughlin, Fraser, MaLeod (C Murray 68), Macaskill, Urquhart, Pugh, Barry Subs (not used): Herbert; Munro Scorers: none Booked: none Sent Off: none a

In Dodds we Trust   A wee break from the Championship this weekend as we face high scoring Buckie Thistle in the SPL Trust Trophy. That's the Challenge Cup to you and me of which we are the joint holders with Raith Rovers when Tunnocks Caramel Wafers were the sponsors. The game kicks off at 3:00pm on Saturday at the Caledonian Stadium, and if you can't make it to the ground, then live streaming is available from ICTV at a mere £10. Games against Buckie Thistle are like buses. None for years then two come along within months of each other. We do like a cup game against green and white hooped teams. We have a decent record against them right up to Scottish Cup semi-finals. This time it's Buckie Thistle, a team we put out of the Scottish Cup last season with a very late Daniel Mackay goal in a 3-2 win at the fishing town. It was scarcely deserved as Buckie were equal to a mostly youthful Inverness side, and despite going behind to a James Keatings goal after 35 seconds they fought back when Jack Murray deservedly headed Buckie level fifteen minutes in. A shot from distance by Sean Welsh restored the visitors advantage but a final flurry of activity saw Callum Murray equalise only for Dan to score two minutes later. Credit to Buckie for making this difficult for the youngishl Inverness side and a trip to Dingwall beckoned and ultimately an away tie at Paisley where we bowed out of the cup to a late St Mirren goal. OFFICIAL PREVIEW Anyway, to the job in hand, a testing tie against a high scoring Buckie Thistle who sit second in the Highland League behind the Broch. Buckie have scored an incredible 31 goals in just seven games. A thumping 10-0 win over Keith the highlight. To get to this round, Buckie disposed of Brechin City at the Hedge by 3-1 with Sam Morrison, Sam Urquhart and Callum Murray scoring the goals in an impressive performance. Unfortunately Sam Morrison was red carded late in the game and will miss this tie. Buckie have already drawn with leaders Fraserburgh and the only blemish was a 2-0 reverse against Rothes. They warmed up for this game by trouncing Formartine United 5-1 away from home at North Lodge Park. Inverness are themselves in fine form in the Championship, winning their opening four fixtures on the trot, all by 1-0. An excellent well drilled performance at Rugby Park saw the Highlanders come away with all three points to put Inverness on top of the table on their own with twelve points from four games after Michael Gardyne scored his first goal for the club, a thumping shot from twelve yards palmed into the roof of the net by the keeper. Boom! Latest Team News It looks like some fringe players will be involved in this one with Barry Wilson seeing this as an ideal opportunity to give the likes of Cameron Harper and Billy Mckay some game time whilst resting up some of the guys that have put us on top of the Championship after four games. Michael Gardyne picked up an injury in training and will Maybe Cammie Mackay will get a run out between the sticks as well. However, there's a fine balance between resting players and still remaining competitive. Buckie are not to be underestimated.         

Almost there with Ayr... It's Matchday 3 and Ayr United are the visitors to an almost back to normality Caledonian Stadium with up to 5,000 fans allowed entry to the ground. Where will we find all these extra fans? The game kicks off at 3:00pm on Saturday with masks almost a thing of the past as covid restrictions ease somewhat. Hospitality suite is open for this one, time to put on a show. Inverness are one of three unbeaten sides in the Championship after opening wins over Arbroath and Raith Rovers. The point against Rovers was hard earned and deserved, but it took a wonderful strike from Roddy MacGregor to win the match. We sit third in the table behind promoted Partick Thistle and relegated Kilmarnock. Here's a quick guide on what the guidelines allow as the stadium opens out for the Ayr United game. Welcome back! Roddy's goal is well worth another look Ayr United come North on the back of a decent performance against Dundee United in the League Cup, taking the Tannadice side to extra time and penalties before losing the shoot-out 4-3. Their Championship form shows they have one point from their opening two fixtures. They opened up with a derby defeat to Killie and followed that up with a home draw against Arbroath, coming from two down to earn a point thanks to a strike by Tomi Adeloye and a late goal from Mark McKenzie. So some positives for David Hopkin to take from that despite only showing one point for their efforts to date. Ticket/Match Info ICTV streaming Official Preview Stat Attack Championship Table Pld W D L F A +/- Pts 1. Partick Thistle 2 2 0 0 6 2 4 6 2. Kilmarnock 2 2 0 0 3 0 3 6 3. Inverness CT 2 2 0 0 2 0 2 6 4. Morton 2 1 1 0 3 2 1 4 5. Hamilton Academical 2 0 1 1 4 5 -1 1 6. Raith Rovers 2 0 1 1 4 5 -1 1 7. Arbroath 2 0 1 1 2 3 -1 1 8. Ayr United 2 0 1 1 2 4 -2 1 9. Dunfermline 2 0 1 1 2 5 -3 1 10. Queen of the South 2 0 0 2 2 4 -2 0 First Competitive Meeting v Ayr Aug 28th, 1999 League (A) 0 - 1 Most Recent Competitive Meeting v Ayr Apr 30th, 2021 League (Championship) (H) 2 - 2 Last 10 Competitive Meetings v Ayr 2 - 2 (H) 2 - 0 (A) 1 - 1 (H) 0 - 1 (A) 2 - 0 (H) 2 - 0 (A) 1 - 1 (H) 3 - 1 (A) 1 - 0 (A) 3 - 2 (A) Biggest Victories Apr 24th, 2010 League (A) 7 - 0 Heaviest Defeats Nov 28th, 2001 League Cup (Quarter Final) (A) 1 - 5 Highest Attendance Aug 15th, 2009 League (H) 3,297 Venue (Head to Head) Pld Won Drn Lst For Agst + / - Home 20 9 10 1 34 20 +14 Away 21 10 4 7 40 26 +14 Neutral 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Total 41 19 14 8 74 46 +28 So, a decent record against Ayr United, just one home defeat in twenty games. Stewart Kean scored the only goal at the Caledonian Stadium to give Ayr United a 0 - 1 win. John Robertson made his home debut as Inverness manager and It was Dennis Wyness' 100th game in a row with Barry Robson making his 150th appearance. Some memorable games against Ayr, the 7 - 0 at Somerset Park a particular highlight as the promotion party got into full swing. Some team we had then though. Ahhh, nostalgia, it's not what it used to be. Other fixtures this weekend Raith Rovers V Dunfermline (Friday - abandoned lighting issues) Arbroath v Partick Thistle Hamilton v Kilmarnock Morton v Queen of the South Shane Sutherland is our first monthly winner of the PotY awards. He has put in some workmanlike performances and rounded off July with the vital opening goal of our League campaign against Arbroath. Not just any old goal, but a touch of class with a dinked finish from the edge of the box in an otherwise dour struggle. Manny Duku is second with Tom Walsh in third place. Latest Team News Inverness have had an extra week to shake off the niggles and Billy Mckay, Lewis Jamieson Sean Welsh and Aaron Doran will benefit from that. However, Wallace Duffy is still sidelined and Anthony McDonald will be a doubt. All of our graduates that signed on this season are out on loan, so that could leave us a little thin on the ground with little defensive cover. On the face of it, Ayr look to be weaker than they were last season. Out went the likes of Dario Zanatta, Luke McCowan, Sam Roscoe, Josh Todd and of course Tom Walsh who returned to Inverness. In comes Tomi Adeloye from Barnet and a raft of Morton players, no doubt connected to David Hopkin now being the Ayr manager. They have also acquired a couple of decent loans in defender John Maxwell from Rangers and forward Jonathon Afolabi from Celtic. They still look to be short of where they want to be but put up a determined performance against Dundee United in the League Cup, so write them off at your own peril. These guys are great. Have a listen to The Wyness Shuffle

