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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

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)

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

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.

Defensive blunders assist Ayr. 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. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Inverness were still missing Scott Allardice, Danny Devine, Roddy MacGregor and Tom Walsh. Add to that surprise omissions of Mark Ridgers and captain Sean Welsh then you can see that our squad is down to the bare bones. Ryan Esson found himself on the bench with Aaron Doran. Michael Hewitt missed out for Ayr in their much altered squad since the January sales, but they were unchanged from the side that beat Kilmarnock. The visitors got the game underway kicking towards the North Stand with the sun making an appearance after the storms earlier in the week. Logan Chalmers had the first opportunity of the game after doing well down the left, but he opted to shoot and his angled effort was put behind for a corner which he took himself and made an arse of it. Ashford responded for Ayr on the break as he burst forward, but his shot from the left side of the box was easily stopped by Cammy Mackay deputising for the unwell Mark Ridgers. Broadfoot will need to use his experience against Ashford who easily outpaced the veteran defender. The only thing of note in the first twenty minutes was a needless booking for David Carson for a rash tackle in midfield, and that would determine his day later in the game. Ayr opened the scoring out of nothing. Harper fresh from a booking lost the ball in midfield and Ayr broke forward to win a corner. When it came in Sean McGinty scored a simple header to open the scoring, the consequence of an error on the halfway line. Basic play gone wrong. McAdams made a tremendous double save firstly from Logan Chalmers then seconds later from Shane Sutherland to keep Ayr ahead five minutes before the interval. We tried to respond before the interval but Carson didn't have the legs to get away from the defender as he approached the box, and at the break it was Ayr that held the lead. HALF TIME: 0-1 No changes at the interval and Inverness with it all to do as they play towards the North Stand, however the final ball would need to improve if the hosts were to get anything from this game. Sam Pearson made a darting run down the right and cut along the bye-line, but McAdams put his shot come cross behind for a fruitless corner. Harper almost cost a second goal with a replica error of the first, but this time there were no takers for the dangerous low cross that fizzed across the box. Kirk Broadfoot was next to make the error and Cammy Mackay got him out of jail with a superb block. Reece McAlear fired a sharp thirty yard left foot effort wide of McAdams left hand post, but it was a tad ambitious to say the least. Ayr substitute Tomi Adeloye scored with his first touch seconds after coming on, whether he knew much about it or not, but the ball ended up in the net after a great cross from McKenzie. No surprise that the red card waiting to happen arrived when Carson made another ridiculous challenge and the promotion push looked to have ended right there. Sub Lewis Nicolson fired a deep cross into the box and it ended up in the far corner of the net with five minutes left to throw the hosts a lifeline. But it was simply too little too late once more. How often have we said that this year. FULL TIME: 1-2 We were simply clutching at straws as Ayr recorded their first win at the Caledonian Stadium in over nineteen years. Yes, gone are the days when we could give Ayr a three goal start and go on to thrash them. We better get used to this as the future looks bleak given our current circumstances and apparent demise. Well, what can you say! The best ever chance of promotion and those at the helm seem hell bent on keeping jobs for boys rather than trying to get promoted. A complete lack of ambition has led to a complete lack of confidence. One has to question what the hell is going on at the club. Why have we no defenders. Are we preparing for obscurity. A once proud club that was always prepared to roll their sleeves up and get stuck in seem incapable of doing the basics at the moment. What was our marque signing. A striker that can't score, a disruptive winger that unsettled the whole squad, an ageing defender that is two yards off the pace, a proven penalty box striker that is starved of service, any amount of sub standard forwards and to top it all no defensive cover and a manager that can't manage. Like the team, I've pretty much thrown the towel in for this season. If it weren't for the distant hope that we cling on for dear life and remain in a play-off place at the end of the season then, I'm done. Is it possible come the end of the season that we get a full squad back and triumph in the knock outs at the death? I for one won't be holding my breath, and there's plenty more like me who are just going through the motions, and that includes the players. Management beware: The Long Knives are out and the fans are revolting! Many claim there's better in the commentary box. Apparently they call them highlights... <<Spin Doctor Alert>> Date: 19/02/2022 Venue: Caledonian Stadium Attendance: 1850 Referee: Kevin Clancy Inverness CT: 1 Manager: Billy Dodds Lineup: C Mackay; Duffy (Hardy 71) Broadfoot, Deas, Harper (Nicolson 86), Pearson (Doran 78), Carson, McAlear, Sutherland (Samuels 69),Chalmers (Hyde 78), B Mckay Subs (not used): Esson; Scorers: L Nicolson (86) Booked: Carson (19, 68), Harper (33), Sent Off: Carson (68) Ayr United: 2 Manager: Lee Bullen Lineup: McAdams; Houston (Rowe 62), Muirhead, McGinty, Reading, Murdoch, Mcinroy, Maxwell (O'Connor 89), Dempsey (Smith 89), Ashford (Adeloye 62), McKenzie (Gondoh 89) Subs (not used): Albinson; Fjortoft, Baird, Bryden Scorers: McGinty (35), Adeloye (64) Booked: Mackenzie (31) Sent Off: none a

