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Queen of the South -V- Inverness CT Palmerston Park, Dumfries Friday night 7:45pm Championship Football Covid restrictions apply Live on BBC TV Live Streaming available

Inverness CT -V- Raith Rovers Caledonian Stadium 21st November 2020 Championship football Covid restrictions apply Live Streaming available from ICTFC

Jambos edge it. After a minutes silence for former Hearts player Marius Zaliukas and all the fallen heroes, Hearts kicked-off just after 3:00pm. There was no scoring at the interval with few clear chances either way, although Boyce might have done better early on. Kai Kennedy looked most likely to unlock the home defence; Peter Haring booked after being nutmegged by the winger. Steven Naismith opened the scoring just after the interval and Nemesis Boyce added a second with twenty minutes left. Aaron Doran scored a late goal for the visitors with a superb header five minutes from time. Inverness pushed hard for a leveller but Hearts held on for the three points. Cristophe Berra made the bench for the Jam Tarts who had Steven Naismith and Peter Haring starting with Liam Boyce leading the attack. Aaron Doran, James Vincent and Shane Sutherland were fit enough to warm our bench as youngsters Daniel Mackay, Cameron Harper and Roddy MacGregor kept their place in the side after some bright performances. The sides were changed a bit from the recent League Cup encounter with Hearts bringing in the big guns for this Championship game. Inverness started brightly and Nikolay Todorov had the first chance in five minutes but Craig Gordon saved comfortably. Liam Boyce should probably have opened the scoring twelve minutes in but headed wide. That was moments after he just failed to get on the end of Kingsley cross. Wallace Duffy and Brad Mckay both made crucial blocks as Hearts threatened to break through but the visitors defence stood firm at the break. Half Time 0-0 The second half had barely started when Steven Naismith swept a ball from Kingsley on the left side behind Mark Ridgers to break the deadlock. Inverness responded well and when Kai Kennedy broke forward his shot was deflected behind for a corner. A spell of further persistence followed but Duffy had an effort blocked as we looked to get back on level terms. With twenty-two minutes remaining Liam Boyce doubled Hearts advantage when he flicked a cross from Ollie Lee into the net after some neat work down the right side. Aidy White almost made it three but his shot smacks the woodwork and Boyce had an effort deflected wide. The visitors plugged away and we got our just reward when substitute Aaron Doran head flicked a super Duffy cross into the opposite corner with Craig Gordon stranded guarding his near post. The ball bouncing in despite a despairing dive from the long keeper. We proceeded to make life uncomfortable for the Gorgie side but despite some flurries around the Jambos box the final ball always fell short of the intended target. When it did get through a couple of wild slashes at the ball went high and wide and time ran out for us. Despite the result, it was a decent performance from the young Inverness team and good to see Shane Sutherland and Aaron Doran getting on the park. Sean Welsh took some heavy challenges and Kai Kennedy looked lively. This was against a strong Hearts side whilst we were still without four or five regulars such as Miles Story, Kevin McHattie and Lewis Toshney with Doran, Sutherland, Devine Vincent and Keatings still building up towards full strength. The next two games are league cup ties and that will give us some more time to prepare for the rigours of Championship football while bedding in our new players and welcoming more back from injury. All is not lost yet! ROBBO POST MATCH Goals from Hearts Twitter Date: 07/11/2020 Venue: Tynecastle Park Attendance: 0 Referee: Bobby Madden Hearts: 2 Lineup: Gordon; Smith, Halkett, Popescu, Kingsley, Halliday, Naismith (White 72), Haring (Irving 61), Lee, Wighton, Boyce (Frear 84). Subs (not used): Stewart; Berra, Brandon, Henderson. Scorers: Naismith (47), Boyce (70) Booked: Haring (22), Halliday (56) Sent Off: none Inverness CT: 1 Lineup: Ridgers; Duffy, B Mckay, Deas, Harper, MacGregor (Sutherland 68), Welsh, Allardice, Kennedy (Doran 75), D Mackay (Keatings 75), Todorov Subs (not used): C Mackay; Fyffe, Devine, Vincent, Scorers: Doran (86) Booked: Deas (39) Sent Off: none a

Capital Tester Most difficult fixture on the calendar coming up this weekend as we head to Gorgie to take on overwhelming Championship favourites Hearts. Another covid restricted game which kicks off at 15:00 on Saturday afternoon with Hearts one game behind leaders Dunfermline and Raith Rovers, having been at Hampden last weekend knocking Capital rivals Hibs out of the Scottish Cup. Hearts will be streaming the game live and I'm sure it will be superior quality to the "linesmans head" guff that we have been subject to at the Caledonian Stadium. However, many fans will draw the line at the price of the Tynecastle stream. £18.50 is taking the pi55. Have a word with yourself Hearts. Sad news this week as it was announced that former Hearts player Marius Zaliukas has passed away after battling with Motor Neuron Disease. Lithuanian Marius was the captain when Hearts won the Scottish Cup in 2012 beating Hibs 5-1. Taken too soon at the tender age of just 36. RIP Marius. The club's met at Tynecastle a few weeks ago in the group stages of the Betfred League Cup. An injury stricken Inverness side went down narrowly to the Jambos. Despite having to field many youngsters, we created a couple of great chances but it was a harsh penalty incident that saw Jamie Walker score from the spot. Hot Toddy missed a late chance to level but Hearts took the points. The opening game of the Championship season saw Hearts crush Dundee 6-2 with an outstanding performance. They followed that up with an edgy 1-0 win at Gayfield. Last week they dumped Hibs out of the Scottish Cup at Hampden to reach the final, Wighton and Boyce from the spot ending the interest of the Leith club. Keeper Craig Gordon was once again in top form to deny Hibs and will be a difficult man to get the ball past this season. Daniel Mackay opened his account for the season with this header just after the break against Arbroath. Other Championship games this weekend Alloa Ath v Dundee (Friday night) Arbroath v Queen of the South Ayr United v Dunfermline Ath Raith Rvrs v Greenock Morton ***LATEST TEAM NEWS*** Great to have Aaron Doran stretching his legs last week, albeit for only the last five minutes but it's a step in the right direction. Some are still a few weeks away from returning. Strikers Miles Storey and Shane Sutherland are out with hamstring injuries. Defenders Kevin McHattie and Lewis Toshney are out and Daniel Devine has been used sparingly. Midfielders David Carson and James Vincent were missing against Arbroath, Carson seemingly longer term. Sean Welsh and Robbie Deas returned to the starting XI last week and hopefully they showed no reaction to what turned out to be a rather gruelling match in Siberian conditions. Robbie Neilson has the luxury of a large squad to select from. Josh Ginnelly was outstanding in the League Cup encounter but was injured at Arbroath and missed the cup tie against Hibs. Jordan Roberts came in to replace him, but he is now a doubt. Such is the depth of the Jambos squad they can afford the luxury of Steven Naismith on the bench. And why not when former Dundee striker Craig Wighton is scoring goals. Liam Boyce is back as well so it's a strong Hearts team that will be looking to keep up with the leaders. They have their own injury problems with long term absentees like John Souttar (Ruptured Achilles) and Cristophe Berra (Torn Achilles) to contend with but the depth of talent at Tynecastle will minimise the damage by their absence. Peter Haring is building towards full fitness and Jamie Walker might need a late assessment. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ OFFICIAL PREVIEW £££ PPV Streaming £££ Aye Right! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Don't forget to have a listen to the Wyness Shuffle. There's plenty to get your teeth into in the Podcasts and they have managed to get some Caley Jags legends to talk to them over the months. Hear from real life legends like Charlie Christie and his loon Ryan, Greg Tansey, Gary Warren, Barry Wilson, Carl Tremarco, James Keatings, Josh Meekings... The list goes on right down to the marmite of Yogi Bear, The Magic Roundabout a seagull in a carrier bag and even Marge Simpson's mother! Robbo talking ahead of the trip to Tynecastle

