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  1. Points still required. Penultimate game before the play offs and it's another away day as we head to Greenock to take on Morton this Saturday. 3:00pm kick off at Cappielow and we still need three points to ensure third place in the table unless Partick lose as well. Anything is possible in this league. In fairness to Dodds and his team, we are more than capable of getting to the final of the play-offs, but inconsistency could be our downfall. Depends what team turns up on the day. I won't be too despondent should we fail to win at Cappielow, but come the play-offs, we must be at our best. Attitude, aptitude and commitment will be crucial to the outcome of our season. MATCH/TICKETS/STREAMING/INFO SUPPORTERS BUS 07462 218717 Morton bus now leaving Caley Club at 9.15, stadium 9.30 Venue - Head2Head Pld Won Drn Lst For Agst + / - Home 19 12 4 3 46 17 +29 Away 16 9 3 4 34 19 +15 Neutral 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Total 35 21 7 7 80 36 +44 Last 10 Competitive Meetings v Morton 0 - 1 (H) 6 - 1 (A) 1 - 1 (A) 1 - 1 (H) 2 - 0 (H) 4 - 1 (A) 0 - 1 (H) 2 - 2 (A) 3 - 2 (H) 1 - 2 (A) An out of character 6-1 humping of Morton has been the highlight of our season, apart from that, the other two league games against Morton have been rubbish. They also knocked us out of the Scottish Cup after two draws and a penalty shoot-out. CTO Oct16th: Caley Jags open up a gap: Inverness extended their lead at the top of the Championship as the Pars got a late leveller against Killie. The hosts opened the scoring after twenty minutes through Billy Mckay with the credit for the assist going to Mark Ridgers from his quick goal kick. Inverness stepped up a gear after the interval and Michael Gardyne scored the second early in the second half as he crashed a loose ball in the box high into the net. That was enough to see off Morton who battled hard throughout but fell short. It could have been a different story had the visitors made more of their own opportunities. Five points clear after the first quarter: Who knew? CTO Dec11th: Gubbed, at last: Managerless bottom club Morton were gubbed. There's no other word for it. Caley Jags were rampant after a couple of drab draws in the Scottish Cup. I'll credit Aaron Doran with the opener when his cross to the back post ended up in the net as Hamilton tried to claw it clear. Sutherland got the second after a Billy Mckay shot was blocked at close range. Mckay got his own when he rolled the ball in off the post. Boss! Just on the interval Ugwu scored from the spot to offer Morton a lifeline. Reece McAlear scored a fekkin screamer, what can only be described as a piledriver. What a strike that was! The ever alert Sutherland added a fifth and it was no surprise when Jamieson dribbled his way into the box and slotted home the sixth. This has been coming for weeks, but today was maybe the day the Caley Jags believed in themselves. Boom! CTO Feb5th: Absolute dross: What a shitfest of a game. We were an absolute shambles from the start and Morton were all over us like a rash. Lewis Strapp scored the only goal of the game after Chalmers failed to cover in midfield. When the loose ball was knocked forward, defender Strapp got to it first and poked it through Mark Ridgers legs. Pathetic stuff from Inverness and we did nothing about trying to change the way the game was going. A shot from Pearson the only thing of note over ninety minutes of a stop start game that would not have looked out of place at the Bught Park. We were clueless for 95 minutes and deserved nothing. No surprise really given our recent performances, but totally depressing stuff to watch. Both cup games were dire 1-1 draws with Morton winning the shoot-out. Incidentally, that 6-1 win at Cappielow signalled the start of our dismal eleven game streak of no wins, gaining only six points from a possible thirty-three. Thankfully Raith Rovers went on a similar run at the same time and Partick blew hot and cold, mostly cold so that's why we are where we are today. Pos Team Pld W D L F A Pts ***KILLIE V ARBROATH - FRIDAY NIGHT*** 1. Kilmarnock 34 19 6 9 47 25 63 2. Arbroath 34 16 14 4 50 26 62 3. Inverness CT 34 14 11 9 48 34 53 4. Partick Thistle 34 13 10 11 44 37 49 5. Raith Rovers 34 11 13 10 41 43 46 6. Hamilton Ac. 34 10 12 12 38 47 42 7. Morton 34 9 13 12 36 43 40 8. Ayr United 34 8 11 15 35 50 35 9. Dunfermline 34 7 14 13 35 50 35 10. Q.O.S. 34 7 8 19 33 52 29 Apr 23rd 2022 Queens v Ayr United Partick v Dunfermline Morton v Caley J Accies v Rovers Last Time Out We fluffed our lines once more against a bottom side as we went down 2-1 at Palmerston against a Queen of the South side heading for a lower division unless you believe in miracles. Josh Todd gave Queens an early advantage before Logan Chalmers scored his fifth spectacular goal in as many games. However we looked weary and Queens regained the lead five minutes before the break through Euan East. That's how it ended as we struggled to rise above mediocrity with Queens having the greater desire. Morton have eased themselves away to the top edge of the relegation zone and are virtually safe, but, like us, will be looking for points to ensure they get the job done without relying on others. They blew that opportunity after going down 1-0 at home to nearest rivals Hamilton Accies last time out who now find themselves safe. It was an early David Moyo goal that did the damage and left Morton still needing a couple of points. Latest Team News We rested some in midweek although you could have been excused for thinking that all were having a break. Allardice is a long term casualty and Broadfoot was rested completely after feeling an olde war wound. Sean Welsh and Danny Devine were in the wars, Devine cutting his head in a clash with the woodwork. I believe the post is ok and Danny was patched up. We have never been great at resting players, our squad is too thin to do that comfortably, so maybe we should just go for it and put this to bed. Read more in the OFFICIAL PREVIEW Morton have no new alterations since we last played them with Dougie Imrie at the helm. View full article
  2. Points still required. Penultimate game before the play offs and it's another away day as we head to Greenock to take on Morton this Saturday. 3:00pm kick off at Cappielow and we still need three points to ensure third place in the table unless Partick lose as well. Anything is possible in this league. In fairness to Dodds and his team, we are more than capable of getting to the final of the play-offs, but inconsistency could be our downfall. Depends what team turns up on the day. I won't be too despondent should we fail to win at Cappielow, but come the play-offs, we must be at our best. Attitude, aptitude and commitment will be crucial to the outcome of our season. MATCH/TICKETS/STREAMING/INFO SUPPORTERS BUS 07462 218717 Morton bus now leaving Caley Club at 9.15, stadium 9.30 Venue - Head2Head Pld Won Drn Lst For Agst + / - Home 19 12 4 3 46 17 +29 Away 16 9 3 4 34 19 +15 Neutral 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Total 35 21 7 7 80 36 +44 Last 10 Competitive Meetings v Morton 0 - 1 (H) 6 - 1 (A) 1 - 1 (A) 1 - 1 (H) 2 - 0 (H) 4 - 1 (A) 0 - 1 (H) 2 - 2 (A) 3 - 2 (H) 1 - 2 (A) An out of character 6-1 humping of Morton has been the highlight of our season, apart from that, the other two league games against Morton have been rubbish. They also knocked us out of the Scottish Cup after two draws and a penalty shoot-out. CTO Oct16th: Caley Jags open up a gap: Inverness extended their lead at the top of the Championship as the Pars got a late leveller against Killie. The hosts opened the scoring after twenty minutes through Billy Mckay with the credit for the assist going to Mark Ridgers from his quick goal kick. Inverness stepped up a gear after the interval and Michael Gardyne scored the second early in the second half as he crashed a loose ball in the box high into the net. That was enough to see off Morton who battled hard throughout but fell short. It could have been a different story had the visitors made more of their own opportunities. Five points clear after the first quarter: Who knew? CTO Dec11th: Gubbed, at last: Managerless bottom club Morton were gubbed. There's no other word for it. Caley Jags were rampant after a couple of drab draws in the Scottish Cup. I'll credit Aaron Doran with the opener when his cross to the back post ended up in the net as Hamilton tried to claw it clear. Sutherland got the second after a Billy Mckay shot was blocked at close range. Mckay got his own when he rolled the ball in off the post. Boss! Just on the interval Ugwu scored from the spot to offer Morton a lifeline. Reece McAlear scored a fekkin screamer, what can only be described as a piledriver. What a strike that was! The ever alert Sutherland added a fifth and it was no surprise when Jamieson dribbled his way into the box and slotted home the sixth. This has been coming for weeks, but today was maybe the day the Caley Jags believed in themselves. Boom! CTO Feb5th: Absolute dross: What a shitfest of a game. We were an absolute shambles from the start and Morton were all over us like a rash. Lewis Strapp scored the only goal of the game after Chalmers failed to cover in midfield. When the loose ball was knocked forward, defender Strapp got to it first and poked it through Mark Ridgers legs. Pathetic stuff from Inverness and we did nothing about trying to change the way the game was going. A shot from Pearson the only thing of note over ninety minutes of a stop start game that would not have looked out of place at the Bught Park. We were clueless for 95 minutes and deserved nothing. No surprise really given our recent performances, but totally depressing stuff to watch. Both cup games were dire 1-1 draws with Morton winning the shoot-out. Incidentally, that 6-1 win at Cappielow signalled the start of our dismal eleven game streak of no wins, gaining only six points from a possible thirty-three. Thankfully Raith Rovers went on a similar run at the same time and Partick blew hot and cold, mostly cold so that's why we are where we are today. Pos Team Pld W D L F A Pts ***KILLIE V ARBROATH - FRIDAY NIGHT*** 1. Kilmarnock 34 19 6 9 47 25 63 2. Arbroath 34 16 14 4 50 26 62 3. Inverness CT 34 14 11 9 48 34 53 4. Partick Thistle 34 13 10 11 44 37 49 5. Raith Rovers 34 11 13 10 41 43 46 6. Hamilton Ac. 34 10 12 12 38 47 42 7. Morton 34 9 13 12 36 43 40 8. Ayr United 34 8 11 15 35 50 35 9. Dunfermline 34 7 14 13 35 50 35 10. Q.O.S. 34 7 8 19 33 52 29 Apr 23rd 2022 Queens v Ayr United Partick v Dunfermline Morton v Caley J Accies v Rovers Last Time Out We fluffed our lines once more against a bottom side as we went down 2-1 at Palmerston against a Queen of the South side heading for a lower division unless you believe in miracles. Josh Todd gave Queens an early advantage before Logan Chalmers scored his fifth spectacular goal in as many games. However we looked weary and Queens regained the lead five minutes before the break through Euan East. That's how it ended as we struggled to rise above mediocrity with Queens having the greater desire. Morton have eased themselves away to the top edge of the relegation zone and are virtually safe, but, like us, will be looking for points to ensure they get the job done without relying on others. They blew that opportunity after going down 1-0 at home to nearest rivals Hamilton Accies last time out who now find themselves safe. It was an early David Moyo goal that did the damage and left Morton still needing a couple of points. Latest Team News We rested some in midweek although you could have been excused for thinking that all were having a break. Allardice is a long term casualty and Broadfoot was rested completely after feeling an olde war wound. Sean Welsh and Danny Devine were in the wars, Devine cutting his head in a clash with the woodwork. I believe the post is ok and Danny was patched up. We have never been great at resting players, our squad is too thin to do that comfortably, so maybe we should just go for it and put this to bed. Read more in the OFFICIAL PREVIEW Morton have no new alterations since we last played them with Dougie Imrie at the helm.
  3. Qualified We make the long journey to Dumfries on Tuesday night safe in the knowledge that we have qualified for a play-off place at the top end of the table. Unfortunately for Queen of the South they are all but relegated, and only three wins from their final three games can offer them some hope of a miracle that will save them from the drop. Tuesday night at 7:45pm is the scheduled start for this re-arranged fixture. Our goal will be to get enough points to remain in third place to get the slight advantage of playing at home in the 3rd/4th place play-off second leg with second place pretty much out of our reach. MATCH/TICKETS/STREAMING INFO NO SUPPORTERS BUS TO DUMFRIES DUE TO COVID! Venue - Head 2 Head Pld Won Drn Lst For Agst + / - Home 21 12 3 6 38 26 +12 Away 19 8 7 4 33 20 +13 Neutral 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Total 40 20 10 10 71 46 +25 Last 10 Competitive Meetings v Queens 2 - 2 (H) 2 - 1 (A) 2 - 1 (H) 1 - 1 (A) 0 - 1 (H) 3 - 0 (A) 3 - 1 (H) 2 - 0 (A) 2 - 0 (H) 2 - 0 (A) The stats are heavily on our side although over the last five meetings queens have faired slightly better with a win and two draws. Last five Championship games Queens: LLLLL ICT FC: WWWDW CTO Report 25th Sept: Gardyne volleys us to the top... 2-1Goals 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. CTO Report 19th Nov: He scores when he wants... 1-2The visitors opened the scoring when Billy Mckay converted a first half penalty. They doubled their lead when he added a second from a superb Carson cross but Queens forced a tense finish when Lee Connelly smashed the ball into the net to give them hope. However Inverness saw out the game to claim the points and move a point behind leaders Kilmarnock who play Arbroath on Saturday. CTO Report 15th Jan: Comedy of Errors: 2-2 Inverness once more failed to take advantage of the given situation by producing another abject display at home against a club staring at relegation. This time it was Queen of the South that showed up our lack of quality and Lee Connelly scored the opener in the first half with Willie Collum waiving away appeals for offside. Same old same old from Inverness in a dire first half. We looked to have got out of jail when the Queens defenders made a hash of clearing a long kick out from Mark Ridgers and Billy Mckay accepted the comical defending to prod the ball home. If ever a man needed a goal it was Tom Walsh who has been totally ineffective this season, but score he did after being sent into the box by Mckay before drilling the ball behind Josh Rae. Phew we all thought, thank feck for that! Alas we shot ourselves in the foot, or more accurately David Carson shot us in the foot as he teed up substitute Ally Roy who had only been on the park for one minute. Surprisingly we actually jumped back into second place thanks to other results, but it's a complete mystery how we have done this given the dross we are subject to at the moment. Pos Team Pld W D L F A Pts Queen of the South v Inverness CT - Tuesday Night 7:45pm 1. Kilmarnock 34 19 6 9 47 25 63 2. Arbroath 34 16 14 4 50 26 62 3. Inverness CT 33 14 11 8 47 32 53 4. Partick Thistle 34 13 10 11 44 37 49 5. Raith Rovers 34 11 13 10 41 43 46 6. Hamilton Ac. 34 10 12 12 38 47 42 7. Morton 34 9 13 12 36 43 40 8. Ayr United 34 8 11 15 35 50 35 9. Dunfermline 34 7 14 13 35 50 35 10. Q.O.S. 33 6 8 19 31 51 26 Friday Night 7:45pm could decide who gets promoted ***Killie v Arbroath*** Last Time Out Inverness secured a play-off place with a deserved 2-1 win over a disappointing Kilmarnock on Friday night. Killie had taken the lead through Ash Taylor with a deft finish from a Kirk Broadfoot assist, after he miscued a header. Billy Mckay levelled with fifteen minutes to go and Logan Chalmers completed the comeback with a clinical finish; a low drive from 10 yards, his fourth goal in four games. That's some left peg lad. Queens plunged themselves perilously close to relegation when they were crushed 5-1 at Palmerston after having taken an early lead through Ally Roy. Arbroath overturned that before half time before running away with the game. The game before that Queens were unfortunate to go down 1-0 to Partick Thistle after dominating the game. Difficult to tell which side was going for promotion and which was facing the drop. Let that be a warning to the Caley Jags. Latest Team News Fairly clean bill of health for Dodds with only Allardice out long term. Lee Connelly has scored in each of the three games against us this season. Goes without saying that we need to keep an eye on him. View full article