Ayr Pressure With our Premiership aspirations hanging by a thread, we entertain Ayr United on Saturday with our winless run having been extended to eight games after the 3-3 draw with Partick Thistle, albeit an improved performance, but the end result all too familiar recently. The game is scheduled for 3:00pm on Saturday, weather permitting, with storms due in midweek. Dudley seems to have bypassed Inverness, but Eunice is coming, so fingers crossed it misses us as well, however, snow is forecast so beware. Storm Ayr are coming North fresh from retaining the bragging rights after their excellent derby win over Killie; no pressure then. Weather update: Snowing fairly heavy in Sneck on Friday morning, so if it's starting to lie here then the A9 will be worse. Take care out there if you are travelling to the game and keep checking for updates. MATCH/TICKET/STREAMING INFO OFFICIAL PREVIEW STARS OF THE FUTURE Venue - Head2Head Pld Won Drn Lst For Agst + / - Home 21 10 10 1 35 20 +15 Away 22 10 5 7 42 28 +14 Neutral 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Total 43 20 15 8 77 48 +29 Last 10 Competitive Meetings 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) 3 - 1 (A) Loaded heavily in our favour, the stats don't lie, or do they? Only one defeat to Ayr at home on all competitions would seem to make Inverness odds on favourites to win this one. Unfortunately, we, the fans, know better. Our recent form has been poor and we are winless in eight. The previous encounters this season show a 1-0 win towards the end of August during our opening gambit of the season. CTO summary: 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. In the return fixture at Somerset Park we threw away an early advantage to draw 2-2, the slump was well and trully on. Another opportunity missed! 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. Pos Team Pld W D L F A Pts Pars v Partick postponed 1. Arbroath 24 12 9 3 38 18 45 2. Kilmarnock 25 13 4 8 31 19 43 3. Inverness CT 25 10 9 6 33 23 39 4. Raith Rovers 25 9 11 5 34 27 38 5. Partick Thistle 22 10 7 5 37 22 37 6. Morton 24 6 9 9 29 34 27 7. Hamilton Ac. 25 6 9 10 27 40 27 8. Ayr United 25 6 8 11 23 38 26 9. Dunfermline 25 4 11 10 24 40 23 10. Q.O.S. 24 4 7 13 25 40 19 FRIDAY 18th FEBRUARY Dunfermline P v P Partick Thistle SATURDAY 19TH FEBRUARY Hamilton v Morton Caley Jags v Ayr United Kilmarnock v Raith Rovers Queen Sth v Arbroath Last time out Inverness came from behind three times to secure a point against an impressive Partick Thistle. Brian Graham was a thorn in our side again, claiming a hat-trick although the first one appeared to come off the shins of Wallace Duffy. We hit back through Billy Mckay, Shane Sutherland and a last gasp header from the enterprising Kirk. Ayr United won the Ayrshire derby as they came from behind to beat Kilmarnock 2-1 at Rugby Park to stun title favourites Killie. Fraser Murray had opened the scoring early in the first half but Ayr levelled soon after through Sean McGinty and he scored the winner with ten minutes left to stun their hosts. Latest Team News Billy Dodds will definitely be without Scott Allardice and Danny Devine. Somehow, Roddy MacGregor has disappeared from earth, possibly been abducted by a Chinese tennis player. If anyone spots him, can they call MacGregors Bar to let us know that he's safe and well. Thanks in advance. Aaron Doran has missed the last month but is back in full training and Tom Walsh has thrown his hat into the injured squad over the last couple of weeks. Thankfully we are covered up front with Sam Pearson looking good last week, but for some unknown reason we never looked at bringing in defensive cover from the start of the season, we'll soon be going with one at the back. New Ayr manager Lee Bullen will be looking for more of the same attitude displayed in the derby win over Killie. Here's his starting XI from the Killie game played in front of 7,560 fans. Adeloye and Rowe came on as second half subs, with Ayr playing a 4-4-1-1 formation. 1McAdams 2Houston4Muirhead5McGinty3Reading 22McKenzie6Murdoch8McInroy14Maxwell 18Dempsey 19Ashford There's been a lot of changes at Somerset Park since we last played Ayr. Our own Eric has been busy checking out their latest coming and goings. So, basically, a new look Ayr United will be here looking to improve their poor record at Inverness. Departures Cameron Salkeld - forward -has left the club due to long term injury Nick McAllister - back - on loan to Clyde FC until end of season Michael Miller - midfield - on loan to Stenhousemuir FC until end of season Joe Chalmers - midfield - Transferred to Dunfermline FC. Jonathon Afolabi - forward - was on loan from Celtic recalled and now at Airdrieonians Fc Steven Bradley - forward - was on loan from Hibs recalled and now at Dundalk FC Arrivals Blaine Rowe - right back - on loan from Coventry FC U23 until end of season. Kerr McInroy - defensive midfield - on loan from Celtic FC until end of season Ben Dempsey - attacking midfield - on loan from Charlton FC U23 until end of season Ryan Gondoh - left wing - the Ghanaian has signed from Wealdstone FC until May 2023 Paul Smith - centre forward - has returned after loan spell at Cumnock Juniors FC ( that should have toughened him up a bit ) Sam Ashworth - centre forward - signed from Crawley Town FC until May 2023 Fraser Brydon - centre forward - has been promoted to first team from Ayr U18s Manager Lee Bullen has had several spells as Caretaker manager of Sheffield Wednesday FC and was recently manager or their U23 side Age: 50 Years Appointed: Jan 7, 2022 Contract expires: May 31, 2024