Smokies Smoked The visitors opened the scoring midway through the first half while Pixellot were looking elsewhere. Apparently Kris Doolan scored somehow. In the middle of a hurricane, Daniel Mackay levelled matters with a header early in the second half. Scott Allardice scored a thumping goal from near thirty yards out to put the hosts ahead. Nikolay Todorov secured the points with ten minutes left for our first win of the season. Well done to both teams for weathering the storm..... Still without a host of regular picks, John Robertson put his faith in the young guns to continue the good work they have put in over the opening two games of the Championship season despite the lack of a win. Arbroath come North searching for their first point after a difficult first two games for the Lichties. They had the measure of Inverness last season with two wins out of the three games played, one of those at the Caledonian Stadium. PPV streaming was available and with covid19 restrictions in place an empty Stadium would greet the teams, Inverness emerging from the tunnel, The Smokies coming from the tradesman's entrance at the South end of the ground. Here's how it played out on another damp and blustery afternoon in the Highlands. Robbo had a couple surprises up his sleeve with Sean Welsh and Robbie Deas starting with Aaron Doran on the bench alongside James Keatings and Daniel Devine. A horrendous afternoon greeted the sides and this impacted on the whole game. There would be only one winner on a windy afternoon in the Highland Capital, and that was Aiden, whose 50mph swirling gusts ensured it would be a difficult afternoon for both sides. The Lichties opened the scoring midway through the first half making the most of any advantage Aiden would provide. It was engineered and executed by two veterans. Bobby Linn broke on the left after Aiden intercepted the ball and when bin man Linn crossed into the box Kris Doolan was on hand to knock it home. The hosts struggled to make much headway as Aiden repelled every attack. The visitors would experience the same problems after the break. Half Time 0-1 It only took a couple of minutes for the Lichties to realise whose side Aiden was on in the second half as Daniel Mackay headed in the equaliser after good work by Kai Kennedy and Wallace Duffy. Aiden and abetting would then combine to give Scott Allardice the chance to sidefoot home effortlessly from nearly thirty yards, the ball flying high past a startled Gaston in goal. What a way to open your account in a Caley Jags strip. The visitors were rarely seen in the second half and it was no surprise when it opened up for Nikolay Todorov to stroke the ball into the net to seal the points ten minutes from the end. If truth be told, Arbroath were blown away in the second half as Inverness claimed their first win of the season, the Smokies still looking for their first points. Credit to both sets of players for staying on the park for 90 minutes in the middle of a storm. One of the main highlights was the sight of Aaron Doran on the pitch for the final five minutes. Great to see him back and hopefully he will build up to full speed in the next few weeks. FULL TIME 3-1 OFFICIAL REPORT from ICTFC Here's the managers talking on BBC Sport Inverness manager John Robertson: "That game should never have been played. It was impossible to find our rhythm in a 50mph wind in the first half." Arbroath assistant manager Ian Campbell: "We were on top and at half-time we went in 1-0 up deservedly. Second half, the wind caused us a lot of bother and John's game plan worked." Date: 31/10/2020 Venue: Caledonian Stadium Attendance: 0 Referee: Colin Steven Inverness CT: 3 Lineup: Ridgers; Duffy, B Mckay, Deas, Harper, MacGregor (Doran 86), Welsh, Allardice, Kennedy (Keatings 79), D Mackay, Todorov (Devine (90+1) Subs (not used): C Mackay; Hyde, Fyffe, Nicolson. Scorers: D Mackay (47), Allardice (71),Todorov (79) Booked: B Mckay (63) Sent Off: none Arbroath FC: 1 Lineup: Gaston; Thomson, Hamilton, Little, O'Brien, Gold, Linn (Donnelly 75) Ruth, Smith (McKenna 76) Doolan (Hilson 75), Virtanen Subs (not used): Douglas; Whatley, Swankie, Stewart. Scorers: none Doolan (24) Booked: none Sent Off: none a

The Campbell's are coming Oh-Ho! Oh-Ho! Arbroath will be heading North on Saturday for matchday 3 of the shortened Championship season. It's a 3:00pm kick-off and another closed doors game due to covid19 restrictions. Let's hope the sun is not shining on the assistant referees napper this week. I'm certain some punters gave the linesman points in the Player of the Year poll, such was his stage presence last Saturday. The Smokies returned to Championship football last season and were a thorn in our side, inflicting a thumping 3-0 defeat at Gayfield and stunning Inverness 1-0 at the Caledonian Stadium. The first encounter saw Inverness stumble over the line with a 2-1 win. Fast forward to October, along came covid to save us more damage at the hands of the Red Lichties. Well done to Dick Campbell and his brother Ian and his coaching staff for an excellent season consolidating back into the Championship and taking some great scalps along the way. The game can be found live online by registering on the SPFL Portal and logging in to your account. Season Ticket holders will have a code to redeem and PPV viewers can watch the action for only a £enner. Let's hope the stream has been tweaked since last week. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ LIVE STREAMING Official Preview ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ It's not been a great start for either side this campaign. We lost at East End Park and salvaged a draw at home to Ayr United and the linesmans head. In our defence we almost have a full team on the treatment table. Yes, its a big table. Arbroath fell foul of the promotion bounce and lost 3-0 at Raith where the dancing in the streets began. Their second game saw them lose narrowly to Championship favourites Hearts in a game they probably should have taken something from. Former Dundee and St Johnstone player Gavin Swankie is back on the field after a season plagued with injury and his experience will be vital for the Lichties. Bobby Linn has always been a problem for our defenders and is still capable of troubling the best defences. Kris Doolan comes in from Partick Thistle to add even more experience and is a threat up front. His former Partick team mate James Craigen is another who has been round the block, as is Ricky Little, so plenty of guile within the squad to guide the younger members through another season in the Championship. Former Morton keeper Derek Gaston was a standout last campaign and is a difficult man to pass. With Hearts on Cup duty this weekend, it's a chance for front runners Raith Rovers and Dunfermline to stretch their legs at the top of the table which will leave the rest playing catch-up. Raith & Pars were the big winners last week and look likeliest to get in the Jambos face. Games coming up this weekend: Dundee v Raith Rovers Dunf Ath v Queen of the South Morton v Ayr United ICT FC v Arbroath Injuries R Us is the new trading name for the Caley Jags. Eight first team players missing last week is not really what the doctor ordered. Most will be out for the next few weeks which means we have to rely on the young team to see us through the opening month or two. In fairness, they have coped reasonably well in the opening two fixtures. Arise Sir Pixellot Right, it's time for a moan: Its Thursday 2:00pm, five days after the Ayr game and the silence from the Caledonian Stadium is deafening. The live streaming of the first home game was a mixed bag to be honest. It was supposed to go live around half hour before kick-off. However the wheel of doom was the only thing visible once we negotiated the registration and login. Just after 2:45 we suddenly got a live picture of players warming up. The image was distant, and looking from the main stand into the low Autumn sun from the West. Not only did that make viewing difficult, it made the stadium look like a public park as cars drove along the dual carriageway towards the Kessock Bridge. As the Pixellot system has technology allowing it to be unmanned, the automatic ball following sensor would often track the cars and more so the follicly challenged head of the assistant referee. I'm certain he will be given an assist for the Ayr goal as they surged forward down the stand side. I know it's all new to everyone, but maybe someone could have done their homework on this camera and worked out how to get the best out of the system and promote the club in the the best way possible. Surely it's better to look towards the main stand, even if it is empty, than stare into the glare of the sun and the landscape surrounding the Kessock Bridge. We had excellent highlights from our own Caley Jags TV which put the live stream to shame. Now, I'm not one for having a go at the club in general, but why has there been no feedback emanating from the Stadium to even explain the reason behind the poor quality of the stream. I'm in the "It's better than nothing" camp, but many paying customers feel disappointed with the offering received for their hard earned cash in difficult times. If I'm being totally honest, its hard to disagree, but for goodness sake speak up and tell the fans why this happened and more importantly what they are going to do about it before we face more ridicule from fans around the country. They have managed to do a promo for drive in movies and wall of fame tiles, how about a wee communication with feedback on how well the Pixellot system never did. I never liked her songs anyway...... Rant over and I hope a few tweaks make it more enjoyable for everyone Since then, Scott Gardner told the P&J "There were going to be teething problems for the first game. We didn’t think it was going to be a bald headed linesman, but you live and learn. If the sun is not out it’s not a problem. “The league are in charge of it. They are aware of it and working on it. “It wasn’t as bad as everyone was saying but it wasn’t ideal". Really! Understatement alert! ***Latest Team News*** First the good news. Kai Kennedy has been called into the Scotland u21 squad for the forth coming EUFA qualifiers against Croatia and Greece. He will also be available this weekend after featuring on the bench last Saturday. Now for the bad news: there is no more good news. The treatment table is massive. It's too soon for Aaron Doran, David Carson, Lewis Toshney, Kevin McHattie and Miles Storey. Sean Welsh, James Vincent and Shane Sutherland also missed out last week in a well kept top secret mission to not inform anyone what was happening to them. So, looks like we will be relying on the young guys to see us through these difficult times with hopefully Nikolay Todorov staying injury free. Without giving anything away, Robbo has hinted that one or two might make the squad, I'm guessing that might be Sutherland, Welsh and Vincent. The Campbell's are coming North with a pretty much injury and suspension free squad. Kris Doolan could well be starting and Bobby Linn would be a great impact player should he not be in the starting XI. They have run Hearts and Ross County close this season, expect this to be another difficult game. Don't forget your dose of Wyness Shuffle to blow away your Halloween blues. Pumpkins & PPV We pick out our Highland Highlight’s of the season so far (1:45) The pod picks over the bones of the recent games against Hearts and Cowdenbeath in the League Cup as well as our opening league matches against Dunfermline and Ayr (3:50) The Digital Elephant in the Room – match day streaming and thoughts on the experience so far (18:30) A View from the Opposition Terrace – Moff dials up Ayr fan and Ayrshire Post reporter Stuart Wilson to get his views on the draw with The Honest Men (24:59) We try to look into the future and predict what might happen in our forthcoming league games against Arbroath and Hearts before the League Cup restarts and we face Raith Rovers and East Fife (36:48) Get to know one of the new faces in the ICT squad as Wallace Duffy chats with Riley who continues grafting for freebies (49:45) Nightmare XI is back for Hallowe’en but who is next in line for a place in the side? (59:50) We received some great questions on Twitter this week. We do our best to answer them with the return of mailbag (1:04:12)

