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  1. Revenge for opening day defeat Another fantastic result for the club on a day that speculation was rife that John Robertson was off to Hearts. Another fine performance by the team made it a week to remember - seven points from three games. Praise in this game must go to a resolute defence who played superbly well in the second half as they protected our young substitute goalkeeper Michael Fraser, who replaced the injured Mark Brown at half-time, to record their second clean sheet of the season. ICT began the match with the same team that played Dundee. Caley Thistle started well and Juanjo saw his shot eventually cleared by MacKenzie in the away goal. ICT continued to press but most of the action was in midfield. Livingston had a couple of efforts from Lilley and Brittain before the home side opened the scoring through Graham Bayne. Barry Wilson's free-kick was headed on by Ross Tokely and Bayne was on hand to fire a superb shot into the net. Just on the half-time break Wilson's free-kick went inches wide of the target after Juanjo was brought down. Half Time: 1-0 In the second half Michael Fraser was introduced into the action due to a recurrence of Mark Brown's ankle injury. Livingston came more into the game and Derek Lilley saw his 25 yard drive come back off the post with Darren Dods blocking his follow-up. Burton O’Brien’s drive bounced off the bar before Fraser produced a superb save to deny Jim Hamilton then Mark Libbra had a goal disallowed for offside. ICT deservedly netted a second goal with three minutes remaining. Oscar Rubio made an error which allowed Wilson to run in on goal. His first attempt was saved by McKenzie but his second effort crossed the line before the goalkeeper scooped the ball away. Wild celebrations by the ICT fans as they could now rest easy knowing that the three points were secure. Full Time: 2-0 The referee eventually blew for the end of the game after four minutes of added time. Three points, a further two goals scored, a clean sheet, and up to ninth in the league. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Inverness CT: 2 (Bayne 39, Wilson 87) Team: Brown (Fraser 45), Tokely, Dods, Munro, Golabek, Wilson, McBain, Hart (Keogh 74), Duncan, Bayne, Juanjo (Thomson 80). Subs Not Used: McCaffrey, Prunty, Fox, Black - Booked: Duncan (60), Tokely (60). Livingston: 0 Team: McKenzie, McNamee, Rubio, Dorado, Stanic, Brittain, Easton, Lovell (Snodgrass 67), O'Brien, Hamilton, Lilley (Libbra 76). Subs Not Used: Boyack, Snowdon, McLaughlin, McMenamin, Meldrum - Booked: Hamilton, Dorado. Attendance: 1,279 Referee: Mike McCurry
  2. Bayne double dumps Dundee A glorious opening period and ICT deservedly went in 1-0 up at half-time. This was followed by a dogged and determined second period which saw them hold off a late Dundee fightback to take all three points. John Robertson made one change in the starting line-up with Darren Dods making his first appearance of the season in place of the suspended Stuart McCaffrey. Right from the whistle ICT pushed forward and created a number of chances. Barry Wilson moved down the right and put over a fine cross into the penalty area which was half-cleared by ex-ICT captain Bobby Mann to Roy McBain but his right foot drive went wide. Minutes later Juanjo had an effort which again went just wide of the right hand upright. Len Atle Larsen then should have given the Dens Park side the lead when he was through one-on-one with Mark Brown but his weak effort was easily saved by the 'keeper. Caley Thistle continued to press and a terrific move involving Juanjo and Richie Hart saw the latter’s final pass go just over the head of Graham Bayne. ICT’s pressure was rewarded with five minutes remaining in the half. Juanjo fed a through ball which split the Dens Park sides defence wide open and Bayne was on it like a flash to coolly and calmly place the ball wide of Soutar to give Caley Thistle the lead and score his first goal for the club. Half Time: 1-0 ICT increased their lead in 58 minutes when Juanjo’s 25 yard shot deflected off Graham Bayne and into the net. The home support by this time were ecstatic and enjoying a thoroughly professional performance. The goal was originally credited to Juanjo but eventually given to Bayne to take his tally up to two. ICT continued to keep control of the game although the wind and rain started to take its toll. Eventually Dundee pulled one back when Steve Lovell found space on the right to drill a shot past Mark Brown into the far corner of the net. With six minutes remaining Brown went down with a recurrence of the injury he sustained at Rugby Park and he was replaced by Michael Fraser for his first ever appearance. He looked confident in everything that he had to do and, when the final whistle went, ICT celebrated their fourth point in two games after a terrific team performance. Full Time: 2-1 After everyone was predicting a low attendance a crowd of 1254 turned up to witness ICT’s best 90 minutes of the season and hopefully this can now be continued into this Saturday's important game against Livingston. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Inverness CT: 2 (Bayne 40, 58) Team: Brown (Fraser 87), Tokely, Dods, Munro, Golabek, Wilson, Hart (Keogh 78), Duncan, McBain, Bayne (Prunty 90), Juanjo. Subs Not Used: Hastings, Thomson, Fox, Black - Booked: Duncan(60) Dundee Fc: 1 (Lovell 72) Team: Soutar, McNally, Mann, Sancho, Robb, Larsen (Caballero 56), Smith, Brady, Barrett (Fotheringham 64), Lovell, Sutton. Subs Not Used: N Jack, McDonald, Anderson, Hernandez Santos, Jablonski - Booked: Lovell (73) Attendance: 1,254 Referee: Mike Ritchie
  3. Fox rescue's a point for 10 man Caley Jags A pulsating 90 minutes of football with four goals, a sending off and much controversy - the main one being Stuart McCaffrey's red card early in the second half. John Robertson re-instated Juanjo Carricondo into the starting line-up at the expense of Bryan Prunty who moved down to the bench. The home side began well and swarmed about the ICT defence. They were rewarded with a goal four minutes into the game. Stevie Murray picked up Craig Dargo’s pass and his left foot shot went into the net at the near post with Mark Brown seeming to get his foot stuck on the wet surface. The home side continued to press but ICT began to push more into the game and their perseverance was rewarded on the quarter of an hour mark when a short corner from Roy McBain found Barry Wilson and he fired home from the edge of the box. A slight deflection gave Alan Combe no chance. Ross Tokely had a drive well saved and Wilson also had an effort but missed the target by a good distance. The home side regained the lead just before the half hour and once again it was a defensive error that cost ICT dear. Grant Munro should have knocked the ball out for a corner kick but he allowed Danny Invincible to cross to Craig Dargo - his shot was cleared but Gordon Greer knocked the ball home from 14 yards. Half Time: 2-1 The second half got off to a sensational start with the ordering off of Stuart McCaffrey . A through ball was fed to Craig Dargo and he went down after minimal contact from McCaffrey. It looked accidental but the referee disagreed. Juanjo was eventually sacrificed as Richard Hastings was brought in to bolster the defence. ICT continued to push for an equaliser and the next substitutions certainly went a long way to making sure that Caley Thistle would take something from this game. The speed of Liam Keogh and the finesse of Liam Fox were introduced into the game with 15 minutes remaining and they made a massive impact. With eight minutes remaining in the game Liam Fox, making his second substitute appearance for the club, scored a tremendous equalising goal. He moved on to a Barry Wilson through pass inside the box and from a very acute angle fired the ball under Alan Combe for a stunning goal. Full Time 2-2 This gave ICT a share of the spoils and a vital away point. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Kilmarnock: 2 (Murray 5, Greer 27) Team: Combe, Greer, Lilley, Leven, Dindeleux, Locke (Joly 63), Invincibile, McDonald, Murray (Hay 76), Dargo (Naismith 82), Boyd. Subs Not Used: Smith, Fowler, Nish, Ford - Booked: None Inverness CT: 2 (Wilson 16, Fox 83) Team: Brown, Tokely, McCaffrey, Munro, Golabek, Wilson, Hart (Fox 75), Duncan, McBain (Keogh 76), Juanjo (Hastings 57), Bayne. Subs Not Used: Fraser, Prunty, Black, Thomson - Booked: None - Sent Off: McCaffrey (51). Attendance: 4,721 Referee: Craig MacKay
