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  1. DEE DAY. There's no going back now, Dee Day is upon us and it's virtually win or bust as Dundee visit the Caledonian Stadium at 7:00pm on Tuesday evening for a crunch game. With Dunfermline picking up more crucial points since their thrashing at Raith they now have two very winnable games coming up over Arbroath and Alloa whilst we face Dundee, arguably the best squad of individuals in the Championship, followed by the best team in promoted Hearts away, then a tough final game against relegation threatened Ayr United. Of course, three wins for Inverness will suffice for a play off place, but that's a monumental task given our opponents. Streaming Info Official Preview We missed out on a second Premiership scalp in the Scottish Cup at the start of the weekend going down to a very late goal from Marcus Fraser that took the gloss of a superb team performance as we went toe to toe with St Mitten in a highly entertaining tussle. Nikolay Todorov scored his eleventh of the season but Kristian Dennis levelled immediately to keep the game on a knife edge right up until the 90th minute when Fraser tapped in the winner. Ach well, it was a fun distraction while it lasted but the main course will be served when Dundee visit. Toddy: 6th goal in last five games Whilst we were on Cup duty, Dunfermline leapfrogged us into fourth place with a 3-1 win over Queen of the South. They are now in prime position for the play offs but it is still in our own hands at the moment, although looking more likely that we will need to win all of our remaining games to do this. That leaves the table looking like this ahead of Tuesday night's games: Inverness CT v Dundee, Morton v Hearts SPFL Championship League Table Pld W D L F A +/- Pts 1. Hearts 24 15 5 4 56 24 32 50 2. Raith Rovers 25 12 7 6 44 30 14 43 3. Dundee 24 10 8 6 44 38 6 38 4. Dunfermline 25 9 9 7 34 30 4 36 5. Inverness CT 24 8 10 6 33 25 8 34 6. Queen of the South 25 9 4 12 38 49 -11 31 7. Arbroath 25 7 8 10 25 30 -5 29 8. Ayr United 25 6 9 10 29 35 -6 27 9. Morton 24 6 8 10 21 32 -11 26 10. Alloa Athletic 25 4 6 15 28 59 -31 18 Last 10 Competitive Meetings v Dundee ------ Dundee last six League games -> DDWWWL 1 - 2 (A) 2 - 2 (H) 2 - 0 (A) 1 - 0 (H) 0 - 0 (A) 0 - 1 (A) 0 - 1 (H) 2 - 2 (A) 2 - 0 (A) 2 - 2 (H) Of the two games played this season, the first ended in a 2-2 draw in the Highlands in front of a covid restricted crowd of 300 on 12th December. Dee grabbed a late point after a pulsating game at the Caledonian Stadium ended all square. Liam Fontaine opened the scoring just before the interval reacting quickest to a rebound from the crossbar. Robbie Deas deservedly equalised with twenty minutes left and James Keatings put the hosts ahead three minutes later only for Jordan McGhee to peg us back again eight minutes from the end. The return fixture at Dens Park resulted in a 2-1 victory for the hosts. It was too little too late and Dundee manager Jake McPake looked to have tightened his shoogely peg as first half goals from Max Anderson and Jason Cummings put Dundee in at the break two up. Inverness were out of sorts in a poor first forty-five. Nikolay Todorov pulled a goal back with fifteen minutes left heading home a Cammy Harper cross. Inverness mounted a mini-comeback but fell just short as Dundee held on for all three points. We have a decent record in the Highlands against Dundee, the only loss being a Scottish Cup replay in 2018 after a 2-2 draw at Dens Park. However, this is a different beast now and it's points that make prizes. With Dunfermline gathering points, it's still all in the balance. Venue (All competitions) Pld Won Drn Lst For Agst + / - Home 15 7 7 1 26 14 +12 Away 19 6 8 5 25 23 +2 Neutral 2 0 0 2 2 4 -2 Total 36 13 15 8 53 41 +12 ***Latest Team News*** James Keatings and birthday boy Wallace Duffy missed the visit to Paisley. I wonder if we have seen the last of the departing Keatings or is his injury prone career going to travel with him. Under fire McPake seems to have managed to resurrect his managerial career and has turned a mediocre season into a possible promotion one. Dundee have probably the best squad of individuals and McPake is slowly getting the best out of them at the right time. Cummings, Sow, McMullan, Adams, are all quality players who can hurt you. McMullan in particular has been a thorn in our side over the last couple of seasons, and all can score goals. Defender Jordon Forstor has left the club. Left back Jordan Marshall will miss out through injury and this game could also come too soon for Paul McGowan and Max Anderson. Cammy Kerr will likely continue to cover at left back. View full article
  2. Out of our hands After the disappointing draw with Dundee in midweek, our destiny is in the hands of others. All we can do is gather points and hope that others can lend a helping hand by taking points of Dunfermline and Dundee as we visit Tynecastle to take on Champions Hearts. All games kick-off at 3:00pm on Saturday, it's a massive day of football in the Championship. We remained unbeaten on league business against Dundee on Tuesday night but it wasn't the result we were looking for. A 1-1 draw hands the control to Dunfermline who can now only throw away their play-off place. It all kicked off in the second half against McPake's illustrious squad. Unfortunately two red cards for Scott Allardice and Brad Mckay swung the game heavily in favour of the Dee. Incredibly we took the lead with six minutes to go when Dan Mackay brilliantly scored his eighth goal of the campaign. Alas, two minutes later Lee Ashcroft made the most of our missing players as he headed almost unchallenged into the net following a corner from Charlie Adams. That's how it ended, us with nine men and a point apiece. OFFICIAL PREVIEW STREAMING INFO RED CARDS The table looks like this ahead of Saturday's fixtures with Inverness one point below a play-off place. It has to be said that the Pars have the more comfortable conclusion to their season, but Arbroath could spring a surprise. Should Dundee also fail to win their remaining games, they could also be caught. Remaining fixtures for 3rd & 4th play-off place. Hearts v Inverness CT ---- Dunfermline v Arbroath ---- Dundee v Raith Rovers Inverness CT v Ayr United ---- Alloa v Dunfermline ---- Queen of the South v Dundee Pld W D L F A +/- Pts 1. Hearts 25 15 6 4 56 24 32 51 2. Raith Rovers 25 12 7 6 44 30 14 43 3. Dundee 25 10 9 6 45 39 6 39 4. Dunfermline 25 9 9 7 34 30 4 36 5. Inverness CT 25 8 11 6 34 26 8 35 6. Queen of the South 25 9 4 12 38 49 -11 31 7. Arbroath 25 7 8 10 25 30 -5 29 8. Ayr United 25 6 9 10 29 35 -6 27 9. Morton 25 6 9 10 21 32 -11 27 10. Alloa Athletic 25 4 6 15 28 59 -31 18 Last 10 Competitive Meetings with Hearts. Peer through your fingers only... 1 - 1 (H) 1 - 2 (A) 0 - 1 (A) 0 - 3 (N) 0 - 5 (A) 1 - 1 (A) 3 - 3 (H) 1 - 5 (A) 0 - 0 (H) 0 - 2 (A) Venue (all competitions) Pld Won Drn Lst For Agst + / - Home 18 4 10 4 16 17 -1 Away 21 5 4 12 23 37 -14 Neutral 3 0 2 1 3 6 -3 Total 42 9 16 17 42 60 -18 As expected, Hearts have cruised to the title. Despite this, many Jambos are still bemoaning the fact that Robbie Neilson is in charge. Some folk are just never happy Their last outing was a 0-0 draw at Cappielow where we won easily recently. Prior to that they thumped relegated Alloa 6-0. Our problem is we don't know which Hearts will turn up on the day they get their Championship trophy, maybe they will be demob happy. Neil talking ahead of the trip to Tynecastle ***Latest Team News*** Neil McCann is appealing the two red cards received in the Dundee game. The problem with this is we won't know the outcome until the night before the game which is unsettling for his squad preparation for what is now the biggest game of the season. So, we could well be without Brad Mckay and Scott Allardice. Cammy Harper will come in at left back with maybe James Vincent in the holding midfield role. ***NEWS JUST IN: SCOTT ALLARDICE is free to play but Brad Mckay will serve his ban after a meeting of the disciplinary committee in Glasgow today. Robbie Neilson has plenty talent to choose from. Jamie Walker was not involved at Cappielow and Raith bound Cristophe Berra was also missing. Young defender Harry Cochrane has not signed a new contract and it's unlikely that any of them will feature against Inverness. Neilson has twelve players out of contract this summer. Robbie Neilson has plenty talent to choose from. Jamie Walker was not involved at Cappielow and Raith bound Cristophe Berra was also missing. Young defender Harry Cochrane has not signed a new contract and it's unlikely that any of them will feature against Inverness. Neilson has twelve players out of contract this summer.
  3. Scottish Cup Movement A bit of light relief this weekend as Scottish Cup action takes centre stage. It's off to Paisley to face St Mirren in the fourth round of the Scottish Cup at St Mirren Park, or the Simple Digital Arena or even the SMISA Stadium, whatever cranks yer handle. Well it would have taken centre stage had the Duke of Edinburgh not taken his leave of this earth. With his funeral kicking-off at 3:00pm all Scottish Cup ties have been moved from the traditional kick-off slots and we find ourselves heading to Paisley for an early Friday night start at 6:00pm. The climax to the Championship season is going down to the wire apart from already promoted Hearts. Everyone else has something to play for although Alloa will do well to get out of this one with only three games left. So with the business end of the season in full swing, the Cup will be a welcome distraction for the Caley Jags, or Caley Jabs as we are now known given our vaccination involvement. Three games left to decide our fate. Dundee (H), Hearts (A), Ayr United (H). Anyway, that's for another Preview. STREAMING £12 OFFICIAL PREVIEW TODOROV STATEMENT DAVID CARSON To the Cup We find ourselves here having squeezed past Buckie away then eliminating Ross County at Dingwall. Dan Mackay's goal against County has been nominated for goal of the round. This will be our third away game in a row in the Cup and our seventh out of the last eight games overall. During that run we have won six on the bounce and a draw on Saturday against Queen of the South where Nikolay Todorov scored his tenth goal of the season. Check out the contenders for goal of the round St Mirren entered the Cup in the 3rd round and beat Hamilton 0-3 Jamie McGrath (2) and Kristian Dennis were the scorers. McGrath's first was a great lofted finish (see video above) in the fourth minute, his second a penalty and Dennis ended the scoring with a long range curling strike which can also be seen in the goal of the round contenders. Our last win over the Buddies was in February 2015 at St Mirren Park when goals by Greg Tansey and Ryan Christie were enough to see off the Buddies who replied through Jim Goodwin. Incidentally, the last time we met in the Cup, we trounced St Mirren 4-0 in a replayed tie in Inverness following a 1-1 draw in Paisley. We went on to lift the Cup that year. Deja Vu anyone? No replays this time out, extra time and penalties should it go that far. St Mirren's last season playing us regularly saw them win the Championship, beating us three times and drawing once. St Mirren's last outing was a surprise 1-0 defeat to Motherwell where they dominated for long spells and the result was compounded when McGrath missed a first half penalty. Last 10 Competitive Meetings with St Mirren (2018 - 2014) - St Mirren's last FIVE Championship games -> D W L D L 2 - 2 (H) 0 - 1 (A) 0 - 2 (H) 2 - 4 (A) 2 - 1 (A) 1 - 0 (H) 4 - 0 (H) 1 - 1 (A) 1 - 0 (A) 2 - 2 (H) Double congratulations are due to born again David Carson for some tremendous performances at right back since his return from injury. Not only has he been awarded the Championship Player of the Month award for March, but he has agreed a three year contract to keep him here until 2024. He has kept some tricky players quiet at right back during this spell, notably against Raith Rovers and Dunfermline where he scored his first goal for the club as they claimed the three points. He has continued this form into April with tremendous performances at Dingwall in the Cup and at Cappiellow in the League where he made his 50th appearance for the Caley Jags in a 4-1 win. Brad Mckay also get's a mention for inclusion in the team of the week for sterling defensive work at Dingwall, Morton and Palmerston. Great recognition for the work the Caley Jags have been doing under the temporary leadership of Neil McCann and Billy Dodds. ***Latest Team News*** We have bigger fish to fry as we enter the final three games in the Championship. Neil McCann has a balancing act to get right as we strive to push for a top four finish. So does he go all out for a cup shock or does he keep his top players fresh for the Championship run-in. James Keatings has not featured much since news of his departure leaked out and injuries came along, but I wonder if the cup will see him re-instated. Unsettling news about on form Toddy, I hope he can put this behind him for now and do what he does best. Maybe we could wheel Ross Tokely out for this one, the Buddies fans love him! Jim Goodwin has built a battle hardened side who can play with the best of them on their day. Former County captain Marcus Fraser has been performing well for the Buddies. Attacking midfielder Jamie McGrath is top scorer so far this season with thirteen goals to his credit. Striker Jon Obika is struggling to make this one and midfielder Ryan Flynn has picked up a hamstring strain and could be out for a month. Colin Quaner (medial ligament) and Eamonn Brophy (broken foot) are also receiving treatment and unlikely to feature. They will also have to get through this tie without their manager in the dugout. St Mirren have confirmed that manager Jim Goodwin has been issued with a three-match suspension after breaching Disciplinary Rule 203 in the match against Hamilton Academical on Saturday 20th March. He will serve two matches immediately beginning with the cup tie against Inverness. St Mirren's starting XI v Motherwell: Jak Alnwick; Fraser, McCarthy, Shaughnessy, Connolly, Flynn, Erhahon, Doyle-Hayes, Durmus, Erwin, McGrath Subs: Lyness; Tait, McAllister, MacPherson, Finlayson, Reid, Dennis, Henderson
