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  1. League Cup drubbing As expected, Inverness were dismissed by a rampant Motherwell before half time. An early tap in from Kevin van Veen put Motherwell in control and before half an hour Danny Devine turned a Matt Penney cross into his own net. Our injury woes increased with Nathan Shaw being replaced by Steven Boyd after thirty minutes. Sean Goss won a penalty which was converted by van Veen and it was game over by the interval. Another van Veen penalty completed his hat-trick with twenty three minutes left. The game then descended into a substitution frenzy with Motherwell safely into the draw for the next round. Good luck to them. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Danny Devine and Wallace Duffy were back in defence but Aaron Doran, Austin Samuels and George Oakley were all missing along with long termers Shane Sutherland and Tom Walsh. This was a big ask for a struggling Championship side and a big step up in quality. And so it turned out, but the lack of passion and desire is something new to us and that needs to be addressed. Unfortunately this was no surprise as Motherwell brushed a poor Inverness team aside before the interval. Our highlight was in the 87th minute when Calum Mackay replaced older brother Daniel. Plenty for Billy Dodds to think about, and sadly we look out of our depth at the moment. Date: 31/08/2022 Venue: Fir Park, Motherwell Attendance: 3982 Referee: Kevin Clancy Motherwell: 4 Manager: Steven Hammell Lineup: Kelly; McGinn, Solholm, Lamie, Penney, Goss (Maguire 79), Slattery (Miller 79), Spittal (McKinstry 72), Efford (Aarons 71), Tierney, van Veen (Shields 76) Subs (not used): Oxborough; O'Donnell, Mugabi, Cornelius Scorers: van Veen (9, 38 pen, 67 pen), Devine (og 26) Booked: Slattery (19) Sent Off: none Inverness CT: 0 Manager: Billy Dodds Lineup: Ridgers; Duffy, Devine (Hyde 71), Deas, Harper, D Mackay (Calum Mackay 87), Carson, Allardice, MacGregor (Delaney 45), Shaw (Boyd 29), B Mckay Subs (not used): C Mackay; C Mackay, Scorers: none Booked: Deas (55), Ridgers (66), Boyd (86) Sent Off: none a
  2. Oh no, another game incoming   On the back of a couple of desperate results, we now have the daunting task of travelling to Fir Park to face Premiership side Motherwell in the knock out stages of the League Cup. We have often succeeded when the chips are down, however even our most optimistic of fans are struggling to see how we can change our fortunes given our current resources and desire. Poor showings against Partick Thistle and Morton in the Championship were not ideal preparation for the trip to Motherwell and many frustrated fans will be giving this a body swerve. It's almost as if the team won't give full commitment to the cause, why should the fans spend their hard earned cash to flog the dead donkey. Anyway, we live in eternal hope, but maybe this simply won't be our year. Motherwell have been blowing hot and cold recently and two late goals for Kilmarnock saw them go down 2-1 on Saturday. Dumped out of Europe by Sligo Rovers, they opened their Premiership campaign at Paisley with a 1-0 win. Followed that by losing at home to St Johnstone before stunning Aberdeen at Pittodrie by 2-3. A 1-0 win over Livingston preceded the Killie game giving them 3 wins and 2 losses. Our own form to be honest has been luke warm and ice cold in equal portions, however the last two games have shown us to be ill-prepared for the battle and I fear for us going to Fir Park on Tuesday night. The best we can hope for is a break from our Championship chores and come out refreshed for the rigours of going to Starks Park at the weekend. If not, it could be a long week. Latest Team News Little movement on the injury front, let's see what Dodds has to say about that ahead of this fixture, or maybe just the usual smoke screens.        
  3. Annus Horribilis Endum Relegationus Our Annus has at last ended in relegation after we defeated Motherwell 3-2, but Hamilton thumped Dundee to ensure they live to fight another day. The inevitable happened, albeit later than most of us expected, but after getting some false hope in midweek, the great escape was called off before half-time with Accies 2-0 up at the interval. So, the worst team in the league got their just reward, automatic relegation. A lot of unhappy bunnies at full-time with many fans turning their anger to the board, or more specifically the lack of action from the board and a rookie manager who will be made the scapegoat in all of this. Foran was given the role by a board which we all hoped would work out. When it never happened the board did nothing. When it all went tits up the board did nothing. The silence from the board is deafening and the stench of relegation will linger around for a long time. Anyway, congratulations to Accies who took the pressure and went about their business the right way. For us, it's championship football next season with no guarantee that we will bounce back. Bigger clubs than us have found it's tough to get out of this league and float around the championship for several years. However, that's the position we find ourselves in and we just have to get on with it. Foran fielded the same side that started against Dundee and a big crowd turned out to see if the impossible would happen. Motherwell were without the departing Scott McDonald, but Louis Moult made the starting XI. It was a cagey opening half for us and we looked nervous, afraid to make the errors that would see us relegated. It took 23 minutes for us to feel uneasy as news filtered through that Accies had taken the lead. The frustration doubled two minutes later as Accies bagged a second and we all knew it was game over. It looked as though the players knew something was wrong as the first half was poor, and heads were dropping, but in all honesty it was the same fare we have been treated to all season, so nothing new there. Despite the poor first half, we did create the best opportunities and Laing fired a long range effort that worked the keeper. Polworth skewed wide and Draper opened his body too much when he should have found the top corner. However, Motherwell did look slicker than us for the most part which in itself was a tad worrying. Half-Time 0-0 We needed goals and upped the pace after the break but had Raven to thank for clearing what looked like a netbound effort away from goal. Dougie Imrie sealed our fate when he scored a third for Accies from the spot in the 56th minute. Relegation assured, and Just when it looked as though we had run out of ideas, we hit Well with a triple whammy. Greg Tansey punched the air in delight as his parting gift was a goal rifled across the keeper in the 64th minute. Three minutes later and Alex Fisher had us 3-0 ahead. It mattered not a jot though although the goals were pleasing. Motherwell beavered away and were rewarded with a couple of goals, one from sub James McFadden and a late penalty from Bowman. Full Time 3-2 Many fans had seen enough long before the end and may have missed Well's mini revival, but they fell just short of utterly ruining our day completely although relegation was punishment enough for a season of dross. I'll stick to comments regarding the game for now and my MotM goes to Iain Vigurs who looked assured on the ball, the one player who looked to have class in abundance on a dark day for the club. Greg Tansey also impressed in his final game before joining Aberdeen. However, it's not just about this one game, the whole season has been littered with failures, from top to bottom and that is why we are going down. It has taken twenty-two years to build this club into a force to be reckoned with. It's only taken one year to demolish it and set us back fifteen years. ICT v Motherwell Foran Interview on BBC Sport I'm not sure about bad apples, but something is rotten to the core. As someone commented somewhere, "Budapest to Brechin in just two years............... See you all next season in the Championship Date: 20/05/2017 Venue: Caledonian Stadium, Inverness Attendance: 5351 Referee: Craig Thomson Inverness CT: 3 Lineup: Esson, Brad Mckay, Warren, Laing, Raven, Polworth (Mulraney 77), Tansey, Draper, Vigurs (McNaughton 83), Fisher, Billy Mckay. Subs (not used): Hoban, Cole, Anier, Boden, McCart. Scorers: Tansey (64), Fisher (66,67) Booked: none Sent Off: none Motherwell: 2 Lineup: Griffiths, Cadden, Heneghan, McHugh, Hammell, Clay, Campbell, Ainsworth (Livingstone 56), Moult (McFadden 73), Frear, Gordon (Bowman 67) Subs (not used): Turnbull, Lasley, Jules, Pain, Scorers: McFadden (73), Bowman (pen 93) Booked: none Sent Off: none a
  4. THE MATCHDAY THREAD Discuss ICT & other games in this thread as they happen Inverness CT -V- Motherwell PREVIEW 20th May 2017 @ 3PM, Caledonian Stadium Follow us on Twitter Follow us on Facebook Go to the Chatroom Media Coverage AUDIO COVERAGE BBC Sportsound Open All Mics [UK Only] LIVE TEXT (ONLINE) ONE Football - APP also available for iPhone/Android/Windows phones Sporting Life BBC VIDEO CaleyJagsTV (LIVE for overseas viewers, On Demand for Worldwide Users after UK holdback period) : payment required. SPL YouTube Channel ICT Official YouTube Channel TEAM LINEUPS TO FOLLOW Tweets by @ICTFC Tweets by @ICTFC
  5. Survival Saturday It's squeaky bum time as Motherwell visit the Caledonian Stadium for game 38 in the Premiership. Who knew we would still have a chance to remain in this division after the season we have suffered. Thanks to a stirring performance on Wednesday night, we defeated Dundee, and that result brings us to squeaky bum Saturday. Hold on to your seats folks. Yes, it's still possible to make the play off final. That in itself would be a major feat, but it will be an extremely difficult opponent that will await the second bottom side with Dundee United or perennial challengers Falkirk waiting to ambush the unlucky side. ***Latest News*** United defeat Falkirk 2-1 (agg 3-4) after coming from behind to book their place in the Play-Off Final. With Accies losing a late goal to County on Tuesday night, that gave Inverness the impetus to go out and have a go at Dens Park. We did this with some authority and scored two goals inside ten minutes to create this phenomenon. Motherwell made their season safe with an excellent 3-1 win over Kilmarnock and justified their decision to remove Mark McGhee from his position. Caley Jags fans were gobsmacked by the fighting qualities and confidence displayed against Dundee. The defence won everything in their own box and we looked confident and assured. The mystery is why has it taken a whole season to come out with a result and performance like this. This was only our third clean sheet of the season in the League. What a time to do it. Motherwell away was one of our clean sheet games when we smacked them 3-0 back in October. Tremarco, Doumbouya and Polworth were the scorers that day. Only Polworth will be available for selection this time around. The other two games against Well have ended in defeat, 4-2 at Fir Park and a disappointing 2-1 reverse at the Caledonian Stadium, despite dominating most of the game. Motherwell have two wins since the split, that's the same as us. Well have won on their last three visits to Inverness. We have not kept a clean sheet at home in our last seven games. So, it's come down to this. It's all or nothing. Only a win will benefit us as long as Hamilton do not win against Dundee. If we can show the same confidence that was on display at Dens Park then we will give ourselves a chance, something that looked a long way off a month or two ago. Richie Foran said we have no fresh injuries ahead of this crucial game and Scott Boden will be fit enough to be included in the squad. Josh Meekings, Aaron Doran and Owain Fon Williams are all long term casualties. Stephen Robinson had an extra day to rest his players after beating Killie. However he does have some problems ahead of this clash. Scott McDonald is leaving Motherwell at the end of the season and will not feature at Inverness. Fellow striker Louis Moult is also reported to be struggling with an injury. Craig Samson, Stephen Pearson, Stephen McManus, Richard Tait, Jacob Blyth, Jack McMillan, Lee Lucas and Ross MacLean are all out. If we can believe that all of these are out then it's like one of our injury lists. tm4tj prediction:- You won't get a prediction out of me for this one. Suffice to say I am bricking it. However, after that confident, assured and clinical display against Dundee, more of the same would not go amiss. I'll say no more, it's time for the talking to stop and let the action on the park speak for all of us. Mon the Caley Jags.
