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  1. Looking promising Inverness took a massive step towards a play off place by defeating Dunfermline Athletic for the first time this season. An encouraging but goalless first half where Reece McAlear had hit the post was replaced by a two goal second half with chances at both ends. The deadlock was broken by a man who only scores screamers. Reece McAlear lashed the ball across the keeper and into the top right corner of the goal from a difficult position wide on the inside right area. What a strike that was but it only woke the Pars up from their lethargy and they had three or four great opportunities before substitute Austin Samuels sealed the points after he sprinted on to a through ball from Aaron Doran to slot neatly behind Mehmet in goal. Comfortable thereafter for the remainder of the game and an excellent three points to strengthen our hold on third place with Raith, Arbroath and Partick all dropping points. Inverness were thin on the bench with Scott Allardice and Roddy Macgregor out longer term and Danny Devine, Joe Harper and Sam Pearson all missing. Dunfermline had Liam Polworth, Joe Chalmers and Col Donaldson starting with Nikolay Todorov on the bench. An enterprising start to the game in bright sunshine saw plenty of crisp passing in the opening gambit with only the telling pass missing. Denzil Mehmet was the first keeper called into serious action as he dived full length to keep out a low strike from Logan Chalmers on the left side of the box with the loose ball missing the strikers before being mopped up by the defence. You can see Denzil using anything to keep the ball out. Pic courtesy of CaleyJags.com. Inverness were buzzing around the visitors box with plenty of movement up front, creating a few half chances. Aaron Doran scooping one just wide on the volley and Chalmers flashing a thumping drive just over the bar from the edge of the box. Robbie Deas might have done better than lift a shot over the bar from ten yards as the hosts pressed for the opening goal and Doran again shot wide after good battling down the right touchline by Carson and Sutherland. Reece McAlear almost scored with a spectacular curling free kick from the left of centre, his right foot shot coming back off the top of the post with Mehmet beaten; the ball bouncing back into the keepers arms after cannoning off a defender. He would do better in the second half, and what a strike it was. HALF TIME: 0-0 Just before the hour, Inverness scored a contender for goal of the season. Sean Welsh's free kick came back off the wall some 28 yards from goal. Without breaking stride, McAlear turned onto the ball and fired an absolute rocket across the stunned keeper into the opposite side of the net. Mehmet rooted to the spot like a subbuteo keeper waiting for the strike. Boom! What a goal from Reece, his third or fourth contender of the season. That sparked Dunfermline into life and Cammy Mackay did brilliantly to deny Dow and Todorov with point blank saves to keep Inverness ahead. It was bodies on the line time as the defenders guarded their keeper well and the Pars would rue those missed opportunities. Substitute Austin Samuels scored his first goal for the club just after coming on. His first kick of the ball saw him slot home after he had played a one-two with Doran who threaded the ball through for Samuels to run on and steer the ball behind the outrushing Mehmet. That goal took the sting out of the Pars and their discipline disintegrated, Donaldson in particular not enjoying his return to the Caledonian Stadium. How does it feel Austin?................ It feels good! Tom Walsh almost benefited from a defensive lapse as he struck a sweet shot from twenty yards in injury time, but it just curled the wrong side of the post with Mehmet beaten. FULL TIME: 2-0 Great three points for the Caley Jags who have now won their last three in a row and are in prime spot for a shot at the play-offs. Reece McAlear was MotM, even if it was just for his superb goal, but his overall performance was solid and he was unlucky with his free kick that crashed back off the post. Great contribution from Cammy Mackay who stayed alert to deny the Pars after we opened the scoring and well done to Wallace Duffy at centre back who never looked out of place and strolled through the game nullifying some dangerous forwards. No failures today and a decent performance to boot. Reece the Thunderblaster... Date: 26/03/2022 Venue: Caledonian Stadium Attendance: 2172 Referee: Graham Beaton Inverness CT: 2 Manager: Billy Dodds Lineup: C Mackay; Carson, Duffy, Broadfoot, Deas, Doran (Walsh 81), Welsh, McAlear, Sutherland, Chalmers (Harper 67), B Mckay (Samuels 76) Subs (not used): Ridgers; Hyde Scorers: McAlear (58), Samuels (77) Booked: Samuels (83) Sent Off: none Dunfermline: 0 Manager: John Hughes Lineup: Mehmet; Todd (Comrie 79), Donaldson, Ambrose (Cole 79), Edwards, Polworth (Todorov 63), Pybus, Chalmers, Lawless (Kamwa 59), Thomas (Dow 63), O'Hara Subs (not used): Archibald; Allan, Breen, Martin Scorers: none Booked: Donaldson (83), Pybus (90+1) Sent Off: none a
  2. Chalmers to the rescue as Raith see Red The scrap for play-off places intensified as Inverness produced a smash and grab raid at Stark's Park. Rovers had led 2-1 at the interval through Connolly and Poplatnik with Sutherland scoring between those goals. Kyle Benedictus saw red with twenty minutes remaining and it looked like the game was slipping away from Inverness as they entered the 90th minute. Step forward substitute Logan Chalmers who single handedly won the game for the visitors with two outstanding goals. Both strikes hit with power, accuracy and a deadly left foot from distance. Not bad for your first goals for the club. Raith ended the game in total disarray as Ben Williamson was also sent off. Partick were humped 4-0 by Accies and we jump above them to third but Killie and Arbroath power on at the top of the table with wins. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Inverness were still without midfielders Scott Allardice and Roddy MacGregor although the club have stated that MacGregor could be back in full training soon. Inverness were unchanged from the side that beat Arbroath 3-0. Which meant that Cammy Mackay kept Mark Ridgers on the bench. Raith had Ethan Ross back in attack with Varian and Poplatnik and a strong bench although only seven on it. A beautiful Spring afternoon in Kirkaldy as the temperatures soared and greeted the teams as they took to the field. Inverness in their favoured pink strip started the day one point ahead of the dark blue Rovers. And it was Inverness that set the ball rolling at 3:00pm. The visitors were first to threaten inside a minute when Doran and Hardy combined inside the box before it appeared that Hardy's shot came back off the woodwork before bouncing to safety. Open start to the game from both sides who were on the front foot from the off. Raith opened the scoring after the first corner. It was cleared to outside the box but Aidan Connolly drove towards goal where it looked as though it squirmed under Cammy Mackay and into the net. Looks like a blunder from the keeper inside a busy box. Joe Hardy came close to an equaliser but Macdonald did well to save and then denied Sutherland on the follow up. Keeper Jamie MacDonald had to be replaced after an injury forced him out of the game in a clash with Doran. Robbie Thomson replaced him. Shane Sutherland tapped in after an Aaron Doran corner but the leveller was short lived as Matej Poplatnik put Raith back in front minutes later. Sloppy defending by Inverness once more. Half Time: 2-1 Rovers were all over us like a rash at the start of the second half as we struggled to get a hold of the ball. A couple of efforts fired over the visitors bar were warning enough and Austin Samuels came on for Joe Hardy ten minutes into the half. Our attempts at creating anything were becoming predictable and time after time we wasted balls forward which were mopped up easily by defenders or substitute keeper Robbie Thomson. So, long aimless ball after long aimless ball was proving to be a complete waste of time one hour into the game and it was becoming more difficult to see where a goal might come from. An opportunity did materialise from one of those dubious offside interplays but Mackay bounced the ball just past the post as he was flattened on the edge of the box. Cammy Mackay did well to turn a shot round the post for a corner as Rovers broke forward and they were reduced to ten men when Kyle Benedictus was sent off for a rash challenge on Kirk Broadfoot who reacted angrily and was yellow carded. A scramble in the Raith box failed to produce a goal as Rovers managed to clear their lines calmly. Austin Samuels shot over from the edge of the box as Inverness became more desperate in their efforts to level the game as we approached the eighty minute mark, unfortunately our final ball left a lot to be desired. Time after time the final ball would skip through for a goal kick and another wasted chance. It was a difficult watch to be honest, even against ten men. Out of the blue, Logan Chalmers scored a beauty after a corner found him outside the box some twenty five yards out on the left side. He looked up and sent a beauty dipping into the net, unbelievable strike. Even more unbelievable, Logan Chalmers scored another peach from nearly the same position. This time he arrowed a low strike into the bottom corner for another superb goal. A daisy cutter on an artificial pitch, that's a first. Winner Winner Chicken Dinner! Raith's Williamson then joined Benedictus for an early bath with seconds remaining. What a turnaround at the end as Raith finally lost their discipline but it took two spectacular goals from on loan striker Logan Chalmers to win the points when it looked like we were heading for defeat and a disappointing performance. It might be seen as papering over the cracks for now, but I'll take that over a disappointing defeat. Raith ended the game with nine men as Ben Williamson was sent off with the last puff of the whistle, their search for a win over Inverness heading towards 22 years and counting. MotM might well go to Chalmers for his two late strikes as prior to that we looked incapable of breaking down Rovers, even when they were reduced to ten men. Billy Dodds post match Match Reaction to follow... Scenes... Pos Team Pld W D L F A Pts 1. Kilmarnock 30 17 5 8 41 21 56 2. Arbroath 30 14 12 4 41 22 54 3. Inverness CT 30 12 10 8 41 29 46 4. Partick Thistle 29 12 9 8 41 30 45 5. Raith Rovers 30 10 12 8 37 37 42 6. Morton 30 8 11 11 33 40 35 7. Hamilton Ac. 30 8 11 11 35 45 35 8. Ayr United 30 8 8 14 30 44 32 9. Q.O.S. 30 6 8 16 30 44 26 10. Dunfermline 29 4 14 11 27 44 26 *Dunfermline v Partick on Tuesday night* Next Saturday Arbroath v Raith Rovers Hamilton v Queens Inverness CT v Dunfermline Killie v Partick Morton v Ayr Utd Full Highlights from Raith TV John McGlynn speaking on Raith TV Date: 19/03/2022 Venue: Stark's Park, Kirkaldy Attendance: 1591 Referee: Colin Steven Raith Rovers: 2 Manager: John McGlynn Lineup: MacDonald (Thomson 24); Musonda, Berra (Tumilty 38), Benedictus, Mackie, Connolly, Williamson, Stanton, Varian, Poplatnik (Dick 73), Ross (Mathews 73) Subs (not used): Young, Arnott, Zanatta Scorers: Connolly (13), Poplatnik (30) Booked: Stanton (20), Williamson (56), Dick (90+3) Sent Off: Benedictus (71), Williamson (90+4) Inverness CT: 3 Manager: Billy Dodds Lineup: C Mackay; Carson, Broadfoot, Devine (Harper 66) Deas, Hardy (Samuels 54), Welsh, McAlear, Doran (Chalmers 66), Sutherland (Walsh 77) Mckay Subs (not used): Ridgers; Hyde, Pearson, Duffy, Samuels Scorers: Sutherland (27), Chalmers (89, 90+2), McAlear (90+5) Booked: Welsh (70), Broadfoot (71), Samuels (76) Sent Off: none a
  3. The slide goes on On a pitch resembling the aftermath of the battle of the Somme, Inverness blew any lingering hopes of promotion with another unacceptable performance at Firhill. Billy Dodds keeps telling us that training is going well. Stats will show something like nineteen shots with only one on target. What the hell do we actually practice? On the plus side, a cut and paste of his post match report will suffice as it's been the same story for almost three months now. Absolutely abysmal, the lifeblood seems to have been sucked right out of the whole team, management and long suffering support. Kevin Holt scored the only goal in the 85th minute after a low corner was driven through a ruck of bodies in the penalty box into the centre of the goal. Game over, season over and surely Dodds over and out! Partick had made four changes from the side that drew at Arbroath. Richard Foster and midfielders Connor Murray and Robbie Crawford all started alongside Colombian Juan Alegria. For Inverness, Cammy Mackay continued in goal with Mark Ridgers on the bench and David Carson replaced Lewis Hyde in the starting XI. Millions of chances for both sides but very few on target. Alegria hit the woodwork in a first half mostly dominated by Partick. However, for professional footballers to fail to strike the ball properly for ninety minutes it's an utter embarrassment. Same old same old... Match reaction from BBC Sport Partick Thistle manager Ian McCall: "It's a big three points. I thought in the first half we dominated, but in the second half Caley Thistle were better than us. "But at Firhill one goal can win a game and Kevin Holt got us that tonight with his right foot. I think any of the top five could win the league and we are in the top five." Inverness Caledonian Thistle manager Billy Dodds: "We are suffering at both ends because we aren't taking those chances and we are getting punished from the one shot Partick Thistle have in the second half. "It's a sore one to take because I thought in the second half we were excellent. There's eight games to go - we need to win nearly every one of them." Excuse me Billy, considering we have not won any of the last eleven, are you being a tad optimistic? It's certainly a big ask. Date: 04/03/2022 Venue: Firhill, Glasgow Attendance: 2099 Referee: Colin Steven Partick Thistle: 1 Manager: Ian McCall Lineup: Sneddon; Foster, Mayo, Holt, McKenna, Bannigan (Bell 90), Graham, Murray (Smith 62), Crawford (Turner 62), Doherty, Alegria (Jakubiak 70) Subs (not used): Firth; Akinola, Stanway, Hendrie, McAllister Scorers: Holt (85) Booked: none Sent Off: none Inverness CT: 0 Manager: Billy Dodds Lineup: C Mackay; Carson, Broadfoot, Devine, Deas, Pearson (Sutherland 45), Welsh, McAlear, Doran (Chalmers 75), Samuels (Hardy 45), B Mckay Subs (not used): Ridgers; Duffy, Hyde, Harper, Walsh, Scorers: none Booked: none Sent Off: none a