  4. Can we be King of Queens? Down to the nitty gritty now and another crucial game ahead as we travel to Palmerston Park Dumfries for what is the start of the proverbial six-pointers with only four games left in the Championship. Queens on Saturday at 3:00pm, our sixth away game out of the last seven, then Dundee (H), Hearts (A), Ayr United (H). It's a difficult closing run to the season when you consider our immediate target, Dunfermline, close out the season against bottom teams Arbroath and Alloa. As the table stands, we are only three points ahead of Queens going in to this game and they still have a game in hand. OFFICIAL PREVIEW STREAMING INFO £10 We started the week in fine fettle as we clinically beat Morton 4-1 at Cappielow thanks to stunning goals from Allardice, Todorov (2) and Dan Mackay. The strikers must have taken a bottle of Hot Toddy's stunning goal linctus as every goal was sublime, maybe none better than Toddy's second goal when he chested the ball down and volleyed spectacularly past keeper McAdams. We toiled for a time on the poor surface at Cappielow before two quick goals approaching the break put us in control. Ton pulled one back as they rallied after the break but the wind was taken out of their sails with Toddy's spectacular intervention and Dan added the icing on the cake when he curled a beauty of his own into the top corner. Great goals and a good win at what is often a difficult place to get all three points at times. Neil McCann was full of praise for the side after that one, and rightly so. Enjoy these goals again, not often you get four crackers in the same game... Here's the league table ahead of the Hearts v Alloa game on Friday night. Pld W D L F A +/- Pts 1. Hearts 23 14 5 4 50 24 26 47 2. Raith Rovers 22 10 6 6 39 27 12 36 3. Dundee 22 10 6 6 43 37 6 36 4. Inverness CT 23 8 9 6 32 24 8 33 5. Dunfermline 22 8 7 7 30 28 2 31 6. Queen of the South 22 9 3 10 36 44 -8 30 7. Ayr United 23 6 8 9 28 30 -2 26 8. Arbroath 23 6 7 10 19 28 -9 25 9. Morton 23 6 7 10 20 31 -11 25 10. Alloa Athletic 23 4 6 13 27 51 -24 18 Last 10 Competitive Meetings with Queen of the South - Queens last SIX League games since beating us 0-1-> W- W-W - L-L-W 0 - 1 (H) 3 - 0 (A) 3 - 1 (H) 2 - 0 (A) 2 - 0 (H) 2 - 0 (A) 1 - 2 (H) 3 - 3 (A) 0 - 0 (H) 2 - 0 (A) Dunfermline recently took a 5-1 hammering from Raith Rovers but bounced back to hold Hearts to a 0-0 draw which is the result that yoyo'ed them back above us momentarily. Such is the fixture chaos this season, it won't become clear until the final two games who is maybe going where. Queen of the South went out of the cup on Monday night, going down 3-1 to an impressive Hibernian. James Maxwell scored what proved to be a late consolation goal for the Doonhamers. Nortei Nortey scored the only goal in the Highlands but is likely to miss this game. Their form shows that since they beat us in Inverness they have won four and lost three including the cup game with Hibs. During that run they have had impressive wins over Dundee, Dunfermline Hearts and Arbroath, but suffered defeats to Alloa and Morton. It's a funny old game! A repeat of the away game at Palmerston earlier in the season would be maybe stretching the bounds of possibility a tad, but a backs to the wall scrappy win will suffice. Points make prizes as they say and that's what we need to do to keep in the hunt for a top four finish. Who knew we would be in this position after a season destroyed by injuries, weather and viruses? ***Latest Team News*** Duffy, Doran, Keatings and Welsh missed out at Morton, Welsh being replaced after the warm up but he could be available for this crucial game. Sadly, McDonald's season is probably a right-off. Nikolay Todorov scored his ninth goal of the season, and what a goal it was. Toddy is on a roll just now and young Dan Mackay notched his seventh. Good return from these guys of late after a slow start to the season. Allan Johnstone had this team out against Hibs in the Scottish Cup: Ferguson, Gibson, Buchanan, Breen, Maxwell, Obileye, McCabe, Dickson, Joseph (Jones 56′), Dobbie (McKee 76′), Shields (Mebude 76′) As always, Stephen Dobbie is a big threat and Connor Shields is the man on form with plenty pace and power, and like Toddy, nine goals in the bank as well. Nortei Nortey looks likely to miss out but Dan Pybus could return and Isaiah Jones played for half an hour in the cup game on his return from injury.
  5. Can we be King of Queens? Down to the nitty gritty now and another crucial game ahead as we travel to Palmerston Park Dumfries for what is the start of the proverbial six-pointers with only four games left in the Championship. Queens on Saturday at 3:00pm, our sixth away game out of the last seven, then Dundee (H), Hearts (A), Ayr United (H). It's a difficult closing run to the season when you consider our immediate target, Dunfermline, close out the season against bottom teams Arbroath and Alloa. As the table stands, we are only three points ahead of Queens going in to this game and they still have a game in hand. OFFICIAL PREVIEW STREAMING INFO £10 We started the week in fine fettle as we clinically beat Morton 4-1 at Cappielow thanks to stunning goals from Allardice, Todorov (2) and Dan Mackay. The strikers must have taken a bottle of Hot Toddy's stunning goal linctus as every goal was sublime, maybe none better than Toddy's second goal when he chested the ball down and volleyed spectacularly past keeper McAdams. We toiled for a time on the poor surface at Cappielow before two quick goals approaching the break put us in control. Ton pulled one back as they rallied after the break but the wind was taken out of their sails with Toddy's spectacular intervention and Dan added the icing on the cake when he curled a beauty of his own into the top corner. Great goals and a good win at what is often a difficult place to get all three points at times. Neil McCann was full of praise for the side after that one, and rightly so. Enjoy these goals again, not often you get four crackers in the same game... Here's the league table ahead of the Hearts v Alloa game on Friday night. Pld W D L F A +/- Pts 1. Hearts 23 14 5 4 50 24 26 47 2. Raith Rovers 22 10 6 6 39 27 12 36 3. Dundee 22 10 6 6 43 37 6 36 4. Inverness CT 23 8 9 6 32 24 8 33 5. Dunfermline 22 8 7 7 30 28 2 31 6. Queen of the South 22 9 3 10 36 44 -8 30 7. Ayr United 23 6 8 9 28 30 -2 26 8. Arbroath 23 6 7 10 19 28 -9 25 9. Morton 23 6 7 10 20 31 -11 25 10. Alloa Athletic 23 4 6 13 27 51 -24 18 Last 10 Competitive Meetings with Queen of the South - Queens last SIX League games since beating us 0-1-> W- W-W - L-L-W 0 - 1 (H) 3 - 0 (A) 3 - 1 (H) 2 - 0 (A) 2 - 0 (H) 2 - 0 (A) 1 - 2 (H) 3 - 3 (A) 0 - 0 (H) 2 - 0 (A) Dunfermline recently took a 5-1 hammering from Raith Rovers but bounced back to hold Hearts to a 0-0 draw which is the result that yoyo'ed them back above us momentarily. Such is the fixture chaos this season, it won't become clear until the final two games who is maybe going where. Queen of the South went out of the cup on Monday night, going down 3-1 to an impressive Hibernian. James Maxwell scored what proved to be a late consolation goal for the Doonhamers. Nortei Nortey scored the only goal in the Highlands but is likely to miss this game. Their form shows that since they beat us in Inverness they have won four and lost three including the cup game with Hibs. During that run they have had impressive wins over Dundee, Dunfermline Hearts and Arbroath, but suffered defeats to Alloa and Morton. It's a funny old game! A repeat of the away game at Palmerston earlier in the season would be maybe stretching the bounds of possibility a tad, but a backs to the wall scrappy win will suffice. Points make prizes as they say and that's what we need to do to keep in the hunt for a top four finish. Who knew we would be in this position after a season destroyed by injuries, weather and viruses? ***Latest Team News*** Duffy, Doran, Keatings and Welsh missed out at Morton, Welsh being replaced after the warm up but he could be available for this crucial game. Sadly, McDonald's season is probably a right-off. Nikolay Todorov scored his ninth goal of the season, and what a goal it was. Toddy is on a roll just now and young Dan Mackay notched his seventh. Good return from these guys of late after a slow start to the season. Allan Johnstone had this team out against Hibs in the Scottish Cup: Ferguson, Gibson, Buchanan, Breen, Maxwell, Obileye, McCabe, Dickson, Joseph (Jones 56′), Dobbie (McKee 76′), Shields (Mebude 76′) As always, Stephen Dobbie is a big threat and Connor Shields is the man on form with plenty pace and power, and like Toddy, nine goals in the bank as well. Nortei Nortey looks likely to miss out but Dan Pybus could return and Isaiah Jones played for half an hour in the cup game on his return from injury. View full article
  6. Looking forward to the game on Fri night, not sure how I think it will go but the boys have to be right up for it, no excuses. They've had a good break in preparation. The derby got a mention on 'A view from the terrace' last week, they were going on about it being such a friendly rivalry.......I'm not having everyone's like that. I like there to be a bit of needle between us and I also like to see County lose all their games and that's if I even check their score at all. Get right inti this shower of s%@#e Caley Thistle.....C'mon!!!!!
  7. Big week starts tonight The race for a play-off place is entering the final laps now with just five games left for the Caley Jags to try and overhaul one of the clubs above us in the table. Off to Greenock on Tuesday night for a 7:00pm start to face Morton who beat us in Inverness last time we met. In reality, the best we can hope for is overhauling one team before the end of the season and take our chances against the rest if we make the play-offs. Whilst we were on Cup duty last weekend beating the village team from Dingwall, we were looking for Hearts to do us a turn by beating Dunfermline at Tynecastle on the Saturday. They failed to do this in a 0-0 draw and that result has knocked Inverness just out of the coveted top four slots. Fair play from the Pars I suppose who recovered well from the 5-1 hammering they took off Raith Rovers last time out and now sit one point above Inverness. Our next two games will shape our season and are crucial to our success this campaign. Away to Morton followed by a trip to face Queen of the South at Palmerston. Aye, there are no easy games left, it's then Dundee at home, Hearts away and our final game is a home tie with Ayr United. STREAMING £14 from Ton TV OFFICIAL PREVIEW We have dropped five points to Morton this season already. A draw at Cappielow against ten men for over half the game was a low point, especially as we threw away a lead. Worse followed at the Caledonian Stadium when Morton's Aidan Nesbitt scored the only goal as we struggled to make headway and Morton got their first win in ten games. However, since then we are unbeaten in six games, winning the last five including the two cup games. Mark Ridgers made his 150th appearance for the club in the Cup game at Dingwall and he is on a run of three clean Championship sheets in a row. Another one would not go amiss. However, a word of caution. It's all very well owning the bragging rights after the Highland derby, but the big prize this season is promotion, and while that's still achievable it would be criminal to undo the good work of the last few weeks and rest on our laurels, albeit it is rather satisfying. Last updated: 03.04.2021 at 13:41 Pos Team Pld W D L F A Pts 1. Hearts 23 14 5 4 50 24 47 2. Raith Rovers 22 10 6 6 39 27 36 3. Dundee 21 9 6 6 40 37 33 4. Dunfermline 22 8 7 7 30 28 31 5. Inverness CT 22 7 9 6 28 23 30 6. Q.O.S. 22 9 3 10 36 44 30 7. Ayr United 22 6 8 8 28 27 26 8. Morton 22 6 7 9 19 27 25 9. Arbroath 23 6 7 10 19 28 25 10. Alloa Athletic 23 4 6 13 27 51 18 Last 10 Competitive Meetings 0 - 1 (H) 2 - 2 (A) 3 - 2 (H) 1 - 2 (A) 3 - 1 (H) 5 - 0 (H) 2 - 2 (A) 1 - 0 (H) 2 - 1 (A) 1 - 1 (H) Morton were in cup action at the weekend and had to go all the way before edging past East Fife 1-2 after extra time. They were heading out of the cup until Sean McGinty equalised in the 91st minute before substitute Robbie Muirhead settled the tie with eight minutes of extra time left. Kevin Smith had given the Fifers the lead on the hour and made Morton work hard for their place in the fourth round draw, as they did to Inverness early in the season in a league cup encounter. The Ton were also looking for a wee favour on Saturday when Arbroath hosted Alloa Athletic but the Wasps were unable to help out and went down 2-1. Not a great result for Morton who are now level on points with Arbroath and only hold a one goal advantage over the Smokies. So, for different reasons points at Cappielow will be a prized possession for both clubs as games run out in pursuit of their goals. Our cup exploits have earned us an away tie at Paisley in the fourth round of the Scottish Cup on the weekend of 17th/18th April. That means the League game against Dundee has been re-scheduled to Tuesday 20th April @ 7:00pm. Fabulous goals from Nikolay Todorov, Daniel Mackay and Shane Sutherland were enough to see of County in the cup who opened the scoring through Billy Mckay. St Mirren will offer a much sterner test than County's defence and this will be a difficult tie with the winner heading for a tie at Kilmarnock or Montrose. Morton's extra time win over the wee Fifers earned them an away tie at Motherwell. ***Latest Team News*** Scott Allan has played around an hour and a half now over two games and we have yet to see the best of him as his match sharpness returns. Aaron Doran is reputed to be close to a return but Anthony Macdonald will do well to get any game time this season. Almost a full squad, that's as good as it get's this season.