  6. All over bar the shouting Despite Richie Foran stating we were ready for the battle, it was Motherwell that came out determined to put us to the sword and after just eight minutes we found ourselves 2-0 down and Tremarco substituted through injury. Foran said on BBC Sport "I'm feeling positive. Three points today can change the whole picture for us." Eight minutes later that statement looked flawed. Alex Fisher deflected one in before half-time and had another couple of efforts well saved by Craig Samson. The Fish lobbed another ten minutes after the break to level matters. However a disputed Scott McDonald goal and a powerful headed finish from Allan Campbell put Well in the driving seat again. 4-2 Final score and the Championship is calling our name out loud. The fears of the visiting fans were quickly realised as Billy Mckay missed out through injury and with Gary Warren and Larnell Cole suspended and Iain Vigurs on the park, the writing was on the wall before a ball was kicked. The results this weekend have virtually relegated Inverness although Dundee are still in free fall five points above us. Old Caley Girl will have a full report for us if she hasn't jumped off the Kessock Bridge yet.................. Nope, she's still with us, and has put together a somewhat sombre report. The Grim Reaper is coming It is with a very heavy heart I start typing this match report. Yesterday was, in all honesty, a final roll of the dice to save ourselves and we failed. There is no doubt this wretched season is grinding to its inevitable conclusion. We are done, finished and down no doubt about it. Any optimism Caleyaway had at the start of the match didn’t last long. Cadden opened the scoring in 7 minutes. He danced into the box and bulleted the ball into the left hand top of the goal. It seemed to catch the wind and curl giving OFW no chance. Yet again all too easy with Cadden not shut down early by McCart. Two minutes later things went from bad to worse. Moult floated a left footed shot over the goal, the ball was fumbled by OFW and bounced into the net. Ryan Bowman could have made it 3 but for a good save by our keeper. At this point we decided to roll up our sleeves, waken up and play. A further blow was Carl Tremarco going off injured and replaced by McNaughton in 11 minutes. For the rest of the first half it was pretty much end to end stuff with Fisher giving the away fans a bit of a lift in 21 minutes with a left footed shot hitting the right hand back of the net. Owain Fon Williams had several fine saves as well. HALF TIME Motherwell 2 Inverness Caledonian Thistle 1 The second half continued as the first had ended with both sides having chances. However in 54 minutes it looked like the great escape was on. Fisher scoring a poachers goal from outside the box into an empty net, one that Iain Stewart would have been proud of. This was the type of fight and grit we had been looking for from the players and there was hope this might, just might be the day we won the must win game. In 64 minutes Vigurs was replaced by Mulraney and unfortunately that led to us losing shape in my opinion. Vigurs had been having a solid game up till this point playing off Polworth. Two minutes later enter the Willie Collum show. Scott McDonald headed the ball towards goal and was saved on the line by Owain Fon Williams. Well we all thought it was until Mr Collum bizarrely awarded a goal!!! Our players were understandably raging and that was that. The players seemed totally deflated and that probably led to losing another goal 5 minutes later from an Allan Campbell header. Anier appeared in 74 minutes replacing Billy King and Brad McKay earned a yellow in 89 minutes. No luck again but that’s been the story of this season. A monumental task now awaits if we are to stay up. FULL TIME – Motherwell 4 -2 Inverness Caledonian Thistle OCG MotM – Alex Fisher, showing fight passion and knowing where the back of the net was. I can’t help feeling he should have been playing more and that if he had we might not be where we are now. At the end of the match he came over acknowledged the fans and gave away his top to a young away fan. Not sure what to read into that but rumours now surface that his contract will not be renewed sadly. Honourable mention to Iain Vigurs, Greg Tansey and Liam Polworth who definitely got pass marks from me. Can’t remember feeling so down as I did yesterday leaving Fir Park. Will be a while till we see it again as our fate is sealed. There will be no great escape after all. Yes Collum changed the match and in all probability that was the killer blow but we have been struggling all season. A lot of chat re Richie Foran, the players and the board from fellow Caleyawayers. Leaving that for another day as still licking my wounds from a miserable day out. Oh dear, not looking so good now as we enter the bottom-six split 5 points adrift of the nearest side, the free falling Dundee. All is not lost yet, but it would be a brave man to bet on us avoiding relegation now. Still, while there are fifteen points still up for grabs, then we can cling on to the Premiership for another couple of weeks yet. Next game is a Friday night derby at Dingwall. Not for the faint hearted I imagine. A forlorn Foran gives his match reaction........... Highlights from SPFL website Date: 15/04/17 Venue: Fir Park, Motherwell Attendance: 3696 Referee: Willie Collum Motherwell: 4 Lineup: Samson, Hammell (Jules 87), Heneghan, McHugh, Campbell, Cadden, Frear, Pearson, Bowman (Ainsworth 59), McDonald, Moult (Blyth 83) Subs (not used): Griffiths, Clay, Ferguson, Gordon Scorers: Cadden (7), Moult (9), McDonald (65), Campbell (70) Booked: none Sent Off: none Inverness CT: 2 Lineup: Fon-Williams, Tremarco (McNaughton 13), McCart, Laing, B.MacKay, Polworth, Draper, Vigurs (Mulraney 64), Tansey, King (Anier 74), Fisher Subs (not used): Esson, Ebbe, Horner, Boden Scorers: Fisher (21, 54) Booked: Brad Mackay (89) Sent Off: none a
  7. *** VOTING IN THE POLL ABOVE IS FOR PEOPLE WHO WERE AT THE MATCH ONLY *** If you were at the match, please use the poll above to vote for your top 3 players. As a bit of fun, we have also added an option to rate the referee .... Please make sure you vote for 3 separate players. If you make an error, let us know so we can fix it. PLEASE ONLY VOTE ABOVE IF YOU WERE AT THE GAME Anyone caught trying to cheat the system WILL be banned from voting in ALL site polls...this is your only warning. **NOT at the game ?** As a result of requests received, we have made a slight change to how these threads work for site users who watched the game on TV or listened to the full game live on the radio ....... You too will now be able to cast your votes, but should do it in the thread below, and NOT in the official poll above. Just list the three players of your choosing and award 5,3, or 1 point(s). You can give the ref a mark if you want too ! These votes will NOT be counted in the official total, as we only count votes from those who where actually at the game, but it IS a way for you to participate in the process .... which many people asked for .... a happy medium we hope !!!!!
