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Arachnophobia Should we fear the Spiders from Hampden as the new Championship season gets underway on Saturday with the visit of Queens Park. It's a 3:00pm kick off and a season of anticipation or maybe trepidation is almost upon us. TICKET PRICING Only form to go on for this season is the League Cup which saw Inverness qualify to face Motherwell in the knock out stages of group G. We ended our League Cup Group G games with a disappointing home draw against Cove Rangers despite Roddy MacGregor heading the opening goal. Megginson pinned us back but we took the bonus point in the ensuing penalty shoot-out. Queens Park failed to progress from their play-off Group H where Dundee and Hamilton Accies progressed. However they did manage a couple of wins thumping Stranraer and Forfar and drawing with Accies. They lost narrowly 1-2 against Dundee. Accies qualified a point ahead of the Spiders virtue of the penalty shoot-out win to pip Queens by a point. Queens Park, a club steeped in history, join us in the Championship this season along with Cove Rangers. They only finished fourth in the table behind Cove, Airdrie and Montrose, but came through the promotion play-offs to get into the Championship having beaten Dunfermline over two legs and then beating Airdrie in extra time to win promotion thanks to a Simon Murray penalty. Mind you, they have won the Scottish Cup ten times, albeit the last time was back in 1893. I remember it well. They have been playing out of Ochilview Park recently as they await Lesser Hampden to be upgraded. Here's one for you: They can boast a record attendance of 95,722 against Rangers in a Scottish Cup first round encounter on January 18th 1930 at their home ground of Hampden Park. That's a world record for an amateur side. They are now a professional outfit as of 2019 and on the up, consecutive promotions will see them ply their trade in this seasons Championship after years in the doldrums. Welcome to the Spiders Last 10 Competitive Meetings v Queens Park 3 - 0 (H) 1 - 2 (H) 2 - 0 (H) 2 - 1 (A) 1 - 0 (H) 3 - 2 (A) 2 - 2 (H) 2 - 1 (A) 1 - 1 (H) 3 - 0 (A) Venue H2h v Queens Park Pld Won Drn Lst For Agst + / - Home 9 4 3 2 14 11 +3 Away 6 5 0 1 13 8 +5 Neutral 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Total 15 9 3 3 27 19 +8 League - (Div 3) Saturday, August 20th, 1994, 3:00 PM at Telford Street Park, Inverness Attendance: 1,500: Referee: M Pocock Ian Broadfoot reporting on our first ever competitive meeting against Queens Park. Caley Thistle's mid week efforts against Dundee had taken their toll and they went a goal down in 14 minutes - a McAllister header to McRitchie was short and Garry Orr took advantage with a goal from 15 yards. Four minutes later Maxwell made it two when he bundled in Edgar's corner. In 53 minutes McKenzie had rare chances for the home side but he hit the 'keeper twice. The match was over a few minutes later when a Garry Orr pass set up Graham who beat McRitchie with an angled drive. Two minutes later Maxwell headed a fourth. Full Time: 0-4 Mark McRitchie Dave Brennan Mike Andrew Mike Noble Mark McAllister John Scott Danny MacDonald Graeme Bennett Alan Hercher Paul McKenzie Wilson Robertson First Competitive Meeting Aug 20th, 1994 League ((Div 3)) (H) 0 - 4 Most Recent Competitive Meeting Jul 31st, 2010 League Cup (Rd 1) (H) 3 - 0 League Cup Match: Tuesday, September 2nd, 2003, 7:00 PM at Caledonian Stadium, Inverness Attendance: 968 This report comes from Ian Broadfoot back in 2003, the last time Queens Park beat Inverness in the Highlands. The Spiders gave Caley Thistle a dose of their own medicine when they produced a shock cup win away from home. Barry Wilson played for the first time following his return to the club. Queens belied their third division status with some lively play and they soaked up early pressure - a Steve Hislop drive was turned over the bar and Richie Hart hit the woodwork. It was not all one way as Ross Clark hit the bar at the other end. Caley Thistle scored in 26 minutes when Paul Ritchie turned in a Wilson cross but the lead only lasted two minutes. Bobby Mann brought down Clark and Steve Reilly converted the resultant penalty. Half Time: 1-1 Queens took the lead in 59 minutes when poor defending allowed a Reilly free kick to reach Ally Graham and he shot low past Mark Brown. With four minutes left Queens substitute Derek Carcary should have made it 3-1 but he shot wide with only Brown to beat. The drama was not over as the home side were awarded a penalty in injury time when Reilly handled in the box. Mann's kick came off the post. Full Time: 1-2 There was bitter disappointment in the home camp but no real complaints. Latest Team News Shane Sutherland and Tom Walsh are long term casualties. Wallace Duffy came off injured against Cove Rangers. Danny Devine has missed all the League Cup games and pre-season along with Sean Welsh. Eric's Queens Park roundup: Under new manager Owen Coyle, Queens Park have trimmed the Squad with more than 10 departures in the summer. Four players have arrived all on free transfer basis. Jason Naismith a right back signed from Kilmarnock Fc: Dom Thomas midfielder from Dunfermline FC: Pat Jarret an attacking midfield player, from Stoke City where he has gone from Youth teams to the U23 level: Grant Savoury who spent last season at Peterhead FC is a centre forward. Loan in: Josh McPake, forward (Rangers). Out: Jai Quitongo, forward (Greenock Morton); Grant Gillespie, midfielder (Greenock Morton); Michael Doyle, defender (Hamilton Academical); Stuart Morrison, defender (Queen of the South); Willie Muir, goalkeeper (Alloa Athletic); Peter Grant, defender (Clyde); Bob McHugh, forward (East Kilbride); Darren Lyon, midfielder; Will Baynham, forward. Loan ended: Luca Connell, midfielder (Celtic); Luis Longstaff, midfielder (Liverpool); Connor Smith, midfielder (Heart of Midlothian); Connor McBride, midfielder (Blackburn Rovers); Ronan Darcy, midfielder (Bolton Wanderers). Queens main threat will come from the now experienced Simon Murray. The thirty year old striker has previously been at Arbroath, Dundee United and Hibs. Dom Thomas will be an excellent asset and along with Louis Longridge will provide stability in the midfield. View full article
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Queens make their point. Queens 39 year hiatus from this tier of football ended as they ventured into the Championship, and it all started well when Jake Davidson opened the scoring in the thirteenth minute. In a half of many chances, Billy Mckay levelled the score a minute before the interval. That's how it stood until the final whistle with neither side able to make the breakthrough despite numerous opportunities at both ends with thanks to Calum Ferrie and Mark Ridgers and some wayward finishing. Queens Park showed they are not here just to make up the numbers and were good value for their point. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ For the hosts, Robbie Deas was suspended for two games and George Oakley and Nathan Shaw dropped to the bench with Billy Mckay, Austin Samuels and Steven Boyd starting. Dom Thomas and Simon Murray started up front for the Spiders. The visitors were first to test a keeper when Mark Ridgers was called into action in the first minute to deny Simon Murray. The hosts responded well with the eager Steven Boyd having three attempts, one blocked and two off target and in the eighth minute Calum Ferrie denied Roddy MacGregor. Queens opened their Championship account in the thirteenth minute when Jake Davidson ran through unchallenged from the halfway line and his early snapshot was not dealt with by Ridgers, the ball slipped under his hands and body and rolled into the net. Five minutes later and Simon Murray shot narrowly over the bar as Queens grew in confidence with Daniel Mackay doing likewise at the other end. After a few blocked efforts at both ends of the park, Dan Mackay saw Ferrie save his shot from distance in the bottom corner and Boyd went close with another effort that was near the top corner. Josh McPake was denied by Ridgers when one on one with the keeper as Queens responded yet again in a see-saw game. A minute before the break Billy Mckay squared matters when he got on the end of a loose clearance of a Boyd cross to drill home from just inside the box with a low shot into the bottom corner. Charlie Fox almost restored Queens advantage just on the interval but he headed narrowly wide. The early goal from Davidson had rocked Inverness and we still had plenty work to do after the break. HALF TIME 1-1 The second half saw Inverness more in control and numerous chances came and went. Ferrie made a tremendous save to deny Billy Mckay, diving to his right to palm the strikers shot away. Queens Park were not so prominent after the interval but were still dangerous on the break, McPake once more forcing Ridgers to block with just the keeper to beat after he dribbled into the box, Ridgers did well to deny him. A scramble in our box saw another effort blocked as we lived dangerously, Grant Savoury pouncing on the loose ball after a corner. Ferrie clawed a corner away from under his crossbar and smothered a low shot from Doran. The same player would sting his palms later in the game with a ferocious thirty yard effort. Biggest sinner though was George Oakley who miscued from a great position twelve yards out and his shot stayed in play on the right side. In golfing terms; a shank. Naismith took one for the team when he pulled MacGregor back as he burst over the halfway line picking up the only booking of the contest, and that ensured the score stayed level. FULL TIME 1-1 Another disappointing result after the poor game against Cove Rangers. Queens Park looked the sharper side in the first half but Inverness were busier after the break. Mark Ridgers in his 200th game for the club will be disappointed with his contribution for the opening goal. Again substitutions disrupted the flow of the game and Queens were quick on the counter. Both keepers had work to do in the second half and they ensured it would be point apiece. David Carson reached a milestone as well, 100 not out for David. Highlights from Queens Park TV Owen Coyle Date: 30/07/2022 Venue: Caledonian Stadium Attendance: 1993 Referee: Grant Irvine Inverness CT: 1 Manager: Bily Dodds Lineup: Ridgers; Carson, Duffy, Delaney (Devine 72), Harper, Samuels (Shaw 63), Allardice, MacGregor, D Mackay (Doran 74), Boyd (Oakley 62), B Mckay Subs (not used): C Mackay; Nicolson, Hyde Scorers: B Mckay (44) Booked: none Sent Off: none Queens Park: 1 Manager: Owen Coyle Lineup: Ferrie; Davidson (Bannon 73), Kilday (Naismith 78), Fox, Robson, Brown, Thomson (Jarrett 45), McPake (Longridge86), Savoury, Thomas, Murray (Williamson 78) Subs (not used): Heraghty, Moore, Bruce, Nicol Scorers: Davidson (13) Booked: Naismith (90+2) Sent Off: none a
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Arachnophobia Should we fear the Spiders from Hampden as the new Championship season gets underway on Saturday with the visit of Queens Park. It's a 3:00pm kick off and a season of anticipation or maybe trepidation is almost upon us. TICKET PRICING Only form to go on for this season is the League Cup which saw Inverness qualify to face Motherwell in the knock out stages of group G. We ended our League Cup Group G games with a disappointing home draw against Cove Rangers despite Roddy MacGregor heading the opening goal. Megginson pinned us back but we took the bonus point in the ensuing penalty shoot-out. Queens Park failed to progress from their play-off Group H where Dundee and Hamilton Accies progressed. However they did manage a couple of wins thumping Stranraer and Forfar and drawing with Accies. They lost narrowly 1-2 against Dundee. Accies qualified a point ahead of the Spiders virtue of the penalty shoot-out win to pip Queens by a point. Queens Park, a club steeped in history, join us in the Championship this season along with Cove Rangers. They only finished fourth in the table behind Cove, Airdrie and Montrose, but came through the promotion play-offs to get into the Championship having beaten Dunfermline over two legs and then beating Airdrie in extra time to win promotion thanks to a Simon Murray penalty. Mind you, they have won the Scottish Cup ten times, albeit the last time was back in 1893. I remember it well. They have been playing out of Ochilview Park recently as they await Lesser Hampden to be upgraded. Here's one for you: They can boast a record attendance of 95,722 against Rangers in a Scottish Cup first round encounter on January 18th 1930 at their home ground of Hampden Park. That's a world record for an amateur side. They are now a professional outfit as of 2019 and on the up, consecutive promotions will see them ply their trade in this seasons Championship after years in the doldrums. Welcome to the Spiders Last 10 Competitive Meetings v Queens Park 3 - 0 (H) 1 - 2 (H) 2 - 0 (H) 2 - 1 (A) 1 - 0 (H) 3 - 2 (A) 2 - 2 (H) 2 - 1 (A) 1 - 1 (H) 3 - 0 (A) Venue H2h v Queens Park Pld Won Drn Lst For Agst + / - Home 9 4 3 2 14 11 +3 Away 6 5 0 1 13 8 +5 Neutral 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Total 15 9 3 3 27 19 +8 League - (Div 3) Saturday, August 20th, 1994, 3:00 PM at Telford Street Park, Inverness Attendance: 1,500: Referee: M Pocock Ian Broadfoot reporting on our first ever competitive meeting against Queens Park. Caley Thistle's mid week efforts against Dundee had taken their toll and they went a goal down in 14 minutes - a McAllister header to McRitchie was short and Garry Orr took advantage with a goal from 15 yards. Four minutes later Maxwell made it two when he bundled in Edgar's corner. In 53 minutes McKenzie had rare chances for the home side but he hit the 'keeper twice. The match was over a few minutes later when a Garry Orr pass set up Graham who beat McRitchie with an angled drive. Two minutes later Maxwell headed a fourth. Full Time: 0-4 Mark McRitchie Dave Brennan Mike Andrew Mike Noble Mark McAllister John Scott Danny MacDonald Graeme Bennett Alan Hercher Paul McKenzie Wilson Robertson First Competitive Meeting Aug 20th, 1994 League ((Div 3)) (H) 0 - 4 Most Recent Competitive Meeting Jul 31st, 2010 League Cup (Rd 1) (H) 3 - 0 League Cup Match: Tuesday, September 2nd, 2003, 7:00 PM at Caledonian Stadium, Inverness Attendance: 968 This report comes from Ian Broadfoot back in 2003, the last time Queens Park beat Inverness in the Highlands. The Spiders gave Caley Thistle a dose of their own medicine when they produced a shock cup win away from home. Barry Wilson played for the first time following his return to the club. Queens belied their third division status with some lively play and they soaked up early pressure - a Steve Hislop drive was turned over the bar and Richie Hart hit the woodwork. It was not all one way as Ross Clark hit the bar at the other end. Caley Thistle scored in 26 minutes when Paul Ritchie turned in a Wilson cross but the lead only lasted two minutes. Bobby Mann brought down Clark and Steve Reilly converted the resultant penalty. Half Time: 1-1 Queens took the lead in 59 minutes when poor defending allowed a Reilly free kick to reach Ally Graham and he shot low past Mark Brown. With four minutes left Queens substitute Derek Carcary should have made it 3-1 but he shot wide with only Brown to beat. The drama was not over as the home side were awarded a penalty in injury time when Reilly handled in the box. Mann's kick came off the post. Full Time: 1-2 There was bitter disappointment in the home camp but no real complaints. Latest Team News Shane Sutherland and Tom Walsh are long term casualties. Wallace Duffy came off injured against Cove Rangers. Danny Devine has missed all the League Cup games and pre-season along with Sean Welsh. Eric's Queens Park roundup: Under new manager Owen Coyle, Queens Park have trimmed the Squad with more than 10 departures in the summer. Four players have arrived all on free transfer basis. Jason Naismith a right back signed from Kilmarnock Fc: Dom Thomas midfielder from Dunfermline FC: Pat Jarret an attacking midfield player, from Stoke City where he has gone from Youth teams to the U23 level: Grant Savoury who spent last season at Peterhead FC is a centre forward. Loan in: Josh McPake, forward (Rangers). Out: Jai Quitongo, forward (Greenock Morton); Grant Gillespie, midfielder (Greenock Morton); Michael Doyle, defender (Hamilton Academical); Stuart Morrison, defender (Queen of the South); Willie Muir, goalkeeper (Alloa Athletic); Peter Grant, defender (Clyde); Bob McHugh, forward (East Kilbride); Darren Lyon, midfielder; Will Baynham, forward. Loan ended: Luca Connell, midfielder (Celtic); Luis Longstaff, midfielder (Liverpool); Connor Smith, midfielder (Heart of Midlothian); Connor McBride, midfielder (Blackburn Rovers); Ronan Darcy, midfielder (Bolton Wanderers). Queens main threat will come from the now experienced Simon Murray. The thirty year old striker has previously been at Arbroath, Dundee United and Hibs. Dom Thomas will be an excellent asset and along with Louis Longridge will provide stability in the midfield.