All square with Ayr. Better late than never, the live stream burst onto the laptop 15 minutes before kick-off and it was game-on. Inverness had the first chance when Todorov headed off the underside of the bar, the ball adjudged not to have crossed the line. Todorov also slid one just wide as did Cameron Harper. Young keeper Silisano also made a couple of good saves to deny the eager hosts. Mark Ridgers made one great save and the ball ricocheted around the box like a game of bagatelle, but at the break it was 0-0 with Inverness making most of the running. Substitute Innes Cameron opened the scoring seconds after replacing Joe Chalmers before the hour. Nikolay Todorov squared matters with five minutes left. Ridgers denied Ayr at the death and a point apiece it was. It's the first live streamed match from the Caledonian Stadium and Ayr United were the visitors on a blustery October Saturday afternoon. It's another covid restricted game so no spectators allowed into the stadium. Nikolay Todorov was deemed fit enough to start, but Inverness were without Miles Storey, Sean Welsh, James Vincent, Aaron Doran, Lewis Toshney, Kevin McHattie, and David Carson. Shane Sutherland never made the squad either but Kai Kennedy would be available. Not a great start to the season for Inverness injury wise. That is possibly an award winning statement. Ayr have Luke McCowan suspended and Tom Walsh is out with a hamstring injury. New signing Cammy Smith started with Innes Cameron on the bench. What could possibly go wrong in the first live streamed game from the Caledonian Stadium. Well, that's another debate, it was watchable suffice to say. Maybe the camera's will be moved to the West side gantray as the low Autumn sun was causing as much havoc as the assistant referee's hairless head. On the park Todorov rattled the bar with a powered header and the ball bounced down and away in the first five minutes. Great effort from the big striker, the ball appeared to hit the bar, line, bar, line then scrambled away. Ooft! Ridgers made a superb one handed save in the 17th minute and from the following scrambulation, the ball ricocheted around before Brad Mckay popped up on the line to scoop clear. Cameron Harper fired a powerful free kick round the wall from the edge of the box but the keeper kept it out as Inverness controlled the pace of the game. Toddy went through on goal on a great ball forward but managed to hit the stanchion behind the goal instead of bulging the net. Good power from the big man, pity bout the finish. A loose ball on the angle of the box was curled wide as the hosts looked likeliest to open the scoring and a wonderful swift break from our own box saw Harper fed through on the left. Unfortunately his powerful shot rose just over the bar. Cammy redeemed more than his voucher moments later when he hooked one off his own line following an Ayr raid. That was a mere distraction from the attacking intent of the hosts and Daniel Mackay sent a swerving shot on target from distance that the Ayr keeper saved brilliantly. Half Time 0-0 However, we were undone by our own sloppiness just before the hour. Ayr substitute Innes Cameron slotted home calmly after an Inverness foray forward broke down tamely. Some shoddy backtracking and good speed from Ayr saw Cameron stroke the ball home tidily. Harsh on the hosts. The goal spurred Ayr on and Ridgers stooped to gather a shot from 25 yards comfortably. Kai Kennedy was introduced and he sent a long ball onto Toddy's head but the keeper gathered easily. Some frantic defending kept Inverness at bay as we probed for an equaliser. It would come in the 85th minute as Toddy turned on a super cross into the penalty area from substitute Ryan Fyffe and he wheeled before hitting it early, low behind a static keeper. Great goal and no more than we deserved. Into time added on and we had Ridgers to thank for pulling off a tremendous diving one handed save (think Mike Fraser against Celtic) to keep the score level. Top corner, top drawer. Considering our circumstances this was a good result with eight players missing. The debate about the streaming rages on elsewhere...... Official Match Report from ICTFC Highlights from Caley Jags TV Robbo talking post match https://www.facebook.com/ICTFC/videos/387817095577014 Date: 24/10/2020 Venue: Caledonian Stadium Attendance: 0 Referee: Alan Muir Inverness CT: 1 Lineup: Ridgers; Duffy, B Mckay (Fyffe 75), Devine, MacGregor, Harper, Allardice, Keatings (Kennedy 71), D Mackay, Todorov. Subs (not used): C Mackay; Hyde, Harkness, Scorers: Todorov (86) Booked: Devine (54), Allardice (68) Duffy (90 +1) Sent Off: none Ayr United: 1 Lineup: Silisano; Muirhead, Reading, Baird, Roscoe; Miller, Murdoch, Chalmers (Cameron 57), Moffat (Houston 79) Smith (Hewit 90+2), Anderson. Subs (not used): Hare-Reid; Kerr, Smith, McKenzie, Scorers: Cameron (57) Booked: Miller (62) Sent Off: none a