  4. Neighbours do Home & Away Aberdeen’s first ever ‘away’ game at Pittodrie. The heavy pitch survived two inspections and the game went ahead. Once again Caley Thistle gave maximum effort but the need for an out-and-out goalscorer is clear. There was a cracking goal from Roy McBain but numerous missed chances. John Robertson made two changes from the side which drew with Motherwell - Juanjo Carricondo and Liam Keogh were relegated to the bench with Bryan Prunty and Roy McBain on from the start. The game got off to a lively start but both teams had difficulty on what was a very wet pitch. Aberdeen had the better of the early chances with Steve Tosh and Scott Severin both having chances but the early highlight was the superb reaction save from Mark Brown when he managed to tip a great effort from Derek Adams over the bar. The deadlock was broken just before the half hour when Adams worked a fine one-two with Chris Clark, cleverly turned Stuart McCaffrey and slotted the ball home from close range. ICT reacted and captain Stuart Golabek moved upfield and saw his fierce drive tipped round the post by David Preece. Minutes later and joy for the home support as their favourites got right back into the game with a brilliant equalising goal from midfielder Roy McBain who hit a superb drive from 25 yards which went in at the post. Half Time: 1-1 Caley Thistle began the second half in fine form and took the game to the visitors. Richie Hart had a fine effort saved by the goalkeeper and Bryan Prunty was unlucky with a header. Midway through the half and disaster struck when Brown was adjudged to have brought down Darren Mackie inside the box. Adams scored his second goal of the afternoon from the penalty spot. ICT made every effort in an attempt to get back into the game as they searched for an equaliser but they were now finding it very difficult on the heavy pitch. In the final minute of the match Caley Thistle lost a third goal. Golabek was dispossessed in the midfield and in his effort to get back to retrieve the situation he impeded Darren Mackie inside the penalty area. It was a clear penalty and Mackie stepped up to send the ball past Brown. Full Time: 1-3 Another game in which ICT matched the opposition for long spells but defensive errors which cost them dearly. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Inverness CT: 1 (McBain 36) Team: Brown; Tokely, McCaffrey (Keogh 86), Munro, Golabek, Wilson, Hart, Duncan (Black 76), McBain, Bayne, Prunty (Juanjo 70). Subs Not Used: Fraser; Thomson, Fox, Dods. - Booked: Golabek (60), McCaffrey (70), Brown (80) Aberdeen: 3 (Adams 28, 64 pen, Mackie 90 pen) Team: Preece; Hart, Severin, McGuire, McNaughton, Clark (Craig 67), Heikkinen, Tosh, Foster (Pasquinelli 79), Mackie, Adams (Stewart 85). Subs Not Used: Esson; Morrison, Considine. - Booked: Tosh Attendance: 9,530 Referee: Iain Brines
  5. Welcome point for Caley Jags After a "pointless" September this draw was very welcome. It came courtesy of a last minute Stuart McCaffrey goal when another narrow defeat seemed inevitable. The goal might have come in the last minute of the match but what a valuable goal it could turn out to be come the end of the season. With the game heading for another 1-0 defeat, ICT once again surged forward throwing everything at the Motherwell defence and it was central defender McCaffrey who had come up for a corner kick who was on hand to stroke the ball home from six yards. Grant Munro was the only change from the side that narrowly lost down at Tynecastle against Hearts the previous Saturday – he returned from suspension and Richard Hastings was relegated to the bench. Motherwell began the game well and Mark Brown gathered the ball from Fagan¹s cross and minutes later he made a great stop from a MacDonald shot which Ross Tokely eventually cleared. Juanjo was a constant threat for ICT and was fouled on numerous occasions. Mark Brown pulled off another tremendous save after David Clarkson rifled in a 25-yard effort which the Scotland U-21 star tipped over the crossbar. Graham Bayne was getting through a power of work and was unfortunate as he was just about to shoot for goal when Gordon Marshall rushed from his line to block his attempt. Scott McDonald got the better of McCaffrey inside the ICT penalty area but he lost his balance just as he was about to shoot allowing the Caley Thistle defence to clear. The visitors took the lead seven minutes before the break when McDonald scrambled home the opener after a melee inside the ICT box. Half Time: 1-0 Into the second half and ICT went in search of an equaliser. Juanjo was replaced by Scotland U-21 star Bryan Prunty six minutes into the half and ICT enjoyed a good spell of attacking. Liam Keogh headed wide of the goal and Bayne also came close with a header. Keogh was replaced on the hour mark by Roy McBain and Marshall then made a great double save from Bryan Prunty and Richie Hart. Hart was then replaced after a midfield collision and onto the field for his first team debut came ex-Hearts youngster Liam Fox. ICT continued to press hoping that they could get back into the game and their persistence paid off as the Motherwell defence finally buckled after intense pressure. Barry Wilson's corner kick was cleared by the 'Well defence but the ball came back to the ICT frontman and his cross was headed on by Tokely for McCaffrey to sweep the ball high into the net for a well deserved equaliser. Full Time: 1-1 The point was needed as the three teams above all took a point during the weekend and it now sets up the first match of the season against Aberdeen in a fortnight's time. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Inverness CT: 1 (McCaffrey 90) Team: Brown; Tokely, McCaffrey, Munro, Golabek, Wilson, Duncan, Hart (Fox 76), Keogh (McBain 60), Juanjo (Prunty 51), Bayne Subs not used: Fraser; Hastings, Thomson, Black - Booked: McCaffrey (90) Motherwell: 1 (McDonald 38) Team: Marshall; Corrigan, Craigan, Partridge, Hammell, McBride, Fagan, Leitch, Foran (Burns 87), Clarkson (Paterson 60), McDonald (Smith 88) Subs not used: Corr; Quinn, Kinniburgh, Fitzpatrick - Booked: Leitch, McDonald Referee: John Underhill Attendance: 1438 Game played @ Pittodrie