Walsh nicks it A slightly damp morning opening out into a muggy but calm afternoon in the Highlands made for near perfect conditions for this game. However, the football did not match the weather in a dour first half and it was goalless at the interval. Ayr rattled the top of the stand at the start of the second half as the game came to life. Tom Walsh looked to have opened the scoring when he bundled an inviting cross from Manny Duku behind the keeper after 54 minutes with Sean McGinty in close proximity trying to clear the ball. Joe Chalmers put a shot across the face of the Inverness goal that went narrowly wide. Walsh missed a glorious chance to double the lead moments later but pulled his shot across the face of the goal as well. Robbie Deas also missed an opportunity for a second goal, firing the ball over the bar from a great position inside the box. The game was more open but Inverness held on for their third 1-0 win of the season and top the league jointly with Killie. Chest a minute, it's definitely Tom's Goal! Inverness were one of three unbeaten sides in the Championship after opening wins over Arbroath and Raith Rovers. The point against Rovers was hard earned and deserved, but it took a wonderful strike from Roddy MacGregor to win the match. We sat third in the table behind promoted Partick Thistle and relegated Kilmarnock before this match with visitors Ayr United. Billy Dodds had few injury worries ahead of this match after last weekend off whilst Ayr were on League Cup duty against Dundee United. Ayr's last win at the Caledonian Stadium was in 2003 when Stewart Kean scored the only goal of the game. Roddy MacGregor kept his place after his stunning goal against Raith Rovers with Reece McAlear dropping to the bench alongside Sean Welsh, Billy Mckay and Aaron Doran. No sign of the injured Wallace Duffy or the recovering Anthony McDonald. Ayr came North with a somewhat depleted squad after routine covid testing unearthed some cases. Still some experience in their ranks though with Tomi Adeloye and Joe Chalmers starting and Michael Moffat on the bench. Roddy MacGregor was first to have a go in the third minute but his drive from the edge of the box was dragged just wide into the side netting. Manny Duku should have done better when he was set up as he burst into the box but he duffed his shot into the hands of a grateful keeper from fifteen yards. Shane Sutherland was the next sinner after a short corner, but the ball sat up as he tried to pick his spot and he lifted it high and wide from a good position. From another corner swung into the front post Robbie Deas went down low to head the ball but his connection was poor and the ball drifted wide of the mark. Ayr's first chance came from a defensive error that saw a shot off target from the right, but it lacked any power or direction. Tom Walsh saw a shot blocked by an elbow as the half time whistle approached but Kevin Clancy was not interested and the first period drew to a close with clear opportunities at a premium. Half Time 0-0 Ayr started the second half by rattling the facing on the top of the stand some 40 feet above the crossbar. Better would come ten minutes into the half. Shane Sutherland hooked a ball over his shoulder for Duku to stretch his legs down the left wing. He drilled the ball across goal where Sean McGinty tried to clear the ball from the fast approaching Tom Walsh. He only succeeded in knocking the ball off Walsh's chest and into the net. Joe Chalmers then missed Ayr's best opportunity, but as the angle narrowed, he placed his shot just wide of the far post. Walsh replicated this at the other end driving just wide from eighteen yards as Inverness searched for a cushion. Robbie Deas squandered the best chance of the game scooping the ball over the bar from six yards following a corner. Aaron Doran saw Ayr keeper Albinson fumble a drive from the edge of the box but he gathered at the second attempt as the game ran away from the Honest Men. Roddy MacGregor will be difficult to shift if he continues to show this form and Manny Duku worked hard for his team mates and it was his speed and ability that set up the goal. Poor first half all round but a much more entertaining second half made up for it with a goal to boot. Three wins on the trot, top of the table and a clash with table toppers Kilmarnock coming up next weekend. What's not to like! OFFICIAL MATCH REPORT Date: 21/08/2021 Venue: Caledonian Stadium Attendance: 2032 Referee: Kevin Clancy Inverness CT: 1 Manager: Billy Dodds Lineup: Ridgers; Carson, Devine, Broadfoot, Deas, Walsh (Doran 85), Allardice, MacGregor, Gardyne, Sutherland (Welsh 78), Duku (B Mckay 68) Subs (not used): C Mackay, Harper, McAlear, Jamieson Scorers: Walsh (54) Booked: Carson (70) Deas (73) Sent Off: none Ayr United: 0 Manager: David Hopkin Lineup: Albinson; Houston, McGinty, Murdoch (Salkeld 81), Muirhead, Chalmers (O'Connor 75), Hewit (Afolabi 65), Baird, McKenzie, Adeloye, Fjortoft Subs (not used): Mateusz Miller; Ecrepont, Michael Miller, Moffat Scorers: none Booked: Fjortoft (40), Muirhead (75) Sent Off: none a

MacGregor Stunner Inverness maintained their winning start to the league campaign, but it took a stunning half volley from substitute Roddy MacGregor to settle the points. It had been a relatively even game with the hosts having slightly the better of it throughout. Jamie MacDonald had pulled off three or four decent saves before Roddy struck from 25 yards, the ball flashing into the net past an outstretched keeper after some neat interplay outside the box involving Sutherland and Duku. Six points from two games, we could not have asked for a better start to the Championship. Sean Welsh was still missing as were Anthony McDonald and Wallace Duffy. Aaron Doran and Billy Mckay were on the bench alongside Roddy MacGregor with Manny Duku starting up front against his former employers. Lewis Vaughan missed out for Raith, but James Keatings would make the bench for Rovers on his first return to the Caledonian Stadium which was loosely populated with fans as covid restrictions begin to ease. The new and improved stream maybe taking it's toll on the attendance with Auldy Boy and Rossco on the commentary, replays and all! Big downpours ahead of kick-off ensured the pitch was well watered with steady rain being the order of the day as Inverness attacked the South Stand end in the first half. An