  4. Absolutely Buffered! After a sloppy opening from the visitors who appeared bus-lagged, Queens opened the scoring through Josh Todd who took advantage of a poor defensive clearance to finish tidily. Logan Chalmers did likewise after Queens gave away the ball in midfield, his finish was stunning. Queens went back in front before the break, goal was scored by buffering. A great finish by East I am told. Half Time 2-1 and there was no further scoring after the break although a few chances went abegging at both ends. Our aim was to get enough points to clinch third place to get the slight advantage of playing at home in the 3rd/4th place play-off second leg with second place pretty much out of our reach. We failed to achieve that, on to the next game. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Kirk Broadfoot was rested completely and Billy Mckay was on the bench with Joe Hardy starting. Queens had a few changes from the team that got pumped by Arbroath, although the result flattered Arbroath somewhat. An early scramble in the visitors box after a corner ended with the ball being blocked but a minute later Queens took an early lead after a slack clearance from Shane Sutherland was fed forward and stroked into the net by Josh Todd after he waltzed into the box in the sixth minute. A really sloppy start to this game from the visitors. Fortunately, Queens returned the favour in the seventeenth minute when Logan Chalmers got the ball in midfield, but wide on the left. He strode forward and his left peg did the job once more from distance with another stunning strike. Unfortunately for me, and most others, the stream from Palmerston was as reliable as both defences tonight and buffering was proving to be more irritating than Michael Gardyne. Buffering put Queens back in front, Euan East, (I am told), with a shot into the top corner. Sean Welsh had a shot saved before the break as we tried to respond but even the interval was plagued by buffering. Get yourselves down a division with this Mickey Mouse show. HALF TIME: 2-1 A second half full of buffering and misplaced passes saw Sean Welsh take a knock ten minutes in after being hit by the buffers. Todd shot over as the game continued on the park. It's maybe just as well we couldn't witness most of this as it appears we have been rank rotten so far against the team heading for league one. Ten minutes left and we fired a free kick high over, one wonders why the man with the magic left peg never took it. Moments later he went really close with a curling effort that just cleared the corner of the bar. Duffy drilled one wide after a good run forward and Billy Mckay trundled a ten yard effort towards goal which Rae saved easily. Danny Devine ended the game with a cut on his head after averting a goal and ending up inside the net off the post, and Innes Cameron missed a one on one which would have wrapped up the points for Queens. Apparently they did win anyway as the live stream gave up the ghost completely in injury time. Messy stuff all round on a frustrating night on and off the pitch. FULL TIME: 2-1 Match reaction to follow... Highlights Date: 19/04/2022 Venue: Palmerston, Dumfries Attendance: 0631 Referee: Mathew MacDermid Queen of the South: 2 Manager: Willie Gibson (caretaker) Lineup: Rae; Gibson, O'Connor, East, Cooper, Todd, McGrory (Gordon 78), Cochrane, Connelly, Cameron (Paton 84), Soares Junior Subs (not used): Cowie; Joseph, Roy, Debayo, McKechnie, Nditi, Folarin Scorers: Todd (6), East (40) Booked: Connelly (51), Cameron (61) Sent Off: none Inverness CT: 1 Manager: Billy Dodds Lineup: Ridgers; Carson, Duffy, Devine, Deas (Harper 63), Doran (Walsh 73), Welsh (MacGregor 77), McAlear, Chalmers, Sutherland (Samuels 63), Hardy (Mckay 63) Subs (not used): C Mackay; Hyde Scorers: Chalmers (17) Booked: none Sent Off: none a
  5. Qualified We make the long journey to Dumfries on Tuesday night safe in the knowledge that we have qualified for a play-off place at the top end of the table. Unfortunately for Queen of the South they are all but relegated, and only three wins from their final three games can offer them some hope of a miracle that will save them from the drop. Tuesday night at 7:45pm is the scheduled start for this re-arranged fixture. Our goal will be to get enough points to remain in third place to get the slight advantage of playing at home in the 3rd/4th place play-off second leg with second place pretty much out of our reach. MATCH/TICKETS/STREAMING INFO NO SUPPORTERS BUS TO DUMFRIES DUE TO COVID! Venue - Head 2 Head Pld Won Drn Lst For Agst + / - Home 21 12 3 6 38 26 +12 Away 19 8 7 4 33 20 +13 Neutral 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Total 40 20 10 10 71 46 +25 Last 10 Competitive Meetings v Queens 2 - 2 (H) 2 - 1 (A) 2 - 1 (H) 1 - 1 (A) 0 - 1 (H) 3 - 0 (A) 3 - 1 (H) 2 - 0 (A) 2 - 0 (H) 2 - 0 (A) The stats are heavily on our side although over the last five meetings queens have faired slightly better with a win and two draws. Last five Championship games Queens: LLLLL ICT FC: WWWDW CTO Report 25th Sept: Gardyne volleys us to the top... 2-1Goals 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. CTO Report 19th Nov: He scores when he wants... 1-2The visitors opened the scoring when Billy Mckay converted a first half penalty. They doubled their lead when he added a second from a superb Carson cross but Queens forced a tense finish when Lee Connelly smashed the ball into the net to give them hope. However Inverness saw out the game to claim the points and move a point behind leaders Kilmarnock who play Arbroath on Saturday. CTO Report 15th Jan: Comedy of Errors: 2-2 Inverness once more failed to take advantage of the given situation by producing another abject display at home against a club staring at relegation. This time it was Queen of the South that showed up our lack of quality and Lee Connelly scored the opener in the first half with Willie Collum waiving away appeals for offside. Same old same old from Inverness in a dire first half. We looked to have got out of jail when the Queens defenders made a hash of clearing a long kick out from Mark Ridgers and Billy Mckay accepted the comical defending to prod the ball home. If ever a man needed a goal it was Tom Walsh who has been totally ineffective this season, but score he did after being sent into the box by Mckay before drilling the ball behind Josh Rae. Phew we all thought, thank feck for that! Alas we shot ourselves in the foot, or more accurately David Carson shot us in the foot as he teed up substitute Ally Roy who had only been on the park for one minute. Surprisingly we actually jumped back into second place thanks to other results, but it's a complete mystery how we have done this given the dross we are subject to at the moment. Pos Team Pld W D L F A Pts Queen of the South v Inverness CT - Tuesday Night 7:45pm 1. Kilmarnock 34 19 6 9 47 25 63 2. Arbroath 34 16 14 4 50 26 62 3. Inverness CT 33 14 11 8 47 32 53 4. Partick Thistle 34 13 10 11 44 37 49 5. Raith Rovers 34 11 13 10 41 43 46 6. Hamilton Ac. 34 10 12 12 38 47 42 7. Morton 34 9 13 12 36 43 40 8. Ayr United 34 8 11 15 35 50 35 9. Dunfermline 34 7 14 13 35 50 35 10. Q.O.S. 33 6 8 19 31 51 26 Friday Night 7:45pm could decide who gets promoted ***Killie v Arbroath*** Last Time Out Inverness secured a play-off place with a deserved 2-1 win over a disappointing Kilmarnock on Friday night. Killie had taken the lead through Ash Taylor with a deft finish from a Kirk Broadfoot assist, after he miscued a header. Billy Mckay levelled with fifteen minutes to go and Logan Chalmers completed the comeback with a clinical finish; a low drive from 10 yards, his fourth goal in four games. That's some left peg lad. Queens plunged themselves perilously close to relegation when they were crushed 5-1 at Palmerston after having taken an early lead through Ally Roy. Arbroath overturned that before half time before running away with the game. The game before that Queens were unfortunate to go down 1-0 to Partick Thistle after dominating the game. Difficult to tell which side was going for promotion and which was facing the drop. Let that be a warning to the Caley Jags. Latest Team News Fairly clean bill of health for Dodds with only Allardice out long term. Lee Connelly has scored in each of the three games against us this season. Goes without saying that we need to keep an eye on him. C'mon the Caley Jags, do this for Big Stew
  6. Champions in waiting     Kilmarnock head North looking to wrap up their return to the Premiership as they visit the Caledonian Stadium on Friday night. The game is a 7:45pm kick off and can be seen on council TV. The crossing of the T's and dotting of the I's is all that prevents the trophy being handed over, but the real battle goes on for second, third and fourth. Killie will be taking a big crowd North looking to close out the title. MATCH/TICKET/STREAMING INFO SPORTS BAR OPEN AT STADIUM The stats lean towards Inverness in this fixture but it's usually a tight affair. Home advantage could be crucial but Killie are hitting fine form at the right moment. We sometimes appear clueless, let's see what hat we wear on Friday night. Venue Head2Head Pld Won Drn Lst For Agst + / - Home 24 11 9 4 44 32 +12 Away 26 8 6 12 36 45 -9 Neutral 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Total 50 19 15 16 80 77 +3 Last 10 Competitive Meetings v Killie 0 - 1 (A) 1 - 0 (H) 1 - 0 (A) 1 - 2 (A) 1 - 1 (H) 1 - 1 (A) 1 - 1 (H) 3 - 1 (H) 1 - 2 (A) 2 - 1 (H) This Season It's advantage Inverness so far in the three meetings. Never more than one goal between the sides this season but Killie look to be rounding their season off in emphatic style whilst we are still trying to ensure we make the play-offs with some erratic performances, self belief not high on our agenda. CTO Report August 28th -Table Toppers: Both sides had won their opening three fixtures with Killie having the better goal difference. Both sides had yet to concede a goal; something was going to give, and it did after five minutes. This game had the potential to be the toughest test so far in the Billy Dodds era and it was a tight affair but Inverness scored the only goal of the game when Michael Gardyne lashed the ball into the net via the keepers palms. That proved to be the winner. Blair Alston nicked one off the outside of the post before the interval and Mark Ridgers kept Killie out with his 4th clean sheet in a row in the Championship after denying Innes Cameron from point blank range to put the Caley Jags at the top of the table on their own. CTO Report December 3rd - Table Toppers again: League leaders Kilmarnock looked determined to spoil the game as a spectacle and it was a first half of few chances. Mckay having a shot blocked for a corner by Hemming and Ridgers denying McKenzie. However, chances were at a premium and the half ended goalless. The goal that settled the game was a stunning strike from captain Sean Welsh and no more than Inverness deserved with Killie void of attacking intent. This result put Inverness back on top of the table for now. CTO Report January 29th - Rugby Park Loss: Inverness made the long journey home with no points after Kyle Lafferty scored an early goal after good work by Daniel Mackay down the right wing. What a kick in the teeth that was. Very little to choose between the sides as neither side dominated and clear chances were at a premium with Killie probably having the better of them. Without five regulars, this was always going to be a difficult ask, and so it turned out, but our recent signings look like they could offer something once they are up to speed. Pos Team Pld W D L F A Pts Inverness v Killie (Friday night) 1. Kilmarnock 33 19 6 8 46 23 63 2. Arbroath 33 15 14 4 45 25 59 3. Inverness CT 32 13 11 8 45 31 50 4. Partick Thistle 33 13 10 10 44 36 49 5. Raith Rovers 33 10 13 10 40 43 43 6. Morton 33 9 13 11 36 42 40 7. Hamilton Ac. 33 9 12 12 37 47 39 8. Ayr United 33 8 11 14 34 48 35 9. Dunfermline 33 6 14 13 33 49 32 10. Q.O.S. 32 6 8 18 30 46 26 SATURDAY 16TH APRIL Arbroath v Queens Dunfermline v Ayr United  Morton v Accies   Partick v Rovers Last Time Out Killie saw off Dunfermline with a goal in each half from Kyle Lafferty and Oli Shaw in a one sided affair. It might have been a cricket score had it not been for Pars keeper Jakub Stolarczyk pulling off a string of super saves. The Caley Jags threw away a two goal lead against Ayr United last week with a less than impressive second half performance. Shane Sutherland opened the scoring with his tenth goal this season and Logan Chalmers curled in a beauty from twenty two yards. Alas once Ayr changed their personnel at the interval we were second to every ball and got what we deserved. In fact we were left hanging on somewhat and were lucky to claim a point after goals from Fraser Bryden and Markus Fjortoft. A better point for Ayr than it was for us. Logan's super strike... Latest Team News Killie have the luxury of a strength of depth squad and should have no fresh worries ahead of this game. They will also have the luxury of a big away support for this one and that 12th man could prove decisive. Billy Dodds welcomed Roddy MacGregor back last weekend with a substitutes appearance for the talented midfielder. Scott Allardice was the only missing player last week but Aaron Doran was replaced at half-time, presumably injured. Here's Roddy talking about his time out     View full article
  7. Title on hold as ICT win. Killie came North with a big following looking to get one hand on the title whilst Inverness were hoping to strengthen their grip on a play-off spot. A win for Killie tonight and defeat for Arbroath tomorrow afternoon and they will have both hands on the title and on their way back to the Premiership. An even first forty-five with Campbell and Shaw coming closest for the visitors and Chalmers and Samuels having the best efforts for the hosts, but it remained scoreless at the interval. The pace warmed up after the break and it was Ash Taylor that opened the scoring after a misplaced header from Kirk Broadfoot landed at his feet. Dodds took the bull by the horns with a double substitution and that seemed to give us the impetus to have a go at Killie. Billy Mckay hustled a poachers goal with fifteen minutes left, and once more Logan Chalmers came up trumps with a well executed goal to round off the scoring. What this means is that Inverness are guaranteed a play-off place and Killie have a bit more work to do. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ No fresh injury worries for Inverness but Aaron Doran was on the bench with Austin Samuels starting and Wallace Duffy started at right back with David Carson benched. Roddy MacGregor returned to the bench after showing no reactions to his appearance last weekend. Kilmarnock were unchanged which meant that Daniel Mackay was on the bench for the visitors. A beautiful calm night for a game of football, also shown on council TV, saw the Caley Jags set the ball rolling and it was a cagey opening ten minutes that followed as both sides probed for an opening. Danger man Kyle Lafferty had the ball in the net in the tenth minute but was adjudged offside as Killie just shaded the opening stages. Inverness were giving away numerous petty free kicks and from one of those Mark Ridgers made a diving interception from a dangerous ball whipped into the box. Oli Shaw had a twelve yard shot blocked by Danny Devine as Killie opened up their hosts down their left wing with Ridgers sprawling across his line. At the other end Zach Hemming made a great interception as Billy Mckay tried to latch onto a ball forward. Ridgers stood tall to make a good save as Campbell burst forward at pace, the keeper using strong hands to beat the ball over the bar for a corner but again Ridgers dealt well with the cross. Half way through the first period and Killie were having the better of the game so far as Inverness struggled to hold onto the ball. However, a tremendous diagonal ball forward from Kirk Broadfoot picked out Logan Chalmers and he shot early from distance on the left, but his effort caught the side net and Austin Samuels had a close range shot blocked six yards out as Inverness opened up. Danny Devine conceded a corner with a well timed interception as Shaw tried to get onto a ball flicked into the box. From the corner, Shaw's header clipped the top of the crossbar on the way behind for a goal kick. Mckay was very close to connecting with the ball as a Sean Welsh delivery curled into the box, but once again Hemming did well to put Billy off his stride and the keeper was able to tidy up. Reece McAlear volleyed over after a free kick as the hosts got to grip with the game, the ball going for a fruitless corner five minutes before the break. HALF TIME: 0-0 Killie came out of the blocks quickest at the start of the second half and Fraser Murray had a shot blocked on the angle of the six yard box by Robbie Deas. Hemming did well to push away a powerful shot from Samuels after he turned well twenty yards out and a minute later Broadfoot was denied by a diving Hemming at the expense of a corner. Blair Alston won a corner as he lashed an effort just wide and seconds later Killie took the lead after Broadfoot inadvertently knocked a header towards Ash Taylor who deftly tucked the ball over Ridgers and into the net. Double sub for Inverness with Samuels and McAlear being replaced by Aaron Doran and David Carson and that triggered an impressive spell for Inverness culminating in a pulsating finale. Some good pressure from the hosts paid off when Billy Mckay scrambled the ball in from close range to restore parity. Even better would follow six minutes later. Once again it was Logan Chalmers to the rescue as he drove a low shot into the net from ten yards at the back post. Get in ya dancer. FULL TIME: 2-1 Inverness saw out the game well in control and thoroughly deserved the three points and a play-off slot. Killie have more work to do to clinch the cinch. Good performances all round with Devine a rock at the back. Ridgers did well with some great interceptions early on, punching dangerous cross balls clear of danger. Deas, Duffy did well to shackle the early advances of Killie. The midfield worked tirelessly and what else can you say about Billy Mckay. He scores when he wants and Logan the loan did it again. Four goals in four games. Good work lad and much appreciated. Match reaction and videos to follow Pos Team Pld W D L F A Pts Updated table after Inverness CT 2-1 Kilmarnock 1. Kilmarnock 34 19 6 9 47 25 63 2. Arbroath 33 15 14 4 45 25 59 3. Inverness CT 33 14 11 8 47 32 53 4. Partick Thistle 33 13 10 10 44 36 49 5. Raith Rovers 33 10 13 10 40 43 43 6. Morton 33 9 13 11 36 42 40 7. Hamilton Ac. 33 9 12 12 37 47 39 8. Ayr United 33 8 11 14 34 48 35 9. Dunfermline 33 6 14 13 33 49 32 10. Q.O.S. 32 6 8 18 30 46 26 Winner Winner Chicken Dinner Date: 15/04/2022 Venue: Caledonian Stadium Attendance: 3829 Referee: Don Robertson Inverness CT: 2 Manager: Billy Dodds Lineup: Ridgers; Duffy, Broadfoot, Devine, Deas, Samuels (Doran 70), Welsh, McAlear (Carson 70), Sutherland, Chalmers (Harper 84), B Mckay (Hardy 88) Subs (not used): C Mackay; Hyde, MacGregor, Walsh Scorers: Mckay (76), Chalmers (82) Booked: Deas (72) Sent Off: none Kilmarnock: 1 Manager: Derek McInnes Lineup: Hemming; Hodson, Taylor, Stokes, McGinn (Glass 83), Campbell, Alston, F Murray (Mackay 90+1), Lyons, Shaw, Lafferty, Subs (not used): Walker; E Murray, Naismith, McGowan, Sanders, Burke, Armstrong Scorers: Taylor (60) Booked: none Sent Off: none a