  6. Capital Punishment Caley Thistle travelled to Tynecastle in the hope that they could maintain the excellent form they showed in the game against Rangers and though they did produce another fine display, once again a defensive error was punished and the need to net at the other end let them down. Former ICT player Dennis Wyness was in the Hearts starting line-up and former Hearts star Juanjo Carricondo was in the ICT line-up as the teams kicked off on a beautiful afternoon. Caley Thistle immediately attacked the Hearts goal and in the early stages Stuart Golabek, Juanjo and Russell Duncan all had efforts at goal. Hearts took the lead in 15 minutes when Richard Hastings, making his first appearance of the season for the suspended Grant Munro, took too long to control the ball and Paul Hartley was onto the ball in a flash, moved forward and chipped over Mark Brown. The rest of the half was very even and entertaining and the half-time whistle went with the home side leading by the solitary goal. Half Time: 1-0 At the start of the second period Hartley’s corner was powerfully headed goalwards by Steven Pressley but Liam Keogh did an excellent job on the line and cleared the ball. Caley Thistle took the game to Hearts and Ross Tokely had the best chance of the game when he headed over from inside the six yard box from an excellent cross by Barry Wilson. Richie Hart had to come off with a back spasm after getting Patrick Kisnorbo's knee in the lower back and was replaced by Roy McBain and Steve Hislop replaced Juanjo on the hour mark. ICT continued to press for an equaliser and Tokely and Wilson both failed to hit the target. With 10 minutes remaining, substitute Hislop had to be stretchered off with a leg injury and he was replaced by Bryan Prunty. Caley Thistle kept pressing and Golabek shot wide from the edge of the penalty area. The last real chance of the game fell to substitute Prunty but he headed over from close range. Full Time: 1-0 Once again a tireless performance by the lads but nothing to show for it. Four home games in October will be critical for the team to move off the foot of the table. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Hearts: 1 (Hartley 15) Team: Gordon; Neilson, Pressley, Webster, Maybury, Hamill, Kisnorbo, Hartley, McAllister (Janczyk 83), Stamp (Sloan 83), Wyness (Elliot 63). Subs Not Used: Moilanen; MacFarlane, Berra, Stewart - Booked: McAllister (32), Pressley (58). Inverness CT: 0 Team: Brown; Tokely, McCaffrey, Golabek, Hastings, Wilson, Duncan, Keogh, Hart (McBain 53), Bayne, Juanjo (Hislop 60), Hislop (Prunty 82). Subs Not Used: Fraser; Dods, Thomson, Black - Booked: McBain (60) Att: 10,340 Ref: Kenny Clark
  7. Klos, but no cigar A narrow victory for a nervous Rangers side. The first ever meeting at Ibrox with Rangers, and in the end a game that ICT certainly should have taken something from. It was getting that final ball into the back of the net that saw it ending pointless but it could have been so, so different had McCaffrey's lob beaten Stefan Klos Once again ICT fielded the same starting XI and throughout the 90 minutes took the game to Rangers. The only goal of the game came after 17 minutes from the head of Dado Prso when he took a Chris Burke corner kick and headed the ball into the roof of the net. ICT hit back and Juanjo Carricondo had a chance after good work by Roy McBain but the Spaniard dallied and his shot was blocked by the Rangers defence. ICT's best chance of the half came in bizarre circumstances when Ross Tokely's harmless-looking cross from the right was headed against his own crossbar by Maurice Ross and the ball was eventually cleared by Craig Moore. Just before the half-time break the unmarked Boumsong struck the ICT woodwork with a fine header. Half Time: 1-0 The home side kept up the pressure early in the second half through Prso and Novo but ICT then had a superb chance to score an equaliser through Richie Hart but the midfielder hit the ball just wide of the target. Boumsong again hit the woodwork and Ricksen came close with a free-kick which was superbly saved by Mark Brown but it was Caley Thistle who were enjoying most of the second half possession. Stuart McCaffrey then caused havoc in the Rangers defence. After a melee in the Ibrox penalty area the ball came out to McCaffrey who lobbed the ball goalwards only to see Stefan Klos turn the ball over the bar for a corner kick. Unfortunately, the referee decided the ‘keeper had not touched the ball and a goal kick was awarded. Coming into the closing stages of the game it was all Caley Thistle and the pressure was all on the Ibrox side to hold out. In the closing seconds of the game Grant Munro was booked for a second time and was sent off. It ended 1-0 and it is amazing to think that ICT came to Ibrox Stadium for the very first time and at the end of the game were disappointed to come away with nothing. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Rangers: 1 (Prso 17) Team: Klos, Ross (Khizanishvili 45), Moore, Boumsong, Vanoli, Burke, Ricksen, Mladenovic (Hughes 34), Lovenkrands, Novo (Arveladze 61), Prso. Subs Not Used: Graeme Smith, Vignal, McLean, McCormack. Booked: Vanoli Inverness CT: 0 Team: Brown, Tokely, McCaffrey, Munro, Golabek, Wilson, Keogh, Hart, McBain, Bayne (Hislop 60), Juanjo (Prunty 77). Subs Not Used: Fraser, Dods, Duncan, Proctor, Black. Booked: Keogh (50), Munro (60), Tokely (70) Sent off: Munro (90) Attendance: 47,063 Referee: C Murray
  8. Hibees get one over Robbo... This first meeting with the Easter Road side ended in disappointment. ICT manager John Robertson kept the same team that had come close to getting a result down at Tannadice a fortnight previously and Hibernian welcomed back skipper Ian Murray into the defence. Caley Thistle began the game well and had most of the early pressure and came close on a few occasions but it was the Easter Road side who opened the scoring with a fine flowing goal after 11 minutes. Dean Shiels sent Derek Riordan away and his fine run down the left ended with him sending a swerving drive from just inside the box into the net, wide of Mark Brown. This stung the home side and Juanjo was in the thick of things and could easily have had a penalty when he was tumbled inside the area but the referee ignored away his protests. The Spaniard was giving the Hibees defence a torrid time of it and with nine minutes remaining in the opening half he was brought down by Gary Caldwell inside the area and on this occasion the referee had no hesitation in pointing to the spot. For the third consecutive game it was Barry Wilson who stepped up to coolly slot the ball into the net for a well-deserved equaliser. Caley Thistle kept up the pressure in an effort to grab another goal before the half-time break but it did not happen and one-each was a fair reflection of a good opening half. Half Time: 1-1 ICT opened the second period strongly and Juanjo and Barry Wilson set up an excellent chance early on for Richie Hart but his flashing shot went just over the crossbar. The home side fell behind once again on the hour mark when Garry O'Connor¹s shot was partially blocked by the ICT defence but the ball spun up for Riordan who just managed to flick a header into the net. Barry Wilson and Graham Bayne both had chances and Bryan Prunty, a late substitute, nearly grabbed an equaliser, but once again the game ended in defeat and disappointment. Full Time: 1-2 Chances were created and with a bit of luck the scoreline could have been very different. They might have got one over Robbo..... but who put the ball in the Hibees net..... ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Inverness CT: 1 (Wilson 37 pen) Team: Brown, Tokely, McCaffrey, Munro, Golabek, Keogh, Wilson (Black 78), McBain (Hislop 68), Hart, Juanjo (Prunty 87), Bayne. Subs Not Used: Fraser, Dods, Thomson, Duncan. Booked: Bayne, Golabek, Tokely, Munro. Hibernian: 2 (Riordan 11, 60) Team: Simon Brown, Caldwell, Whittaker, Murphy, Beuzelin, Scott Brown, Riordan (Dobbie 81), Murray, Glass (Rocastle 64), O'Connor, Shiels (Shields 86). Subs Not Used: A Brown, Venus, McCluskey, Fletcher. Booked: None Referee: C Thomson Attendance: 2011