even opening to the game saw both sides struggle to create any clear cut opportunities. Manny Duku looked most likely to unlock the visitors defence. Could have been a red card before the break for Mathews after Duku pounced on a lofted ball forward, as he broke clear he was upended and Mathews got away with just a yellow for his troubles. Duku missed out from a great ball into the front post from Walsh and later in the half he was unfortunate after Michael Gardyne fed him into the left side of the box only for Berra to make a great interception as he shot, the ball spinning behind for a fruitless corner. Meanwhile, Raith were reduced to shooting from distance although we almost let them in when Broadfoot misjudged the bounce on a through ball but we swept it away eventually. Just on the interval Tom Walsh was close to connecting with a dangerous ball into the box from Gardyne on the left side, but a goal kick was the result. No scoring at the break but Inverness always looked the more likely to get amongst the goals. Sutherland saw a shot gathered by MacDonald with ease, but he was more troubled when Duku got on the end of a ball into the box from Sutherland and shot on the turn, MacDonald saving well to his left. The keeper did well to deny the same player direct from a free kick as he covered his top corner well to prevent the opener. Substitute MacGregor did well down the left to set up Gardyne for a pot at goal but he skied it badly. Ridgers saved comfortably after Raith burst along the left byeline and minutes later he was also fortunate not to be sent packing for a similar offence, bringing down Ethon Varian as he started to break clear, similar to Duku in the first half. When Allardice broke forward from the halfway line, it looked hopeful. Sutherland gathered the ball and shipped it to Duku who laid it off for MacGregor to strike a peach from twenty-five yards on the half volley with a bit of side spin on it. What a hit, what a goal! Rovers still pushed for a breakthrough but never really looked like creating the opportunity they needed and Inverness saw out the game relatively comfortably. The managers speaking to BBC Sport Inverness head coach Billy Dodds: "It wasn't pretty. You knew the first goal was going to win it and it took a pretty spectacular one to do it from Roddy. He responded well to being left out." Raith Rovers manger John McGlynn: "We were well organised. We certainly didn't want to lose four goals like we did last week late on. It took a wonder strike for them to score. We are gutted." Inverness were best served by the hard working Manny Duku with Scott Allardice and Ryan McAlear bossing the midfield. Wee Roddy maybe doesn't score many, but when he does they are pretty special. Best for Rovers were all in defence with keeper Jamie MacDonald making three or for crucial saves and he was certainly the busier keeper. Pld W D L F A +/- Pts 1. Partick Thistle 2 2 0 0 6 2 4 6 2. Kilmarnock 2 2 0 0 3 0 3 6 3. Inverness CT 2 2 0 0 2 0 2 6 4. Morton 2 1 1 0 3 2 1 4 5. Hamilton Academical 2 0 1 1 4 5 -1 1 6. Raith Rovers 2 0 1 1 4 5 -1 1 7. Arbroath 2 0 1 1 2 3 -1 1 8. Ayr United 2 0 1 1 2 4 -2 1 9. Dunfermline 2 0 1 1 2 5 -3 1 10. Queen of the South 2 0 0 2 2 4 -2 0 Roddy on the half volley: Boom!!! Date: 07/08/2021 Venue: Caledonian Stadium Attendance: 1675 Referee: Alan Muir Inverness CT: 1 Manager: Billy Dodds Lineup: Ridgers; Carson, Devine, Broadfoot, Deas, Gardyne, Allardice, McAlear (MacGregor 63), Walsh (Doran 81), Sutherland, Duku (Hyde 88) Subs (not used): C Mackay; Harper, B Mckay, Jamieson, Scorers: MacGregor (80) Booked: Devine (28), Ridgers (78) Sent Off: none Raith Rovers: 0 Manager: John McGlynn Lineup: MacDonald; Benedictus, Berra, Lang, Tumilty, Connolly, Mathews, Tait (Riley-Snow 73), Dick, Zanatta (Keatings 85), Poplatnik (Varian 66) Subs (not used): Thomson; Arnott, Mckay, Fotheringham. Scorers: none Booked: Dick (24), Mathews (53) Sent Off: none a

Matchday Two After an opening day win for the Caley Jags, we entertain Raith Rovers at the Caledonian Stadium with fans in attendance as covid restrictions begin to ease, 2000 allowed entry for this one with more to come on Monday. The game kicks-off at 3:00pm on Saturday as the joint holders of the Challenge Cup face off. Rovers began their title challenge with an incredible 4-4 draw against Hamilton Accies at the weekend with Inverness edging out Arbroath. SEASON TICKET HOLDERS STREAM ACCESS PPV ACCESS MATCHDAY INFO OFFICIAL PREVIEW With Kilmarnock beating Ayr United 2-0 on Sunday, they top the table after Matchday One. Partick were the other winners beating Queens 3-2. Morton drew with Dunfermline 2-2. Ayr United v Arbroath Dunfermline v Partick Thistle Hamilton Accies v Morton Inverness CT v Raith Rovers Queen o.t South v Kilmarnock Pars v Partick and Queens v Killie the pick of the games this weekend with Accies hosting Morton and Ayr hosting Arbroath. Stat Attack First Competitive Meeting v Raith Rovers Sep 25th, 1999 League (H) 0 - 2 Most Recent Competitive Meeting Mar 16th, 2021 League (Championship) (A) 1 - 0 Last 10 Competitive Meetings 1 - 0 (A) 0 - 0 (H) 2 - 0 (H) 3 - 3 (A) 4 - 1 (H) 2 - 1 (H) 1 - 0 (H) 4 - 3 (H) 4 - 0 (A) 1 - 0 (H) Biggest Victories Jan 12th, 2002 League (H) 5 - 0 Heaviest Defeats Aug 26th, 2000 League (A) 1 - 4 Venue Head to Head Pld Won Drn Lst For Agst + / - Home 16 12 2 2 35 13 +22 Away 13 7 3 3 26 16 +10 Neutral 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Total 29 19 5 5 61 29 +32 As the stats show, we have a great record against Raith Rovers both home and away. Only two defeats at home back in 1999 and 2000. Not surprising really when you consider the quality of the Raith team back then. Here's Iain Broadfoot's match report from 25th September 1999 Caley Thistle lost this game because of a dismal first half performance. They came out fighting in the second half and matched Raith well but produced no goals. Raith took the lead in the ninth minute after a Jay Stein corner from the right - Marvin Andrews rose above Mann to head downwards and into the net. In 24 minutes the second goal came courtesy of an error. Mann was too slow passing back to Fridge and Didier Agathe stepped in and he ran on and volleyed past Fridge from 20 yards. Caley Thistle hit on the occasional breakaway but to little effect. A disappointing afternoon for the home support despite a spirited fight back. Caley Thistle now slip to second bottom of Division 1. ICTFC: Les Fridge; Richard Hastings, Ross Tokely, Mark McCulloch, Bobby Mann, Charlie Christie, Mike Teasdale, Barry Wilson, Barry Robson, Paul Sheerin, Martin Bavidge Raith: Van DeCamp; McEwan, Ellis, Andrews, Browne, Black, Agathe, Tosh, Dargo, Burns, Stein We opened our League campaign with an untidy but welcome victory at Gayfield. Shane Sutherland sealed the points with a tidy finish after bursting forward to chip the keeper from the edge of the box, the one piece of class and composure in a game more suited to welfare football at the Bught park. Raith will be disappointed to only take one point from their opener after throwing away a four goal lead with only twenty-two minutes left. Vaughn (2), Zanatta and Connolly