  8. Big week starts tonight The race for a play-off place is entering the final laps now with just five games left for the Caley Jags to try and overhaul one of the clubs above us in the table. Off to Greenock on Tuesday night for a 7:00pm start to face Morton who beat us in Inverness last time we met. In reality, the best we can hope for is overhauling one team before the end of the season and take our chances against the rest if we make the play-offs. Whilst we were on Cup duty last weekend beating the village team from Dingwall, we were looking for Hearts to do us a turn by beating Dunfermline at Tynecastle on the Saturday. They failed to do this in a 0-0 draw and that result has knocked Inverness just out of the coveted top four slots. Fair play from the Pars I suppose who recovered well from the 5-1 hammering they took off Raith Rovers last time out and now sit one point above Inverness. Our next two games will shape our season and are crucial to our success this campaign. Away to Morton followed by a trip to face Queen of the South at Palmerston. Aye, there are no easy games left, it's then Dundee at home, Hearts away and our final game is a home tie with Ayr United. STREAMING £14 from Ton TV OFFICIAL PREVIEW We have dropped five points to Morton this season already. A draw at Cappielow against ten men for over half the game was a low point, especially as we threw away a lead. Worse followed at the Caledonian Stadium when Morton's Aidan Nesbitt scored the only goal as we struggled to make headway and Morton got their first win in ten games. However, since then we are unbeaten in six games, winning the last five including the two cup games. Mark Ridgers made his 150th appearance for the club in the Cup game at Dingwall and he is on a run of three clean Championship sheets in a row. Another one would not go amiss. However, a word of caution. It's all very well owning the bragging rights after the Highland derby, but the big prize this season is promotion, and while that's still achievable it would be criminal to undo the good work of the last few weeks and rest on our laurels, albeit it is rather satisfying. Ayr United v Dundee also tonight at 7:00pm Last 10 Competitive Meetings against Morton 0 - 1 (H) 2 - 2 (A) 3 - 2 (H) 1 - 2 (A) 3 - 1 (H) 5 - 0 (H) 2 - 2 (A) 1 - 0 (H) 2 - 1 (A) 1 - 1 (H) Morton were in cup action at the weekend and had to go all the way before edging past East Fife 1-2 after extra time. They were heading out of the cup until Sean McGinty equalised in the 91st minute before substitute Robbie Muirhead settled the tie with eight minutes of extra time left. Kevin Smith had given the Fifers the lead on the hour and made Morton work hard for their place in the fourth round draw, as they did to Inverness early in the season in a league cup encounter. The Ton were also looking for a wee favour on Saturday when Arbroath hosted Alloa Athletic but the Wasps were unable to help out and went down 2-1. Not a great result for Morton who are now level on points with Arbroath and only hold a one goal advantage over the Smokies. So, for different reasons points at Cappielow will be a prized possession for both clubs as games run out in pursuit of their goals. Our cup exploits have earned us an away tie at Paisley in the fourth round of the Scottish Cup on the weekend of 17th/18th April. That means the League game against Dundee has been re-scheduled for 20th April @ 7:00pm Fabulous goals from Nikolay Todorov, Daniel Mackay and Shane Sutherland were enough to see of County in the cup who opened the scoring through Billy Mckay. St Mirren will offer a much sterner test than County's defence and this will be a difficult tie with the winner heading for a tie at Kilmarnock or Montrose. Morton's extra time win over the wee Fifers earned them an away tie at Motherwell in the fifth round. ***Latest Team News*** Scott Allan has played around an hour and a half now over two games and we have yet to see the best of him as his match sharpness returns. Aaron Doran is reputed to be close to a return but Anthony Macdonald will do well to get any game time this season. Almost a full squad, that's as good as it get's this season. Gus MacPherson is in charge of his sixth game since taking over at Greenock. He began when Morton were sixth in the table a month ago. Strangely enough that was the day after Morton beat Inverness at the Caledonian Stadium where top scorer Aidan Nesbitt got the only goal of the game. He is on four goals at the moment. MacPherson has secured a loan deal for Steven McGinn from St Mirren as they look to avoid a fourth Championship defeat in a row since beating Inverness.
  9. A bridge too far? Having disposed of Buckie Thistle last Wednesday, Inverness make the short trip over the Kessock Bridge to take on Premiership strugglers Ross County in the third round of the Scottish Cup. Could this be a bridge too far in our recovery programme or will it be a warm up for the promotion play-offs. Should make for interesting viewing with the game being shown on BBC Scotland with a revised kick-off time of 7:45pm. Unfortunately covid restrictions means no fans will be in the stadium for what should be a cup cracker with Yogi now in charge at Premiership Dingwall and Neil & Billy trying to steer Inverness to safety in the Championship. Both management teams would do well to remember that the League is the number one priority, but bragging rights and a wee cup run can also lift the spirits. Once upon a time there were three clubs... County's Premiership status put them straight into round three, but due to delays caused by the weather and coronavirus the next round draw preceded the second round game at Buckie. Inverness edged out Buckie who put up a terrific fight against a much changed Inverness side. James Keatings opened the scoring in 35 seconds but big Jack Murray deservedly headed Buckie level. Sean Welsh drove Inverness ahead, but the tie looked to be heading for extra time after Callum Murray equalised with a couple of minutes left. However Dan Mackay pounced in the 90th minute to put Inverness through 2-3. Then there were two, Ross County -V- Inverness CT Our last ten competitive games against County are not very flattering. What can I say, the wee team from over the bridge have held the upper hand in recent seasons. Our last competitive win over County was in 2016 when goals from Liam Polworth, Ross Draper and a belter from Miles Storey saw us win 3 - 0 in Dingwall on the 19th March. Would it be clutching at straws to say County have never knocked the Caley Jags out of the Scottish Cup, ever? Yes, it's been a great rivalry with 61 games played, 26 wins for ICT, 17 wins for County and 18 draws. Goals for 95 - 70 = + 25 GD. So overall, County are still in the shadows. Well,it's all we have to go on! Here's another thought: Inverness have the best defensive record in the Championship conceding just 23 goals. County have the leakiest defence in the Premiership with 59 goals against. Neither side have excelled in scoring goals. ICT 28 from 22 games, County 26 from 33 games. Highlights from the 3-0 win in Dingwall Last 10 Competitive Meetings don't make for good reading for Caley Jags fans 1 - 2 (H) 2 - 2 (H) 2 - 2 (A) 1 - 2 (A) 2 - 2 (H) 0 - 0 (A) 0 - 4 (A) 1 - 1 (H) 2 - 3 (A) 2 - 3 (H) We have managed three League wins on the bounce, all by 1-0 against Raith Rovers, Dunfermline and Arbroath as the McCann/Dodds revolution picks up pace. Looks like we are flying under the radar, but it's been effective in moving us up the table away from the drop zone and closer to the Premiership play-offs. Fingers crossed on that one. A marquee loan signing has given fans some hope that we can do the latter. Scott Allan has arrived from Hibs on loan and made his debut in the last half hour against Arbroath, showing glimpses of class and hopefully he can put his illness and injury problems behind him. In his half hour cameo there were signs that Scott will add another dimension to our creative play, something we have been looking for since the start of the season. County have blown hot and cold in recent weeks. It was only a couple of months ago they were thumping Aberdeen 4-1. However, despite also beating Celtic in Dingwall some inconsistent results have seen County struggle to stay just above the bottom two. Since then defeats to Hibs, St Mirren and St Johnstone interspersed with a 3-2 win over Killie keeps the Premiership flag flying. Billy Mckay scored a couple in that game and we know he likes to score when he wants. So, who do we know from their time at Inverness. John Hughes obviously, Scottish Cup winning manager in 2015. Billy Mckay, still got an eye for goal and a great penalty box striker. Jordan White, nothing to see here, jumps like he has his feet in a bag of cement, move on. Coll Donaldson, big defender can show some silky skills but prone to errors under pressure. Ross Draper was a fans favourite at Inverness, a big strapping lad, mostly a sub. Iain Vigurs, a booking waiting to happen. Get him down as first yellow card. Has all the skill in the world but a cynical schizer who would wind up his own granny. Carl Tremarco, agent Tremarco has not had much game time and his days are numbered. Apart from Gardyne and Shaw, the rest are mostly new names to us, but anyway, we have Brad Mckay... ***Latest Team News*** We like to keep things close to our chest of late although we were quick to inform all that Lewis Toshney has left the building last week. Injuries dictated that Lewis had played no games this season, so no big loss in the overall picture, but good luck to Lewis in his battles against injury. Anthony McDonald is still out. Aaron Doran made a fleeting return a couple of weeks ago but has not been seen since. Playing two games a week for the last two months can take it's toll and it certainly looked like it against Arbroath but we have had the novelty of six days off before this cup game. Beware, we still have James Vincent on our books, now he's a man that knows what it's like to score the winning goal in a Scottish Cup Final. Yogi also knows what it's like to win a Scottish Cup, I'm sure he will have ambitions to go further than the entry round for his current club.