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St Johnstone 4-0 Inverness CT - Premiership Play Off Final 2nd leg
tm4tj posted an article in Reports 2021-22
Inverness stay put It was a winner takes all game tonight after a dramatic 2-2 draw at the Caledonian Stadium on Friday night. Inverness were bolstered by the return of Danny Devine and Wallace Duffy to the squad after their harsh dismissals at Arbroath. A big following went down to Perth, alas after a tremendous first half where we created the better opportunities, it was all undone within a minute of the restart by substitute Stevie May. A second goal killed any lingering hopes from a deflected MacPherson shot. The final two goals from Hendry & Rooney mattered not when the game was being chased and the dream ended, but the memory lives on. Fantastic endeavour from the Caley Jags and a magnificent following on the night. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Danny Devine and Wallace Duffy started at McDiarmid Park with Aaron Doran dropping to the bench from the side that drew 2-2 at Inverness. St Johnstone went unchanged. It was a much more positive Inverness that took to the park amid a tumultuous welcome from both sets of fans and with only one minute on the clock Logan Chalmers had an effort on goal but it did not trouble Zander Clark. Danny Devine headed over and Sean Welsh saw a shot blocked as the visitors took the game to their more fancied opponents. In the twentieth minute Billy Mckay tried his luck from distance but his shot was too straight at the big keeper. A minute later saw the hosts first half chance when Murray Davidson headed wide of Ridgers' goal frame. A Wallace Duffy header was blocked en route to goal and at the other end Daniel Cleary headed wide as he Saints came marching on. As in the first leg, Austin Samuels' pace was causing all sorts of problems down he right and Chalmers was having some success down the left. Clark pulled off a good save to deny Samuels as he cut into the box on the end of a Mckay pass. Possession began to level out as we approached the interval, but it was the visitors who had the better of the first forty-five and left Callum Davidson with plenty to think about. HALF TIME 0-0 Davidson brought on Stevie May at the interval for Middleton who had taken a knock in the first half. That was unfortunate for Inverness as inside a minute he pounced on a loose ball in the box after the keeper pushed out a header from Hallberg to knock the ball high into the net. What a body blow for Inverness who had defended so well in the first half just to see all the excellent work undone in a flash. Worse was to follow in the fifty-third minute when Cammy MacPherson took a shot from outside the box. Ridgers moved to cover it but the ball deflected off Sean Welsh to leave the keeper stranded. 2-0 and virtually game over. A great chance for the dangerous Samuels on the hour but his shot from the edge of the box was blocked by Clark, alas nobody was on hand for the rebound and the defence cleared. Them's the breaks you have to take, but when you need them, they often don't go your way, unlike the opening goal for Saints. We went for broke with a spate of substitutions but it was never going to end well, especially after Aaron Doran missed a glorious chance from seventeen yards when he sliced his shot wide when a goal looked a better option. More substitutions late in the game and we were always going to be caught out on the break as we went gung ho. And so be it when Callum Hendry ran through onto a great ball from Hallberg to finish with aplomb. During the ensuing exodus, who else but Shaun Rooney did the same to dink Ridgers to complete our downfall. Booked as well for an over enthusiastic celebration. Hey ho. FULL TIME: 4-0 If ever there was not a 4-0 scoreline, then this was it. But left chasing the game after two adverse moments then who could blame the guys for dropping their guard momentarily. Better team for forty-five, beaten team over ninety, no disgrace and they did their fans proud against a battle hardened St Johnstone who made flares fashionable again. I thought the back four for Inverness were superb with Danny Devine immense. Wallace Duffy had a tremendous first half and Kirk Broadfoot can be proud of his last game for the Caley Jags. Robbie Deas was solid as he has been all season. David Carson had an eventful night and not even an early booking would stop him from playing his own game. Great effort from him with Sean Welsh also prominent. Up front Austin Samuels was the most effective with his bursts of power and pace. Overall, heads held high after a gruelling six game schedule in a season that could have been. From BBC Sport: St Johnstone manager Callum Davidson: "Probably relief more than anything else. It's a fantastic achievement from the players. We were in a really dark place November, December. The chairman backed us and we managed to bring some players in. "All credit to everybody involved. This is probably a bigger achievement than winning the cups. It's mentally really tough when you're losing games. Big thanks to my staff, my players and everybody involved." Inverness CT manager Billy Dodds: "Proud and disappointed. Proud of the players for the season. Disappointed the way it turned out. We played really well first half. I thought we had them. "The goal changed the game. When they get the goal and then the deflection, we had to chase and then we're open and they catch us. I think 4-0 was harsh on my boys. We gain experience from it and get ready for next season." That's it for another season from CTO Editorial Team. Grateful thanks to Iain for all the PotY Polls and Eric, who despite being unwell has worked tirelessly behind the scenes updating the stats. A truly mind numbing task, especially with nine subs now to be added. With these guys working mostly in the background that enables me to churn out Previews and Reports. If you enjoyed them, I'm tm4tj, if not then I'm CaleyD (Disclaimer. Only joking) See you next season. 283763016_998965004103204_147483247694216505_n.mp4 Date: 23/05/2022 Venue: McDiarmid Park, Perth Attendance: Lots&Lots Referee: Nick Walsh St Johnstone: 4 Manager: Callum Davidson Lineup: Clark; Rooney, Cleary, Gordon, McCart, Brown, Hendry, Davidson, Middleton (May 45), MacPherson, Hallberg Subs (not used): Parish; Mahon, Sang, Gilmour, Craig, Ciftci, Butterfield, O'Halloran Scorers: May (46), Macpherson (53), Hendry (87), Rooney (90) Booked: MacPherson (5), Rooney (90) Sent Off: none Inverness CT: 0 Manager: Billy Dodds Lineup: Ridgers; Duffy, Carson (Harper 74), Broadfoot, Devine Hardy (82), Deas, Samuels, Welsh Allardice (82), McAlear, Chalmers Doran (65), B Mckay Subs (not used): C Mackay; Hyde Scorers: none Booked: Carson (20), Broadfoot (71) Sent Off: none a-
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- premiership play off final 2nd leg v st johnstone
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What a turnaround An understrength Inverness struggled badly for an hour against a solid St Johnstone who took a two goal lead into the interval. Shaun Rooney and Melker Hallberg put the Saints in the driving seat. However, step forward Reece McAlear and take a massive bow. A thumping strike off the underside of the bar and an exquisite curling free kick levelled matters and gives us something to play for in the return leg at Perth, where we should have Danny Devine and Wallace Duffy back after suspension. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ After seeing off Partick Thistle and Arbroath, The Caley Jags faced St Johnstone in the first leg of the Premiership play-off final at the Caledonian Stadium. Unfortunately the final has already been influenced by other factors. Injuries to Tom Walsh, Shane Sutherland and Roddy MacGregor have been added to by the incompetence of referee Willie Collum at Gayfield where he wrongly sent off Danny Devine and Wallace Duffy. What that means is that Inverness will be short on players in an already wafer thin squad. Youngsters Mathew Strachan and Calum Mackay made up a six man bench. Tony Gallacher Chris Kane, David Wotherspoon and Craig Bryson are all long term injuries for St Johnstone who rested six players for their final league game, a 4-0 loss to Hibs. Rain an hour before kick off dampened the atmosphere at the Caledonian Stadium and made for great conditions on a good pitch with Inverness getting the game underway. A breathtaking save from Mark Ridgers denied Glen Middleton as he unleashed a ferocious shot after cutting across the outside of the box in the fifth minute. Ridgers diving high to his right to pull off a fantastic one handed save. As expected, the visitors playing in red and white striped shirts, were making most of the early play and Ridgers was brought into action again to save a low shot from Shaun Rooney after fifteen minutes with a more routine save. St Johnstone opened the scoring after eighteen minutes when Rooney powered in a header after an inviting cross into the box, probably from the area where Danny Devine would normally have been. After a scramble in the home box when Ridgers pushed away a shot from Callum Hendry the ball was eventually forced over the line by Hallberg to double Saints lead. Inverness were finding it difficult to make any headway against a robust looking premiership side and all the half chances were falling to the visitors. When one did come our way Sean Welsh snatched at it and volleyed high and wide. Ten minutes later makeshift central defender Welsh took a knock but continued after treatment with five minutes to go before the interval. Plenty to do for Inverness in the second half with St Johnstone cruising. HALF TIME: 0-2 Dodds replaced Doran and Hardy with Chalmers and Samuels. Early second half pressure saw another scramble in the home box however this time we managed to keep the ball out. St Johnstone were all over us like a rash. If that was not bad enough we made a number of basic errors that led to more opportunities for the Perth side. Scott Allardice replaced Lewis Hyde as we looked to get back into the game, but it was a long shot with the midfielder just back after serious injury. Just after the hour, Middleton went close with a low shot that Ridgers looked to get a fingertip to, however a goal kick was the result. Best effort for Inverness was a run down the left by Billy Mckay where his cross was cleared for a corner. From the corner Welsh volleyed high over again. Chalmers was showing some great touches and turns and he also knocked a dangerous ball into the box but there were no takers. Out of the blue Samuels went down the right and cut the ball back to the edge of the box where Reece McAlear smashed a superb shot into the roof of the net via the underside of the bar from fifteen yards. Game on! Ten minutes before the end McAlear won a free kick about twenty five yards out. He picked himself up and curled a beauty into the top right corner of Zander Clarks goal. What a strike from a man who doesn't do tap ins against a 6ft 5" keeper. Another great burst forward by Samuels almost resulted in a third for Inverness but Mckay was blocked out for a corner at the front post. FULL TIME: 2-2 What a turnaround from Inverness after a torrid first hour. The second half substitutions were crucial to the outcome of this one and has reignited the Premiership flames for the Caley Jags. MotM was Reece McAlear with two absolute belters. On to McDiarmid Park on Monday night and the tie is still very much alive. From BBC Sport Inverness Caledonian Thistle manager Billy Dodds: "I had to change it at half-time, I had to do something. Luckily it worked but it wasn't just the changes, it was because of the desire of my players. "We really played well second half, once we got our goal. The subs were good. Two great goals from Reece McAlear. "We just want to go to McDiarmid with a fighting chance and put some pressure on because pressure tells in football. We've still got a big ask, we have to play better from the start than tonight but I think they realise they're good enough now." St Johnstone manager Callum Davidson: "It's a poor refereeing decision for their first goal. It's two yards offside and it was a head knock. Two really poor decisions let them back in the game. They got a little bit of momentum. "For the first 60 minutes, we were outstanding. It's probably a little bit disappointing we didn't score more goals. It goes back to McDiarmid and it's up to us to win the game. "We need to go and perform like that on Monday. If we do, we'll be confident we can win the game. It's one game so let's go." More match reaction Date: 20/05/2022 Venue: Caledonian Stadium Attendance: 4811 Referee: Bobby Madden Inverness CT: 2 Manager: Billy Dodds Lineup: Ridgers, Carson, Broadfoot, Deas, Harper, Doran (Chalmers 45), Welsh, Hyde (Allardice 56), McAlear, Hardy (Samuels 45), B Mckay Subs (not used): C Mackay; Strachan, Calum Mackay Scorers: MacAlear (73, 80) Booked: none Sent Off: none St Johnstone: 2 Manager: Callum Davidson Lineup: Clark; Rooney, Cleary, Gordon, McCart, Brown, Hendry, Middleton (May 69), MacPherson, Davidson, Hallberg (Butterfield 69) Subs (not used): Parish; Mahon, Sang, Gilmour, Craig, Ciftci, O'Halloran Scorers: Rooney (18), Hallberg (24) Booked: Middleton (52) Sent Off: none a
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- premiership play off final 1st leg
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One Game Shootout Well well, after the drama of Friday night, it all comes down to this game in a winner takes all final. It's another blank canvas after a 2-2 draw at the Caledonian Stadium for the final game at McDiarmid Park Perth on Monday night at 7:45pm. We can thank Reece McAlear for that after his two stunning second half goals cancelled out two first half goals for the Perth side. We should have Danny Devine and Wallace Duffy free from suspension after the Willie Collum debacle. (I notice he was also rubbish in the Showpiece Scottish Cup Final as well. Seriously useless. Maybe VAR will make our refs pull their socks up). Unfortunately, Nick Walsh is allegedly the man in the middle on Monday. That also gives me the fear more than St Johnstone. Buses for play off final 23rd leave stadium at 4pm. Book through Facebook or on 07462218717 Here's our summary from CTO: An understrength Inverness struggled badly for an hour against a solid St Johnstone who took a two goal lead into the interval. Shaun Rooney and Melker Hallberg put the Saints in the driving seat. However, step forward Reece McAlear and take a massive bow. A thumping strike off the underside of the bar and an exquisite curling free kick levelled matters and gives us something to play for in the return leg at Perth, where we should have Danny Devine and Wallace Duffy back after suspension. It was great to see Scott Allardice back on the park on Friday. Along with the tricky Logan Chalmers and the rapid Austin Samuels he helped to get us back on track in the second half after a torrid first forty five where our tactics were a bit pear shaped as Dodds tried to match Saints 3-5-2 formation. Fortunately Billy realised by the interval that we needed to go back to a more standard 4-4-2. After an hour the momentum swung in our direction and up stepped Reece McAlear to thunderblast us on our way to Perth still in the tie. Who to look out for Glen Middleton caught the eye on Friday with his pace, willing running and workrate. Shaun Rooney is as powerful as ever as he bounced a few bodies off him. Melker Hallberg showed quick feet when scoring. In fact with St Johnstone seasoned campaigners in the top division, thirteen seasons now, that gap in stature was massive until we got to grips with the game. Once the belief was there, we turned the tide. All hands to the pumps on Monday, good luck guys.