had put Rovers four up against relegated Accies, but they stunned the home support by equalising deep into time added on to snatch a point they really should not have had an earthly of getting. Dario Zanatta with the pick of the goals. Boom! John McGlynn summed it up nicely on BBC Sport: "I've spoken about the rollercoaster of ups and downs during a season - I didn't expect to go through all those emotions in one game. "We could have been even further ahead as we had two one-on-ones at 4-0 up. To lose four goals in 22 minutes is extremely disappointing. It's two points chucked away. There's disbelief over how easily we lost the goals." Latest Team News Sean Welsh missed the opener after picking up an injury in the League Cup group A match against Stirling Albion. David Carson and Billy Mckay returned to action last week and Anthony McDonald played a few minutes against Hearts but was an unused sub last weekend. Aaron Doran has missed the last couple of weeks. Manny Duku will hopefully want to show Rovers fans what they are missing. Here's the two Billy's John McGlynn has assembled a squad capable of challenging for the top spot again. James Keatings is now a Rover and if he stays fit will be an asset. With the likes of Chrisophe Berra, Dario Zanatta, Aidan Connelly and Liam Dick signing on, McGlynn reckons his squad is stronger this season. They also have some loan signings, notably forward Matej Poplatnik from Livingston.

Bino's Bonus Kevin Rutkiewicz took his Stirling Albion side North for the second group 'A' match for both teams who were looking to continue their winning starts to the League Cup. Something was going to give and it did with the Bino's taking the bonus point after a 2-2 draw. Stirling took an early lead with a superb free kick by Dylan Mackin from twenty-three yards. Kieran Moore stunned the hosts on the counter with a second before Roddy Macgregor pulled one back before the Interval, linking with Duku. Shane Sutherland levelled the tie early in the second half, again Duku the provider. Jack Leitch hit the post for the impressive Bino's as they continued to cause problems. Chances went abegging at both ends and when Doran missed a great opportunity at the end, the game went to penalties to decide the bonus point. When Currie brilliantly saved Sutherland's penalty it was the Bino's that prevailed 3-2, and no one could grudge them that. Penalty scorers Inverness CT: 2 - Walsh , Allardice , McAlear , Carson , Sutherland Stirling Albion: 3 - Carrick , Leitch , Flanagan Omar , Banner OFFICIAL REPORT FROM ICTFC CTO RIG has this summary: We had a lot of the ball but didn't create too many clear cut chances. From an ICT perspective the defending for the second goal was a shambles. Carson completely switched off and let his man run off him. Nice free kick for the opener but I can't help but feel we didn't defend that set piece particularly well either. A couple of nice passing moves at the edge of the box saw us score two decent goals and although we dominated in terms of attacking with Stirling content to sit back and hit on the counter we struggled to really test the keeper. Doran had the best chance to win it when he sclaffed a shot wide with only the keeper to beat. That said, Stirling looked decent on the counter and although Broadfoot was pretty decent for most of the game he did have a comedy mishap with Deas (I think) where the two of them went for the ball and both missed it leading to a clear chance for Albion to grab a winner but they hit the post / bar. That penalty shoot out was pretty rotten. Almost as bad as the one between the two sides back in 2017 in the same competition. That's us possibly out of the competition already as we will probably need to do our usual of get at least a point from Hearts or avoid losing 3 - 0 only to contrive to lose 4 - 0. Meh. On the plus side it was great being back at a game again. Pragmatism at it's finest CTO Doofers Dad: We played some tidy football at times with good ball retention and interplay in midfield, but there was a lack of movement up front, we were rarely able to find the defence splitting passes and any crosses into the box were generally poor. As for the defence; being lucky to concede only 2 goals at home against a part time team 2 divisions below us tells its own story. But hey. It was back to watching live football and that is a real positive. CTO Robert: Not our finest day, and once again we look to be failing to get out of the group stages, but we need to use the next two games to sharpen up so we are ready for the league campaign. Date: 17/07/2021 Venue: Caledonian Stadium Attendance: **** Referee: Alan Newlands Inverness CT: 2 (2 pens) Manager: Billy Dodds Lineup: C Mackay; Carson, Fyffe (Deas 46), Broadfoot (Devine 63), Harper, MacGregor, Welsh (Allardice (38), Gardyne (Doran 63), Walsh, Sutherland, Duku (McAlear 83) Subs (not used): Ridgers; H Nicolson, Duffy, Cairns, Scorers: MacGregor (27), Sutherland (49) Booked: Devine (72) Sent Off: none Stirling Albion: 2 (3 pens) Manager: Kevin Rutkiewicz Lineup: Currie; Cummins (McGeachie 74), McLean, McGregor, McNiff, Laird (Banner 83), Moore (Heaver 90), Omar, Leitch, Flanagan, Mackin (Carrick 74) Subs (not used): Law; Roberts, Heaver, Bikey Scorers: Mackin (4), Moore (20) Booked: Omar (58), McGregor (80) Sent Off: none a

League Cup Second game of the season has Stirling Albion coming North to face the Caley Jags with both sides getting off to a winning start in their opening group 'A' fixture. The Bino's went to Cove and came away with an excellent 3-2 win and Inverness defeated Peterhead 2-0 in Billy Dodds first game flying solo. The match is a 3:00pm kick-off on Saturday afternoon with home fans only allowed in the stadium under current covid restrictions. PPV Streaming from ICTV OFFICIAL PREVIEW INFO We comfortably beat Peterhead on Tuesday night thanks to two fantastic second half strikes. Manny Duku opened his account with a tight finish from sixteen yards and Aaron Doran thundered in a swerving 30 yarder to complete the scoring. Inverness were rarely troubled and eased home with Peterhead winless after two games. Stirling edged out Cove in an entertaining five goal game at Balmoral Stadium. Rabin Omar put Stirling in at the break a goal to the good. Nathan Flanagan doubled the advantage early in the second half but a Fraser Fyvie double looked likely to take the tie to a penalty shoot-out. Note that Vigurs is credited with the assists for both Cove goals. However Flanagan scored again in stoppage time to win the game for the visitors. Bino's starting XI v Cove Rangers: Currie; Cummins, McLean, McGregor, McNiff, Laird, Leitch, Omar, Flanagan, Moore, Mackin Latest Team News Robbie Deas has returned to full training and Billy Mckay will return to full training, possibly next week. Anthony McDonald has been on light training and will be stepping up his rehab with full training soon. Looks like we will be along similar lines to the Peterhead game. Manny Duku and Kirk Broadfoot caught the eye on Tuesday night with Aaron Doran, Sean Welsh and Tom Walsh looking spritely. Other fixture in group A Peterhead play Cove Rangers on Saturday.