Late Leveller Partick Thistle struck early to add to our gloom through Brian Graham, it may yet go down as an own goal, but as it stands, it's credited to the big striker. Billy Mckay squared the game after twenty minutes with an excellent 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 stonewall 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 just 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. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ With Inverness struggling so badly over the last two winless months, not much was expected from the hosts on a wet and windy night after a day of snow flurries and wind. Partick, on the other hand, have been resting since they beat Ayr United 1-0 on Tuesday 1st February and were lurking in fifth position ahead of this encounter, a win could bump them up to third and they will still have games in hand over everyone including three over us. With an Ayrshire derby in Kilmarnock tonight, that made it more crucial that we got back to winning ways before we hit the skids and slide out of the promotion race. Under fire Billy Dodds would be without the influential Scott Allardice (rest of season), central defender Danny Devine (month at least), Aaron Doran, Roddy MacGregor and Tom Walsh. Billy Mckay returned last week but like the rest of the side, he looked off the pace. Our bench was sparse with basically no threat on it and youth players and empty spaces. Wee Jobbie McCall had Brian Graham up front as a target man. Well he's always a target of our boo boys anyway. Zac Rudden left in the January sales so that's one threat less. Kevin Holt replaced former County defender Richard Foster. Inverness set the ball rolling kicking towards the South Stand, guess we lost the toss then. The stands were as sparsely populated as our bench as both sides set about feeling their way into the game on a bitter night in the Highland capital. Partick settled better and surprise surprise, Brian Graham tapped in from one yard as our static defence were prized open by Tiffoney down the left, easily bypassing David Carson to set up the opener after eight minutes. Kevin Holt fired narrowly over from twenty yards as Partick looked to add a second whilst Inverness struggled to get forward. However, David Carson turned a great ball into the box after a lay off from Sam Pearson and who else but Billy Mckay pounced from six yards to level the game as the snow was about to descend on the stadium. Tiffoney was the man causing the problems and once again he skinned Carson down the left and Graham headed his deep cross in at the back post from close range. Tiffoney almost added a third but for a great save by Mark Ridgers in the top corner from his curling twenty yard effort. Unlike their hosts, Partick looked dangerous every time they went forward and Holt ruffled the top of the net with a twenty yard shot watched closely by Ridgers. We forced a couple of corners before the break and from the second one Shane Sutherland scored at the back post, with only seconds to go before the interval, Reece McAlear the provider of the deep corner kick. Half Time: 2-2 No changes at the interval but six minutes in Dodds pulled Samuels and Logan Chalmers entered the fray. Sutherland almost muscled onto a ball into the box but it was knocked away for a corner. Good spell for Inverness and Sam Pearson and Sutherland were not far away from creating something, but a reminder from Partick as Cammy Smith fired just over after a corner. It's been an open encounter and it's looking likely that there's more goals in this one. Pearson did well again to win another corner but Partick eventually cleared their lines as Inverness showed more urgency than they did at the weekend. A rash tackle by Robbie Deas offered Partick the opportunity to go ahead for the third time and Graham completed his hat-trick from the spot smashing the ball straight down the middle. Deas was promptly subbed and his replacement Cammy Harper saw a low effort blocked by Sneddon after the defence parted to allow Cammy to get a shot away as he raced into the left side of the box. Pearson then looked to have hit the corner of the bar moments later and Mckay prodded one just wide of the post with fifteen minutes left and at the other end Tiffoney rifled one just wide. Sneddon produced another good save from a low twenty yard free kick by Chalmers as Inverness chased the game and MacAlear drilled one wide as we pushed for a leveller. The equaliser came after a wee flurry at the end saw Kirk Broadfoot head a McAlear cross into the net after a corner had been cleared and we got out of jail. Phew, that was close. Don't get me wrong, the result was thoroughly disappointing but the effort was there and with a bit of fortune we could easily have taken all three points, but when you are down on your luck, thems the breaks. An opportunity missed with Arbroath drawing thanks to an injury time penalty and Killie losing to Ayr United who are our next opponents, but a hugely better performance after the dross of the Morton game. All is not lost yet. MotM for me was Sam Pearson with some great forward runs and unlucky with his angled shot that rattled the top corner of the bar, and with Billy Mckay buzzing around to good effect and Shane Sutherland putting in the effort it was a massive improvement on recent achievements. Much easier to pick out the good performances this week in a highly entertaining match played out on a miserable night of winter weather. On the downside, Robbie Deas needs to ask himself why he made that poor challenge and that's now eight games without a win; Foranesque territory... Date: 09/02/2022 Venue: Caledonian Stadium Attendance: 1781 Referee: Peter Stuart Inverness CT: 3 Manager: Billy Dodds Lineup: Ridgers; Carson, Duffy, Broadfoot, Deas (Harper 72), Pearson (Hardy 82), Welsh, McAlear, Samuels (Chalmers 53), Sutherland, B Mckay Subs (not used): C Mackay; Hyde, L Nicolson Scorers: Mckay (21), Sutherland (45+1), Broadfoot (90+4) Booked: Deas (24) Sent Off: none Partick Thistle: 3 Manager: Ian McCall Lineup: Sneddon; McKenna, Akinola, Mayo, Holt, Tiffoney (Hendrie 83), Bannigan, Docherty, Crawford, Smith (Jakubiak 75), Graham (MacIver 90) Subs (not used): McCready; Turner, Murray, McAllister Scorers: Graham (8, 27, 65 pen) Booked: none Sent Off: none a

Fans patience is running out After another massive slump, this time against Morton, we are all but done with the Championship for another season. Partick are next up for us at the Caledonian Stadium on Wednesday night for a 7:45pm kick-off. I don't see many fans saying they are really looking forward to the next game. MATCH INFO/TICKETS/STREAMING Can we save our season? It has become alarmingly apparent that something is seriously wrong at the club. We can't buy a win at the moment. That's now seven games without a win or four points from a possible twenty-one since December 11th. That's the statistics that gets teams relegated and managers sacked. We seem to be at the crossroads and if something doesn't change soon, then we better get used to being in the Championship for the foreseeable future. On the plus side, there is still plenty games left to get back on track, unfortunately at this moment in time, that looks unlikely to happen. Our body language is a big giveaway and it looks like we have been found out. Venue - Head 2 Head Pld Won Drn Lst For Agst + / - Home 21 9 5 7 33 30 +3 Away 20 5 6 9 21 28 -7 Neutral 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Total 41 14 11 16 54 58 -4 Last 10 Competitive Meetings with Partick 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) 0 - 0 The two games played this season already coincided with some of our better performances. Much has gone wrong since then and I'm not sure we can turn that around overnight. Summary from 3-1 win in September: The run goes on - Partick Thistle came North with high hopes of ending Inverness' great start to the campaign in the knowledge that they have been scoring at the rate of three goals per game apart from Arbroath where they suffered a 3-0 defeat at the hands of the Red Lichties. Billy Dodds had food for thought after the cup win over Buckie last week where Billy Mckay and Lewis Jamieson staked their claims for a start after scoring performances over the Highland League side. They started on the bench as he went with the tried and tested so far this season. Ian McCall had old enemy Brian Graham up front with Zac Rudden on the bench and watch out for defender Tunji Akinola who packs a punch with his feet. After a difficult first half, Inverness ran out comfortable winners against Partick Thistle in a second half goal blitz. The visitors dominated the first forty-five and Scott Tiffoney drilled the opener out of nothing as the defence backed off. Manny Duku was denied by a combination of keeper and post but it was Partick that should have scored a second, however Mark Ridgers did well to deny Brian Graham. Harsh talking at the break saw Inverness come out for the second half with the bit between the teeth and Kirk Broadfoot was the unlikely hero as his twenty yard shot evaded the outstretched fingertips of the keeper to level the score. Shane Sutherland did well to drill in the second from an angle after the keeper fluffed his lines allowing Shane to slot in from twenty yards. The third was a peach as Duku stepped over the ball and Aaron Doran fired high into the net for a brilliant goal and game over. That's five wins out of five and the run goes on... The reverse fixture at Partick saw us emerge with a thoroughly deserved win at 0-0 . According to many Partick fans we were the best thing since sliced bread. How wrong were they... Caley Jags pay the penalty: 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. Despite not getting the win that was easily one of our best performances of recent weeks and I would have taken a point before the game but given how it played out it was definitely 2 points dropped. Pos Team Pld W D L F A Pts 1. Arbroath 23 12 8 3 36 16 44 2. Kilmarnock 23 12 4 7 28 16 40 3. Inverness CT 24 10 8 6 30 20 38 4. Raith Rovers 25 9 11 5 34 27 38 5. Partick Thistle 21 10 6 5 34 19 36 6. Hamilton Ac. 24 6 8 10 25 38 26 7. Morton 23 5 9 9 27 33 24 8. Dunfermline 24 4 11 9 23 38 23 9. Ayr United 24 5 8 11 21 37 23 10. Q.O.S. 23 4 7 12 24 38 19 Wednesday Night Fixtures all 19:45 Arbroath v Hamilton Inverness CT v Partick Thistle Kilmarnock v Ayr United Last time out we were a complete omnishambles (a situation that has been comprehensively mismanaged, characterized by a string of blunders and miscalculations.) Sounds about right as we plumbed the depths to go down meekly to a less than average Morton side where Lewis Strapp scored the winner. No wins in our last seven games (LLDDDDL) Shocking statistics. Particks last game was postponed due to a waterlogged pitch, the previous game was a 1-0 win over Ayr United giving them (PWWDD) since the turn of the year. The other win was against Airdrie in the Scottish Cup (1-0). Latest Team News We will still be without Allardice, Devine, MacGregor, Doran and possibly Walsh. Having only brought in forwards in the window, it was obvious to all what would happen, except our management team. We are performing like headless chickens at the moment. Partick will no doubt have thug player and cheat Brian Graham up front.