  8. Champions in waiting Kilmarnock head North looking to wrap up their return to the Premiership as they visit the Caledonian Stadium on Friday night. The game is a 7:45pm kick off and can be seen on council TV. The crossing of the T's and dotting of the I's is all that prevents the trophy being handed over, but the real battle goes on for second, third and fourth. Killie will be taking a big crowd North looking to close out the title. MATCH/TICKET/STREAMING INFO SPORTS BAR OPEN AT STADIUM The stats lean towards Inverness in this fixture but it's usually a tight affair. Home advantage could be crucial but Killie are hitting fine form at the right moment. We sometimes appear clueless, let's see what hat we wear on Friday night. Venue Head2Head Pld Won Drn Lst For Agst + / - Home 24 11 9 4 44 32 +12 Away 26 8 6 12 36 45 -9 Neutral 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Total 50 19 15 16 80 77 +3 Last 10 Competitive Meetings v Killie 0 - 1 (A) 1 - 0 (H) 1 - 0 (A) 1 - 2 (A) 1 - 1 (H) 1 - 1 (A) 1 - 1 (H) 3 - 1 (H) 1 - 2 (A) 2 - 1 (H) This Season It's advantage Inverness so far in the three meetings. Never more than one goal between the sides this season but Killie look to be rounding their season off in emphatic style whilst we are still trying to ensure we make the play-offs with some erratic performances, self belief not high on our agenda. CTO Report August 28th -Table Toppers: Both sides had won their opening three fixtures with Killie having the better goal difference. Both sides had yet to concede a goal; something was going to give, and it did after five minutes. This game had the potential to be the toughest test so far in the Billy Dodds era and it was a tight affair but Inverness scored the only goal of the game when Michael Gardyne lashed the ball into the net via the keepers palms. That proved to be the winner. Blair Alston nicked one off the outside of the post before the interval and Mark Ridgers kept Killie out with his 4th clean sheet in a row in the Championship after denying Innes Cameron from point blank range to put the Caley Jags at the top of the table on their own. CTO Report December 3rd - Table Toppers again: League leaders Kilmarnock looked determined to spoil the game as a spectacle and it was a first half of few chances. Mckay having a shot blocked for a corner by Hemming and Ridgers denying McKenzie. However, chances were at a premium and the half ended goalless. The goal that settled the game was a stunning strike from captain Sean Welsh and no more than Inverness deserved with Killie void of attacking intent. This result put Inverness back on top of the table for now. CTO Report January 29th - Rugby Park Loss: Inverness made the long journey home with no points after Kyle Lafferty scored an early goal after good work by Daniel Mackay down the right wing. What a kick in the teeth that was. Very little to choose between the sides as neither side dominated and clear chances were at a premium with Killie probably having the better of them. Without five regulars, this was always going to be a difficult ask, and so it turned out, but our recent signings look like they could offer something once they are up to speed. Pos Team Pld W D L F A Pts Inverness v Killie (Friday night) 1. Kilmarnock 33 19 6 8 46 23 63 2. Arbroath 33 15 14 4 45 25 59 3. Inverness CT 32 13 11 8 45 31 50 4. Partick Thistle 33 13 10 10 44 36 49 5. Raith Rovers 33 10 13 10 40 43 43 6. Morton 33 9 13 11 36 42 40 7. Hamilton Ac. 33 9 12 12 37 47 39 8. Ayr United 33 8 11 14 34 48 35 9. Dunfermline 33 6 14 13 33 49 32 10. Q.O.S. 32 6 8 18 30 46 26 SATURDAY 16TH APRIL Arbroath v Queens Dunfermline v Ayr United Morton v Accies Partick v Rovers Last Time Out Killie saw off Dunfermline with a goal in each half from Kyle Lafferty and Oli Shaw in a one sided affair. It might have been a cricket score had it not been for Pars keeper Jakub Stolarczyk pulling off a string of super saves. Killie last five WWWDW The Caley Jags threw away a two goal lead against Ayr United last week with a less than impressive second half performance. Shane Sutherland opened the scoring with his tenth goal this season and Logan Chalmers curled in a beauty from twenty two yards. Alas once Ayr changed their personnel at the interval we were second to every ball and got what we deserved. In fact we were left hanging on somewhat and were lucky to claim a point after goals from Fraser Bryden and Markus Fjortoft. A better point for Ayr than it was for us. Inverness last five LWWWD Logan's super strike... Latest Team News Killie have the luxury of a strength of depth squad and should have no fresh worries ahead of this game. They will also have the luxury of a big away support for this one and that 12th man could prove decisive. Billy Dodds welcomed Roddy MacGregor back last weekend with a substitutes appearance for the talented midfielder. Scott Allardice was the only missing player last week but Aaron Doran was replaced at half-time, presumably injured. Dodds looking forward to the clash Here's Roddy talking about his time out
  9. PUSH FOR PROMOTION Inverness make the trek to Ayr on Saturday as the season edges closer to a climax. Often a happy hunting ground for the Caley Jags, Somerset Park should hold no fears for Inverness as the campaign heads towards fever pitch with points important for both clubs. However, despite Inverness having the better stats in Ayr, the Honest men came North in mid February and took all three points South. It's a 3:00pm kick-off on Saturday. MATCH/TICKET/STREAMING INFO SUPPORTERS BUS INFO BELOW DNIPRO KIDS AID - PAUL CHERRY Bus to Ayr 9th April leaves Caley Club 9.15, stadium 9.30 with pick ups in Aviemore and Pitlochry. £20 a seat, £15 under 16s. Book through Facebook or on 07462218717. Venue Head2Head v Ayr Pld Won Drn Lst For Agst + / - Home 22 10 10 2 36 22 +14 Away 22 10 5 7 42 28 +14 Neutral 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Total 44 20 15 9 78 50 +28 Last 10 Competitive Meetings 1 - 2 (H) 2 - 2 (A) 1 - 0 (H) 2 - 2 (H) 2 - 0 (A) 1 - 1 (H) 0 - 1 (A) 2 - 0 (H) 2 - 0 (A) 1 - 1 (H) CTO report Aug21st 2021: 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. CTO report Nov26th 2021: At a windy Somerset Park, Inverness took the lead early on when Sean Welsh met a Tom Walsh cross at the back post unchallenged to head into the net. The lead only lasted a couple of minutes as Joe Chalmers scored after a corner with a couple of defenders being grappled to the ground as Chalmers slotted home. Gardyne was causing all sorts of problems and his next angled cross into the box was missed by Mckay but it bounced through and into the goal to give the visitors the advantage at the break. Reading levelled with a low shot eight minutes into the second half, Ridgers not covering his near post sufficiently. No more scoring partly due to Aidan McAdams in the home goal and another great opportunity to get back on top went abegging with Partick winning 1-0 at Rugby Park. CTO report Feb19th 2022: Ayr United took advantage of a midfield error and conceded corner from whence Sean McGinty headed the opening goal in a poor first half. McAdams saved Ayr before the interval with a great double save within ten seconds of each other as Inverness searched for an opening. Adeloye doubled the lead just after the hour seconds after coming on with Inverness in disarray. Lewis Nicolson struck with a first time cross that ended up in the top corner to throw Inverness a lifeline, but we remained winless in two months. Any hopes of promotion up in the Ayr. So, honours even this season with one win apiece and a draw. All to play for on Saturday with Inverness on a three game winning run that sees us handily placed for a play-off place and Ayr struggling to stay above the play-off place at the wrong end of the table after only one win in their last five games and picking up only two points. With Dunfermline beating Raith on Wednesday night, we have strengthened our claim for a top four finish. That could be further enhanced should faltering Partick drop more points on Friday night when they take on Queen of the South at Palmerston. The downside of Dunfermline winning is that it has plunged Ayr United into deep trouble and will amplify their resolve to take something from the game this weekend. Partick beat Queen of the South 1-0 at Palmerston on Friday night with Queens missing a host of chances. All square for third place now. Pos Team Pld W D L F A Pts 1. Kilmarnock 32 18 6 8 44 23 60 2. Arbroath 32 14 14 4 44 25 56 3. Inverness CT 31 13 10 8 43 29 49 4. Partick Thistle 33 13 10 10 44 36 49 5. Raith Rovers 32 10 13 9 40 42 43 6. Hamilton Ac. 32 9 12 11 37 46 39 7. Morton 32 8 13 11 35 42 37 8. Ayr United 32 8 10 14 32 46 34 9. Dunfermline 32 6 14 12 33 47 32 10. Q.O.S. 32 6 8 18 30 46 26 SATURDAY 9TH APRIL Ayr United v Inverness CT Hamilton v Arbroath Kilmarnock v Dunfermline Raith v Morton Last Time Out Ayr scored a last gasp equaliser against Hamilton last week through a superb strike from Kerr McInroy to earn a point in a 1-1 draw. Accies had led thanks to an early goal from Andy Winter. That followed a similar draw at Morton the previous week where Adeloye scored a late goal to earn a point. Looks like Ayr still have some fight in them with late goals in their last couple of games. Top scorer Tomi Adeloye is the man to watch and Kerr McInroy strikes a mean ball as well. Inverness got a welcome third win on the bounce as they beat Dunfermline 2-0 with goals from Reece McAlear and Austin Samuels, his first for the club. McAlear's strike was a thunderblaster... He doesn't do tap-ins, the last one on this clip the stunner against the Pars. Also against Dunfermline, Cammy Mackay showed why he is keeping Mark Ridgers on the bench Latest Team News Ayr are pleased to have Mikey Hewit back, so pleased he has been given a new three year deal. Striker Sam Ashford could return after suspension but midfielder Ben Dempsey is a doubt. Inverness will be without the injured Scott Allardice who is out for the season. Unfortunately Sam Pearson's loan spell was ended prematurely due to a close family bereavement. The Welsh u21 international with potential in abundance has returned to Bristol City. Condolences to Sam and his Family. Roddy MacGregor should be back in training by now after a long lay off. Eric's Ayr Raid We last played Ayr on 19th February beyond the January transfer window.. The only addition to the squad is Alex Kenyon, a defensive midfield player who had previously been with Scunthorpe United and arrived at Somerset Park on 7th March. Cheers Eck Get behind the team in the push for promotion. The Supporters Travel Club are running buses to the final three away games of the season and all play-off games should we find ourselves involved. LES FRIDGERABLES A long time ago in a February far, far away, ICT were ten games without a win and the Shuffle panellists were asking whether a place in the playoffs was slipping away. A month later, on the back of three consecutive victories, we’re wondering whether we can steal second. Moff, Riley, AY and their special guest, ICTTV commentator Iain Auld, look back on a month of dramatically-shifting fortunes for the team, and shoehorn in a few tenuous movie references along the way. Action! View full article
  10. Points dropped Inverness threw away two points with a desperately poor second half performance against Ayr United who thoroughly deserved their point as we regressed. We got off to the perfect start and were two ahead after only thirteen minutes through Shane Sutherland and Logan Chalmers with a wonderful strike into the top corner. Ayr shuffled their pack at the interval and it was only a matter of time before we were forced to hang on grimly for a point when we had three in the bag already. Goals from Fraser Bryden and Markus Fjortoft snatched a draw from the jaws of defeat for the Honest Men as we headed home with egg on our faces. The only thing that took the edge off throwing away points was Raith Rovers losing to Morton and Roddy MacGregor getting a run out as a second half sub after being out for months. A better more accomplished performance is required next Friday when Kilmarnock come North, the title on their fingertips. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ An unchanged Inverness took to the field with Roddy MacGregor on the bench alongside Danny Devine and Austin Samuels. Sam Ashford returned for Ayr who had top scorer Tomi Adeloye on the bench. A fast start for the visitors saw a Wallace Duffy effort blocked after a scramble in the Ayr box, and a couple of minutes later we were ahead after good work by Aaron Doran and Billy Mckay down the right side. Mckay's cross was turned in by Shane Sutherland for his ninth goal of the season. Six minutes later it got even better when Logan Chalmers curled a beauty into the top corner from the edge of the box. What a start from the visitors. Could they capitalise on this.... Well, quite frankly no. Before half time it was evident that Ayr were determined to take something from this game and they looked the hungrier of the sides as we went into non contact second to every ball mode. Half an hour in and Fraser Bryden saw a header saved by Cammy Mackay and at the other end Doran shot over the bar, but Ayr were on our case and our confidence looked fragile. The half ended with Ayr threatening to take control of proceedings. HALF TIME 0-2 Cameron Harper replaced Doran at the interval with Ayr bringing on Tomi Adeloye and Dair O'Connor. Was that the move that gave them the ascendency? Probably as we were now second to every ball and brushed off the ball easily at every opportunity. Mackay pulled off a great save two minutes into the half from Kerr McInroy as Ayr swarmed all over us, and ten minutes after the break Fraser Bryden squeezed a close range shot into the net with our defence not covering themselves in glory after a cross from the right was not cleared. Ayr pressure was mounting as we struggled to string two passes together and failed to hold onto the ball and Roddy MacGregor was introduced with twenty minutes remaining. More telling was Markus Fjortoft who joined the game after Roddy. Three minutes later and he was knocking in the eagerly awaited equaliser as we capitulated. O'Connor had just had a shot saved by Mackay as the pressure mounted then McInroy crossed and substitute Fjortoft scored from close range, the defence looking at each other again as two points slipped away. That woke us up a little and Harper might have done better than volley just over the bar and David Carson dragged a shot wide minutes later. However, Ayr were not to be denied their hard earned point and there was a bonus for them with Killie beating Dunfermline 2-0. So, Ayr ease away from the bottom two and Inverness blunder their way clear in third place thanks to Raith losing this weekend. Difficult to spot a MotM in a Jekyll and Hyde performance. Maybe the travelling fans that suffered the ecstasy and the agony of what feels like a defeat. The Goals From Ayr TV Pos Team Pld W D L F A Pts Table after today's games 1. Kilmarnock 33 19 6 8 46 23 63 2. Arbroath 33 15 14 4 45 25 59 3. Inverness CT 32 13 11 8 45 31 50 4. Partick Thistle 33 13 10 10 44 36 49 5. Raith Rovers 33 10 13 10 40 43 43 6. Morton 33 9 13 11 36 42 40 7. Hamilton Ac. 33 9 12 12 37 47 39 8. Ayr United 33 8 11 14 34 48 35 9. Dunfermline 33 6 14 13 33 49 32 10. Q.O.S. 32 6 8 18 30 46 26 Date: 09/04/2022 Venue: Somerset Park, Ayr Attendance: 1756 Referee: Willie Collum Ayr United: 2 Manager: Lee Bullen Lineup: McAdams; Houston (Fjortoft 72), McGinty (Baird 89), Muirhead, Reading, McKenzie (Adeloye 45), Kenyon (Smith 57), McInroy, Maxwell (O'Connor 45), Bryden, Ashford Subs (not used): Albinson; Ecremont, Gondoh, Moffat, Scorers: Bryden (54), Fjortoft (76) Booked: Smith (73) Sent Off: Inverness CT: 2 Manager: Billy Dodds Lineup: C Mackay; Carson (Devine 83), Duffy, Broadfoot, Deas, Doran (Harper 45), McAlear (Samuels 77), Welsh, Sutherland, Chalmers (MacGregor 71), B Mckay (Hardy 82) Subs (not used): Ridgers; Hyde, Walsh Scorers: Sutherland (6), Chalmers (13) Booked: none Sent Off: none a