Winning start for Dodds The season kicked off in earnest tonight for the Caley Jags with a group 'A' League Cup encounter against Peterhead. It was a winning start for Billy Dodds in his first competitive game in charge of Inverness. It was a second defeat for Peterhead who been beaten in their opener by Hearts at the weekend. After a cautious start Inverness began to control the pace of the game but chances were at a premium. The best chance came when Aaron Doran spectacularly flicked a cross goalwards but Brett Long dived to his right to prevent a goal. Tom Walsh blazed a strike over on the run after a dummy from Duku put him through. Manny Duku was causing problems on the ground and in the air. Sean Welsh missed a tremendous opportunity as he headed just over when it looked easier to score, but it remained goalless at the interval. Early in the second half Duku broke the deadlock with a drilled effort from just inside the box and Aaron Doran doubled the advantage with a stunning thirty yard shot into the top corner four minutes later. The hosts saw out the remainder of the game well in control with Peterhead rarely threatening. New signings Kirk Broadfoot, Manny Duku, Reece McAlear and Tom Walsh all started with Michael Gardyne coming on from the bench. Kirk Broadfoot and Manny Duku both impressed on their debut's with Tom Walsh and Aaron Doran playing with a spring in their step. Match Reaction CTO Robert said: "Enjoyed that. Very dominant and two early goals in the second half secured the win. A couple of thoughts driving home. Broadfoot and Fyffe swapped centre half roles at half time. The whole defence clearly had confidence in Fyffe which was good to see. We looked stronger down the right with Carson and Walsh than down the left with Harper and Doran, but then Doran turned up with his goal! A word for Sutherland. He put a real shift in and didn’t give Peterhead a minute. MOM for me was actually Welsh. He was pulling the strings in midfield. A very encouraging start and we still have Deas, McDonald and Mckay who have not featured so far." CTO Jaggernaut said: "I thought the first hour was very encouraging. We were closing them down well when they had possession and our passing was brisk and on point. We lost a bit of our rhythm with all the subs, but there were a lot of good performances out there tonight." Date: 13/07/2021 Venue: Caledonian Stadium Attendance: 300ish Referee: Peter Stuart Inverness CT: 2 Manager: Billy Dodds Lineup: Ridgers; Carson, Fyffe, Broadfoot (Devine 65), Harper, Doran (Gardyne 57) Welsh, McAlear (MacGregor 57), Walsh (Hyde 78), Sutherland, Duku (Allardice 66) Subs (not used): C Mackay; Nicolson, Duffy Scorers: Duku (50), Doran (54) Booked: none Sent Off: none Peterhead: 0 Manager: Jim McInally Lineup: Long; Mulligan, Conroy, Jason Brown, McDonald, Ritchie (Strachan 86), S Brown, Cook (Ferry 55), Kesson (Cameron 46), Jordon Brown (Payne 55), Lyle (McLean 55) Subs (not used): Wilson; Mushanu Scorers: none Booked: Jason Brown (86), McLean (89), Conroy (90) Sent Off: none a

It never came home.....but football is back. It's the start of a new season and we welcome fans back to the Caledonian Stadium with Peterhead our first visitors in a group 'A' League Cup encounter. The game is a 7:45pm kick off on Tuesday night and although it's restricted, there will be fans allowed to enter the stadium as covid regulations relax. The game can also be streamed live from ICTV for £10 The new season brings new challenges with Billy Dodds now the man in charge of the dugout with Robbo 'upstairs' as Sporting Director. There's also some returning faces as well as some new faces. With a restricted pre-season, it looks likely that League Cup games will form part of our preparation to tune in the players for the challenge ahead. Three pre-season games saw an Inverness XI beat Clach 5-0, Forres 1-0 and draw 1-1 with an Aberdeen XI in a closed door friendly. I imagine it will be our standard low key start to the season with players still getting to know each other. It's difficult to determine who will and who won't feature this early in the season. Manny Duku, Reece McAlear, Michael Gardyne, Tom Walsh, Aaron Doran, David Carson , Sean Welsh, Cammy Harper, Shane Sutherland and both keepers have all been involved in pre-season games along with most of our young academy graduates but there has been no sign of Danny Devine, Wallace Duffy, Anthony McDonald, Robbie Deas or Billy Mckay yet, and still waiting for confirmation if the Kirk Broadfoot rumours are correct (player/coach). As an aside, I notice that Toddy scored twice for Dunfermline Athletic in a 4-2 win over Partick Thistle in his first competitive game for the Pars Peterhead have already played their opening fixture, a 2-0 defeat at Balmoor against Hearts on Saturday. Gary Mackay-Steven and Liam Boyce the scorers for the visitors with a goal in each half. Stirling Albion beat Cove 3-2 in group 'A' on Saturday as well. The other group 'A' game tonight is Hearts -V- Cove Rangers with Stirling Albion having the night off. Peterhead's starting XI v Hearts Wilson; Strachan, Mulligan, McDonald, Conroy, Ritchie, Ferry, McCarthy, Cameron, McLean, Payne. Subs: Cook, Kesson, Brown, Long, Lyle Latest News Kirk Broadfoot confirmation. Inverness Caledonian Thistle are delighted to announce the signing of central defender Kirk Broadfoot on a 1 year deal. As Head Coach Billy Dodds continues to build a squad with a blend of youth and experience, Kirk becomes his sixth summer signing alongside Tom Walsh, Billy Mckay, Manny Duku, Reece McAlear and Michael Gardyne.