Ayr today, gone tomorrow It's matchday two this weekend in the Ladbrokes Championship and the visitors to the Caledonian Stadium are Ayr United who have two former Caley Jags players in their ranks. Tom Walsh and Joe Chalmers joined the Honest Men in the summer and could be in the squad this weekend for the game that kicks off at 3:00pm. It is of course another covid restricted game played behind closed doors, with Alan Muir the man in charge of proceedings. Ayr's one and only win at the Caledonian Stadium came in 2003. That's seventeen years ago, and since then it has been five draws and four defeats for the Honest Men. Live streaming is available for all home Championship games through your season ticket or PPV for any game. The Ayr game will be our first broadcast match and can be viewed through the SPFL Portal. Let's hope it all runs smoothly. The link below takes you to the SPFL Portal from where you can view the games. You must have already registered to gain access to this portal. All live matches available on the platform are broadcast from a Pixellot camera, one of which has been installed at each Scottish Championship ground. The camera is unmanned and uses ball tracking technology. These cameras will produce 1080p (HD) footage and the broadcast will come with commentary. What could possibly go wrong...... ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Live Streaming link & PPV Official ICTFC Preview ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The opening fixtures saw mixed fortunes for the teams with Inverness going down 3-1 at East End Park. Nikolay Todorov had given us the lead in 88 seconds, converting a tantalising cross from Daniel Mackay. Unfortunately Pars captain Euan Murray scored his 4th goal of the season, all with the head, to level matters. Ryan Dow prodded home from close range as we failed to clear our lines in the last quarter of an hour and Declan McManus fired a superb strike into the top corner across keeper Mark Ridgers to seal the points. A disappointing outcome where we matched the home side for long spells but slackness at the back benefited Dunfermline who took full advantage and all three points with two goals in the final twelve minutes. To compound matters, goalscorer Todorov had to leave the pitch twenty minutes in after a nasty collision with Euan Murray where he took a heavy knock from which he never recovered. That's all three strikers crocked one game into the season to add to four other regulars that were unavailable. Meh! Here's the early strike from Toddy before he joined the crocked list...... Ayr opened their account by beating Queen of the South 2-1 at Somerset Park. Defender Michael Miller scored both goals with Stephen Dobbie grabbing a penalty for the Doonhamers. Both sides ended the game with ten men as Luke McCowan was sent off in stoppage time for Ayr with James Maxwell likewise for Queens just after the hour. Ayr had to thank nineteen year old Finnish keeper Viljami Sinisalo for making a magnificent save to deny Gregor Buchanan in the dying embers of time added on. A hard earned three points for Ayr, but it's three more than we got. Our injury woes are well documented with Miles Storey, Nikolay Todorov and Shane Sutherland all injured. David Carson, Lewis Toshney, Aaron Doran and Danny Devine all missed the Pars game although Devine was an unused sub. Kai Kennedy should be available after his isolation from the Scotland u19 squad covid problems. Dorans sketch is all we have seen of him so far this season. Here's the breakdown on the broken players: Lewis Toshney (hip flexor), Kevin McHattie (hip), David Carson (muscle), Miles Storey (torn hamstring), Nikolay Todorov (rib and lung bruising), Aaron Doran (knee) and Shane Sutherland (hamstring strain). Dario Zanatta was rested for the opener and Tom Walsh also missed out. Walsh has the Caley Jags jinx, hamstring problems. However, Joe Chalmers played and Patrick Reading made his competitive debut. Bruce Anderson and Michael Miller also featured and young Finnish keeper Sinisalo had a good afternoon. Other Championship fixtures this weekend. ARBROATH 0-1 HEARTS (Fri) ALLOA v DUNFERMLINE DUNDEE v MORTON QUEENS v RAITH ***LATEST TEAM NEWS*** John Robertson is without a number of players, particularly up front with Miles Storey and Nikolay Todorov out. Shane Sutherland is struggling to be ready in time and will be assessed late. Aaron Doran and David Carson have not featured in pre-season and Lewis Toshney was injured during it. Kai Kennedy has met his new pals and will enter the squad. Hopefully he will get some time on the park. Danny Devine will be fit enough to be included as he made the bench last week. Brad Mckay and Kevin McHattie have had to play in the opening games despite not being up to speed yet after a disjointed pre-season. Jesus Christ, he's like buses. Nothing for eight months then two images at the same time. Hi Aaron, hiya pal! Remember, all will be revealed soon as we enter the age of streaming where video will be the order of the day, so stay tuned to any statements coming from ICTFC or any of their media outlets such as Facebook or Twitter. Ayr signed Dundee United midfielder Cammy Smith on loan two days before they came North and he will go straight into their squad. He is signed until January, as is striker Innes Cameron who comes in on loan from Kilmarnock ahead of the trip North. Jordan Houston could return along with Zanatta, but Walsh looks set for another week or two on the sidelines. Luke McCowan is suspended after his late sending off against Queen of the South last Saturday. The evergreen Michael Moffat will be a threat as always. The 35 year old is still one to be watched and along with Cammy Smith will provide the pace and ammunition for the rest. Don't forget to check out all the latest from the fabulous Wyness Shuffle guys....

Hearts -V- Inverness CT Championship Football Matchday 4 Saturday 7th October 15:00 Tynecastle Park Unfortunately these will be closed doors games due to Covid19

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

Let there be football It's the start of the covid restricted Championship campaign 20/21 and Inverness travel to Fife to take on Dunfermline Athletic at East End Park. The game is a closed doors event and kicks-off at 3:00pm on Saturday 17th October with live streaming available from Dunfermline or the usual social media outlets via twitter, BBC Sport etc to fill the void of following your team at the stadiums. The steak bridies will be a big miss from East End park as will the pre-match entertainment on Halbeath Road and the general enjoyment of slagging your team off on a Saturday afternoon. It's what 3:00pm's were made for. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ How to watch the game PPV £12 https://parstv.co.uk/ Pars TV Information Official Preview from ICTFC ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Our Player of the Year poll will be available to those who have viewed the game on Pars TV or otherwise and can vote once poll is made available after the match. Remember, keep the votes honest as a trophy is awarded at the end of the season to the winner. The covid restricted Championship will have nine games less this season with twenty-seven games scheduled. That makes it all the more important for teams to get off and running early with 27 points less in the season. Those that make the early running could find themselves battling it out at the top of the table with Hearts the strong favourites for automatic promotion. Dundee will also be amongst those fancying their chances and Dunfermline have invested wisely and will be a tough opening fixture for the Caley Jags. Ayr United have secured the services of our own Tom Walsh and former player Joe Chalmers. Add Dario Zanatta to that and they will be a threat. To be honest, as we found out last season, most teams are capable of pulling off great results on the day and I expect it will be no different this season, although my guess is these teams will be vying for the top four places along with us. Discount the rest at your peril with newly promoted Raith Rovers another that could edge towards the top third of the table. Our two Group A games in the League Cup have seen a narrow defeat at Tynecastle (1-0) and a goalless draw at home to Cowdenbeath. Our familiar frailties in front of goal are still evident although we did convert all four penalties in the shootout against Cowdenbeath emphatically. Thanks to Cammy Mackay, we picked up the bonus point as he made two tremendous saves to ensure we got two points on the board. Here's our emphatic penalty shoot-out against Cowdenbeath...... Dunfermline top group E with maximum points from their three games. Six goals without reply is a good return for the Pars who have beaten Dumbarton, Falkirk and Kilmarnock. Captain Euan Murray has scored three so far, all headers. This is how the table ended 7 months ago........... Other Championship games this weekend Saturday 3:00pm unless stated Hearts 6-2 Dundee (Friday 19:45) Ouch! Ayr Utd v Queen of the South Morton v Alloa Athletic Raith R v Arbroath Inverness have both strikers Miles Storey and Shane Sutherland suffering from hamstring injuries in the opening league cup games, and that leaves us a bit thin up top. Daniel Mackay and the misfiring Nikolay Todorov look the likeliest to be given the task of scoring, something we have failed to do in the last two games. Kevin McHattie and James Vincent played for over an hour against Cowdenbeath in midweek as they build back to full strength after injury with Danny Devine getting a quarter of an hour at the end. Kai Kennedy is still in isolation and his debut is on hold. There has been no sightings of David Carson or Aaron Doran so far. A cardboard cut out is all we have to go on. Sketch by the wonderful local artist Sophie Robb. Dunfermline made a tremendous signing in Kevin O'Hara from Alloa Athletic. Plenty of experience as well with Paul Watson, Steven Whittaker and Declan McManus signing on at East End Park. O'Hara scored from the spot against Falkirk but it's captain Euan Murray who leads the scoring with three headed goals. He will be a threat at set pieces. Another Murray, Fraser, scored twice against Kilmarnock, one a header the other a screamer of a free kick. Owain Fon Williams is on the books as well. Remember him? Drawing an honest wage now..... Hell mend him. Here's a damning statistic from the Pars site: Only Morton lost more away games than Inverness in the Championship last season. Sounds like they are fairly confident of keeping our dismal away form from last season running into this one. Let's hope we can redress the balance and get off to a flyer in Fife. Mon the Caley Jags