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. Kirk Broadfoot left the deflected ball forward to someone else, and to cap it all off when the loose ball entered the box, 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. Happy Birthday Billy. ÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷ The last team we beat came North but with a renewed vigour and a new manager in Dougie Imrie. Cast your mind back to December 11th 2021 and we absolutely routed Morton 6-1. Unfortunately it's been all downhill in the six seven games since then with Morton accruing ten points since then with Inverness only managing four. Scott Allardice, Danny Devine, Roddy MacGregor and Aaron Doran were all missing. We are down to the bare bones with only six on the bench from the permitted nine. What that means is that Inverness appear to be going with three at the back in a fairly attacking set-up. It was a wild day in the North with heavy rain/snow showers, bright sunshine and blustery conditions. Hypothermia anyone? Widely acknowledged as one of the worst performances ever, Billy Dudds and his bunch of haddies were beaten by a team we put six past a couple of months ago. It's impossible to put into words just how bad this was, but suffice to say, there are thousands of detrimental adjectives used on CTO to cover this, no stone left unturned. Sam Pearson had our best effort in the first half after cutting onto his right foot on the left side of the box, but Jack Hamilton was equal to the shot and kept it out with a decent save. I'd like to be able to report on a few more efforts, unfortunately that was it. Gutless, lacklustre, drivel, no passion, utter shambles, painful, turgid, apathetic, disgraceful............ the list is endless. Lewis Strapp scored the only goal when he found the ball at his feet inside the box and pushed it through the keepers legs. Summed up our day. It could have been worse had Ridgers not denied Ugwu late in the game with an excellent save. Many fans are now questioning the quality of not just the players, but the entire set-up, including Dudds and Robbo. To be honest, difficult to argue against any of the criticism given our demise. I was not convinced even after our excellent start to the season. I believe we just got lucky whilst other clubs were still sorting themselves out. But for that great start, we would be relegation certainties. Four points from a possible twenty-one tells it's own story, a story of complete and utter decimation, an omnishambles with a bleak future. Over to you Inverness, time to get some pride and passion back to the club. From BBC Sport Inverness head coach Billy Dodds: "It's our poorest performance of the season, which at this time in the season you really don't need. I thought we showed a mental weakness to go and scrap the game. When we realise what's at stake and where we could go again today - but we just keep going. "I'm up for it. I'm sure at some point we get a win and then we kick on. We have to get it going soon or we'll find ourselves out of the title race. We really need to change the mindset here in terms of players and what they are thinking going on the pitch. We need to get back to what we are good at and where we were at the start of the season." No shit Sherlock! Greenock Morton manager Dougie Imrie: "We knew how difficult it was going to be to come up here. Inverness have been doing fantastic this season - up in the top four. I knew with the boys I've got if they went out and stuck to the game plan we could potentially get something from this and eventually we have. "Another terrific three points. At this stage in the season three points are massive and that lifts us back up into seventh. The league form has been great but we've got to maintain that." Date: 05/02/2022 Venue: Caledonian Stadium Attendance: 1808 Referee: Euan Anderson Inverness CT: 0 Manager: Billy Dodds Lineup: Ridgers; Duffy, Broadfoot, Deas (L Nicolson 76), Pearson (Carson 75), Welsh, McAlear, Sutherland (Harper 72), Samuels, Mckay, Chalmers (Hardy 66) Subs (not used): C Mackay; Hyde Scorers: none Booked: Mckay (51) Sent Off: none Morton:1 Manager: Dougie Imrie Lineup: Hamilton; Lithgow, McLean, McEntee, Strapp, Oliver (Muirhead 74), Blues, Lyon (Wilson 64), Brandon, Ugwu, Reilly (Jacobs 85) Subs (not used): Bysouth; Ledger, Russell, McGrattan, Easdale, King Scorers: Strapp (24) Booked: Wilson (71), Strapp (80) Sent Off: none a