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First Leg v Smokies After an edgy quarter final play off win over Partick Thistle, we face Championship team of the season Arbroath on Tuesday night at 7:05pm. Dick Campbell takes his team North as favourites to progress to the final, with St Johnstone being the likely candidates for the opposition. The game will also be screened live on the BBC Scotland channel. Arbroath have had a fantastic season falling just two points short of automatic promotion and finishing second in the Championship, six points ahead of third placed Inverness, and with a superior goal difference of seven, and losing only five Championship games all season. The one thing in our favour is that we beat them twice, the most recent a slightly flattering 3-0 win a couple of months ago. TICKET INFO OFFICIAL PREVIEW Venue H2H all comps Pld Won Drn Lst For Agst + / - Home 21 16 2 3 56 18 +38 Away 19 9 4 6 26 22 +4 Neutral 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Total 40 25 6 9 82 40 +42 This seasons meetings with the Smokies 3 - 0 (H) 0 - 0 (A) 0 - 1 (H) 1 - 0 (A) Interestingly, over the final six games of the Championship, Inverness were the team on form, finishing with a flourish ahead of the Play-Offs Overall Home Away Pos Team Pld W D L F A W D L F A W D L F A +/- Pts 1. Inverness CT 6 4 1 1 12 5 3 0 0 8 1 1 1 1 4 4 +7 13 2. Arbroath 6 3 2 1 13 6 2 1 0 11 4 1 1 1 2 2 +7 11 3. Kilmarnock 6 3 2 1 9 6 3 0 0 6 2 0 2 1 3 4 +3 11 Last time we faced Arbroath we were on an eleven game run of no wins since we thumped Morton 6-1 at Cappielow on December 11th CTO Report March 12th: 3-0: The spell is broken: A blistering start by Inverness put them on their way to a first win in 12 starts. Goals from Shane Sutherland and Reece McAlear set them on their way inside eleven minutes. Billy Mckay sclaffed in a third with twenty minutes to go and there was no way back for Arbroath who lost ground at the top of the table with Dick Campbell sent to the stands. As Partick Thistle lost to Morton, we closed the gap to two points behind them with Raith still one point behind us. Away to Rovers next week. That's a massive game now as both sides chase a play-off spot. I said to my grandkid's at the game "that was an emphatic win" At only seven years old, Ava said "granda, what does win mean?" Yes, it's been a long time coming... Well done Mark, great stuff. 68 clean sheets, that's some size of linen cupboard pal! TEAM NEWS Roddy MacGregor has cracked a bone in his jaw and could be out for the next few games. Tom Walsh is likewise after being injured inside twenty minutes at Firhill. Wallace Duffy missed the last couple after being injured against Accies on matchday 36. Scott Allardice made it onto the pitch as an injury time sub for the first time in months, so that's a positive and here's another one, Aaron Doran came on as a sub for the last half hour after taking a knock at Cappielow on matchday 35. A well deserved April's Player of the Month award for Logan Chalmers who has chipped in with some massively important stunning goals recently in our drive for promotion. He scored five goals in a five game purple patch starting with a match winning fiercely struck brace over Raith Rovers. He followed that up with a belter against Ayr United, a sweet winner against Killie and a wonderful solo thumper against Queen of the South. After a somewhat slow start, Logan has benefitted from more game time and you can see why he is highly rated by parent club Dundee United That's some left peg lad. View full article
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Arbroath 0-0 Inverness CT - Play Off 2nd leg (3-5 on pens)
tm4tj posted an article in Reports 2021-22
Caley Jags through We did it! If you thought the first half at Inverness was poor, then step forward the first half from Gayfield. Shockingly poor forty five from both sides as Inverness struggled to get out of their own half into the face of a stiff breeze. On the other hand Arbroath did absolutely nothing either. The second half saw Danny Devine sent off, Shane Sutherland stretchered off and later on Wallace Duffy sent off as we ended the game with nine men. Farcical stuff. However, we got through to the play off final after a 5-3 penalty shoot out win. Bobby Linn of all players having his spot kick saved by Mark Ridgers and Kirk Broadfoot with the final winning penalty after that save. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ After a goalless draw in the first leg, the Caley Jags went to Gayfield to conclude the Premiership play off semi-final. The prize in a winner takes all game was a crack at St Johnstone in a two leg finale to the season and promotion to the Premiership for the victor. Logan Chalmers and Austin Samuels came closest to breaking the deadlock in the first leg in a game of limited opportunities. Who will prevail? All would be revealed around 10:00pm on Friday the 13th. Billy Mckay was benched for this one after cutting a lone figure in the first leg. Aaron Doran replaced the striker in the starting XI. Arbroath were unchanged from Tuesday night. A big crowd greeted the teams onto the pitch with similar conditions to the first leg prevalent. Inverness kicked off into the wind and that was the highlight of the first forty-five, apart from Aaron Doran breaking into the box but unable to dig the ball out from under his feet and Scott Stewart firing over the bar from the edge of the box. The only other thing of note was a booking for David Carson . Some things never change. HALF TIME: 0-0 Billy Mckay replaced Austin Samuels at the interval. Shane Sutherland got the break of the ball and burst into the edge of the box on the left side but his shot rippled the side netting. Carson shot over the stand minutes later as the visitors pushed forward. Better spell for Inverness and a wee melee in the box saw Arbroath clear the danger. Out of nothing, Danny Devine was red carded for next to nothing as he challenged for a high ball with Jack Hamilton. What a joke decision that was. Worse was to follow when Shane Sutherland left the field on a stretcher after looking like he has damaged his knee when pulling up. Hardy dribbled forward into the hosts box after the ninety but as the tackle came in his shot was lifted over the bar. A flurry of activity round our box in time added on as the nine men tried to hold out for extra time. We did that so on to another thirty minutes. 0-0 after ninety minutes. Inverness were back up to ten men with Lewis Hyde coming on in extra time. Mark Ridgers kept Inverness in the game when he blocked an effort from Jack Hamilton as he went one on one with the keeper. Colin Hamilton went close with a header after Low recycled a corner back into the box, the ball going just the wrong side of the post. Inverness wasted a free kick and corner just on the break and it was still 0-0 with the final fifteen minutes coming up. Wallace Duffy was given a dubious second yellow and we were back down to nine men for the final five minutes of extra time and Michael McKenna drifted a shot wide after a corner. A Nicky Low cross saw Colin Hamilton head across goal and the ball came back off the crossbar as Arbroath went for the jugular, and after yet another corner was cleared, blundering referee Willie Collum ended the tie and it's on to penalties. FULL TIME (after extra time): 0-0 Penalty Shoot Out B Mckay , Hardy Welsh Harper Broadfoot McKenna Low Colin Hamilton Linn Inverness through to Play Off Final after 5-3 shoot out win. Brilliant save from Mark Ridgers From BBC Sport Arbroath manager Dick Campbell: "Anybody who knows anything about football knows we were way, way in front. But I've seen it happen in the play-offs. We had 600 passes, they had 300-odd. "We're not ones to feel sorry for ourselves. The whole season has been a fairy tale, it'll be memorable. We were close to immortality. We've got to repeat that next year. Christmas has come early for Inverness tonight I wish them all the best." Inverness Caledonian Thistle manager Billy Dodds: "It wasn't about us getting through tonight, it was the circumstances we did it in. I have my feelings - I'm just keeping quiet because I'll get myself into trouble. "My boys gave me absolutely everything. We had to work our socks off That's the best bunch of boys I've worked with. I would have been proud of every one of them if we lost the penalty shootout tonight." Date: 13/05/2022 Venue: Gayfield Park, Arbroath Attendance: 5154 Referee: Willie Collum Arbroath: 0 (3 pens) Manager: Dick Campbell Lineup: Gaston; Thomson (Donnelly 90), Little, O'Brien (Henderson 105), Colin Hamilton, Stewart, Low, Chris Hamilton (Gold 105), McKenna, Craigen (Linn 76), J Hamilton (Wighton 111) Subs (not used): Antell; Swankie, Ford, Bakare Scorers: none Booked: Colin Hamilton (55), Chris Hamilton (73), Wighton (120) Sent Off: none Inverness CT: 0 (5 pens) Manager: Billy Dodds Lineup: Ridgers; Carson, Broadfoot, Devine, Deas, Samuels (B Mckay 45), Welsh, McAlear (Duffy 74), Chalmers (Harper 68), Doran (Hardy 60), Sutherland (Hyde 90), Subs (not used): C Mackay; Allardice Scorers: none Booked: Carson (27), Duffy (95, 113), B Mckay (115), Hyde (118), Deas (120) Sent Off: Devine (66), Duffy (113) a-
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Arbroath -V- Inverness CT - Premiership play off 2nd leg (0-0)
tm4tj posted an article in Previews 2021-22
Friday the 13th looms... Not quite as drastic as the original Friday the 13th, but expect plenty of blood and guts on display as these teams battle it out for a Premiership showdown with St Johnstone after it was confirmed in midweek that Dundee are officially relegated. A goalless draw in the first leg means that it's a blank canvas for both sides in their quest to get to the promised land. A land of milk and honey, a land where riches, trophies and big crowds are mythical, but bottom six, relegation and empty seats a reality. The first leg was fraught with tension and anxiety in abundance, the first half especially. Logan Chalmers and Austin Samuels came close, but Dick Campbell's game plan of snapping at our ankles reduced us to making hurried decisions. Unfortunately these were mostly the wrong ones, and along with poorly executed passes, worked in the Smokies favour. They played to their strengths and we went along with it. There's a lot of hard work to be done on Friday, this time we need to be prepared to muck in right from the first whistle. CTO 1st leg summary: 0-0 Arbroath were up for this one shutting Inverness down high up the pitch in a poor first half. Logan Chalmers was nearest to breaking the deadlock when he hit the bar with a rasping shot from close to thirty yards. Inverness upped the pace after the break but it was too little too late. Sleeves will need to be rolled up on Friday from the start if we are to get through. The whole of the first half passed Inverness by as Arbroath were in our faces. That needs to change on Friday and it might work in our favour if Arbroath decide to have a go which will give us more space to exploit. So, who will prevail? Arbroath are the media darlings, and rightly so this season. The Caley Jags had their time, but that's consigned to the history books now. Beating Arbroath 5-2 with a hat-trick from the legend that is Alan Hercher in our first League game with the big boys on August 13th 1994. Feb 8th 2000, Scottish Cup glory in 2015. We've had our share. Arbroath can point to a 36-0 win over Bon Accord on 12th September 1885. As there was no TV, mobiles, WhatsApp or Messenger back then, not even teletext, the result never filtered through until the next day. So we'll take that as the 13th as well. 15-0 at half time, the game was over as a spectacle but they went on to score a further 21 goals. Bloody bullies if you ask me. We have never played Arbroath on the 13th since that opening day 5-2 win at Telford Street that set the club on their way. Bring on the 13th!!!-