  9. Tannadice set-back. The first half was very even with chances at both ends of the park. ICT began in excellent form and were playing a good passing game but it was at the other end of the pitch that the first real chance of the game came along when Jason Scotland ran on to a McIntyre pass and fired in an excellent shot which Mark Brown did well to turn away for a corner kick. Midway through the half, Caley Thistle nearly scored a stunning goal when Barry Wilson hit a glorious 20-yard drive but Tony Bullock was up to the challenge and made a superb save. The last real chance of the half fell to ex-ICT man Barry Robson but his effort was pushed over the bar by Mark Brown. Half Time: 0-0 United's new signing, Grant Brebner had an early chance in the second half but his 20-yard drive went just wide of the post. On the hour mark ICT stunned the home side when Juanjo latched on to a fine pass from Ross Tokely but he was brought down inside the box by Bullock and Ref. John Rowbotham pointed to the spot. Up stepped Barry Wilson, scorer the previous week against Celtic from the penalty spot, to make it two-out-of-two spot kicks. Barry then had the chance to increase the lead but he sliced his shot wide after good work by Graham Bayne. The home side were stung into action and five minutes later they grabbed an equaliser when Chris Innes slotted the ball home from all of six yards after Dodds' shot was brilliantly saved by Mark Brown. Caley Thistle continued to soak up the pressure but could they hold out for a well-deserved point? Unfortunately, the answer was to be no. With five minutes remaining McIntyre sharply turned his marker on the edge of the box before lashing home a tremendous shot into the bottom corner of the net. Full Time: 2-1 At the end of the day, disappointment at not taking anything from the game but once again maximum effort from all the players. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Dundee United: 2 Team: Bullock; Wilson, McCracken, Innes, Archibald, Brebner, Kerr, McIntyre, Robson, Scotland (Grady 78), Dodds (McLaren 83) Subs not used: Hirschfeld, McInnes, Duff, Bell, Kenneth Booked: Dodds (61), Innes (65) Inverness CT: 1 Team: Brown; Tokely, Golabek, Hart, Munro, McCaffrey, McBain (Hislop 87), Keogh, Juanjo (Prunty 83), Wilson, Bayne Subs not used: Fraser; Dods, Duncan, Thomson, Black Booked: None
  10. First SPL game ends in defeat An historic day in the short life of Inverness Caledonian Thistle but, in the end, bitter disappointment. The meeting of the two clubs in the SPL completed a piece of Scottish football history – Livingston and ICT became the first clubs to meet in all four divisions. Unfortunately for Inverness it was not the introduction to the SPL that they wanted, but a lesson learned for the future, and one they would heed. As Vera Lynn once said: We'll Meet Again SAT 7th AUGUST 2004 ALMONDVALE STADIUM LIVINGSTON 3 (O’Brien 44, Easton 57, Lovell 66) Team: McKenzie, McNamee, Rubio, Dorado, Boyack, O’Brien, Easton, McLaughlin, Lilley, Lovell, Libbra (Hamilton 65) Subs – McMenamin, Dair, Brittain, Snowdon, Bahoken & Meldrum INVERNESS CALEDONIAN THISTLE 0 Team: Brown, Tokely, McCaffrey, Munro, Golabek, Wilson, Duncan (Hart 58), Keogh, McBain (Black 65), Hislop (Juanjo 58), Bayne Subs – Dods, Proctor, Prunty & Fraser Referee C Richmond Attendance 3310 Man of the Match Stuart Lovell A new SPL rule meant that seven substitutes were named but only three could play. Caley Thistle started brightly and in the second minute a Russell Duncan header was only partly cleared and the ball fell to Liam Keogh – from 15 yards he shot high. In nine minutes Livi’s Scott McLaughlin raced down the left, found Steve Boyack and his ball across goal came off the woodwork. Wilson hit low and just wide of the Livi goal and a David McNamee shot was blocked. Burton O’Brien hit wide in 33 minutes after Mark Brown pushed down a cross then Brown held a shot from Derek Lilley. With the half-time whistle only seconds away Livi made the breakthrough when McCaffrey tried to head back to Brown. Communications broke down as the ‘keeper came out and O’Brien only had to tap in to the empty goal for 1-0. Half Time: 1-0 The second half was mostly Livingston but in 54 minutes Steve Hislop set Wilson up one-on-one with Roddy McKenzie but it fell to his left foot and he hit wide. It was no surprise when Livi extended their lead in 57 minutes. Boyack sprinted down the right, neatly rounded Golabek then his low ball was turned in at the near post by Easton. Substitute Richie Hart tried from 25 yards in 63 minutes but it went wide then McKenzie held a deflected Hart effort from long range. The third goal in 66 minutes was a simple one as Lovell and Jim Hamilton combined to walk through the defence – Lovell touched it in from close-range. ICT created a couple of good late chances when a curling Hart free kick was headed over by Tokely then a McCaffrey lob gave Bayne an opening – Rubio stepped in quickly to clear. With two minutes added time on the clock Lilley headed wide and it stayed 3-0. Full Time: 3-0 A bad start to the season and a taste of the level of football to expect in the coming months. Welcome to the SPL!
  11. Golly opens our SPL account in Pars win Another historic day for the club – the first ‘home’ match at Pittodrie, the first SPL goal (from Stuart Golabek) and, most important of all, the first SPL win. The players were stung by the negative press coverage of last week’s defeat and they reacted in style to earn a well-deserved victory against the Pars. John Robertson made changes with Barry Wilson and Russell Duncan dropping to the bench and Richie Hart and Juanjo starting. In the event Barry Wilson came on in the 23rd minute to replace the injured Steve Hislop. Dunfermline had travelled to Iceland in midweek on UEFA Cup business but fatigue was never an excuse – Caley Thistle could, of course, have been the Icelandic travellers if last season’s Scottish Cup semi-final had gone the other way. Early shots from Juanjo put pressure on the Pars then Golabek scored a captain’s goal in the 12th minute. His fourth goal for the club came after a run from nearly the halfway line and an angled 20 yard shot – Derek Stillie could only push it onto the far post and watch it bounce into the net. Minutes later a Roy McBain curling ball gave Graham Bayne a chance but it came to nothing. Dunfermline began to press and Noel Hunt hit over Mark Brown and the bar. Brown made a number of good stops before the break but in the second half ICT ran the show. Half Time: 1-0 The all-important second goal came from Juanjo in 70 minutes. Barry Wilson ran down the right then cut the ball back into the box – it went beyond Juanjo but the Spaniard stretched to hit it past two defenders and Stillie from just outside the six-yard area. Full Time: 2-0 The long trip back from the far east was a happy one for the ICT fans. Inverness CT: 2 Team: Brown, Tokely, McCaffrey, McBain, Golabek, Keogh, Hart, Munro, Juanjo (Prunty 88), Bayne, Hislop (Wilson 23). Subs Not Used: Fraser, Dods, Duncan, Proctor, Black. Goals: Golabek (12), Juanjo (70). Dunfermline: 0 Team: Stillie, Shields, Scott Wilson, Skerla, Byrne (Darren Young 45), Dempsey, Nicholson, Mason, Scott Thomson, Hunt (Donnelly 71), Brewster (Mehmet 75). Subs Not Used: Langfield, Lyle, Labonte, McKeown. Booked: Scott Wilson. Att: 1,972 Ref: T Brown
  12. Neil Lennon - Shameless Cheat This was the big one - at ‘home’ to the champions in the SPL and live on Setanta TV. It turned out to be a day of drama and excitement but it ended in disappointment for the vast Caley Thistle support. John Robertson made one change to the line-up with Barry Wilson starting and Steve Hislop reverting to the bench. Chris Sutton was missing from the Celtic line-up through injury but new signing Senegalese striker Henri Camara made his first start. Celtic came out on top thanks to a wonder strike from Stan Petrov and a double from John Hartson but the defining moment of the afternoon was the 17th minute red card for ICT’s Juanjo. The home side started confidently and Juanjo hit over in the first minute. Mark Brown saved from Alan Thompson and Petrov then pressure on the Celtic goal ended with headed clearances by Bobo Balde and Petrov. Camara hit past the post then Celtic ‘keeper David Marshall had to come out of his area to head away from Juanjo in 16 minutes. The Spaniard’s game came to an end a minute later when he clashed with Neil Lennon. TV evidence confirmed that Lennon hit out at Juanjo after an accidental collision then Juanjo pushed Lennon’s chest. The Celt went down clutching his nose and fourth official Alan Freeland brought the incident