  4. Entertaining draw Accies took an early lead through Josh Mullin after a defensive blunder by Reece McAlear. Great finish from the Accies player though as he arrowed the ball high into the net from twenty yards. We levelled when Sam Pearson scored his first goal for the club on the half hour and that's how it stayed at the break, although David Moyo almost got a touch on a low ball fizzed into the box just on the whistle. No further scoring after the break despite plenty of opportunities at both ends and Joe Hardy almost snatched it at the end with the last kick of the ball. Good point, but ten games without a win now. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Inverness were looking to halt their alarming slump and Accies were trying to close the gap towards the top five. A television audience would see it all unfold. Would the visitors show the reason for their dramatic slump and will Accies show that they are over their poor start to the season. All will be revealed. Usual long term absentees for Inverness in Allardice and MacGregor (if found please return to the Caledonian Stadium), with Ridgers, Duffy Chalmers and Carson added to the missing list. Devine made a surprise return with Tom Walsh on the bench alongside with Ryan Esson as cover for the keeper. Accies were without keeper Joe Hilton, defender Jamie Hamilton and midfielder Lewis Smith. Ryan Fulton put the gloves on with Joe Hilton missing. Inverness set the ball rolling and Accies almost benefited from a blunder by Kirk Broadfoot inside a minute. Kai Kennedy burst forward but thankfully Danny Devine made up the ground to block his route, the ball rebounding for a goal kick to the visitors. The first effort came from Accies when Kennedy raced down the left before picking out Josh Mullin with his cross but he headed just over the bar. All the early pressure was coming from Hamilton as they pressed the Inverness defence on the artificial surface and they took the lead in the thirteenth minute when McAlear fluffed his clearance. Mullin took full advantage and fired a shot from the corner of the box high into the net to give Cammy Mackay no chance. Inverness were finding it difficult to create anything in the opening twenty minutes as we headed towards ten without a win. In our first attack with intent, Sam Pearson picked up a rebound from keeper Fulton to slot home after the goalie had denied Aaron Doran from eight yards. Accies responded again and Mackay saved well from a stinging shot by Spence from the edge of the box. Big shout for a penalty as Robbie Deas looked to be pushed to the ground inside the box as he tried to get to an Aaron Doran free kick, but Alan Muir was not interested. Pearson's trickery brought Inverness a free kick in a dangerous position on the right, but the free kick was wasted five minutes before the interval. HALF TIME: 1-1 No changes at the break for either side and Accies continued on the front foot. Cammy Mackay made an excellent punched clearance from a dangerous inswinging corner as the hosts pushed forward. Billy Mckay forced Fulton into a super save as he was fed through on to the edge of the box, the keeper diving to his right to push the ball round the post for a corner as the Caley Jags ventured forth. Harper replaced Devine on the hour in Danny's first game back after a month out through injury and soon after Shane Sutherland replaced Aaron Doran. Cammy Mackay was in the right place to pluck a volley out of the air and his kick forward sent Billy Mckay through on goal but his shot was clawed away by Fulton with his fingertips. Another inch or two and it was in. Sutherland fed Pearson inside the box but his shot was weak and it went wide of the mark. The game had really opened out and the ball was flying back and fore with Mullin unfortunate to see a snapshot bounce away from the base of the post after a scrambulation in the visitors box. Anyone's game with fifteen minutes to go and a frantic finish to the game already in progress. Good spell for the Caley Jags ended when a speculative shot from Andy Ryan found Moyo coming in at the back post but Mackay spread himself well to block the shot from six yards. McAlear might have done better with a shot from the edge of the box as play swung to the other end, but the keeper saved comfortably. Four minutes of time added on came and went and Fulton saved Accies with his legs as Joe Hardy shot from a tight angle. That was the last action of a highly entertaining game as Inverness go ten games without a win. FULL TIME: 1-1 Despite plenty of opportunities created from both sides a draw was probably a fair result with both managers thinking they could have won this game. Some great goalkeeping on display at both ends given that both keepers are not first choice, so credit to them for stepping in and playing so well. Lewis Hyde never looked out of place either. Nine games left to salvage our season, that's a possible 36 points. To put it into perspective and give it some context, our last nine games gained us only six points From BBC Sport Hamilton head coach Stuart Taylor: "It was always going to be a difficult game, Inverness are an organised side and defensively very strong so it was important we kept a hold of the ball and tried to probe opportunities. We did that but we just need to be a little more ruthless and take our chances." Inverness CT manager Billy Dodds: "I felt as though we had chances to win it but I think Hamilton will be saying exactly the same. We made Ryan Fulton work with great chances rather than not being clinical enough. "There is always pressure. Pressure is game to game in this division when it comes to the crux of it. Tonight my players showed they are desperate to win games and we are close to going on a run again." Date: 25/02/2022 Venue: Fountain of Youth, Hamilton Attendance: 1187 Referee: Alan Muir Hamilton: 1 Manager: Stuart Taylor (head coach) Lineup: Fulton; Lawson, Popescu, O’Reilly, MacDonald, Mimnaugh (Ryan 78), Mullin, Spence (Martin 69), Redfern (Brown 69), Kennedy (Winter 85), Moyo Subs (not used): J Smith; Easton, Hughes, Shiels, Nicolson Scorers: Mullin(13) Booked: O'Reilly (23) Sent Off: none Inverness CT: 1 Manager: Billy Dodds Lineup: C Mackay; Hyde, Broadfoot, Devine (Harper 62), Deas, Pearson (Hardy 78), Welsh, McAlear, Doran (Sutherland 68), Samuels, B Mckay Subs (not used): Esson; L Nicolson, Walsh Scorers: Pearson (31), Deas(75) Booked: McAlear (30) Sent Off: none a
  5. Late Leveller Partick Thistle struck early to add to our gloom through Brian Graham, it may yet go down as an own goal, but as it stands, it's credited to the big striker. Billy Mckay squared the game after twenty minutes with an excellent close range finish from a Carson cross. Graham scored his second with a header soon after, Scott Tiffoney once again the provider and he almost scored one for himself but for a fine save from Ridgers. Shane Sutherland equalised just on the interval with a header from a McAlear corner. With twenty minutes left Deas conceded a stonewall penalty and Graham notched his hat-trick. Substitute Cammy Harper drove into the box but Sneddon blocked his shot and moments later Pearson appeared to hit the bar with an angled drive from twelve yards and Mckay rolled one just past the post. We got the draw with the last head of the ball deep into stoppage time when Broadfoot headed in a cross from McAlear. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ With Inverness struggling so badly over the last two winless months, not much was expected from the hosts on a wet and windy night after a day of snow flurries and wind. Partick, on the other hand, have been resting since they beat Ayr United 1-0 on Tuesday 1st February and were lurking in fifth position ahead of this encounter, a win could bump them up to third and they will still have games in hand over everyone including three over us. With an Ayrshire derby in Kilmarnock tonight, that made it more crucial that we got back to winning ways before we hit the skids and slide out of the promotion race. Under fire Billy Dodds would be without the influential Scott Allardice (rest of season), central defender Danny Devine (month at least), Aaron Doran, Roddy MacGregor and Tom Walsh. Billy Mckay returned last week but like the rest of the side, he looked off the pace. Our bench was sparse with basically no threat on it and youth players and empty spaces. Wee Jobbie McCall had Brian Graham up front as a target man. Well he's always a target of our boo boys anyway. Zac Rudden left in the January sales so that's one threat less. Kevin Holt replaced former County defender Richard Foster. Inverness set the ball rolling kicking towards the South Stand, guess we lost the toss then. The stands were as sparsely populated as our bench as both sides set about feeling their way into the game on a bitter night in the Highland capital. Partick settled better and surprise surprise, Brian Graham tapped in from one yard as our static defence were prized open by Tiffoney down the left, easily bypassing David Carson to set up the opener after eight minutes. Kevin Holt fired narrowly over from twenty yards as Partick looked to add a second whilst Inverness struggled to get forward. However, David Carson turned a great ball into the box after a lay off from Sam Pearson and who else but Billy Mckay pounced from six yards to level the game as the snow was about to descend on the stadium. Tiffoney was the man causing the problems and once again he skinned Carson down the left and Graham headed his deep cross in at the back post from close range. Tiffoney almost added a third but for a great save by Mark Ridgers in the top corner from his curling twenty yard effort. Unlike their hosts, Partick looked dangerous every time they went forward and Holt ruffled the top of the net with a twenty yard shot watched closely by Ridgers. We forced a couple of corners before the break and from the second one Shane Sutherland scored at the back post, with only seconds to go before the interval, Reece McAlear the provider of the deep corner kick. Half Time: 2-2 No changes at the interval but six minutes in Dodds pulled Samuels and Logan Chalmers entered the fray. Sutherland almost muscled onto a ball into the box but it was knocked away for a corner. Good spell for Inverness and Sam Pearson and Sutherland were not far away from creating something, but a reminder from Partick as Cammy Smith fired just over after a corner. It's been an open encounter and it's looking likely that there's more goals in this one. Pearson did well again to win another corner but Partick eventually cleared their lines as Inverness showed more urgency than they did at the weekend. A rash tackle by Robbie Deas offered Partick the opportunity to go ahead for the third time and Graham completed his hat-trick from the spot smashing the ball straight down the middle. Deas was promptly subbed and his replacement Cammy Harper saw a low effort blocked by Sneddon after the defence parted to allow Cammy to get a shot away as he raced into the left side of the box. Pearson then looked to have hit the corner of the bar moments later and Mckay prodded one just wide of the post with fifteen minutes left and at the other end Tiffoney rifled one just wide. Sneddon produced another good save from a low twenty yard free kick by Chalmers as Inverness chased the game and MacAlear drilled one wide as we pushed for a leveller. The equaliser came after a wee flurry at the end saw Kirk Broadfoot head a McAlear cross into the net after a corner had been cleared and we got out of jail. Phew, that was close. Don't get me wrong, the result was thoroughly disappointing but the effort was there and with a bit of fortune we could easily have taken all three points, but when you are down on your luck, thems the breaks. An opportunity missed with Arbroath drawing thanks to an injury time penalty and Killie losing to Ayr United who are our next opponents, but a hugely better performance after the dross of the Morton game. All is not lost yet. MotM for me was Sam Pearson with some great forward runs and unlucky with his angled shot that rattled the top corner of the bar, and with Billy Mckay buzzing around to good effect and Shane Sutherland putting in the effort it was a massive improvement on recent achievements. Much easier to pick out the good performances this week in a highly entertaining match played out on a miserable night of winter weather. On the downside, Robbie Deas needs to ask himself why he made that poor challenge and that's now eight games without a win; Foranesque territory... Date: 09/02/2022 Venue: Caledonian Stadium Attendance: 1781 Referee: Peter Stuart Inverness CT: 3 Manager: Billy Dodds Lineup: Ridgers; Carson, Duffy, Broadfoot, Deas (Harper 72), Pearson (Hardy 82), Welsh, McAlear, Samuels (Chalmers 53), Sutherland, B Mckay Subs (not used): C Mackay; Hyde, L Nicolson Scorers: Mckay (21), Sutherland (45+1), Broadfoot (90+4) Booked: Deas (24) Sent Off: none Partick Thistle: 3 Manager: Ian McCall Lineup: Sneddon; McKenna, Akinola, Mayo, Holt, Tiffoney (Hendrie 83), Bannigan, Docherty, Crawford, Smith (Jakubiak 75), Graham (MacIver 90) Subs (not used): McCready; Turner, Murray, McAllister Scorers: Graham (8, 27, 65 pen) Booked: none Sent Off: none a
  6. Rugby Park Loss Inverness made the long journey home with no points after Kyle Lafferty scored an early goal after good work by Daniel Mackay down the right wing. What a kick in the teeth that was. Very little to choose between the sides as neither side dominated and clear chances were at a premium with Killie probably having the better of them. Without five regulars, this was always going to be a difficult ask, and so it turned out, but our recent signings look like they could offer something once they are up to speed. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Billy Dodds shoestring squad were bolstered by January sales incomers Logan Chalmers, Sam Pearson, Joe Hardy and Austin Samuels. However, we were without regulars Scott Allardice, Danny Devine, Aaron Doran, Roddy MacGregor and Billy Mckay through injury and that leaves us with the bare minimum on the bench. Chalmers and Pearson started and Wallace Duffy was at right back. Killie have the luxury of a large squad and experienced January signings. They will be looking to the selected players to guide them back to the Premiership at the earliest opportunity given the resources they have spent trying to achieve this. None moreso than new gaffer Derek McInnes, Kyle Lafferty and Ash Taylor, with former Caley Jags players Liam Polworth, and Daniel Mackay also in the squad, with nine players on their bench, almost enough for two strong teams. After a tentative beginning, Kilmarnock opened the scoring when Shane Sutherland failed to deal with a ball cleared towards the halfway line by Tom Walsh. Instead of creating an attack, he ended up passing the ball back towards Cammy Harper. Unfortunately Daniel Mackay read it and skinned Harper with a burst of pace before firing a dangerous cross low into the area, where high profile signing Kyle Lafferty met the ball at the far side of the box to power a controlled shot into the net from six yards. We responded well to this setback and Walsh shot from a tight angle, but the ball was tipped round the post for a corner by keeper Hemming as it flashed across the goal. Mackay went close for Killie as he was set free on the right side of the box, but his low shot rolled across the face of the goal and just wide. Despite the Caley Jags enjoying plenty of possession, it was the same old story of little to no clear chances in the opposition box and we went in one down at the interval. HALF TIME : 1-0 Five minutes into the second half and Killie had the ball in the net, but it was ruled out for a hand ball as Euan Murray tried to force the ball in from close range. Oli Shaw should have added a second after the ball landed at his feet in the box from a rebound, but he fluffed his shot and it rolled harmlessly wide.... thankfully. Ridgers pulled off a good save from the industrious McKenzie as he shot from the edge of the box to keep us within touching distance. Austin Samuels had been introduced in the second half and looks to have something different, a bit of pace and the newbies looked a bit more direct than what we have been subject to in recent weeks. Samuels did have a half chance charged down as he cut along the line towards goal, the final ball being blocked and cleared when a cut back might have produced something, alas, still an all too familiar scenario. Plenty of the ball around the box, but little real opportunity to score. FULL TIME: 1-0 Despite our possession, we were still unable to create any clear chances and a draw would have been the most we could have come away with. However, you pay the right money for the right player and you reap the rewards, and that's what Killie got with Kyle Lafferty and his smart finish from a tremendous cross from Dan Mackay. That's six games without a win, and that's relegation form in any language. Just as well we caught the rest cold at the start of the season. Maybe the January sales will have unearthed a wee gem, here's hoping... From BBC Sport Kilmarnock manager Derek McInnes: "The goal was terrific. Dan MacKay was very capable today and Kyle Lafferty still had a lot to do - the technique to put the ball in the back of the net was really pleasing. The fans were different class and really played their part." Inverness CT manager Billy Dodds: "First half I thought two or three of my players didn't believe we were going to win the game. That let us down and we lost the goal. In the second half we really dug in, but I still think they have to push their bodies that bit more." Highlights from Killie TV Another cut'n paste from Billy... Austin Samuels Date: 29/01/2022 Venue: Rugby Park, Kilmarnock Attendance: 4790 Referee: Don Robertson Kilmarnock: 1 Manager: Derek McInnes Lineup: Hemming; Hodson, Sanders (E Murray 45), Taylor, Haunstrup, McKenzie, Tait (McGinn 88), F Murray, Mackay (Alston 74), Shaw, Lafferty (Burke 68) Subs (not used): Walker; Waters, Armstrong, Polworth, Cameron Scorers: Lafferty (9) Booked: Haunstrup (61) Sent Off: none Inverness CT: 0 Manager: Billy Dodds Lineup: Ridgers; Duffy (Carson 82), Broadfoot, Deas, Harper (L Nicolson 82), Walsh (Hardy 46), Welsh, McAlear, Pearson (Samuels 63), Sutherland (Duku 86), Chalmers Subs (not used): C Mackay; Hyde Scorers: none Booked: Deas (2), Broadfoot (25) Sent Off: none a