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All to play for at Gayfield Arbroath were up for this one shutting Inverness down high up the pitch in a poor first half. Logan Chalmers was nearest to breaking the deadlock when he hit the bar with a rasping shot from close to thirty yards. Inverness upped the pace after the break but it was too little too late. Sleeves will need to be rolled up on Friday from the start if we are to get through. The whole of the first half passed Inverness by as Arbroath were in our faces. That needs to change on Friday and it might work in our favour if Arbroath decide to have a go which will give us more space to exploit. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The Premiership Play-Off 1st leg paired Inverness with second place finishers Arbroath, everyone's favourite wee team. Could Inverness upset the apple cart and take a lead down to Gayfield for the return leg on Friday? All would be revealed at a breezy Caledonian Stadium. Tom Walsh and Roddy MacGregor were missing for Billy Dodds as he went with the same team that started against Partick Thistle with Wallace Duffy added to the bench along with just six others. Dick Campbell unsurprisingly made eight changes from his last game against Morton and managed a full bench of nine. Arbroath set the ball rolling in between the showers on a blustery evening and as the visitors pushed forward in the fifth minute, Mark Ridgers produced a vital tip away from a deep cross with Nicky Low about to head into the net. It was a typically cagey start from the hosts. Kirk Broadfoot gave away the ball and when Arbroath transferred it into the box a half chance presented itself but the ball was knocked high over. The Smokies were in our face and we were struggling to make any headway with fifteen minutes gone. Any football that was being played was coming from the visitors. Twenty minutes gone and the Caley Jags had not started yet in a scrappy affair. Maybe they thought it was a 7:45 kick off. A long free kick into the box almost found Ricky Little on the lunge but it just evaded him and out for a goal kick. On a rare jaunt forward, Austin Samuels almost set up Billy Mckay, but his awkward flick went out for a goal kick. Moments later Logan Chalmers struck the bar with a superb near thirty yard shot. A booking for Broadfoot gave Arbroath a free kick twenty five yards out, but Ridgers was equal to Low's strike as he made a decent but routine save, and at the other end Logan Chalmers drilled a left footer just wide from outside the box as the interval loomed. That half took forever to get going, but opportunities did manifest themselves just before the break, but there's no scoring so far. HALF TIME: 0-0 Just after the start of the second half a well timed sliding tackle by Devine stopped Arbroath bursting into the box to thwart a run forward. A swift break upfield started with David Carson bursting forward at pace and ended with Chalmers winning a corner from his blocked shot. It was a brighter start to the second period from the hosts. A super run forward by Robbie Deas on the other wing offered Chalmers another opportunity but the final ball wasn't ideal and Chalmers eventual shot missed the target. Arbroath responded and Hamilton drilled a low ball into the box which was put behind for a corner. The action raged to the other end and Derek Gaston denied Samuels with a tremendous save. That would be the closest to a goal all night and moments later Aaron Doran volleyed just over. Chris Hamilton smuggled the ball away from under the feet of Samuels in the box and from the corner Broadfoot headed over when he should have hit the target. A Michael McKenna snapshot saw Ridgers parry to safety and the defence cleared. Chalmers volleyed over after a clearance fell to him on the edge of the box, just after Dick and Dodds had a wee spat on the touchline An untidy spell ensued with play broken by fouls and substitutions. The chances stopped coming for both sides as time slipped away and a late free kick was wasted and that was it. Not a great night for Inverness to be honest, but still all to play for at Gayfield. Best performers were in defence with maybe Sean Welsh the only midfielder to put his foot on the ball. More match reaction to follow... From BBCSport Inverness Caledonian Thistle manager Billy Dodds: "I'm happy we're in there pitching because it's going to be so tight on Friday. There's going to be nerves and tension because both teams have left themselves in a decent position."I didn't think we played our best but we had the best chances. We hit the bar first half but we weren't doing the things we're good at. Second-half was a bit better; thought we created the better chances but we just couldn't take one." Arbroath manager Dick Campbell: "If you'd asked me before the game if I'd be happy with that, I would be. The game is still alive and that's all I wanted to happen. The strongest survives on Friday."We will have a go and have our trumpets out. What does it mean to us? You'll see on Friday. They're part-time players. Two games this week, two games next week. It definitely sways towards the full-time clubs. Even if they lose, they'll still be immortal in my eyes." Dick, you forgot to add that you never played for ten days before this game whilst we played twice against Partick Thistle Why do they call him Clean Sheet Ridgers........ Because there's no Mark Date: 10/05/2022 Venue: Caledonian Stadium Attendance: 2201 Referee: Euan Anderson Inverness CT: 0 Manager: Billy Dodds Lineup: Ridgers; Carson, Broadfoot, Devine, Deas, Samuels, Welsh, McAlear, Chalmers (Hardy 79), Sutherland (Harper 71), B Mckay (Doran 63) Subs (not used): C Mackay; Duffy, Hyde, Allardice Scorers: none Booked: Broadfoot (39), McAlear (65) Sent Off: none Arbroath: 0 Manager: Dick Campbell Lineup: Gaston; Thomson, Little, O'Brien Hamilton, Stewart, Low (Henderson 84), McKenna, C Hamilton, Craigen, J Hamilton (Donnelly 84) Subs (not used): Antell; Swankie, Ford, Linn, Bakare, Gold, Wighton Scorers: none Booked: O'Brien (58), Henderson (90+3) Sent Off: none a
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No Hiding Place It's Play-Off time: There's no hiding place now as we enter the first leg of the Premiership Play-Offs at Firhill to take on fourth place Championship finishers Partick Thistle. After a Championship campaign that saw more ups and downs than fair fortnight on the Big Dipper at Blackpool Pleasure Beach, it's now crunch time for all the Premiership contenders. Arbroath await the winners of this two-leg tie after they fell just two points short of automatic promotion with Killie making the step up. What a season for Dick Campbell and his Smokies though. However, it's one game at a time and let's see how far that will take us. TUESDAY - MATCH/TICKET/SUPPORTERS INFO SUPPORTERS BUS 07462218717 FRIDAY - MATCH/TICKET/HOSPITALITY INFO We come into the play-offs on the back of a resounding 4-0 win over Hamilton Accies in the final game of the regular campaign. With one or two rested, it was a great opportunity for others to stake a claim for a start in this important finale to the season. Not much was anticipated ahead of that game with Accies also a bit understrength, but Inverness blew Accies away with a four goal first half blitz. Gone were the long hopeful punts forward to be replaced by slick interplay and incisive passing and clinical finishing. A joy to behold at times as we bemused hapless Hamilton. Tremendous team goals from Walsh (2), Sutherland and a first for wee Joe Hardy enabled us to cruise through the second half without getting out of second gear. Partick also rested players ahead of this one but they were turned over 3-1 by Ayr United. Expect them to be at full strength though when we visit as thorns in our side Brian Graham and Scott Tiffoney missed out at Somerset Park. Venue H2H v Partick (all) Pld Won Drn Lst For Agst + / - Home 22 9 6 7 36 33 +3 Away 21 5 6 10 21 29 -8 Neutral 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Total 43 14 12 17 57 62 -5 One win apiece and two draws is the tale of the tape this season. CTO Sep11th 3-1: 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... CTO Oct30th: Caley Jags pay the penalty 0-0: 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. CTO Feb9th: Late Leveller 3-3: Partick Thistle struck early to add to our gloom through Brian Graham but Billy Mckay squared the game after twenty minutes with a close range finish from a Carson cross. Graham scored his second with a header soon after, Scott Tiffoney once again the provider and he almost scored one for himself but for a fine save from Ridgers. Shane Sutherland equalised just on the interval with a header from a McAlear corner. With twenty minutes left Deas conceded a stone wall penalty and Graham notched his hat-trick. Substitute Cammy Harper drove into the box but Sneddon blocked his shot and moments later Pearson appeared to hit the bar with an angled drive from twelve yards and Mckay rolled one past the post. We got the draw with the last head of the ball deep into stoppage time when Broadfoot headed in a cross from McAlear. CTO Mar4th: The slide goes on: 1-0 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! Apologies to Dodds and the team we have managed to turn it round again and here we are, ready for the play-offs, but that 11 match run was a nightmare. ***Dates for your diary*** CINCH PREMIERSHIP PLAY-OFFS Tuesday May 3 Quarter-final, 1st leg Partick Thistle v Inverness CT Live on BBC Scotland, kick-off 7.05pm Friday May 6 Quarter-final, 2nd leg Inverness CT v Partick Thistle Live on BBC Scotland, kick-off 7.45pm Latest Team News Scott Allardice is the one long term casualty and Wallace Duffy took a knock in midweek against Hamilton. Some legs were spared in midweek but I would be expecting them to feature in the play-off games. Brian Graham and Scott Tiffoney missed the loss to Ayr United but will be important players for Partick in these games. Fans Player of the Year David Carson Some of these would be much appreciated View full article
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First Leg v Smokies After an edgy quarter final play off win over Partick Thistle, we face Championship team of the season Arbroath on Tuesday night at 7:05pm. Dick Campbell takes his team North as favourites to progress to the final, with St Johnstone being the likely candidates for the opposition. The game will also be screened live on the BBC Scotland channel. Arbroath have had a fantastic season falling just two points short of automatic promotion and finishing second in the Championship, six points ahead of third placed Inverness, and with a superior goal difference of seven, and losing only five Championship games all season. The one thing in our favour is that we beat them twice, the most recent a slightly flattering 3-0 win a couple of months ago. TICKET INFO OFFICIAL PREVIEW Venue H2H all comps Pld Won Drn Lst For Agst + / - Home 21 16 2 3 56 18 +38 Away 19 9 4 6 26 22 +4 Neutral 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Total 40 25 6 9 82 40 +42 This seasons meetings with the Smokies 3 - 0 (H) 0 - 0 (A) 0 - 1 (H) 1 - 0 (A) Interestingly, over the final six games of the Championship, Inverness were the team on form, finishing with a flourish ahead of the Play-Offs Overall Home Away Pos Team Pld W D L F A W D L F A W D L F A +/- Pts 1. Inverness CT 6 4 1 1 12 5 3 0 0 8 1 1 1 1 4 4 +7 13 2. Arbroath 6 3 2 1 13 6 2 1 0 11 4 1 1 1 2 2 +7 11 3. Kilmarnock 6 3 2 1 9 6 3 0 0 6 2 0 2 1 3 4 +3 11 Last time we faced Arbroath we were on an eleven game run of no wins since we thumped Morton 6-1 at Cappielow on December 11th CTO Report March 12th: 3-0: The spell is broken: A blistering start by Inverness put them on their way to a first win in 12 starts. Goals from Shane Sutherland and Reece McAlear set them on their way inside eleven minutes. Billy Mckay sclaffed in a third with twenty minutes to go and there was no way back for Arbroath who lost ground at the top of the table with Dick Campbell sent to the stands. As Partick Thistle lost to Morton, we closed the gap to two points behind them with Raith still one point behind us. Away to Rovers next week. That's a massive game now as both sides chase a play-off spot. I said to my grandkid's at the game "that was an emphatic win" At only seven years old, Ava said "granda, what does win mean?" Yes, it's been a long time coming... Well done Mark, great stuff. 68 clean sheets, that's some size of linen cupboard pal! TEAM NEWS Roddy MacGregor has cracked a bone in his jaw and could be out for the next few games. Tom Walsh is likewise after being injured inside twenty minutes at Firhill. Wallace Duffy missed the last couple after being injured against Accies on matchday 36. Scott Allardice made it onto the pitch as an injury time sub for the first time in months, so that's a positive and here's another one, Aaron Doran came on as a sub for the last half hour after taking a knock at Cappielow on matchday 35. Well deserved April's Player of the Month award for Logan Chalmers who has chipped in with some massively important stunning goals recently in our drive for promotion. He scored five goals in a five game purple patch starting with a match winning fiercely struck brace over Raith Rovers. He followed that up with a belter against Ayr United, a sweet winner against Killie a a wonderful solo thumper against Queen of the South. That's some left peg lad.