Time to stop the rot The last team we beat are coming North but with a renewed vigour and a new manager in Dougie Imrie. Cast your mind back to December 11th 2021 and we absolutely routed Morton 6-1. Unfortunately it's been all downhill in the six games since then. Morton are here on Saturday for a 3:00pm kick-off, but beware, this is not the same deflated Morton we stuffed in December. Our demise has been alarming to say the least. In the six games since we beat Morton we have picked up only four points from a possible eighteen. That's relegation form in any language and the rot needs to stop now before we slip out of the play-off zone and into mid table obscurity. OFFICIAL PREVIEW-MATCH INFO-TICKETS-STREAMING Venue - Head2Head Pld Won Drn Lst For Agst + / - Home 18 12 4 2 46 16 +30 Away 16 9 3 4 34 19 +15 Neutral 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Total 34 21 7 6 80 35 +45 Last 10 Competitive Meetings v Morton 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) 3 - 1 (H) Inverness have taken six points from the two league games this season. The first encounter saw Inverness edge out Morton 2 - 0 in a low key game where Billy Mckay and Mich*** Gard*** scored the goals. The last meeting was our best ever away result at Cappielow. CTO summary from 6-1 win at Cappielow: 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 as 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! That result left us top of the table on 34 points and Morton were bottom on 13 points. Doh! Seems like a distant memory now... The Head2Heads are stacked heavily in our favour, only two defeats at home from eighteen encounters in all competitions. However, those two defeats have come in the last two years, add to that Morton ended our interest in the Scottish Cup this season after a replay and penalties, then this is another potential struggle waiting to happen. Pos Team Pld W D L F A Pts 1. Arbroath 22 11 8 3 35 16 41 2. Kilmarnock 22 12 4 6 28 15 40 3. Inverness CT 23 10 8 5 30 19 38 4. Raith Rovers 24 9 10 5 34 27 37 5. Partick Thistle 21 10 6 5 34 19 36 6. Hamilton Ac. 23 6 7 10 25 38 25 7. Dunfermline 23 4 10 9 22 37 22 8. Ayr United 23 5 7 11 20 36 22 9. Morton 22 4 9 9 26 33 21 10. Q.O.S. 23 4 7 12 24 38 19 Friday 4th Feb Arbroath v Kilmarnock SATURDAY 5TH FEB Ayr United v Dunfermline Caley Jags v Morton Partick v Queens Rovers v Hamilton Morton have a new gaffer in former Inverness player Dougie Imrie (38), brought in when Gus McPherson was sacked after they drew with Ayr United, ten days after we thumped them 6-1 at Cappielow. This is his first managerial role, having coached at Livingston earlier this year. As a wide midfielder, Imrie played for Morton in season 2013-14 scoring 11 times in 33 appearances. When Dougie went to Morton as the new manager they were a point adrift at the bottom of the Scottish Championship and heading for relegation. Here's Dougie's stats whilst at Inverness. Position: Left winger/attacking midfielder Signed: January 5th, 2008 First Manager: Craig Brewster Left Club: January 5th, 2010 Career Stats: 73 appearances, 10 goals Debut (as sub): February 9th, 2008 - St. Mirren 1 - 1 Inverness CT (League - ) Full Debut: February 16th, 2008 - 1 - 1 Dundee Utd (League - ) First Goal: April 19th, 2008 - Inverness CT 3 - 0 Kilmarnock (League - ) Also Played For: Clyde, Hamilton Academical, Morton, St. Mirren Latest Team News Inverness will be without long term casualties Scott Allardice and Danny Devine. Aaron Doran, Roddy MacGregor and Billy Mackay all missed the game at Rugby Park as well. Devine is back in training from next week. Doran is not ready to return but Billy Mckay will be back in the squad. Morton have added midfielder Iain Wilson from Dunfermline to their squad along with Jamie Brandon on loan from Hearts. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Scottish Youth Cup Draw The ICT Under 18s have been drawn away to Hearts U18s in the Semi Final of the Scottish Youth Cup. Semi-Final ties are scheduled to be played on Friday 4 March 2022

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. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Billy Dodds shoestring squad were bolstered by January sales incomers Logan Chalmers, Sam Pearson, Joe Hardy and Austin Samuels. However, we were without regulars Scott Allardice, Danny Devine, Aaron Doran, Roddy MacGregor and Billy Mckay through injury and that leaves us with the bare minimum on the bench. Chalmers and Pearson started and Wallace Duffy was at right back. Killie have the luxury of a large squad and experienced January signings. They will be looking to the selected players to guide them back to the Premiership at the earliest opportunity given the resources they have spent trying to achieve this. None moreso than new gaffer Derek McInnes, Kyle Lafferty and Ash Taylor, with former Caley Jags players Liam Polworth, and Daniel Mackay also in the squad, with nine players on their bench, almost enough for two strong teams. After a tentative beginning, Kilmarnock opened the scoring when Shane Sutherland failed to deal with a ball cleared towards the halfway line by Tom Walsh. Instead of creating an attack, he ended up passing the ball back towards Cammy Harper. Unfortunately Daniel Mackay read it and skinned Harper with a burst of pace before firing a dangerous cross low into the area, where high profile signing Kyle Lafferty met the ball at the far side of the box to power a controlled shot into the net from six yards. We responded well to this setback and Walsh shot from a tight angle, but the ball was tipped round the post for a corner by keeper Hemming as it flashed across the goal. Mackay went close for Killie as he was set free on the right side of the box, but his low shot rolled across the face of the goal and just wide. Despite the Caley Jags enjoying plenty of possession, it was the same old story of little to no clear chances in the opposition box and we went in one down at the interval. HALF TIME : 1-0 Five minutes into the second half and Killie had the ball in the net, but it was ruled out for a hand ball as Euan Murray tried to force the ball in from close range. Oli Shaw should have added a second after the ball landed at his feet in the box from a rebound, but he fluffed his shot and it rolled harmlessly wide.... thankfully. Ridgers pulled off a good save from the industrious McKenzie as he shot from the edge of the box to keep us within touching distance. Austin Samuels had been introduced in the second half and looks to have something different, a bit of pace and the newbies looked a bit more direct than what we have been subject to in recent weeks. Samuels did have a half chance charged down as he cut along the line towards goal, the final ball being blocked and cleared when a cut back might have produced something, alas, still an all too familiar scenario. Plenty of the ball around the box, but little real opportunity to score. FULL TIME: 1-0 Despite our possession, we were still unable to create any clear chances and a draw would have been the most we could have come away with. However, you pay the right money for the right player and you reap the rewards, and that's what Killie got with Kyle Lafferty and his smart finish from a tremendous cross from Dan Mackay. That's six games without a win, and that's relegation form in any language. Just as well we caught the rest cold at the start of the season. Maybe the January sales will have unearthed a wee gem, here's hoping... From BBC Sport Kilmarnock manager Derek McInnes: "The goal was terrific. Dan MacKay was very capable today and Kyle Lafferty still had a lot to do - the technique to put the ball in the back of the net was really pleasing. The fans were different class and really played their part." Inverness CT manager Billy Dodds: "First half I thought two or three of my players didn't believe we were going to win the game. That let us down and we lost the goal. In the second half we really dug in, but I still think they have to push their bodies that bit more." Highlights from Killie TV Another cut'n paste from Billy... Austin Samuels Date: 29/01/2022 Venue: Rugby Park, Kilmarnock Attendance: 4790 Referee: Don Robertson Kilmarnock: 1 Manager: Derek McInnes Lineup: Hemming; Hodson, Sanders (E Murray 45), Taylor, Haunstrup, McKenzie, Tait (McGinn 88), F Murray, Mackay (Alston 74), Shaw, Lafferty (Burke 68) Subs (not used): Walker; Waters, Armstrong, Polworth, Cameron Scorers: Lafferty (9) Booked: Haunstrup (61) Sent Off: none Inverness CT: 0 Manager: Billy Dodds Lineup: Ridgers; Duffy (Carson 82), Broadfoot, Deas, Harper (L Nicolson 82), Walsh (Hardy 46), Welsh, McAlear, Pearson (Samuels 63), Sutherland (Duku 86), Chalmers Subs (not used): C Mackay; Hyde Scorers: none Booked: Deas (2), Broadfoot (25) Sent Off: none a