  7. More points thrown away Inverness wasted an opportunity to put pressure on the top of the table after squandering a first half lead through Shane Sutherland. Steven Lawless levelled from the spot in the second half with ten minutes remaining after David Carson was adjudged to have blocked a cross with a flailing arm. Another drab performance after a first half full of promise. No surprise really given recent performances, but frustrating nonetheless. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Big Changes in the Inverness starting XI today. Injured/ill were Scott Allardice, Aaron Doran, Roddy MacGregor and Billy Mckay. On the bench were new loan faces Sam Pearson and Logan Chalmers with Cammy Harper and Manny Duku returning to the starting line-up. John Hughes had Nikolay Todorov on the bench with Fon Williams in goal and Coll Donaldson in defence. Steven Lawless started up front. Inverness started the game pressing high and forcing the pace of the game with their hosts struggling to create anything of note. Despite plenty of possession in the first half, chances were still thin on the ground. With Mckay and Doran missing it was left to goalless striker Manny Duku to try and break his Championship duck. Easy to see why he hasn't scored this season when after breaking clear on the right, he ran out of puff and tried a shot from a ridiculous angle and distance, the ball trundling goalwards to end the opportunity. Five minutes before the break we opened the scoring through a well taken strike from Shane Sutherland. He gambled on a deep cross from Reece McAlear clearing everyone in the box and drilled a first time volley just inside the post from twelve yards. Good goal and just what we needed. We ended the half on top and stupidly the fans were optimistic ahead of the restart. HALF TIME: 0-1 It didn't take long for the optimism to dissipate after the break and turn to despair as the Pars realised we had run our race. It might have been different had Tom Walsh been able to control a volley from the edge of the box, alas it went high over the bar. But for a point blank save from Mark Ridgers, the Pars should have levelled the game when he blocked an effort by Kevin O'Hara from two yards ten minutes after the break, the keeper getting down early to keep the ball out. Shane Sutherland might have done better with a header, but it was straight at the keeper and at the other end Coll Donaldson headed just wide as the pressure intensified around the Inverness goal. The leveller came from the spot after David Carson blocked a cross with his arm, Steven Lawless rolling in the ball after Ridgers went early. No more than Pars deserved with Inverness going back into their shell. A tense ending saw Ridgers deny Donaldson as he saved his header but we held on for a point. FULL TIME 1-1 A very disappointing second half from Inverness after a first half that was full of promise. Maybe Danny Devine going off injured just before the interval decided our tactic for the second half, or maybe Dunfermline just realised they could get something from the game. That point lifts them off the foot of the table for now, our point puts us in second position when we really should have been knocking on Arbroaths door at the top. Whatever the reason, the fans are getting somewhat disgruntled as we are without a win in five games now. It does seem like a long time ago that we absolutely thrashed Morton 6-1 on 11th December. Only four points from our last five games, or four points from a possible fifteen. That's not the form of a team going for promotion. Sort it! The goals Change the record Billy... Date: 22/01/2022 Venue: East End Park, Dunfermline Attendance: 3138 Referee: Steven Reid Dunfermline: 1 Manager: John Hughes Lineup: OF Williams; Comrie, Donaldson, Martin, Edwards, Dow (Dorrans 62), Pybus, Todd (Cole 63), Allan (O'Hara 45), Lawless, McCann Subs (not used): Mehmet; Jones, Todorov, Macdonald Scorers: Lawless (80 pen) Booked: Allan (34), Cole (81), McCann (82) Sent Off: none Inverness CT: 1 Manager: Billy Dodds Lineup: Ridgers; Carson, Broadfoot, Devine (Duffy 45+2), Deas, Walsh, Welsh, McAlear, Harper (Pearson 72), Sutherland, Duku (Chalmers 67) Subs (not used): C Mackay; Hyde, L Nicolson, Jamieson Scorers: Sutherland (39) Booked: Devine (10), McAlear (70), Carson (79) Sent Off: none a
  8. Comedy of Errors Inverness once more failed to take advantage of the given situation by producing another abject display at home against a club staring at relegation. This time it was Queen of the South that showed up our lack of quality and Lee Connelly scored the opener in the first half with Willie Collum waiving away appeals for offside. Same old same old from Inverness in a dire first half. We looked to have got out of jail when the Queens defenders made a hash of clearing a long kick out from Mark Ridgers and Billy Mckay accepted the comical defending to prod the ball home. If ever a man needed a goal it was Tom Walsh who has been totally ineffective this season, but score he did after being sent into the box by Mckay before drilling the ball behind Josh Rae. Phew we all thought, thank feck for that! Alas we shot ourselves in the foot, or more accurately David Carson shot us in the foot as he teed up substitute Ally Roy who had only been on the park for one minute. Surprisingly we actually jumped back into second place thanks to other results, but it's a complete mystery how we have done this given the dross we are subject to at the moment. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ As expected, Aaron Doran once again missed out. Also missing was Scott Allardice who they kept quiet about and Cameron Harper. Still waiting for confirmation that Allardice's injury is season ending or just a rumour, but he is not included today. That left us with only six on the bench, two of those being youth players. Queens made three changes from their last outing with Shea Gordon making his debut for the 'Doonhamers' and Willie Gibson returning after injury. Another flat calm afternoon with a covid restricted crowd in attendance saw the hosts set the ball rolling attacking the South Stand end. I'll let RIG tell the story. I know I know, you've all read it before, but this is how it is I'm afraid. That was grim. After a decent opening 15 - 20 minutes from Queens, during which they probably should have scored at least once, we started to get on top and looked like ending the first half the stronger side. Queens main attacking plan seemed to be trying to slide the ball in behind our CBs for Connelly to latch on to and we got a glimpse of this when Paton (I think) burst through and looked set to round Ridgers but fortunately a well timed challenge snuffed out this threat. Deas had a couple of decent chances which fell to him at the left edge of the box but your CB filling in at left back probably doesn't have the greatest shooting boots in the world and it showed as he snatched at both efforts. Walsh had a good chance to score as well but I think he tried to be too cute and attempted to shoot back across Rae in goal instead of sending a shot away from him. The opening goal looked miles offside but that was probably because there was one Queens player standing ahead of Connelly before he raced clear to round Ridgers and, eventually, put the ball into the net. At the time I thought he was offside but folk watching on the stream said he was played onside by Broadfoot. Still annoying given we had a taste of this minutes before with the aforementioned Paton chance. In the second half and Devine made a desperate challenge to stop a second Queens goal throwing himself in front of a goal bound shot from a few yards out. A bit of route one got us level with a long thump downfield by Ridgers and it looked like Gibson got in a right state trying to decide if he was going to clear the ball or not and Mckay took it off him to bundle in the equaliser. Route one Sutherland had a good chance to get the second goal for us but seemed to take forever to actually get his shot away and a Queens defender did well to deflect the effort behind for a corner. The second for ICT did come eventually with Mckay flicking the ball on for Walsh who got in behind the defence and finished well across Rae. But only a few minutes later Queens were back level and no one seemed to know what exactly had happened with Roy turning hom a cross whilst in an offside position. At the game I could only think that the ball had come off an ICT player so Roy couldn't therefore be offside and from what I've read it seems the ball was actually played to him by Carson so the goal, sadly, stood. An absolutely gutting result with Arbroath winning and other sides around us faltering. Queens looked decent in spells but seemed a bit of a mess at the back and it's frustrating that we couldn't take advantage of this as I felt we had enough chances to put the game to bed. That said I still think we were very poor again and whilst the likes of Mckay and McAlear turned in good performances we need more from the likes of Walsh (although he did score today) and we also need some fresh faces in quickly to try and give the squad a lift. Talking to BBC Sport Inverness CT head coach Billy Dodds: "My players showed a brilliant appetite to get back into it. When you feel it's gone against you with the first goal you can let the heads go down - they didn't. "They kept battling away and then we lose another questionable goal - not because of the officials but because of the interpretation of the law. There's a couple of players standing slightly offside and they gain an advantage." Queen of the South manager Allan Johnston: "I thought we played well for long periods. "It was a really good team performance and we were really unlucky to come away with just a point. "We were under pressure from a big, physical team at the end. We gave away cheap goals, which has been a thing too often from my point of view." Date: 15/01/2022 Venue: Caledonian Stadium Attendance: 479 Referee: Willie Collum Inverness CT: 2 Manager: Billy Dodds Lineup: Ridgers; Carson, Broadfoot, Devine, Deas, Walsh, Welsh, McAlear, MacGregor (Duku 64), Sutherland, Mckay Subs (not used): C Mackay; L Nicolson, Hyde, Duffy, Jamieson Scorers: Mckay (62), Walsh (73) Booked: Mckay (8), Deas (45) Sent Off: none Queen of the South: 2 Manager: Alan Johnston Lineup: Rae; Johnston, Nditi, Gibson (Fitzpatrick 76), East, Gordon (Debayo 70), McGrory, Liddle, Cooper, Connelly, Paton (Roy 76) Subs (not used): Cowie, Joseph, McKechnie, Junior Scorers: Connelly (39), Roy (77) Booked: Nditi (60), Liddle (61) Sent Off: none a
  9. Rovers still waiting after 22 years Title challengers clashed at the Caledonian Stadium for the second time this season and it was only Killie that benefitted after a score draw in the Highlands. A spectacular strike from Ethan Ross put Raith in front as the hosts struggled to create anything. Mark Ridgers had to be alert to deny Ross Mathews a second goal to keep it at one before the interval. We upped the pace after the interval, but chances were still at a premium early on. However, our pressure paid off when Reece McAlear lashed a low shot behind the outstretched Jamie Macdonald from near thirty yards to level the game, and despite efforts from both sides it remained 1-1 at full time. ÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷ Inverness were without Aaron Doran although Sean Welsh made the bench. Anthony McDonald and Michael Gardyne were already out the door, one of them with the well wishes from ICTFC. Raith had long term absentees in Lewis Vaughan and Brad Spencer but Christophe Berra returned after suspension and recent additions Ben Williamson, Sam Stanton and Jamie Gullan were all in the squad. It was an excellent afternoon for a game of football, a flat calm after the horrendous conditions of last week. Game on! It was a cagey opening quarter to the game as both sides probed for an opening. Sam Stanton and Ben Williamson were looking sharp for the visitors who looked to carry more direct threat when they went forward whilst the hosts flattered to deceive as they strolled around the park as if it was a Sunday League kick about. The best Inverness could muster was a blocked Billy Mckay shot from a very tight angle where there was virtually no hope of finding the net. In contrast the visitors movement and pace was a joy to behold, then I remembered they were the opposition. The goal was a prime example of the different approach the teams had to attacking football. Mark Ridgers quickly threw the ball out to Tom Walsh who ran thirty yards with the ball before being halted on the edge of the box, seemingly exhausted by his effort. Jamie MacDonald gathered the ball and sent it up the park to Ross who shrugged off a challenge, drove forward and powered a shot into the top corner. I rest my case. After twenty minutes of anti-football, the game exploded into life with a stunning strike from Ethan Ross. He gathered the ball just inside the Inverness half and easily turned his marker. He drove into space twenty yards further forward before unleashing an unstoppable shot high into Ridgers' right side from around thirty-yards. What a goal that was, and you could only applaud the strike, although questions should be asked about the space afforded to Ross. Billy Mckay looked to have levelled matters but his strike from six yards was ruled to be offside after he latched onto the ball when it was lobbed back into the box. Ten minutes before the break Mathew Ross forced Ridgers to dive low to his left to keep out a speculative twenty-five yard effort that was creeping in at the near post, the keeper turning the ball round the post for a corner. After his stunning goal, Ross must have been hugely disappointed to drag a shot wide from fifteen yards seven minutes before the break. Half Time 0-1 Dodds had seen enough and changed things around at the interval, hooking the ineffective David Carson and right back Wallace Duffy for Reece McAlear and Manny Duku. Despite the changes, Raith were still on top although there appeared to be more urgency about our play and Frankie Musonda headed over before Ethan Varion shot wide. Duku was looking to be a handful for the Raith defenders with his awkward style and he had a pop at goal from the edge of the box but it lacked the power to beat MacDonald and he held it comfortably. However, the tide was slowly turning and a weak Mckay header went wide before McAlear volleyed over the bar from inside the box. Reghan Tumilty missed a great opportunity to put some distance between the sides after a run down the right, but his cross come shot missed the target and his strikers and the chance was wasted. Musonda saw Ridgers save and at the other end Mckay headed weakly again. nonetheless the raids on the visitors goal were becoming more intensified. Half time substitute Reece McAlear squared the game with another superb finish from a similar position that Mathews tried from before the interval. The on loan midfielder fired a vicious low shot that skidded before bouncing across MacDonald into the bottom corner. Another superb goal from Reece, his second for the club. There was still time for the keepers to deny Aaron Arnott and Billy Mckay before time ran out and the points were shared as the game ended in frantic mode. Overall a draw was just about right. After an infuriatingly frustrating first half we got to grips with the pace of the game and two tremendous strikes maintained the status quo at the head of the table with Arbroath going down to Ayr united and Accies drawing with Partick. Killie tightened it all up after beating Queen of the South 2-0 in Dumfries. Best for Inverness were goal hero McAlear with Mark Ridgers making crucial saves to help us earn the point. From BBC Sport Inverness CT head coach Billy Dodds: "We didn't have our best day in the first half. The subs that came on did really well, not just because Reece scored. They just had an impact and that's what I needed. "I thought we deserved a draw in the end but I would have loved three points. We worked hard, created a few chances and could have stolen it." Raith Rovers manager, John McGlynn: "We are a bit gutted for the players who put so much effort into the game. We attacked really well, much better than we have been doing recently. Great goal by Ethan Ross and I've got to say their strike was a great goal as well. "It's never an easy place to come. We've not got a great record here. Although we are disappointed we take the point - we take the positives and dust ourselves down for next week." Dodds talking after the game... Reece McAlear Full Highlights from ICTV Date: 08/01/2022 Venue: Caledonian Stadium Attendance: 478 Referee: Don Robertson Inverness CT: 1 Manager: Billy Dodds Lineup: Ridgers; Duffy (McAlear 45), Broadfoot, Devine, Deas, Walsh, Carson (Duku 45), Allardice Welsh (73), Harper, Sutherland, Mckay Subs (not used): Esson; L Nicholson, Jamieson, MacGregor Scorers: McAlear (86) Booked: Devine (47) Sent Off: none Raith Rovers: 1 Manager: John McGlynn Lineup: MacDonald; Tumilty, Musonda, Berra, Dick, Mathews, Benedictus, Stanton, Varian (Poplatnik 76), Williamson (Arnott 84), Ross (Gullan 51) Subs (not used): Thomson, Lang, Zanatta, Connolly Scorers: Ross (24) Booked: Williamson (31), Dick (73), Gullan (80), Berra (81) Sent Off: none a