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Time to Complete Job With only one goal between the sides, these two teams come to the Caledonian Stadium on Friday night (7:45pm) for the return leg of the Premiership play-off quarter final. The first game at Firhill on Tuesday night saw Inverness come from behind to take a slight advantage back up the A9. With away goals not counting double the tie is still in the balance. At Firhill Neither side were able to dominate on the tattie field and they went in goalless at the break although Logan Chalmers looked to be impeded in the box as he tried to get a shot away midway through the half. Robbie Crawford opened the scoring when he got onto a reverse ball from Brian Graham to shoot high into the net from inside the box to put Partick in the driving seat. Inverness turned it round in the second half with goals from Shane Sutherland and Austin Samuels. So here we are back to the Highlands on Friday night to conclude this tie. The downside of playing on that pitch in such a fiercely competitive match saw Tom Walsh injured inside twenty minutes which is a great pity as he was starting to get back to his former self. We were without Aaron Doran, Wallace Duffy and Roddy MacGregor in the first leg, hopefully precautionary in Doran and Duffy's case. Roddy MacGregor might be out for the season. Scott Allardice managed a place on the bench but was rightly not risked on that pitch. Arbroath await the victor. Ahead of Partick game Highlights from 1st Leg The better surface at the Caledonian Stadium will benefit both sides. Scott Tiffoney is a tricky customer although David Carson stuck to the task well at Firhill, but he can be a handful. Brian Graham is always a threat in the air with his physical style and Danny Devine and Kirk Broadfoot need to watch him closely as he will try anything to gain an advantage, including diving in the box. We have our own players to look out for and Logan Chalmers has come on leaps and bounds since joining on loan, and he also has a lethal left foot. Players Player of the Year Shane Sutherland was MotM on Tuesday and is looking good value for his award. Austin Samuels has the pace to trouble defenders and our defence is normally solid. OFFICIAL PREVIEW & TICKET INFO Billy talking after win at Firhill
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No Hiding Place It's Play-Off time: There's no hiding place now as we enter the first leg of the Premiership Play-Offs at Firhill to take on fourth place Championship finishers Partick Thistle. After a Championship campaign that saw more ups and downs than fair fortnight on the Big Dipper at Blackpool Pleasure Beach, it's now crunch time for all the Premiership contenders. Arbroath await the winners of this two-leg tie after they fell just two points short of automatic promotion with Killie making the step up. What a season for Dick Campbell and his Smokies though. However, it's one game at a time and let's see how far that will take us. TUESDAY - MATCH/TICKET/SUPPORTERS INFO SUPPORTERS BUS 07462218717 FRIDAY - MATCH/TICKET/HOSPITALITY INFO We come into the play-offs on the back of a resounding 4-0 win over Hamilton Accies in the final game of the regular campaign. With one or two rested, it was a great opportunity for others to stake a claim for a start in this important finale to the season. Not much was anticipated ahead of that game with Accies also a bit understrength, but Inverness blew Accies away with a four goal first half blitz. Gone were the long hopeful punts forward to be replaced by slick interplay and incisive passing and clinical finishing. A joy to behold at times as we bemused hapless Hamilton. Tremendous team goals from Walsh (2), Sutherland and a first for wee Joe Hardy enabled us to cruise through the second half without getting out of second gear. Partick also rested players ahead of this one but they were turned over 3-1 by Ayr United. Expect them to be at full strength though when we visit as thorns in our side Brian Graham and Scott Tiffoney missed out at Somerset Park. Venue H2H v Partick (all) Pld Won Drn Lst For Agst + / - Home 22 9 6 7 36 33 +3 Away 21 5 6 10 21 29 -8 Neutral 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Total 43 14 12 17 57 62 -5 One win apiece and two draws is the tale of the tape this season. CTO Sep11th 3-1: 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... CTO Oct30th: Caley Jags pay the penalty 0-0: 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. CTO Feb9th: Late Leveller 3-3: Partick Thistle struck early to add to our gloom through Brian Graham but Billy Mckay squared the game after twenty minutes with a close range finish from a Carson cross. Graham scored his second with a header soon after, Scott Tiffoney once again the provider and he almost scored one for himself but for a fine save from Ridgers. Shane Sutherland equalised just on the interval with a header from a McAlear corner. With twenty minutes left Deas conceded a stone wall penalty and Graham notched his hat-trick. Substitute Cammy Harper drove into the box but Sneddon blocked his shot and moments later Pearson appeared to hit the bar with an angled drive from twelve yards and Mckay rolled one past the post. We got the draw with the last head of the ball deep into stoppage time when Broadfoot headed in a cross from McAlear. CTO Mar4th: The slide goes on: 1-0 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! Apologies to Dodds and the team we have managed to turn it round again and here we are, ready for the play-offs, but that 11 match run was a nightmare. ***Dates for your diary*** CINCH PREMIERSHIP PLAY-OFFS Tuesday May 3 Quarter-final, 1st leg Partick Thistle v Inverness CT Live on BBC Scotland, kick-off 7.05pm Friday May 6 Quarter-final, 2nd leg Inverness CT v Partick Thistle Live on BBC Scotland, kick-off 7.45pm Latest Team News Scott Allardice is the one long term casualty and Wallace Duffy took a knock in midweek against Hamilton. Some legs were spared in midweek but I would be expecting them to feature in the play-off games. Brian Graham and Scott Tiffoney missed the loss to Ayr United but will be important players for Partick in these games. Fans Player of the Year David Carson Some of these would be much appreciated
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Time to Prepare The last game of the season ahead of the play-offs has Hamilton Accies coming North looking to secure sixth place in the Championship. For Inverness it's all about game management and preparation for the play-offs to come, starting with an away tie at Partick on Tuesday 3rd May. Don't expect too much from the team as this result counts for nothing other than pride. MATCH/TICKET/STREAMING INFO OFFICIAL PREVIEW It's a bit of a dead rubber as far as we are concerned with bigger fish to fry as the promotion play-offs begin on 3rd May at Firhill with the return leg at the Caledonian Stadium on Friday 6th May. However, we will have to go through the motions and hopefully get through this game unscathed. Venue Head 2 Head Pld Won Drn Lst For Agst + / - Home 14 4 4 6 21 19 +2 Away 11 6 2 3 17 13 +4 Neutral 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Total 25 10 6 9 38 32 +6 Last 10 Competitive Meetings v Accies 1 - 1 (A) 1 - 2 (H) 1 - 2 (A) 2 - 1 (H) 0 - 3 (A) 1 - 1 (H) 1 - 1 (A) 1 - 0 (A) 0 - 1 (H) 4 - 3 (A) CTO Oct2nd - 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. CTO Dec18th - Hyde: After an uneventful first half, Inverness slumped to their second defeat of the season to a rank rotten Accies when they surrendered a second half lead after Cammy Harper netted. However two goals in the space of three minutes from David Moyo and Andrew Winter ruined our day and knocked us off our perch at the top. I suppose it was only a Winter's tale, but it doesn't make good reading. That's our Jekyll and Hyde season in all its sorry glory... CTO Feb25th - 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. The season has been littered with some tremendous goals and here are the ones which made the shortlist for Goal of the Season. The voting closes at 10:00am on Friday morning, the winners of all awards will be announced at Accies game on Friday night. It's been a season of 'what could have been' after a miserable run of eleven games with no wins starting in December and picking up only six points from a possible thirty-three. However, we are where we are and it's the play-offs for us. Good luck to the Caley Jags when they come along! Who knew that a 6-1 thrashing of Morton would start it all off. Pos Team Pld W D L F A Pts 1. Kilmarnock 35 20 6 9 49 26 66 2. Arbroath 35 16 14 5 51 28 62 3. Inverness CT 35 15 11 9 49 34 56 4. Partick Thistle 35 14 10 11 45 37 52 5. Raith Rovers 35 12 13 10 43 43 49 6. Hamilton Ac. 35 10 12 13 38 49 42 7. Morton 35 9 13 13 36 44 40 8. Ayr United 35 8 12 15 36 51 36 9. Dunfermline 35 7 14 14 35 51 35 10. Q.O.S. 35 7 9 19 34 53 30 Last time Out Inverness secured third place in the Championship after a relatively comfortable win over Morton despite the narrow scoreline. We had an objective prior to the game and that was achieved when comeback kid Roddy MacGregor scored the only goal of the game with a tidy low strike from outside of the box as the defenders backed off. Accies failed to wrap up sixth place after a slow start to the campaign which will leave them with something to aim for in this match as they strive to keep Morton below them in the table. They lost 0-2 to Raith Rovers who are still chasing fourth although goal difference is heavily stacked in favour of Partick Thistle Latest Team News Please, no more injuries before play-offs View full article
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End of season rout Inverness rounded off the regular season with big win over hapless Hamilton. Tom Walsh gave Inverness an early lead and Shane Sutherland added a tremendous second after fifteen minutes. Walsh notched his second when Sutherland slipped him into the box and Joe Hardy got in on the act with his first goal. Four up at the break and the foot was off the pedal in the second half as Inverness cruised to victory in the final home game with no further scoring. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The last game of the season ahead of the play-offs saw Hamilton Accies come North looking to secure sixth place in the Championship. For Inverness it was about game management and preparation for the play-offs to come, therefore I wasn't expecting too much from the team as this result counts for nothing other than pride. Dodds rested Broadfoot and Devine with McAlear, Samuels and Chalmers on the bench. Hamilton were claiming a reduced squad due to injuries and covid. After a bright opening, Tom Walsh opened the scoring with a low shot across the keeper in the fourth minute. Popescu headed just wide from a great position after a corner was swung into the box, the defender should really have done better than to place his header wide. Shane Sutherland doubled the lead when Walsh turned provider and played him into the right side of the box. Sutherland stepped onto it and first timed the ball into the roof of the net from around seventeen yards. Mark Ridgers did well to beat away a dangerous shot that bounced just in front of him as Accies responded through Lewis Smith, but their joy was short lived when Sutherland slipped Walsh into the box for him to place the ball behind the keeper with aplomb. Billy Mckay nearly got on the scoresheet after Walsh threaded him into the box, Fulton saving at the expense of a corner. Moments later Joe Hardy almost got his first goal for the club, Fulton saving once more. However, Hardy would not be denied and he rolled in a fourth goal with Walsh involved again. It was all too easy for the hosts and Stuart Taylor hooked Ellis Brown and replaced him with the reliable and experienced Brian Easton in an attempt to shore up at the back against a rampant Caley Jags. Half Time: 4-0 First notable action of a quieter second half saw sub keeper Cammy Mackay deny Popescu who had drilled a low dipping shot near his left hand post, the keeper doing well to keep the ball out. A tremendous sweeping move down the right almost found an acrobatic finish from Austin Samuels but the defence just managed to deny him the opportunity. Samuels went close again soon after as he shot across the face of the goal. MacGregor and Chalmers combined well to win a corner on the left but it came to nothing. Accies looked to have scored a consolation goal when substitute Andrew Winter lashed a through ball into the roof of the net but it was adjudged to be offside, marginal decision if at all. Samuels had a late effort saved by the keeper as he shot from a narrow angle on the right side. Full Time: 4-0 Inverness warmed up for the play-offs with a superb first half which blew Accies away. That's our first win over them this season. Great performance all round with some slick play on show and that afforded us the luxury of coasting through the second half. Man of the Match for me was Roddy MacGregor who strolled through this one and Tom Walsh looked more like his old self with a couple of slick goals. Hot off the press Goal of the season: Reece McAlear (v Dunfermline) Fans' and players' young player of the season: Reece McAlear Players' player of the year: Shane Sutherland Fans' player of the year: David Carson Pos Team Pld W D L F A Pts FINAL LEAGUE TABLE AHEAD OF PLAY-OFFS 1. Kilmarnock 36 20 7 9 50 27 67 2. Arbroath 36 17 14 5 54 28 65 3. Inverness CT 36 16 11 9 53 34 59 4. Partick Thistle 36 14 10 12 46 40 52 5. Raith Rovers 36 12 14 10 44 44 50 6. Hamilton Ac. 36 10 12 14 38 53 42 7. Morton 36 9 13 14 36 47 40 8. Ayr United 36 9 12 15 39 52 39 9. Dunfermline 36 7 14 15 36 53 35 10. Q.O.S. 36 8 9 19 36 54 33 Tonights results Caley Jags 4-0 Hamilton Arbroath 3-0 Morton Ayr Utd 3-1 Partick Dunfermline 1-2 Queen of South Rovers 1-1 Killie ***Dates for your diary*** CINCH PREMIERSHIP PLAY-OFFS Tuesday May 3 Quarter-final, 1st leg Partick Thistle v Inverness CT Live on BBC Scotland, kick-off 7.05pm Friday May 6 Quarter-final, 2nd leg Inverness CT v Partick Thistle Live on BBC Scotland, kick-off 7.45pm Date: 29/04/2022 Venue: Caledonian Stadium Attendance: 2131 Referee: Graham Grainger Inverness CT: 4 Manager: Billy Dodds Lineup: Ridgers; (C Mackay 45) Carson, Duffy (Welsh 25), Deas (McAlear 58), Harper, Hardy, MacGregor, Hyde, Walsh, Sutherland (Chalmers 65), Mckay (Samuels 45) Subs (not used): Scorers: Walsh (4, 22), Sutherland (15), Hardy (28) Booked: none Sent Off: none Hamilton: 0 Manager: Stuart Taylor (head coach) Lineup: Fulton; Mullin, Popescu, O'Reilly, Shiels, Mimnaugh (Hughes 47), L Smith, Spence (Winter 73), Lawson, Brown (Easton 29), Moyo (McGowan 90) Subs (not used): J Smith; McGinn, Newbury Scorers: none Booked: Popescu (35), Easton (57) Sent Off: none a