to the attention of the referee – both he and his assistants saw nothing but a red card was produced for the Spaniard and Lennon received no punishment. Shameless cheating from Lennon. [note: the red card was later rescinded] Despite protests the decision stood and it was an uphill struggle for Caley Thistle after that. The team responded well and put up a great show but Celtic took advantage of the extra man in 25 minutes when Hartson headed in a Didier Agathe cross to make it 1-0. Mark Brown was in fine form and he saved from Thompson in 29 minutes and Camara three minutes later. At the other end Marshall saved from Barry Wilson in 40 minutes but it fell for Liam Keogh – he shot over from 18 yards. A Roy McBain corner in 42 minutes led to some confusion then a penalty award for hand-ball by Balde. It seemed a soft award but Wilson stepped up, sent Marshall the wrong way and it was 1-1. Stan Varga headed over at the other end and it remained 1-1 at the break. Half Time: 1-1 The second half was virtually all Celtic. Hartson headed wide in 52 minutes then a minute later Brown brilliantly tipped over an 18 yard shot from Hartson. The second soft penalty of the match came in 67 minutes when Grant Munro’s arm made contact with the ball but Brown dived to his right to deny Petrov. In the aftermath Ross Wallace crossed from the left and Petrov was there to score with a marvellous angled strike from the edge of the box. Hartson sealed it in 76 minutes when Brown parried a Joos Valgaeren shot and he was there to score from the rebound. A Richie Hart curling free kick in 83 minutes was missed by everyone and three minutes from time Thompson hit the bar with a 25 yard free kick. After three minutes of added time an Ian Black corner led to an old-fashioned stramash in the Celtic box, two shots blocked then a third saved by Marshall. Full Time: 1-3 Celtic deserved their victory but with ten men it was a hard task for Caley Thistle. The teams have now met four times in competitive games and it is two games each. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Inverness CT: 1 Team: Brown, Tokely, McCaffrey, Munro, Golabek, Wilson (Prunty 70), Hart, Keogh, McBain (Black 81), Juanjo, Bayne (Hislop 65). Subs Not Used: Dods, Duncan, Proctor, Fraser. Booked: McBain, Hart, Hislop. - Sent Off: Juanjo (18). Goal: Wilson 44 pen. Celtic: 3 Team: Marshall, Agathe, Varga, Balde (Laursen 84), Valgaeren, Petrov (Lambert 80), Lennon, Thompson, Wallace (Pearson 80), Hartson, Camara. Subs Not Used: Douglas, McGeady, Cuthbert, McManus. Goals: Hartson 25, Petrov 68, Hartson 76. Att: 8,736 Ref: D McDonald ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
  13. Second half substitute Jean Claude Darcheville popped up in the final minute to grab all three points for Rangers in front of a new record crowd at the Tulloch Caledonian Stadium. Caley Thistle looked to have weathered the storm, including seeing a Charlie Adam "goal" chalked off for offside, but the last minute kick in the teeth means that Rangers have taken 9 points out of 9 from ICT this season. 20/01/08 Tulloch Caledonian Stadium, Inverness Inverness CT 0 Team: Fraser, Tokely, Proctor, Munro, Hastings, Cowie, Black, Duncan, McBain, Paatelainen (Wilson 69), Niculae Subs: Wyness, Bayne, Gillespie, Vigurs, Duff, Malkowski Rangers 1 Darcheville (89) Team: McGregor, Whittaker, Cuellar, Weir, Papac, Burke, Ferguson, Hemdani, Adam, Naismith (Darcheville 46), Cousin (Novo 75) Subs: Boyd, Lennon, McMillan, Broadfoot, Smith Referee Charlie Richmond Attendance 7753 FIRST HALF We are playing a 4-2-2-1-1 - Black and Duncan sat in behind the defence - Patti wide left - Roy wide RIGHT - Cowie (in a Rankin type role) almost in the hole behind Niculae. Thankfully Rangers are also playing a 4-5-1 system which is right up our street. The main danger is Burke who has obviously been tasked to test Rosscoe - and he is having some success. Hastings appears to have a grip on Naismith and with Granty man to man marking Cousin - Proctor is able to cover for Rosscoe. Both teams are playing on the counter attack and both are playing a high line and an offside trap. - to a neutral this half must have been so boring. Rangers are sluggish but we are tactically out manoeuvring them - so far. Patti (24) and Cowie (26) got in behind but McGregor got there first on both occasions. The first shot/header on target was Cousin on 27 but Fraser saved well. McBain showed his skill when he tried to chip McGregor on 38 and Duncan smashed the ball well over in the 42nd just after Fraser had saved well from Whittaker. At the moment we look surprisingly comfortable but I can see Walter hooking Naismith and putting Darcheville on for a 4-4-2. Brew must be happy as Walter, tactically, is playing into our hands - so far. To be fair nobody has really looked like scoring and the final balls from both teams have been simply awful. Tokely is toiling - McBain is "invisible" - Patti has not been seen as an attacking force - Duncan and Black are running the midfield - Cowie is working his socks off and Niculae is benefiting from that but we are not playing it to him - we are going wide all the time. SECOND HALF: Much better second half for the neutrals and to be honest - we blew it and Rangers just about deserved it. Was Walter logged in and followed ma advice??? Burke went left which ultimately won the match - Adam went to the old outside left position - we never got to grips with that but thankfully he didn’t play well. Cousin out muscled Proc early doors which was a taste of things to come. Proc needs to beef up to be a SPL central defender. Munro showed him how it should be done a minute later when he out muscled Darcheville. Walter was evidently going fer the direct route football - we should really have taken advantage of that as Ferguson and Hedmani were nullified because of it. Black and Niculae should both have done better with poor shots on target but never threatening McGregor. I thought the first goal was going to come after a ridiculous referee decision to give Darchville a free kick against Proctor. Setanta showed it was the other way but yet another example of Proctor being out muscled. Adam had a great chance in the 62nd when he smashed it way over after a defensive lapse by Proctor. Niculae "disappeared" in the second half but produced a sweet left foot strike in the 68th but it didn’t really trouble McGregor. Wilson came on for Patti - he was clearly struggling fitness wise. I don’t really understand why it wasn’t a straight swap and allow Bazza to play wide left but Brew swapped Bazza and McBain. Cousin, very fortunately "scored" and the replay clearly showed that it should have stood. Duncan was playing him on and he knew it judging by the expression on his face. I cant understand why we didn’t take Bayne on for Niculae as he was also clearly flagging - as was Hastings who was having a good match but Burke skinned him on several occasions in the last 15 minutes. And then Adam hit the bar in the 83rd. I cannot believe that Rosscoe got the Sponsors MOM - he was struggling against Burke in the first 45 and looked good in the second because he had nobody playing against him and was given loads of time and space. He got in the way of a Niculae header in the 86th and he went for goal in injury time when Niculae had cleverly tailed off to the back post and a pass would have meant a clear goal. Proctor was to blame for the winner and I hope Brew chastises him. He played like an immature full back sticking his hand up in desperation for offside instead of going for the ball or the man. Darchville even miss-hit the shot. Full Time: 0-1 A record crowd of 7,753 saw Rangers pinch it. Congrats to the North Stand as for the first time I recall, you could hear constant singing. It was one of those days that you can endure as we really deserved a point but i have no quarrels that Rangers shaded it at the end.