  10. Smokies held. The Caley Jags started 2022 with a game played in poor conditions at Gayfield. In a first half controlled by the weather chances were minimal. Joel Nouble burst into the box along the byeline but Mark Ridgers blocked to snuff out the danger. Aaron Doran drifted a curling shot just wide soon after before firing a second one high over the bar minutes later. Colin Hamilton went close after a lay-off in the box but it rose just over the corner of the bar. Ridgers saved low from Nouble inside the box five minutes before the break as Arbroath looked to have mastered the wind better, but the big fellow scuffed his shot somewhat to make the keepers job easier. Cammy Harper replaced the injured Aaron Doran a minute before the interval, leaving our bench even more fragile as the half time whistle went at 0-0. A big scramble in the visitors box just after the interval from a corner saw us hack the ball clear after some pinball. James Craigen slid a ball across the face of the goal from the left but it was just wide of the post and at the other end David Carson appeared to clip the outside edge of the post as he fired an effort from the edge of the box. The game petered out thereafter with neither side looking likely to score as the ball eluded everyone at the vital moments and a draw it was. Grim stuff in less than favourable circumstances and a point apiece it was. Full Time: 0-0 The first game of 2022 was another top of the table clash, this time it's Arbroath who head the table with Inverness three points behind looking to close the gap in a six-pointer at Gayfield in front of a covid restricted 500. A live stream was available from ArbroathFC TV for those not able to attend the game. Could the Smokies maintain the gap or could Inverness closed the gap and reduce the the seven goal advantage that Arbroath hold? Remember, every goal is a double pointer today. Arbroath still have Joel Nouble for another couple of games and have taken Jack Hamilton back on loan (to add to the chaos with Chris & Colin already at Arbroath - Hamiltons R us) but were without the injured Scott Stewart. Inverness were returning off the back of a bout of covid on Boxing Day and a waterlogged postponement on the 29th against the Pars, who had been thumped on Boxing Day by Arbroath. Our last outing was a disappointing home defeat to Hamilton Accies, so no Festive cheer for us. Sean Welsh had been injured and was still missing with MacGregor, McAlear, Jamieson and Cammy Mackay all unavailable. Ryan Esson filled the sub keepers jersey with our bench a bit sparse. Inverness had the strong wind at their backs in the first half with conditions challenging to say the least. Clear chances were hard to find throughout the ninety minutes with David Carson coming closest for the visitors. Even top scorer Michael McKenna struggled to make any headway. Second half Substitute Jack Hamilton did find the net as he deflected a wayward shot behind Ridgers but he had come back from an offside position before sticking out a boot to turn the ball into the net and offside it was. The report is basically as in the summary as the wind ruined any chance that a game of football might break out. Well done to both sides for venturing out in that weather and trying their hardest to put on a show. Alas, the weather won convincingly, even beating the Smokies TV stream as it conked out for around twenty minutes in the first half. So, that's my excuse and I'm sticking to it. More detail in the OFFICIAL REPORT from ICTFC Dodds with the wind... Date: 02/01/2022 Venue: Gayfield, Arbroath Attendance: 494 Referee: Colin Steven Arbroath: 0 Manager: Dick Campbell Lineup: Gaston; Thomson, Little, O’Brien, Colin Hamilton, Chris Hamilton, Gold (J Hamilton 70), Craigen (Linn 79), McKenna, Nouble, Dowds (Hilson 82) Subs (not used): Antell; Swankie, Low, Donnelly Scorers: none Booked: none Sent Off: none Inverness CT: 0 Manager: Billy Dodds Lineup: Ridgers; Duffy, Broadfoot, Devine, Deas, Walsh ()Hyde 86, Carson, Allardice, Doran (Harper 44), Sutherland, Mckay (Duku 76) Subs (not used): Esson; L Nicolson Scorers: none Booked: Allardice (12), Broadfoot (63), Devine (72) Sent Off: none a
  11. Gubbed, at last... Managerless bottom club Morton were gubbed. There's no other word for it. Caley Jags were rampant after a couple of drab draws in the Scottish Cup. I'll credit Aaron Doran with the opener as his cross to the back post ended up in the net as Hamilton tried to claw it clear. Sutherland got the second after a Billy Mckay shot was blocked at close range. Mckay got his own when he rolled the ball in off the post. Boss! Just on the interval Ugwu scored from the spot to offer Morton a lifeline. Reece McAlear scored a fekkin screamer, what can only be described as a piledriver. What a strike that was! The ever alert Sutherland added a fifth and it was no surprise when Jamieson dribbled his way into the box and slotted home the sixth. This has been coming for weeks, but today was maybe the day the Caley Jags believed in themselves. Boom! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Pos Team Pld W D L F A Pts 1. Inverness CT 17 10 4 3 25 12 34 2. Raith Rovers 17 9 6 2 27 16 33 3. Arbroath 17 8 7 2 28 13 31 4. Kilmarnock 17 9 2 6 20 11 29 5. Partick Thistle 17 8 4 5 29 16 28 6. Hamilton Ac. 17 4 5 8 15 30 17 7. Ayr United 17 3 6 8 16 29 15 8. Dunfermline 17 2 8 7 18 28 14 9. Q.O.S. 17 3 5 9 16 26 14 10. Morton 17 2 7 8 15 28 13 Inverness were without injured captain Sean Welsh and fellow midfielder Roddy MacGregor, but Aaron Doran made the starting XI and Manny Duku and Wallace Duffy were on the bench. Morton went with the same again, buoyed by the cup success in midweek. As the scoreline suggests, this was a bit of a procession. Inverness were much more energised than the cup encounters and went about their business with an air of authority. Crisp passing and movement were the order of the day as we we tore Morton a new one before the break. The opener was maybe fortuitous, a Doran deep cross coming back off the woodwork and bouncing off a flying Jack Hamilton before bouncing into the net. Own goal has been mentioned, but you have to be in it to win it and I'm giving it to Doran. Number two saw Tom Walsh head into the box to feed Billy Mckay who's shot was blocked by the keeper, but Shane Sutherland followed up to stroke the ball into the net. Billy notched the third as he cut inside the box after a great ball from Robbie Deas. Stepped inside his marker on the right foot then rolled the ball left footed into the net off the post for 3-0 before the break. Time for Ugwu to net a contentious penalty to offer Ton some hope for the second half. However, Reece McAlear benefitted from a sloppy clearance and he bludgeoned a shot into the roof of the net from twenty-five yards to restore our three goal advantage. His first senior goal, and how! The wind was well and truly out of the Morton sails by now and the one way traffic continued. A long ball forward was headed on by Shane. He picked up the loose ball himself, rode a tackle and slotted into the net for number five. The sixth and final goal was scored by Lewis Jamieson after he waltzed into the box before drilling low across the keeper. No more than Inverness deserved as some of the interplay was as dazzling as Morton were dire. CTO MotM voters have Aaron Doran as first choice followed closely by Reece McAlear and Scott Allardice. Tremendous performances all over the park from those in pink. Not easy to single anyone out as they all excelled. This performance was far removed from the drab offerings of the Scottish Cup games and no more than Inverness deserved. Maybe fortune favoured us with the opening goal as Doran's deep cross seemed to come off the post, then the keeper before finding the net. However there was nothing fortunate about the rest as we tore Morton a new one. Pick of the goals came from Reece McAlear. What a thunderous strike to open your account, and Lewis Jamieson who danced his way into the box before drilling home. Great stuff, that'll teach them to put us into shipping containers. Telt! Six of the best! A smiling Dodds Date: 11/12/2021 Venue: Caledonian Stadium Attendance: 1192 Referee: John Beaton Morton: 1 Manager: Derek Anderson (interim manager) Lineup: Hamilton; Strapp, Lithgow, Lyon (Easdale 81), Hynes, Russell, Oksanen, Muirhead (McGregor 68), Oliver, Reilly (Blues 56), Ugwu Subs (not used): Ledger, Jacobs, Blues, McGrattan, King Scorers: Ugwu (45+1 pen) Booked: Oskanen (17) Sent Off: none Inverness CT: 6 Manager: Billy Dodds Lineup: Ridgers; Carson, Broadfoot, Devine, Deas, Doran (Harper 58), McAlear, Allardice, Walsh, Sutherland, B Mckay (Duku 66), (Jamieson 75) Subs (not used): C Mackay; Duffy, McDonald Scorers: Doran (15), Sutherland (33), Mckay (43), McAlear (51), Sutherland (60), Jamieson (78) Booked: Carson (45) Sent Off: none a
  12. Table Toppers League leaders Kilmarnock looked determined to spoil the game as a spectacle and it was a first half of few chances. Mckay having a shot blocked for a corner by Hemming and Ridgers denying McKenzie. However, chances were at a premium and the half ended goalless. The goal that settled the game was a stunning strike from captain Sean Welsh and no more than Inverness deserved with Killie void of attacking intent. This result put Inverness back on top of the table for now. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Neither club are on the best run of form at the moment but nonetheless they are still in the congested top five in the Championship, with Killie just one point ahead of the Caley Jags at the head of the table. Could Inverness hit the top tonight or will Killie stamp their authority on the race for promotion. All to play for at the Caledonian Stadium in a Friday night TV spectacular. Inverness would wear black armbands as a tribute to assistant coach Barry Wilson's mum, Jessie, who sadly passed away this week. Oh how she would have loved to have seen how this match would play out and a goal fit to grace a tribute to a wonderful lady. RIP Jessie and heartfelt condolences to Bobby, Barry and family from the Caley Jags Family Both sides were at or very near to full strength with Billy Mckay and Shane Sutherland up top for Inverness and Kilmarnock had Liam Polworth in midfield for them with Chris Burke and Ollie Shaw in attack. A cagey opening quarter saw Inverness take the game to the visitors without being able to create anything of note, that was until the 14th minute when Roddy MacGregor fed Billy Mckay through on the inside left position, but his shot was blocked by the legs of Zach Hemming at the expense of a corner, which came to nothing. McKenzie brought out a good save from Mark Ridgers as his low curling shot was heading to the bottom corner as it skidded off the wet surface, the ball going behind for a corner. Inverness almost took the lead just before the half hour after Sean Welsh was blocked and the ball fell nicely for Sutherland. Unfortunately he placed his curled effort just off target and it hit the stanchion of the netting. Ten minutes before the break Aaron Doran found himself in space after cutting in from the left but he fired high and wide. Five minutes before the break and Doran never learned from his previous abysmal effort and he fired another effort well over the bar from thirty yards. Right on the break, Burke fired across the goal from the edge of the box and just wide to bring a dour first half to a close. That would have been an injustice on Inverness who had dominated the first forty-five. Half Time: 0-0 A livelier start to the second half saw Hemming tip away a deep cross and when Killie broke forward Ridgers had to gather a low shot from Lyons. A mix up in the Inverness box allowed Ollie Shaw a free hit but he sliced it wide from ten yards. Not quite the melee from the Morton game, but still something we need to cut out. Almost out of nothing, Inverness took the lead with a stunning strike into the top corner. Allardice did well to keep the ball and when Welsh got it outside the box he sidestepped a challenge before rifling the ball into the roof of the net from twenty-five yards. What a strike, and on the telly too! Almost a second minutes later but Tom Walsh scuffed his shot from twelve yards and Hemming made the save at full stretch, and with ten minutes left Robbie Deas fired a powerful shot just over from twenty-five yards. Full Time: 1-0 Inverness saw out the game with little fuss and kept Killie penned in their own half at the final whistle. This result puts Inverness back on the top of the table, maybe just for one day, but it was a thoroughly deserved win and the second win over Killie this season. There's him... Sean Welsh. Centre Back on Tuesday night against Raith Rovers in the Challenge Cup, Striker on Friday night in the top of the table clash with Kilmarnock and scoring a stunning winner from twenty-five yards into the top corner. That was his 13th goal for the Caley Jags. No doubt he will be back to being just another midfielder when we travel to Cappielow in midweek for a Scottish Cup replay against Morton, but what a guy. Here's our Bio for Sean: Sean started his career at Hibs and excelled in the U19 team, captaining them to a league and cup double in 2008/09 and being awarded the League Player of the Season that year but a series of injuries including a double leg-break limited his first team chances. He went on loan to Stenhousemuir and then Stirling Albion in the 2010/11 season but agreed a one year deal extension with Hibs in the interim. In July 2011 he was injured in a training session after being punched by a team-mate and required surgery to repair a broken cheekbone He made a further 8 appearances on the subs bench but did not feature on the park. A loan spell at Partick followed in early 2012 and when he was released from his contract at the end of the season he signed a two year deal with Partick. Welsh was an integral part of the 2012/13 First division championship winning side and was handed the Partick captaincy for their return to the Premiership ahead of the 2013/14 season. Once again injury hampered his season (knee) and he was limited to only 3 appearances. In 2015/16 and 2016/17 he had a total of 64 appearances scoring 6 goals. He left Partick when his contract expired. Sean was out of the game for almost 8 months before signing on a short-term deal with Falkirk during the 2017/18 season. At the end of the season he left Falkirk and signed for Caley Thistle. He scored his first goal for the club, a 48th minute penalty against Alloa in a League match at the Caledonian Stadium on August 25th 2018. Rrripper.......Booooom! Doddsy Delight Date: 03/12/2021 Venue: Caledonian Stadium Attendance: 2296 Referee: Nick Walsh Inverness CT: 1 Manager: Billy Dodds Lineup: Ridgers; Carson, Broadfoot, Devine, Deas, Doran (Harper 75), Welsh, Allardice, MacGregor (Walsh 62), Sutherland, B Mckay (McAlear 85) Subs (not used): C Mackay; McDonald, Jamieson Scorers: Welsh (69) Booked: Welsh (87) Sent Off: none Kilmarnock: 0 Manager: Tommy Wright Lineup: Hemming; Hodson, McGowan, E Murray, Waters, Lyons, Polworth (Alston 71), McKenzie (F Murray 71), Burke, Shaw, Robinson (Burrell 79) Subs (not used): Walker; Sanders, Stokes, Armstrong Scorers: none Booked: McKenzie (42) Sent Off: none a