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

Dunfermline Athletic -V- Inverness CT Championship Football Matchday 1 Saturday 17th October 15:00 East End Park Steak Bridies 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.

Wasps Buzzing Inverness had to re-shuffle the back four in the third minute with Lewis Toshney unable to continue, Kevin McHattie replacing him. A deflected shot by Lee Connelly opened the scoring after 12 minutes, the ball entering the net off Brad Mckay. Alloa were on top in the early exchanges but Neil Parry had to make a brilliant save to deny Jordan White midway through the half. Alan Trouten extended the lead before half an hour had gone, scoring from close range. No further scoring after the break, but Alloa were well worth the three points. It should have been more, the woodwork came to inverness' rescue a couple of times in the second half. For Inverness it's a thoroughly disappointing result, undoing the good work in midweek. The only thing in our favour was we only lost one point on everyone else as the rest of the games ended in draws. Therefore, this week saw us gain a point on our nearest challengers. Still, in truth, it's results like this that have cost us big time and left Dundee united alone at the top. One step forward, two steps back! Brad Mckay returned to defence with Kevin McHattie dropping to the bench. James Vincent and Sean Welsh were still out. For Alloa, Ian Flannigan missed out but Neil Parry made his second start between the sticks after returning from injury. Great report on CTO forum from RIG............... Daylight robbery. We should have been absolutely pumped rotten today. I can barely remember troubling Parry until a couple of minutes from the end when Walsh flashed a shot just over / onto the bar. The rest of the game Alloa took us to pieces aided by some lacklustre defending from us. There was no one with the entire mountain range of the Ochils to stop Alloa taking the lead with Connelly having far too much time and space to lash a shot beyond Ridgers. Apparently it took a deflection but it was hard to see for sure from the other end of the ground. Not too long later the second arrived. Harsh free kick against White for handball but again we looked shoddy defending the resultant cross which found Trouten at the back post and he tucked the ball in from close range. There didn't look to be any ICT player in close attendance and if there was there were still other Alloa players unmarked in an apparent breakdown of who was marking who. Our only real chance came when White tried to seize on a knock down but from a couple of yards out he couldn't connect with the ball and Parry gathered. Second half Alloa initially seemed to sit in before quickly realising that a defensive pairing of Brad Mckay and Kevin McHattie can be easily be gotten at, and set up utterly destroying us. Star of the show Scott Banks tested Ridgers when he broke free and curled a lovely shot towards goal but Ridgers leapt across to block it. Alloa then missed what looked like an easy chance to get that third goal. Alloa forced Ridgers into a save but, with the ball bobbling just in front of him, he couldn't hold on and the ball broke free to an onrushing Alloa player who rounded Ridgers but then hit the post from a yard or two out. Banks again showed real class as he did spin after spin to dance through the ICT midfield and defence and he was unlucky to see another good effort go over the bar and Alloa had a further chance when they rattled the crossbar. Our only real second half chance came when Walsh sent a half cross half shot onto the bar but we were well and truly gubbed today. A lot to think about in the coming weeks. Highlights from AlloaTV Honest John..... Date: 07/03/2020 Venue: Recreation Park, Alloa Attendance: 712 Referee: Steven Kirkland Alloa Athletic: 2 Lineup: Parry; Robertson (Buchanan 66), Stirling, Taggart, Dick, Cawley, Hetherington, Trouten, Banks (Brown 86), Connelly (Thomson 76), O'Hara, Subs (not used): Wright; O'Donnell, Scorers: Connelly (12), Trouten (28) Booked: Thomson (78) Sent Off: none Inverness CT: 0 Lineup: Ridgers; Rooney, Toshney (McHattie 3), B Mckay, Tremarco (Todorov 76), Doran, Carson, Trafford, Walsh, Storey (Keatings 63), White Subs (not used): C Mackay; Harper, MacGregor, Scorers: none Booked: Trafford (60), Sent Off: none a

A spot of Recreation After a good set of results in midweek, the Caley Jags head to Recreation Park Alloa, looking to consolidate their position in second place in the Championship, the game kicking off at 3:00pm. Inverness were the only team to win in midweek as the other four games ended goalless. This will be the sixth meeting between the sides this season, with Inverness having three wins, the other two games were draws. Last time together we struggled to a 1-1 draw against the Wasps. A first half penalty was tucked away by Iain Flannigan but Jordan White rescued our day with a goal on the hour. Last time at Recreation Park we were on Scottish Cup duty and edged out Alloa 2-3 thanks to a late goal from Charlie Trafford. Alloa's top scorer Kevin O'Hara scored twice to square matters after Aaron Doran and Jordan White had Inverness ahead twice. We never find it easy on the artificial surface and I expect it will be no different this time round. Championship fixtures this weekend Aloa Athletic v Inverness CT Ayr United v Dundee Dundee Utd v Partick Thistle Dunfermline v Queen of the South Morton v Arbroath Here's Johnny.............. OFFICIAL PREVIEW Sean Welsh and James Vincent missed out in midweek but Lewis Toshney added some much needed solidarity to our defence. Brad Mckay will be available for selection after his red card against Hibs in the Scottish Cup and Robbo is hopeful Vincent will be added to the squad. Alloa's main threat will be 14 goal Kevin O'Hara although he is not the only player we need to be wary of. Kevin Cawley, and Alan Trouten are well aware how to find the back of the net, and at the other end Neil Parry made a welcome return to the goals, shutting Dundee out with a tremendous performance in midweek. That's some save by Neil Parry in midweek................. Bronson It should be noted that after the passing of the legend that is Bronson, his funeral arrangements have been released. RIP Simon. On behalf Simon’s immediate family, we would like to express our heartfelt thanks to everyone who has been in touch, shared their memories of him and offered their support. It has been truly humbling – we knew he was a great bloke, but this has surpassed even our expectations. His death will leave a huge hole in the hearts and lives of all who knew him. 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. Please share this information with anyone else you think would like to know. — feeling heartbroken. 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.