  10. Can we get three on the trot Back to League business this weekend at the Caledonian Stadium with Dick Campbell's Arbroath the visitors. It's another covid restricted game meaning no fans will be allowed in the stadium but the game can be caught on Caley Jags TV by streaming the action live from 3:00pm, with Inverness looking for their third Championship win on the bounce. Contrasting results in the Scottish Cup in midweek when Inverness edged out Highland League side Buckie Thistle in a five goal encounter. Sounds exciting but in truth it was a poor game and performance with Buckie taking all the plaudits but not the win. A late winner by Daniel Mackay ended Buckie's brave attempt to get to Dingwall despite giving their all against a much changed Inverness side who did just enough to get through (2-3). Arbroath dropped out of the cup after the beaten finalists in the 2015 showpiece upstaged the Championship side 1-2 at Gayfield. Yes, Falkirk are through to the third round and face a trip to Parkhead. OFFICIAL PREVIEW STREAMING INFO LEWIS TOSHNEY STATEMENT Pld W D L F A +/- Pts 1. Hearts 21 14 4 3 48 21 27 46 2. Raith Rovers 20 8 6 6 33 26 7 30 3. Dunfermline 19 8 6 5 27 20 7 30 4. Dundee 20 8 6 6 37 35 2 30 5. Inverness CT 21 6 9 6 27 23 4 27 6. Queen of the South 21 8 3 10 33 42 -9 27 7. Ayr United 21 6 7 8 26 25 1 25 8. Morton 21 6 7 8 19 26 -7 25 9. Arbroath 21 5 7 9 17 26 -9 22 10. Alloa Athletic 21 4 5 12 24 47 -23 17 Last 10 Competitive Meetings with Arbroath 1 - 1 (A) 3 - 1 (H) 0 - 1 (H) 0 - 3 (A) 2 - 1 (H) 0 - 3 (H) 7 - 0 (H) 2 - 0 (A) 2 - 2 (A) 3 - 1 (H) In the League, Arbroath have slipped to second bottom After defeats from Queen of the South and Dundee, but a creditable draw against leaders Hearts will give them the confidence that they can beat the drop. We have struggled to perform at times against the bottom sides in the table although we did win 3-1 earlier in the season against Arbroath. A win on Saturday would fire us in the right direction and make it three in a row after good away wins at Raith and Dunfermline. A worried Gringo summed it up on CTO I just hope the lack lustre performance at Buckie hasn't affected the lads too much. Yes, it was a much changed side but could still have an effect. Fingers crossed this won't be the case and we can get the much needed three points. Arbroath have given us some tough games and will be up for the fight against relegation...or is it the fact I worry too much? Championship games at 3:00pm Saturday Alloa Athletic v Ayr United Hearts v Queen of the South Inverness CT v Arbroath Raith Rovers v Morton Dundee v Dunfermline 7:20pm ***Latest Team News*** After what seems like eternity, we don't need to list Lewis Toshney as an injured player anymore. Yes, he is off the injured list, and off down the road. The unfortunate Lewis has left the building by mutual consent after two injury prone seasons. He made four appearances in season 19/20 and zero this season. Good luck to Lewis after what has been a difficult time for him since he came North. No such fortune for Daniel Mackay who has been added to the crocks list after the cup win at Buckie. Kevin McHattie was also subbed in that game by Cameron Harper, who returned to action after a six game lay-off and played for the last half hour. Arbroath have signed former Aberdeen player and East Stirlingshire captain Nicky Low on loan til the end of the season. Good signing for the Lichties who have also been hit with a spate of injuries. Gavin Swankie, Bobby Linn and Luke Donnelly look likely to be miss the rest of the season. Defender Jake Davidson has returned to Dundee United after being injured in training. Experienced Berwick Rangers striker Calum Smith has also been added to Dick's squad for the final push to avoid relegation. The return of the Highland derby Next up for the Caley Jags after the Arbroath Fixture is a visit to the quaint market town of Dingwall where we will take on the village team in the third round of the Scottish Cup. That was the prize for defeating Buckie Thistle last Wednesday. Unfortunately covid restrictions are still in place and that has ruled out a great away day for the fans who would no doubt have been pleased to see John Hughes and offered him some words of encouragement in his new job
  11. Can we get three on the trot Back to League business this weekend at the Caledonian Stadium with Dick Campbell's Arbroath the visitors. It's another covid restricted game meaning no fans will be allowed in the stadium but the game can be caught on Caley Jags TV by streaming the action live from 3:00pm, with Inverness looking for their third Championship win on the bounce. Contrasting results in the Scottish Cup in midweek when Inverness edged out Highland League side Buckie Thistle in a five goal encounter. Sounds exciting but in truth it was a poor game and performance with Buckie taking all the plaudits but not the win. A late winner by Daniel Mackay ended Buckie's brave attempt to get to Dingwall despite giving their all against a much changed Inverness side who did just enough to get through (2-3). Arbroath dropped out of the cup after the beaten finalists in the 2015 showpiece upstaged the Championship side 1-2 at Gayfield. Yes, Falkirk are through to the third round and face a trip to Parkhead. OFFICIAL PREVIEW STREAMING INFO SCOTT ALLAN LEWIS TOSHNEY STATEMENT Pld W D L F A +/- Pts 1. Hearts 21 14 4 3 48 21 27 46 2. Raith Rovers 20 8 6 6 33 26 7 30 3. Dunfermline 19 8 6 5 27 20 7 30 4. Dundee 20 8 6 6 37 35 2 30 5. Inverness CT 21 6 9 6 27 23 4 27 6. Queen of the South 21 8 3 10 33 42 -9 27 7. Ayr United 21 6 7 8 26 25 1 25 8. Morton 21 6 7 8 19 26 -7 25 9. Arbroath 21 5 7 9 17 26 -9 22 10. Alloa Athletic 21 4 5 12 24 47 -23 17 Last 10 Competitive Meetings with Arbroath 1 - 1 (A) 3 - 1 (H) 0 - 1 (H) 0 - 3 (A) 2 - 1 (H) 0 - 3 (H) 7 - 0 (H) 2 - 0 (A) 2 - 2 (A) 3 - 1 (H) In the League, Arbroath have slipped to second bottom After defeats from Queen of the South and Dundee, but a creditable draw against leaders Hearts will give them the confidence that they can beat the drop. We have struggled to perform at times against the bottom sides in the table although we did win 3-1 earlier in the season against Arbroath. A win on Saturday would fire us in the right direction and make it three in a row after good away wins at Raith and Dunfermline. A worried Gringo summed it up on CTO I just hope the lack lustre performance at Buckie hasn't affected the lads too much. Yes, it was a much changed side but could still have an effect. Fingers crossed this won't be the case and we can get the much needed three points. Arbroath have given us some tough games and will be up for the fight against relegation...or is it the fact I worry too much? Championship games at 3:00pm Saturday Alloa Athletic v Ayr United Hearts v Queen of the South Inverness CT v Arbroath Raith Rovers v Morton Dundee v Dunfermline 7:20pm ***Latest Team News*** After what seems like eternity, we don't need to list Lewis Toshney as an injured player anymore. Yes, he is off the injured list, and off down the road. The unfortunate Lewis has left the building by mutual consent after two injury prone seasons. He made four appearances in season 19/20 and zero this season. Good luck to Lewis after what has been a difficult time for him since he came North. No such fortune for Daniel Mackay who has been added to the crocks list after the cup win at Buckie. Kevin McHattie was also subbed in that game by Cameron Harper, who returned to action after a six game lay-off and played for the last half hour. Inverness have boosted their squad for the run-in with an excellent loan signing in the shape of Scott Allan from Hibernian. Scott goes straight into the squad for today's game. OFFICIAL STATEMENT Scott, 29 years old, started his career at Dundee United before moving to West Brom. Scott then moved to Hibs, where he won the 2014/15 Scottish Championship Player of the Year. He then signed for Celtic, where he won the 2015/16 Scottish Premiership. During his time at Celtic, he had loan spells with Rotherham, Dundee and Hibs. Scott then moved to Hibs on a permanent basis in the summer of 2019. Arbroath have signed former Aberdeen player and East Stirlingshire captain Nicky Low on loan til the end of the season. Good signing for the Lichties who have also been hit with a spate of injuries. Gavin Swankie, Bobby Linn and Luke Donnelly look likely to be miss the rest of the season. Defender Jake Davidson has returned to Dundee United after being injured in training. Experienced Berwick Rangers striker Calum Smith has also been added to Dick's squad for the final push to avoid relegation. The return of the Highland derby Next up for the Caley Jags after the Arbroath Fixture is a visit to the quaint market town of Dingwall where we will take on the village team in the third round of the Scottish Cup. That was the prize for defeating Buckie Thistle last Wednesday. Unfortunately covid restrictions are still in place and that has ruled out a great away day for the fans who would no doubt have been pleased to see John Hughes and offered him some words of encouragement in his new job
  12. Thick and fast The games are coming thick and fast and it's another fraught weekend ahead as we travel to East End Park, Dunfermline, to take on second top 'Pars' for a 3:00pm kick-off as the league enters a crucial stage with only seven games left for the Caley Jags to determine where we finish this difficult season. April will be a tough month with games coming up against Morton (a) Queens (a) Dundee (h) Hearts (a) Ayr United (h). This game can be streamed from Pars TV for £12 on PPV and you can find out how to do it by clicking HERE. Remember to register first then pay then click on 'watch' icon. Simples. We play Buckie Thistle in Scottish Cup action next Tuesday 23rd March and PPV for that game can be found HERE In midweek we had an encouraging result at Stark's Park where a Daniel Mackay goal gave temporary boss Neil McCann his first win in charge of Inverness at the sixth time of asking. Raith were reduced to ten men after ten minutes when Iain Davidson was red carded after leaving Nikolay Todorov on the turf when he challenged him from behind. Difficult to see exactly what happened on the replay but the referee was in no doubt and his card was coming out of his top pocket before Toddy hit the ground. That was Dan's 4th goal this season. That result coupled with an excellent win for Ayr United at Dens Park shows the table like this with Alloa to play Dundee on Friday night. OFFICIAL PREVIEW Pld W D L F A +/- Pts 1. Hearts 20 14 3 3 48 21 27 45 2. Dunfermline 18 8 6 4 27 19 8 30 3. Raith Rovers 19 8 5 6 32 25 7 29 4. Dundee 19 7 6 6 34 35 -1 27 5. Queen of the South 20 8 3 9 32 40 -8 27 6. Inverness CT 20 5 9 6 26 23 3 24 7. Ayr United 20 6 6 8 25 24 1 24 8. Morton 20 5 7 8 17 25 -8 22 9. Arbroath 20 5 6 9 17 26 -9 21 10. Alloa Athletic 20 4 5 11 24 44 -20 17 Last 10 Competitive Meetings with Dunfermline Athletic 1 - 1 (H) 1 - 3 (A) 2 - 1 (A) 2 - 0 (H) 1 - 0 (A) 1 - 0 (H) 0 - 1 (A) 2 - 2 (H) 3 - 0 (A) 1 - 2 (H) Oh Danny boy... 4th goal this season We played at East End Park on the opening day of the league campaign but went down 3-1 after Todorov opened the scoring in the second minute. Captain Euan Murray levelled with his head before the interval and the Pars eased away with two goals in the final twelve minutes through Ryan Dow and a belter from Declan McManus. Up in the Highlands we came from behind to earn a point after Kyle Turner drilled a low shot behind Ridgers in the first half. The equaliser was a spectacular left footed strike by Miles Storey with twenty-five minutes left and that's how it ended. ***Latest Team News*** Miles Storey played the last half hour against Raith with Kevin McHattie leaving the bench to take up some time added on. Still missing were Aaron Doran, James Vincent and Lewis Toshney. James Keatings was a used substitute against Raith but he came off injured twelve minutes after coming on. With McCann not giving much away I'll guess that one or two are still carrying knocks and we will be along similar lines to Tuesday night with maybe Miles Storey starting. Dunfermline have put promising midfielder Kyle Turner out on loan to Airdieonians. They have taken Craig Wighton on loan from Hearts and the big striker is relishing the challenge with three goals in three games. Another good loan signing is Scott Banks who had spells at Dundee United and Alloa Athletic. Former Caley Jags wage earner Owain Fon Williams is the current No1 at East End Park.