  8. Fir Park six-pointer. It's getting close to last chance saloon for Inverness as they try to stave off relegation. A visit to fellow strugglers Motherwell is our last game before the League split, a split that will determine our fate over the final five games of this dismal season. It's probably fitting that the bottom two clubs at this moment are Inverness and Motherwell, the clubs with the worst defensive record in the League. Inverness' only away win all season came at Motherwell back in October. It kind of came out of the blue although it was nonetheless very welcome at the time. Second half goals from Carl Tremarco, Lonsana Doumbouya, and Liam Polworth catapulted rookie boss Richie Foran's side into the top-six. Here we go we all thought. Alas, a devastating one win in the twenty-one League games since then has plummeted Foran's flops to the brink of relegation, four points adrift of second bottom Motherwell. It's been a season to forget for Caley Jags fans with a total of four wins to date, the worst statistic in British senior football. Speculation grew in the media this week that Foran was about to get the bullet, but the club quickly dispelled any truth in the hype surrounding this, although many fans fear it's a couple of months too late in the making. The board won't like this either, but many pundits are looking to them as guilty parties in this sorry mess. Foran's appointment being the main topic and appearing to be the cheap option. Club legend Barry Wilson talking on BBC Sport is pointing his finger at the board. "The buck stops with the board. They made the appointment, they took the gamble and, at the minute, it's certainly not looking as if it's worked. "Richie needed his own man in there as an assistant, he wasn't granted that, so there had to be a partnership between Brian and Richie - and I don't think that's there. That doesn't help." We are not relegated yet though and should we defeat Motherwell, then more opportunities will surely come along after the split, but the statistics don't back that up with only four wins in thirty-two games, why should the last five be any different. We showed nothing against St Johnstone to suggest that we are up for a battle and if anything, most of the players look resigned to Championship football already. We plumbed new depths against St Johnstone going down without much fight 3-0 at home with two players sent off. Larnell Cole during the second half and Gary Warren after the final whistle. Nothing went right for us and heads went down too early, the Cole sending of just brought forward the capitulation. The Steelmen lost 1-0 to surprise top-six qualifiers Partick Thistle who have had a great season by their recent standards. That defeat was Well's seventh in the last ten games with only one win and two draws. Well parted company with Mark McGhee at the end of February after a run of two wins in thirteen games. Seems not too bad considering some managers have had worse records. However the straw that broke the donkey's back was a 5-1 thrashing from Dundee. A month later they appointed Stephen Robinson as the man to get them out of trouble. His first game saw the bounce help them to a win over Killie, but that has been followed by no wins in their last five games and we have edged one point closer to them by virtue of an extra draw. Inverness will be missing the suspended duo of Larnell Cole and Gary Warren. Josh Meekings, Iain Vigurs and Aaron Doran are long term absentees. David Raven missed last weekend with a groin strain and is a doubt as is fellow defender Jamie McCart. One massive blow to our hopes is that Billy Mckay is struggling to make this one. Jake Mulraney featured for the development squad in midweek and he will benefit from some game time. Kev McNaughton played last weekend against St Johnstone, but maybe found the pace too much given his lengthy spell out and the role he was offered, but his quality showed through. Motherwell have Keith Lasley suspended for this game. Stephen McManus is recovering from a groin operation and is not expected back yet. Richard Tait has also been under the knife and is out having missed the last seven games. Louis Moult is a doubt for this game. tm4tj prediction:- I despair watching the Caley Jags at the moment. The lack of passion is evident, the lack of quality is evident, the lack of ambition is evident, the lack of creation is evident. On this evidence, we are heading one way unless the manager and players can find something that's been missing all season. I don't hold out much hope for a win, maybe a draw, but it's who wants it the most. Home win looks likeliest. Other games in the relegation watch this weekend:- Dundee v Hamilton. Dundee have lost their last 6 games on the bounce. Accies have 2 wins & 2 draws in last 6. Killie v Hearts. Killie are on the verge of safety, a win over Hearts would make them unlikely candidates.
  9. Absolutely Brutal Inverness slumped to another defeat, this time at the hands of relegation rivals Motherwell. That's nine games without a win and this result leaves us as firm favourites for the drop. If this was a boxing match, the referee would probably have taken both boxers aside and reminded them they would have to show some intent or risk losing their purse. However, Clay delivered a sucker punch with a bit of a freak blow as Fon Williams did not cover himself in glory, the wind aided strike catching him unawares. Another body blow from Scott McDonald ended the contest. Despite a late flurry of activity, probably borne out of embarrassment we only had a scrambled effort from want away midfielder Greg Tansey to show for it. We had plenty of possession in the second forty-five, but similar to most games this season we were unable to capitalise on it. Ross Draper had what looked like a decent claim for a penalty turned down and Aaron Doran struck the crossbar, but as is the norm these days, nothing went for us and in the end the three points left Inverness destined for North Lanarkshire. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Old Caley Girl will have a full report for us when she thaws out and her anger subsides....................... and here it is. Not sure where to start here to be honest. However, the hard luck excuses this season are wearing a bit thin. The Caley Thistle line up was unchanged from the last game at Ibrox. As mentioned in the match preview McHugh returned to the Motherwell line up following a lengthy spell out with concussion. A decent crowd, for a cold post-Christmas midweek match were in good spirits led by a noisy young team in the north stand. However, this optimistic mood was to be misplaced. Motherwell had the first chance of the game with a free kick from Hammell taking a deflection forcing Owain Fon Williams to make a save. However, this led to Caley Thistle having chances of our own with Polworth and Cole coming close. It was end to end chances with Tansey forcing a great save from Samson from a 25 yd free kick. There was bit of drama when Cole had a hefty challenge on Lucas earning a yellow card. Arguably he was perhaps lucky it wasn’t a different colour. This flashpoint kicked off Scott McDonald into a rage and it seemed like everyone on both sides piled in. Tansey tested Samson again on the stroke of halftime but without result. Half Time 0-0 ICT started the 2nd half with a great chance with Doumbouya crossing the ball right across the goalmouth but Cole could not connect. However, in 50 minutes the game changed completely with a Clay shot from the edge of the box catching the wind and finding itself right in the top corner of the net. Not much Owain Fon Williams could do about it as just a freak shot. This did however, change the game with ICT panicking and reverting to the “hoof and hope” tactic. We did have chances to pull the game back with Vigurs and Doran forcing good saves and a possible call for a penalty when Draper was pushed over in front of goal. Draper also had another claim turned down a few moments later but it would have been soft. We continued to press for the equaliser but to no avail and indeed there was the worry that we would be caught on the counter which indeed proved to be the case when Moult stormed down the right passing to McDonald who shot past a static OFW who seemed unwilling to move off his line. Motherwell 2-0 up and the home fans left in droves. Tansey did bundle the ball over the line in the dying minutes but too little too late for the home team. Full Time 1-2 Worrying times. Motherwell looked a poor side but we just couldn’t get our act together. Bottom of the table with just one win in 13. Only 2 home wins this season with only one clean sheet. Apparently we also have the lowest points total at this stage, in any division, in our history as a club. The stats also show that most clubs bottom at the turn of the year go on to be relegated. Richie Foran also a bit fortunate in the lack of criticism coming his way, at the moment, in my opinion. County up next and it really really is a must win but I’m personally not full of confidence. We do have the personnel to sort this and it really is time for some leadership on the field from the experienced players and a bit of backbone to show what they really are capable of. Bad luck maybe but let’s make our own luck. An ugly 1-0 on Saturday will do fine. OCG MotM – To be fair to the match sponsor there really wasn’t a lot of choice. However, the choice of Iain Vigurs drew audible gasps then boos in the north stand. Personally I wish he would roll up his sleeves and stop being a passenger for most of the game. I’m going with Tremarco for the simple reason that I can’t remember him doing much wrong. Date: 28/12/16 Venue: Caledonian Stadium Attendance: 3097 Referee: Barry Cook Inverness CT: 1 Lineup: Fon-Williams, Tremarco, Warren, Meekings, Polworth (Mulraney 70), Draper, Vigurs, Tansey, McKay, Doumbouya (Fisher 58), Cole (Doran 55) Subs (not used): Esson, Boden, King, Sutherland Scorers: Tansey (90) Booked: Cole (35), McKay (39), Fisher (77), Vigurs (88) Sent Off: none Motherwell: 2 Lineup: Samson, Tait, Hammell (McMillan 62), Heneghan, McManus, McHugh, Cadden (Ainsworth 25), Lucas, Clay, McDonald, Moult Subs (not used): Brill, Bowman, Ferguson, Campbell, Mackin Scorers: Clay (50), McDonald (87) Booked: Moult (58) Sent Off: none a
  10. *** VOTING IN THE POLL ABOVE IS FOR PEOPLE WHO WERE AT THE MATCH ONLY *** If you were at the match, please use the poll above to vote for your top 3 players. As a bit of fun, we have also added an option to rate the referee .... Please make sure you vote for 3 separate players. If you make an error, let us know so we can fix it. PLEASE ONLY VOTE ABOVE IF YOU WERE AT THE GAME Anyone caught trying to cheat the system WILL be banned from voting in ALL site polls...this is your only warning. **NOT at the game ?** As a result of requests received, we have made a slight change to how these threads work for site users who watched the game on TV or listened to the full game live on the radio ....... You too will now be able to cast your votes, but should do it in the thread below, and NOT in the official poll above. Just list the three players of your choosing and award 5,3, or 1 point(s). You can give the ref a mark if you want too ! These votes will NOT be counted in the official total, as we only count votes from those who where actually at the game, but it IS a way for you to participate in the process .... which many people asked for .... a happy medium we hope !!!!!