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Job Done Inverness opened the scoring half an hour in through Roddy MacGregor with a low shot into the bottom corner from twenty-two yards. It was a half of few chances. The second half was similar to the first with chances at a premium, Tom Walsh maybe could have done better on the break but overall Inverness did enough to secure third place with both Partick and Raith also winning. Partick should remain fourth with a superior goal difference to Raith. Morton find themselves safe but Queen of the South are officially relegated with Ayr and Dunfermline battling for the drop zone play-off place. Congratulations to Cove Rangers who will be in the Championship next season. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Who would get the job done today? We fluffed our lines in midweek once more against a bottom side as we went down 2-1 at Palmerston. Morton have eased themselves away to the top edge of the relegation zone and are virtually safe, but, like us, will be looking for points to ensure they get the job done without relying on others. Kilmarnock are now confirmed as Champions and Arbroath await the winners of third/fourth place play-off. Billy Dodds was without recent scoring sensation Logan Chalmers (five in five), Shane Sutherland and Danny Devine who took a head knock at Palmerston. Long throw specialist and tenacious left back Lewis Strapp returned to the Morton starting XI after injury with Gozi Ugwu and Gavin Reilly the big dangers up front. Billy Mckay got the game underway and with less than sixty seconds on the clock, captain Sean Welsh gave away a free kick in a dangerous position and was yellow carded. Cameron Blues free kick was on target but gathered comfortably low down by Mark Ridgers. Both teams probed for an opening in the first ten minutes and Aaron Doran almost got a good connection with his head on a curling ball into the box from David Carson, the ball bouncing wide for a goal kick. Doran then fed Austin Samuels into the box with a perfectly weighted ball but the striker wasted a great opportunity with an extra touch that ruined his prospects. Ridgers pushed away a ball that bounced through on goal with Ugwu almost getting his head on it. An excellent deep corner from Doran caused some concern in the Morton box but the hosts were able to clear their lines midway through the first half. A long ball forward saw Robbie Deas lash a left foot shot wide from the left side of the box. From a throw in on the right Inverness opened the scoring. Roddy MacGregor was given all the space he needed to stroll across the front edge of the box before drilling a low shot into the bottom right corner of Hamilton's net from twenty-two yards. Great curling strike! Morton responded with a couple of corners and Ridgers punched clear under pressure. A great burst forward by David Carson ended with Billy Mckay lobbing the keeper. Unfortunately he lobbed it over the bar as well onto the roof of the net. Morton fashioned their third fourth and fifth corner of the game after some sloppy defending but were unable to capitalise as the interval arrived. Half Time: 0-1 Morton wasted an early free kick opportunity and from that Inverness broke forward through substitute Tom Walsh, but he ended up toe poking the ball goalwards and Wilson blocked as Walsh ran out of steam. Morton were awarded yet another free kick approaching thirty yards from goal and Muirhead just missed the target with a dipping effort. One hour gone and Morton were starting to apply a bit of pressure as Dougie Imrie was carded, presumably for some naughty vocals. Tom Walsh volleyed into the arms of Jack Hamilton with the Inverness player slightly off balance and at the other end some last ditch defending cleared the visitors lines. A scrappy period of play with twenty minutes left littered with loose passes and petty fouls ended with Hamilton having to make a good save from a Robbie Deas header off Reece McAlear's curling free kick. Lewis Strapp's long throw-ins were a constant menace to the visiting defence but with ten minutes left they were still coping well with that threat. Mckay saw a shot deflected just over as Inverness saw out the game comfortably to secure third place. A needless late free kick for Morton saw Mark Ridgers save an Ugwu header and that was the last action as the game ground to a halt. Full Time: 0-1 Highlights from TON TV Welcome back Roddy Here's a bonus roundup from Johndo, the Chorley One Well as has been stated in other posts this was not exactly in the spectacle category but it was a grand day out as the sun beamed down on Costa Del Greenock and the vociferous band of Invernessian's congregated in the beach bar known as the Norseman and did not stop carousing until getting back on their transportation back to the big City. That bunch outsung the locals whereas the team only prospered by a single goal victory although the final margin really should have been more. Played some pretty patterns at times but slightly spoiled by the final ball or the final attempt on goal. The possession ratio of 54 / 46 % in our favour would have been greater if we had not settled for the 1-0 win with 15 minutes to go. That is my only real criticism of Dodds, as I certainly cringed at the "defend at all costs" attitude when a second goal was clearly on the cards. Our defence who had looked solid and rarely tested looked nervous and that fed on to the following support. Taking the ball into the corner with 2-3 minutes to got was a tad embarrassing. Still all is well that ends well. RIDGERS **** Clearly our Numero Uno. He just appears to bring that extra confidence to those in front of him. CARSON *** Well I have said it before but I still do not think that he is a full back. Gives 100% but prone to mistakes although thankfully only a few minor flaws at Cappielow. DUFFY *** Did well in central defence although he did appear to be getting a fair amount of "help" from his more experienced partner. BROADFOOT **** I often feel that he does not get the credit that he deserves. He may amble and look "slow" at times but his reading of the game is considerably more developed that any other pinkster. DEAS *** Does the job at full back but always looks more settled as a centre back. Height also adds to our defensive prowess. WELSH *** Must have been looking to take over the leading position in regard to the timing of a yellow card. The tackle did not look over the top but the referee could have been swayed by the Morton appeals. Did his usual midfield maestro job thereafter. McAlear *** I have been impressed by him previously but I suppose that we all have bad days at the office. Made numerous mistakes, especially in the second half, thankfully most in an attacking sense. DORAN **** What a shame that he looks as if his season is over. Very impressive in the first 45 and looked the most likely to set up a goal. Looked like a groin strain unless he had an embarrassing itch. MCGREGOR **** I proudly joined into the "He's one of our own" chant that resounded around Cappielow. He understandably tired in the end but lasted the 90. He just brings that extra energy and fizz so Welcome Back Roddy. Mckay *** Always a threat and suffered by being the lone forward - although the hoof tactic was rarely utilised as Billy had the guile of a more football playing midfield providing the ammo. He was often left 2-1 or 3-1 although he will probably be the first to admit that he should have got himself on the score card. SAMUELS *** Again had a bad day at the office. I was not sure exactly what his role was and I suspect that he didn't either. As for the substitutions, WALSH evidently came on earlier than expected. Unfortunately he needs a "confidence transplant". There were times that the Walsh of old would have driven forward but lets hope that he is refreshed for the play-offs. HARPER impressed in his 25 minutes. He simply provided the width on the left that was sadly missing beforehand. So it was another lovely Away Day - from the refurbished Horseshoe to the dilapidated Norseman to the Paisley Piazza, enjoyed with Govan Jaggie and GJ junior. And nobody from the Greenock gangland came anywhere near the Senior Citizen Crew. Pos Team Pld W D L F A Pts TABLE WITH ONE GAME LEFT 1. Kilmarnock 35 20 6 9 49 26 66 2. Arbroath 35 16 14 5 51 28 62 3. Inverness CT 35 15 11 9 49 34 56 4. Partick Thistle 35 14 10 11 45 37 52 5. Raith Rovers 35 12 13 10 43 43 49 6. Hamilton Ac. 35 10 12 13 38 49 42 7. Morton 35 9 13 13 36 44 40 8. Ayr United (home to Partick) 35 8 12 15 36 51 36 9. Dunfermline (home to Queens) 35 7 14 14 35 51 35 10. Q.O.S. 35 7 9 19 34 53 30 ***Dates for your diary*** CINCH PREMIERSHIP PLAY-OFFS Tuesday May 3 Quarter-final, 1st leg Partick Thistle v Inverness CT Live on BBC Scotland, kick-off 7.05pm Friday May 6 Quarter-final, 2nd leg Inverness CT v Partick Thistle Live on BBC Scotland, kick-off 7.45pm Date: 23/04/2022 Venue: Cappielow Park, Greenock Attendance: 1717 Referee: Alan Muir Morton: 0 Manager: Dougie Imrie (60) Lineup: Hamilton; Ledger (Hynes 59), McEntee, McLean, Strapp, Blues, Muirhead (McGrattan 81) Brandon (Lyon 59),Wilson (Easdale 81),Ugwu, Reilly (Oliver 85) Subs (not used): Bysouth; Jacobs, Russell, King Scorers: none Booked: Wilson (16) Sent Off: none Inverness CT: 1 Manager: Billy Dodds Lineup: Ridgers; Carson, Duffy, Broadfoot, Deas, Samuels (Harper 66), Welsh, McAlear, MacGregor, Doran (Walsh 49), B Mckay Subs (not used): C Mackay; Hyde, Hardy Scorers: MacGregor (29) Booked: Welsh (1), Samuels (40), Duffy (59) Sent Off: none a
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Time to Prepare The last game of the season ahead of the play-offs has Hamilton Accies coming North looking to secure sixth place in the Championship. For Inverness it's all about game management and preparation for the play-offs to come, starting with an away tie at Partick on Tuesday 3rd May. Don't expect too much from the team as this result counts for nothing other than pride. MATCH/TICKET/STREAMING INFO OFFICIAL PREVIEW It's a bit of a dead rubber as far as we are concerned with bigger fish to fry as the promotion play-offs begin on 3rd May at Firhill with the return leg at the Caledonian Stadium on Friday 6th May. However, we will have to go through the motions and hopefully get through this game unscathed. Venue Head 2 Head Pld Won Drn Lst For Agst + / - Home 14 4 4 6 21 19 +2 Away 11 6 2 3 17 13 +4 Neutral 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Total 25 10 6 9 38 32 +6 Last 10 Competitive Meetings v Accies 1 - 1 (A) 1 - 2 (H) 1 - 2 (A) 2 - 1 (H) 0 - 3 (A) 1 - 1 (H) 1 - 1 (A) 1 - 0 (A) 0 - 1 (H) 4 - 3 (A) CTO Oct2nd - 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. CTO Dec18th - Hyde: After an uneventful first half, Inverness slumped to their second defeat of the season to a rank rotten Accies when they surrendered a second half lead after Cammy Harper netted. However two goals in the space of three minutes from David Moyo and Andrew Winter ruined our day and knocked us off our perch at the top. I suppose it was only a Winter's tale, but it doesn't make good reading. That's our Jekyll and Hyde season in all its sorry glory... CTO Feb25th - 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. The season has been littered with some tremendous goals and here are the ones which made the shortlist for Goal of the Season. The voting closes at 10:00am on Friday morning, the winners of all awards will be announced at Accies game on Friday night. It's been a season of 'what could have been' after a miserable run of eleven games with no wins starting in December and picking up only six points from a possible thirty-three. However, we are where we are and it's the play-offs for us. Good luck to the Caley Jags when they come along! Who knew that a 6-1 thrashing of Morton would start it all off. Pos Team Pld W D L F A Pts 1. Kilmarnock 35 20 6 9 49 26 66 2. Arbroath 35 16 14 5 51 28 62 3. Inverness CT 35 15 11 9 49 34 56 4. Partick Thistle 35 14 10 11 45 37 52 5. Raith Rovers 35 12 13 10 43 43 49 6. Hamilton Ac. 35 10 12 13 38 49 42 7. Morton 35 9 13 13 36 44 40 8. Ayr United 35 8 12 15 36 51 36 9. Dunfermline 35 7 14 14 35 51 35 10. Q.O.S. 35 7 9 19 34 53 30 Last time Out Inverness secured third place in the Championship after a relatively comfortable win over Morton despite the narrow scoreline. We had an objective prior to the game and that was achieved when comeback kid Roddy MacGregor scored the only goal of the game with a tidy low strike from outside of the box as the defenders backed off. Accies failed to wrap up sixth place after a slow start to the campaign which will leave them with something to aim for in this match as they strive to keep Morton below them in the table. They lost 0-2 to Raith Rovers who are still chasing fourth although goal difference is heavily stacked in favour of Partick Thistle Latest Team News Please, no more injuries before play-offs Here's what the club are saying in the OFFICIAL PREVIEW
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Points still required. Penultimate game before the play offs and it's another away day as we head to Greenock to take on Morton this Saturday. 3:00pm kick off at Cappielow and we still need three points to ensure third place in the table unless Partick lose as well. Anything is possible in this league. In fairness to Dodds and his team, we are more than capable of getting to the final of the play-offs, but inconsistency could be our downfall. Depends what team turns up on the day. I won't be too despondent should we fail to win at Cappielow, but come the play-offs, we must be at our best. Attitude, aptitude and commitment will be crucial to the outcome of our season. MATCH/TICKETS/STREAMING/INFO SUPPORTERS BUS 07462 218717 Morton bus now leaving Caley Club at 9.15, stadium 9.30 Venue - Head2Head Pld Won Drn Lst For Agst + / - Home 19 12 4 3 46 17 +29 Away 16 9 3 4 34 19 +15 Neutral 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Total 35 21 7 7 80 36 +44 Last 10 Competitive Meetings v Morton 0 - 1 (H) 6 - 1 (A) 1 - 1 (A) 1 - 1 (H) 2 - 0 (H) 4 - 1 (A) 0 - 1 (H) 2 - 2 (A) 3 - 2 (H) 1 - 2 (A) An out of character 6-1 humping of Morton has been the highlight of our season, apart from that, the other two league games against Morton have been rubbish. They also knocked us out of the Scottish Cup after two draws and a penalty shoot-out. CTO Oct16th: Caley Jags open up a gap: Inverness extended their lead at the top of the Championship as the Pars got a late leveller against Killie. The hosts opened the scoring after twenty minutes through Billy Mckay with the credit for the assist going to Mark Ridgers from his quick goal kick. Inverness stepped up a gear after the interval and Michael Gardyne scored the second early in the second half as he crashed a loose ball in the box high into the net. That was enough to see off Morton who battled hard throughout but fell short. It could have been a different story had the visitors made more of their own opportunities. Five points clear after the first quarter: Who knew? CTO Dec11th: Gubbed, at last: Managerless bottom club Morton were gubbed. There's no other word for it. Caley Jags were rampant after a couple of drab draws in the Scottish Cup. I'll credit Aaron Doran with the opener when his cross to the back post ended up in the net as Hamilton tried to claw it clear. Sutherland got the second after a Billy Mckay shot was blocked at close range. Mckay got his own when he rolled the ball in off the post. Boss! Just on the interval Ugwu scored from the spot to offer Morton a lifeline. Reece McAlear scored a fekkin screamer, what can only be described as a piledriver. What a strike that was! The ever alert Sutherland added a fifth and it was no surprise when Jamieson dribbled his way into the box and slotted home the sixth. This has been coming for weeks, but today was maybe the day the Caley Jags believed in themselves. Boom! CTO Feb5th: Absolute dross: What a shitfest of a game. We were an absolute shambles from the start and Morton were all over us like a rash. Lewis Strapp scored the only goal of the game after Chalmers failed to cover in midfield. When the loose ball was knocked forward, defender Strapp got to it first and poked it through Mark Ridgers legs. Pathetic stuff from Inverness and we did nothing about trying to change the way the game was going. A shot from Pearson the only thing of note over ninety minutes of a stop start game that would not have looked out of place at the Bught Park. We were clueless for 95 minutes and deserved nothing. No surprise really given our recent performances, but totally depressing stuff to watch. Both cup games were dire 1-1 draws with Morton winning the shoot-out. Incidentally, that 6-1 win at Cappielow signalled the start of our dismal eleven game streak of no wins, gaining only six points from a possible thirty-three. Thankfully Raith Rovers went on a similar run at the same time and Partick blew hot and cold, mostly cold so that's why we are where we are today. Pos Team Pld W D L F A Pts ***KILLIE V ARBROATH - FRIDAY NIGHT*** 1. Kilmarnock 34 19 6 9 47 25 63 2. Arbroath 34 16 14 4 50 26 62 3. Inverness CT 34 14 11 9 48 34 53 4. Partick Thistle 34 13 10 11 44 37 49 5. Raith Rovers 34 11 13 10 41 43 46 6. Hamilton Ac. 34 10 12 12 38 47 42 7. Morton 34 9 13 12 36 43 40 8. Ayr United 34 8 11 15 35 50 35 9. Dunfermline 34 7 14 13 35 50 35 10. Q.O.S. 34 7 8 19 33 52 29 Apr 23rd 2022 Queens v Ayr United Partick v Dunfermline Morton v Caley J Accies v Rovers Last Time Out We fluffed our lines once more against a bottom side as we went down 2-1 at Palmerston against a Queen of the South side heading for a lower division unless you believe in miracles. Josh Todd gave Queens an early advantage before Logan Chalmers scored his fifth spectacular goal in as many games. However we looked weary and Queens regained the lead five minutes before the break through Euan East. That's how it ended as we struggled to rise above mediocrity with Queens having the greater desire. Morton have eased themselves away to the top edge of the relegation zone and are virtually safe, but, like us, will be looking for points to ensure they get the job done without relying on others. They blew that opportunity after going down 1-0 at home to nearest rivals Hamilton Accies last time out who now find themselves safe. It was an early David Moyo goal that did the damage and left Morton still needing a couple of points. Latest Team News We rested some in midweek although you could have been excused for thinking that all were having a break. Allardice is a long term casualty and Broadfoot was rested completely after feeling an olde war wound. Sean Welsh and Danny Devine were in the wars, Devine cutting his head in a clash with the woodwork. I believe the post is ok and Danny was patched up. We have never been great at resting players, our squad is too thin to do that comfortably, so maybe we should just go for it and put this to bed. Read more in the OFFICIAL PREVIEW Morton have no new alterations since we last played them with Dougie Imrie at the helm. View full article