  13. Thick and fast The games are coming thick and fast and it's another fraught weekend ahead as we travel to East End Park, Dunfermline, to take on second top 'Pars' for a 3:00pm kick-off as the league enters a crucial stage with only seven games left for the Caley Jags to determine where we finish this difficult season. April will be a tough month with games coming up against Morton (a) Queens (a) Dundee (h) Hearts (a) Ayr United (h). This game can be streamed from Pars TV for £12 on PPV and you can find out how to do it by clicking HERE. Remember to register first then pay then click on 'watch' icon. Simples. We play Buckie Thistle in Scottish Cup action next Tuesday 23rd March and PPV for that game can be found HERE In midweek we had an encouraging result at Stark's Park where a Daniel Mackay goal gave temporary boss Neil McCann his first win in charge of Inverness at the sixth time of asking. Raith were reduced to ten men after ten minutes when Iain Davidson was red carded after leaving Nikolay Todorov on the turf when he challenged him from behind. Difficult to see exactly what happened on the replay but the referee was in no doubt and his card was coming out of his top pocket before Toddy hit the ground. That was Dan's 4th goal this season. That result coupled with an excellent win for Ayr United at Dens Park shows the table like this with Alloa to play Dundee on Friday night. OFFICIAL PREVIEW Pld W D L F A +/- Pts 1. Hearts 20 14 3 3 48 21 27 45 2. Dunfermline 18 8 6 4 27 19 8 30 3. Raith Rovers 19 8 5 6 32 25 7 29 4. Dundee 19 7 6 6 34 35 -1 27 5. Queen of the South 20 8 3 9 32 40 -8 27 6. Inverness CT 20 5 9 6 26 23 3 24 7. Ayr United 20 6 6 8 25 24 1 24 8. Morton 20 5 7 8 17 25 -8 22 9. Arbroath 20 5 6 9 17 26 -9 21 10. Alloa Athletic 20 4 5 11 24 44 -20 17 Last 10 Competitive Meetings with Dunfermline Athletic 1 - 1 (H) 1 - 3 (A) 2 - 1 (A) 2 - 0 (H) 1 - 0 (A) 1 - 0 (H) 0 - 1 (A) 2 - 2 (H) 3 - 0 (A) 1 - 2 (H) Oh Danny boy... 4th goal this season We played at East End Park on the opening day of the league campaign but went down 3-1 after Todorov opened the scoring in the second minute. Captain Euan Murray levelled with his head before the interval and the Pars eased away with two goals in the final twelve minutes through Ryan Dow and a belter from Declan McManus. Up in the Highlands we came from behind to earn a point after Kyle Turner drilled a low shot behind Ridgers in the first half. The equaliser was a spectacular left footed strike by Miles Storey with twenty-five minutes left and that's how it ended. ***Latest Team News*** Miles Storey played the last half hour against Raith with Kevin McHattie leaving the bench to take up some time added on. Still missing were Aaron Doran, James Vincent and Lewis Toshney. James Keatings was a used substitute against Raith but he came off injured twelve minutes after coming on. With McCann not giving much away I'll guess that one or two are still carrying knocks and we will be along similar lines to Tuesday night with maybe Miles Storey starting. Dunfermline have put promising midfielder Kyle Turner out on loan to Airdieonians. They have taken Craig Wighton on loan from Hearts and the big striker is relishing the challenge with three goals in three games. Another good loan signing is Scott Banks who had spells at Dundee United and Alloa Athletic. Former Caley Jags wage earner Owain Fon Williams is the current No1 at East End Park. View full article
  14. It's only half time! The second phase of the double header is at Stark's Park Kirkaldy as Inverness head South on Tuesday night for a 7:00pm kick-off. Part one ended all square in an enthralling no scoring draw at the Caledonian Stadium last Friday night in front of the BBC cameras and a covid restricted crowd of 000. You can Stream this game live from RAITH TV FOR £12. Log in/register, pay then select game. Follow instructions from Raith TV. Friday's game saw Neil McCann struggle to get a squad together with injuries denying him three or four first choices. Regulars Cammy Harper, Aaron Doran, James Vincent and Miles Storey all missed out which left us down to the bare bones with three youngsters, the departing James Keatings, knackered Wallace Duffy and crocked Kev McHattie our only outfield choices. That'll be one of the reasons we made no subs in this game. Here's hoping we get a couple of our missing bodies back into contention for a start soon. Despite our skeleton squad, we warmed to the task midway through the first half and by the end of the game we gave as good as we got. It could have been a high scoring draw but for various reasons it ended 0-0, not for the want of trying from both sides. Closest to a goal for the hosts were captain Sean Welsh who headed onto the post and Roddy MacGregor who drove the ball into the ruck of bodies lying on the grass on the goal line. He should really have scored, after all it was only two yards out. Raith missed opportunities from Ugwu and Mendosa amongst others in a flying start and before the end both keepers made excellent saves. Overall a point each gives no complaints from me. Since then Neil McCann has added Billy Dodds to his coaching staff to help get the best out of the players at his disposal. Interesting, let's see how that goes. Read about it here Championship fixtures tonight: Dundee v Ayr United & Raith Rovers v Inverness CT, both 7:00pm Kick-Off. Rescheduled 2nd rd Scottish Cup Tie: Buckie Thistle v Inverness CT Tuesday 23rd March 8:00pm Kick-Off PPV £10 on BUCKIE TV Last updated: 13.03.2021 at 12:06 Pos Team Pld W D L F A Pts 1. Hearts 20 14 3 3 48 21 45 2. Dunfermline 18 8 6 4 27 19 30 3. Raith Rovers 18 8 5 5 32 24 29 4. Dundee 18 7 6 5 33 32 27 5. Q.O.S. 20 8 3 9 32 40 27 6. Morton 20 5 7 8 17 25 22 7. Inverness CT 19 4 9 6 25 23 21 8. Ayr United 19 5 6 8 22 23 21 9. Arbroath 20 5 6 9 17 26 21 10. Alloa Athletic 20 4 5 11 24 44 17 Last 10 Competitive Meetings with Raith Rovers 0 - 0 (H) 2 - 0 (H) 3 - 3 (A) 4 - 1 (H) 2 - 1 (H) 1 - 0 (H) 4 - 3 (H) 4 - 0 (A) 1 - 0 (H) 1 - 0 (A) ***Latest Team News*** We were hit with some unannounced call-offs for last Friday's game as McCann was keeping his injury problems close to his chest. Missing for a couple of games now have been Miles Storey, Cameron Harper, James Vincent and the recently returned Aaron Doran. Wallace Duffy was given the night off as well and that all left us a bit thin on the ground. Kevin McHattie is clearly not fully fit and Lewis Toshney featured once on the bench but has since disappeared. OFFICIAL PREVIEW John McGlynn has a simpler task of naming his squad, in fact he has the luxury of picking and choosing who he plays and who goes on the bench and who to leave out altogether, whereas our hands are tied. Ugwu or Duku, .......... Here's a reminder of the teams from Friday night: ICT: Ridgers; B Mckay, Devine, Deas, Allardice, MacGregor, Carson, Allardice, D Mackay, Sutherland, Todorov Subs (not used): C Mackay; Hyde, Nicholson, Harkness, Duffy, Keatings, McHattie, Raith: J MacDonald; Tumilty, Benedictus, Hendry, K MacDonald, Kennedy, Tait, Musonda, Ugwu (Duku 85), King (Armstrong 66) Gullan (Mathews 66) Subs (not used): Thomson; Davidson, Abraham, Spencer The Wyness Shufflers have produced another gem...
  15. It's only half time! The second phase of the double header is at Stark's Park Kirkaldy as Inverness head South on Tuesday night for a 7:00pm kick-off. Part one ended all square in an enthralling no scoring draw at the Caledonian Stadium last Friday night in front of the BBC cameras and a covid restricted crowd of 000. You can Stream this game live from RAITH TV FOR £12. Log in/register, pay then select game. Follow instructions from Raith TV. Friday's game saw Neil McCann struggle to get a squad together with injuries denying him three or four first choices. Regulars Cammy Harper, Aaron Doran, James Vincent and Miles Storey all missed out which left us down to the bare bones with three youngsters, the departing James Keatings, knackered Wallace Duffy and crocked Kev McHattie our only outfield choices. That'll be one of the reasons we made no subs in this game. Here's hoping we get a couple of our missing bodies back into contention for a start soon. Despite our skeleton squad, we warmed to the task midway through the first half and by the end of the game we gave as good as we got. It could have been a high scoring draw but for various reasons it ended 0-0, not for the want of trying from both sides. Closest to a goal for the hosts were captain Sean Welsh who headed onto the post and Roddy MacGregor who drove the ball into the ruck of bodies lying on the grass on the goal line. He should really have scored, after all it was only two yards out. Raith missed opportunities from Ugwu and Mendosa amongst others in a flying start and before the end both keepers made excellent saves. Overall a point each gives no complaints from me. Since then Neil McCann has added Billy Dodds to his coaching staff to help get the best out of the players at his disposal. Interesting, let's see how that goes. Read about it here Championship fixtures tonight: Dundee v Ayr United & Raith Rovers v Inverness CT, both 7:00pm Kick-Off. Rescheduled 2nd rd Scottish Cup Tie: Buckie Thistle v Inverness CT Tuesday 23rd March 8:00pm Kick-Off PPV £10 on BUCKIE TV Last updated: 13.03.2021 at 12:06 Pos Team Pld W D L F A Pts 1. Hearts 20 14 3 3 48 21 45 2. Dunfermline 18 8 6 4 27 19 30 3. Raith Rovers 18 8 5 5 32 24 29 4. Dundee 18 7 6 5 33 32 27 5. Q.O.S. 20 8 3 9 32 40 27 6. Morton 20 5 7 8 17 25 22 7. Inverness CT 19 4 9 6 25 23 21 8. Ayr United 19 5 6 8 22 23 21 9. Arbroath 20 5 6 9 17 26 21 10. Alloa Athletic 20 4 5 11 24 44 17 Last 10 Competitive Meetings with Raith Rovers 0 - 0 (H) 2 - 0 (H) 3 - 3 (A) 4 - 1 (H) 2 - 1 (H) 1 - 0 (H) 4 - 3 (H) 4 - 0 (A) 1 - 0 (H) 1 - 0 (A) ***Latest Team News*** We were hit with some unannounced call-offs for last Friday's game as McCann was keeping his injury problems close to his chest. Missing for a couple of games now have been Miles Storey, Cameron Harper, James Vincent and the recently returned Aaron Doran. Wallace Duffy was given the night off as well and that all left us a bit thin on the ground. Kevin McHattie is clearly not fully fit and Lewis Toshney featured once on the bench but has since disappeared. OFFICIAL PREVIEW John McGlynn has a simpler task of naming his squad, in fact he has the luxury of picking and choosing who he plays and who goes on the bench and who to leave out altogether, whereas our hands are tied. Ugwu or Duku, .......... Here's a reminder of the teams from Friday night: ICT: Ridgers; B Mckay, Devine, Deas, Allardice, MacGregor, Carson, Allardice, D Mackay, Sutherland, Todorov Subs (not used): C Mackay; Hyde, Nicholson, Harkness, Duffy, Keatings, McHattie, Raith: J MacDonald; Tumilty, Benedictus, Hendry, K MacDonald, Kennedy, Tait, Musonda, Ugwu (Duku 85), King (Armstrong 66) Gullan (Mathews 66) Subs (not used): Thomson; Davidson, Abraham, Spencer The Wyness Shufflers have produced another gem... View full article
  16. Down Down Deeper and Down After the lethargic jaded performance on Tuesday night comes the visit of second place Raith Rovers, the first of a double header against the Kirkaldy side who we play again next Tuesday night at Starks Park. First up we are at the Caledonian Stadium where points are at a premium for both clubs but for different reasons. This game can be seen on BBC Scotland on Friday night with a 7:45 kick-off. This season has been a disaster on and off the park. The pandemic apart, we are at an all time low being beaten regularly by clubs that have struggled to get points off us over the years through all the divisions. Now we can't beat Alloa home or away, Queen of the South, Morton, Arbroath are all jumping on the bandwagon as we struggle to perform and points are being given away like nobodies business. What's going on? Managerless, aimless, leaderless, goalless, headless, gutless, useless, hapless and hopeless are all being used to describe our demise. At this moment in time I don't fancy our chances in a play-off situation with any club, or Buckie Thistle in the Scottish Cup for that matter. It's time to smell the coffee and get our heads out of our ar5e5 before it's too late. Should the unthinkable happen and we get consumed by relegation then that could trigger the death knoll of our club. Part time football beckons, and with that comes anonymity and even less income. It's a slippery slope that's so easy to slide down but one that's very difficult to climb back up. What can be done to halt the slide? Well, picking up three points would be very welcome but that's not so easy given our fixture schedule and small squad. Another factor in all this has been the stop start season and poor playing conditions. I know I know, it's the same for both sides I hear you say, but conditions like the Morton game levelled out the skill factor in favour of the technically poorer squad whilst ensuring we were brought down to a lower level. Yep, it's clutching at straws, but it's all we have at the moment. We need a leader on the park and direction from the dugout. That's not happening at the moment. Injuries have crippled our season and even Pixie Lott makes us look sh!te. Unfortunately, the league table does not lie and prior to the Raith game we sit second bottom of the table having all but caught up on our games in hand. Pld W D L F A +/- Pts 1. Hearts 19 13 3 3 46 21 25 42 2. Raith Rovers 17 8 4 5 32 24 8 28 3. Dunfermline 17 7 6 4 26 19 7 27 4. Queen of the South 19 8 3 8 30 37 -7 27 5. Dundee 17 6 6 5 31 32 -1 24 6. Morton 19 5 7 7 17 24 -7 22 7. Ayr United 18 5 6 7 22 21 1 21 8. Arbroath 19 5 6 8 17 24 -7 21 9. Inverness CT 18 4 8 6 25 23 2 20 10. Alloa Athletic 19 3 5 11 21 42 -21 14 Saturday games in the Championship, all 3:00pm kick-off. Dundee v Arbroath Dunfermline v Morton Hearts v Ayr United Queens v Alloa Athletic Our record over the years against Raith Rovers is one of total dominance. It's almost 21 years since Raith Rovers last won, a 2-1 win in the Highlands when first half goals by Jay Stein and Ivan Mballa were enough to see off a depleted Caley Jags who replied through Paul Sheerin ten minutes before the end. Since then we have been totally dominant winning eighteen games and drawing just three. Unfortunately our recent demise could result in another team changing the balance of power. Last 10 Competitive Meetings with Rovers going back to Saturday, April 24th, 2004 2 - 0 (H) 3 - 3 (A) 4 - 1 (H) 2 - 1 (H) 1 - 0 (H) 4 - 3 (H) 4 - 0 (A) 1 - 0 (H) 1 - 0 (A) 1 - 0 (A) We played Rovers in a League Cup game at the start of the season and that ended in an entertaining 3-3 draw with Rovers getting the penalty shoot-out bonus point. The second encounter was the first game with fans allowed in. A covid restricted crowd saw Inverness tame the high scoring Rovers and emerge from the game with a deserved 2-0 win with goals from James Keatings and Scott Allardice. We sat 5th in the table after that game, only three points behind Raith in second place. After trouncing Queen of the South the following week at Palmerston we were level with Raith on ten points. There was little evidence of the slump that was about to follow once the postponements set in. We even managed to draw with Dundee, surrendering a lead to a late goal. Then came Alloa. They hold the Indian sign over us recently and if that is our benchmark, then the rot set in after another failure to beat the Wasps. Only one win in ten games since the defeat to Alloa, and that was something of a surprise result at Ayr. That is simply not the form of a team looking for promotion, but it certainly smacks of relegation. A couple of the players have been speaking in the local press, Allardice and Duffy have used the word embarrassing and I can't disagree with that. They are implying that it's all down to the players to dig their way out of this hole. I can't disagree with that. Allardice added we should forget all talk about promotion, can't disagree with that either, he is spot on. I suppose it's good to know that the players realise we have a problem. Let's see if we get a reaction to our dismal performance against Morton where the most disappointing aspect was our inability to create enough chances coupled with some bog standard Caley Jags shoddy defending. Time to change the record guys. Brad Mckay is another who has stuck his oar in as he said "if anyone thinks Inverness Caledonian Thistle doesn’t care about bouncing back from their poor form and fighting against relegation, they’re wrong." Well, the fans are waiting guys, show us you care and let's get a result please, preferably a positive one! Championship Managerial Merry go Round: I see that Morton and Ayr United have made their moves to escape relegation. Morton have dumped Antone McElhone from the gaffers seat since they beat us and in comes the experienced Gus McPherson. Ayr United have signed on former Livingston and Morton manager David Hopkin. Meanwhile, we have under fire Neil McCann still helping out. Arbroath's manager Dick Campbell has been awarded Manager of the Month after a series of great results in February. Three wins and two draws tipped the scales in Dick's favour. Makes our 1-1 draw at Gayfield feel like a result! ***Latest Team News*** Neil McCann will have to decide whether he plays James Keatings or leaves him out against his future employers. Aaron Doran managed some game time against Morton but it was under difficult conditions. Kevin McHattie made the bench with Lewis Toshney on it for the previous game, so hopefully these defenders will be ready for selection soon as we need a steady hand at the back to compliment the brashness of youth. Up front we missed the pace of Miles Storey against Morton. Raith Rovers have been steadily building their squad and have a few to look out for. We are well aware of the trickery of Kai Kennedy, something we sadly lack since he left us. He will be joined next season by James Keatings who has signed a pre-contract at Stark's Park. Hell mend him! Manny Duku was well policed last time at Inverness but he is a goal threat. Raith will be without the services of defender Fernandy Mendy for three weeks as 'Nando' has been called up to play in the African Nations Cup for Guinea Bissau, which means he misses tonight's game at Inverness. More Pre-Match info/video will be added when available...