  11. PUSH FOR PROMOTION Inverness make the trek to Ayr on Saturday as the season edges closer to a climax. Often a happy hunting ground for the Caley Jags, Somerset Park should hold no fears for Inverness as the campaign heads towards fever pitch with points important for both clubs. However, despite Inverness having the better stats in Ayr, the Honest men came North in mid February and took all three points South. It's a 3:00pm kick-off on Saturday. MATCH/TICKET/STREAMING INFO SUPPORTERS BUS INFO BELOW DNIPRO KIDS AID - PAUL CHERRY Bus to Ayr 9th April leaves Caley Club 9.15, stadium 9.30 with pick ups in Aviemore and Pitlochry. £20 a seat, £15 under 16s. Book through Facebook or on 07462218717. Venue Head2Head v Ayr Pld Won Drn Lst For Agst + / - Home 22 10 10 2 36 22 +14 Away 22 10 5 7 42 28 +14 Neutral 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Total 44 20 15 9 78 50 +28 Last 10 Competitive Meetings 1 - 2 (H) 2 - 2 (A) 1 - 0 (H) 2 - 2 (H) 2 - 0 (A) 1 - 1 (H) 0 - 1 (A) 2 - 0 (H) 2 - 0 (A) 1 - 1 (H) CTO report Aug21st 2021: 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. CTO report Nov26th 2021: At a windy Somerset Park, Inverness took the lead early on when Sean Welsh met a Tom Walsh cross at the back post unchallenged to head into the net. The lead only lasted a couple of minutes as Joe Chalmers scored after a corner with a couple of defenders being grappled to the ground as Chalmers slotted home. Gardyne was causing all sorts of problems and his next angled cross into the box was missed by Mckay but it bounced through and into the goal to give the visitors the advantage at the break. Reading levelled with a low shot eight minutes into the second half, Ridgers not covering his near post sufficiently. No more scoring partly due to Aidan McAdams in the home goal and another great opportunity to get back on top went abegging with Partick winning 1-0 at Rugby Park. CTO report Feb19th 2022: Ayr United took advantage of a midfield error and conceded corner from whence Sean McGinty headed the opening goal in a poor first half. McAdams saved Ayr before the interval with a great double save within ten seconds of each other as Inverness searched for an opening. Adeloye doubled the lead just after the hour seconds after coming on with Inverness in disarray. Lewis Nicolson struck with a first time cross that ended up in the top corner to throw Inverness a lifeline, but we remained winless in two months. Any hopes of promotion up in the Ayr. So, honours even this season with one win apiece and a draw. All to play for on Saturday with Inverness on a three game winning run that sees us handily placed for a play-off place and Ayr struggling to stay above the play-off place at the wrong end of the table after only one win in their last five games and picking up only two points. With Dunfermline beating Raith on Wednesday night, we have strengthened our claim for a top four finish. That could be further enhanced should faltering Partick drop more points on Friday night when they take on Queen of the South at Palmerston. The downside of Dunfermline winning is that it has plunged Ayr United into deep trouble and will amplify their resolve to take something from the game this weekend. Latest News: Partick beat Queens in the Friday night game 1-0 at Palmerston with Queens missing a host of chances to score. That result puts Patick on 49 points alongside Inverness but it also gives Ayr plenty of incentive to get a result on Saturday to ease away from the bottom. Last updated: 06.04.2022 at 16:36 Pos Team Pld W D L F A Pts Queen of the South 0-1 Partick Thistle Friday night 1. Kilmarnock 32 18 6 8 44 23 60 2. Arbroath 32 14 14 4 44 25 56 3. Inverness CT 31 13 10 8 43 29 49 4. Partick Thistle 32 12 10 10 43 36 46 5. Raith Rovers 32 10 13 9 40 42 43 6. Hamilton Ac. 32 9 12 11 37 46 39 7. Morton 32 8 13 11 35 42 37 8. Ayr United 32 8 10 14 32 46 34 9. Dunfermline 32 6 14 12 33 47 32 10. Q.O.S. 31 6 8 17 30 45 26 SATURDAY 9TH APRIL Ayr United v Inverness CT Hamilton v Arbroath Kilmarnock v Dunfermline Raith v Morton Last Time Out Ayr scored a last gasp equaliser against Hamilton last week through a superb strike from Kerr McInroy to earn a point in a 1-1 draw. Accies had led thanks to an early goal from Andy Winter. That followed a similar draw at Morton the previous week where Adeloye scored a late goal to earn a point. Looks like Ayr still have some fight in them with late goals in their last couple of games. Top scorer Tomi Adeloye is the man to watch and Kerr McInroy strikes a mean ball as well. Inverness got a welcome third win on the bounce as they beat Dunfermline 2-0 with goals from Reece McAlear and Austin Samuels, his first for the club. McAlear's strike was a thunderblaster... He doesn't do tap-ins, the last one on this clip the stunner against the Pars. Also against Dunfermline, Cammy Mackay showed why he is keeping Mark Ridgers on the bench Latest Team News Ayr are pleased to have Mikey Hewit back, so pleased he has been given a new three year deal. Striker Sam Ashford could return after suspension but midfielder Ben Dempsey is a doubt. Inverness will be without the injured Scott Allardice who is out for the season. Unfortunately Sam Pearson's loan spell was ended prematurely due to a close family bereavement. The Welsh u21 international with potential in abundance has returned to Bristol City. Condolences to Sam and his Family. Roddy MacGregor should be back in training by now after a long lay off. OFFICIAL PREVIEW reveals all... Eric's Ayr Raid We last played Ayr on 19th February beyond the January transfer window.. The only addition to the squad is Alex Kenyon, a defensive midfield player who had previously been with Scunthorpe United and arrived at Somerset Park on 7th March. Cheers Eck Get behind the team in the push for promotion. The Supporters Travel Club are running buses to the final three away games of the season and all play-off games should we find ourselves involved. LES FRIDGERABLES A long time ago in a February far, far away, ICT were ten games without a win and the Shuffle panellists were asking whether a place in the playoffs was slipping away. A month later, on the back of three consecutive victories, we’re wondering whether we can steal second. Moff, Riley, AY and their special guest, ICTTV commentator Iain Auld, look back on a month of dramatically-shifting fortunes for the team, and shoehorn in a few tenuous movie references along the way. Action!
  12. Looking promising Inverness took a massive step towards a play off place by defeating Dunfermline Athletic for the first time this season. An encouraging but goalless first half where Reece McAlear had hit the post was replaced by a two goal second half with chances at both ends. The deadlock was broken by a man who only scores screamers. Reece McAlear lashed the ball across the keeper and into the top right corner of the goal from a difficult position wide on the inside right area. What a strike that was but it only woke the Pars up from their lethargy and they had three or four great opportunities before substitute Austin Samuels sealed the points after he sprinted on to a through ball from Aaron Doran to slot neatly behind Mehmet in goal. Comfortable thereafter for the remainder of the game and an excellent three points to strengthen our hold on third place with Raith, Arbroath and Partick all dropping points. Inverness were thin on the bench with Scott Allardice and Roddy Macgregor out longer term and Danny Devine, Joe Harper and Sam Pearson all missing. Dunfermline had Liam Polworth, Joe Chalmers and Col Donaldson starting with Nikolay Todorov on the bench. An enterprising start to the game in bright sunshine saw plenty of crisp passing in the opening gambit with only the telling pass missing. Denzil Mehmet was the first keeper called into serious action as he dived full length to keep out a low strike from Logan Chalmers on the left side of the box with the loose ball missing the strikers before being mopped up by the defence. You can see Denzil using anything to keep the ball out. Pic courtesy of CaleyJags.com. Inverness were buzzing around the visitors box with plenty of movement up front, creating a few half chances. Aaron Doran scooping one just wide on the volley and Chalmers flashing a thumping drive just over the bar from the edge of the box. Robbie Deas might have done better than lift a shot over the bar from ten yards as the hosts pressed for the opening goal and Doran again shot wide after good battling down the right touchline by Carson and Sutherland. Reece McAlear almost scored with a spectacular curling free kick from the left of centre, his right foot shot coming back off the top of the post with Mehmet beaten; the ball bouncing back into the keepers arms after cannoning off a defender. He would do better in the second half, and what a strike it was. HALF TIME: 0-0 Just before the hour, Inverness scored a contender for goal of the season. Sean Welsh's free kick came back off the wall some 28 yards from goal. Without breaking stride, McAlear turned onto the ball and fired an absolute rocket across the stunned keeper into the opposite side of the net. Mehmet rooted to the spot like a subbuteo keeper waiting for the strike. Boom! What a goal from Reece, his third or fourth contender of the season. That sparked Dunfermline into life and Cammy Mackay did brilliantly to deny Dow and Todorov with point blank saves to keep Inverness ahead. It was bodies on the line time as the defenders guarded their keeper well and the Pars would rue those missed opportunities. Substitute Austin Samuels scored his first goal for the club just after coming on. His first kick of the ball saw him slot home after he had played a one-two with Doran who threaded the ball through for Samuels to run on and steer the ball behind the outrushing Mehmet. That goal took the sting out of the Pars and their discipline disintegrated, Donaldson in particular not enjoying his return to the Caledonian Stadium. How does it feel Austin?................ It feels good! Tom Walsh almost benefited from a defensive lapse as he struck a sweet shot from twenty yards in injury time, but it just curled the wrong side of the post with Mehmet beaten. FULL TIME: 2-0 Great three points for the Caley Jags who have now won their last three in a row and are in prime spot for a shot at the play-offs. Reece McAlear was MotM, even if it was just for his superb goal, but his overall performance was solid and he was unlucky with his free kick that crashed back off the post. Great contribution from Cammy Mackay who stayed alert to deny the Pars after we opened the scoring and well done to Wallace Duffy at centre back who never looked out of place and strolled through the game nullifying some dangerous forwards. No failures today and a decent performance to boot. Reece the Thunderblaster... Date: 26/03/2022 Venue: Caledonian Stadium Attendance: 2172 Referee: Graham Beaton Inverness CT: 2 Manager: Billy Dodds Lineup: C Mackay; Carson, Duffy, Broadfoot, Deas, Doran (Walsh 81), Welsh, McAlear, Sutherland, Chalmers (Harper 67), B Mckay (Samuels 76) Subs (not used): Ridgers; Hyde Scorers: McAlear (58), Samuels (77) Booked: Samuels (83) Sent Off: none Dunfermline: 0 Manager: John Hughes Lineup: Mehmet; Todd (Comrie 79), Donaldson, Ambrose (Cole 79), Edwards, Polworth (Todorov 63), Pybus, Chalmers, Lawless (Kamwa 59), Thomas (Dow 63), O'Hara Subs (not used): Archibald; Allan, Breen, Martin Scorers: none Booked: Donaldson (83), Pybus (90+1) Sent Off: none a
  13. Crucial Times Ahead   The big games keep coming as we reach the business end of the season, the intensity of this one heightened in midweek after the Pars thrashed Partick Thistle 4-1 on Tuesday night ahead of their visit to the Caledonian Stadium on Saturday. The game kicks off at 3:00pm with points vital for both sides for different reasons. John Hughes is the man tasked with saving Dunfermline's season and it's not all gone to plan so far, but the midweek rout of Partick is an untimely reminder that they can cause problems to the best sides in this division. How many people, like me, had the Pars down as one of the favourites to get promotion given the depth and quality of their squad. I certainly did not expect them to be exiting the Championship at the bottom end. Crazy season heading for a tense finish at both ends of the table. MATCH/TICKETS/STREAMING INFO OFFICIAL PREVIEW Venue Head 2 Head Pld Won Drn Lst For Agst + / - Home 22 9 8 5 28 21 +7 Away 24 9 10 5 29 26 +3 Neutral 2 0 1 1 3 4 -1 Total 48 18 19 11 60 51 +9 Last 10 Competitive Meetings v Pars 1 - 1 (A) 1 - 2 (H) 0 - 0 (A) 1 - 0 (A) 1 - 1 (H) 1 - 3 (A) 2 - 1 (A) 2 - 0 (H) 1 - 0 (A) 1 - 0 (H) The honours tilt towards us over the years, a far cry from our first taste of the big time when Dunfermline pumped us 4-0 at East End Park in our first game in Division one or the Championship as we know it now. August 7th 1999 with nearly 5,000 in attendance, steak bridies and all. At last we had made the big time....Alas, we had a lot to learn.  Click on the link below to see Ian Broadfoot's brief report as we ended the game with 10 men against an accomplished Dunfermline Athletic.  Aug 7th League 0 - 4  (A)    4,865   Fast Forward to May 12th 2007 when Dunfermline were officially relegated after we beat them at the Caledonian Stadium; full report from Ian Broadfoot. Look at that crowd back in 2007, no doubt swelled by the Fifers as they tried to stave off relegation.  May 12th League 2 - 1  (H)    6,464     All games Saturday 3:00pm     Arbroath v Raith Rvrs Hamilton v Queens        Killie v Partick     Morton v Ayr Utd  Inverness CT v Dunfermline Pos Team Pld W D L F A Pts   1. Kilmarnock 30 17 5 8 41 21 56 2. Arbroath 30 14 12 4 41 22 54 3. Inverness CT 30 12 10 8 41 29 46 4. Partick Thistle 30 12 9 9 42 34 45 5. Raith Rovers 30 10 12 8 37 37 42 6. Morton 30 8 11 11 33 40 35 7. Hamilton Ac. 30 8 11 11 35 45 35 8. Ayr United 30 8 8 14 30 44 32 9. Dunfermline 30 5 14 11 31 45 29 10. Q.O.S. 30 6 8 16 30 44 26 As a result of Dunfermline swatting away the Jags in midweek, all teams have now played 30 games with Inverness remaining in 3rd position whilst Partick and Raith capitulate. No room to crow about it though as we have only just returned to winning ways after a horrendous run of eleven games with no wins, taking only six points from a possible thirty three. This season we have yet to beat the Pars. We were fortunate to draw 0-0 at East End Park in September as Dunfermline looked for their first win of the season after five games. We were top on 15 points, Dunfermline bottom with just two points after this one. We went down 2-1 at the Caledonian Stadium in November after having led through a Billy Mckay goal. A Danny Devine og restored parity before a superb Dom Thomas solo goal clinched the points. Under Par: Inverness opened the scoring after probing well for over twenty minutes. Michael Gardyne drifted inside and the Pars defence opened up allowing him to get a shot away. It came back off the woodwork and Billy Mckay reacted first to knock the ball into the net. However, Dunfermline got their first win of the season as Inverness fired blanks thereafter, and goals from Kevin O'Hara assisted by a massive Danny Devine deflection and a great solo effort from Dom Thomas won the points for the Pars. Another bad day at the office continued with Inverness slipping to third following wins for Killie Raith and Partick. The third encounter was a 1-1 draw at EEP: More points thrown away in our wasteful period in January. Inverness wasted an opportunity to put pressure on the top of the table after squandering a first half lead through Shane Sutherland. Steven Lawless levelled from the spot in the second half with ten minutes remaining after David Carson was adjudged to have blocked a cross with a flailing arm. Another drab performance after a first half full of promise. No surprise really given recent performances, but frustrating nonetheless. So, time to redress the balance for this season as Dunfermline begin to realise the severity of their plight.  Last Time Out We came away with an unlikely three points after Logan Chalmers scored two spectacular goals in the dying embers of a game we looked like losing, even against ten men. Raith took an early lead through Aidan Connolly before Shane Sutherland stabbed in the equaliser. That was short lived as Poplatnik restored Raith's advantage before the break. A couple of enforced changes weakened Raith but we still struggled and even after Kyle Benedictus was red carded with twenty minutes to go we looked spent on ideas. Up popped Chalmers with two sweet left foot strikes to take the points North. That result came on the back of us ending our drought with a 3-0 win over Arbroath the week before to revive our flagging play-off hopes. On yersel Logan As said before, Dunfermline helped us out in midweek by thumping Partick thistle 4-1. More importantly they helped themselves massively and climbed off the foot of the table in doing so. Partick had opened the scoring with a strike from distance through Ross Docherty. They fought back and deservedly levelled with an og from Lewis Mayo. Mathew Todd scored a second for a rampant Pars in the first half followed by Josh Edwards. Man of the Match Dom Thomas scored a spectacular fourth in the second half to put the icing on the cake. Great result for the Pars led of course by none other that John Hughes, our former Scottish Cup winning manager. Latest Team News Scott Allardice is out long term with Roddy MacGregor rumoured to be returned to full training. More team news to follow... View full article