  11. THE MATCHDAY THREAD Discuss ICT & other games in this thread as they happen Inverness CT -V- Motherwell PREVIEW 28/12/16 @ 7:45PM, Caledonian Stadium Follow us on Twitter Follow us on Facebook Go to the Chatroom Media Coverage AUDIO BBC Sportsound Open All Mics [UK Only] TEXT ESPN BBC Sporting Life VIDEO SPL YouTube Channel ICT Official YouTube Channel TEAM LINEUPS Tweets by @ICTFC Tweets by @ICTFC
  12. Basement battle continues. Inverness welcome Motherwell on Wednesday night as the frantic festive football continues with another game where points are getting more crucial as the season goes on. 4 4 40. That's not a new football formation or our goals against column, not even our win-draw-defeat column, but it has been causing a bit of a kerfuffle.A pricing initiative to get more bums on seats has not gone down well at Well. Apparently the season of goodwill did not extend as far as away fans and they are not amused. For home fans, it means that four people can get in for £40, that's £10 a head. Great offer for us, but maybe seen as a bit harsh on the far travelled visitors, many who would have been carrying gifts as they travelled to our stable at this time of year. Merry Xmas.. Our last game ended in defeat at Ibrox on Xmas Eve, but not for the want of trying. we outplayed Rangers but Foderingham put in a great shift to deny the Inverness forwards, saving the day on three or four occasions, and when a gift came along, Liam Polworth picked his spot from eighteen yards. Unfortunately that spot was just the wrong side of the post. To rub salt into the wounds, we even scored the goal for Rangers, Brad Mckay being the unfortunate recipient of a Martyn Waghorn ball into the box, the ball cannoning off his shins and into the net. Even worse, it was his sore shins. Motherwell's last outing also ended in defeat at the hands of the Dons. Former Inverness players Graeme Shinnie and Adam Rooney scored in the first half, as did Scott McDonald for the Steelmen, but Niall McGinn settled it with a late third. So, 3-1 defeat it was, the same score we managed against the Dons just over a month ago. Motherwell were the last side Inverness beat. Mind you, there has only been three, the others being Dundee and St Johnstone. Our win at Motherwell was as surprising as it was welcome. A three goal blitz in the second half saw us cruise home with the three points thanks to goals from Carl Tremarco, Lonsana Doumbouya and Liam Polworth. That result put us into the top-six and we were looking to kick on from there; we are still waiting and we have now reached the bottom of the pile. We are now eight games without a win, Motherwell have no wins in their last five. We have the usual crop of walking wounded with Kev McNaughton and David Raven out longer term and Lewis Horner added to that for at least a couple of months. Alex Fisher and Scott Boden got an airing at Ibrox. The keeper crisis is ongoing but both were prepared to play despite lingering niggles. Motherwell's Carl McHugh could be fit enough to be included in the squad but captain Keith Lasley has a shoulder injury that could rule him out. Joe Chalmers, Kieran Kennedy, Jacob Blyth and Ross MacLean are all set to miss out. tm4tj prediction:- It's been a tough couple of months and a disappointing run of results without a win, but there were very encouraging signs against Rangers that our outfield play deserves better. We will be more positive at home and play with at least one wide player, possibly utilising the pace and trickery of Mulraney to provide the ammunition our strikers need. A win would be a fabulous result but a draw seems to be the likeliest outcome. Greg Tansey looks like he will be away at the end of the season, choosing not to renew his contract. We need that kind of player in our side, but we need one that is fully focused on giving his all for Inverness Caledonian Thistle. Old Caley Girl made sure we had our Preview organised and sent this one in as well, two for the price of one, enjoy....... Things are not getting any better in ICT land with festive results not doing us any favours and we found ourselves bottom of the league before taking to the pitch on Saturday at Ibrox. Despite reports of an excellent performance we still did not win and the need for us to start winning is becoming desperate. No wins in 8 is relegation form and the only saving grace is that the league is so close and means a couple of wins can propel you up the table. Motherwell are the visitors tonight and it goes without saying that it is a game we must not allow ourselves to lose. The ugliest win imaginable would be acceptable. Motherwell themselves will be desperate to win this one having not won themselves in 5 games and having only won on the road once this season. Keith Lasley is major doubt with a shoulder injury and Chalmers, Kennedy, Blyth and MacLean are definitely out. Carl McHugh may feature, for the visitors, having been out with concussion since August. There is a bit of chat on the Motherwell forums about giving Dean Brill his chance. Could we see the return of “Deano” at the TCS albeit in the wrong colours. As to ourselves, Richie Foran is looking for a bit of consistency from the players. A lack of goals is a worrying feature as is our failure to keep more than one clean sheet this season. Raven, McNaughton and Horner are definitely out with Ryan Esson apparently a major doubt. There is also a lot of press speculation about potential moves in the January transfer window especially regarding Tansey and Meekings. The players need to keep thoughts of moves out of their heads tonight and dig in to obtain us the result that we so badly need. OCG Prediction – Hoping we can keep the 3 points in the Highlands and obtain a 3rd home win of the season but I predict a score draw with 1-1 the most likely.
  13. No matchday thread yet?! With Hamilton and Killie losing yesterday and County at Celtic today, this is a key game for us. Not sure who's fit for this one, but would go with: Fon Williams Raven (if fit) Meekings Warren Tremarco Draper Tansey Doran Polworth King Doumbouya I would definitely give Vigurs 30 min against his former team too. Mulraney should also get a run out. Come on, Inverness: A morale boosting win to fire us up the league, please!
  14. Well Well Well. Wednesday night in Lanarkshire and Inverness were the visitors to Fir Park under the floodlights with both clubs hovering just outside the top-six. It was the visitors that took all three points with an ultimately convincing win, although it never looked that way at the break. Tremarco, Doumbouya and Polworth scored the goals as Motherwell capitulated in the second half. Richie Foran elected to start with Aaron Doran wide replacing Jake Mulraney who drops to the bench. Lonsana Doumbouya retained the strikers jersey. Mark McGhee had Lionel Ainsworth, James McFadden and Scott McDonald on the bench, opting for the youth of Ross McLean and Jack McMillan with Louis Moult the danger man. A promising start for the visitors and a couple of headers go off target, Doumbouya rising highest in the box from a corner but not finding the target. A clash of heads has Carl Tremarco and Richard Tait receiving treatment, the Inverness player donning a bandage before continuing. Soon after this, Liam Polworth hit a long range effort that goes just wide and Motherwell's Craig Clay does likewise at the other end. It's tit for tat stuff halfway through the first half and although the visitors are getting their fair share of the ball, they lack penetration, Brad Mckay foraging well on the right though. Louis Moult made his first telling contribution but his shot hits the side netting on the half hour, and at the other end Doumbouya heads just wide again. Shortly after, Doumbouya and Vigurs combine, but the latter fires over. Just before the break a bit of a cufuffle around our box as Cadden strikes from range. The deflection finds Moult but Mckay recovers to clear. Neither keeper has been seriously tested in a cautious first forty-five and one added minute brings the half to a close. Half Time 0-0 Moult squanders the first chance of the second period as a deep cross is headed over Fon Williams' bar, and Mckay continues where he left off in the first half, but no takers for his cross that fizzes across the box. However, his persistence pays off as he pings another cross into the box and Carl Tremarco meets it on the slide six yards out to knock it in off the underside of the bar. Billy King replaced Doran just after the hour, the Irishman not best pleased by that decision from the gaffer, rightly so as he had been fairly promising all night. The home side react by bringing on Scott McDonald for Bowman as they search for an equaliser. But it's the visitors that take the game forward and Samson has to tip a Polworth shot round the post for a corner. Tremarco and Warren combine well........ in attack, and win a corner. Total football mun. From the corner, the much maligned Doumbouya knocks home from the centre of the six yard box when the ball fell to him, his initial header blocked and dropping at his feet. Great reply from the big man after taking some stick over the last couple of weeks for missing a couple of relatively simple chances. Motherwell clutching at straws now and desperately firing a couple of shots from distance but they don't trouble Fon Williams and with around fifteen minutes to go McGhee makes his last throw of the dice and on come McFadden and Ainsworth for Clay and Maclean. Moult does find the net but is adjudged to be off side, much relief in the visitors ranks. Could be a testing last quarter of the game. Doumbouya should have scored his second of the night but his downward header from three yards bounced up and over the crossbar after a delightful flighted cross from Polworth. However, Liam Polworth had other ideas about a Well revival and rifled a low shot from twenty-five yards to kill off any thoughts of a Motherwell revival. Thumping shot from Polly who makes a habit of this at times, the ball finding the bottom corner with the keeper diving full length to his right. Billy King was the provider for Liam to slash the ball home. A couple of efforts either end after the goal but the result is a formality now and Inverness keep a clean sheet into the bargain to record an excellent away win to push us back into the top-six. Full Time 0-3 A somewhat unexpected but welcome win, and after a dour first half, we swept Motherwell away with some clinical finishing. That's three wins on the trot at Fir Park. We should play there every week. Much improved performance all round and great to see Doumbouya grab another goal, that will do his confidence no harm. Fon Williams kept a clean sheet, although he was relatively untroubled Tremarco keeps on giving and Polly back on the goal trail. All good at Fir Park. Manager Richie Foran had this to say " "There was some great play all over the park, our fitness levels were spot on, and once again we're finishing the game stronger, we're going right to the final whistle, so it was good. I'm delighted for the back four getting that clean sheet". Match video from SPFL Website Date: 26/10/16 Venue: Fir Park, Motherwell Attendance: 3131 Referee: Don Robertson Motherwell: 0 Lineup: Samson, Tait, Heneghan, McManus, Moult, Bowman (McDonald 64), Cadden, Lasley, Clay (McFadden 77), MacLean (Ainsworth 78), McMillan Subs (not used): Brill, Lucas, Ferguson, Hastie Scorers: none Booked: none Sent Off: none Inverness CT: 3 Lineup: Fon-Williams, Tremarco, Warren, Meekings (Raven 86), Polworth, Draper, Doran (King 62), Vigurs, Tansey, McKay, Doumbouya (Boden 89) Subs (not used): MacKay, Mulraney, Horner Scorers: Tremarco (57), Doumbouya (71), Polworth (83) Booked: Tremarco (85) Sent Off: none a