Six Pointers are here Big game at the sharp end of the Table as rudderless Inverness travel to Rugby Park to take on 'all their eggs in one basket' Kilmarnock. Saturday 3:00pm is the scheduled kick off time which I'm certain that Killie fans will be looking forward to this with more optimism than the trepidated nail biting Caley Jags fans. Could be a long day... How we are still in the mix after an alarming run of games without a win is a mystery in itself. It seems to get worse when we struggle against teams in the chasing pack, yet we have beaten Killie twice this season already. OFFICIAL PREVIEW WHICH INCLUDES MATCH/STREAMING/TICKET INFO SUPPORTERS BUS 07462218717 CaleyClub at 9.15 and stadium at 9.30 Venue Pld Won Drn Lst For Agst + / - Home 24 11 9 4 44 32 +12 Away 25 8 6 11 36 44 -8 Neutral 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Total 49 19 15 15 80 76 +4 Last two Competitive Meetings 1 - 0 (H) 1 - 0 (A) Inverness won the first encounter at Rugby Park this season when a late Mich*** Gar**** goal stunned the hosts. The return fixture in Inverness was a tight affair and it was a spectacular goal from Sean Welsh that won the points for Inverness. That result put us top of the league and two points ahead of Killie after sixteen games. Arbroath were fifth, four points behind Inverness. Surely they would fall away... Click on the links above to read the reports and see the goals, both stunning strikes. Pos Team Pld W D L F A Pts 1. Arbroath 22 11 8 3 35 16 41 2. Inverness CT 22 10 8 4 30 18 38 3. Kilmarnock 21 11 4 6 27 15 37 4. Raith Rovers 22 9 8 5 29 22 35 5. Partick Thistle 20 9 6 5 33 19 33 6. Hamilton Ac. 22 6 6 10 24 37 24 7. Ayr United 21 5 6 10 19 34 21 8. Morton 21 4 8 9 24 31 20 9. Dunfermline 22 3 10 9 20 37 19 10. Q.O.S. 21 4 6 11 21 33 18 Fixtures this weekend Friday 7:45 Morton v Rovers Saturday 3:00 Arbroath v Partick Accies v Ayr Utd Kilmarnock v Inverness CT Queens v Dunfermline Much has changed since our first encounter in September. Tommy Wright was binned in favour of the well respected Derek McInnes, seen as the man to lead them back into the promised land. Kyle Lafferty is the latest big signing along with the experienced Ash Taylor, the former Aberdeen defender. The slap in the face comes with the loan signing of Daniel Mackay from Hibernian. That one hurt somewhat. Another Hibee Dylan Tait is also a good bit of business for the Rugby Park side. Now here's the disparity... Not a club renowned for playing our hand early, we have loaned in three inexperienced forwards in Sam Pearson, Logan Chalmers and Joe Hardy. Hardy is the latest recruit and he comes in from Accrington Stanley until the end of the season. Going the opposite direction out the door are the disruptive Michael Gardyne, mostly injured Anthony McDonald and rarely seen loan signing Lewis Jamieson, who has been farmed back out to Clyde where I'm sure he will be well received and get some game time. Latest Team News Inverness have been dealt a couple of hammer blows on top of our already wafer thin squad frailties. Scott Allardice is out for the season and Danny Devine suffered a possible season ending injury last week against Dunfermline. Add those to current crocks Aaron Doran, Roddy MacGregor, and Billy Mckay, then we are down to the bare bones. More injury updates in official preview link at top of page. Even Later than the Latest News Inverness Caledonian Thistle can confirm the signing of striker Austin Samuels from Wolves on a permanent 18-month deal, subject to international clearance. Austin, 21-years-old, is an Academy Graduate at Wolves, having been with the club since the age of 10. While at Wolves, Austin has had loan spells with Kidderminster Harriers, Bradford City and Aberdeen. Austin is also a former England youth International. Austin becomes the club’s fourth summer signing alongside Sam Pearson, Logan Chalmers and Joe Hardy. Killie have strength in depth, and with tried and trusted incomers, then they have little to worry about. One that sticks in the throat somewhat is Daniel Mackay and to a lesser extent, Liam Polworth. Both will likely feature at some point for the visitors. Interesting joust between Kyle Lafferty Kirk Broadfoot incoming... ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ On Friday night, there's an u18 Scottish Cup Quarter Final at the Caledonian Stadium Free Entry The ICT Under 18s have a massive Scottish Youth Cup Quarter Final against Auchinleck Talbot U18s this Friday at the Caledonian Stadium. Entry is FREE via Gate Four near the South Stand, with seating available in the Main Stand for this match. There will be a Kiosk open in the Main Stand Concourse. Come down and support the Young ICT Players as the look to each the Scottish Youth Cup Semi-Finals!

More points thrown away 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. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Big Changes in the Inverness starting XI today. Injured/ill were Scott Allardice, Aaron Doran, Roddy MacGregor and Billy Mckay. On the bench were new loan faces Sam Pearson and Logan Chalmers with Cammy Harper and Manny Duku returning to the starting line-up. John Hughes had Nikolay Todorov on the bench with Fon Williams in goal and Coll Donaldson in defence. Steven Lawless started up front. Inverness started the game pressing high and forcing the pace of the game with their hosts struggling to create anything of note. Despite plenty of possession in the first half, chances were still thin on the ground. With Mckay and Doran missing it was left to goalless striker Manny Duku to try and break his Championship duck. Easy to see why he hasn't scored this season when after breaking clear on the right, he ran out of puff and tried a shot from a ridiculous angle and distance, the ball trundling goalwards to end the opportunity. Five minutes before the break we opened the scoring through a well taken strike from Shane Sutherland. He gambled on a deep cross from Reece McAlear clearing everyone in the box and drilled a first time volley just inside the post from twelve yards. Good goal and just what we needed. We ended the half on top and stupidly the fans were optimistic ahead of the restart. HALF TIME: 0-1 It didn't take long for the optimism to dissipate after the break and turn to despair as the Pars realised we had run our race. It might have been different had Tom Walsh been able to control a volley from the edge of the box, alas it went high over the bar. But for a point blank save from Mark Ridgers, the Pars should have levelled the game when he blocked an effort by Kevin O'Hara from two yards ten minutes after the break, the keeper getting down early to keep the ball out. Shane Sutherland might have done better with a header, but it was straight at the keeper and at the other end Coll Donaldson headed just wide as the pressure intensified around the Inverness goal. The leveller came from the spot after David Carson blocked a cross with his arm, Steven Lawless rolling in the ball after Ridgers went early. No more than Pars deserved with Inverness going back into their shell. A tense ending saw Ridgers deny Donaldson as he saved his header but we held on for a point. FULL TIME 1-1 A very disappointing second half from Inverness after a first half that was full of promise. Maybe Danny Devine going off injured just before the interval decided our tactic for the second half, or maybe Dunfermline just realised they could get something from the game. That point lifts them off the foot of the table for now, our point puts us in second position when we really should have been knocking on Arbroaths door at the top. Whatever the reason, the fans are getting somewhat disgruntled as we are without a win in five games now. It does seem like a long time ago that we absolutely thrashed Morton 6-1 on 11th December. Only four points from our last five games, or four points from a possible fifteen. That's not the form of a team going for promotion. Sort it! The goals Change the record Billy... Date: 22/01/2022 Venue: East End Park, Dunfermline Attendance: 3138 Referee: Steven Reid Dunfermline: 1 Manager: John Hughes Lineup: OF Williams; Comrie, Donaldson, Martin, Edwards, Dow (Dorrans 62), Pybus, Todd (Cole 63), Allan (O'Hara 45), Lawless, McCann Subs (not used): Mehmet; Jones, Todorov, Macdonald Scorers: Lawless (80 pen) Booked: Allan (34), Cole (81), McCann (82) Sent Off: none Inverness CT: 1 Manager: Billy Dodds Lineup: Ridgers; Carson, Broadfoot, Devine (Duffy 45+2), Deas, Walsh, Welsh, McAlear, Harper (Pearson 72), Sutherland, Duku (Chalmers 67) Subs (not used): C Mackay; Hyde, L Nicolson, Jamieson Scorers: Sutherland (39) Booked: Devine (10), McAlear (70), Carson (79) Sent Off: none a