  14. Crucial Times Ahead The big games keep coming as we reach the business end of the season, the intensity of this one heightened in midweek after the Pars thrashed Partick Thistle 4-1 on Tuesday night ahead of their visit to the Caledonian Stadium on Saturday. The game kicks off at 3:00pm with points vital for both sides for different reasons. John Hughes is the man tasked with saving Dunfermline's season and it's not all gone to plan so far, but the midweek rout of Partick is an untimely reminder that they can cause problems to the best sides in this division. How many people, like me, had the Pars down as one of the favourites to get promotion given the depth and quality of their squad. I certainly did not expect them to be exiting the Championship at the bottom end. Crazy season heading for a tense finish at both ends of the table. MATCH/TICKETS/STREAMING INFO OFFICIAL PREVIEW NEW STRIP SPORTS BAR Venue Head 2 Head Pld Won Drn Lst For Agst + / - Home 22 9 8 5 28 21 +7 Away 24 9 10 5 29 26 +3 Neutral 2 0 1 1 3 4 -1 Total 48 18 19 11 60 51 +9 Last 10 Competitive Meetings v Pars 1 - 1 (A) 1 - 2 (H) 0 - 0 (A) 1 - 0 (A) 1 - 1 (H) 1 - 3 (A) 2 - 1 (A) 2 - 0 (H) 1 - 0 (A) 1 - 0 (H) The honours tilt towards us over the years, a far cry from our first taste of the big time when Dunfermline pumped us 4-0 at East End Park in our first game in Division one or the Championship as we know it now. August 7th 1999 with nearly 5,000 in attendance, steak bridies and all. At last we had made the big time....Alas, we had a lot to learn. Click on the link below to see Ian Broadfoot's brief report as we ended the game with 10 men against an accomplished Dunfermline Athletic. Aug 7th League 0 - 4 (A) 4,865 Fast Forward to May 12th 2007 when Dunfermline were officially relegated after we beat them at the Caledonian Stadium; full report from Ian Broadfoot. Look at that crowd back in 2007, no doubt swelled by the Fifers as they tried to stave off relegation. May 12th League 2 - 1 (H) 6,464 All games Saturday 3:00pm Arbroath v Raith Rvrs Hamilton v Queens Killie v Partick Morton v Ayr Utd Inverness CT v Dunfermline Pos Team Pld W D L F A Pts 1. Kilmarnock 30 17 5 8 41 21 56 2. Arbroath 30 14 12 4 41 22 54 3. Inverness CT 30 12 10 8 41 29 46 4. Partick Thistle 30 12 9 9 42 34 45 5. Raith Rovers 30 10 12 8 37 37 42 6. Morton 30 8 11 11 33 40 35 7. Hamilton Ac. 30 8 11 11 35 45 35 8. Ayr United 30 8 8 14 30 44 32 9. Dunfermline 30 5 14 11 31 45 29 10. Q.O.S. 30 6 8 16 30 44 26 As a result of Dunfermline swatting away the Jags in midweek, all teams have now played 30 games with Inverness remaining in 3rd position whilst Partick and Raith capitulate. No room to crow about it though as we have only just returned to winning ways after a horrendous run of eleven games with no wins, taking only six points from a possible thirty three. This season we have yet to beat the Pars. We were fortunate to draw 0-0 at East End Park in September as Dunfermline looked for their first win of the season after five games. We were top on 15 points, Dunfermline bottom with just two points after this one. We went down 2-1 at the Caledonian Stadium in November after having led through a Billy Mckay goal. A Danny Devine og restored parity before a superb Dom Thomas solo goal clinched the points. Under Par: Inverness opened the scoring after probing well for over twenty minutes. Michael Gardyne drifted inside and the Pars defence opened up allowing him to get a shot away. It came back off the woodwork and Billy Mckay reacted first to knock the ball into the net. However, Dunfermline got their first win of the season as Inverness fired blanks thereafter, and goals from Kevin O'Hara assisted by a massive Danny Devine deflection and a great solo effort from Dom Thomas won the points for the Pars. Another bad day at the office continued with Inverness slipping to third following wins for Killie Raith and Partick. The third encounter was a 1-1 draw at EEP: More points thrown away in our wasteful period in January. Inverness wasted an opportunity to put pressure on the top of the table after squandering a first half lead through Shane Sutherland. Steven Lawless levelled from the spot in the second half with ten minutes remaining after David Carson was adjudged to have blocked a cross with a flailing arm. Another drab performance after a first half full of promise. No surprise really given recent performances, but frustrating nonetheless. So, time to redress the balance for this season as Dunfermline begin to realise the severity of their plight. Last Time Out We came away with an unlikely three points after Logan Chalmers scored two spectacular goals in the dying embers of a game we looked like losing, even against ten men. Raith took an early lead through Aidan Connolly before Shane Sutherland stabbed in the equaliser. That was short lived as Poplatnik restored Raith's advantage before the break. A couple of enforced changes weakened Raith but we still struggled and even after Kyle Benedictus was red carded with twenty minutes to go we looked spent on ideas. Up popped Chalmers with two sweet left foot strikes to take the points North. That result came on the back of us ending our drought with a 3-0 win over Arbroath the week before to revive our flagging play-off hopes. On yersel Logan As said before, Dunfermline helped us out in midweek by thumping Partick thistle 4-1. More importantly they helped themselves massively and climbed off the foot of the table in doing so. Partick had opened the scoring with a strike from distance through Ross Docherty. They fought back and deservedly levelled with an og from Lewis Mayo. Mathew Todd scored a second for a rampant Pars in the first half followed by Josh Edwards. Man of the Match Dom Thomas scored a spectacular fourth in the second half to put the icing on the cake. Great result for the Pars led of course by none other that John Hughes, our former Scottish Cup winning manager. Dom Thomas' name has cropped up a lot recently and he will be worth watching as he has bagged a few special goals this season and is also well up on assists. Latest Team News Scott Allardice is out long term with Roddy MacGregor rumoured to be returned to full training. Possibly as you were if no fresh injuries are thrown into the mix, however some late fitness tests required according to Dodds. Sam Pearson is on international duty with Wales u21. Billy Dodds ahead of Pars fixture Steven Lawless had stitches inserted in a head wound picked up against Partick Thistle. Lewis McCann should come back into contention after being injured against Morton but the injury is not as serious as first feared (dislocation). Keeper Jakub Stolarczyc was on international duty with Poland's u21's in midweek and they have another game on Tuesday night although stand-in Deniz Mehmet did little wrong when called in to replace him against Partick. Dunfermline last starting XI: Mehmet, Todd, Ambrose, Donaldson, Edwards, Pybus, Chalmers, Lawless, Polworth, Thomas, O’Hara Some familiar names in there, with Toddy coming off the bench against Partick. Eric the Stats Pars roundup Changes to Dunfermline squad since we last met at East End Park Departures Owain Fon Williams - the one time ICT and Welsh international painter goalkeeper has left the East End Park club. In press release from DAFC on 28th February. " Dunfermline Athletic wish to announce that we have agreed to cancel Owain Fon Williams contract with effect from today. Owain wishes to leave for family reasons." Vytas Gaspuitis - The defender left the club on the 18th March on a free transfer to play in his home country Lithuania with FA Siauliai Kyle Macdonald - a right back who is now on loan at Airdrieonians. Iain Wilson - Midfielder left on a free to join Greenock Morton. Players in Jakub Stolarczyk - Goalkeeping cover on loan from Leicester City U23. Efe Ambrose - the centre back is on loan from St Johnstone Liam Polworth - Well known Invernessian is on loan from Kilmarnock. Joe Chalmers - Another familiar name to ICT fans, central midfield player joined DAFC from Ayr United for an undisclosed fee. Bobby Kamwa - The 22 year old forward is on loan from Leeds United U23 for the remainder of the season NEW STRIP INCOMING Soft feel new texture finish – made from 100% Recycled Polyester mesh. Wicking finish, keeps you cooler and drier for longer. Recycled rib contrast cuff detail. Raglan sleeve construction to back of shirt. Contrast elasticated tape hem detail to co-ordinate with shorts PUMA Cat Logo at right chest and on both sleeves. The words of the song on the strip. Oh well, it's the thought that counts I suppose Pic: Trevor Martin
  15. The Good the Bad and Raith Rovers With both clubs recording their first win in 2022, this clash could go a long way to deciding who has the bottle for the battle. Saturday 3:00pm at Starks Park should reveal all as good takes on bad, or Inverness versus Raith Rovers, a club apparently with the morals of Michael Gardyne. Both clubs have underperformed over the last three months but surprisingly still find themselves in contention for a play-off spot, realistically fourth place. MATCH/TICKET/STREAMING/BUS INFO SUPPORTERS BUS 07462218717 Raith Rovers bus 19th March leaves Caley Club 10.30, stadium 10.45. Picking up in Aviemore and Pitlochry. £20 and £15 for under 16s. Book through Facebook or on 07462218717 Venue Head2Head Pld Won Drn Lst For Agst + / - Home 19 13 4 2 37 14 +23 Away 14 7 4 3 27 17 +10 Neutral 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Total 33 20 8 5 64 31 +33 Yes, the stats are not faulty: Raith Rovers have not beaten Inverness for almost twenty one and a half years. Incredible run of results going back to October 28th 2000 when we went down 1-2 in Inverness. Back to August of 2000 for their last win at Starks park and here is Ian Broadfoot's match report from that game, a 4-1 win for Raith: Caley Thistle's bad run continued against a sharp Raith side. Jay Stein set up the opening goal in 10 minutes with a run down the left and a cut back which deflected to Ray McKinnon and he scored with a low drive. The visitors best first half effort came in 27 minutes when Van de Kamp spectacularly saved a Davide Xausa 25 yard shot. On 44 minutes a free kick was touched to Kenny Black and Les Fridge tipped his shot over the bar. Raith killed the game off in a four minute spell in the second half. In 50 minutes a low ball from the right was punched by Fridge into the path of Paul Tosh who hit it home. Four minutes later Alex Burns beat three men in the box before scoring at the second attempt. Iain Stewart clawed one back with a close range header in 59 minutes after a Xausa shot had been blocked by the keeper. This sparked a revival with good efforts from Xausa and lively substitute Barry Robson. All efforts produced no more goals and Raith made it 4-1 in 82 minutes. Alex Burns crossed from the right and found Gerry Creaney who scored with a low shot from 15 yards. Decent teams back then Raith: Van de Kamp; McCulloch, Opinel, Gaughn, Browne, Black, S Tosh, McKinnon, P Tosh, Burns, Stein Inverness: Fridge; Tokely, Mann, Hastings, Golabek, Christie, Sheerin, Byers, McBain, Stewart, Xausa Subs: Calder; Robson, Bagan, Bavidge, Wyness Last 10 Competitive Meetings 1 - 1 (H) 0 - 0 (H) 1 - 1 (A) 1 - 0 (H) 1 - 0 (A) 0 - 0 (H) 2 - 0 (H) 3 - 3 (A) 4 - 1 (H) 2 - 1 (H) Saturday 3:00pm kick offs Arbroath v Ayr United Killie v Queens Partick v Accies Rovers v Caley J's Pos Team Pld W D L F A Pts DUNFERMLINE Ath v MORTON (Fri 7:45pm) 1. Kilmarnock 29 16 5 8 39 20 53 2. Arbroath 29 13 12 4 40 22 51 3. Partick Thistle 28 12 9 7 41 26 45 4. Inverness CT 29 11 10 8 38 27 43 5. Raith Rovers 29 10 12 7 35 34 42 6. Morton 29 8 10 11 32 39 34 7. Ayr United 29 8 8 13 30 43 32 8. Hamilton Ac. 29 7 11 11 31 45 32 9. Q.O.S. 29 6 8 15 29 42 26 10. Dunfermline 28 4 13 11 26 43 25 Last Time Out Inverness broke their eleven game run without a win by beating title challengers Arbroath with a somewhat flattering but nonetheless welcome 3-0 win. An early goal by Man of the Match Shane Sutherland was followed soon after by a Reece McAlear strike following a neat move involving Shane and David Carson. We reverted to type after that and the ball was like a hot potato as it was battered skywards with great regularity. However we repelled the advances of Arbroath without too much hassle and Billy Mckay sneaked a third goal as we started to dominate with twenty minutes left. Get in Reece as he finishes off a tidy move down the right... Raith also ended a similar barren spell (first win in twelve) by beating Queen of the South 1-0 at Palmerston to remain only one point behind Inverness in fifth place. The only goal of the game came in the first half through Matej Poplatnik. The honours are favouring Inverness this season in league games. Inverness edged the first one in the Highlands with a Roddy MacGregor special doing the damage, but the two subsequent meetings ended in draws. There was also a drawn Challenge Cup game at Starks Park which Raith eventually won on penalties. Latest Team News Allardice and MacGregor out long term, but unless there are any new issues Dodds should have a relatively injury free squad. Cammy Mackay could well continue in goal as he has done well since getting his opportunity through Mark Ridgers downtime. Sam Pearson has been called up to the Welsh u21 squad for forthcoming games against Switzerland and Bulgaria. Read Here Unfortunately it rules him out after the Raith game and he is unavailable for the Dunfermline game on 26th March. Raith Eric the Stats Raith round up. In: Sam Stanton, midfielder (Dundalk); Jamie Gullan, forward (Hibernian) Loan: Ben Williamson - midfielder (Rangers). Sean Mackie - a left back on loan from Hibernian FC, originally joined Raith in 2015 from the Fife Elite Academy before moving to Hibs the next season, according to sources his last 2 years at Hibs has been blighted by injury. And last but not least; In & Out; the Hokey Cokey saga of David Goodwillie. Yes, the in-out, in-out, shake it all about transfer that rocked the club back onto it's heels and brought out some embarrassing grovelling apologies. He went back to Clyde (loan) and his career is on hold as a footballer I believe as he is not welcome there either. Out: Adam Masson - Centre back on loan to Thornton Hibs JFC Blaise Riley Snow - Midfielder on loan to Alloa Athletic Kieran Mitchell - the 18 year old is on loan to Bo'ness United Luke Mahady - a centre forward loaned out to Burntisland Shipyard FC Quinn Coulson - left wing player farmed out to Cowdenbeath View full article