  15. Let's see the real Mr Vigurs After Saturday's disappointing performance, it's off to Motherwell on Wednesday night for a 19:45 kick off with both clubs vying to claim a top-six spot, one we hold on goal difference at the moment from Killie and County and one point ahead of Motherwell. Last time out we struggled to create much against a rejuvenated Kilmarnock and had to come from behind once more to snatch a late draw. Frustration was the order of the day as we were left chasing the game after Brad Mckay gave away a needless penalty with a clumsy barge on Coulibaly who scored from the spot thereafter. As we struggled to make some headway, Killie looked the likeliest to double their advantage, but as is the theme of late, we struck four minutes from the end when Lonsana Doumbouya forced home an equaliser from close range. It had been such a poor day at the office, even Ross Draper was substituted, raising eyebrows as to why the likes of Iain Vigurs had escaped the managers notice, conspicuous by his absence. He was not alone though and we really need to show a vast improvement if we want to take some points North. Motherwell faced a much sterner examination going down 2-0 at Celtic Park. With Mark McGhee setting out his stall intent on keeping Celtic out, they made life difficult for them at times but with Celtic's fire power they were always going to search for goals and so it proved with Sinclair and Dembele scoring. I doubt McGhee will be so cautious against us given our lack of creation in the final third and our midfield content to let the opposition control the pace of the game. We had four fixtures last season against the Well. Inverness won two games at Fir Park, one of these in the Cup. Motherwell won both games in the Highlands. Iain Vigurs scored a spectacular volley at Fir Park last season. Inverness had gone three goals ahead before Well staged a late recovery, but we held on to take the three points. Would be nice if he could wake from his slumber and help the team out once more. The cup game was won by another stunning goal, but Jordan Roberts is no longer on the books at the Caledonian Stadium. Ross Draper was subbed against Killie, not because of injury, but for tactical reasons. He has expressed his frustration at not being able to stay on the pitch to help the team out, but is fully committed to the overall cause. Larnell Cole was a doubt before Saturday and will still miss out with an Achilles injury. Ryan Esson is also out. Stevie Hammell is doubtful for the hosts with a hamstring injury but Carl McHugh is out. Mark McGhee is in a similar position to Richie Foran, still trying to work out his best XI with Louis Moult the most likely to score the goals, but Lionel Ainsworth appears to be out of favour so that's good news for us. tm4tj Prediction:- I'm not overly confident after our last six encounters have seen us gain one win and four draws with a solitary defeat to the Rangers. Motherwell fare slightly worse, one win, two defeats and three draws. It is however still very tight in the middle of the league and a win will catapult either side into the top-six, although we are already there (just). Well we were until Accies beat the Dons last night. Doh! I can't see where our goals are going to come from as Richie juggles his strikers around looking for the most productive solution. When Ross Draper is your top scorer, you know you have a striking problem. We will do well to get a point, but 1-1 seems to be a common score of late, and seeing as we can't keep a clean sheet either, that looks like the best bet. Richie & Josh speak to the Press ahead of tonight's game...................
  16. Bad Karma. After Jordan Roberts sensational injury time goal against Motherwell in the cup, Karma came back to bite us on the arse as Motherwell turned a draw into three points with a last second breakaway goal to snatch all the points and consolidate their top-six ambitions. Marvin Johnson scored when Inverness were pushing for the winner and his break saw the defenders scurrying back in vain as he raced through and slotted the ball beyond Fon Williams in the 94th minute, a result that has all but confined Inverness to the relegation contest. A bright April afternoon saw Inverness line up without the suspended Greg Tansey, the more attack minded Andrea Mutombo being the only change from the side that trounced Ross County a fortnight ago. Motherwell were without the injured James McFadden and Stephen Pearson, but the dangerous Scott McDonald and Louis Moult started with Lionel Ainsworth on the bench. The opening exchanges were bright without troubling either keeper, but the dazzling footwork of Andrea Mutombo was a joy to behold as he waltzed around the Motherwell defenders. Unfortunately none of his own team mates knew what to expect and more often than not he would be crowded out by the resolute visiting defence. New Scotland u21 cap Liam Polworth drove one just over the bar after twenty minutes as the posturing continued and it looked promising for Inverness with Mutombo bamboozling everyone, including himself. Liam Hughes got a header on target as Inverness began to press but he could not get enough purchase on the ball and it was an easy gather for Ripley in the Well goal and Mutombo flashed a shot over soon after. Hughes had another header saved before Marvin Johnson narrowly missed with a header low to the left as the game opened out. At the other end Miles Storey went just as close with a similar effort, unfortunately the end result was similar as well and the half closed all square. Half Time 0-0 Same pattern in the second half and Mutombo fired over once more. Mark McGhee made the first alteration bringing on Lionel Ainsworth and Jack Leitch for Cadden and Gomis with fifty-three minutes on the clock, but it was the home side that threatened with Hughes and Meekings heading over. Just after the hour Motherwell took the lead in bizarre fashion. Fon Williams needlessly flapped at a cross from the left and when the ball landed near the feet of substitute Ainsworth, his scuffed shot sliced up in the air. It still looked as though we might get away with it, but with a man on the line, Fon Williams scrambled back but could not keep the ball out as it crept under the bar and into the net, along with the defender. Freaky! We took only eight minutes to restore parity. Andrea Mutombo had a shot saved just after the goal but on seventy minutes Ross Draper belied his size as he dropped his shoulder bursting into the box and was promptly scythed down by the clumsy Keith Lasley. Stonewall penalty and Iain Vigurs stepped up to draw Inverness level, the keeper making his mind up early to go to his left, the ball going the opposite way. Two minutes later and Tremarco stole in at the back post and redirected the ball across the face of the goal, unfortunately just wide of the far upright as we looked likely to take the lead. Five minutes on and Ripley did well to block as Tremarco made ground into the six-yard box, his attempt smothered by the keeper and a defender. Vigurs and Mutombo had efforts at goal as Inveness went for the win in the last ten minutes and that would be our downfall. Damned if you do, and damned if you don't. Deep into injury time Inverness were still searching for a winner, but after winning a corner Motherwell cleared the ball and Marvin Johnson showed a clean pair of heels as he sped goalwards from his own half. Two defenders were left in his wake and he coolly slotted the ball round Fon Williams and into the net for the winner. Gutted,meh! There was only time left to kick off and it was game over for a frustrating afternoon for the home fans. The visitors were rightly ecstatic and they have virtually confirmed their top-six position. Full Time 1-2 Oh dear, we managed to snatch defeat from the jaws of a draw. Fair play to Motherwell who weathered the onslaught and did what they had to do, but it was a frustrating afternoon for the Highlanders. We can't complain though having meted out similar punishment in the cup game. However, once more we failed to make the most of our superiority and paid the price. Fon Williams needs to take a look at his part in the first goal. Not good enough for the SPFL never mind the Euro Championships. In all honesty it was a fairly open game and one we looked like winning. We lost a freak goal and a breakaway at the end with no time left to recover. We will play worse and win, but the result did not justify the effort. However, the long knives are out as peoples memory fades. That Scottish Cup win is a long time ago it seems. tm4tj MotM is going to Andrea Mutombo who was best aided by Carl Tremarco. Mutombo teased the Well all afternoon with his darting runs and quick feet. Unfortunately Motherwell eventually sussed him out and crowded him out on a number of occasions, but he was a delight to watch. If only one of our players knew how to help him out it would have been a dawdle. Tremarco almost ghosted in a couple of times and backed up the attack well. Draper did well to win the penalty after a slack first half but he grew into the game. A couple of testing games coming up within the week. At home to Hearts on Tuesday and away to Dundee United next weekend. Let's get out there and back the team in this miserable climate. Date: 02/04/16 Venue: Caledonian Stadium Attendance: 3348 Referee: John Beaton Inverness CT: 1 Lineup: Fon Williams, Meekings (Horner 86), Warren, Devine, Tremarco, Draper, Vigurs, Polworth, Mbuyi-Mutombo, Storey (R.Williams 84), Hughes (D.Williams 73) Subs (not used): Esson, Foran, Roberts, Wedderburn Scorers: Vigurs (pen.70) Booked: Tremarco (40), Draper (82) Sent Off: none Motherwell: 2 Lineup: Ripley, Law, Kennedy, McManus, Hammell, Cadden (Ainsworth 52), Lasley (Fletcher 73), Gomis (Leitch 52), Johnson, Moult, McDonald Subs (not used): Samson, Chalmers, Thomas, Watt Scorers: Ainsworth (62), Johnson (94) Booked: McDonald (89) Sent Off: none