  14. Despite the 0-0 scoreline this was a relatively entertaining game. Dennis Wyness who will be playing for St Mirren next season could not score in his final game for ICT despite having a chance from two yards out and neither could Marius Niculae who - if speculation is to be believed - may also be moving on. 17/05/08 Tulloch Caledonian Stadium INVERNESS CALEDONIAN THISTLE 0 Team: Fraser, Tokely, Proctor, Hastings, McBain, Wilson (Hart 79), Duncan, Cowie, Imrie, Niculae (Bayne 72), Wyness (Black 57) SUBS: McAllister, Vigurs, Kerr, Malkowski ST MIRREN 0 Team: Howard, Barron, Haining, Potter, McCay, Dorman, Mason (Hamilton 72), Murray, O'Donnell (McGinn 90), Mehmet, Dargo SUBS: Burns, Crighton, Docherty, McAusland, Smith Referee Eddie Smith Attendance 378 I think ICT will have been unhappy not have been ahead before being reduced to ten men as we had the better of the chances before Proctors dismissal. After that, while we still had opportunities to go in front, St. Mirren had us on the back foot at times and in the end a draw was about right. Straight from the kick off we put ourselves under pressure when a slack Tokely pass across the centre of defence was seized upon by Dargo who picked the ball up and drove towards goal. Proctor was keeping close attention and eventually, when attempting to put in a challenge, only succeeded in bring down the former Inverness man resulting in a free kick to the Saints. Had Hastings not been tracking back with the ICT defender it could have been worse for Proctor but he was only awarded a yellow card. From the resultant free kick, taken twice after Niculae broke early from the wall, Home keeper Fraser easily held McCays shot. ICT retaliated when a surging Imrie run down the left side resulted in a cross being fired across goal which found ICTs Player of the Season Don Cowie at the back post but he was unable to steer the ball into the net instead firing over much to the relief of Howard in the Buddies goal. Inverness were on the attack again when a McBain cross was knocked down by Paisley bound Wyness to Niculae but the Romanian was unable to dig the ball out from under his feet as he was surrounded by Saint Mirren defenders who cleared the danger. An Imrie free kick was the next attempt on goal but the former Bully Wee star sent the ball wide of the post. Imrie threatened again as more direct running down the left saw him cut infield and send in a shot high towards goal which Howard was able to deal with. Saint Mirren threatened in spells in the first half as well. A superb cross field pass found right back Barron in acres of space. McBain was slow to close him down and gave the Saints man the time to send in a wicked ball right across the six yard box which left Fraser scrambling as Dargo closed in. Luckily for Inverness Dargo was unable to connect with the ball and it trickled out of play and away from danger. Yet again Dargo was involved as Saints built upon their good spell of possession. A Mehmet through ball found Dargo who headed towards goal but was shackled all the way by a determined Imrie who eventually won the ball off him continuing his strong start to the game. Barry Wilson, fresh from signing a new 6 month deal at Inverness sent in a cross which Wyness attacked but he was unable to put Inverness in front. Wilson was next to threaten as he sent in a testing drive which Howard palmed to safety. A wonderful passing move down the right involving Wilson, Tokely and Cowie set Wyness up again but yet again he failed to find the target. Even more staggering was the miss from Wyness minutes later. The ball ricocheted in the box before dropping to the feet of Wyness who somehow contrived to miss from inches out. Marius Niculae had been having a quiet game so far. He was next to test Saints keeper Howard with a drive the just flew over. This was to be the final action of the first 45 minutes in which Inverness had had by far the better chances but Saints still looked threatening on occasions too. Half Time: 0-0 Into the 2nd half and ICT nearly shot themselves in the foot again with another defensive mix up. Shoddy play at the back allowed Billy Mehmet the chance to put Saints in front but he was unable to take advantage as he blazed over. Inverness retaliated with a Niculae header which had Howard scrambling to save. A powerful effort from Saint Mirren's 22 was gathered by Fraser as the game started to open up a little. A Cowie half volley from a Wilson cross squirmed wide of the goal before Inverness were reduced to 10 men after another collision between Proctor and Dargo. With the ball on the far side touchline, a clever through ball sent Dargo scampering away towards goal with Proctor in hot pursuit. The players tangled and Proctor was shown a straight red for a professional foul leaving Inverness to play the remainder of the game with 10 men. Dorman tried his luck from the subsequent free kick but the ball flew over. Imrie was causing problems down the left hand side and drew Barron into a crude foul which set up another chance for Inverness. The free kick found its way to Niculae who had his header cleared by the Buddies rearguard. Brewster shuffled his pack by withdrawing the misfiring Wyness and tightened up the midfield with Black coming on. Wyness was given a standing ovation by the Home crowd in what is likely to be his last game for ICT before joining Saint Mirren in the summer. With the withdrawal of Wyness, Niculae was left to plough a lone furrow up front and he was next to threaten when a darting run saw him squeezed off the ball by three Saint Mirren players. Roy McBain cut in from the left and drove towards goal before unleashing a thundering shot. Unfortunately the shot was hit with his right foot and the ball ended up heading towards the Moray Firth! Saint Mirren then nearly took the lead through an unlikely source as Tokely came close to sending the ball into his own net as Saint Mirren upped the stakes as the clock wound down. A cross to Dargo found the goal shy striker in space but his low shot was saved by Fraser. There was a contentious moment when Bayne looked to have handled in the area with a cross cum shot that was drive at him. It was debateable whether he could have done anything about it but it might not have been too surprising if Eddie Smith had given a spot kick. Bayne, with plenty of time, inexplicably thumped the ball out for another corner under no pressure which prompted a verbal spat with Hastings over the needless pressure put under the ICT defence because of Baynes hurried clearance. Dargo threatened again with a shot that crept wide of the left hand post and Jim Hamilton was the man on the end of another Saint Mirren counter attack but he too was unable to put St. Mirren ahead as he shot at Fraser. Despite a good start to the game ICT were clinging on at the end with only 10 men after Proctors dismissal. They should really have been ahead before then but were unable to take their chances with Wyness guilty of some awful misses. However Saints had some chances of their own and will have been disappointed not to have taken at least one of them. It would seem that is Wyness's last game for ICT so best of luck to him wherever he might turn up next season. He's been a great player for ICT and I'm sorry to see him go. He used to be shite, but now he's alright, walking in a Wyness wonderland.
  15. One goal each from Higdon and Finnigan in each half of this game won it for Falkirk. Barry Wilson did score a penalty for ICT right at the end but it was too little too late. 03/05/08 The Falkirk Stadium, Falkirk FALKIRK 2 Higdon (28), Finnigan (68) Team: Supple, Aafjes, Scobbie, Mitchell, Barr, Cregg, McBride, Arfield (Latapy 59), Moutinho (Moffat 76), Finnigan (Stewert 86), Higdon SUBS: Barrett, Bradley, Ross, Olejnik INVERNESS CALEDONIAN THISTLE 1 Wilson (90pen) Team: Fraser, Tokely, Proctor, Hastings, McBain, Wilson, Black (Duncan 56), Cowie, Imrie, Niculae (Vigurs 80), McAllister (Bayne 71) SUBS: Wyness, Hart, Kerr, Malkowski Referee S Somers Attendance 5631 From CTO One team gave a **** about the result and one didn't. Can you tell which was which? Between Wilson's wonderful chance early on and the late penalty, we couldn't have scored in a brothel. The game was a carbon copy of when they beat us at TCS in March. Our tactics against the Bairns are the footballing equivalent of the Munich treaty of 1938 - we gave them huge amounts of territory unnecessarily, which only made them stronger and more dangerous (that's the worst metaphor I've thought of in ages, but I'm sticking to it). The two big differences today was that we missed Munro, and they had Higdon back - I thought he gave Proc a horrible time and he was the best player on the park. It looked like we were trying to play 4-5-1 with Niculae deeper than Rory, but Rory couldn't hold up a baby, let alone a ball. On the rare occasions that we tried putting passes together we had some success, so, true to Brewster Logic, we therefore decided to instead punt long balls. And somehow, despite extra bodies in midfield, Falkirk could have driven a bus down the centre of the pitch without running over anyone. Then in the second half our midfielders kept swapping all over the pitch, and the only consequence was that none of them were there to help when we were defending. The first goal appeared to be hopeless marking; the second one was so easy that a bunch of traffic cones would have made it more difficult for the Falkirk attack than our defence. And it's all I can do to stop myself launching into a tirade about Rory's performance and the decision to play him as a lone striker. The nicest thing I can say about him is that he is a waste of space. He is either lazy, cowardly, incompetent or a combination of the three. And that meant that, on the rare occasion we got the ball up the pitch, we lost it again, quick as a flash. Did Black get injured? It meant we had to put up with the textbook Duncan performance of misplaced passes, poor positioning and multiple shots from distance that endangered only the ballboys behind the goal. Positives? Well, my all day breakfast at the Little Chef North of Stirling was nice. That's the first away game I've done since New Year. God have mercy on those who go to all of these if our performances are anything like this. Tm4tj: Uninspiring stuff. We were poor, and Falkirk were eager and quicker on the break and with the Jambo's being pumped by Killie their mission was accomplished. Barry could have opened the scoring early on but after chasing a ball down the inside right channel he went too far and his attempted chip into the goals from a more acute angle than he would have liked sailed harmlessly high and wide. Grim stuff from us as an attacking force with Rory being the main culprit. I reckon he seems to be scared when challenging defenders as he misses so many balls aimed in his direction and ultimately loses out in any challenge despite some nice touches. Defence looked all at sea yesterday with Granty missing again and Proctors indecision almost cost us dear. Imrie struggled to make headway early on but improved as the game progressed. Cowie was another I thought who lacked an edge and Black was very quiet. Fraser did well and was not to blame for either goal, the second being lashed past him after Roy tangled with his own player in the left half area, and when Falkirk broke forward from there, Finnegan lashed a great shot high into the net from fifteen yards past an exposed Mike. Best that can be said about the game was Bazza becoming the second top ICT scorer on his own after calmly converting a penalty he himself won in the last couple of minutes, cutting along the byeline and being felled as he moved into the box. Hastings posted missing most of the game, leaving the right wing area open to abuse. Marius had some good touches, but playing deeper than Rory would have given him little enthusiasm and nowhere to play the ball to and expect a return pass. He tried a couple of shots which were either blocked or screwed wide, but really not a good day for him overall. I thought Russell looked keen when he came on but the game was lost by then and it was the usual too little too late. Brew was in his suit all day, no intention of playing at all. Some of the guys on the park might have well played with their suits on as well. But lets not be too critical, it was what they call end of season stuff. Best for us on the day..........Fraser, Imrie eventually and Bazza who looks like he is winning the battle to sign a new contract, if ability is anything to go by.