  16. Chalmers to the rescue as Raith see Red The scrap for play-off places intensified as Inverness produced a smash and grab raid at Stark's Park. Rovers had led 2-1 at the interval through Connolly and Poplatnik with Sutherland scoring between those goals. Kyle Benedictus saw red with twenty minutes remaining and it looked like the game was slipping away from Inverness as they entered the 90th minute. Step forward substitute Logan Chalmers who single handedly won the game for the visitors with two outstanding goals. Both strikes hit with power, accuracy and a deadly left foot from distance. Not bad for your first goals for the club. Raith ended the game in total disarray as Ben Williamson was also sent off. Partick were humped 4-0 by Accies and we jump above them to third but Killie and Arbroath power on at the top of the table with wins. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Inverness were still without midfielders Scott Allardice and Roddy MacGregor although the club have stated that MacGregor could be back in full training soon. Inverness were unchanged from the side that beat Arbroath 3-0. Which meant that Cammy Mackay kept Mark Ridgers on the bench. Raith had Ethan Ross back in attack with Varian and Poplatnik and a strong bench although only seven on it. A beautiful Spring afternoon in Kirkaldy as the temperatures soared and greeted the teams as they took to the field. Inverness in their favoured pink strip started the day one point ahead of the dark blue Rovers. And it was Inverness that set the ball rolling at 3:00pm. The visitors were first to threaten inside a minute when Doran and Hardy combined inside the box before it appeared that Hardy's shot came back off the woodwork before bouncing to safety. Open start to the game from both sides who were on the front foot from the off. Raith opened the scoring after the first corner. It was cleared to outside the box but Aidan Connolly drove towards goal where it looked as though it squirmed under Cammy Mackay and into the net. Looks like a blunder from the keeper inside a busy box. Joe Hardy came close to an equaliser but Macdonald did well to save and then denied Sutherland on the follow up. Keeper Jamie MacDonald had to be replaced after an injury forced him out of the game in a clash with Doran. Robbie Thomson replaced him. Shane Sutherland tapped in after an Aaron Doran corner but the leveller was short lived as Matej Poplatnik put Raith back in front minutes later. Sloppy defending by Inverness once more. Half Time: 2-1 Rovers were all over us like a rash at the start of the second half as we struggled to get a hold of the ball. A couple of efforts fired over the visitors bar were warning enough and Austin Samuels came on for Joe Hardy ten minutes into the half. Our attempts at creating anything were becoming predictable and time after time we wasted balls forward which were mopped up easily by defenders or substitute keeper Robbie Thomson. So, long aimless ball after long aimless ball was proving to be a complete waste of time one hour into the game and it was becoming more difficult to see where a goal might come from. An opportunity did materialise from one of those dubious offside interplays but Mackay bounced the ball just past the post as he was flattened on the edge of the box. Cammy Mackay did well to turn a shot round the post for a corner as Rovers broke forward and they were reduced to ten men when Kyle Benedictus was sent off for a rash challenge on Kirk Broadfoot who reacted angrily and was yellow carded. A scramble in the Raith box failed to produce a goal as Rovers managed to clear their lines calmly. Austin Samuels shot over from the edge of the box as Inverness became more desperate in their efforts to level the game as we approached the eighty minute mark, unfortunately our final ball left a lot to be desired. Time after time the final ball would skip through for a goal kick and another wasted chance. It was a difficult watch to be honest, even against ten men. Out of the blue, Logan Chalmers scored a beauty after a corner found him outside the box some twenty five yards out on the left side. He looked up and sent a beauty dipping into the net, unbelievable strike. Even more unbelievable, Logan Chalmers scored another peach from nearly the same position. This time he arrowed a low strike into the bottom corner for another superb goal. A daisy cutter on an artificial pitch, that's a first. Winner Winner Chicken Dinner! Raith's Williamson then joined Benedictus for an early bath with seconds remaining. What a turnaround at the end as Raith finally lost their discipline but it took two spectacular goals from on loan striker Logan Chalmers to win the points when it looked like we were heading for defeat and a disappointing performance. It might be seen as papering over the cracks for now, but I'll take that over a disappointing defeat. Raith ended the game with nine men as Ben Williamson was sent off with the last puff of the whistle, their search for a win over Inverness heading towards 22 years and counting. MotM might well go to Chalmers for his two late strikes as prior to that we looked incapable of breaking down Rovers, even when they were reduced to ten men. Billy Dodds post match Match Reaction to follow... Scenes... Pos Team Pld W D L F A Pts 1. Kilmarnock 30 17 5 8 41 21 56 2. Arbroath 30 14 12 4 41 22 54 3. Inverness CT 30 12 10 8 41 29 46 4. Partick Thistle 29 12 9 8 41 30 45 5. Raith Rovers 30 10 12 8 37 37 42 6. Morton 30 8 11 11 33 40 35 7. Hamilton Ac. 30 8 11 11 35 45 35 8. Ayr United 30 8 8 14 30 44 32 9. Q.O.S. 30 6 8 16 30 44 26 10. Dunfermline 29 4 14 11 27 44 26 *Dunfermline v Partick on Tuesday night* Next Saturday Arbroath v Raith Rovers Hamilton v Queens Inverness CT v Dunfermline Killie v Partick Morton v Ayr Utd Full Highlights from Raith TV John McGlynn speaking on Raith TV Date: 19/03/2022 Venue: Stark's Park, Kirkaldy Attendance: 1591 Referee: Colin Steven Raith Rovers: 2 Manager: John McGlynn Lineup: MacDonald (Thomson 24); Musonda, Berra (Tumilty 38), Benedictus, Mackie, Connolly, Williamson, Stanton, Varian, Poplatnik (Dick 73), Ross (Mathews 73) Subs (not used): Young, Arnott, Zanatta Scorers: Connolly (13), Poplatnik (30) Booked: Stanton (20), Williamson (56), Dick (90+3) Sent Off: Benedictus (71), Williamson (90+4) Inverness CT: 3 Manager: Billy Dodds Lineup: C Mackay; Carson, Broadfoot, Devine (Harper 66) Deas, Hardy (Samuels 54), Welsh, McAlear, Doran (Chalmers 66), Sutherland (Walsh 77) Mckay Subs (not used): Ridgers; Hyde, Pearson, Duffy, Samuels Scorers: Sutherland (27), Chalmers (89, 90+2), McAlear (90+5) Booked: Welsh (70), Broadfoot (71), Samuels (76) Sent Off: none a
  17. The Good the Bad and Raith Rovers With both clubs recording their first win in 2022, this clash could go a long way to deciding who has the bottle for the battle. Saturday 3:00pm at Starks Park should reveal all as good takes on bad, or Inverness versus Raith Rovers, a club apparently with the morals of Michael Gardyne. Both clubs have underperformed over the last three months but surprisingly still find themselves in contention for a play-off spot, realistically fourth place. MATCH/TICKET/STREAMING/BUS INFO OFFICIAL PREVIEW SUPPORTERS BUS 07462218717 Raith Rovers bus 19th March leaves Caley Club 10.30, stadium 10.45. Picking up in Aviemore and Pitlochry. £20 and £15 for under 16s. Book through Facebook or on 07462218717 Venue Head2Head Pld Won Drn Lst For Agst + / - Home 19 13 4 2 37 14 +23 Away 14 7 4 3 27 17 +10 Neutral 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Total 33 20 8 5 64 31 +33 Yes, the stats are not faulty: Raith Rovers have not beaten Inverness for almost twenty one and a half years. Incredible run of results going back to October 28th 2000 when we went down 1-2 in Inverness. Back to August of 2000 for their last win at Starks park and here is Ian Broadfoot's match report from that game, a 4-1 win for Raith: Caley Thistle's bad run continued against a sharp Raith side. Jay Stein set up the opening goal in 10 minutes with a run down the left and a cut back which deflected to Ray McKinnon and he scored with a low drive. The visitors best first half effort came in 27 minutes when Van de Kamp spectacularly saved a Davide Xausa 25 yard shot. On 44 minutes a free kick was touched to Kenny Black and Les Fridge tipped his shot over the bar. Raith killed the game off in a four minute spell in the second half. In 50 minutes a low ball from the right was punched by Fridge into the path of Paul Tosh who hit it home. Four minutes later Alex Burns beat three men in the box before scoring at the second attempt. Iain Stewart clawed one back with a close range header in 59 minutes after a Xausa shot had been blocked by the keeper. This sparked a revival with good efforts from Xausa and lively substitute Barry Robson. All efforts produced no more goals and Raith made it 4-1 in 82 minutes. Alex Burns crossed from the right and found Gerry Creaney who scored with a low shot from 15 yards. Decent teams back then Raith: Van de Kamp; McCulloch, Opinel, Gaughn, Browne, Black, S Tosh, McKinnon, P Tosh, Burns, Stein Inverness: Fridge; Tokely, Mann, Hastings, Golabek, Christie, Sheerin, Byers, McBain, Stewart, Xausa Subs: Calder; Robson, Bagan, Bavidge, Wyness Last 10 Competitive Meetings 1 - 1 (H) 0 - 0 (H) 1 - 1 (A) 1 - 0 (H) 1 - 0 (A) 0 - 0 (H) 2 - 0 (H) 3 - 3 (A) 4 - 1 (H) 2 - 1 (H) Saturday 3:00pm kick offs Arbroath v Ayr United Killie v Queens Partick v Accies Rovers v Caley J's Pos Team Pld W D L F A Pts DUNFERMLINE Ath v MORTON (Fri 7:45pm) 1. Kilmarnock 29 16 5 8 39 20 53 2. Arbroath 29 13 12 4 40 22 51 3. Partick Thistle 28 12 9 7 41 26 45 4. Inverness CT 29 11 10 8 38 27 43 5. Raith Rovers 29 10 12 7 35 34 42 6. Morton 29 8 10 11 32 39 34 7. Ayr United 29 8 8 13 30 43 32 8. Hamilton Ac. 29 7 11 11 31 45 32 9. Q.O.S. 29 6 8 15 29 42 26 10. Dunfermline 28 4 13 11 26 43 25 Last Time Out Inverness broke their eleven game run without a win by beating title challengers Arbroath with a somewhat flattering but nonetheless welcome 3-0 win. An early goal by Man of the Match Shane Sutherland was followed soon after by a Reece McAlear strike following a neat move involving Shane and David Carson. We reverted to type after that and the ball was like a hot potato as it was battered skywards with great regularity. However we repelled the advances of Arbroath without too much hassle and Billy Mckay sneaked a third goal as we started to dominate with twenty minutes left. Get in Reece as he finishes off a tidy move down the right... Raith also ended a similar barren spell (first win in twelve) by beating Queen of the South 1-0 at Palmerston to remain only one point behind Inverness in fifth place. The only goal of the game came in the first half through Matej Poplatnik. The honours are favouring Inverness this season in league games. Inverness edged the first one in the Highlands with a Roddy MacGregor special doing the damage, but the two subsequent meetings ended in draws. There was also a drawn Challenge Cup game at Starks Park which Raith eventually won on penalties. Latest Team News Allardice and MacGregor out longer term, but unless there are any new issues Dodds should have a relatively injury free squad. Cammy Mackay could well continue in goal as he has done well since getting his opportunity through Mark Ridgers downtime. Sam Pearson has been called up to the Welsh u21 squad for forthcoming games against Switzerland and Bulgaria. Read Here Unfortunately it rules him out after the Raith game and he is unavailable for the Dunfermline game on 26th March. Former Raith Rovers player Paul Hampshire passed away at the weekend after an accident. RIP Paul condolences to all. Here's an obituary from John Greer on Raith Rovers FC Website. PAUL HAMPSHIRE Raith TV McGlynn Preview (we have our own injuries/illnesses) Eric the Stats Raith round up. In: Sam Stanton, midfielder (Dundalk); Jamie Gullan, forward (Hibernian) Loan: Ben Williamson - midfielder (Rangers). Sean Mackie - a left back on loan from Hibernian FC, originally joined Raith in 2015 from the Fife Elite Academy before moving to Hibs the next season, according to sources his last 2 years at Hibs has been blighted by injury. And last but not least; In & Out; the Hokey Cokey saga of David Goodwillie. Yes, the in-out, in-out, shake it all about transfer that rocked the club back onto it's heels and brought out some embarrassing grovelling apologies. He went back to Clyde (loan) and his career is on hold as a footballer I believe as he is not welcome there either. Out: Adam Masson - Centre back on loan to Thornton Hibs JFC Blaise Riley Snow - Midfielder on loan to Alloa Athletic Kieran Mitchell - the 18 year old is on loan to Bo'ness United Luke Mahady - a centre forward loaned out to Burntisland Shipyard FC Quinn Coulson - left wing player farmed out to Cowdenbeath James Keatings has severed his ties with Raith, mainly due to injury
  18. Battle Lines are Drawn Dick Campbell's table toppers come North on Saturday with the Battle Lines now clearly defined as Partick Thistle ease into third place in the table. Saturday's game is a 3:00pm start at the Caledonian Stadium and we are now anxiously looking over our shoulder at fellow bottlers Raith Rovers who remain one point behind in the battle for fourth. MATCH/TICKET/STREAMING INFO OFFICIAL PREVIEW Venue Head2Head v Arbroath Pld Won Drn Lst For Agst + / - Home 20 15 2 3 53 18 +35 Away 19 9 4 6 26 22 +4 Neutral 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Total 39 24 6 9 79 40 +39 Last 10 Competitive Meetings 0 - 0 (A) 0 - 1 (H) 1 - 0 (A) 1 - 0 (H) 1 - 1 (A) 3 - 1 (H) 0 - 1 (H) 0 - 3 (A) 2 - 1 (H) 0 - 3 (H) Honours even over the last ten meetings but it's clear to see that the pendulum is swinging more towards the Smokies or does it just feel like that given our demise of late. Gone are the days of 7-0 thrashings and giving teams a three goal start. Mind you, gone are the days of Bon Accord... Last updated: 09.03.2022 at 05:52 Pos Team Pld W D L F A Pts Midweek game saw Partick beat Queens 1-0 1. Arbroath 28 13 12 3 40 19 51 2. Kilmarnock 28 15 5 8 36 19 50 3. Partick Thistle 27 12 9 6 40 24 45 4. Inverness CT 28 10 10 8 35 27 40 5. Raith Rovers 28 9 12 7 34 34 39 6. Ayr United 28 8 8 12 29 40 32 7. Morton 28 7 10 11 30 38 31 8. Hamilton Ac. 28 7 10 11 29 43 31 9. Q.O.S. 28 6 8 14 29 41 26 10. Dunfermline 27 4 12 11 24 41 24 FRIDAY 11TH MARCH 19:45 Ayr United v Kilmarnock SATURDAY 12TH MARCH 15:00 Hamilton v Dunfermline Inverness v Arbroath Morton v Partick Queens v Rovers With Partick Thistle beating Queen of the South 1-0 on Tuesday night, they are also making a late run for promotion and they still have a game in hand against Dunfermline. Unfortunately that also means that they are clear in third and we appear to be left with a battle on our hands against fellow flops Raith Rovers in the last chance saloon. Bid Ayrshire derby on Friday night as a resurgent Ayr United will fancy their chances against a Killie side they beat recently. For us, we will be looking for others to help out, as we have done for the last three months. There are still twenty four points up for grabs over the final eight games. However, our last eight games have yielded just four points. Yes, only 4 points. That is an abysmal stat during a run of eleven games without a win. One win apiece and a 0-0 draw in a stiff breeze at Gayfield last time we met. Benn tight affairs this season and it would be no surprise if this one is the same. My bet is that confidence will play a big part, and we certainly lack that at present. Last time out We performed poorly at Partick going down to a late Kevin Holt strike after a corner. The game was played out on a midden with plenty of chances going abegging and thanks to a lack of quality only one shot on target allegedly. Poor return from nineteen strikes of the ball. Arbroath edged out Dunfermline 1-0 thanks to an early strike from David Gold. That win kept Arbroath at the top and as a result Dunfermline are bottom with a game in hand. Latest Team News Allardice out for season, Roddy MacGregor just a distant memory, Welsh recovering on our bench last couple of games; other than that a full squad allegedly. Arbroath last line up and subs played: Gaston; Stewart, Little, O’Brien, Colin Hamilton, Chris Hamilton, Gold (Craigen 69), McKenna, Linn (Thomson 47), Henderson (Hilson 75), Jack Hamilton (Donnelly 85) Eric the Stat has this latest info on the Smokies since January. Departures Dylan Paterson - midfield on loan to Stirling Albion FC for the rest of the season Harrison Clark - end of loan period from Livingstone for the midfielder Joel Nouble - Influential in the 2nd January away fixture the Centre Forward has returned to Livingstone after his loan spell at Gayfield Anton Dowds - The centre forward was on loan from Falkirk FC, ended in the January window. Additions Arbroath have added to their front line options with three Centre Forward players joining in the transfer period. Craig Wighton - On loan from Dunfermline Athletic for the rest of this season Sam Ford - arrived from Felixstowe FC on a free transfer Michael Bakare - left the "Non League Premier" side Leatherhead FC in January and joined Arbroath in February View full article