  17. Steelmen are no fools Rejuvenated Motherwell are the visitors as we enter April, a month where fools are tolerated, but just for one day. Going into this game, Inverness trail Motherwell by five points thanks to the Steelmen winning five of their last six games. In stark contrast, we have won only once in our last six as we struggled for some consistency. But what a win it was, 0-3 in the local derby as we crushed Dingwall at the Global Energy Stadium. Top-six looks just out of our reach, but we will have a better understanding of it after the results this weekend. It's almost out of our own hands. Defeat would probably end our aspirations. However, there are six teams vying for three places with St Johnstone, Motherwell and Ross County in pole position. We started our domestic season with a 1-0 defeat at the hands of Motherwell but we have the edge over them since then with a 3-1 league win and a 2-1 Scottish Cup win, both games at Fir Park. However, it looks as though Mark McGhee is turning their season round as they have surged into the top half of the table, leaving the relegation battle for others to contend. The last games for either side were fantastic occasions. Motherwell came from behind to beat the once famous Aberdeen. Second half goals from Scott McDonald and Louis Moult overcame a Kenny McLean penalty to secure the points and move Motherwell into fifth place in the league. Something that looked a long way off a couple of months ago. We kept our best performance of the season for Ross County to ensure the Highlands are still ours. We appeared to abandon our error strewn mis-passing game and the direct route paid dividends as we scored three tremendous goals. Miles Storey scored the pick of the bunch with a tremendous volley after great control of a long ball on his chest. Not only did he score, he was running at the County defence all afternoon and a worthy MotM. John Hughes has more choice available after the international break with James Vincent and Andrea Mutombo at his disposal. Still out are Aaron Doran, David Raven, Alex Fisher and Dean Brill, with Greg Tansey serving a one match ban. Mark McGhee can call on the returning captain Keith Lasley and defender Ben Hall to bolster his squad. However, James McFadden is out after breaking his ankle in training and Stephen Pearson and Louis Laing join him on the sidelines. tm4tj prediction:- If we continue where we left off at Dingwall, this should be a walk in the park. Unfortunately our season has been littered with disappointments and nothing is guaranteed in this league. With Motherwell on a roll and Inverness upping their strategy, this could make for an entertaining game. Both sides will be looking for maximum points and that should open the game up and make for plenty of opportunities. Miles Storey will have gained in confidence after last weeks performance and Liam Hughes showed us the value of a giant front man. With Josh Meekings back in defence things are looking up. We will need to shackle the Wells' top scorer Louis Moult as he has a habit of scoring against us. I'm going for a home win
  18. THE MATCHDAY THREAD Discuss ICT & other games in this thread as they happen Motherwell -V- Inverness CT PREVIEW 6th Feb @ 3PM, Fir Park Motherwell Follow us on Twitter Follow us on Facebook Go to the Chatroom Media Coverage AUDIO BBC Sportsound Open All Mics [UK Only] TEXT ESPN BBC SKY Sporting Life VIDEO SPL YouTube Channel ICT Official YouTube Channel TEAM LINEUPS Tweets by @ICTFC Tweets by @ICTFC
  19. Cup Defence. It's time to continue the defence of our trophy as the Scottish Cup fifth round draw takes us to Fir Park to face the 1952 & 1991 winners Motherwell. It's not the most glamorous of ties and certainly a tougher one than we would have liked at this stage, and one that Motherwell will feel they can win, but that's the luck of the draw I suppose. The transfer window came and went and it caused a bit of a stushie up North with the Greg Tansey affair taking all the headlines. The on off saga detracted slightly from the fact that Inverness did add a couple of players to our squad. Liam Hughes and Ryan Williams are both midfielders and will hopefully add a bit of craft to the squad. So, rightly or wrongly, Greg Tansey remains an Inverness Caledonian Thistle player for now amid much speculation and guesstimating. Greg's official agent is blaming a third party for all the confusion. We'll not add to the mystique and leave it at that, content that he will be pulling on an Inverness shirt this weekend. This is a cup game, but as far as league form goes there's not much between the sides and home advantage could be the deciding factor. Inverness sit just three points above Motherwell, the main disparity being a much superior goal difference. We have sored more and lost less showing a difference of 13 goals in our favour. We have played twice already this season and it's one win apiece. We opened our campaign with a 0-1 defeat to Motherwell in the Highlands. We were in a transition period then, prior to our injury ravaged era and went down rather tamely to an early Wes Fletcher goal. In the reverse fixture at Motherwell we pulled of a surprise but nonetheless welcome 3-1 victory. A Greg Tansey penalty and a Miles Storey deflected strike saw us go in at the break two ahead. Iain Vigurs scored a superb volley after the break before Louis Moult pulled one back for the Well. But that's how it ended, 1-3 for Inverness and a mini revival started in December to boost our points tally. Motherwell made their way to this stage by thrashing Cove Rangers 5-0. They took just two minutes to open the scoring through Moult and were 2-0 up after six minutes when Scott McDonald scored. Further counters from Marvin Johnson and Stephen Pearson put them in at the break four up and Pearson added his second to end the scoring after the hour. Since that game, the Steelmen have been thrashed 6-0 by Hearts, lost 2-1 to County, drawn with Dundee and lost a late goal when slipping to defeat at Partick. While Motherwell were cruising into the next round, we made heavy weather of our tie at Forthbank and Stirling Albion fully deserved another crack at their Premier opponents. It took two spectacular goals to see off the Binos in the replay, many Inverness fans just happy to get into the draw, but not overjoyed by another lack lustre performance. Their pessimism justified in our next league game, a drab 0-0 draw with Partick following on from defeat at Kilmarnock. Carl Tremarco is the latest player to extend his contract. That comes on top of Gary Warren, Ryan Esson and Ross Draper putting pen to paper, so some good news for Caley Jags fans after a nail biting transfer window comes to a close. Inverness can call on their new signings to boost the squad. Yogi looks likely to flood the midfield given our lack of strikers available. Dean Brill is almost ready to pull his gloves on, but Aaron Doran and Josh Meekings are out. James Vincent has been a recent omission and his box to box play has been missed. Richie Foran and Jordan Roberts continue their rehab on the bench. The unfortunate Alex Fisher is out for six weeks with a chipped ankle bone. Motherwell have added Morgaro Gomis on loan from Hearts, and he is eligible for this game. A couple of notable outs is David Clarkson who has been loaned to St Mirren and midfielder Liam Grimshaw has returned to Manchester United. There's not much fresh news coming out of Fir Park, but defender Ben Roberts is reported to be struggling to make this one. tm4tj Prediction:- It's a chance to forget the rigours of league football and serve up a footballing treat for the fans. Inverness as holders will be looking to remain in contention and Motherwell will be hoping home advantage will benefit them. On paper, it should be tight. Louis Moult will be one to keep an eye on. He has scored 13 goals this season and has picked up 5 yellow cards, so one way or another, an exciting prospect. We have been under the hammer recently, struggling to create sufficient opportunities for Miles Storey, but the young striker has been plugging away and the goals will come, eight so far for him. Our last game at Fir Park saw us run out 3-1 winners, it'll be tighter than that and might take a replay to sort this one out. Of course, we have put Motherwell out of the cup at Fir Park before. Barry Wilson scored with a spectacular goal from all of 75 yards. I believe next season it will be up to 80 yards, gets better with every passing year. Bring it on! The romance of the Cup goes on for some teams. Ross County have an intriguing home tie against the first Junior side to reach the 5th round, Linlithgow Rose. They are well travelled in their quest for cup glory having been to Galashiels, Inverness, Wick and Forfar. Good luck to Ross County in that one. The big tie is the Capital clash that pits Hearts at home to Hibernian, a club looking for their first Scottish Cup triumph in over a century. And good luck to East Kilbride as they try to inflict Celtic's third domestic defeat in a row. We are all East Kilbride. Shock troopers Annan Athletic were rewarded with a home tie against Greenock Morton after pumping Hamilton 4-1 in the last round. There's an early kick off at Ibrox where Championship leaders the Rangers take on Premiership strugglers, managerless Kilmarnock, and an all Premiership game at Tannadice as basement side United play Partick Thistle. The final tie has Dundee visiting the Sons of the Rock at Dumbarton.