  16. Caley Thistle travelled to Tynecastle off the back of 2 victories and some much improved performances. Unfortunately, this game turned out to be a pretty drab affair that had 0-0 written all over it until Hearts youngster Gary Glen played a nice one-two before slotting the ball away on the 80th minute. Caley Thistle stay in 9th spot and now wait for the visit of Gretna on Saturday. 26/04/08 Tynecastle Stadium, Edinburgh HEART OF MIDLOTHIAN 1 (Gary Glen 80) Team: Banks, Thomson, Karipidis, Berra, Goncalves, Jonsson, Palazuelos, Cesnauskis (Wallace 52), Mikoliunas, Elliot (Zaliukas 76), Glen (Robinson 92) SUBS: Screpis, Rapnik, Ivaskevicius, Ridgers INVERNESS CALEDONIAN THISTLE 0 Team: Fraser, Tokely, Proctor, Hastings, McBain, Wilson (Paatelainen 72), Duncan, Imrie, Cowie, Wyness (Bayne 65), Niculae (McAllister 83) SUBS: Vigurs, Black, Kerr, Malkowski Referee Dougie McDonald Attendance 15,423 Immortal Howden Ender has this Starometer for us. He's no a happy bunny. Fraser **** Looked very assured today and saved us from a much bigger defeat - Impressed - MOM Rosscoe ** Real Jekyll and Hyde performance Proctor ** Despite what the eejit Brewster may think - he proved today that he is not a central defender. Hastings ** If only Caley 100 was here - he would have been crucified - Sturdy enuff defensively but hoof hoof hoof. McBain - ***: Looked good in the first half but went a bit Invisible in the second - but that is Ok at left back - Worth a run here as I had strenuously advocated. Bazza - ** Struggled - why is he playing him from the start - he is a half hour man away from home :029: Cowie ** can someone tell me where he was supposed to be playing. Brewster is totally wasting him. Duncan ***: Excellent defensively until he is forced to pass !!! :029: Imrie *** Played his heart out but still looks like an SFL player in the SPL. Wyness * Bye Bye Denzil - why did you last so long today - ANSWER - Brewster humiliation. Niculae ** Usual totally ineffective away performance. I am NOT going to say anything about the subs BREWSTER was totally INEPT tactically - we went 4-4-2 when it was crying out for a 4-5-1. :018: :018: :018: He played Marius as the hole and Wyness and Bayne as the front men - FECKIN RIDICULOUS. What a feckin waste - Marius played a few good touches but did bugger all :023: :023: Brew actually appeared to be taunting Black - The game totally cried out for his introduction. Brew is an arrogant power mad .......... censored
  17. Despite Kilmarnock coming out of the blocks the quickest to test ICT Goalkeeper Michael Fraser they did little else to threaten the Caley Jags for the remainder of the game. A fine free-kick from Dougie Imrie saw him score his first goal for the club. The second goal was awarded as an o.g. to Lilley and we'll have to wait for the television replay, but there's every chance that McBain had a foot on it. Marius Niculae scored the third with a World Class finish on 79 minutes, and got booked for jumping the hoardings to celebrate in front of a Romanian flag. All in all it was a successful day at the office. 19/04/08 Tulloch Caledonian Stadium, Inverness INVERNESS CALEDONIAN THISTLE 3 Imrie (10) Lilley OG (71) Niculae (79) Team: Fraser, Tokely, Proctor, Munro (Paatelainen 86), Hastings, Wilson (Hart 72), McBain, Cowie, Imrie, Niculae (McAllister 86), Wyness SUBS: Vigurs, Black, Kerr, Malkowski KILMARNOCK 0 Team: Combe, Fowler, Lilley, Hay, O'Leary, Clancy, Invincible, Flannigan, Locke (Hammil 63), Wales (Dalglish 60), Fernandaz (Di Giacomo 68) SUBS: Rascle, Murray, Ford, McInnes Referee A Muir Attendance 3420 This was the first of our post-split fixtures and as has been the case since the introduction of the split setup the run in to the end of the season becomes an almost meaningless affair, even more so this season as events at Gretna have already confirmed them as taking the drop. Things haven’t been too great at ICT since the start of the year with only 2 wins, both against Gretna, to be shown for “efforts” on the park, so I went in to this game with very little expectation and simply wanting to see some entertaining football and a bit of team cohesiveness and fight. Some indication that we were making the turn and starting to get things back on track seemed to be the common wish for those who ha met up before the match for a swift pint (or four) before heading to the Stadium. The meeting in the Innes turned up a surprise visitor for many as Scotty (site owner) had arrived from Canada earlier in the week, and the moment got a little more surreal when it transpired that Canuck, also from Toronto, was to be in attendance. Despite only living a (relatively) short distance from each other in Canada, the Innes Bar was, yet again, to prove to be the International meeting point for ICT fans. With vocal cords suitably lubricated it was off to the game. The sun was shining, spirits were high and with any luck the result wouldn’t spoil the day. The game got off to a relatively slow start, but Kilmarnock were creating the early chances with Michael Fraser called in to action to tip one over the bar and then see another safely round the post. In fact, things were so slow in the first 10 minutes that we found the idiotic antics of a Steward far more entertaining as he childishly tried to “stare down” the fans in Section G….although it later transpired he might have actually been in a Coma as he had to be woken from his slumber twice by his supervisor….lol. A huge Cheer then erupted from the Caley Jags faithful…oh damn, we’d missed our opening goal…apparently it was a well taken free-kick where Imrie managed to dupe the defensive wall and stick it straight in the back of the net for his first ever ICT goal. Eyes back on the game now, we weren’t going to miss anything else. Their wasn’t much to split the teams during the first 45 minutes of the match other than Caley Thistle creating more chances at the front. Barry Wilson and Dougie Imrie were delivering some great balls into the box, and they were coming with pace which was catching out the Kilmarnock defence...and unfortunately our own players too who have been more used to long balls or floated balls into the area in recent weeks (and months). We were getting contact on the ball, but were a little slow to get the feet off the ground to get above them and send them downwards instead of over the bar. Wyness, Niculae and Cowie all recorded half decent efforts before the half and our back four looked comfortable as they kept Kilmarnock at bay and made it a quiet half for Michael Fraser. HALF TIME: Inverness CT 1 v 0 Kilmarnock For the first time in long enough I can’t imagine Brewster would have had too much to shout about during the break. The first half had been slow, but it was controlled and the team were playing as a unit. If anything Brewster would be asking them to just pick up the pace a little. Both teams came on for the second half looking as if they were going to lift the tempo, but still Kilmarnock had little to offer in the final third of the pitch, and had it not been for their defensive it could have easily turned into a more comprehensive battering. Tokely was first to get a shot away within a minute of the re-start when he found himself with the ball on the right and he stuck his head down and made for goal. His shot from just inside the 18 yard box going narrowly wide on the left. The longer the game went on, the more comfortable ICT looked on the ball and the more Kilmarnock fell out of it. We were getting the ball down and passing it well in all areas of the park. Wilson and