Raise a glass for Bronson One of the Championship's form teams venture North on Tuesday night in the shape of Greenock Morton. With 10 points from their last six games, only Arbroath can better that with 12 points. Our tally over the last six is a mere 7 points. The game has a 7:45 kick-off time as our hectic schedule kicks in. We went down heavily at Easter Road as the last Championship side standing. It ended 5-2 and we finished the game down to ten men, beaten, but not bowed. Morton made the most of their Saturday game as they thrashed Queen of the South 4-0. The goals came from Tumilty, Nesbitt, Cadden and McGuffie, that's 12 goals in their last four games including a 2-1 win at Somerset Park. Brad Mckay is suspended and James Keatings and James Vincent are doubts. OFFICIAL PREVIEW Robbo talking pre-match Sadly, football takes a back seat this week after news that one of our own larger than life fans has passed away with so much still to offer. No one saw it coming, no one saw the signs. Everyone thinks that men are so tough they don't give a shit. Well I have news for you. Men do care, men hurt, men cry, men can do all these things. It's OK to be not OK. Men need help as well so please please please tell someone, talk to your best buddy. More people understand than they will tell you. Many of us have felt low at some point. It's not something to be ashamed of, but help is out there, speak about it, please. Rip 'Bronson' a nicer guy you would struggle to find anywhere. It's difficult to come to terms with this. For his family and close friends, this is sad times, but please, be comforted in the knowledge that Simon was well loved and will be sorely missed. Heartbroken is a word used too readily, it is the word to describe the feeling amongst all who had the privilege and honour of being in Simon's company. Gringo posted this lovely heartfelt tribute to Simon. Words can not explain how I feel right now. Today I heard of the passing of one the nicest guys I ever met whilst supporting Inverness Caley Thistle. He was a laugh, a true Caley Thistle fan, a gent and was always in awe at my (our) long distance journeys that were made as a family to follow his (our) team. He was also a founder member of the infamous Highland March and also became the saviour of it too on that very first event. I shared the support bus with him on a number of occasions we're we talked football and rock music. From those halcyon days of the HM, the fun in the Innes Bar, the home matches and the away matches on the supporters bus I will never forget you Simon MacDonald ‘Bronson’ never. With a heavy heart I bid you farewell my friend and may you rest in peace now. My heart also goes out to all your family and friends. A pain unimaginable right now. I hope my words ease that awful pain somehow. Everyone on CTO will echo these thoughts and we all pass on our heartfelt condolences to Simon's family, friends and colleagues. Gone too soon, but will never be forgotten. Simon, you will never walk alone......

Walsh winner dumps Pars Inverness were still without Sean Welsh for the visit to East End Park, but captain Carl Tremarco made his 200th appearance for the club. Lewis Toshney started with Tom Walsh and James Keatings on the bench. The Pars had two former Inverness players in their starting XI, Owain Fon Williams and Danny Devine. Form player Kevin Nisbet was leading the attack. Roddy MacGregor set the ball rolling in front of a decent crowd in his first start for some time, but Dunfermline were soon on the attack with Mark Ridgers palming away a dangerous low cross from Jonathan Afolabi, James Vincent mopped up before Kevin Nisbet could benefit. A few minutes later Ridgers had to deal with an effort from Nisbet inside the box. All the early pressure came from the Pars and James Vincent picked up an early booking as the hosts looked for an early advantage. Dom Thomas shot wide after Afolabi headed the ball down to him. Inverness still to get out of first gear. It's all Dunfermline thus far and in the eleventh minute Nisbet headed wide and moments later Afolabi shot just wide. It looks like it's going to be a long night for the visiting fans. Inverness' first venture forward and an Aaron Doran corner finds Lewis Toshney at the back post but from a tight angle he missed the target. As the visitors began to get to grips with the game Roddy MacGregor won a free kick some twenty yards out. Aaron Doran fired the ball high into the net off the underside of the bar to surprise everyone in the stadium. What a goal from Doran, his ninth of the season. Back came the Pars and Ridgers had to deal with an effort from Thomas and at the other end MacGregor headed wide. Five minutes before the break Nisbet diverted a low cross over the bar. As the half ended Vincent deflected the ball at the expense of a corner which saw a Ryan Dow shot cleared. Ridgers then saved from Kyle Turner, the last action of the first forty-five Half Time 0-1 No changes at the interval and the Pars got the second half underway, kicking towards the home fans in the Norrie McCathie Stand but the first opportunity went to Inverness as Jordan White headed over. Dom Thomas sent an effort goalwards but Ridgers was equal to it saving in the top corner and Dow put the rebound over the bar from a tight angle. Minutes later Ridgers held onto another effort from distance from the lively Thomas. Celtic loanee Jonathan Afolabi was next to try his luck but the youngster fired over the bar, his next effort would be held by Ridgers. James Keatings replaced young MacGregor on the hour and Carl Tremarco got something for his 200th game; a yellow card. Dunfermline level the score with twenty minutes remaining when Dom Thomas fired a tremendous shot into the top corner from outside the box after a poor clearance from Inverness. Substitute Tom Walsh was only on for a couple of minutes when he hit the post from the edge of the box. He would do better two minutes later when he shot low into the net after a White dummy, possibly with the aid of a deflection off Euan Murray. Keatings volleyed over the bar after a White shot was blocked as Inverness looked to put the game to bed. Lewis Martin headed over the bar in stoppage time and a late corner was defended well as Inverness held on for a valuable three points with news that Morton had beaten Ayr United 2-1, so a good night for the Caley Jags who go into second place on their own, three points ahead of Dundee. Here's the goals, a couple of belters. And here's a happy chappy..... Full Highlights from PARS TV Date: 25/02/2020 Venue: East End Park Attendance: 3357 Referee: Gavin Ross Dunfermline: 1 Lineup: Fon Williams; Comrie, Ashcroft (Martin 81), Devine, Murray, Dow (Ross 54), Paton, Turner, Thomas, Nisbet, Afolabi (McGill 68). Subs (not used): Gill; Thomson, Brawling, McCann Scorers: Thomas (70) Booked: Paton (30), Ashcroft (57) Sent Off: none Inverness CT: 2 Lineup: Ridgers; Rooney, Toshney, B Mckay, Tremarco, Doran (Trafford 80), Carson, Vincent, Macgregor (Keatings 61), Storey (Walsh, 71), White. Subs (not used): C Mackay; Harper, McHattie, Todorov. Scorers: Doran (23), Walsh (77) Booked: Vincent (10), B Mckay (20), Tremarco (61), Toshney (79) Sent Off: none a

8Steak Bridie time The pitfalls of a wee cup run and some bad weather will be upon us for the next few weeks. On Tuesday night we face Dunfermline Athletic at East End Park, the game kicking off a 7:45pm. That means it's steak bridie time! That will be followed by a Scottish Cup quarter final at Easter Road on Friday night. What a time to be alive! Dundee closed the gap to zero points on Saturday after they beat Queen of the South. We remain above them on goal difference only with Ayr and Arbroath a further one and two behind. Ayr United had their game at Arbroath abandoned at half time with the score level. The table looks like this with one other game tonight, Ayr v Morton. Dunfermline are just off the pace in sixth place and a win would put them right back in the mix. It's all getting rather congested in the race to be the best of the rest as The Arabs disappear into a mirage. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Match Information including ticket prices & Travel Club Info ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ We went down 2-1 at Tannadice in an entertaining game played in atrocious conditions. Jordan White scored inbetween counters from Louis Aperre and 28 goal Lawrence Shankland. We ran United close but Shankland was the difference on the night. Dunfermline's game on Saturday fell foul to the weather at Firhill. Here's Johnny..... Sean Welsh won't be attending this time as he is still broken. No reports of fresh injuries that I am aware of, so maybe a similar squad that played United or freshen it up with Lewis Toshney coming in to the back four. He is cup tied anyway so can't play at Easter Road. Dunfermline have had three weeks off prior to this game, their latest game falling foul of the wet weather last week. So they will be fresh as a daisy. Let's not forget, they have Danny Devine in their squad. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Don't forget the Quarter Final of the Scottish Cup is this Friday. Having beaten Livingston in the previous round, the Caley Jags travel to Easter Road to take on Hibernian, the game kicking off at 7:45pm. If you are unable to attend, then BBC Scotland will be screening the match live. Mon the Caley Jags