  17. Down Down Deeper and Down After the lethargic jaded performance on Tuesday night comes the visit of second place Raith Rovers, the first of a double header against the Kirkaldy side who we play again next Tuesday night at Starks Park. First up we are at the Caledonian Stadium where points are at a premium for both clubs but for different reasons. This game can be seen on BBC Scotland on Friday night with a 7:45 kick-off. This season has been a disaster on and off the park. The pandemic apart, we are at an all time low being beaten regularly by clubs that have struggled to get points off us over the years through all the divisions. Now we can't beat Alloa home or away, Queen of the South, Morton, Arbroath are all jumping on the bandwagon as we struggle to perform and points are being given away like nobodies business. What's going on? Managerless, aimless, leaderless, goalless, headless, gutless, useless, hapless and hopeless are all being used to describe our demise. At this moment in time I don't fancy our chances in a play-off situation with any club, or Buckie Thistle in the Scottish Cup for that matter. It's time to smell the coffee and get our heads out of our ar5e5 before it's too late. Should the unthinkable happen and we get consumed by relegation then that could trigger the death knoll of our club. Part time football beckons, and with that comes anonymity and even less income. It's a slippery slope that's so easy to slide down but one that's very difficult to climb back up. What can be done to halt the slide? Well, picking up three points would be very welcome but that's not so easy given our fixture schedule and small squad. Another factor in all this has been the stop start season and poor playing conditions. I know I know, it's the same for both sides I hear you say, but conditions like the Morton game levelled out the skill factor in favour of the technically poorer squad whilst ensuring we were brought down to a lower level. Yep, it's clutching at straws, but it's all we have at the moment. We need a leader on the park and direction from the dugout. That's not happening at the moment. Injuries have crippled our season and even Pixie Lott makes us look sh!te. Unfortunately, the league table does not lie and prior to the Raith game we sit second bottom of the table having all but caught up on our games in hand. Pld W D L F A +/- Pts 1. Hearts 19 13 3 3 46 21 25 42 2. Raith Rovers 17 8 4 5 32 24 8 28 3. Dunfermline 17 7 6 4 26 19 7 27 4. Queen of the South 19 8 3 8 30 37 -7 27 5. Dundee 17 6 6 5 31 32 -1 24 6. Morton 19 5 7 7 17 24 -7 22 7. Ayr United 18 5 6 7 22 21 1 21 8. Arbroath 19 5 6 8 17 24 -7 21 9. Inverness CT 18 4 8 6 25 23 2 20 10. Alloa Athletic 19 3 5 11 21 42 -21 14 Saturday games in the Championship, all 3:00pm kick-off. Dundee v Arbroath Dunfermline v Morton Hearts v Ayr United Queens v Alloa Athletic Our record over the years against Raith Rovers is one of total dominance. It's almost 21 years since Raith Rovers last won, a 2-1 win in the Highlands when first half goals by Jay Stein and Ivan Mballa were enough to see off a depleted Caley Jags who replied through Paul Sheerin ten minutes before the end. Since then we have been totally dominant winning eighteen games and drawing just three. Unfortunately our recent demise could result in another team changing the balance of power. Last 10 Competitive Meetings with Rovers going back to Saturday, April 24th, 2004 2 - 0 (H) 3 - 3 (A) 4 - 1 (H) 2 - 1 (H) 1 - 0 (H) 4 - 3 (H) 4 - 0 (A) 1 - 0 (H) 1 - 0 (A) 1 - 0 (A) We played Rovers in a League Cup game at the start of the season and that ended in an entertaining 3-3 draw with Rovers getting the penalty shoot-out bonus point. The second encounter was the first game with fans allowed in. A covid restricted crowd saw Inverness tame the high scoring Rovers and emerge from the game with a deserved 2-0 win with goals from James Keatings and Scott Allardice. We sat 5th in the table after that game, only three points behind Raith in second place. After trouncing Queen of the South the following week at Palmerston we were level with Raith on ten points. There was little evidence of the slump that was about to follow once the postponements set in. We even managed to draw with Dundee, surrendering a lead to a late goal. Then came Alloa. They hold the Indian sign over us recently and if that is our benchmark, then the rot set in after another failure to beat the Wasps. Only one win in ten games since the defeat to Alloa, and that was something of a surprise result at Ayr. That is simply not the form of a team looking for promotion, but it certainly smacks of relegation. A couple of the players have been speaking in the local press, Allardice and Duffy have used the word embarrassing and I can't disagree with that. They are implying that it's all down to the players to dig their way out of this hole. I can't disagree with that. Allardice added we should forget all talk about promotion, can't disagree with that either, he is spot on. I suppose it's good to know that the players realise we have a problem. Let's see if we get a reaction to our dismal performance against Morton where the most disappointing aspect was our inability to create enough chances coupled with some bog standard Caley Jags shoddy defending. Time to change the record guys. Brad Mckay is another who has stuck his oar in as he said "if anyone thinks Inverness Caledonian Thistle doesn’t care about bouncing back from their poor form and fighting against relegation, they’re wrong." Well, the fans are waiting guys, show us you care and let's get a result please, preferably a positive one! Championship Managerial Merry go Round: I see that Morton and Ayr United have made their moves to escape relegation. Morton have dumped Antone McElhone from the gaffers seat since they beat us and in comes the experienced Gus McPherson. Ayr United have signed on former Livingston and Morton manager David Hopkin. Meanwhile, we have under fire Neil McCann still helping out. Arbroath's manager Dick Campbell has been awarded Manager of the Month after a series of great results in February. Three wins and two draws tipped the scales in Dick's favour. Makes our 1-1 draw at Gayfield feel like a result! ***Latest Team News*** Neil McCann will have to decide whether he plays James Keatings or leaves him out against his future employers. Aaron Doran managed some game time against Morton but it was under difficult conditions. Kevin McHattie made the bench with Lewis Toshney on it for the previous game, so hopefully these defenders will be ready for selection soon as we need a steady hand at the back to compliment the brashness of youth. Up front we missed the pace of Miles Storey against Morton. Raith Rovers have been steadily building their squad and have a few to look out for. We are well aware of the trickery of Kai Kennedy, something we sadly lack since he left us. He will be joined next season by James Keatings who has signed a pre-contract at Stark's Park. Hell mend him! Manny Duku was well policed last time at Inverness but he is a goal threat. Raith will be without the services of defender Fernandy Mendy for three weeks as 'Nando' has been called up to play in the African Nations Cup for Guinea Bissau, which means he misses tonight's game at Inverness. More Pre-Match info/video will be added when available... View full article
  18. Morton Catch-Up No rest for the wicked and we face Morton at the Caledonian Stadium on Tuesday night, the game kicking-off at 7:00pm with live streaming available from Caley Jags TV. In this cut-throat league we have got to the stage where a play-off slot is achievable. Unfortunately, that's more likely at the wrong end of the table although both options are still available with only ten games left for us. We could go a long way to relieving some of the pressure on ourselves by beating Morton who have fallen just below us in the table, but we are Caley Jags and we don't take the easy options. Pld W D L F A +/- Pts 1. Hearts 19 13 3 3 46 21 25 42 2. Raith Rovers 16 8 3 5 32 24 8 27 3. Dunfermline 17 7 6 4 26 19 7 27 4. Queen of the South 19 8 3 8 30 37 -7 27 5. Dundee 17 6 6 5 31 32 -1 24 6. Arbroath 19 5 6 8 17 24 -7 21 7. Inverness CT 17 4 8 5 25 22 3 20 8. Ayr United 17 5 5 7 22 21 1 20 9. Morton 18 4 7 7 16 24 -8 19 10. Alloa Athletic 19 3 5 11 21 42 -21 14 OFFICIAL PREVIEW Last 10 Competitive Meetings against Morton back to April 2018 2 - 2 (A) 3 - 2 (H) 1 - 2 (A) 3 - 1 (H) 5 - 0 (H) 2 - 2 (A) 1 - 0 (H) 2 - 1 (A) 1 - 1 (H) 3 - 0 (A) On Saturday we battled from behind to earn a draw at Alloa after Innes Cameron had given the hosts the lead. Nikolay Todorov replied for the Caley Jags before the Interval and that's how it ended. Both keepers made decent saves and that's the reason there was no further scoring. Well that and a couple of shocking misses. Good to see Lewis Toshney involved with the squad, even it was just sitting on the bench. His experience could be useful in the final few games of the season. Since drawing 2-2 with us in January, Morton have failed to win in five games although a couple of deserved draws with Hearts and Dundee have been undermined by poor results against Arbroath and Raith Rovers. However a 0-2 defeat from Ayr United at the weekend has dumped Morton below Ayr and Inverness although there is only one point in it. Both sides are in a rut at the moment. Neither side has an out and out goal scorer, both sides have only four wins and are flirting with the relegation zone and both sides need the points. What could possibly go wrong? There is one other game tonight in the Championship as Raith Rovers take on Ayr United at Stark's Park which is also a 7:00pm kick-off. Dunfermline v Dundee is postponed due to a covid outbreak at East End Park with players having to self isolate. ***Latest Team News*** Neil McCann: We have a doubt over Cameron Harper who was precautionarily substituted at Alloa. Better news is that Aaron Doran is back training. Todorov and Sutherland are our top scorers this season with five apiece and Raith bound James Keatings has four. Scott Allardice is our most booked player with five yellow's. Antone McElhone used these players in the home defeat to Ayr United: McAdams, Ledger, McLean, McGinty, Strapp (Muirhead 50′), Jacobs, McGuffie (Johnson 65′), Colville (Sterling 65′), Blues, Nesbitt, Salkeld. Left back Lewis Strapp is a doubt for Morton after he was injured in the game against Ayr United where Robbie Muirhead replaced him after fifty minutes. A foot injury could see Strapp miss this one. Kalvin Orsi, Cameron Blues and Craig McGuffie are the Ton's top scorers with three goals each this season. This post has been promoted to an article