  19. Battle Lines are Drawn Dick Campbell's table toppers come North on Saturday with the Battle Lines now clearly defined as Partick Thistle ease into third place in the table. Saturday's game is a 3:00pm start at the Caledonian Stadium and we are now anxiously looking over our shoulder at fellow bottlers Raith Rovers who remain one point behind in the battle for fourth. MATCH/TICKET/STREAMING INFO OFFICIAL PREVIEW Venue Head2Head v Arbroath Pld Won Drn Lst For Agst + / - Home 20 15 2 3 53 18 +35 Away 19 9 4 6 26 22 +4 Neutral 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Total 39 24 6 9 79 40 +39 Last 10 Competitive Meetings 0 - 0 (A) 0 - 1 (H) 1 - 0 (A) 1 - 0 (H) 1 - 1 (A) 3 - 1 (H) 0 - 1 (H) 0 - 3 (A) 2 - 1 (H) 0 - 3 (H) Honours even over the last ten meetings but it's clear to see that the pendulum is swinging more towards the Smokies or does it just feel like that given our demise of late. Gone are the days of 7-0 thrashings and giving teams a three goal start. Mind you, gone are the days of Bon Accord... Last updated: 09.03.2022 at 05:52 Pos Team Pld W D L F A Pts Midweek game saw Partick beat Queens 1-0 1. Arbroath 28 13 12 3 40 19 51 2. Kilmarnock 28 15 5 8 36 19 50 3. Partick Thistle 27 12 9 6 40 24 45 4. Inverness CT 28 10 10 8 35 27 40 5. Raith Rovers 28 9 12 7 34 34 39 6. Ayr United 28 8 8 12 29 40 32 7. Morton 28 7 10 11 30 38 31 8. Hamilton Ac. 28 7 10 11 29 43 31 9. Q.O.S. 28 6 8 14 29 41 26 10. Dunfermline 27 4 12 11 24 41 24 FRIDAY 11TH MARCH 19:45 Ayr United v Kilmarnock SATURDAY 12TH MARCH 15:00 Hamilton v Dunfermline Inverness v Arbroath Morton v Partick Queens v Rovers With Partick Thistle beating Queen of the South 1-0 on Tuesday night, they are also making a late run for promotion and they still have a game in hand against Dunfermline. Unfortunately that also means that they are clear in third and we appear to be left with a battle on our hands against fellow flops Raith Rovers in the last chance saloon. Bid Ayrshire derby on Friday night as a resurgent Ayr United will fancy their chances against a Killie side they beat recently. For us, we will be looking for others to help out, as we have done for the last three months. There are still twenty four points up for grabs over the final eight games. However, our last eight games have yielded just four points. Yes, only 4 points. That is an abysmal stat during a run of eleven games without a win. One win apiece and a 0-0 draw in a stiff breeze at Gayfield last time we met. Benn tight affairs this season and it would be no surprise if this one is the same. My bet is that confidence will play a big part, and we certainly lack that at present. Last time out We performed poorly at Partick going down to a late Kevin Holt strike after a corner. The game was played out on a midden with plenty of chances going abegging and thanks to a lack of quality only one shot on target allegedly. Poor return from nineteen strikes of the ball. Arbroath edged out Dunfermline 1-0 thanks to an early strike from David Gold. That win kept Arbroath at the top and as a result Dunfermline are bottom with a game in hand. Latest Team News Allardice out for season, Roddy MacGregor just a distant memory, Welsh recovering on our bench last couple of games; other than that a full squad allegedly. Arbroath last line up and subs played: Gaston; Stewart, Little, O’Brien, Colin Hamilton, Chris Hamilton, Gold (Craigen 69), McKenna, Linn (Thomson 47), Henderson (Hilson 75), Jack Hamilton (Donnelly 85) Eric the Stat has this latest info on the Smokies since January. Departures Dylan Paterson - midfield on loan to Stirling Albion FC for the rest of the season Harrison Clark - end of loan period from Livingstone for the midfielder Joel Nouble - Influential in the 2nd January away fixture the Centre Forward has returned to Livingstone after his loan spell at Gayfield Anton Dowds - The centre forward was on loan from Falkirk FC, ended in the January window. Additions Arbroath have added to their front line options with three Centre Forward players joining in the transfer period. Craig Wighton - On loan from Dunfermline Athletic for the rest of this season Sam Ford - arrived from Felixstowe FC on a free transfer Michael Bakare - left the "Non League Premier" side Leatherhead FC in January and joined Arbroath in February
  20. Six pointer incoming Another crucial game and this time a big six-pointer as we travel up Byres Road to take on Partick Thistle who still have two games in hand over us and only one point behind. Kick-off is on Friday night at 7:45pm and it's another TV game for us, live on BBC Scotland channel. Match/Ticket/TV/Supporters Bus 07462218717 Venue Pld Won Drn Lst For Agst + / - Home 22 9 6 7 36 33 +3 Away 20 5 6 9 21 28 -7 Neutral 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Total 42 14 12 16 57 61 -4 Last 10 Competitive Meetings 3 - 3 (H) 0 - 0 (A) 3 - 1 (H) 1 - 3 (A) 1 - 3 (H) 2 - 1 (A) 1 - 2 (H) 1 - 0 (A) 3 - 2 (H) 1 - 1 (A) Partick hold a slim advantage overall in the head 2 heads, but over the last ten meetings Inverness have a very slight edge. The first fixture this season resulted in a 3-1 win for Inverness back in September: 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... The second encounter was 0-0 draw at Firhill at the end of October: Partick Thistle survived to earn a point after the woodwork saved them twice and keeper Jamie Sneddon denied Sean Welsh from the spot after guessing the right way. Inverness were well on top but it's only a point which means Killie pull further away at the top. Performance of the day was from Arbroath who came from two down to beat Dunfermline Athletic 4-2. The last meeting was at the beginning of February, a thrilling 3-3 draw: Partick Thistle struck early to add to our gloom through Brian Graham but Billy Mckay squared the game after twenty minutes with a close range finish from a Carson cross. Graham scored his second with a header soon after, Scott Tiffoney once again the provider and he almost scored one for himself but for a fine save from Ridgers. Shane Sutherland equalised just on the interval with a header from a McAlear corner. With twenty minutes left Deas conceded a stone wall penalty and Graham notched his hat-trick. Substitute Cammy Harper drove into the box but Sneddon blocked his shot and moments later Pearson appeared to hit the bar with an angled drive from twelve yards and Mckay rolled one past the post. We got the draw with the last head of the ball deep into stoppage time when Broadfoot headed in a cross from McAlear. Pos Team Pld W D L F A Pts 1. Arbroath 27 12 12 3 39 19 48 2. Kilmarnock 27 14 5 8 34 19 47 3. Inverness CT 27 10 10 7 35 26 40 4. Partick Thistle 25 10 9 6 38 24 39 5. Raith Rovers 27 9 12 6 34 30 39 6. Morton 27 7 10 10 30 35 31 7. Hamilton Ac. 27 7 10 10 29 41 31 8. Ayr United 27 7 8 12 25 40 29 9. Dunfermline 26 4 12 10 24 40 24 10. Q.O.S. 26 5 8 13 26 40 23 It's getting very tight at the top of the table as the business end of the season gets into full swing. There's a very fine line between remaining in the play off places or dropping into the middle of the table. It's almost as if nobody wants the automatic promotion spot as the top five clubs draw their way towards promotion, not one team taking the bull by the horns, which is just as well as we are on a ten match run without a win, probably the biggest losers in the top five which will drop us out of contention soon if we don't stop the rot. Saturday Fixtures all 3:00pm Arbroath v Dunfermline Killie v Accies Queens v Morton Rovers v Ayr Utd Partick are also back in action against Queen of the South on Tuesday night at Firhill. Last Time Out Inverness drew with a resurgent Hamilton Accies last Friday in an entertaining draw at The Fountain of Youth. Whilst our first two defeats were poor results, given the context of this encounter it could be seen as a decent point away from home had we not been on a run of ten games without a win. Anyway, 1-1 it finished with Josh Mullin arrowing a strike high into the net for Accies and Sam Pearson opening his account for the Caley Jags. Partick were in action in midweek and came from behind to get a point at Gayfield against League Leaders Arbroath. An early strike from Colin Hamilton was not enough for Arbroath as Partick levelled through Ciaran McKenna on the hour. Latest Team News Billy Dodds has the usual suspects out injured plus two or three isolating/covid and Roddy MacGregor abducted by an Alien. Official Preview might reveal all, but somehow I doubt it. Don't know about the Partick players, but I understand their pitch is on the treatment table! Eric the Stat has this info on Parick since the January sales: Outgoings Harry Stone - Goalkeeper recalled to parent club Hearts in the window and subsequently loaned out to Albion Rovers FC Shea Gordon - The central midfield player is on loan to Queen of the South for the rest of the season. Jake Hastie - Attacking Left Wing from Rangers FC recalled and now on loan to Linfield FC. Zak Rudden - The 22 year old Centre Forward is on loan to Dundee FC and is expected to have a permanent move to Dens Park this summer. Incoming Players Andy Firth - A goalkeeper who rose through the Liverpool FC U18, U21 and U23 system, was transferred to Rangers in 2019, now on loan at Firhill until end of season. Robbie Crawford - The Globetrotting versatile Midfield player has transferred to Partick from Motherwell FC. The one time Rangers FC player has had spells in Iceland, Finland and in the USA with USL Championship club Charleston Battery. Kyle McAllister - An Attacking Right Winger on loan from St Mirren until the end of this season. Alex Jakubiak - The Centre Forward is on loan from Dundee FC where he has suffered a number of injuries since joining in August 2020, including a thigh tendon in a game against ICT. (Jakubiak was injured once again in bizarre fashion, suffering a dislocated shoulder during an altercation at a Dundee nightclub..... allegedly)
  21. The slide goes on On a pitch resembling the aftermath of the battle of the Somme, Inverness blew any lingering hopes of promotion with another unacceptable performance at Firhill. Billy Dodds keeps telling us that training is going well. Stats will show something like nineteen shots with only one on target. What the hell do we actually practice? On the plus side, a cut and paste of his post match report will suffice as it's been the same story for almost three months now. Absolutely abysmal, the lifeblood seems to have been sucked right out of the whole team, management and long suffering support. Kevin Holt scored the only goal in the 85th minute after a low corner was driven through a ruck of bodies in the penalty box into the centre of the goal. Game over, season over and surely Dodds over and out! Partick had made four changes from the side that drew at Arbroath. Richard Foster and midfielders Connor Murray and Robbie Crawford all started alongside Colombian Juan Alegria. For Inverness, Cammy Mackay continued in goal with Mark Ridgers on the bench and David Carson replaced Lewis Hyde in the starting XI. Millions of chances for both sides but very few on target. Alegria hit the woodwork in a first half mostly dominated by Partick. However, for professional footballers to fail to strike the ball properly for ninety minutes it's an utter embarrassment. Same old same old... Match reaction from BBC Sport Partick Thistle manager Ian McCall: "It's a big three points. I thought in the first half we dominated, but in the second half Caley Thistle were better than us. "But at Firhill one goal can win a game and Kevin Holt got us that tonight with his right foot. I think any of the top five could win the league and we are in the top five." Inverness Caledonian Thistle manager Billy Dodds: "We are suffering at both ends because we aren't taking those chances and we are getting punished from the one shot Partick Thistle have in the second half. "It's a sore one to take because I thought in the second half we were excellent. There's eight games to go - we need to win nearly every one of them." Excuse me Billy, considering we have not won any of the last eleven, are you being a tad optimistic? It's certainly a big ask. Date: 04/03/2022 Venue: Firhill, Glasgow Attendance: 2099 Referee: Colin Steven Partick Thistle: 1 Manager: Ian McCall Lineup: Sneddon; Foster, Mayo, Holt, McKenna, Bannigan (Bell 90), Graham, Murray (Smith 62), Crawford (Turner 62), Doherty, Alegria (Jakubiak 70) Subs (not used): Firth; Akinola, Stanway, Hendrie, McAllister Scorers: Holt (85) Booked: none Sent Off: none Inverness CT: 0 Manager: Billy Dodds Lineup: C Mackay; Carson, Broadfoot, Devine, Deas, Pearson (Sutherland 45), Welsh, McAlear, Doran (Chalmers 75), Samuels (Hardy 45), B Mckay Subs (not used): Ridgers; Duffy, Hyde, Harper, Walsh, Scorers: none Booked: none Sent Off: none a
  22. Six pointer incoming Another crucial game and this time a big six-pointer as we travel up Byres Road to take on Partick Thistle who still have two games in hand over us and only one point behind. Kick-off is on Friday night at 7:45pm and it's another TV game for us, live on BBC Scotland channel. Match/Ticket/TV/Supporters Bus 07462218717 Venue Pld Won Drn Lst For Agst + / - Home 22 9 6 7 36 33 +3 Away 20 5 6 9 21 28 -7 Neutral 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Total 42 14 12 16 57 61 -4 Last 10 Competitive Meetings 3 - 3 (H) 0 - 0 (A) 3 - 1 (H) 1 - 3 (A) 1 - 3 (H) 2 - 1 (A) 1 - 2 (H) 1 - 0 (A) 3 - 2 (H) 1 - 1 (A) Partick hold a slim advantage overall in the head 2 heads, but over the last ten meetings Inverness have a very slight edge. The first fixture this season resulted in a 3-1 win for Inverness back in September: 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... The second encounter was 0-0 draw at Firhill at the end of October: Partick Thistle survived to earn a point after the woodwork saved them twice and keeper Jamie Sneddon denied Sean Welsh from the spot after guessing the right way. Inverness were well on top but it's only a point which means Killie pull further away at the top. Performance of the day was from Arbroath who came from two down to beat Dunfermline Athletic 4-2. The last meeting was at the beginning of February, a thrilling 3-3 draw: Partick Thistle struck early to add to our gloom through Brian Graham but Billy Mckay squared the game after twenty minutes with a close range finish from a Carson cross. Graham scored his second with a header soon after, Scott Tiffoney once again the provider and he almost scored one for himself but for a fine save from Ridgers. Shane Sutherland equalised just on the interval with a header from a McAlear corner. With twenty minutes left Deas conceded a stone wall penalty and Graham notched his hat-trick. Substitute Cammy Harper drove into the box but Sneddon blocked his shot and moments later Pearson appeared to hit the bar with an angled drive from twelve yards and Mckay rolled one past the post. We got the draw with the last head of the ball deep into stoppage time when Broadfoot headed in a cross from McAlear. Pos Team Pld W D L F A Pts 1. Arbroath 27 12 12 3 39 19 48 2. Kilmarnock 27 14 5 8 34 19 47 3. Inverness CT 27 10 10 7 35 26 40 4. Partick Thistle 25 10 9 6 38 24 39 5. Raith Rovers 27 9 12 6 34 30 39 6. Morton 27 7 10 10 30 35 31 7. Hamilton Ac. 27 7 10 10 29 41 31 8. Ayr United 27 7 8 12 25 40 29 9. Dunfermline 26 4 12 10 24 40 24 10. Q.O.S. 26 5 8 13 26 40 23 It's getting very tight at the top of the table as the business end of the season gets into full swing. There's a very fine line between remaining in the play off places or dropping into the middle of the table. It's almost as if nobody wants the automatic promotion spot as the top five clubs draw their way towards promotion, not one team taking the bull by the horns, which is just as well as we are on a ten match run without a win, probably the biggest losers in the top five which will drop us out of contention soon if we don't stop the rot. Saturday Fixtures all 3:00pm Arbroath v Dunfermline Killie v Accies Queens v Morton Rovers v Ayr Utd Partick are also back in action against Queen of the South on Tuesday night at Firhill. Last Time Out Inverness drew with a resurgent Hamilton Accies last Friday in an entertaining draw at The Fountain of Youth. Whilst our first two defeats were poor results, given the context of this encounter it could be seen as a decent point away from home had we not been on a run of ten games without a win. Anyway, 1-1 it finished with Josh Mullin arrowing a strike high into the net for Accies and Sam Pearson opening his account for the Caley Jags. Partick were in action in midweek and came from behind to get a point at Gayfield against League Leaders Arbroath. An early strike from Colin Hamilton was not enough for Arbroath as Partick levelled through Ciaran McKenna on the hour. Latest Team News Billy Dodds has the usual suspects out injured plus two or three isolating/covid and Roddy MacGregor abducted by an Alien. Official Preview might reveal all, but somehow I doubt it. I see that Roddy's name made the official preview this week. That's a start I suppose Don't know about the Partick players, but I understand their pitch is on the treatment table! Eric the Stat has this info on Parick since the January sales: Outgoings Harry Stone - Goalkeeper recalled to parent club Hearts in the window and subsequently loaned out to Albion Rovers FC Shea Gordon - The central midfield player is on loan to Queen of the South for the rest of the season. Jake Hastie - Attacking Left Wing from Rangers FC recalled and now on loan to Linfield FC. Zak Rudden - The 22 year old Centre Forward is on loan to Dundee FC and is expected to have a permanent move to Dens Park this summer. Incoming Players Andy Firth - A goalkeeper who rose through the Liverpool FC U18, U21 and U23 system, was transferred to Rangers in 2019, now on loan at Firhill until end of season. Robbie Crawford - The Globetrotting versatile Midfield player has transferred to Partick from Motherwell FC. Kyle McAllister - An Attacking Right Winger on loan from St Mirren until the end of this season. Alex Jakubiak - The Centre Forward is on loan from Dundee FC where he has suffered a number of injuries since joining in August 2020, including a thigh tendon in a game against ICT. (Jakubiak was injured once again in bizarre fashion, suffering a dislocated shoulder during an altercation at a Dundee nightclub..... allegedly)