  13. Cup Tie It's off to Cappielow in midweek for a cup replay on Tuesday 7th December after these two sides served up a 1-1 draw at the Caledonian Stadium. Billy Mckay opened the scoring in the twelfth minute after what appeared to be a gift from keeper Hamilton, and as is our current trend we failed to capitalise on our good fortune and fell away in the second half which allowed Morton to snatch a deserved late equaliser after we returned the compliment and Gavin Reilly took the game to a replay. To be brutally honest, simply not good enough, too many players not producing the goods. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ This was the third Scottish Cup clash between these sides with Morton looking for their first cup win over Inverness. The Caley Jags won the previous games 5-1 and 4-0. Poles apart in the Championship, but the Cup is a different kettle of fish. Adding more fuel to the fire, Michael Gardyne was missing, presumably having left the building? David Carson was at right back with wishy washy Welsh and Walsh on the bench. The hosts started the game in spritely fashion with Reece McAlear blazing a 15 yard volley over the bar from a corner kick. Moments later, Kirk Broadfoot made a hash of clearing the ball and when it was passed into the middle, Gary Oliver would have scored but for a 'Devine' intervention as the ball deflected off Danny and onto the post with Ridgers stranded. Aaron Doran shot from distance but it was plucked out of the air by Jack Hamilton with ease and Shane Sutherland saw a close range header clawed away by Hamilton with an instinctive save before McAlear again had another effort deflected just wide of the post by a defender. Therefore it was no surprise when Billy Mckay poached a goal from the fingertips of the keeper as he tried to gather a header back into the box from Sutherland. Could we put the tie to bed? Well, the answer was no, as has been a familiar trait of late. Ridgers blocked Ugwu on the right side of his six yard box as the big forward tried to shoot twenty minutes into the half and five minutes later he drilled a shot over the bar from the inside right position with Ridgers watching closely. Four minutes before the break a massive scrambulation in the Inverness box saw the ball blocked about half a dozen times before it was hoofed clear much to the relief of the North Stand. McAlear had at least two of these with possibly Devine again, Deas and pick any one from ten other bodies who threw themselves in front of the ball to keep Morton out as the interval neared. Almost hidden in the midden was another fluffed Broadfoot clearance. Strewth, wtf is going on. HALF TIME: 1-0 The start of the second half saw more bodies getting in the way of Morton scoring as we thwarted them again and again, the pressure easing when Reece Lyon curled his shot over from the edge of the box. Sutherland forced Hamilton into a decent, but relatively comfortable save as he tipped his header over the bar and a couple of minutes later Devine headed wide as we looked for a second goal. Ugwu dragged a shot wide when he forged his way towards the box as the visitors responded. After 81 minutes the visitors forced a replay as Broadfoot completed his hat-trick of blunders when he was muscled off a long clearance from Hamilton by Gavin Reilly who strode forward to drill the ball behind Ridgers. Foul was the obvious decision, apart from referee Colin Steven. Anyway, Broadfoot had been pushing his luck all afternoon and was found wanting when it really mattered. FULL TIME:1-1 Oh dear, another occasion where we let the lead slip from our grasp compounded by our own inability to put the ball into the net. Billy Mckay was probably the pick of the Inverness players with keeper Jack Hamilton doing his job sufficiently for the visitors. Looks like the Gardyne issue has been resolved with Carson at right back and Gardyne not in the building... the silence from the club is deafening. The Goals Full Highlights from ICTV Sort it Billy Date: 27/11/2021 Venue: Caledonian Stadium Attendance: 790 Referee: Colin Steven Inverness CT: 1 Manager: Billy Dodds Lineup: Ridgers; Carson, Broadfoot, Devine, Deas, Doran, Allardice, McAlear (Welsh 71), McGregor (Walsh 70), Sutherland, B Mckay Subs (not used): C Mackay; Harper, Jamieson, McDonald, Duku, Scorers: B Mckay (12) Booked: none Sent Off: none Morton: 1 Manager: Gus MacPherson Lineup: Hamilton; Ledger, McEntee, Lithgow, Strapp, Oliver, Blues (Reilly 75), McGrattan (King 68), Oksanen, Ugwu, Lyon, Subs (not used): Bysouth; Jacobs, Muirhead, Russell, Hynes, Easdale, Allan Scorers: Reilly (81) Booked: McGrattan (63) Sent Off: none a
  14. He scores when he wants... The visitors opened the scoring when Billy Mckay converted a first half penalty. They doubled their lead when he added a second from a superb Carson cross and almost completed his hat-trick but for the woodwork. However, Queens forced a tense finish when Lee Connelly smashed the ball into the net to give them hope. Fortunately Inverness saw out the game to claim the points and move a point behind leaders Kilmarnock who lost to Arbroath on Saturday. ÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷ Two of the worst performing sides in Scotland over the last half-dozen games were hoping to put on a show for a TV audience eagerly awaiting the outcome at both ends of the table. No wins in five (six for Queens) is relegation form in any language, what could possibly go right, or wrong... Shane Sutherland and Roddy MacGregor returned to the starting line-up tonight along with Reece McAlear, but Sean Welsh, Tom Walsh, Wallace Duffy and Michael Gardyne were missing, stoking the flames of the rumour fires even further. But fear not, Manny Duku was on the bench... Good opening spell for Inverness saw an early strike from Allardice charged down and in the sixth minute Billy Mckay beat the offside trap but his shot from the left side was beaten away with the rebound eluding the incoming attack. A tremendous block by David Carson denied the ever dangerous Innes Cameron inside the six yard box as Queens pushed forward twelve minutes in. Penalty to Inverness after 18 minutes when Roddy MacGregor was taken down in the box by an industrial challenge from Nditi. He scores when he wants from the spot buried the spot kick with ease to put the visitors ahead. Shane Sutherland brought a save out of keeper Brynn as he shot low to his left from distance and a superb interchange between Mckay and MacGregor almost resulted in a freebie but for a timely intervention by the defence. A wonderful glanced header from Devine off a corner narrowly escaped nestling in the bottom corner as Inverness dominated proceedings. On the break, Comrie forced Ridgers to shepherd the ball wide as he tried a snapshot from distance. When Allardice curled a shot wide the referee brought the half to a close with Inverness well on top. Half Time: 0-1 Former Inverness player Alex Cooper was a half time sub for Queens as Allan Johnston rejigged his side but it was Sutherland that blazed wildly over as the visitors looked for a second. It duly came when Carson angled a ball into the box and once again Billy Mckay did what he does best with a low angled header behind Brynn. Well worked goal and well deserved. A corner on the right was cut back to the eighteen yard line and Allardice was unlucky to head just wide with Mckay looking for scraps. Lee Connelly threw Queens a lifeline when he hammered a loose ball in the box high into the net. Game on. Three corners came and went for the visitors but Queens sensed something might happen at the other end as Inverness arses tightened. On a break forward Mckay almost grabbed his hat-trick but was denied by the crossbar with the rebound not falling kindly for Deas or Allardice. After Mckay was denied a free kick, Harry Cochrane brought out a super save from Ridgers when he tipped a dipping shot over the bar for a fruitless corner. Time ran out for Queens as Inverness saw out the game relatively comfortably to pick up a well deserved three points. Full Time: 1-2 Entertaining game in part with Inverness thoroughly deserving of all three points against a team still trying to find it's feet. First win in six games for the Caley Jags and good to see Billy Mckay on the scoresheet and he was unlucky not to get his hat-trick. MotM for many was Scott Allardice with special mention for Mckay and MacGregor and pleasing to see Carson and Sutherland getting more gametime after injury. The goals from last night He scores when he wants Dodds happier now Date: 19/11/2021 Venue: Palmerston, Dumfries Attendance: 1200 Referee: Don Robertson Queen of the South: 1 Manager: Allan Johnston Lineup: Brynn; McKay, Nditi, Debayo (Cochrane 62), Johnston, McGrory (Cooper 45), Gibson, Liddle (Roy 62), Paton, Connelly, Cameron Subs (not used): Rae; Todd, Joseph, Junior Scorers: Connelly(75) Booked: none Sent Off: none Inverness CT: 2 Manager: Billy Dodds Lineup: Ridgers; Carson, Broadfoot, Devine, Deas, Doran (Harper 88), McAlear, Allardice, MacGregor, Sutherland, Mckay (Duku 90) Subs (not used): C Mackay; McDonald, Jamieson Scorers: Mckay (19, 50) Booked: Carson (55) Sent Off: none a
  15. Under Par Inverness opened the scoring after probing well for over twenty minutes. Michael Gardyne drifted inside and the Pars defence opened up allowing him to get a shot away. It came back off the woodwork and Billy Mckay reacted first to knock the ball into the net. However, Dunfermline got their first win of the season as Inverness fired blanks thereafter, and goals from Kevin O'Hara assisted by a massive Danny Devine deflection and a great solo effort from Dom Thomas won the points for the Pars. Another bad day at the office continued with Inverness slipping to third following wins for Killie Raith and Partick. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Inverness were somewhat depleted with only five on the bench and Sean Welsh, Shane Sutherland, Manny Duku and Wallace Duffy all missing. On the bright side, David Carson returned to action at right back and Reece McAlear was in midfield. The Pars had a full bench which included Nicolay Todorov Ryan Dow and Craig Wighton. John Hughes was watching over his new side with Greg Shields taking charge of his final interim game as gaffer. A wonderful afternoon for football, flat calm and a damp pitch, saw a minutes silence observed for armistice to remember the fallen of the armed forces throughout conflicts around the world. Inverness were shooting, or more accurately, playing towards the South Stand and they controlled the pace of the game in a manner big Yogi would have been proud of. Retaining possession well, passing sideways and back but seldom threatening. However, the visitors were happy enough for us to flatter around although Aaron Doran saw an early effort saved by the painter OFW. Billy Mckay was next to try but his shot missed the target and Robbie Deas headed over the bar. The first real threat came when Michael Gardyne cut across the box from the left wing and curled a beauty towards the opposite top where his shot hit the frame of the goal before rebounding to the ever alert Mckay who knocked in from close range to open the scoring. A minute later Mckay could have scored again had he been able to keep his header down. This should have inspired the hosts to kick on from here but it seemed to have a familiar adverse effect. With the Pars suddenly realising we were flattering to deceive, they began to get to grips around the half hour and it took an absolutely incredible Devine intervention to deny the Pars a leveller as a Dom Thomas cross dropped into the six yard box. From there on in, it was backs to the wall defending and A superb reaction save by Mark Ridgers denied Breen from close range as the keeper pushed the ball over the bar, all in the North stand gaping with mouths wide open in astonishment. We were finding it difficult dealing with corners and crosses and in one melee there looked like a headed clearance from under the bar as the Pars looked to draw level but our last ditch defending held out until the break. Half Time: 1-0 Six minutes into the second half and the visitors equalised when they broke on the right after an Inverness attack broke down. Thomas crossed into the box and possibly Kevin O'Hara will get the credit for scoring but it appeared to deflect off Devine before it reached Lewis McCann and caught out Ridgers. The Pars were now forcing the pace of the game as Inverness looked jaded and it was no surprise when MotM Dom Thomas waltzed into our box and curled an exquisite shot behind a stranded Ridgers for a stunner. A stunner for the Pars, a scunner for the Caley Jags. We did look more urgent in the last quarter of the game without really looking threatening whereas Dunfermline were always dangerous on the break. We had three or four efforts from distance all whistle wide of the post and the Painter had a relatively quiet afternoon, broken only by slow motion strolls to collect some wayward footballs, much to the chagrin of the home fans. May his easel break and his canvas tear. One late attack saw Jamieson's shot cleared on the line but as is the norm, it was too little too late on a day when we paid tribute to those that gave the ultimate sacrifice and gave everything for the cause. Lest we Forget Full Time: 1-2 Inverness CT first team-coach Barry Wilson: "We were very good for 30-35 minutes. We said to them at half-time we need to regain control and unfortunately we didn't do it. "We were bombarding them near the end but it was reactive after going behind - we wanted them to do that at one up." Dunfermline interim manger Greg Shields: "In the first half it was a bit edgy and scrappy. We had a chat with them at half-time and the manager came in and had a wee word as well. "Kevin O'Hara and Lewis McCann changed the game for us - the way they pressed. It was really pleasing as it's been a long time without a win and they more than deserved that today." Highlights from ParsTV A dejected looking Barry Wilson Date: 13/11/2021 Venue: Caledonian Stadium Attendance: 2111 Referee: Grant Irvine Inverness CT: 1 Manager: Billy Dodds Lineup: Ridgers; Carson (McDonald 80), Broadfoot, Devine, Deas, Gardyne, McAlear (Jamieson (67), Allardice, Doran, Walsh (MacGregor 67), Mckay Subs (not used): C Mackay; Harper, Scorers: Mckay (22) Booked: none Sent Off: none Dunfermline : 2 Manager: Greg Shields (interim, John Hughes incoming on Monday) Lineup: Williams; Comrie, Connolly, Breen (Graham 74), Edwards, MacDonald, Dorrans, Todd (Pybus 62), Thomas, O'Hara, McCann (Dow 84) Subs (not used): Mehmet; Wighton, Todorov, Allan Scorers: Devine (og 51), Thomas (64) Booked: Dorrans (49), Dow (72), Breen (73), Graham (87) Sent Off: none a