The struggle continues A visit to East End Park is on the cards for this weekend. With both teams conveniently knocked out of the Scottish Cup, then we can play catch-up on this postponed fixture from the end of December. Kick off is 3:00pm and with fan restrictions lifted, a healthy crowd is anticipated as the omicron cobwebs get blown away. Inverness' cup winning manager John Hughes is now the man in charge at East End Park with the unenviable task of lifting the Pars up the table. It's an opportunity for both clubs to get back on track after festive flops and the stakes are high at both ends of the table. OFFICIALPREVIEW TICKETS/STREAMING/SUPPORTERS BUS/MATCH INFO Venue - Head 2 Pld Won Drn Lst For Agst + / - Home 22 9 8 5 28 21 +7 Away 23 9 9 5 28 25 +3 Neutral 2 0 1 1 3 4 -1 Total 47 18 18 11 59 50 +9 This is the only Championship fixture this weekend Pos Team Pld W D L F A Pts 1. Arbroath 22 11 8 3 35 16 41 2. Inverness CT 21 10 7 4 29 17 37 3. Kilmarnock 21 11 4 6 27 15 37 4. Raith Rovers 22 9 8 5 29 22 35 5. Partick Thistle 20 9 6 5 33 19 33 6. Hamilton Ac. 22 6 6 10 24 37 24 7. Ayr United 21 5 6 10 19 34 21 8. Morton 21 4 8 9 24 31 20 9. Q.O.S. 21 4 6 11 21 33 18 10. Dunfermline 21 3 9 9 19 36 18 This seasons clashes show that despite their present status, the Pars will no doubt present us with another difficult hurdle to overcome. We were fortunate to come away with a point in the first fixture but we slumped to a 2-1 defeat at the Caledonian Stadium on 13 November: 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. Last Time Out: Inverness flopped for the fourth game in a row as we were held at home by equal bottom club Queen of the South. We came from behind to go 2-1 ahead but threw the points away when Carson teed up Queens sub Roy to make it 2-2. Donnelly had put Queens ahead before Mckay and Walsh gave us the lead. However, as is our tale of woe just now, we can't see out a game and that's one loss and three draws in the last four games. At this rate, promotion looks a long way off. Dunfermline's tale of the tape is confusing as well. A draw with Raith Rovers in the derby, thrashed 5-0 at Morton then last game a 1-0 win over Hamilton Accies. That leaves them bottom of the league in the relegation slot, level on points with Queen of the South, who we failed to beat last week. Latest Team News: Inverness have been dealt a major body blow with the news we were all dreading. It's not a rumour, Scott Allardice is out for the season. Ryan Fyffe has extended his loan at Nairn County. Aaron Doran and Cameron Harper were also missing last week. Awaiting further team news..............And here it is: Welsh u21 forward Sam Pearson has joined on loan from Bristol City. Joining Sam at Inverness is Dundee United forward Logan Chalmers who comes in on loan as well. Both players will join the squad at East End Park. Since the January sales, Dunfermline have lost defenders Ross Graham who has been recalled by Dundee United and Mark Connolly has returned but has been loaned out to Irish Premier side Dundalk. So far, Col Donaldson is the only new defender at East End Park arriving on loan from Dingwall. Up front, Kai Kennedy has been loaned out to Hamilton Accies by Rangers and Arbroath have taken Craig Wighton on loan. One forward has arrived, and that is Steven Lawless (winger) who has been without a club since leaving Motherwell in October 2021 ICTFC Under 18s beat St Johnstone 2-1 this afternoon. Goals from Ben Barron and Kenny MacInnes Well done lads