Tannadice drookit John Robertson was without the injured Sean Welsh who has been out of the side most of his time here. Some say he is made of wafers, but he will be a big miss for us tonight. Former United player Lewis Toshney was on the bench with Brad Mckay coming into the back four. First time back at Tannadice since the departure of Coll Donaldson; who will they vent their anger towards instead? Louis Appere came back into the starting XI with American Ian Harkes dropping to the bench. Former Hamilton Accies striker Rakish Bingham made his home debut. Lawrence Shankland, the scorer of five goals in two games against Inverness was United's main striker. United kicked off with constant rain falling at Tannadice and James Vincent had to charge down an effort on the edge of the box, but moments later Lawrence Shankland should have opened the scoring as he latched onto a ball in the box with just a couple of minutes on the clock but fired just over the bar. Ten minutes gone and the game had turned into a midfield tussle. Or did I speak too soon........ Inverness failed to defend positively when United probed forward and Louis Appere side footed home brilliantly from the edge of the box with Mark Ridgers unable to get an early vision of the shot, the ball nestling in the bottom corner beyond the keepers outstretched hands. Mark Connolly headed over from a corner a minute later as United began to dominate the midfield and Shankland saw a twelve yard shot deflected over the bar for a corner which Ridgers claimed well given the slippery conditions. Inverness responded well and put United on the back foot momentarily before James Keatings dived shot over. Storey dragged a shot well wide as well as we tried to get a foothold. Vincent found himself offside after some neat interplay as we pushed forward. Brad Mckay did well to stop a surging run by Peter Pawlett and as the play went to the other end Jordan White shot over. David Carson robbed Shankland in the visitors half and the move ended when Tom Walsh curled a shot just over the bar. United did likewise as Connolly drove forward and Appere forced Ridgers to save his angled shot low down. Inverness went to the other end and won a corner. Keatings swung a great ball into the near post and big Jordan White put his head in the mix to power a header behind Siegrist to level the score. Some confusion in the home box allowed White to turn and shoot but the ball was deflected agonisingly wide with only five minutes to the interval. The corner showed more indecisiveness in the United box as it was hacked clear. Moments later White tried to get space in the box but United eventually broke the move down. There was no let up in the weather as the break approached and Shankland tried to burst into the box but Brad Mckay once more dominated him. Just on the break a flick goalwards was scooped up by Ridgers and that endeth a decent first forty-five. Half time 1-1 No replacements at the break as the rain continued to dampen the atmosphere. Walsh brought out a save from Siegrist at the start of the half as Inverness continued on the front foot but Carson who was walking a tightrope after a soft booking in the first half upended a United player to the derision of the home support. Another Keatings corner almost brought white into play agfain at the near post but United survived. Robbo thought better of the Carson incident and replaced him with Charlie Trafford as united refreshed as well. Against the run of play, Shankland turned and rammed home from the edge of the box to put United ahead once more with Bingham providing the assist. Great strike from a class striker, his 28th goal of the season. In the 70th minute Inverness wee fortunate to see a Harkes strike deflected for a corner as United looked to kill the game Shaun Rooney almost equalised in the final minutes when he headed just over the corner of the bar as Inverness chased an equaliser. It almost came when a long ball over the top found Tremarco coming in on the blind side but he was only able to find the side netting. A great tackle from Mckay halted Appere as he sprinted forward on the wing, but time ran out for the Caley Jags. The game ended just out of reach for the Caley Jags, but a decent performance all round which could have gained at least a point was the final outcome. Meh!!! Match reaction to follow................. Here's Robbo on BBC Sport "We need to mark Shankland in the box, it's as simple as that. That's why United will win the league - they're more clinical than us and everyone else. "We're too nice. We react to things, we don't anticipate. It's difficult to criticise effort and honesty, but to be a top player, you need to have that extra quality, desire, and that bit more know-how. "We've got masses still to play for. We should, in my eyes, be pretty clear in second place. This is the frustration - we've dropped too many silly points and haven't been clinical and ruthless enough." Match Highlights on BBC Sport Date: 21/02/2020 Venue: Tannadice Park, Dundee Attendance: 7583 Referee: John Beaton Dundee United: 2 Lineup: Siegrist; L Smith, Powers (Harkes 57), Connolly, Pawlett (McMullan), Bingham (Reynolds 87), Robson, Butcher, Shankland, Appere, Watson. Subs (not used): Mehmet, Sporle, Glass, Mochrie Scorers: Appere (12) Shankland (59) Booked: Watson (54) Sent Off: none Inverness CT: 1 Lineup: Ridgers; Rooney, B Mckay, McHattie, Tremarco, Keatings, Carson (Trafford 59), Vincent, Walsh (Todorov 86), Storey (Doran 66), White Subs (not used): C Mackay; Harper, Toshney, MacGregor. Scorers: White (32) Booked: Carson (14), McHattie (73) Sent Off: none a