  16. Caley Jags pay the penalty Partick Thistle survived to earn a point after the woodwork saved them twice and keeper Jamie Sneddon denied Sean Welsh from the spot after guessing the right way. Inverness were well on top but it's only a point which means Killie pull further away at the top. Performance of the day was from Arbroath who came from two down to beat Dunfermline Athletic 4-2. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Inverness were looking to bounce back after their midweek shocker against Arbroath and being knocked off the top perch, and Partick were hoping to get back to winning ways after drawing with Morton and Dunfermline in their last two. Neither club would achieve what they were hoping for in a 0-0 draw. David Carson was still on leave and Cammy Harper was not ready to return with Shane Sutherland posted missing. RIG saw the game like this: Obviously if you don't take your chances you can't really say you deserved to win but we should have got the three points yesterday. We had by far the better chances but for some good saves, desperate defending and a bit of bad luck we just couldn't force the ball into the net. Walsh, Gardyne and Mckay all had great chances in the first half (still don't know what happened with the Walsh effort as I was sure it had gone in and turned to celebrate). Welsh's penalty was poor but Sneddon timed his movement off his line well. I always feel that penalties should be struck high(er) rather than low as it makes it easier for the keeper to get a stop. Doran hit the bar / forced Sneddon into a save not long after and also had another "penalty" claim waved away (though it looked like it was outside the box) before MacGregor turned a close range effort over the top. Partick seemed very subdued. Aside from a disallowed goal towards the end, which would have been oh so cruel, I can't really think of any time Ridgers was overly troubled. Sure he had saves to make but they were all pretty comfortable. Odd move from McCall to move Tiffoney over the ICT left after Deas got yellow carded. I assume he wanted Tiffoney to try and draw a foul and second yellow from Deas but he wasn't up for that and completely snuffed one of their better players out of the game. It was superb performance from a defender on a tightrope for so much of the game. Duffy on the other side was also much improved, perhaps as a result of having Walsh in front of him. Allardice and Welsh dominated the middle of the park and we looked a lot better attacking with Mckay, Doran, Gardyne and Walsh although we still aimed a few aimless balls towards Mckay were he was dominated in the air by the Partick CBs. With MacGregor and Jamieson coming on later on this seemed to disrupt us more than anything but I guess the likes of Doran were tiring and we needed to freshen things up. Despite not getting the win that was easily one of our best performances of recent weeks and I would have taken a point before the game but given how it played out it was definitely 2 points dropped. Onto Ayr next week! Although this was a much improved performance from Tuesday night's dismal showing against Arbroath, the lack of a cutting edge came back to haunt us. Walsh and Gardyne both hit the frame of the goal which denied access to the net and with Sneddon guessing the right way to dive we missed out on a glorious opportunity from the spot. Best on the day were Scott Allardice who was back in midfield, Aaron Doran and Wallace Duffy back in at right back. From YouTube Date: 30/10/2021 Venue: Firhill, Partick Attendance: 2527 Referee: Gavin Duncan Partick Thistle: 0 Manager: Ian McCall Lineup: Sneddon; Foster, Mayo, Tiffoney (Murray 86) Holt, Bannigan, Akinola, Docherty, Smith (Gordon 63), Rudden, Graham (Hastie 63) Subs (not used): McGready, Turner, McKenna, MacIvor Scorers: none Booked: Docherty (59), Rudden (82) Sent Off: none Inverness CT: 0 Manager: Billy Dodds Lineup: Ridgers; Duffy, Broadfoot, Devine, Deas, Gardyne, Welsh, Allardice, Walsh (MacGregor 86), Doran (Jamieson 79), Mckay Subs (not used): C Mackay; McAlear, McDonald, Duku Scorers: none Booked: Deas (19) Sent Off: none a
  17. Punchless and Pointless Inverness toiled to make any headway in a dour first half, the poor fare on display being matched only by the miserable weather. We improved in the final ten minutes before the interval but clear chances were at a premium. After the break and some initial half chances for the hosts, McKenna scored with a cross/shot free kick that caught out the keeper, possibly wind assisted. Inverness still struggled to create clear openings, an all too familiar habit of late. They could have doubled their lead soon after but Ridgers was in the right place to put Little's header over the bar. Thereafter we ruined what little chances we had by a lack of quality around the box and stout defending by Arbroath. Well done to them, they did what they had to do, we need to take a long hard look at how we are going about our business. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The Caley Jags were looking to get back to winning ways after dropping points to Hamilton and Raith in recent games and Arbroath were looking for their first win in five games which has seen them slip just off the pace at the top of the table. The pitch was watered more heavily than Starks Park after a day of dark clouds and rain with a blustery wind getting stronger heading towards kick-off. Duku and Mckay were the preferred partners up front with Gardyne and Sutherland on the bench. David Carson and Cammy Harper were still missing and Allardice was at right back. Bobby Linn was on the bench for Arbroath with Nouble and Dowds up front and scoring midfielder Michael McKenna in behind them. After a minutes silence in memory of Walter Smith, play got underway with Arbroath attacking the North Stand. A scrappy opening to the game saw the ball being moved around like a hot potato with nether side keeping possession for any length of time. In the 14th minute Manny Duku chased a lost cause and when he whipped the ball into the box it appeared to graze the face of the crossbar before running out. Arbroath forced a series of corners which we eventually hoofed clear to take the pressure off the defence. A free kick from Aaron Doran almost bounced into the net as the wind played havoc with the flight of the ball, but it was a difficult watch in the first quarter of the game. Nouble bounced a couple of players off him as he cut into the box on the left but we eventually blocked his route to goal. Walsh snatched at a ball on the edge of the box and Gaston made a bit of a meal of it but gathered it at the second time of asking. Moments later Doran almost curled an effort into the net after turning his marker inside the box but his shot drifted just wide. The hosts had upped the intensity just before the break but had still not made the breakthrough. Half Time: 0-0 Shooting towards the North Stand after the break we found ourselves a goal down out of nothing. Top scorer Michael McKenna took a free kick out wide from a crossing position. Unfortunately for Ridgers, he curled it into the net with the keeper flapping at the ball as the wind held the ball back. He might not want to see that one again. Like the weather, we spoiled the fans night by being totally useless in front of goal with most efforts going wide or being blocked and the visitors still looked menacing on the break when they stopped their time wasting. Last chance fell to Saturday's saviour Sean Welsh but he hooked his shot high over the bar and that summed up our night. Horrendous! We looked like a Highland League side at times and our inability to fashion out clear opportunities is worrying. Good week for Killie who started it 5 points behind us and now sit top of the table. with Killie scoring a late penalty at Ayr, they have taken the lead at the top of the table on goal difference as we appear to be found wanting when the push comes to the shove. Thoroughly disappointing game, performance, result and weather and it gets even tougher at the weekend as we take on Partick Thistle. From CTO SteveA, he's not pulling any punches... I've seen some bad performances at the stadium but that must be up there with the worst. Horrible game. We never threatened, couldn't pass the ball and looked bang average all over the park. We showed next to no urgency and got exactly what we deserved. I might of missed the man of the match announcement or maybe whoever was picking it decided that none of our players deserved it. If it was the latter I would fully agree with them. Every one of them was shocking. From CTO caley100 is no a happy bunny either: Hopeless, inept, clueless and that was the referee! ICT were not far behind, As has been said before we have been very poor and tonight showed that we are papering over the cracks. So many poor passes, and failed lay offs to nobody, and a complete lack of idea's in the opposition box. The ref was awful, truly awful, He let them get away with murder, then ignored the time wasting **** of a keeper. Not happy. Just let this Arbroath FC tweet sink in... Date: 26/10/2021 Venue: Caledonian Stadium Attendance: 1909 Referee: Craig Napier Inverness CT: 0 Manager: Billy Dodds Lineup: Ridgers; Allardice, Broadfoot, Devine, Deas, Doran (Gardyne 62), Welsh, MacGregor (McAlear 71), Duku (Jaimeson 62), Mckay Subs (not used): C Mackay, Duffy, McDonald, Sutherland Scorers: none Booked: Deas (32), Broadfoot (86) Sent Off: none Arbroath: 1 Manager: Dick Campbell Lineup: Gaston; Chris Hamilton, Little, O'Brien, Colin Hamilton, Clark, Stewart (Gold 82), McKenna, Donnelly (Craigen 71), Dowds (Hilsen 71), Nouble Subs (not used): Antell; Henderson, Swankie, Linn Scorers: McKenna (54) Booked: Craigen (85) Sent Off: none a
  18. And it goes on... Plenty of endeavour in the first half at Starks Park but little quality in the final third resulted in a game void of goalmouth action over the first forty-five minutes for both sides. Biggest talking point was the sending off just before the break of Ross Mathews for what looked like a rash studs up challenge. Contentious maybe, but straight red dished out. After the break more space saw more chances created but it was Raith that broke forward and scored through Aidan Connolly. Inverness struggled to get back on level terms but eventually did ten minutes from the end when Sean Welsh drilled home from the edge of the box and that ended the scoring. Raith's quest for a win over Inverness goes into a 22nd year. Killie were the only winners in the Championship and closed the gap to three points but Inverness remain top. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Rovers were looking for their first win over Inverness in 21 years whilst Inverness were looking to start the seond phase of fixtures on a high and maintain their five point lead at the top of the table. However, Rovers are the form team in the league at the moment and this could have been our most difficult game of the season so far. Wallace Duffy was in at right back and Michael Gardyne was fit enough to continue up front. Billy Mckay kept Manny Duku on the bench. A first half without opportunities changed dramatically when Mathews was red carded just before the interval, but it was tepid and goalless at the break. Half Time: 0-0 Just after the interval Mark Ridgers dived low to his right to push an effort by Tumilty round the post for a corner. It may have been going just wide but he took no chances and dealt well with the shot, and at the other end Shane Sutherland cut inside on the right and went equally close with a low curling left footer that was just wide of the far post with Macdonald at full stretch. Rovers opened the scoring after good work down the left before Aidan Connolly smashed the ball from Dario Zanatta high into the net from 12 yards. Sloppy marking from the defence but Connolly didn't care as he fired the ball into the top corner for a super finish. Jamie Macdonald pulled off a flying save to deny Billy Mckay as Inverness responded against the ten men and a Duku free kick forced the keeper to push the ball over the bar as the Inverness pressure mounted. Inverness equalised when Michael Gardyne burst into the box on the left side and cut the ball back to the edge of the area where Sean Welsh drilled a low shot into the bottom corner of the net. Dario Zanatta passed on a great opportunity to win all three points but curled his shot high over the bar and into the stand. Macdonald scooped up a late header as we looked to nab a late winner but it was too easy for the keeper. Full Time: 1-1 The game petered out thereafter and the points were shared. Another disappointing show against ten men for half the game, but the point was deserved and very welcome. Michael Gardyne was again prominent and created most of our openings with a nod to Sean Welsh for steadying himself before drilling home the equaliser. A useful point at the end of the day with Kilmarnock the only side to earn three points, so not too much damage done by dropping two points, but nonetheless disappointing considering the player advantage after the break plus two enforced changes due to injury. Highlights from Raith Rovers TV From BBC Sport Raith Rovers manager John McGlynn: "Ross Matthews has made an aggressive attempt to get to the ball in a game where there were a few challenges going around. "The referee was very quick to make that decision. I think it was a fair attempt and he got the ball, it was the follow through he caught the player." Inverness CT manager Billy Dodds: "We should do better when they go down to 10 but fair play to Raith, they kept at it. When we got the equaliser I fancied us to win but we ran out of time. "Before the game I'd probably have taken a point but once they went down to 10 I expected three." From CTO Robert: I’d have taken 1-1 before kick off and then when Raith took the lead. Credit the players for getting back into it and a draw was a fair result. It was quite a scrappy game, particularly the first half. Broadfoot was booked in only 50 seconds and the only chance I recall was a Welsh free kick that nearly went over the stand. Neither ‘keeper was tested. The pitch seemed slippery and was not helping with players losing their footing a few times, notably Mckay and MacGregor. So much for plastic surfaces! The sending off worried me as I thought it would galvanise Raith and, after we started the second half brightly, they got their goal from a cross from Zanatta. It was the only time he got the better of Duffy all game and the scorer got between our defenders to give Ridgers no chance. After that, I thought we would struggle to break them down, but we had our best spell and got a deserved equaliser when the ball fell to Welsh about 20 yards out and he finished well. Date: 23/10/2021 Venue: Starks Park, Kirkaldy Attendance: 1900 Referee: Colin Steven Raith Rovers: 1 Manager: John McGlynn Lineup: MacDonald; Tumilty, Berra, Benedictus (Lang 53) Dick, Connolly (Ross 78), Mathews, Zanatta, Spencer, Tait, Varian (Poplatnik 21) Subs (not used): Thomson; Riley-Snow, Mitchell, Young, Scorers: Connolly (62) Booked: Tait (45+1) Sent Off: Mathews (45+1) Inverness CT: 1 Manager: Billy Dodds Lineup: Ridgers; Duffy, Broadfoot, Devine, Deas, Gardyne, Welsh, Allardice (Doran 77), MacGregor, Sutherland (Duku 72) Mckay (Jamieson 82) Subs (not used): C Mackay; McAlear, Walsh, McDonald Scorers: Welsh (79) Booked: Broadfoot (2), Allardice (63), MacGregor (89) Sent Off: none a
  19. Caley Jags open up a gap Inverness extended their lead at the top of the Championship as the Pars got a late leveller against Killie. The hosts opened the scoring after twenty minutes through Billy Mckay with the credit for the assist going to Mark Ridgers from his quick goal kick. Inverness stepped up a gear after the interval and Michael Gardyne scored the second early in the second half as he crashed a loose ball in the box high into the net. That was enough to see off Morton who battled hard throughout but fell short. It could have been a different story had the visitors made more of their own opportunities. Five points clear after the first quarter: Who knew? The Goals Inverness were looking to bounce back after their miserable performance against whipping boys Hamilton Accies who were ransacked 6-1 by Partick Thistle last night. The Caley Jags were without David Carson due to a family bereavement and Cammy Harper who took a knock at Elgin last Saturday. That left us a tad short for defenders. Reece McAlear came into midfield with Scott Allardice deputising at right back with hat-trick hero Billy Mckay partnering Shane Sutherland up front. Manny Duku was on the bench. Despite their lowly league status, the visitors were looking sharp in the early stages and Thomas Allan danced down the left wing and sent a cross into the box which hit the outside junction of post and crossbar with Mark Ridgers keeping a close eye on the ball. Reece McAlear drove wide with the aid of a deflection after good set up play down the Inverness left, the ball spinning out wide for a corner. Slack play at the other end saw Morton get the ball into the box and two attempts were blocked by last ditch tackles, Devine doing brilliantly to stop Gavin Reilly's effort from going on target from ten yards. Let off for the hosts. When Kyle Jacobs header went wide from a Morton corner, Ridgers spotted Billy Mckay lurking around the centre circle. His hastily taken goal kicked bounced off a defenders head and Billy anticipated superbly to stride forward before notching his 71st goal for the Caley Jags as he placed the ball into the net with his left peg low across the keeper. Michael Gardyne was instrumental in offering Mckay another shooting opportunity on the half hour but Billy dragged his shot wide of the goal. Shortly before the interval, Jimmy Knowles shot across the face of the goal after good build up play from the Ton across the park. Moments later Ridgers dealt with another effort from Knowles. Just before the whistle, a clash of heads led to an extended tea break as Michael Gardyne came back out after receiving treatment. Thomas Allan was not so fortunate and was replaced by Mark Russell. Half Time: 1-0 Despite his injured head being plastered over, he was alert enough to get onto the loose ball after Roddy MacGregor and Mckay were blocked inside the box, Michael stepping onto the ball to smash home the second goal and his fourth in four