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Points still required. Penultimate game before the play offs and it's another away day as we head to Greenock to take on Morton this Saturday. 3:00pm kick off at Cappielow and we still need three points to ensure third place in the table unless Partick lose as well. Anything is possible in this league. In fairness to Dodds and his team, we are more than capable of getting to the final of the play-offs, but inconsistency could be our downfall. Depends what team turns up on the day. I won't be too despondent should we fail to win at Cappielow, but come the play-offs, we must be at our best. Attitude, aptitude and commitment will be crucial to the outcome of our season. MATCH/TICKETS/STREAMING/INFO SUPPORTERS BUS 07462 218717 Morton bus now leaving Caley Club at 9.15, stadium 9.30 Venue - Head2Head Pld Won Drn Lst For Agst + / - Home 19 12 4 3 46 17 +29 Away 16 9 3 4 34 19 +15 Neutral 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Total 35 21 7 7 80 36 +44 Last 10 Competitive Meetings v Morton 0 - 1 (H) 6 - 1 (A) 1 - 1 (A) 1 - 1 (H) 2 - 0 (H) 4 - 1 (A) 0 - 1 (H) 2 - 2 (A) 3 - 2 (H) 1 - 2 (A) An out of character 6-1 humping of Morton has been the highlight of our season, apart from that, the other two league games against Morton have been rubbish. They also knocked us out of the Scottish Cup after two draws and a penalty shoot-out. CTO Oct16th: Caley Jags open up a gap: Inverness extended their lead at the top of the Championship as the Pars got a late leveller against Killie. The hosts opened the scoring after twenty minutes through Billy Mckay with the credit for the assist going to Mark Ridgers from his quick goal kick. Inverness stepped up a gear after the interval and Michael Gardyne scored the second early in the second half as he crashed a loose ball in the box high into the net. That was enough to see off Morton who battled hard throughout but fell short. It could have been a different story had the visitors made more of their own opportunities. Five points clear after the first quarter: Who knew? CTO Dec11th: Gubbed, at last: Managerless bottom club Morton were gubbed. There's no other word for it. Caley Jags were rampant after a couple of drab draws in the Scottish Cup. I'll credit Aaron Doran with the opener when his cross to the back post ended up in the net as Hamilton tried to claw it clear. Sutherland got the second after a Billy Mckay shot was blocked at close range. Mckay got his own when he rolled the ball in off the post. Boss! Just on the interval Ugwu scored from the spot to offer Morton a lifeline. Reece McAlear scored a fekkin screamer, what can only be described as a piledriver. What a strike that was! The ever alert Sutherland added a fifth and it was no surprise when Jamieson dribbled his way into the box and slotted home the sixth. This has been coming for weeks, but today was maybe the day the Caley Jags believed in themselves. Boom! CTO Feb5th: Absolute dross: What a shitfest of a game. We were an absolute shambles from the start and Morton were all over us like a rash. Lewis Strapp scored the only goal of the game after Chalmers failed to cover in midfield. When the loose ball was knocked forward, defender Strapp got to it first and poked it through Mark Ridgers legs. Pathetic stuff from Inverness and we did nothing about trying to change the way the game was going. A shot from Pearson the only thing of note over ninety minutes of a stop start game that would not have looked out of place at the Bught Park. We were clueless for 95 minutes and deserved nothing. No surprise really given our recent performances, but totally depressing stuff to watch. Both cup games were dire 1-1 draws with Morton winning the shoot-out. Incidentally, that 6-1 win at Cappielow signalled the start of our dismal eleven game streak of no wins, gaining only six points from a possible thirty-three. Thankfully Raith Rovers went on a similar run at the same time and Partick blew hot and cold, mostly cold so that's why we are where we are today. Pos Team Pld W D L F A Pts ***KILLIE V ARBROATH - FRIDAY NIGHT*** 1. Kilmarnock 34 19 6 9 47 25 63 2. Arbroath 34 16 14 4 50 26 62 3. Inverness CT 34 14 11 9 48 34 53 4. Partick Thistle 34 13 10 11 44 37 49 5. Raith Rovers 34 11 13 10 41 43 46 6. Hamilton Ac. 34 10 12 12 38 47 42 7. Morton 34 9 13 12 36 43 40 8. Ayr United 34 8 11 15 35 50 35 9. Dunfermline 34 7 14 13 35 50 35 10. Q.O.S. 34 7 8 19 33 52 29 Apr 23rd 2022 Queens v Ayr United Partick v Dunfermline Morton v Caley J Accies v Rovers Last Time Out We fluffed our lines once more against a bottom side as we went down 2-1 at Palmerston against a Queen of the South side heading for a lower division unless you believe in miracles. Josh Todd gave Queens an early advantage before Logan Chalmers scored his fifth spectacular goal in as many games. However we looked weary and Queens regained the lead five minutes before the break through Euan East. That's how it ended as we struggled to rise above mediocrity with Queens having the greater desire. Morton have eased themselves away to the top edge of the relegation zone and are virtually safe, but, like us, will be looking for points to ensure they get the job done without relying on others. They blew that opportunity after going down 1-0 at home to nearest rivals Hamilton Accies last time out who now find themselves safe. It was an early David Moyo goal that did the damage and left Morton still needing a couple of points. Latest Team News We rested some in midweek although you could have been excused for thinking that all were having a break. Allardice is a long term casualty and Broadfoot was rested completely after feeling an olde war wound. Sean Welsh and Danny Devine were in the wars, Devine cutting his head in a clash with the woodwork. I believe the post is ok and Danny was patched up. We have never been great at resting players, our squad is too thin to do that comfortably, so maybe we should just go for it and put this to bed. Read more in the OFFICIAL PREVIEW Morton have no new alterations since we last played them with Dougie Imrie at the helm.
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Qualified We make the long journey to Dumfries on Tuesday night safe in the knowledge that we have qualified for a play-off place at the top end of the table. Unfortunately for Queen of the South they are all but relegated, and only three wins from their final three games can offer them some hope of a miracle that will save them from the drop. Tuesday night at 7:45pm is the scheduled start for this re-arranged fixture. Our goal will be to get enough points to remain in third place to get the slight advantage of playing at home in the 3rd/4th place play-off second leg with second place pretty much out of our reach. MATCH/TICKETS/STREAMING INFO NO SUPPORTERS BUS TO DUMFRIES DUE TO COVID! Venue - Head 2 Head Pld Won Drn Lst For Agst + / - Home 21 12 3 6 38 26 +12 Away 19 8 7 4 33 20 +13 Neutral 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Total 40 20 10 10 71 46 +25 Last 10 Competitive Meetings v Queens 2 - 2 (H) 2 - 1 (A) 2 - 1 (H) 1 - 1 (A) 0 - 1 (H) 3 - 0 (A) 3 - 1 (H) 2 - 0 (A) 2 - 0 (H) 2 - 0 (A) The stats are heavily on our side although over the last five meetings queens have faired slightly better with a win and two draws. Last five Championship games Queens: LLLLL ICT FC: WWWDW CTO Report 25th Sept: Gardyne volleys us to the top... 2-1Goals from Sean Welsh and Michael Gardyne were just enough to put Inverness back to the top of the table despite a worldy goal from Lee Connelly for the visitors. Inverness deserved the win but made hard work of it before Gardyne scored a superb volley to win the points and ease the fans nerves. CTO Report 19th Nov: He scores when he wants... 1-2The visitors opened the scoring when Billy Mckay converted a first half penalty. They doubled their lead when he added a second from a superb Carson cross but Queens forced a tense finish when Lee Connelly smashed the ball into the net to give them hope. However Inverness saw out the game to claim the points and move a point behind leaders Kilmarnock who play Arbroath on Saturday. CTO Report 15th Jan: Comedy of Errors: 2-2 Inverness once more failed to take advantage of the given situation by producing another abject display at home against a club staring at relegation. This time it was Queen of the South that showed up our lack of quality and Lee Connelly scored the opener in the first half with Willie Collum waiving away appeals for offside. Same old same old from Inverness in a dire first half. We looked to have got out of jail when the Queens defenders made a hash of clearing a long kick out from Mark Ridgers and Billy Mckay accepted the comical defending to prod the ball home. If ever a man needed a goal it was Tom Walsh who has been totally ineffective this season, but score he did after being sent into the box by Mckay before drilling the ball behind Josh Rae. Phew we all thought, thank feck for that! Alas we shot ourselves in the foot, or more accurately David Carson shot us in the foot as he teed up substitute Ally Roy who had only been on the park for one minute. Surprisingly we actually jumped back into second place thanks to other results, but it's a complete mystery how we have done this given the dross we are subject to at the moment. Pos Team Pld W D L F A Pts Queen of the South v Inverness CT - Tuesday Night 7:45pm 1. Kilmarnock 34 19 6 9 47 25 63 2. Arbroath 34 16 14 4 50 26 62 3. Inverness CT 33 14 11 8 47 32 53 4. Partick Thistle 34 13 10 11 44 37 49 5. Raith Rovers 34 11 13 10 41 43 46 6. Hamilton Ac. 34 10 12 12 38 47 42 7. Morton 34 9 13 12 36 43 40 8. Ayr United 34 8 11 15 35 50 35 9. Dunfermline 34 7 14 13 35 50 35 10. Q.O.S. 33 6 8 19 31 51 26 Friday Night 7:45pm could decide who gets promoted ***Killie v Arbroath*** Last Time Out Inverness secured a play-off place with a deserved 2-1 win over a disappointing Kilmarnock on Friday night. Killie had taken the lead through Ash Taylor with a deft finish from a Kirk Broadfoot assist, after he miscued a header. Billy Mckay levelled with fifteen minutes to go and Logan Chalmers completed the comeback with a clinical finish; a low drive from 10 yards, his fourth goal in four games. That's some left peg lad. Queens plunged themselves perilously close to relegation when they were crushed 5-1 at Palmerston after having taken an early lead through Ally Roy. Arbroath overturned that before half time before running away with the game. The game before that Queens were unfortunate to go down 1-0 to Partick Thistle after dominating the game. Difficult to tell which side was going for promotion and which was facing the drop. Let that be a warning to the Caley Jags. Latest Team News Fairly clean bill of health for Dodds with only Allardice out long term. Lee Connelly has scored in each of the three games against us this season. Goes without saying that we need to keep an eye on him. View full article
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Absolutely Buffered! After a sloppy opening from the visitors who appeared bus-lagged, Queens opened the scoring through Josh Todd who took advantage of a poor defensive clearance to finish tidily. Logan Chalmers did likewise after Queens gave away the ball in midfield, his finish was stunning. Queens went back in front before the break, goal was scored by buffering. A great finish by East I am told. Half Time 2-1 and there was no further scoring after the break although a few chances went abegging at both ends. Our aim was to get enough points to clinch third place to get the slight advantage of playing at home in the 3rd/4th place play-off second leg with second place pretty much out of our reach. We failed to achieve that, on to the next game. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Kirk Broadfoot was rested completely and Billy Mckay was on the bench with Joe Hardy starting. Queens had a few changes from the team that got pumped by Arbroath, although the result flattered Arbroath somewhat. An early scramble in the visitors box after a corner ended with the ball being blocked but a minute later Queens took an early lead after a slack clearance from Shane Sutherland was fed forward and stroked into the net by Josh Todd after he waltzed into the box in the sixth minute. A really sloppy start to this game from the visitors. Fortunately, Queens returned the favour in the seventeenth minute when Logan Chalmers got the ball in midfield, but wide on the left. He strode forward and his left peg did the job once more from distance with another stunning strike. Unfortunately for me, and most others, the stream from Palmerston was as reliable as both defences tonight and buffering was proving to be more irritating than Michael Gardyne. Buffering put Queens back in front, Euan East, (I am told), with a shot into the top corner. Sean Welsh had a shot saved before the break as we tried to respond but even the interval was plagued by buffering. Get yourselves down a division with this Mickey Mouse show. HALF TIME: 2-1 A second half full of buffering and misplaced passes saw Sean Welsh take a knock ten minutes in after being hit by the buffers. Todd shot over as the game continued on the park. It's maybe just as well we couldn't witness most of this as it appears we have been rank rotten so far against the team heading for league one. Ten minutes left and we fired a free kick high over, one wonders why the man with the magic left peg never took it. Moments later he went really close with a curling effort that just cleared the corner of the bar. Duffy drilled one wide after a good run forward and Billy Mckay trundled a ten yard effort towards goal which Rae saved easily. Danny Devine ended the game with a cut on his head after averting a goal and ending up inside the net off the post, and Innes Cameron missed a one on one which would have wrapped up the points for Queens. Apparently they did win anyway as the live stream gave up the ghost completely in injury time. Messy stuff all round on a frustrating night on and off the pitch. FULL TIME: 2-1 Match reaction to follow... Highlights Date: 19/04/2022 Venue: Palmerston, Dumfries Attendance: 0631 Referee: Mathew MacDermid Queen of the South: 2 Manager: Willie Gibson (caretaker) Lineup: Rae; Gibson, O'Connor, East, Cooper, Todd, McGrory (Gordon 78), Cochrane, Connelly, Cameron (Paton 84), Soares Junior Subs (not used): Cowie; Joseph, Roy, Debayo, McKechnie, Nditi, Folarin Scorers: Todd (6), East (40) Booked: Connelly (51), Cameron (61) Sent Off: none Inverness CT: 1 Manager: Billy Dodds Lineup: Ridgers; Carson, Duffy, Devine, Deas (Harper 63), Doran (Walsh 73), Welsh (MacGregor 77), McAlear, Chalmers, Sutherland (Samuels 63), Hardy (Mckay 63) Subs (not used): C Mackay; Hyde Scorers: Chalmers (17) Booked: none Sent Off: none a