  19. At the Crossroads With our season gradually disintegrating, we head to Recreation Park Alloa to face The Wasps @ the Indodrill Stadium. It's a 3:00pm kick-off on Saturday with both sides lingering at the wrong end of the table, games in hand or not. Our games in hand are dwindling away and there's little improvement in our league position. Four wins from sixteen games is not the form of a team challenging for a play-off slot to the premiership. This is now a crucial game in our season which is at the crossroads. Which way do we turn? Crossroads We have found Alloa difficult to beat recently with no wins in our last four meetings, such is the demise of our club. Financial constraints have seen us unable to attract the quality of player required at this level to sustain a challenge at the top end of the table and we are having to blood youngsters in the Championship. The latest jumping ship is James Keatings who has reportedly signed a pre-contract agreement with Raith Rovers. With little leadership on the park, it's difficult to get any consistency and Premiership football looks unlikely with the prospects of league 1 closer to the mark. It's a tough league to get out of at the right end and there's a fine line between challenging at the top to falling into a relegation battle and that is something we have to get used to pretty quick. We have eleven games left to save our season, which way will we turn? Last 10 Competitive Meetings 2 - 2 (H) 1 - 2 (A) 0 - 2 (A) 1 - 1 (H) 3 - 2 (A) 2 - 0 (A) 2 - 2 (H) 3 - 0 (H) 2 - 1 (A) 3 - 2 (H) Pld W D L F A +/- Pts 1. Hearts 18 12 3 3 44 20 24 39 2. Raith Rovers 16 8 3 5 32 24 8 27 3. Dunfermline 17 7 6 4 26 19 7 27 4. Dundee 16 6 6 4 30 30 0 24 5. Queen of the South 18 7 3 8 26 35 -9 24 6. Arbroath 18 5 6 7 15 20 -5 21 7. Inverness CT 16 4 7 5 24 21 3 19 8. Morton 17 4 7 6 16 22 -6 19 9. Ayr United 16 4 5 7 20 21 -1 17 10. Alloa Athletic 18 3 4 11 20 41 -21 13 All Championship games this weekend Raith v Dundee - Postponed - Covid Alloa v Inverness CT Arbroath v Queen of the South Hearts v Dundee Morton v Ayr United Only eleven games left and we need to start picking up points starting with Alloa away at the weekend, so get behind the guys, for better or for worse. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ OFFICIAL PREVIEW PPV STREAMING £12 FROM ALLOA TV +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Neil McCann pre-match with Alloa... ***Latest Team News*** Anthony McDonald has had an operation on his knee and with only a dozen games left in this season, it is unlikely we will see much, if anything at all from him this campaign. Roddy MacGregor is doubtful after the clattering he took against Hearts from Kingsley. The rest are back in training and will be needed as soon as they are ready for action before our season is beyond repair. It looks as though the best we can do this year is survive and get the youngsters some valuable game time ready for next season. This is not a drill! Alloa will make it difficult and for the first time ever we will probably be regarded as underdogs in this fixture. Their mix of experience, young loanees and dogged journeymen have been good enough to hold the Indian sign over us recently and I see little evidence that will change this weekend. Loan signing Innes Cameron seems to be prospering with game time and Innes Murray likes a free kick, both scoring against us in the last couple of meetings. Here's a wee reminder that not all left feet are just for standing on.... View full article
  20. Morton Catch-Up No rest for the wicked and we face Morton at the Caledonian Stadium on Tuesday night, the game kicking-off at 7:00pm with live streaming available from Caley Jags TV. In this cut-throat league we have got to the stage where a play-off slot is achievable. Unfortunately, that's more likely at the wrong end of the table although both options are still available with only ten games left for us. We could go a long way to relieving some of the pressure on ourselves by beating Morton who have fallen just below us in the table, but we are Caley Jags and we don't take the easy options. Pld W D L F A +/- Pts 1. Hearts 19 13 3 3 46 21 25 42 2. Raith Rovers 16 8 3 5 32 24 8 27 3. Dunfermline 17 7 6 4 26 19 7 27 4. Queen of the South 19 8 3 8 30 37 -7 27 5. Dundee 17 6 6 5 31 32 -1 24 6. Arbroath 19 5 6 8 17 24 -7 21 7. Inverness CT 17 4 8 5 25 22 3 20 8. Ayr United 17 5 5 7 22 21 1 20 9. Morton 18 4 7 7 16 24 -8 19 10. Alloa Athletic 19 3 5 11 21 42 -21 14 OFFICIAL PREVIEW Last 10 Competitive Meetings against Morton back to April 2018 2 - 2 (A) 3 - 2 (H) 1 - 2 (A) 3 - 1 (H) 5 - 0 (H) 2 - 2 (A) 1 - 0 (H) 2 - 1 (A) 1 - 1 (H) 3 - 0 (A) On Saturday we battled from behind to earn a draw at Alloa after Innes Cameron had given the hosts the lead. Nikolay Todorov replied for the Caley Jags before the Interval and that's how it ended. Both keepers made decent saves and that's the reason there was no further scoring. Well that and a couple of shocking misses. Good to see Lewis Toshney involved with the squad, even it was just sitting on the bench. His experience could be useful in the final few games of the season. Since drawing 2-2 with us in January, Morton have failed to win in five games although a couple of deserved draws with Hearts and Dundee have been undermined by poor results against Arbroath and Raith Rovers. However a 0-2 defeat from Ayr United at the weekend has dumped Morton below Ayr and Inverness although there is only one point in it. Both sides are in a rut at the moment. Neither side has an out and out goal scorer, both sides have only four wins and are flirting with the relegation zone and both sides need the points. What could possibly go wrong? There is one other game tonight in the Championship as Raith Rovers take on Ayr United at Stark's Park which is also a 7:00pm kick-off. Dunfermline v Dundee is postponed due to a covid outbreak at East End Park with players having to self isolate. ***Latest Team News*** Neil McCann: We have a doubt over Cameron Harper who was precautionarily substituted at Alloa. Better news is that Aaron Doran is back training. Todorov and Sutherland are our top scorers this season with five apiece and Raith bound James Keatings has four. Scott Allardice is our most booked player with five yellow's. Antone McElhone used these players in the home defeat to Ayr United: McAdams, Ledger, McLean, McGinty, Strapp (Muirhead 50′), Jacobs, McGuffie (Johnson 65′), Colville (Sterling 65′), Blues, Nesbitt, Salkeld. Left back Lewis Strapp is a doubt for Morton after he was injured in the game against Ayr United where Robbie Muirhead replaced him after fifty minutes. A foot injury could see Strapp miss this one. Kalvin Orsi, Cameron Blues and Craig McGuffie are the Ton's top scorers with three goals each this season.
  21. At the Crossroads With our season gradually disintegrating, we head to Recreation Park Alloa to face The Wasps @ the Indodrill Stadium. It's a 3:00pm kick-off on Saturday with both sides lingering at the wrong end of the table, games in hand or not. Our games in hand are dwindling away and there's little improvement in our league position. Four wins from sixteen games is not the form of a team challenging for a play-off slot to the premiership. This is now a crucial game in our season which is at the crossroads. Which way do we turn? Crossroads We have found Alloa difficult to beat recently with no wins in our last four meetings, such is the demise of our club. Financial constraints have seen us unable to attract the quality of player required at this level to sustain a challenge at the top end of the table and we are having to blood youngsters in the Championship. The latest jumping ship is James Keatings who has reportedly signed a pre-contract agreement with Raith Rovers. With little leadership on the park, it's difficult to get any consistency and Premiership football looks unlikely with the prospects of league 1 closer to the mark. It's a tough league to get out of at the right end and there's a fine line between challenging at the top to falling into a relegation battle and that is something we have to get used to pretty quick. We have eleven games left to save our season, which way will we turn? Last 10 Competitive Meetings 2 - 2 (H) 1 - 2 (A) 0 - 2 (A) 1 - 1 (H) 3 - 2 (A) 2 - 0 (A) 2 - 2 (H) 3 - 0 (H) 2 - 1 (A) 3 - 2 (H) Pld W D L F A +/- Pts 1. Hearts 18 12 3 3 44 20 24 39 2. Raith Rovers 16 8 3 5 32 24 8 27 3. Dunfermline 17 7 6 4 26 19 7 27 4. Dundee 16 6 6 4 30 30 0 24 5. Queen of the South 18 7 3 8 26 35 -9 24 6. Arbroath 18 5 6 7 15 20 -5 21 7. Inverness CT 16 4 7 5 24 21 3 19 8. Morton 17 4 7 6 16 22 -6 19 9. Ayr United 16 4 5 7 20 21 -1 17 10. Alloa Athletic 18 3 4 11 20 41 -21 13 All Championship games this weekend Raith v Dundee - Postponed - Covid Alloa v Inverness CT Arbroath v Queen of the South Hearts v Dundee Morton v Ayr United Only eleven games left and we need to start picking up points starting with Alloa away at the weekend, so get behind the guys, for better or for worse. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ OFFICIAL PREVIEW PPV STREAMING £12 FROM ALLOA TV +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Neil McCann pre-match with Alloa... ***Latest Team News*** Anthony McDonald has had an operation on his knee and with only a dozen games left in this season, it is unlikely we will see much, if anything at all from him this campaign. Roddy MacGregor is doubtful after the clattering he took against Hearts from Kingsley. The rest are back in training and will be needed as soon as they are ready for action before our season is beyond repair. It looks as though the best we can do this year is survive and get the youngsters some valuable game time ready for next season. This is not a drill! Alloa will make it difficult and for the first time ever we will probably be regarded as underdogs in this fixture. Their mix of experience, young loanees and dogged journeymen have been good enough to hold the Indian sign over us recently and I see little evidence that will change this weekend. Loan signing Innes Cameron seems to be prospering with game time and Innes Murray likes a free kick, both scoring against us in the last couple of meetings. Here's a wee reminder that not all left feet are just for standing on....
  22. The Scotty Gardiner grudge game. After two home games, both ending in draws, on Tuesday night it's the City of Discovery that awaits and a visit to Dens Park, probably without a couple of our more influential players. The game is a 7:00pm kick-off and can be streamed from Dee TV for £12.50. Dundee have only played two games in February whilst we have been playing catch-up. Both sides sit outside the top four with Dundee two points ahead of the Caley Jags on nineteen points. We have a busy time coming up for March with six games scheduled starting at Dens Park. Dundee fans are still seething after some twisted information on Dundee's last visit when their chairman was left hanging by a thread according to some bitter Dee's. Good enough given the way their own club has handled some of the recent votes regarding possible league reconstruction. Short memories. Anyway, they have never really forgiven us for overturning a 15 point deficit to win the Championship by 12 points in 2010. Happy Days! I fear this game could now swing in the direction of the McCann Moanfest as he takes charge of his second game in the dugout with Robbo still on leave. Yes, Dundee fans have a long memory and although he did well in his stint as temporary manager five years ago, they were very critical of his managerial credentials once he got the job on a permanent basis. Anyway, his first game on Friday night was a credible 1-1 draw with leaders Hearts who came from behind for the third game in a row to earn a point. Liam Boyce bagging the leveller after Mr Muscle Miles Storey scored in the tenth minute. ÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷ OFFICIAL PREVIEW STREAMING REGISTER FOR STREAMING ÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷ Last 10 Competitive Meetings against Dundee back to Nov 2016 2 - 2 (H) 2 - 0 (A) 1 - 0 (H) 0 - 0 (A) 0 - 1 (A) 0 - 1 (H) 2 - 2 (A) 2 - 0 (A) 2 - 2 (H) 1 - 2 (A) Dundee boss (for now), Jake McPake, has a fairly extensive squad to pick from and the addition of Osman Sow, Paul McMullan and Jason Cumming will boost their chances of at least a play off spot come the end of the season. Factor in the experience of Charlie Adam and Paul McGowan then it's a daunting task for our dishevelled squad. Rumour has it that Charlie Adam could be one of the two people at Dens Park who could be self isolating after covid testing revealed a positive result, and anyone in contact will also miss out. We seem to be no further forward with our injury situation so that should mean that the four longer term casualties are Lewis Toshney, Kevin McHattie, Aaron Doran and Anthony McDonald. James Vincent has missed the last couple of games but is back in training. ***Latest Team News*** Neil McCann has said that Anthony McDonald is the worst of our injured players with the rest of the crocks back in training. So, it seems that we are getting there and yes, Lewis Toshney is a real thing. Dundee XI (v Morton): Hamilton, Elliot, Ashcroft, Fontaine, Marshall, Robertson (Anderson 60′), Byrne (McDaid 74′), McGowan, McMullan, Sow (Mullen 63′), Cummings Here's Neil...