games. McAlear saw an effort saved before substitute Manny Duku should have opened his Championship account. He was fed through on the left side of goal by Gardyne, but caught the keepers legs with his angled shot which ran out for a corner. Likewise, Morton should have scored after a long range shot by Reece Lyon was pushed out by Ridgers, but the follow up header from Gary Oliver was knocked wide. Lewis Jamieson shot wide as Inverness kept the visitors options down to a minimum and by the end of the game it was another three points in the bag without over exerting ourselves. Morton did have their moments and should have scored, but thems the breaks. MotM performances from Michael Gardyne and Roddy MacGregor and another good display at the back from Danny Devine. From CTO Robert A deserved win, but on several occasions at 0-0 and 1-0 we did our best to let Morton get into the game by poor passing and some comic book defending. Ridgers’ kicking was not to his usual standards, but the one that counted was great vision and very accurate to set Mckay up for a cool finish into the corner. Gardyne pounced for the second after Mckay could have scored in the same move. We could, and possibly should, have got more against a poor defence, with Jamieson coming closest. CTO Doofers Dad The recent games against the bottom 3 have shown there are no easy games in this division, yet we are 5 points clear at the top. We must be doing something right. This season we seem to be managing to win games that are pretty finely balanced. The difference seems to be that the team are all working really hard for each other and when we have those "heart in the mouth" moments there is a real collective effort to clear the danger. Pressing hard and winning the ball back then gives us more chance of creating opportunities up front. Maintaining the level of intensity and the team spirit will be essential if we are going keep the challenge for promotion going. Doddsy's a Happy Bunny Match Highlights from ICTV Date: 16/10/2021 Venue: Caledonian Stadium Attendance: 1900 Referee: Mike Roncone Inverness CT: 2 Manager: Billy Dodds Lineup: Ridgers; Allardice, Broadfoot, Devine, Deas, Gardyne, Welsh, McAlear (Doran 61), MacGregor, Sutherland (Duku 58), B Mckay (Jamieson 77) Subs (not used): C Mackay; Duffy, McDonald, Walsh Scorers: B Mckay (20), Gardyne (49) Booked: Allardice (36) MacGregor (76), Duku (90) Sent Off: none Morton: 0 Manager: Gus MacPherson Lineup: Hamilton; McEntee, Lithgow, Strapp, Blues, Jacobs, Oksanen, Allan (Russell 45), Oliver, Knowles (Muirhead 62), Reilly (Lyon 69) Subs (not used): King, Ledger, McLean, McGrattan Scorers: none Booked: none Sent Off: none a
  20. He scores when he wants Elgin City raced into an early two goal lead through a Tom Grivosti header and a great finish from Brian Cameron as City hit on the counter when Connor O'Keefe did well down the right before Cameron hammered a tremendous shot high into the net from just inside the box. Just when it looked like Elgin were cruising, Billy Mckay took matters into his own hands when he fired home from sixteen yards and then grabbed a second two minutes later as pressure mounted on the home goal. Half Time: 2-2 After an even opening to the second half, Billy Mckay got his hat-trick before a great through ball from McAlear put Lewis Jamieson through to dink his shot behind McHale for the fourth Inverness goal as Elgin heads went down. With the wind now out of the Elgin sails, Inverness saw out the game comfortably to progress into the next round to face Raith Rovers. Full Time: 2-4 A good workout for the guys and great to see MotM Billy Mckay amongst the goals, that's five in the two ties so far. Elgin gave the visitors plenty of problems in the first half hour before the Billy Mckay show started. A tidy finish from Lewis Jamieson as well when he tucked the ball round the keeper, the spin just enough to take the ball inside the post to round off the scoring in an entertaining game. Cammy Mackay made a great stop from a powerful drive in the second half as Elgin threatened momentarily, but Inverness eventually wore down the League two side. The Goals Here's Bazza Date: 09/09/2021 Venue: Borough Briggs Attendance: 1348 Referee: Barry Cook Elgin City: 2 Manager: Gavin Price Lineup: McHale; Spark, McHardy, MacPhee (Peters 85), Grivosti, MacEwan (Allen 76), Mailer, T Dingwall, R Dingwall, O'Keefe (Machado 58), Cameron Subs (not used): Cooney, Wilson, Lawrence, Sopel, Little. Scorers: Grivosti (9), Cameron (22) Booked: MacEwan (28), Grivosti (64), Mailer (69), R Dngwall (71) Sent Off: none Inverness CT: 4 Manager: Barry Wilson Lineup: C Mackay; Duffy, Devine (Doran 76), Deas, Harper (Allardice 50), McAlear, Welsh, MacGregor, Sutherland (Duku 76) Jamieson, Mckay Subs (not used): Ridgers; Scorers: B Mckay (38, 40, 68), Jamieson (72) Booked: McAlear (63) Sent Off: none a
  21. Academicals teach us a lesson Accies did inflict the first reverse for Inverness, as the Caley Jags drowned at the fountain of youth, and they did it with ten men for over an hour after Reegan Mimnaugh was sent off for a second bookable offence. They opened the scoring when Lewis Smith thumped the ball into the net after only five minutes. Andy Ryan added a second as Inverness crumbled and failed to trouble the home keeper. 2-0 at the break and Inverness bossed possession after the interval but never made Fulton work for his money. Harper hit the bar as the pressure mounted and Michael Gardyne scored a late consolation in injury time, but it was too little too late. With Raith beating Killie and Arbroath drawing, no major damage was done with Raith and Partick the big winners this weekend. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ With only one win this season, Accies were looking to topple leaders Caley Thistle at the Fountain of Youth and get their season started. Inverness were hoping to keep their great start to the season going and stay ahead of Kilmarnock and Arbroath after a battling win over Queen of the South last weekend. Billy Dodds kept his injuries close to his chest with Aaron Doran and David Carson ruled out and Wallace Duffy and Cameron Harper filling the full back berths. Danny Devine was also absent and we were down to only six on the bench with no defensive cover. Stuart Taylor had David Moyo returning on the bench after injury. Accies took an early lead through a thumping 12 yard shot from Lewis Smith with Mark Ridgers unable to react as the ball flashed past him. Lewis smith smashes the ball home They doubled their lead when Andy Ryan drilled a ball from the edge of the box past the outstretched arms of the keeper. Inverness were thrown a lifeline when Mimnaugh was red carded for a second booking with half an hour gone. It was all we had to grasp onto after an utterly abysmal first half where we created nothing. Half Time: 2-0 Billy McKay replaced the inept Manny Duku at the break, in truth, more than Duku was struggling to perform. As the second half progressed, it was apparent that Inverness were clueless and hapless when it came to creating chances, and with only fifteen minutes left this game was slipping away without troubling Fulton in the Accies goal. Cammy Harper smacked the crossbar from twelve yards in our best opportunity as we dominated possession, but Accies had the most important statistic, a two goal lead. Plenty of action in the final third, but little action in the penalty box, what there was ended up being wasted as our shot shy forwards fired blanks. That was until this happened... Michael Gardyne scored a beauty of a curler after the ninety minutes but would it be too little too late as Inverness laid siege to the home goal. Alas, it was too little too late and Accies got the three points and Inverness got what they deserved, zilch. Gardyne was our most likely player with a decent cameo from MacGregor, but after that it was difficult to pick out anyone who shone above mediocrity. From CTO RIG: Deserved win for Accies. We were rotten for too much of that game to deserve anything. Nice finishes for both of their goals but really poor defending from our point of view. After the sending off it was almost all ICT but we created pretty much nothing of note. Half hearted penalty appeals in the second half and a wonderful strike from Gardyne, easily our best player, were all we had to show for our possession. Accies defended well and easily coped with our timid attempts to get back into the game. We had to lose sometime but I am very disappointed at how poor we were today. More match reaction from BBC Sport Inverness manager Billy Dodds: "We gave away really poor goals. We had a few chances, but we didn't do enough, we didn't bombard them. "When you see the results at full-time, it's disappointing. There was an opportunity that's spurned." Hamilton boss Stuart Taylor: "I'm really happy with the performance. It was tough going over an hour down to ten men, but I thought we defended extremely well." "I'm disappointed for them to lose the goal in the last couple of minutes, but I'm also delighted for them." Dodds trying to understand it all Pld W D L F A +/- Pts 1. Inverness CT 8 6 1 1 10 4 6 19 2. Kilmarnock 8 5 1 2 9 4 5 16 3. Arbroath 8 4 3 1 16 6 10 15 4. Raith Rovers 8 4 2 2 14 10 4 14 5. Partick Thistle 8 4 0 4 17 13 4 12 6. Queen of the South 8 3 0 5 9 12 -3 9 7. Ayr United 8 2 2 4 7 12 -5 8 8. Hamilton Academical 8 2 2 4 8 15 -7 8 9. Morton 8 1 3 4 7 12 -5 6 10. Dunfermline 8 0 4 4 4 13 -9 4 Date: 02/10/21 Venue: New Douglas Park, Hamilton Attendance: 1088 Referee: Euan Anderson Hamilton Accies: 2 Manager: Stuart Taylor Lineup: Fulton; Virtanen, Popescu, Macdonald, Ryan (Moyo 76) Smith, Want (Easton 80), Mullin, Mimnaugh, Matheson, Redfern (Hughes 69) Subs (not used): Hilton; Hamilton, Munro, McGowan Scorers: Smith (5), Ryan (26) Booked: Mimnaugh (7, 30), Redfern (20), Want (45+6), Fulton (79), Hughes (82), Sent Off: Mimnaugh (30) Inverness CT: 1 Manager: Billy Dodds Lineup: Ridgers, Duffy (McDonald 66), Broadfoot, Deas, Harper, Gardyne, Welsh, Allardice, Walsh (Sutherland 30), MacGregor, Duku (Mckay 45) Subs (not used): C Mackay; Jamieson, McAlear Scorers: Gardyne (90+2) Booked: Duku (21) Welsh (32) Sent Off: none a
  22. Gardyne volleys us to the top Goals from Sean Welsh and Michael Gardyne were just enough to put Inverness back to the top of the table despite a worldy goal from Lee Connelly for the visitors. Inverness deserved the win but made hard work of it before Gardyne scored a superb volley to win the points and ease the fans nerves. Billy Dodds had Michael Gardyne back from injury but Doran and Sutherland were on the bench after knocks last week. Sean Welsh was in the starting XI as Inverness looked to get back above Kilmarnock after they drew with Arbroath on Friday night. Queen of the South came North on the back of some indifferent form which showed they were better suited to playing away from home. No Dobbie as the prolific striker had left Palmerston after a glittering career. Much travelled former Ross County and Inverness player Alex Cooper was on the bench for the Doonhamers. Mark Ridgers was the first keeper in action as he smothered a weak shot from Lee Connelly with just sixty seconds gone; Connelly would do better later in the game.. Inverness responded with a Scott Allardice drive that fizzed a couple of feet wide in the fifth minute, although the keeper looked to have his post covered. Allardice's next involvement was a booking after a rash tackle out wide as Inverness made heavy weather of making any progress. However, Duku turned his marker and was brought down on the edge of the penalty box arc as David Carson fed the ball to him. Sean Welsh stepped forward and curled a sublime low free kick into the bottom corner from around twenty-five yards, the ball coming off the surface at pace. Tom Walsh almost got on the end of a Gardyne cross after a quick free kick, the ball just out of reach. Minutes later another Gardyne cross found Manny Duku but his header was glanced wide. Duku was causing problems for the defence with his awkward style and direct running, almost finding Walsh after another cut back into the box. Yet another Gardyne cross not connected with Duku's head as the striker passes up on another opportunity. Ten minutes to the break and the hosts are well in control although Queens are not completely out of it so far with only one goal separating the sides as another Gardyne cross evades two forwards in the box. After Gardyne was fouled wide left, a Walsh free kick was headed goalwards but it lacked sufficient power to trouble the keeper as the interval loomed. Half Time: 1-0 The visitors managed to make some progress early in the second half and Mark Ridgers pulled off a superb save and he was not to know it was adjudged offside. Substitute Reece McAlear stung the palms of the keeper as Inverness came back into the game. Broadfoot dollied a header into the keeper and when Johnston broke on the right side for Queens, he got the break of the ball but dragged his shot just wide across the keeper. Billy McKay replaced the hapless Duku around the hour as Inverness looked for the cushion. Clear chances were difficult to come by as the hosts won a couple of corners to no avail, but from the return ball, Walsh's cross bounced back off the corner of the bar. Out of nothing the visitors scored a superb goal through Connelly with a curling shot from the corner of the box high into the net across the keeper. Great strike! Lewis Jamieson replaced Allardice as Dodds decided a second goal was needed. It almost came at the other end as a cleared ball ricocheted off a defender and Ridgers had to look sharp to save. Just when Queens looked the more likely to score, Michael Gardyne volleyed in a beauty after a long through ball from Robbie Deas bounced up nicely for him to chest then volley home with power. Inverness pressed for a third goal and Carson and Gardyne were blocked in the six yard box as the clock ticked towards the ninety. With the hosts in command the referee ended the game to send Inverness back to the top of the table after a deserved win over a gritty Queens. Good performances all over the park with Michael Gardyne the pick of the bunch and honourable mentions for Sean Welsh, Danny Devine and David Carson. From BBC Sport Billy Dodds: "We had to work for it but I thought our attitude was fantastic. My experienced players came up trumps. Sean Welsh with a brilliant free kick and Michael Gardyne with a great finish." Allan Johnston: "The least we should have come away with was a point with the way we played, especially in the second half so we are a little bit frustrated. We have to make sure we learn from that." From CTO Robert: Pretty dominant first half without creating any clear cut chances, but deservedly ahead after a great free kick by Welsh. We failed to kick on after the break and it was no great surprise when the equaliser went in, as they had tested us a few times before it. It was a very good finish. That was the kick up the backside we needed and we got the winner through Gardyne from a long ball by Deas, with Jamieson playing his part by distracting the defence. However, we need to be more clinical and put teams away when we are on top, and stop making it hard for ourselves. Pick for me today was Gardyne, closely followed by Welsh. From CTO RIG: Deserved win. We largely cigared that today save for a period in the second half when Queens got their equaliser and looked like they might steal a point but fortunately we were able to go up a gear and get a deserved winner. Smashing performance from Gardyne. He might be 58<<disclaimer alert>> but he's still as fit as anyone in our squad and still has plenty to offer. Pacey and direct and not afraid to have a crack at goal when some might take an extra touch too many (Duku). Lovely finish for the winner and a deserved MotM. Devine continues to be perhaps our most consistent performer. He almost score a comedy own goal but other than that he was excellent again and stepped out of defence on numerous occasions to intercept balls forward from Queens. Carson was again solid at RB and MacGregor, before his injury, was running the midfield. Walsh was disappointing though and I feel that he's not really hit the height he did in his previous stint with us. Connelly looked useful for Queens who did press and harry us a lot in the first half but seemed to cease after conceding a goal and seemed content to let us knock the ball about looking for an opening. Unfortunately a fair bit of our play broke down in the final third (we definitely lacked a killer pass at times) but I felt we dealt with their few attacking opportunities quite well. Their equaliser was absolutely stunning but fortunately we just upped our game a bit and took a deserved win. All in all, a very pleasing day. Doddsy Here's the goals, three crackers... Date: 25/09/2021 Venue: Caledonian Stadium Attendance: 1184 Referee: Alan Newlands Inverness CT: 2 Manager: Billy Dodds Lineup: Ridgers; Carson, Broadfoot, Devine, Deas, Walsh, Welsh, Allardice (Jamieson 76), MacGregor (McAlear 54), Gardyne, Duku (Mckay 63) Subs (not used): Mackay; Harper, Sutherland, Doran Scorers: Welsh (12), Gardyne (81) Booked: Allardice (9) Sent Off: none Queen of the South: 1 Manager: Allan Johnston Lineup: Brynn; Gibson, Mckay, Connelly, Debayo, Liddle (Junior 67), McGrory (Fitzpatrick 73) East, Joseph, Nditi, Johnston (Paton 87), Subs (not used): Cowie; Cooper, Chima, Henderson, Scorers: Connelly (74) Booked: Nditi (85) Sent Off: none a