  20. I wasn't expecting that Inverness defied the odds to surprise even their most ardent of fans with a tremendous 1-3 win at Fir Park. A re-taken Greg Tansey penalty opened the scoring and Miles Storey added a second just before the interval. Iain Vigurs crashed home a superb third ten minutes after the break before Motherwell's Louis Moult poked in a consolation for the Steelmen soon after. To complete Wells misery, Stephen McManus was red carded in stoppage time. Inverness were down to the bare bones and by the time the final whistle went the bones were even barer as Ryan Christie and Miles Storey had to leave the field suffering from injury. Miles Storey managed to make the starting eleven and Gary Warren was on the bench along with Dani Lopez and Nat Wedderburn, but there was no place for utility man Danny Williams anywhere as he was suffering from a groin injury. Lewis Horner filled in for the suspended David Raven at right back. Motherwell managed to get Stephen Pearson fit enough for duty and he started. Theo Robinson and Wes Fletcher began on the bench with Scott MacDonald expected to score the goals and the talented Lionel Ainsworth to be one of the main providers. Inverness were minus a teamful of players and John Hughes had to sit in the stand. It was looking bleak for the Caley Jags, so much so that even the supporters bus was not required as they joined in the general malaise. Johndo will take over from here and give us a full match report when he has recovered from the shock of seeing the team win................................ Well was it worth the 180+ mile car journey in the persisting rain, an even worse return leg added to by a gale force wind, staying in Hamilton overnight, trains cancelled, getting a bus to Motherwell, getting lost, the Himalayan trek to the South Stand, a taxi back home and winning the Stoke v Chelsea first scorer sweep and not being there to pick up the winnings - presumably drunk by my compadres - Ya bet yer feckin bottom dollar it was. I thought that was as good a performance as we have put in this season. I thought that we deserved to win. Not a bad feat away from home with half a feckin squad to pick from and the manager in the stands. The Well crowd were so painful. On looking at the highlights / replays I think that he got every decision spot on. Well may well have had the lions share of the possession and considerably more shots (not on target !!) but we were relatively comfortable - apart from a companion who said that he would settle for 3-3 with 20 minutes to go - (hope he feckin choked on my Arnutovic winnings !! Looked like we went 4-4-1-1 to begin with - four at the back - a diamond in the middle with Tansey at the rear and Vincent up top - Christie roving and Storey running the line. Oh and two Development players on the bench. I thought that we played some lovely stuff in the first 20 minutes. Christie let fly with a curling left footer that went just wide and we were looking in charge. In some ways the early penalty goal changed our outlook. As fer the penalty - it was soft but you simply do not raise yer hand in a crowded goalmouth. Again a yellow is harsh but those are the rules. Tansey made it a replay of last week and the keeper sussed it. And again Thompson got it "spot-on" with the retake decision and TANSEY fired this one down the middle. Both Law and Storey encroached. But poor Well felt hard done by. WELL what they should have done was to concentrate on getting a shot on target plus their final passes were shocking. But they cascaded derision on Craig Thompson instead. We always looked more like scoring in the first half apart from a cracker that hit our crossbar. We may have thought that it was all over when we lost Christie and our shape. Lopez went into the Christie role which is OK'ish when he has Storey beside him. And STOREY neatly got himself in to a scoring position and abetted by a wicked deflection the ball sailed in the net to put us 2-0 up at half time. I had to laff at our substitutes at half time. The sight of Wedderburn and Warren playing passball with MacRae and Sutherland was like watching the Hulk, Spiderman and two of Snowwhite's dwarves. So onto the second and preparing for an onslaught which did come but not before Goal of the Season, probably even more satisfying as it was clearly straight out of the training ground. Superb flighted corner from Tansey and as sweet a strike from VIGURS as you will ever see. After that it was Well, Well, Well but we defended stoutly and always looked a danger on the break. May be harsh but I though that Fon Williams was at fault with the goal. It came at the perfect time for Well but they did not cash in on it. Perhaps they were too intent on chastising and calling Mr. Thompson !! Plus we never looked like scoring after Storey departed - clutching his hamstring again. But we hung on in there and thoroughly deserved the three points. And the 111 Highlanders went home happy - and what a feckin noise at the end with the acoustics of an empty stand FON WILLIAMS Despite the pressure he really did not have that much to do. Thought he misjudged the cross for their goal. Also I hate seeing keepers punch instead of holding. HORNER For a left footer squad player to fit in at right back was no mean feat. Didn't offer much going forward but defended stoutly. MEEKINGS Both central defenders were heroic DEVINE Both central defenders were heroic TREMARCO More of his type of game with little thought of going forward but tackling tigerishly - apart from the cross that ended in their goal. TANSEY More feckin like it - he controlled the game from deep. POLWORTH Shaded (just) MOM fer me. Great shift with doses of skill to put. Did that stare at Lopez after the hospital pass not scare you ?!! VIGURS Too much of a luxury fer us at the moment but a good "shoe-in" and the best possible bench warmer. What a feckin goal !! VINCENT I thought that he put in a great shift and was always on hand to help the attackers. CHRISTIE Usual before the early injury - hopefully a twinge. STOREY I suppose that we had little option but he really looked as if he was struggling and "Draperish" carrying an injury in the second half. Could never fault his effort and movement though. LOPEZ Looked OK with Storey but he is NOT a lone striker and he makes Vigurs look like Mr Dynamic. WARREN Welcome back skipper. Glad we didn't start you and your entry and the way that play was developing excused changing to a 5-4-1 WEDDERBURN Is he losing weight ? Date: 03/10/15 Venue: Global Energy Stadium, Dingwall Attendance: 5473Referee: Willie Collum Motherwell: 1 Lineup: Ripley, Law, Kennedy, McManus, Chalmers, Ainsworth, Grimshaw, Pearson, Johnson (Robinson 79), McDonald (Fletcher 68), Moult Subs (not used): Samson, Laing, Clarkson, Leitch, Taylor Scorers: Moult (58) Booked: Pearson (12), Kennedy (55), McManus (64) Sent Off: none Inverness CT: 3 Lineup: Fon Williams, Tremarco, Vincent, Meekings, Devine, Tansey, Horner, Polworth, Christie (Lopez 39), Vigurs (Wedderburn 79), Storey (Warren 71) Subs (not used): Esson, Sutherland, MacRae Scorers: Tansey (pen.11), Storey (45), Vigurs (53) Booked: Vigurs (17, Devine (51) Sent Off: none
  21. THE MATCHDAY THREAD Discuss ICT & other games in this thread as they happen Motherwell -V- Inverness CT PREVIEW 7th November @ 3PM, Caledonian Stadium Follow us on Twitter Follow us on Facebook Go to the Chatroom Media Coverage AUDIO BBC Sportsound Open All Mics [UK Only] TEXT ESPN BBC SKY Sporting Life VIDEO SPL YouTube Channel ICT Official YouTube Channel TEAM LINEUPS TO FOLLOW Tweets by @ICTFC Tweets by @ICTFC
  22. From insult to injury Inverness face a tricky away day at Motherwell on Saturday as the Premier League table begins to pan out. With teams beginning to find their feet after settling down into a routine, points are getting harder to come by with any team capable of winning on the day. Motherwell will be a difficult game for us considering our injury crisis and given the runaround they gave us in the opening fixture of the season, it could be a long day at Fir Park. A win for either side could catapult them up to seventh place if other result are favourable. The defeated side will be looking over their shoulder at the relegation battle. It really is that tight. Inverness are now totally reliant on Celtic bound Ryan Christie as the sole threat and creative player as injuries cripple our squad. On top of the injuries, David Raven is suspended and to add insult to injury, John Hughes is also banned for, well, insulting the referee. Most people agree with him on that one though and maybe it's time the SFA looked at the standard of officials in this country rather than hammer those that are willing to speak out about something we all know about, but basically have just got to put up with week in week out. Last week we had to come from behind in a tale of two penalties at home to Dundee. Greg Tansey slotted our spot kick home to earn us a point as we toiled to make headway after David Raven was red carded. It's a difficult time for us just now as our squad has been decimated with injuries in a plague like manner. This is Mark McGhee's fourth game back in command at Fir Park. He started with a defeat at the hands of Celtic before a draw against Aberdeen. Things got progressively better last week when they beat Kilmarnock 1-0 at Rugby Park and they will be looking to continue their revival against us. Brian Rice will be the direct contact this week with Yogi suspended along with David Raven. I am not aware of any comebacks apart from the possibility of Dani Lopez getting nearer recovery. Whoopee I hear you all shout in unison. It would probably be easier to name who is fit, however the ones out are Dean Brill, Ross Draper, Jordan Roberts, Aaron Doran, Tobi Sho-Silva, Andrea Mutombo, Richie Foran and maybe or maybe not Dani Lopez. Two important players facing fitness tests are ooohhh Gary Warren and the swift Miles Storey. Let's hope the last two at least can get on the park or we might be totally fecked. Mark McGhee has returned to Motherwell and will now know that Stephen Pearson is also struggling for fitness, but Keith Lasley and Steve Hammell are out. tm4tj prediction:- I will be backing Mark McGhee to keep his side on track by turning our depleted troops over. Neither side has been prolific at scoring this season and both defences have been pretty frugal. I see nothing in our squad to trouble Motherwell and if Gary Warren does not get on the park then we are in big trouble. Without Storey we will have nothing to offer up front and our only hope is that superBhoy Ryan Christie can carve out some openings for himself. We have only won twice in our last fifteen visits to Motherwell and they have already stuffed us this season. It does sound a bit doom and gloom, but to be honest, it's exactly that.