  23. Rescheduled Alloa game 7:00pm Tuesday night Weather & Covid permitting... The original preview has been resurrected and irrelevant parts have been greyed out. The section regarding manager John Roberton has been left in as it has been revealed today that he has been granted compassionate leave due to a family bereavement. The club are looking to appoint an interim manager whilst Robbo is away. All at CTO send sincere condolences to John and family and hope everyone gets the support they need. Inverness are due to play Alloa Athletic this weekend, covid and weather permitting. The game is scheduled to kick-off at 3:00pm on Saturday 23rd January. Should it go ahead that will be our first game since 29th December when Dunfermline Athletic came North. There is of course no guarantee's these days with Scotland in lockdown and snow threatening to disrupt sporting events across the country. The aforementioned Dunfermline game ended all square at one apiece. Kerr McInroy rifled the Pars ahead before a second half spectacular twenty-five yarder from Miles Storey earned Inverness a point. Our previous game to that one was an away defeat to the very team we face on Saturday. It ended 2-1 for Alloa despite Inverness taking an early lead through Brad McKay. Unable to build on that, the Wasps sussed us out and once Innes Murray scored with a superb free kick there would only be one winner. The winning goal was gift wrapped by Mark Ridgers. It was an early Christmas present for Robbie Thomson, when from his volley a routine save turned into a blooper when the ball squirmed from his grasp and into the net. Since then we have lost the services of young Kai Kennedy after his loan deal expired. He has since joined Raith Rovers. On top of that Aaron Doran was rendered unavailable after suffering concussion against Dunfermline. However, our inactivity might see Doran declared fit to face Alloa. It's one month since the original fixture was called off. Since then we have played four times, drawing with Morton and Arbroath, disappointingly losing at home to Queen of the South but bouncing back at the weekend to defeat Ayr United 2-0 at Somerset Park. Daniel Mackay and Shane Sutherland with the goals in each half. Importantly David Carson played from the start and put in a MotM performance. The Wasps have been pumped by Raith Rovers (2-5), Dundee (3-1) and Hearts (1-3)since our last meeting. They picked up their only point with a 1-1 draw at home to Morton. Defeat against Hearts had a price tag, Lucas Williamson was red carded late in the game and will miss the game against us. Fast forward one month for the Wasps and they suffered a 4-1 thrashing at Ayr followed by an excellent 2-1 home win over Queen of the South. A home draw with Arbroath led to Saturdays narrow loss at East End Park where word on the street has it that they deserved something from that game. Alloa now find themselves five points adrift at the foot of the table. No room for complacency at Inverness though as we are one of the teams 5 points above Alloa. ***Latest Team News*** David Carson has returned to action and played a big part in the win at Ayr. Danny Devine has been out recently but he also played at Ayr. We are still without Lewis Toshney and Kevin McHattie on long term sickness benefits and they have been joined by Aaron Doran and loan signing Anthony McDonald. James Vincent was missing at Ayr as well. All three picked up injuries in training with Doran and McDonald possibly out for longer term. Peter Grant had this team out against Dunfermline with dangerman Kevin Cawley on target. Team: Parry; Robertson (Thomson 91), Graham, Taggart, Dick, Hetherington Williamson (Brown 90), Scougall, Trouten, Cawley, Cameron Subs: Buchanan, Jamieson, Connelly, Murray, Wright So there you have it, we are up to date now. Last 10 Competitive Meetings 1 - 2 (A) 0 - 2 (A) 1 - 1 (H) 3 - 2 (A) 2 - 0 (A) 2 - 2 (H) 3 - 0 (H) 2 - 1 (A) 3 - 2 (H) 0 - 0 (A) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ LIVE STREAMING £10 Club Statement re- John Robertson & Scott Kellacher Alloa Kick-off 7:00pm ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Manager John Robertson opened up about his own struggles throughout the pandemic and gave everyone food for thought. If someone as effervescent as Robbo is plumbing the depths then we all need to be careful and look out for each other. There has been plenty of reaction to Robbo's thoughts and everyone here at CTO wishes him all the best in what he describes himself as "the hardest year to manage... Things have been so tough during the pandemic that the Caley Thistle boss has even considered walking away from football Taken from a press interview, Robbo said: “It’s been the hardest year to manage: “I’m sure other managers would say the same. My concern is my players’ health and wellbeing. It’s been difficult. “As a manager, you deal with a lot — fallouts with their partners, financial problems, their cars breaking down. A million and one things. “Add all that together and throw in a pandemic that is claiming lives and it’s very difficult. “We’ve had players here who haven’t seen their families for ten months. “I haven’t seen my own children for ten months, or my granddaughter, who was born in November. “We all accept that and get on with it, but it has been very difficult. “I’ve been very down at times. I’ve struggled with my mental health because I’ve had all these added pressures to deal with. “As a manager, I do my best to try and help my players, but who helps me? “I’ve got to go home and chat to my wife about it, but who manages the managers? “I’m lucky I’ve a great relationship with the board and the chief executive and we have chats. “But there have been half a dozen times since March where I’ve felt really low. “Sometimes I have questioned whether I want to keep going because it’s just been so hard seeing what’s happening in the world at the moment. “It doesn’t last very long, you go again. “But I’d be a liar to say it has not affected me.” Championship fixtures this weekend ------------------ League table as at 20th January. Arbroath 1-1 Dundee (Friday) Dunfermline v Ayr United Hearts v Raith Rovers ICT FC v Alloa Athletic Queen of the South v Morton ***Latest Team News*** With our winter holidays since 29th December, I expect to see duracell bunny David Carson getting close to some game time and the same should apply to defender Wallace Duffy. Aaron Doran could be good to go after his enforced down time through concussion. Kevin McHattie and Lewis Toshney will need more time off to fully recover. Robbo has hinted that there are a couple of guys struggling to make this one: "“We’ve got a couple of niggles, the boys have been training very hard. We’ve got a couple of players that we’ll look at on Friday, they may make it but we may not take the chance with the amount of games coming up.” Peter Grant will be without the suspended Lucas Williamson. Kevin Cawley Alan Trouten and Liam Buchanan all offer a goal threat and Innes Murray showed what he can do with a dead ball. Neil Parry was the top shot stopper last season and is a difficult man to get the better of. All in, a tough game on our hands against a team that know how to beat us; hosts beware!
  24. Rescheduled Alloa game 7:00pm Tuesday night Weather & Covid permitting... The original preview has been resurrected and irrelevant parts have been greyed out. The section regarding manager John Roberton has been left in as it has been revealed today that he has been granted compassionate leave due to a family bereavement. The club are looking to appoint an interim manager whilst Robbo is away. All at CTO send sincere condolences to John and family and hope everyone gets the support they need. Inverness are due to play Alloa Athletic this weekend, covid and weather permitting. The game is scheduled to kick-off at 3:00pm on Saturday 23rd January. Should it go ahead that will be our first game since 29th December when Dunfermline Athletic came North. There is of course no guarantee's these days with Scotland in lockdown and snow threatening to disrupt sporting events across the country. The aforementioned Dunfermline game ended all square at one apiece. Kerr McInroy rifled the Pars ahead before a second half spectacular twenty-five yarder from Miles Storey earned Inverness a point. Our previous game to that one was an away defeat to the very team we face on Saturday. It ended 2-1 for Alloa despite Inverness taking an early lead through Brad McKay. Unable to build on that, the Wasps sussed us out and once Innes Murray scored with a superb free kick there would only be one winner. The winning goal was gift wrapped by Mark Ridgers. It was an early Christmas present for Robbie Thomson, when from his volley a routine save turned into a blooper when the ball squirmed from his grasp and into the net. Since then we have lost the services of young Kai Kennedy after his loan deal expired. He has since joined Raith Rovers. On top of that Aaron Doran was rendered unavailable after suffering concussion against Dunfermline. However, our inactivity might see Doran declared fit to face Alloa. It's one month since the original fixture was called off. Since then we have played four times, drawing with Morton and Arbroath, disappointingly losing at home to Queen of the South but bouncing back at the weekend to defeat Ayr United 2-0 at Somerset Park. Daniel Mackay and Shane Sutherland with the goals in each half. Importantly David Carson played from the start and put in a MotM performance. The Wasps have been pumped by Raith Rovers (2-5), Dundee (3-1) and Hearts (1-3)since our last meeting. They picked up their only point with a 1-1 draw at home to Morton. Defeat against Hearts had a price tag, Lucas Williamson was red carded late in the game and will miss the game against us. Fast forward one month for the Wasps and they suffered a 4-1 thrashing at Ayr followed by an excellent 2-1 home win over Queen of the South. A home draw with Arbroath led to Saturdays narrow loss at East End Park where word on the street has it that they deserved something from that game. Alloa now find themselves five points adrift at the foot of the table. No room for complacency at Inverness though as we are one of the teams 5 points above Alloa. ***Latest Team News*** David Carson has returned to action and played a big part in the win at Ayr. Danny Devine has been out recently but he also played at Ayr. We are still without Lewis Toshney and Kevin McHattie on long term sickness benefits and they have been joined by Aaron Doran and loan signing Anthony McDonald. James Vincent was missing at Ayr as well. All three picked up injuries in training with Doran and McDonald possibly out for longer term. Peter Grant had this team out against Dunfermline with dangerman Kevin Cawley on target. Team: Parry; Robertson (Thomson 91), Graham, Taggart, Dick, Hetherington Williamson (Brown 90), Scougall, Trouten, Cawley, Cameron Subs: Buchanan, Jamieson, Connelly, Murray, Wright So there you have it, we are up to date now. Last 10 Competitive Meetings 1 - 2 (A) 0 - 2 (A) 1 - 1 (H) 3 - 2 (A) 2 - 0 (A) 2 - 2 (H) 3 - 0 (H) 2 - 1 (A) 3 - 2 (H) 0 - 0 (A) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ LIVE STREAMING £10 Club Statement re- John Robertson & Scott Kellacher Alloa Kick-off 7:00pm ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Manager John Robertson opened up about his own struggles throughout the pandemic and gave everyone food for thought. If someone as effervescent as Robbo is plumbing the depths then we all need to be careful and look out for each other. There has been plenty of reaction to Robbo's thoughts and everyone here at CTO wishes him all the best in what he describes himself as "the hardest year to manage... Things have been so tough during the pandemic that the Caley Thistle boss has even considered walking away from football Taken from a press interview, Robbo said: “It’s been the hardest year to manage: “I’m sure other managers would say the same. My concern is my players’ health and wellbeing. It’s been difficult. “As a manager, you deal with a lot — fallouts with their partners, financial problems, their cars breaking down. A million and one things. “Add all that together and throw in a pandemic that is claiming lives and it’s very difficult. “We’ve had players here who haven’t seen their families for ten months. “I haven’t seen my own children for ten months, or my granddaughter, who was born in November. “We all accept that and get on with it, but it has been very difficult. “I’ve been very down at times. I’ve struggled with my mental health because I’ve had all these added pressures to deal with. “As a manager, I do my best to try and help my players, but who helps me? “I’ve got to go home and chat to my wife about it, but who manages the managers? “I’m lucky I’ve a great relationship with the board and the chief executive and we have chats. “But there have been half a dozen times since March where I’ve felt really low. “Sometimes I have questioned whether I want to keep going because it’s just been so hard seeing what’s happening in the world at the moment. “It doesn’t last very long, you go again. “But I’d be a liar to say it has not affected me.” Championship fixtures this weekend ------------------ League table as at 20th January. Arbroath 1-1 Dundee (Friday) Dunfermline v Ayr United Hearts v Raith Rovers ICT FC v Alloa Athletic Queen of the South v Morton ***Latest Team News*** With our winter holidays since 29th December, I expect to see duracell bunny David Carson getting close to some game time and the same should apply to defender Wallace Duffy. Aaron Doran could be good to go after his enforced down time through concussion. Kevin McHattie and Lewis Toshney will need more time off to fully recover. Robbo has hinted that there are a couple of guys struggling to make this one: "“We’ve got a couple of niggles, the boys have been training very hard. We’ve got a couple of players that we’ll look at on Friday, they may make it but we may not take the chance with the amount of games coming up.” Peter Grant will be without the suspended Lucas Williamson. Kevin Cawley Alan Trouten and Liam Buchanan all offer a goal threat and Innes Murray showed what he can do with a dead ball. Neil Parry was the top shot stopper last season and is a difficult man to get the better of. All in, a tough game on our hands against a team that know how to beat us; hosts beware! View full article
  25. PPV details in this link: https://ictfc.com/match-preview-ayr-utd-a Looks like we will still be without Doran, Vincent and McDonald, plus presumably Toshney and McHattie. A mention of changes, so possibly Carson and MacGregor will start, maybe even Todorov. Time will tell!
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