  23. Table Toppers Both sides had won their opening three fixtures with Killie having the better goal difference. Both sides had yet to concede a goal; something was going to give, and it did after five minutes. This game had the potential to be the toughest test so far in the Billy Dodds era and it was a tight affair but Inverness scored the only goal of the game when Michael Gardyne lashed the ball into the net via the keepers palms. That proved to be the winner. Blair Alston nicked one off the outside of the post before the interval and Mark Ridgers kept Killie out with his 4th clean sheet in a row in the Championship after denying Innes Cameron from point blank range to put the Caley Jags at the top of the table on their own. Tommy Wright was without Chris Stokes but had former Inverness midfielder Liam Polworth in his starting XI and his counterpart Billy Dodds fielded former Killie defender Kirk Broadfoot. Roddy MacGregor continued in midfield, with captain Sean Welsh on the bench amongst other strong attacking options. A bright afternoon and a healthy crowd greeted the teams as the game kicked off and it was only five minutes old when Michael Gardyne lashed the ball into the net via the keepers palms from the left side of the box around twelve yards out, Shane Sutherland with the assist. Immortal Howden Ender is back From CTO: When was the last time that we led a league after 4 matches? That was as good a vocal support at Killie as I have certainly witnessed. RIG sums the action up well but I have been busting to do a Smileymometer. Killie really did not look like scoring and we did look dangerous on the break. The only two negatives were that our final pass was abysmal and we could have racked up 4 or 5 otherwise. And I think that we could have employed swapping Gardyne and |Walsh on a regular basis (or was Gardyne played there because of Burke ?)Gawd do we look solid defensively. A structured back four and three or four making a second line in front and everybody pressing. Killie tried to play football at the back but let themselves down with hoof tactics when they ran out of ideas. It was also a good idea to tag team Burke (WWE style) early doors. And what a bunch of whingers the Killie fans are. It was as if they were expecting a non contact sporting event. RIDGERS * * * Did not really have that much to do but you can sense that his confidence is high and the players in front of him know that he will be there as a practical and reliable sweeper. Commanding is the word. CARSON * * * Still not convinced that he is a wing back. Gives 100% and gets stuck in but needs to learn the role. BROADFOOT * * * * Uses his head and experience to good use. The Killie hoof played to his strengths, DEVINE * * * * Pleasantly surprised as I was unsure about his return but he and Broadfoot complimented each other. DEAS * * * Had the task of shackling Burke. That did not come to fruition in the first 10-15 minutes but Gardyne gave him the support he needed thereafter WALSH * * * Played his role but wasted on the right. Killie evidently sussed that he is very left footed. ALLARDICE * * * Did not notice him at the start but he grew into the game and filled in a few gaps later on and added to the defensive structure playing in the hole in front of B & D. MacGREGOR * * * * * Thought that he was SUPERB, especially in the second half when he played further up. Some of his touches were SUBLIME. MOTM by a country mile GARDYNE * * * * Very impressed. Took goal well. Spent most of the match covering the danger of Burke. Ran his socks off and he an McGregor evidently are on the same wavelength. SUTHERLAND * * * * What he lacks in finesse he makes up for in effort and running, May well soon be a choice between him or Duku to partner Mckay. DUKU * * First time that I have watched him so I presume that he had a bad day at the office. I felt that he did not deal with the physicality. To be able to bring Welsh, Doran and Mckay off the bench - well enuff said Date: 28/08/2021 Venue: Rugby Park (BBSP) Attendance: 5004 Referee: Euan Anderson Kilmarnock: 0 Manager: Tommy Wright Lineup: Hemming; Naismith, E Murray, McGowan, Haunstrup, Alston, McGinn, Polworth (Armstrong 79), McKenzie (F Murray 63), Burke, Robinson (Cameron 30) Subs (not used): Walker; Sanders, Waters, Lyon Scorers: none Booked: Alston (75) McGowan (81) Sent Off: none Inverness CT: 1 Manager: Billy Dodds Lineup: Ridgers; Carson, Devine, Broadfoot, Deas, Gardyne, Allardice, MacGregor, Walsh Doran (69), Sutherland (B Mckay 86), Duku (Welsh 61) Subs (not used): C Mackay; Harper, Jamieson, McAlear Scorers: Gardyne (5) Booked: Devine (24), Sutherland (42), Allardice (88) Sent Off: none a
  24. Stalemate It was top versus bottom on the Halbeath Road as Inverness visited Dunfermline Athletic. Unfortunately it was a rather turgid affair that ended goalless and that was down to keeper Mark Ridgers who made two fantastic late saves to deny Nikolay Todorov and Craig Wighton who could have taken the points as the Pars looked to get their season up and running. As it was, it ended all square with Inverness remaining top and Dunfermline staying bottom. Michael Gardyne missed out again as Aaron Doran made his 300th appearance for the Caley Jags. Unfortunately his day was terminated at the interval as The Pars dished out some strong arm tactics, especially in the first half which saw Doran replaced by Harper and Shane Sutherland replaced by Billy Mckay ten minutes before the break. Dunfermline had Fon Williams, Kai Kennedy and Nikolay Todorov on from the start as they went searching for their first win of the season. --------------------- From BBC Sport: Dunfermline Athletic manager Peter Grant: "We've had a tough few weeks with Covid and the results and it's not easy to keep going and keep fighting and they showed the spirit that I know they have." Inverness CT manager Billy Dodds: "It was going to be a battle, I knew they would work hard, I thought we were decent first half and they had the best chance second half. There weren't a lot of great chances in the game, I think a draw was a fair result but we had to battle for it." --------------------- Shane Sutherland saw an effort saved by Fon Williams fifteen minutes in as Inverness made the better start to the game and Mark Ridgers thwarted Nikolay Todorov as the hosts responded. Clear cut chances were at a premium in a dour first half with neither side really catching the eye. The most disappointing aspect of a poor first half was injuries to Sutherland and Doran. Half Time 0-0 After the interval with neither side able to capitalise on some promising build up play the hosts gradually began to assert themselves on the ball and chances were being created. Inverness were looking more vulnerable as the game opened out and offered little clear threat in front of goal, snatching at shots and heading wide without forcing Fon Williams to make a meaningful save. The same could not be said of Mark Ridgers who defied the odds to palm away a fierce diving header from Todorov from point blank range and pounced on the loose ball to deny a certain goal. He then beat away another shot from Craig Wighton as the game entered time added on, these two saves earning him his fifth clean sheet of the Championship. Dunfermline looked a much better side than their recent form had indicated and could easily have taken all three points at the end but for MotM Mark Ridgers who denied them access to his goal. Unfortunately Inverness also looked like they were in a false position at the top of the league as they struggled to impose themselves on the game. Maybe the two first half injuries hindered us somewhat, but in truth, we were not convincing from the start and will feel it's a point gained, and not two points lost. Still top of the league by one point despite Killie closing the gap after beating Partick Thistle and the Smokies still breezing along nicely in third only three points behind the leaders. Queen of the South come North next week with Hamilton Accies to follow. Bring it on. Date: 18/09/2021 Venue: East End Park Attendance: 3158 Referee: David Munro Dunfermline: 0 Manager: Peter Grant Lineup: Williams; Comrie, Watson, Gaspuitis, Edwards, Dow, Dorrans, Pybus (Thomas 68), Kennedy, O'Hara (Wighton 45), Todorov (Cole 81) Subs (not used): Mehmet; Macdonald, Allan, Jones Scorers: none Booked: Pybus (37), Todorov (43), Watson (48), Cole (85) Sent Off: none Inverness CT: 0 Manager: Billy Dodds Lineup: Ridgers; Carson, Broadfoot, Devine, Deas, Doran (Harper 45), MacGregor, Allardice, Walsh, Sutherland (B Mckay 36), Duku (Welsh 70) Subs (not used): C Mackay; Duffy, Jamieson, McAlear Scorers: none Booked: Deas (27) Sent Off: none a
  25. The run goes on Partick Thistle came North with high hopes of ending Inverness' great start to the campaign in the knowledge that they have been scoring at the rate of three goals per game apart from Arbroath where they suffered a 3-0 defeat at the hands of the Red Lichties. Billy Dodds had food for thought after the cup win over Buckie last week where Billy Mckay and Lewis Jamieson staked their claims for a start after scoring performances over the Highland League side. They started on the bench as he went with the tried and tested so far this season. Ian McCall had old enemy Brian Graham up front with Zac Rudden on the bench and watch out for defender Tunji Akinola who packs a punch with his feet. After a difficult first half, Inverness ran out comfortable winners against Partick Thistle in a second half goal blitz. The visitors dominated the first forty-five and Scott Tiffoney drilled the opener out of nothing as the defence backed off. Manny Duku was denied by a combination of keeper and post but it was Partick that should have scored a second, however Mark Ridgers did well to deny Brian Graham. Harsh talking at the break saw Inverness come out for the second half with the bit between the teeth and Kirk Broadfoot was the unlikely hero as his twenty yard shot evaded the outstretched fingertips of the keeper to level the score. Shane Sutherland did well to drill in the second from an angle after the keeper fluffed his lines allowing Shane to slot in from twenty yards. The third was a peach as Duku stepped over the ball and Aaron Doran fired high into the net for a brilliant goal and game over. That's five wins out of five and the run goes on... Doran with the pick of the goals... Perennial cheat Brian Graham seemed to be involved in an off the ball altercation which left David Carson enraged. He was removed from the park by McCall immediately after. It's about time this thug in a football strip was taken to task. Resident seer Immortal Howden Ender never saw that second half coming... O2B back home. So nice to quaff in the Innes and take my place in the North Stand. What a wonderful day or what a wonderful 45 minutes. As usual I may be brutally direct with my comments BUT we are definitely going in the right direction!! First half was a mare but the eejit McCall decided to defend what they had and did not go for our throat. We were looking all at sea for a while but we were given the chance to get back the control and although the rest of the first half was poor we had gone onto the front foot and never really looked troubled after going a goal down and we morphed into the Kilmarnock system. This was the absolute epitome of a tale of two halves. And it started with a Kirk Broadfoot attack and a drive that went in like a slow motion camera take. But that started a complete control over the proceedings. And so enjoyable to watch and to relax. We went into complete control and it could have been 6 or 7. When was the last time that you heard Ole shouts for 18 consecutive ICT passes. My return home will live forever in the memory. RIDGERS ¥¥¥ Possibly at fault for the goal but assured and rarely troubled. CARSON ¥¥¥ Solid - but sorry - a reliable shoe in but not a wing back. BROADFOOT ¥¥¥¥ Caught out by pace for the goal but untroubled and leading thereafter. Goal brought on the total change in proceedings DEVINE ¥¥¥¥ As good a player as the first time round but minus the lapses in concentration. Building a fine central defensive partnership DEAS ¥¥¥ Another solid performance and keeping Harper at bay. Gives us future options though WALSH ¥¥¥ Has not produced his best and is in danger of benching but again is some player to call on. ALLARDICE ¥¥¥ Jeez does he blow hot and cold but the central midfield warrior that we have lacked. MacGREGOR ¥¥¥ Disappointed after his Killie display but he is a Christie in the making. DORAN ¥¥¥¥ Played out wide in the first half and simply does not have the pace anymore BUT bringing him more central and drifting may have been the tactic to win us the game- and what a sweet strike SUTHERLAND ¥¥¥¥¥ May not be everybody’s cup of vodka but he was the man who shone in BOTH halves. May not be polished but his drive and commitment - and his goal- elevated him above everybody else on the day. DUKU ¥¥¥ Improved in the second half but I am still not convinced. Anyone care to join me in a few “Doddsie” From CTO: RIG Stunning turnaround. Absolutely stunning. Probably the first game this season we have actually gotten out of second gear and we ended up tearing Partick apart. First half was pretty even although Partick had the best chances with the Tiffoney strike and the Graham sitter. Carson seemed well out of position for the opener and Broadfoot and Devine didn't really handle the situation well either but after Ridgers stood up well to deny Graham and we got to half time at 0 - 1 you still felt if we got an early goal then we might go on to get something. And we absolutely did that and then some. The second half performance was just sublime. I can see why Partick felt they could let Broadfoot rumble forward for about 40 yards unchallenged as I don't think anyone in the ground expected him to find the bottom corner with a trundling effort but it's what he did and we again benefitted from another goalkeeping cock up when Sneddon forgot to grab the ball and Sutherland finished well from a narrowing angle. The best was the third with a lovely dummy from Duku and a cracking whipped shot from Doran to complete the turnaround. A utterly fantastic performance! What a shame that less than 2,000 ICT fans were there to see it. Maybe some are concerned with COVID and staying away (and that's fine) but if you know anyone who isn't going along to the stadium on match days then do your best to get them to come along because we have a real shot here at going up. It's probably as strong a squad as we've had in seasons (Billy Mckay on the bench not getting a game FFS!) and when we get going we are playing some excellent stuff. Bring on Dunfermline away! Doddsy Date: 11/09/2021 Venue: Caledonian Stadium Attendance: 2148 Referee: Euan Anderson Inverness CT: 3 Manager: Billy Dodds Lineup: Ridgers; Carson, Boadfoot, Devine, Deas, Doran, Allardice, MacGregor (Welsh 79), Walsh (Harper 74), Sutherland, Duku (McAlear 83) Subs (not used): C Mackay; Duffy, Mckay, Jamieson Scorers: Broadfoot (51), Sutherland (68), Doran (71) Booked: Deas (45+2) Sent Off: none Partick Thistle: 1 Manager: Ian McCall Lineup: Sneddon; Foster, Holt, Mayo, Akinola, Tiffoney, Bannigan, Turner (Hastie 69), Docherty, Smith (Rudden 69), Graham (McIver 79), Subs (not used): Stone; MacIver, Gordon, McKenna, Murray Scorers: Tiffoney (17) Booked: Bannigan (55) Docherty (70) Sent Off: none a
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