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

Robbo Burns As Rabbie once said to me.... The best laid schemes o' mice an' men Gang aft a-gley, An' lea'e us nought but grief an' pain For promis'd joy. On the day of the Bard of Ayrshire, Inverness faced the Honest Men at Somerset Park with a new look defence after Coll Donaldson jumped ship, with Lewis Toshney joining Tom Walsh and Sean Welsh on the bench. The departing Jamie McCart was also benched again.There was the added incentive of Dundee crashing 2-0 at East End Park last night and three points for either side would be a huge bonus. Stephen Kelly scored the only goal of the game after an hour and both sides hit the woodwork, but it was no more than Ayr deserved as they closed the gap on Inverness to just one point. Our new defence got in a fankle at the goal allowing Kelly to take advantage. From the quill of the Bard himself, and so true...... There is no such uncertainty as a sure thing. RIG was on hand to see the wee sleekit courin timerous beastie, also known as the referee...... I think whilst we were on the end of some pretty debatable calls from the referee, Ayr were the better team throughout the 90 minutes and deserved the win. Kerr seemed to set Ayr up a bit more defensively than previous match ups and they let us carry the ball forward with little pressure but we were swarmed as we entered the Ayr half and forced to thread balls through a well organised Ayr midfield and defence (which we couldn't do) or try and dink a ball up to White and later Todorov (which we also couldn't do). When Ayr seized the ball they broke with real pace and direction quickly feeding the ball wide to Forrest or Moffat on the flanks or looking to play a pass in behind the ICT centre backs and a lot of their good chances game from this. Only a triple block/save combination from McHattie and Ridgers stopped Ayr opening the scoring in the first half which saw wave after wave of attacks threaten the ICT rearguard. Fortunately we held them off and had the ball in the net when Keatings lifted a free kick in for White who beat Doohan to the ball and flicked it in but the referee gave a free kick for a foul by White. Seemed pretty soft but it would have been hard on Ayr had we gone ahead (though thoroughly pleasing obviously). Second half and there seemed to be a strong claim for a penalty when Doran broke into the box and looked like he was pushed in the back sending him to the ground but the referee waved play on. Not long after this Ayr scored. I didn't see what happened but after I had stopped admiring my new trainers I looked up to see Trafford on his arse and Kelly seizing on a loose ball, heading for goal before calmly slotting past Ridgers. No more than Ayr deserved in fairness but frustrating nonetheless from an ICT point of view. Ayr had more chances after this to extend their lead before Doran went down under another challenge however this time he got straight back up to chase the ball before Aitken blew for a foul and cautioned Doran for diving which seemed a bit odd given he didn't seem to be looking for anything. We went with 2 strikers for the final few minutes with Todorov coming on to partner White but we didn't really create anything of note until the final kick of the game when Ayr threw bodies to block a couple of ICT efforts from close range (these might even have been our only shots on target...). Bizarre to see us end the game with a couple of big lads up front and our two best crossers of the ball on the wings yet we persevered with little dinked balls up towards White and Todorov which almost never found them. Any ICT fan not bothered about losing Donaldson AND McCart should be worried after today's defensive showing. Whilst McHattie was solid enough Mckay with the ball at his feet was an absolute bombscare. Vincent was decent for us, possibly closest to ICT MotM. Kerr and Moffat looked good for Ayr and Drinan really gave Mckay and McHattie a torrid time. We have a real battle on to maintain second spot which could be huge come the end of the season.. Highlights from Ayr United TV Eagle4Caley left Crystal Palace behind for the weekend to go to Somerset Park and enjoyed the ambience...... The highlights suggest a close game, although I felt Ayr had more chances, but we hit the bar, and quite why our goal was disallowed is beyond me...White at no time is looking at the goalie only at the ball, and I'm not convinced he even touches him. Also Doran was clearly pushed over in the penalty area, and then next time he gets a booking for going down, when you can see he catches the defender legs and is trying to regain his feet. Their goal was a bit of a bummer, at first I thought that McHattie was at fault but credit to the Ayr player who actually closes Charlie Trafford down very quickly. I thought McHattie had a decent game, as did McKay...strange how quickly our CB pairing has changed (presumably to make ends meet). For me our midfielders were the pick of the bunch, plus Walsh when he came on. Our forwards were very much powder-puff, Doran was quieter than expected, Storey didn't offer much apart from two/three decent crosses, I'm not sure what Keatings was doing and White looks like he is the Centre Forward because he's tall, because he seemed unable to anticipate where high balls were going nor jump at the right time (except for the disallowed goal), he's definitely better with his feet! For me 2nd place is probably between us and Ayr, so this was a disappointing reverse, but I guess we can't win every match against them. Robbo's the man for a' that.... Date: 25/01/2020 Venue: Somerset Park, Ayr Attendance: 1200 Referee: Greg Aitken Ayr United: 1 Lineup: Doohan; Houston, Muirhead, Harvie, Bell, Kerr, Moffat (Rocco 90+3), Forrest (McKenzie 90), Drinan, Docherty, Kelly Subs (not used): Ellis Hare-Reid; Doolan, McCowan, McGuffie, Hewitt Scorers: Kelly (61) Booked: Docherty (85) Sent Off: none Inverness CT: 0 Lineup: Ridgers; Rooney, B Mckay, McHattie, Tremarco, Doran, Trafford (Todorov 75), Vincent, Storey (Walsh 66), Keatings (Carson 66), White Subs (not used): C Mackay, Toshney, McCart, Welsh. Scorers: none Booked: B Mckay (71), White (72), Doran (78) Sent Off: none a

Ayr do Back to League business this weekend as Inverness make the journey to Somerset Park to take on Championship play-off contenders, Ayr United. The game kicks off at 3:00pm on Saturday at the same venue where Ross County were dumped out of the Scottish Cup last week. There's only four points separating the sides at the moment and this should be another tight affair. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Match and Travel Information can be found on the OFFICIAL SITE @ ICTFC We're in the money £££ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ It's been a rewarding fixture for us in recent seasons, including last season when we beat Ayr in the away leg of the play-off and both league fixtures at Somerset Park. We have already beaten Ayr away this season back in October when goals from James Vincent and Shaun Rooney were enough to earn the points. The second meeting this campaign was another 2-0 win in the Highlands, Jordan White and Miles Storey the scorers. Last time out we were on Cup duty and recorded a hard fought 2-3 win over Alloa Athletic at Recreation Park. We were pegged back twice after Aaron Doran opened the scoring. Jordan White put us ahead again only for Kevin O'Hara to get his second of the game. Charlie Trafford scored the vital winner with only a handful of minutes remaining. Ayr pulled off a minor upset by knocking our neighbours out of the Cup thanks to a powerful headed goal from seasoned professional Steven Bell. Form since we last met in the league Last time we met was back on the 7th of December, and after winning 2-0 in the Highlands we were five points ahead of Ayr. Since then we have won two (Pars & Dundee) and lost two (Partick & Arbroath), plus a win over Alloa in the Scottish Cup. Our game against Queen of the South fell foul of the weather. In December, Ayr had a midweek draw with Arbroath then beat Alloa before losing to Dundee United and Queen of the South. They started January with an away win at Dunfermline, a postponed fixture at Dens Park and beat Ross County in the Scottish Cup. So form is fairly even at the moment at that is mirrored in the League table with Ayr just one place and four points behind Inverness now. Fixtures this weekend Dunfermline v Dundee (Friday) Ayr United v Inverness Arbroath v Partick Thistle Dundee Utd v Morton Queen of Sth v Alloa Robbo said ahead of the game: “We’ve got to go down there and do what we’ve done at Dens Park and Alloa, that’s go down there and be very busy and very proactive with the ball and when we lose it make sure we’re nice and solid. The key to our success all season is our solidity at the back.” Whilst that is very true Robbo, you would wonder why the club can not hold on to the heart of the defence until the end of a possible promotion campaign. Is there enough ambition left at the Caledonian Stadium? Team News It was great to see Tom Walsh back on the park last week after hamstring problems and a further bonus to have Sean Welsh on the bench as he recovers from a second broken foot. These guys have been out for a while now and it will be like having two new signings when they are both back up to speed. Unfortunately the loss of Coll Donaldson is a blow and the impending departure of Jamie McCart adds to our misery. McCart is still here for now unless St Johnstone dig deep into their pockets. It remains to be seen if McCart will be asked to play for the club he wants away from. However, we have to go with what we have and Lewis Toshney will come into defence with Brad Mckay and Kevin McHattie also looking to claim a place. There will be plenty room for them all should Shaun Rooney turn his back on us as well. Mark Kerr has strengthened his squad by signing Grant Gillespie from Hamilton Accies. Jordan Houston has also joined from Rangers. Kerr will be without Craig Moore, Andy Geggan and Andy Murdoch, but Grant Gillespie will be added to the squad. Speaking on Ayr United's official site Kerr said : ”We don’t need reminding that we don’t have the greatest recent record against Inverness, it is just another game and another opportunity to pick up points and continue this wee run we are on. We know what Inverness are all about. They are extremely well organised, everyone knows their jobs and they play good football at times as well. It’s a challenge that we are looking forward to and we’ve been working had on a plan all week to get the best out of the players tomorrow afternoon. The last couple of games have proved that we are able to mix it up now and win games a different way.” Oops, sorry for the reminder Mark. We have some good news and some bad news for you this week First the good news. The club have reached their original investment target of £500K and have issued a statement to that effect. In fact they have exceeded expectations and you can read about it HERE The bad news is the break up of our defence with Coll Donaldson already away and Jamie McCart following him out the door in the summer if not sooner. As expected, after sitting on the bench at Alloa, Jamie McCart is next to go. He will be on his way to Perth in the summer unless we can sell him now for a few pennies. Sometimes life's a bitch! The final blow would be the departure of the much sought after Shaun Rooney who has been in tremendous form for the Caley Jags lately. Sadly Tommy Wright wants to tie up both players before the weekend. With the run in for a play-off place at stake, this is indeed not what the fans want to hear. Scottish Cup Draw Coll Donaldson is now confined to history after he left the building to join Ross County before last weeks Scottish Cup ties. However, unlike his former Inverness team mates, he won't be in the next round of the cup as Ayr sent them homewards, tae think again. Inverness will host Livingston in the next round, the weekend of February the 8th. Now then, that date rings a bell!