Comedy of Errors 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. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ As expected, Aaron Doran once again missed out. Also missing was Scott Allardice who they kept quiet about and Cameron Harper. Still waiting for confirmation that Allardice's injury is season ending or just a rumour, but he is not included today. That left us with only six on the bench, two of those being youth players. Queens made three changes from their last outing with Shea Gordon making his debut for the 'Doonhamers' and Willie Gibson returning after injury. Another flat calm afternoon with a covid restricted crowd in attendance saw the hosts set the ball rolling attacking the South Stand end. I'll let RIG tell the story. I know I know, you've all read it before, but this is how it is I'm afraid. That was grim. After a decent opening 15 - 20 minutes from Queens, during which they probably should have scored at least once, we started to get on top and looked like ending the first half the stronger side. Queens main attacking plan seemed to be trying to slide the ball in behind our CBs for Connelly to latch on to and we got a glimpse of this when Paton (I think) burst through and looked set to round Ridgers but fortunately a well timed challenge snuffed out this threat. Deas had a couple of decent chances which fell to him at the left edge of the box but your CB filling in at left back probably doesn't have the greatest shooting boots in the world and it showed as he snatched at both efforts. Walsh had a good chance to score as well but I think he tried to be too cute and attempted to shoot back across Rae in goal instead of sending a shot away from him. The opening goal looked miles offside but that was probably because there was one Queens player standing ahead of Connelly before he raced clear to round Ridgers and, eventually, put the ball into the net. At the time I thought he was offside but folk watching on the stream said he was played onside by Broadfoot. Still annoying given we had a taste of this minutes before with the aforementioned Paton chance. In the second half and Devine made a desperate challenge to stop a second Queens goal throwing himself in front of a goal bound shot from a few yards out. A bit of route one got us level with a long thump downfield by Ridgers and it looked like Gibson got in a right state trying to decide if he was going to clear the ball or not and Mckay took it off him to bundle in the equaliser. Route one Sutherland had a good chance to get the second goal for us but seemed to take forever to actually get his shot away and a Queens defender did well to deflect the effort behind for a corner. The second for ICT did come eventually with Mckay flicking the ball on for Walsh who got in behind the defence and finished well across Rae. But only a few minutes later Queens were back level and no one seemed to know what exactly had happened with Roy turning hom a cross whilst in an offside position. At the game I could only think that the ball had come off an ICT player so Roy couldn't therefore be offside and from what I've read it seems the ball was actually played to him by Carson so the goal, sadly, stood. An absolutely gutting result with Arbroath winning and other sides around us faltering. Queens looked decent in spells but seemed a bit of a mess at the back and it's frustrating that we couldn't take advantage of this as I felt we had enough chances to put the game to bed. That said I still think we were very poor again and whilst the likes of Mckay and McAlear turned in good performances we need more from the likes of Walsh (although he did score today) and we also need some fresh faces in quickly to try and give the squad a lift. Talking to BBC Sport Inverness CT head coach Billy Dodds: "My players showed a brilliant appetite to get back into it. When you feel it's gone against you with the first goal you can let the heads go down - they didn't. "They kept battling away and then we lose another questionable goal - not because of the officials but because of the interpretation of the law. There's a couple of players standing slightly offside and they gain an advantage." Queen of the South manager Allan Johnston: "I thought we played well for long periods. "It was a really good team performance and we were really unlucky to come away with just a point. "We were under pressure from a big, physical team at the end. We gave away cheap goals, which has been a thing too often from my point of view." Date: 15/01/2022 Venue: Caledonian Stadium Attendance: 479 Referee: Willie Collum Inverness CT: 2 Manager: Billy Dodds Lineup: Ridgers; Carson, Broadfoot, Devine, Deas, Walsh, Welsh, McAlear, MacGregor (Duku 64), Sutherland, Mckay Subs (not used): C Mackay; L Nicolson, Hyde, Duffy, Jamieson Scorers: Mckay (62), Walsh (73) Booked: Mckay (8), Deas (45) Sent Off: none Queen of the South: 2 Manager: Alan Johnston Lineup: Rae; Johnston, Nditi, Gibson (Fitzpatrick 76), East, Gordon (Debayo 70), McGrory, Liddle, Cooper, Connelly, Paton (Roy 76) Subs (not used): Cowie, Joseph, McKechnie, Junior Scorers: Connelly (39), Roy (77) Booked: Nditi (60), Liddle (61) Sent Off: none a

Shut that window Second bottom Queen of the south come calling to the Caledonian Stadium to take on second top Inverness Caledonian Thistle. Saturday afternoon at 3:00pm is the kick-off. Queens have lost their last two fixtures and Inverness are without a win in their last three games. Time to close the transfer window before we have nobody left to play out the season. OFFICIAL PREVIEW/STREAMING/TICKET INFO Venue Pld Won Drn Lst For Agst + / - Home 20 12 2 6 36 24 +12 Away 19 8 7 4 33 20 +13 Neutral 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Total 39 20 9 10 69 44 +25 Pos Team Pld W D L F A Pts 1. Arbroath 21 10 8 3 33 15 38 2. Inverness CT 20 10 6 4 27 15 36 3. Kilmarnock 20 11 3 6 26 14 36 4. Raith Rovers 21 9 8 4 28 20 35 5. Partick Thistle 19 9 5 5 32 18 32 6. Hamilton Ac. 21 6 6 9 24 36 24 7. Ayr United 20 5 6 9 19 32 21 8. Morton 20 3 8 9 22 31 17 9. Q.O.S. 20 4 5 11 19 31 17 10. Dunfermline 20 2 9 9 18 36 15 FRIDAY 19:45 Partick 1-1 Killie SATURDAY 15:00 Ayr Utd v Morton Dunfermline v Hamilton Inverness v Queens Raith Rovers v Arbroath Inverness have picked up six points from the two games between the clubs this season, both ending 2-1 in favour of the Caley Jags. CTO Summary from 25th September: Goals from Sean Welsh and Michael Gardyne were just enough to put Inverness back to the top of the table despite a worldy goal from Lee Connelly for the visitors. Inverness deserved the win but made hard work of it before Gardyne scored a superb volley to win the points and ease the fans nerves. CTO Summary from 19th November: The 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. Last Time Out The Caley Jags recovered from a goal down to draw with Raith Rovers last weekend. The points were shared thanks to two spectacular goals from Ethan Ross and Reece McAlear. A poor first half for the hosts saw Raith lead at the break but a better performance after the interval earned a share of the points although Raith will be aggrieved that they never ended their 22 year wait for a win over Inverness. Queens were deservedly beaten by Kilmarnock in a 2-0 defeat at Palmerston. Alan Johnston had this to say about it on BBC Sport: "It was never a penalty. There was a tug of the shirt but I've seen it again and it was way outside the box. But we continue to give away cheap goals. We have a fight on our hands. That's for sure." That's something like only four wins in 25 games since Alan Johnston went to Palmerston. The sort of form that gets teams relegated. Unfortunately, on the whole, we seldom take full advantage of this and often find ourselves struggling to dominate these games. That needs to change now if we want to remain interested in topping this league. Showing some urgency from the start would be an improvement on recent offerings. Latest Team News Billy Dodds saw Sean Welsh return last week as a second half substitute against Raith Rovers. Aaron Dorran missed out with a thigh injury and is a major doubt. Youth player Harry Hennem will continue his loan spell at Brora Rangers until the end of the season. More disturbing news though if true is that Scott Allardice is allegedly out for the season if you believe the latest rumours. Another equally disappointing one is that Robbie Deas is the subject of a six figure bid (£150K) by St Johnstone to lure our defender to McDiarmid Park, following the footsteps of defenders Jamie McCart and Shaun Rooney. Meh! I bet that next up for scrutiny will be Shane Sutherland; what's the odds on that... As an aside, but equally annoying: Daniel Mackay has joined Killie on loan, and loan Ranger Kai Kennedy has gone to Hamilton Accies. Willie Gibson should return for Queens who should also have former County and Inverness player Alex Cooper plying his trade at left back. Keeper Sol Brynn has been recalled by Middlesbrough but midfielder Don McMahon comes back from his loan to Dalbeattie Star. Here's Doddsy...