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Qualified We make the long journey to Dumfries on Tuesday night safe in the knowledge that we have qualified for a play-off place at the top end of the table. Unfortunately for Queen of the South they are all but relegated, and only three wins from their final three games can offer them some hope of a miracle that will save them from the drop. Tuesday night at 7:45pm is the scheduled start for this re-arranged fixture. Our goal will be to get enough points to remain in third place to get the slight advantage of playing at home in the 3rd/4th place play-off second leg with second place pretty much out of our reach. MATCH/TICKETS/STREAMING INFO NO SUPPORTERS BUS TO DUMFRIES DUE TO COVID! Venue - Head 2 Head Pld Won Drn Lst For Agst + / - Home 21 12 3 6 38 26 +12 Away 19 8 7 4 33 20 +13 Neutral 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Total 40 20 10 10 71 46 +25 Last 10 Competitive Meetings v Queens 2 - 2 (H) 2 - 1 (A) 2 - 1 (H) 1 - 1 (A) 0 - 1 (H) 3 - 0 (A) 3 - 1 (H) 2 - 0 (A) 2 - 0 (H) 2 - 0 (A) The stats are heavily on our side although over the last five meetings queens have faired slightly better with a win and two draws. Last five Championship games Queens: LLLLL ICT FC: WWWDW CTO Report 25th Sept: Gardyne volleys us to the top... 2-1Goals from Sean Welsh and Michael Gardyne were just enough to put Inverness back to the top of the table despite a worldy goal from Lee Connelly for the visitors. Inverness deserved the win but made hard work of it before Gardyne scored a superb volley to win the points and ease the fans nerves. CTO Report 19th Nov: He scores when he wants... 1-2The visitors opened the scoring when Billy Mckay converted a first half penalty. They doubled their lead when he added a second from a superb Carson cross but Queens forced a tense finish when Lee Connelly smashed the ball into the net to give them hope. However Inverness saw out the game to claim the points and move a point behind leaders Kilmarnock who play Arbroath on Saturday. CTO Report 15th Jan: Comedy of Errors: 2-2 Inverness once more failed to take advantage of the given situation by producing another abject display at home against a club staring at relegation. This time it was Queen of the South that showed up our lack of quality and Lee Connelly scored the opener in the first half with Willie Collum waiving away appeals for offside. Same old same old from Inverness in a dire first half. We looked to have got out of jail when the Queens defenders made a hash of clearing a long kick out from Mark Ridgers and Billy Mckay accepted the comical defending to prod the ball home. If ever a man needed a goal it was Tom Walsh who has been totally ineffective this season, but score he did after being sent into the box by Mckay before drilling the ball behind Josh Rae. Phew we all thought, thank feck for that! Alas we shot ourselves in the foot, or more accurately David Carson shot us in the foot as he teed up substitute Ally Roy who had only been on the park for one minute. Surprisingly we actually jumped back into second place thanks to other results, but it's a complete mystery how we have done this given the dross we are subject to at the moment. Pos Team Pld W D L F A Pts Queen of the South v Inverness CT - Tuesday Night 7:45pm 1. Kilmarnock 34 19 6 9 47 25 63 2. Arbroath 34 16 14 4 50 26 62 3. Inverness CT 33 14 11 8 47 32 53 4. Partick Thistle 34 13 10 11 44 37 49 5. Raith Rovers 34 11 13 10 41 43 46 6. Hamilton Ac. 34 10 12 12 38 47 42 7. Morton 34 9 13 12 36 43 40 8. Ayr United 34 8 11 15 35 50 35 9. Dunfermline 34 7 14 13 35 50 35 10. Q.O.S. 33 6 8 19 31 51 26 Friday Night 7:45pm could decide who gets promoted ***Killie v Arbroath*** Last Time Out Inverness secured a play-off place with a deserved 2-1 win over a disappointing Kilmarnock on Friday night. Killie had taken the lead through Ash Taylor with a deft finish from a Kirk Broadfoot assist, after he miscued a header. Billy Mckay levelled with fifteen minutes to go and Logan Chalmers completed the comeback with a clinical finish; a low drive from 10 yards, his fourth goal in four games. That's some left peg lad. Queens plunged themselves perilously close to relegation when they were crushed 5-1 at Palmerston after having taken an early lead through Ally Roy. Arbroath overturned that before half time before running away with the game. The game before that Queens were unfortunate to go down 1-0 to Partick Thistle after dominating the game. Difficult to tell which side was going for promotion and which was facing the drop. Let that be a warning to the Caley Jags. Latest Team News Fairly clean bill of health for Dodds with only Allardice out long term. Lee Connelly has scored in each of the three games against us this season. Goes without saying that we need to keep an eye on him. C'mon the Caley Jags, do this for Big Stew
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Champions in waiting Kilmarnock head North looking to wrap up their return to the Premiership as they visit the Caledonian Stadium on Friday night. The game is a 7:45pm kick off and can be seen on council TV. The crossing of the T's and dotting of the I's is all that prevents the trophy being handed over, but the real battle goes on for second, third and fourth. Killie will be taking a big crowd North looking to close out the title. MATCH/TICKET/STREAMING INFO SPORTS BAR OPEN AT STADIUM The stats lean towards Inverness in this fixture but it's usually a tight affair. Home advantage could be crucial but Killie are hitting fine form at the right moment. We sometimes appear clueless, let's see what hat we wear on Friday night. Venue Head2Head Pld Won Drn Lst For Agst + / - Home 24 11 9 4 44 32 +12 Away 26 8 6 12 36 45 -9 Neutral 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Total 50 19 15 16 80 77 +3 Last 10 Competitive Meetings v Killie 0 - 1 (A) 1 - 0 (H) 1 - 0 (A) 1 - 2 (A) 1 - 1 (H) 1 - 1 (A) 1 - 1 (H) 3 - 1 (H) 1 - 2 (A) 2 - 1 (H) This Season It's advantage Inverness so far in the three meetings. Never more than one goal between the sides this season but Killie look to be rounding their season off in emphatic style whilst we are still trying to ensure we make the play-offs with some erratic performances, self belief not high on our agenda. CTO Report August 28th -Table Toppers: Both sides had won their opening three fixtures with Killie having the better goal difference. Both sides had yet to concede a goal; something was going to give, and it did after five minutes. This game had the potential to be the toughest test so far in the Billy Dodds era and it was a tight affair but Inverness scored the only goal of the game when Michael Gardyne lashed the ball into the net via the keepers palms. That proved to be the winner. Blair Alston nicked one off the outside of the post before the interval and Mark Ridgers kept Killie out with his 4th clean sheet in a row in the Championship after denying Innes Cameron from point blank range to put the Caley Jags at the top of the table on their own. CTO Report December 3rd - Table Toppers again: League leaders Kilmarnock looked determined to spoil the game as a spectacle and it was a first half of few chances. Mckay having a shot blocked for a corner by Hemming and Ridgers denying McKenzie. However, chances were at a premium and the half ended goalless. The goal that settled the game was a stunning strike from captain Sean Welsh and no more than Inverness deserved with Killie void of attacking intent. This result put Inverness back on top of the table for now. CTO Report January 29th - Rugby Park Loss: Inverness made the long journey home with no points after Kyle Lafferty scored an early goal after good work by Daniel Mackay down the right wing. What a kick in the teeth that was. Very little to choose between the sides as neither side dominated and clear chances were at a premium with Killie probably having the better of them. Without five regulars, this was always going to be a difficult ask, and so it turned out, but our recent signings look like they could offer something once they are up to speed. Pos Team Pld W D L F A Pts Inverness v Killie (Friday night) 1. Kilmarnock 33 19 6 8 46 23 63 2. Arbroath 33 15 14 4 45 25 59 3. Inverness CT 32 13 11 8 45 31 50 4. Partick Thistle 33 13 10 10 44 36 49 5. Raith Rovers 33 10 13 10 40 43 43 6. Morton 33 9 13 11 36 42 40 7. Hamilton Ac. 33 9 12 12 37 47 39 8. Ayr United 33 8 11 14 34 48 35 9. Dunfermline 33 6 14 13 33 49 32 10. Q.O.S. 32 6 8 18 30 46 26 SATURDAY 16TH APRIL Arbroath v Queens Dunfermline v Ayr United Morton v Accies Partick v Rovers Last Time Out Killie saw off Dunfermline with a goal in each half from Kyle Lafferty and Oli Shaw in a one sided affair. It might have been a cricket score had it not been for Pars keeper Jakub Stolarczyk pulling off a string of super saves. The Caley Jags threw away a two goal lead against Ayr United last week with a less than impressive second half performance. Shane Sutherland opened the scoring with his tenth goal this season and Logan Chalmers curled in a beauty from twenty two yards. Alas once Ayr changed their personnel at the interval we were second to every ball and got what we deserved. In fact we were left hanging on somewhat and were lucky to claim a point after goals from Fraser Bryden and Markus Fjortoft. A better point for Ayr than it was for us. Logan's super strike... Latest Team News Killie have the luxury of a strength of depth squad and should have no fresh worries ahead of this game. They will also have the luxury of a big away support for this one and that 12th man could prove decisive. Billy Dodds welcomed Roddy MacGregor back last weekend with a substitutes appearance for the talented midfielder. Scott Allardice was the only missing player last week but Aaron Doran was replaced at half-time, presumably injured. Here's Roddy talking about his time out View full article
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Title on hold as ICT win. Killie came North with a big following looking to get one hand on the title whilst Inverness were hoping to strengthen their grip on a play-off spot. A win for Killie tonight and defeat for Arbroath tomorrow afternoon and they will have both hands on the title and on their way back to the Premiership. An even first forty-five with Campbell and Shaw coming closest for the visitors and Chalmers and Samuels having the best efforts for the hosts, but it remained scoreless at the interval. The pace warmed up after the break and it was Ash Taylor that opened the scoring after a misplaced header from Kirk Broadfoot landed at his feet. Dodds took the bull by the horns with a double substitution and that seemed to give us the impetus to have a go at Killie. Billy Mckay hustled a poachers goal with fifteen minutes left, and once more Logan Chalmers came up trumps with a well executed goal to round off the scoring. What this means is that Inverness are guaranteed a play-off place and Killie have a bit more work to do. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ No fresh injury worries for Inverness but Aaron Doran was on the bench with Austin Samuels starting and Wallace Duffy started at right back with David Carson benched. Roddy MacGregor returned to the bench after showing no reactions to his appearance last weekend. Kilmarnock were unchanged which meant that Daniel Mackay was on the bench for the visitors. A beautiful calm night for a game of football, also shown on council TV, saw the Caley Jags set the ball rolling and it was a cagey opening ten minutes that followed as both sides probed for an opening. Danger man Kyle Lafferty had the ball in the net in the tenth minute but was adjudged offside as Killie just shaded the opening stages. Inverness were giving away numerous petty free kicks and from one of those Mark Ridgers made a diving interception from a dangerous ball whipped into the box. Oli Shaw had a twelve yard shot blocked by Danny Devine as Killie opened up their hosts down their left wing with Ridgers sprawling across his line. At the other end Zach Hemming made a great interception as Billy Mckay tried to latch onto a ball forward. Ridgers stood tall to make a good save as Campbell burst forward at pace, the keeper using strong hands to beat the ball over the bar for a corner but again Ridgers dealt well with the cross. Half way through the first period and Killie were having the better of the game so far as Inverness struggled to hold onto the ball. However, a tremendous diagonal ball forward from Kirk Broadfoot picked out Logan Chalmers and he shot early from distance on the left, but his effort caught the side net and Austin Samuels had a close range shot blocked six yards out as Inverness opened up. Danny Devine conceded a corner with a well timed interception as Shaw tried to get onto a ball flicked into the box. From the corner, Shaw's header clipped the top of the crossbar on the way behind for a goal kick. Mckay was very close to connecting with the ball as a Sean Welsh delivery curled into the box, but once again Hemming did well to put Billy off his stride and the keeper was able to tidy up. Reece McAlear volleyed over after a free kick as the hosts got to grip with the game, the ball going for a fruitless corner five minutes before the break. HALF TIME: 0-0 Killie came out of the blocks quickest at the start of the second half and Fraser Murray had a shot blocked on the angle of the six yard box by Robbie Deas. Hemming did well to push away a powerful shot from Samuels after he turned well twenty yards out and a minute later Broadfoot was denied by a diving Hemming at the expense of a corner. Blair Alston won a corner as he lashed an effort just wide and seconds later Killie took the lead after Broadfoot inadvertently knocked a header towards Ash Taylor who deftly tucked the ball over Ridgers and into the net. Double sub for Inverness with Samuels and McAlear being replaced by Aaron Doran and David Carson and that triggered an impressive spell for Inverness culminating in a pulsating finale. Some good pressure from the hosts paid off when Billy Mckay scrambled the ball in from close range to restore parity. Even better would follow six minutes later. Once again it was Logan Chalmers to the rescue as he drove a low shot into the net from ten yards at the back post. Get in ya dancer. FULL TIME: 2-1 Inverness saw out the game well in control and thoroughly deserved the three points and a play-off slot. Killie have more work to do to clinch the cinch. Good performances all round with Devine a rock at the back. Ridgers did well with some great interceptions early on, punching dangerous cross balls clear of danger. Deas, Duffy did well to shackle the early advances of Killie. The midfield worked tirelessly and what else can you say about Billy Mckay. He scores when he wants and Logan the loan did it again. Four goals in four games. Good work lad and much appreciated. Match reaction and videos to follow Pos Team Pld W D L F A Pts Updated table after Inverness CT 2-1 Kilmarnock 1. Kilmarnock 34 19 6 9 47 25 63 2. Arbroath 33 15 14 4 45 25 59 3. Inverness CT 33 14 11 8 47 32 53 4. Partick Thistle 33 13 10 10 44 36 49 5. Raith Rovers 33 10 13 10 40 43 43 6. Morton 33 9 13 11 36 42 40 7. Hamilton Ac. 33 9 12 12 37 47 39 8. Ayr United 33 8 11 14 34 48 35 9. Dunfermline 33 6 14 13 33 49 32 10. Q.O.S. 32 6 8 18 30 46 26 Winner Winner Chicken Dinner Date: 15/04/2022 Venue: Caledonian Stadium Attendance: 3829 Referee: Don Robertson Inverness CT: 2 Manager: Billy Dodds Lineup: Ridgers; Duffy, Broadfoot, Devine, Deas, Samuels (Doran 70), Welsh, McAlear (Carson 70), Sutherland, Chalmers (Harper 84), B Mckay (Hardy 88) Subs (not used): C Mackay; Hyde, MacGregor, Walsh Scorers: Mckay (76), Chalmers (82) Booked: Deas (72) Sent Off: none Kilmarnock: 1 Manager: Derek McInnes Lineup: Hemming; Hodson, Taylor, Stokes, McGinn (Glass 83), Campbell, Alston, F Murray (Mackay 90+1), Lyons, Shaw, Lafferty, Subs (not used): Walker; E Murray, Naismith, McGowan, Sanders, Burke, Armstrong Scorers: Taylor (60) Booked: none Sent Off: none a
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