Season ends in stalemate Inverness opened the scoring early through Daniel Mackay in the sixth minute. We were unable to build on that and Ayr levelled before the break when Aaron Muirhead converted a penalty after Baird went down in the box. Level at the break but Sean Welsh bagged a penalty two minutes into the second half only for United to level again through Josh Todd. No further scoring but results elsewhere meant that Ayr were safe and Dundee jumped above Raith Rovers to finish second. The final game of the season for Inverness saw Ayr United come North looking for a point to keep themselves in the Championship as Morton take on Arbroath in the other crucial game at the bottom. For Inverness, we fell just short of a promotion play-off place and Neil McCann would be in charge for his final game as temporary manager. Aaron Doran was on the bench and Scott Allan played the final game of his loan spell for Inverness CT. Tom Walsh was on the visitors bench with veteran forward Michael Moffat fronting the Ayr side. Scott Allan set the ball rolling as Inverness kicked off towards the South stand. Todorov forced the Ayr keeper to hastily knock the ball wide for an attacking throw in the fifth minute as we looked to get forward and it paid off moments later as Daniel Mackay got on the end of a tidy ball into the box from Welsh to slot past Morrison for the opening goal. Not the start the Honest Men were looking for. Ayr got their first corner in the twelfth minute and from the return ball back into the box it almost bounced straight into the net,however it was knocked out for another corner which offered Michael Moffat an opportunity but he was crowded out at the back post. Midway through the half and the visitors had grown into the game as it became a midfield battle with little goalmouth action. Just after the half hour Todorov got his head on a deep cross from Carson but it was too tight an angle to worry Ayr too much and the danger was cleared. Penalty to Ayr seven minutes before the break as Baird went down in the box under some flailing legs, Deas or possibly Carson as he was raging. Despite some serious protests and a booking for Carson, Muirhead buried the ball low into the net. Last action of the half saw Todorov volley a difficult chance over the bar after a great ball through from Allan. Half Time: 1-1 Inverness got a penalty of their own when MacGregor was sent tumbling in the box. Up stepped MotM Sean Welsh to comfortably score to restore our advantage. We almost threw the lead away a minute later as a short pass back put Ridgers in trouble but Ayr were unable to take full advantage and we eventually mopped up. Scott Allan was setting up players at will, but nobody had the clinical finish to put the gloss on the moves. Shane Sutherland was one who received a great ball but he shot over from a great position after cutting inside. That was his last involvement as he was replaced by Arran Lyall. Inverness paid for their profligacy as Ayr equalised again, this time through Josh Todd who drilled through a ruck of legs into the net. A couple of late corners ended with a header from Danny Devine flashing across the visitors goal, but out for a goal kick. A bit of a mix-up in the Ayr box let Ayr off the hook as two Caley-Jags players left the ball for each other after Arran Lyall had created the chance. Ayr saw out the game with neither side trying too hard to win all three points. Full Time 2-2 Surprise surprise, the final game of the season petered out to a 2-2 draw which suited Ayr United as Morton failed to win at Arbroath, which means Ayr stay in the Championship and Morton go into the relegation play off to fight for their survival. A drab affair, typical end of season maybe with Inverness unable to shake off Ayr United overall and a point apiece was just about right. Best on the night was Sean Welsh. That's all from us folks, enjoy the break and see you for the start of the new season More reaction to follow... Date: 30/04/2021 Venue: Caledonian Stadium Attendance: 0000 Referee: Craig Napier Inverness CT: 2 Manager: Neil McCann (temporary manager, last game) Lineup: Ridgers; Carson, Devine, Deas, Harper, D Mackay (Doran 68), Welsh, MacGregor, Sutherland (Lyall 58), Allan, Todorov (Storey 76 ) Subs (not used): C Mackay; McHattie, Vincent, Allardice Scorers: Mackay (6), Welsh (47 pen) Booked: Carson (39), MacGregor (87) Sent Off: none Ayr United: 2 Manager: David Hopkin Lineup: Morrison; Houston, Baird, Roscoe-Byrne, Reading, Todd, Chalmers, Muirhead, Miller (McKenzie 53), McCowan (Murdoch 90+2), Moffat (Walsh 69) Subs (not used): Urminsky; Barjonas, Wright, Zanatta Scorers: Muirhead (39 pen), Todd (67) Booked: Miller (27), Houston (65) Sent Off: none a

The end is nigh For us, it's the final game of the season as we have missed out on the promotion play-offs despite a tremendous last six weeks which saw us go on a six game winning run including a derby Scottish Cup win over Ross County. Unfortunately we left ourselves an uphill task after the first two thirds of our season was decimated by injuries, covid and inclement weather. Ayr United head North with Championship survival high on their agenda as they look to avoid the relegation play-offs with Arbroath and Morton the other contenders. The game is a 19:45 kick-off on Friday night. Our season ended last Saturday at Tynecastle in an error strewn first half where Hearts scored three times without reply. MotM Gary Mackay-Steven scored twice and McEneff netted the other via a slight deflection. Our misery was exacerbated at the third goal as Robbie Deas ushered the ball back to the advancing Mark Ridgers. Unfortunately, as Ridgers dived down to gather, Deas dropped his guard too early and the ever alert GMS stuck his leg between them to prod the ball into the now unguarded net. Comedy goal, but we were not laughing. It ended at 3-0 and season over with Dunfermline and Dundee consolidating their places in the play-offs. So near, yet so far! LIVE UPDATES PPV LIVE STREAMING £10 OFFICIAL PREVIEW ICTFC MEDIA SILENCE CEO Scot Gardiner said: “We very much stand shoulder to shoulder with the other clubs and sports to convey the message that online abuse and discrimination of any kind is completely unacceptable.” CTO MEDIA SILENCE Enough is enough! CTO will join with Scottish football to support a boycott of social media in response to continuing racist and discriminatory abuse online aimed at players, staff, supporters and others associated with the game. It should and will not be tolerated and we will have no social media posts from 3:00pm on Friday through to midnight on 3rd of May. Ayr United now find themselves in a three way battle for survival after a goalless draw at Queen of the South. Arbroath are sucked into the mire along with Morton, and they meet at the Smokie Dome on Friday night. Ayr are the best placed of the three threatened clubs and a draw will ensure their Championship status. An Arbroath win will also see Ayr safe and relegate Morton. All games kick-off at the same time of 7:45pm. Table with one game to go before play-offs Pld W D L F A +/- Pts 1. Hearts 26 16 6 4 59 24 35 54 2. Raith Rovers 26 12 7 7 45 32 13 43 3. Dundee 26 11 9 6 47 40 7 42 4. Dunfermline 26 10 9 7 38 33 5 39 