  23. Toothless A disastrous opening fixture for injury hit Inverness. Adding insult to injury, (no pun intended), Gary Warren took a nasty challenge from Stephen Pearson and it would appear that the club have confirmed he has broken a bone in his leg. With Meekings also taken off injured and Tremarco, Vincent, Doran, Roberts, Brill, Foran and Ferguson all requiring treatment things look pretty bleak at this moment in time. I doubt Motherwell will be winning any fair play awards after trying to catch Inverness on the hop. The tried to sneak a goal after play restarted following Warren's injury. Thankfully they guided the shot just wide. Unsavoury incident though. Rig has a report that is too good to waste, and here it is.......... A truly honking performance from ICT with the tone set early on when Warren hacked down Skippy after only a few minutes of the game gone with our fragmented side struggling to settle into anything approaching a rhythm. As was so often the case with Inverness when Hughes first arrived we were architects of our own downfall and helped Well score the first goal. A slack pass by Tansey was eagerly seized upon by Well and it looked like Fletcher and McDonald linked well to create a chance which was well saved by Fon Williams however he couldn't collect the ball and Fletcher followed in from close range to put Well ahead. As anyone who has seen an ICT game this season will know we have a lot of the ball but do absolutely nothing with it. As Motherwell sat back and defended in numbers ICT stroked the ball about with no real creative spark to open up the Steelmen. Even on the odd occasion when a break could have been on we seemed content to advance slowly out of defence and keep the ball rather than go for the jugular and try and get right at Well. At one point, collecting the ball from a wasted Motherwell corner we had all of our players within about 10 - 15 yards of the ball in a couple of big lines with no one further ahead of the player with the ball and no one seemingly trying to get into space to try and stretch the remaining defenders. We were exceptionally sluggish whereas Motherwell were much more direct and aggressive with and without the ball chasing it down and snapping into tackles making it hard for us to settle things down. McDonald missed a penalty after Johnson showed great skill to roll his marker and sprinted into the box only to fall over under what looked like minimal contact from Devine. Regardless, Allan gave a penalty and Fon Williams did well to block McDonalds spot kick which was a nice height for the keeper to get to and keep out. Wedderburn, who was struggling with the quickness of Motherwell players closing him down, was subbed for Mutombo who injected a bit more creativity and pace into a lackadaisical ICT side. This was pretty much how the first half played out with the only other notable talking point being what looked like a horrendous challenge by Pearson on Warren which resulted in the ICT defender having to be subbed off. Pearson looked like he launched himself hard into a challenge going well over the ball with studs showing. It seemed a clear red card but fortunately for Pearson Allan only showed him a yellow. Pearson himself went off later on as he seemed to injure himself in the tackle as well. Will be interesting to see it again on the highlights if it's covered. Half Time 0-1 Motherwell started the second half on top and ICT again were in a mess at the back. Some good work down the Well right led to a good chance to extend their lead but fortunately an effort by Fletcher (I think) hit the post / was saved by Fon Williams. Not long after that Chalmers (I think) who was still up from a corner looked certain to score as he waited to tuck away a loose ball from only inches out but somehow Draper came in to clear the ball away. The second half largely replicated the first with Well starting strongly and ICT struggling to create anything. A half hearted penalty claim from Tansey who looked like he may have been clipped in the box and a free kick late on from the same player which was headed wide were as close as ICT came to threatening anything close to a goal in a match that was not high on thrills. Full Time 0-1 A good win for Motherwell who looked comfortable throughout but a concerning defeat ICT who, despite missing a lot of first team players, struggled again to create any really good scoring chances. With Meekings and Warren both coming off injured our back four is completely unrecognisable from that of last season. If we aren't going to score then we could at least have looked to a relatively resolute defence to keep the opposition out. It will be interesting to see how a potentially patchwork backline deals with the upcoming games against St Johnstone and Partick. Date: 01/08/15 Venue: Caledonian Stadium Attendance: 3307 Referee: Crawford Allan Inverness CT: 0 Lineup: Fon Williams, Raven, Warren (Polworth 43), Meekings (Horner 46), Devine, Wedderburn (Mbuyi-Mutombo 33), Tansey, Draper, Williams, Lopez, Christie Subs (not used): Esson, Brown Scorers: none Booked: Warren (1) Sent Off: none Motherwell: 1 Lineup: Ripley, Chalmers, Laing, McManus, Hammell, Law, Lasley, Pearson (Leitch 61), Johnson, Fletcher (Moult 66), McDonald Subs (not used): Twardzik, Kennedy, Clarkson, Thomas, Ferguson Scorers: Fletcher (4) Booked: Pearson (37) Sent Off: none
  24. THE MATCHDAY THREAD Discuss ICT & other games in this thread as they happen Inverness CT -V- Motherwell PREVIEW 1st August @ 3:00PM Caledonian Stadium Follow us on Twitter Follow us on Facebook Go to the Chatroom Media Coverage AUDIO BBC Open All Mics (BBC) [UK/VPN Only] TEXT ESPN BBC SKY Sporting Life VIDEO SPFL YouTube Channel ICT Official YouTube Channel TEAM LINEUPS Tweets by @ICTFC Tweets by @ICTFC
  25. Back to business The domestic season opener arrives this Saturday with Motherwell the visitors to the Caledonian Stadium for a three o'clock kick off. Much has changed since Inverness won the Scottish Cup in May. Gone are second in command Russell Latapy, captain Graeme Shinnie, pacey frontman and Cup Final hero Marley Watkins, stopgap striker Edward Ofere and bit part midfielder and local lad Nick Ross. We also lost the services for the latter part of the season of striker Billy 'small k' Mckay. That's three strikers that have moved on and so far we have struggled to replace them. Andrea Mbuyi-Mutombo is the man targeted with filling the role vacated by our front three. Dani Lopez has shown that he is not an out and out striker and Yogi will turn his attention to the Congolese Belgian in a bid to find the goals that were missing in the Europa qualifiers against FC Astra. Motherwell did well to trounce the Rangers in the Premiership play-offs and retain their top league status. They have sealed the services of Scott McDonald for the season, not a bad bit of business for the Steelmen. David Clarkson is another returnee at Fir Park having left Dundee. Striker Wes Fletcher has signed from York City and will get the number 9 jersey left behind by John Sutton who is off to Perth. They have also added a pair of Louis' to the squad; striker Moult from Wrexham, who scored 23 goals in the Conference last season, and defender Laing from Nottingham Forest. Another defender Keiran Kennedy joins from Leicester City. They have also drafted in 22 year old keeper Connor Ripley from Middlesbrough, and he looks certain to go straight into the squad for Saturday. Motherwell will be looking to get off to a more promising start after last season saw them flirt with relegation before eventually seeing off the Ibrox club in the play-off. Inverness failed to progress in Europe mainly due to a lack of presence in the final third, however their build up play has shown the same qualities that we possessed last year and if we can add a proven striker to the squad then it should be another interesting season. Yogi's squad has changed and this will be a massive test of his drawing power as his trophy winning team is being rebuilt. Keeper Owain Fon Williams played in the Europa games at the expense of Cup winner Ryan Esson. Injuries to Carl Tremarco, David Raven, James Vincent and Dean Brill has curtailed our ability to cover all positions as we would have liked, but in has come the gigantic Ned Wedderburn from the Blue Brazil and he has acquitted himself well so far. Jordan Roberts has also been brought in although injuries have interrupted his participation, and Dani Lopez has been tried as a front man, but that needs addressing. Richie Foran has made a welcome return to the squad, but is far from the do or die player we once knew. All of these players need more time to get up to speed, but it's not a sprint, it's a marathon. Inverness have secured the services of attacking midfielder Andrea Mbuyi-Mutombo and he will be in the squad on Saturday. However, Jordan Roberts is struggling, along with Carl Tremarco and James Vincent. Richie Foran will be like a new addition and he will get stronger as his fitness returns to full throttle. Motherwell will be without Lionel Ainsworth who is carrying a two match suspension, and Craig Reid, but late addition, keeper Connor Ripley will be here. One man we all love to hate will be missing. Iain Vigurs has left Fir Park and was last heard of playing as a trialist for Inverurie Locos. Now that's a fall from grace. Incidentally, another former Motherwell player, Paul Lawson was trying his luck at Formartine. tm4tj prediction:- It's early doors as the league gets underway this weekend and with little to go on, I will be sitting on the fence for the season opener. No scoring draw on the cards, with Inverness strikerless and Motherwell looking to find their form. Go on, surprise me.
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