  23. The Torture Continues   We face Hamilton on Friday night in a televised game with our winless run now at nine games and getting longer with every game. It's a horrendous run of results since we hammered Morton 6-1 at Cappielow on 11th December. Unfortunately we will be going public on council TV on Friday night in a 19:45 kick-off at the Fountain of Youth. Should Accies win, then they will only be six points behind us. Who thought that could be possible three months ago. MATCH INFO/TICKETS/SUPPORTERS BUS 07462218717/TV INFO Venue Pld Won Drn Lst For Agst + / - Home 14 4 4 6 21 19 +2 Away 10 6 1 3 16 12 +4 Neutral 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Total 24 10 5 9 37 31 +6 Last 10 Competitive Meetings 1 - 2 (H) 1 - 2 (A) 2 - 1 (H) 0 - 3 (A) 1 - 1 (H) 1 - 1 (A) 1 - 0 (A) 0 - 1 (H) 4 - 3 (A) 0 - 2 (H) Saturday Fixtures  all 15:00   Ayr Utd v Queens Dunfermline v Kilmarnock     Morton v Arbroath   Rovers v Partick Pos Team Pld W D L F A Pts Accies v ICT FC Friday night 7:45pm 1. Arbroath 25 12 10 3 38 18 46 2. Kilmarnock 26 14 4 8 34 19 46 3. Inverness CT 26 10 9 7 34 25 39 4. Raith Rovers 26 9 11 6 34 30 38 5. Partick Thistle 23 10 7 6 37 23 37 6. Morton 26 7 9 10 30 35 30 7. Hamilton Ac. 26 7 9 10 28 40 30 8. Ayr United 26 7 8 11 25 39 29 9. Dunfermline 25 4 11 10 24 40 23 10. Q.O.S. 25 4 8 13 25 40 20 We have lost both fixtures against Accies this season by the same score, 2-1.  October 2021: Academicals teach us a lesson: Accies did inflict the first reverse for Inverness, as the Caley Jags drowned at the fountain of youth, and they did it with ten men for over an hour after Reegan Mimnaugh was sent off for a second bookable offence. They opened the scoring when Lewis Smith thumped the ball into the net after only five minutes. Andy Ryan added a second as Inverness crumbled and failed to trouble the home keeper. 2-0 at the break and Inverness bossed possession after the interval but never made Fulton work for his money. Harper hit the bar as the pressure mounted and Michael Gardyne scored a late consolation in injury time, but it was too little too late. With Raith beating Killie and Arbroath drawing, no major damage was done with Raith and Partick the big winners this weekend. December 2021: After an uneventful first half, Inverness slumped to their second defeat of the season to a rank rotten Accies when they surrendered a second half lead after Cammy Harper netted. However two goals in the space of three minutes from David Moyo and Andrew Winter ruined our day and knocked us off our perch at the top. I suppose it was only a Winter's tale, but it doesn't make good reading. That's our Jekyll and Hyde season in all its sorry glory... Same side, different day! If anyone can solve the puzzle, please call the Caledonian Stadium and ask for Billy Dodds. After the rout of Morton the previous week, what should have been a routine victory turned into a Christmas pantomime. Oh no it wasn't I hear you say - Oh yes it was came the unanimous reply. It appears Billy Dodds has learnt nothing or won't listen after these games and the massive slump is now in full flow.  Morton beat Partick Thistle on Tuesday night, but with three games in hand over us, methinks it's only a matter of time before we drop to fourth, or even worse, out of the play-off places. Last Time Out We slumped to defeat at home against a team that had not beaten us in almost twenty years. Twenty years; just let that sink in. Ayr were deserved winners against a hapless Caley Jags where our goal came from a cross that ended up un the net from Lewis Nicolson. Well done on your first goal for the club, just about the only positive from a thoroughly disappointing game. Accies beat Morton 1-0 with Lewis Spence getting the only goal of the game just after the interval.  Latest Team News  We still have a raft of players missing and our season is in tatters. Allardice, Devine, MacGregor, Walsh and Welsh have all been out recently and despite an official preview kicking around on the official site, there's no news, if any, on who is likely to return, so meh! As it is, Accies could put out their under 16's and take the points, so meh again. What have Accies been up to in the latest transfer window? Eric has been doing the homework. Departures Jamie Smith - The 19 year old Goalkeeper is on Loan to Blackburn United FC. until the end of season. Ben Stirling - Centre Back on loan to Edinburgh City until the end of season. George Stanger - The Centre Back left the club in October 2021 on a free transfer to Stirling University FC. Luke Matheson - The English Right Back's loan from Wolves U23 ended in the January window and is now at Scunthorpe United FC. Kyle Munro - A left wing player, he is currently on loan to Dumbarton FC David Templeton - The former Hearts and Rangers left wing player missed much of last season through injury and returned to action at the beginning of the current campaign, but hadn’t featured since coming off the bench in a defeat to Kilmarnock in August, announced his retirement in November 2021. He remains connected to Hamilton FC as a coach with their Youth Academy. Arrivals Daniel O'Reilly - The Dublin born centre back arrived in the January window on a free transfer from Irish side Drogheda United FC. Steve Lawson - Steve Tevi Lawson is a French born right back with dual citizenship of Togo, a winter arrival without a club since leaving Livingston FC last summer after a 3 year spell at there. Ellis Brown - A left sided midfield player who has transferred in January on an undisclosed fee from English 5th tier Vanarama National League side Boreham Wood FC Kai Kennedy - The perpetual loan Ranger turned up at Hamilton in January on loan until the end of this season. The attacking left winger from Rangers Reserves has had several loan spells in the Championship with ICT, Raith Rovers and Dunfermline. Thanks Eck, good work.     View full article
  24. Entertaining draw Accies took an early lead through Josh Mullin after a defensive blunder by Reece McAlear. Great finish from the Accies player though as he arrowed the ball high into the net from twenty yards. We levelled when Sam Pearson scored his first goal for the club on the half hour and that's how it stayed at the break, although David Moyo almost got a touch on a low ball fizzed into the box just on the whistle. No further scoring after the break despite plenty of opportunities at both ends and Joe Hardy almost snatched it at the end with the last kick of the ball. Good point, but ten games without a win now. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Inverness were looking to halt their alarming slump and Accies were trying to close the gap towards the top five. A television audience would see it all unfold. Would the visitors show the reason for their dramatic slump and will Accies show that they are over their poor start to the season. All will be revealed. Usual long term absentees for Inverness in Allardice and MacGregor (if found please return to the Caledonian Stadium), with Ridgers, Duffy Chalmers and Carson added to the missing list. Devine made a surprise return with Tom Walsh on the bench alongside with Ryan Esson as cover for the keeper. Accies were without keeper Joe Hilton, defender Jamie Hamilton and midfielder Lewis Smith. Ryan Fulton put the gloves on with Joe Hilton missing. Inverness set the ball rolling and Accies almost benefited from a blunder by Kirk Broadfoot inside a minute. Kai Kennedy burst forward but thankfully Danny Devine made up the ground to block his route, the ball rebounding for a goal kick to the visitors. The first effort came from Accies when Kennedy raced down the left before picking out Josh Mullin with his cross but he headed just over the bar. All the early pressure was coming from Hamilton as they pressed the Inverness defence on the artificial surface and they took the lead in the thirteenth minute when McAlear fluffed his clearance. Mullin took full advantage and fired a shot from the corner of the box high into the net to give Cammy Mackay no chance. Inverness were finding it difficult to create anything in the opening twenty minutes as we headed towards ten without a win. In our first attack with intent, Sam Pearson picked up a rebound from keeper Fulton to slot home after the goalie had denied Aaron Doran from eight yards. Accies responded again and Mackay saved well from a stinging shot by Spence from the edge of the box. Big shout for a penalty as Robbie Deas looked to be pushed to the ground inside the box as he tried to get to an Aaron Doran free kick, but Alan Muir was not interested. Pearson's trickery brought Inverness a free kick in a dangerous position on the right, but the free kick was wasted five minutes before the interval. HALF TIME: 1-1 No changes at the break for either side and Accies continued on the front foot. Cammy Mackay made an excellent punched clearance from a dangerous inswinging corner as the hosts pushed forward. Billy Mckay forced Fulton into a super save as he was fed through on to the edge of the box, the keeper diving to his right to push the ball round the post for a corner as the Caley Jags ventured forth. Harper replaced Devine on the hour in Danny's first game back after a month out through injury and soon after Shane Sutherland replaced Aaron Doran. Cammy Mackay was in the right place to pluck a volley out of the air and his kick forward sent Billy Mckay through on goal but his shot was clawed away by Fulton with his fingertips. Another inch or two and it was in. Sutherland fed Pearson inside the box but his shot was weak and it went wide of the mark. The game had really opened out and the ball was flying back and fore with Mullin unfortunate to see a snapshot bounce away from the base of the post after a scrambulation in the visitors box. Anyone's game with fifteen minutes to go and a frantic finish to the game already in progress. Good spell for the Caley Jags ended when a speculative shot from Andy Ryan found Moyo coming in at the back post but Mackay spread himself well to block the shot from six yards. McAlear might have done better with a shot from the edge of the box as play swung to the other end, but the keeper saved comfortably. Four minutes of time added on came and went and Fulton saved Accies with his legs as Joe Hardy shot from a tight angle. That was the last action of a highly entertaining game as Inverness go ten games without a win. FULL TIME: 1-1 Despite plenty of opportunities created from both sides a draw was probably a fair result with both managers thinking they could have won this game. Some great goalkeeping on display at both ends given that both keepers are not first choice, so credit to them for stepping in and playing so well. Lewis Hyde never looked out of place either. Nine games left to salvage our season, that's a possible 36 points. To put it into perspective and give it some context, our last nine games gained us only six points From BBC Sport Hamilton head coach Stuart Taylor: "It was always going to be a difficult game, Inverness are an organised side and defensively very strong so it was important we kept a hold of the ball and tried to probe opportunities. We did that but we just need to be a little more ruthless and take our chances." Inverness CT manager Billy Dodds: "I felt as though we had chances to win it but I think Hamilton will be saying exactly the same. We made Ryan Fulton work with great chances rather than not being clinical enough. "There is always pressure. Pressure is game to game in this division when it comes to the crux of it. Tonight my players showed they are desperate to win games and we are close to going on a run again." Date: 25/02/2022 Venue: Fountain of Youth, Hamilton Attendance: 1187 Referee: Alan Muir Hamilton: 1 Manager: Stuart Taylor (head coach) Lineup: Fulton; Lawson, Popescu, O’Reilly, MacDonald, Mimnaugh (Ryan 78), Mullin, Spence (Martin 69), Redfern (Brown 69), Kennedy (Winter 85), Moyo Subs (not used): J Smith; Easton, Hughes, Shiels, Nicolson Scorers: Mullin(13) Booked: O'Reilly (23) Sent Off: none Inverness CT: 1 Manager: Billy Dodds Lineup: C Mackay; Hyde, Broadfoot, Devine (Harper 62), Deas, Pearson (Hardy 78), Welsh, McAlear, Doran (Sutherland 68), Samuels, B Mckay Subs (not used): Esson; L Nicolson, Walsh Scorers: Pearson (31), Deas(75) Booked: McAlear (30) Sent Off: none a
  25. The Torture Continues We face Hamilton on Friday night in a televised game with our winless run now at nine games and getting longer with every game. It's a horrendous run of results since we hammered Morton 6-1 at Cappielow on 11th December. Unfortunately we will be going public on council TV on Friday night in a 19:45 kick-off at the Fountain of Youth. Should Accies win, then they will only be six points behind us. Who thought that could be possible three months ago. MATCH INFO/TICKETS/SUPPORTERS BUS 07462218717/TV INFO Venue Pld Won Drn Lst For Agst + / - Home 14 4 4 6 21 19 +2 Away 10 6 1 3 16 12 +4 Neutral 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Total 24 10 5 9 37 31 +6 Last 10 Competitive Meetings 1 - 2 (H) 1 - 2 (A) 2 - 1 (H) 0 - 3 (A) 1 - 1 (H) 1 - 1 (A) 1 - 0 (A) 0 - 1 (H) 4 - 3 (A) 0 - 2 (H) Saturday Fixtures all 15:00 Ayr Utd v Queens Dunfermline v Kilmarnock Morton v Arbroath Rovers v Partick Pos Team Pld W D L F A Pts Accies v ICT FC Friday night 7:45pm 1. Arbroath 25 12 10 3 38 18 46 2. Kilmarnock 26 14 4 8 34 19 46 3. Inverness CT 26 10 9 7 34 25 39 4. Raith Rovers 26 9 11 6 34 30 38 5. Partick Thistle 23 10 7 6 37 23 37 6. Morton 26 7 9 10 30 35 30 7. Hamilton Ac. 26 7 9 10 28 40 30 8. Ayr United 26 7 8 11 25 39 29 9. Dunfermline 25 4 11 10 24 40 23 10. Q.O.S. 25 4 8 13 25 40 20 We have lost both fixtures against Accies this season by the same score, 2-1. October 2021: Academicals teach us a lesson: Accies did inflict the first reverse for Inverness, as the Caley Jags drowned at the fountain of youth, and they did it with ten men for over an hour after Reegan Mimnaugh was sent off for a second bookable offence. They opened the scoring when Lewis Smith thumped the ball into the net after only five minutes. Andy Ryan added a second as Inverness crumbled and failed to trouble the home keeper. 2-0 at the break and Inverness bossed possession after the interval but never made Fulton work for his money. Harper hit the bar as the pressure mounted and Michael Gardyne scored a late consolation in injury time, but it was too little too late. With Raith beating Killie and Arbroath drawing, no major damage was done with Raith and Partick the big winners this weekend. December 2021: After an uneventful first half, Inverness slumped to their second defeat of the season to a rank rotten Accies when they surrendered a second half lead after Cammy Harper netted. However two goals in the space of three minutes from David Moyo and Andrew Winter ruined our day and knocked us off our perch at the top. I suppose it was only a Winter's tale, but it doesn't make good reading. That's our Jekyll and Hyde season in all its sorry glory... Same side, different day! If anyone can solve the puzzle, please call the Caledonian Stadium and ask for Billy Dodds. After the rout of Morton the previous week, what should have been a routine victory turned into a Christmas pantomime. Oh no it wasn't I hear you say - Oh yes it was came the unanimous reply. It appears Billy Dodds has learnt nothing or won't listen after these games and the massive slump is now in full flow. Morton beat Partick Thistle on Tuesday night, but with three games in hand over us, methinks it's only a matter of time before we drop to fourth, or even worse, out of the play-off places. Last Time Out We slumped to defeat at home against a team that had not beaten us in almost twenty years. Twenty years; just let that sink in. Ayr were deserved winners against a hapless Caley Jags where our goal came from a cross that ended up in the net from Lewis Nicolson. Well done on your first goal for the club, just about the only positive from a thoroughly disappointing game. Accies beat Morton 1-0 with Lewis Spence getting the only goal of the game just after the interval. Latest Team News We still have a raft of players missing and our season is in tatters. Allardice, Devine, MacGregor, Walsh and Welsh have all been out recently and despite an official preview kicking around on the official site, there's no news, if any, on who is likely to return, so meh! As it is, Accies could put out their under 16's and take the points, so meh again. What have Accies been up to in the latest transfer window? Eric has been doing the homework. Departures Jamie Smith - The 19 year old Goalkeeper is on Loan to Blackburn United FC. until the end of season. Ben Stirling - Centre Back on loan to Edinburgh City until the end of season. George Stanger - The Centre Back left the club in October 2021 on a free transfer to Stirling University FC. Luke Matheson - The English Right Back's loan from Wolves U23 ended in the January window and is now at Scunthorpe United FC. Kyle Munro - A left wing player, he is currently on loan to Dumbarton FC David Templeton - The former Hearts and Rangers left wing player missed much of last season through injury and returned to action at the beginning of the current campaign, but hadn’t featured since coming off the bench in a defeat to Kilmarnock in August, announced his retirement in November 2021. He remains connected to Hamilton FC as a coach with their Youth Academy. Arrivals Daniel O'Reilly - The Dublin born centre back arrived in the January window on a free transfer from Irish side Drogheda United FC. Steve Lawson - Steve Tevi Lawson is a French born right back with dual citizenship of Togo, a winter arrival without a club since leaving Livingston FC last summer after a 3 year spell at there. Ellis Brown - A left sided midfield player who has transferred in January on an undisclosed fee from English 5th tier Vanarama National League side Boreham Wood FC Kai Kennedy - The perpetual loan Ranger turned up at Hamilton in January on loan until the end of this season. The attacking left winger from Rangers Reserves has had several loan spells in the Championship with ICT, Raith Rovers and Dunfermline. Thanks Eck, good work.
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