5. Inverness CT 26 8 11 7 34 29 5 35 6. Queen of the South 26 9 5 12 38 49 -11 32 7. Arbroath 26 7 8 11 28 34 -6 29 8. Ayr United 26 6 10 10 29 35 -6 28 9. Morton 26 6 10 10 22 33 -11 28 10. Alloa Athletic 26 4 7 15 29 60 -31 19 Last 10 Competitive Meetings with Ayr United --- Ayr last five games DLDLD --- ICT last five games WWDDL 2 - 0 (A) 1 - 1 (H) 0 - 1 (A) 2 - 0 (H) 2 - 0 (A) 1 - 1 (H) 3 - 1 (A) 1 - 0 (A) 3 - 2 (A) 1 - 0 (H) Venue (H to H) Pld Won Drn Lst For Agst + / - Home 19 9 9 1 32 18 +14 Away 21 10 4 7 40 26 +14 Neutral 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Total 40 19 13 8 72 44 +28 Neither side have won in their last three games with points becoming difficult to claim as the season comes to a climax. We have had some memorable games against Ayr United over the years, this one might have too much tension to go down as a classic and with a point suiting Ayr, that's maybe where the smart money will go. ***Latest Team News*** Neil McCann has indicated this will be his last game in charge according to this article in the Inverness Courier. I'm sure we are all grateful for his and Billy Dodd's input since coming in to cover for John Robertson. After an iffy start, we almost made it to the play-offs. So cheers guys. Last outing of the season and it's a fair bet many will not be back next year with something like 18 players out of contract in the summer. Those that are already contracted to be here next season: 2022: M Ridgers, Duffy, Devine, Harper, MacGregor, D Mackay, Welsh. 2023: Allardice, Deas, 2024 Carson. The rest have not committed themselves yet or may not have been offered a new contract, so some tough talking ahead and none more important than who will be in charge. Brad Mckay is suspended after his red card against Dundee. Latest Ayr boss David Hopkin has brought in young Motherwell keeper Peter Morrison since the 3-0 defeat to Dundee as young Finnish keeper Viljami Sinisalo returned to his parent club, Aston Villa, after picking up an injury. Corrie Ndaba missed out against Queen of the South with a knock picked up at Arbroath. Tom Walsh and Joe Chalmers are still on the books and Michael Moffat returned to the starting XI last week. So, get your old Ayr guitar out one last time... Caramel Wafer Cup Final scrapped Raith & Inverness CT joint winners of Chocolate Cup. The Scottish Professional Football League (the “SPFL”) today announced that the final of the Tunnock’s Caramel Wafer Cup will not take place and that Inverness Caledonian Thistle and Raith Rovers have been declared joint winners of the competition for Season 2019/20. Official Player of the Year voting

DEE DAY. There's no going back now, Dee Day is upon us and it's virtually win or bust as Dundee visit the Caledonian Stadium at 7:00pm on Tuesday evening for a crunch game. With Dunfermline picking up more crucial points since their thrashing at Raith they now have two very winnable games coming up over Arbroath and Alloa whilst we face Dundee, arguably the best squad of individuals in the Championship, followed by the best team in promoted Hearts away, then a tough final game against relegation threatened Ayr United. Of course, three wins for Inverness will suffice for a play off place, but that's a monumental task given our opponents. Streaming Info Official Preview We missed out on a second Premiership scalp in the Scottish Cup at the start of the weekend going down to a very late goal from Marcus Fraser that took the gloss of a superb team performance as we went toe to toe with St Mitten in a highly entertaining tussle. Nikolay Todorov scored his eleventh of the season but Kristian Dennis levelled immediately to keep the game on a knife edge right up until the 90th minute when Fraser tapped in the winner. Ach well, it was a fun distraction while it lasted but the main course will be served when Dundee visit. Toddy: 6th goal in last five games Whilst we were on Cup duty, Dunfermline leapfrogged us into fourth place with a 3-1 win over Queen of the South. They are now in prime position for the play offs but it is still in our own hands at the moment, although looking more likely that we will need to win all of our remaining games to do this. That leaves the table looking like this ahead of Tuesday night's games: Inverness CT v Dundee, Morton v Hearts SPFL Championship League Table Pld W D L F A +/- Pts 1. Hearts 24 15 5 4 56 24 32 50 2. Raith Rovers 25 12 7 6 44 30 14 43 3. Dundee 24 10 8 6 44 38 6 38 4. Dunfermline 25 9 9 7 34 30 4 36 5. Inverness CT 24 8 10 6 33 25 8 34 6. Queen of the South 25 9 4 12 38 49 -11 31 7. Arbroath 25 7 8 10 25 30 -5 29 8. Ayr United 25 6 9 10 29 35 -6 27 9. Morton 24 6 8 10 21 32 -11 26 10. Alloa Athletic 25 4 6 15 28 59 -31 18 Last 10 Competitive Meetings v Dundee ------ Dundee last six League games -> DDWWWL 1 - 2 (A) 2 - 2 (H) 2 - 0 (A) 1 - 0 (H) 0 - 0 (A) 0 - 1 (A) 0 - 1 (H) 2 - 2 (A) 2 - 0 (A) 2 - 2 (H) Of the two games played this season, the first ended in a 2-2 draw in the Highlands in front of a covid restricted crowd of 300 on 12th December. Dee grabbed a late point after a pulsating game at the Caledonian Stadium ended all square. Liam Fontaine opened the scoring just before the interval reacting quickest to a rebound from the crossbar. Robbie Deas deservedly equalised with twenty minutes left and James Keatings put the hosts ahead three minutes later only for Jordan McGhee to peg us back again eight minutes from the end. The return fixture at Dens Park resulted in a 2-1 victory for the hosts. It was too little too late and Dundee manager Jake McPake looked to have tightened his shoogely peg as first half goals from Max Anderson and Jason Cummings put Dundee in at the break two up. Inverness were out of sorts in a poor first forty-five. Nikolay Todorov pulled a goal back with fifteen minutes left heading home a Cammy Harper cross. Inverness mounted a mini-comeback but fell just short as Dundee held on for all three points. We have a decent record in the Highlands against Dundee, the only loss being a Scottish Cup replay in 2018 after a 2-2 draw at Dens Park. However, this is a different beast now and it's points that make prizes. With Dunfermline gathering points, it's still all in the balance. Venue (All competitions) Pld Won Drn Lst For Agst + / - Home 15 7 7 1 26 14 +12 Away 19 6 8 5 25 23 +2 Neutral 2 0 0 2 2 4 -2 Total 36 13 15 8 53 41 +12 ***Latest Team News*** James Keatings and birthday boy Wallace Duffy missed the visit to Paisley. I wonder if we have seen the last of the departing Keatings or is his injury prone career going to travel with him. Under fire McPake seems to have managed to resurrect his managerial career and has turned a mediocre season into a possible promotion one. Dundee have probably the best squad of individuals and McPake is slowly getting the best out of them at the right time. Cummings, Sow, McMullan, Adams, are all quality players who can hurt you. McMullan in particular has been a thorn in our side over the last couple of seasons, and all can score goals. Defender Jordon Forstor has left the club. Left back Jordan Marshall will miss out through injury and this game could also come too soon for Paul McGowan and Max Anderson. Cammy Kerr will likely continue to cover at left back.

All but over In a game with so much at stake it was a tentative opening forty five where neither keeper was over exerted on a fiery pitch. Mackay and Sutherland both had efforts saved by Legzdins, but in truth little else happened with defences on top and it remained goalless at the interval. In a crazy spell after the break, Scott Allardice and Brad Mckay were sent off but nine man Inverness took the lead through Daniel Mackay. Unfortunately, Lee Ashcroft equalised minutes later. It had been backs to the wall since we went down to nine men and time ran out with the game ending all square. Not the result we were looking for, but defiant to the end as Dundee's winless streak in Inverness continues on League business. ---------------------------------------------------- With games running out, points were now precious. A win for Inverness would put us back above Dunfermline and only one point behind Dundee. A win for Dundee would all but end our promotion aspirations. A draw would be of little use to us and not much help to Dundee either in their pursuit of second place. Bottom line, both sides are in desperate need of the three points. Inverness are undefeated in their last six Championship games and Dundee are undefeated in their last five Championship games. Something was going to give. Neil McCann started with Shane Sutherland up front with Nikolay Todorov and Miles Storey on the bench. James McPake was without Jordan Marshall from the side that drew with Dunfermline, Cammy Kerr deputising and Jason Cummings and Charlie Adams were on the bench. Paul McGowan was out injured. ---------------------------------------------------- A beautiful night for a game of football as the sides entered the pitch and it was Dundee that set the ball rolling. First effort of note came in the fifth minute as Mullen hooked the ball slowly over the bar after a long throw in found him near the front post. Dan Mackay latched onto a long goal kick from Mark Ridgers but the angle was tight as he cut in from the left and the keeper made the first save of the game, pushing the ball behind for a fruitless corner. Mullen had a shot deflected for a corner from a long throw and the Caley Jags went up the other end with Todorov netting from an offside position. Almost the opener for Inverness but a close range effort from Sutherland was blocked away near the goalline by Legzdins. With half an hour gone, neither side was able to break down the opposition defence and chances were at a premium. Ten minutes before the break Danny Devine headed a yard wide from a deep corner. Play was becoming disjointed and scrappy but a great ball forward set Mackay free on the left as he won a corner. It came to nothing and it was level at the break Half Time: 0-0 Charlie Adams entered the fray at the interval with Afolabi going off. The visitors started with more urgency after the interval and we resorted to hoofing the ball anywhere, and generally the way we were facing. A super run down the right wing saw David Carson whip a ball across the box but it was just too high for Toddy. Scott Allan threaded the ball of the night to Deas running into the left side of the box and a fraction of a second delay in pulling the trigger allowed Legzdins to pull off a great save. Confusion when the linesman flagged Dundee offside and Ridgers made a tremendous save. However play continued and the save was crucial. Minutes later Allardice was sent off for a crunching tackle in midfield. Wtf. We gained a pass-back free kick inside the Dundee box but Todorov's effort was blocked and cleared. I suppose it made it worth the keepers deliberate foul to stop Toddy from getting to the ball for the sake of an indirect free kick on the right side of the box. Meh! Miles Storey and Roddy MacGregor came on for the final twenty minutes. Jason Cummings picked up a loose ball on the edge of the box and forced Ridgers into making a good save as Dundee looked to take advantage of the extra man. The extra man became two when Brad Mckay was left short and had had to lunge in. Red card and down to nine men. It looked worse when Cummings headed into the net but after much debate and celebration in the Dark Blue ranks the 'goal' was ruled out for offside presumably. Unbelievably we went ahead when birthday boy Daniel Mackay brought down a lobbed ball forward from Welsh before clipping the ball neatly behind the keeper to score. Scenes! Another great goal from the young forward, his eighth of the season. Unfortunately it didn't last long though as Lee Ashcroft headed home from a corner to square matters two minutes later and despite some desperate defending at times that's how it ended. Full Time 1-1 Oh well, the run for promotion has all but ended with two games remaining. It's well out of our own hands now and we will need a massive helping hand from the Smokies and the Wasps if we are to sneak into the top four. Going down to nine men scuppered our chances big time but credit to the lads for fighting to the end and getting a draw. Albeit not enough, it still means that Dundee have not won a League game in Inverness. Pld W D L F A +/- Pts 1. Hearts 25 15 6 4 56 24 32 51 2. Raith Rovers 25 12 7 6 44 30 14 43 3. Dundee 25 10 9 6 45 39 6 39 4. Dunfermline 25 9 9 7 34 30 4 36 5. Inverness CT 25 8 11 6 34 26 8 35 Here's Neil post match Date: 20/04/2021 Venue: Caledonian Stadium Attendance: 0000 Referee: Mike Roncone Inverness CT: 1 Manager: Neil McCann (temporary) Lineup: Ridgers; Carson, B Mckay, Devine, Deas, D Mackay, Welsh, Allardice, Allan (MacGregor 69), Sutherland (Storey 69), Todorov (Harper 83) Subs (not used): C Mackay; McHattie, Vincent, Lyall Scorers: D Mackay (84) Booked: Allardice (25) Sent Off: Allardice (64), B Mckay (79) Dundee FC: 1 Manager: James McPake Lineup: Legzdins, Kerr, Fontaine, McGhee, Mullen Cummings (65), Byrne (Anderson 76), Ashcroft, McDaid, Elliot, McMullan, Afolabi (Adams 45) Subs (not used): Ferrie; Fisher, Jakubiak, Sow Scorers: Ashcroft (86) Booked: Elliot (55) Sent Off: none a