Imrie were commanding the wide areas, Cowie was sitting comfortable in the centre and McBain was covering ground like a man possessed…not in a long time have I seen one player appear in so many places on the park, and he was doing it with real purpose creating chances like they were going out of fashion. His rewards were to come in the 71st minute when his perseverance saw him chasing down a ball and pressuring Kilmarnock’s Lilley. Hard to tell who got the final touch on the ball, but no doubt at all that it beat a scrambling Combe to go in at the bottom corner to make it 2-0 to Caley Thistle. So far we’d seen Tokely miss narrowly wide and head one over, a Wilson shot saved, a Wyness lob tipped over the bar and Cowie shot also go over…so we were creating plenty of chances and getting our rewards. Wilson had taken a knock around about the hour mark so it wasn’t surprising to see him substituted in the 72nd minute. With Hart having already signed a pre-contract with Ross County for next season it was a little surprising to see him come on to the field and being 2 goals up it would have been nice to see one of the younger lads getting a chance, but que sera…Hart came on and slotted in well without upsetting the controlled and effective formation we’d been displaying all afternoon. Wyness hadn’t having his typical type game and looked a bit rusty when it came to the twists and turns we expect, but he had been doing a great job of holding up the ball and allowing us to get forward in numbers to support. This had been showing for almost the entire game when we seemed to have 5 or 6 guys in or around the goal for every cross ball and attacking play. A double corner was to lead to our next goal. Kilmarnock cleared the first but it came straight back at them and they were forced to play it out for a second corner. This too was cleared but not far enough and the ball came back to Niculae who was sitting on the right hand edge of the 18 yard box with only the on rushing keeper between him and the goal. He showed his class by staying composed and lifting the ball over and round Combe to find the back of the net and make it 3-0 for the Highlanders on 79 mins. If anyone ever doubted Niculae's passion for the game or the team then that was firmly put to bed as he showed his appreciation to the fans by jumping the wall to go and meet them in celebration. It might have resulted in the only card of the game, but you can be sure the fans aren’t complaining and chants of “Marius Niculae” were belted forth from the stands…his contract might have been the cause of some tension behind the scenes, but there’s no doubting that he is a firm favourite among the Caley Thistle followers. A double substitution on 86 minutes for ICT saw Niculae and Munro being replaced by McAllister and Paatelainen. Not sure if it was some streetwise antics by Niculae or not, but he made a bit of a meal in leaving the field to run down a little more of the clock, and ensured he shook the referees hand on the way. Both he and Munro were applauded from the park and deservedly so as both had had a great game. The final shot of the game came from Hart from 20 yards out after McAllister looked to pass up the opportunity for himself and send the ball into the middle. Once again Combe denied us a goal, but when your 3-0 up, nobody really cares. FULL TIME: Inverness CT 3 v 0 Kilmarnock Overall the game was pretty much what I had been hoping for. It wasn’t the worlds best ever display, but we were solid, we were passing well and creating chances. Our defence was solid at the back for the whole 90 minutes and we were once again playing as a complete unit. One Swallow does not make a summer…but our performance in the last 3 games has been much improved and the signs are there that we are starting to turn the corner. It’s off to Tynecasle next week to play Hearts and I’m sure todays results will go along way to adding a few to the crowd for that one….long may it continue.
  18. Caley Thistle ended their run of defeats with a 2-1 victory over Gretna but it was heavy going. Wyness, Imrie, Paatelainen and Wilson all had numerous chances before Caley Thistle scored in the 71st minute and when the goals came, they weren't strikers' goal but scored by midfielder Roy McBain who got the first and fellow midfielder Don Cowie two minutes later. In 80 minutes, Gretna - who were actually playing without a recognised striker - scored their first ever goal against the mediocre Caley Jags but ICT managed to hang on for the final 10 minutes to grab a valuable win. 05/04/08 Fir Park, Motherwell GRETNA 1 Barr (80) Team: Fleming, Barr, Griffiths, Meynell, McGill, Osman, Murray (Wilkinson 78), Skelton, Deverdics (Hogg 78), Kissock, Naughton SUBS: Fisher, Taylor, Sharples, Robinson, Schultz-Eklund INVERNESS CALEDONIAN THISTLE 2 McBain (71), Cowie (73) Team: Fraser, Tokely, McGuire, Proctor, Hastings, Wilson, McBain, Cowie, Paatelainen (Hart 82), Imrie, Wyness (McAllister 82) SUBS: Vigurs, Gillespie, Duff, Kerr, Malkowski Referee Mike Tumilty Attendance 431 Alternative Maryhill: Just back from a riveting performance, where a lot of the game consisted of Mikey punting the ball up the field to Imrie, where it would generally be won by Gretna. For the five minutes surrounding the two goals we looked like a team with a bit of fight and confidence again, and then it all just drained away again. Why?? Having said that, there were plenty of chances, but these were epitomised by a lovely cross along the goalmouth behind the keeper which Patti and AN Other (can't remember who) somehow magically failed to convert even though the ball was about a foot from the line and no Gretna players were close. Best players on the field were Kissock and Naughton from Gretna. Patti should have been subbed at half time for Hart, just seemed too lightweight today. Most depressing three points I've ever seen. Bayne, Duncan and Munro were all in the stands with us, so I hoped they enjoyed the show... Caley Stan: Although this fixture was a meaningless joke, it's still nice to see us win at last. We made hard work of though. Brewster went back to 4-4-2, with Wyness and Imrie up front, Wilson on the right and Markus on the left. Strange then that we spent most of the game punting high balls up to our wee strikers. There was a general lack of confidence and composure throughout the team - most of the players seemed to panic and hoof as soon as they received the ball instead of looking around for a simple pass. In spite of this, we managed to carve out a fair few chances, especially in the first half when Dennis could've had a hat-trick. Gretna came into the game more in the second half, with our defence looking as shaky as ever. McBain and Cowie deserved their goals, they worked well together in the middle of the park and were probably our best players today.
  19. Aberdeen only went and did it again didn't they!!!! 4 minutes into second half injury time Chris Maguire scored Aberdeen's 4th goal in a 4-3 win to keep their top 6 dreams alive and make it 17 games without a win against the Dons for ICT. This was a sickener for Caley Thistle in a game where the effort seemed to return to the players. This game had it all - 7 goals, 10 players booked, 2 sent off for off the pitch actions, and yet some excellent entertainment. Its been doom and gloom for the last few weeks but today's game, despite the last minute goal might have contained a glimmer of hope. Its bad for the defence to lose 4 goals, but there was effort, there were ICT goals, and there was entertainment... all things that had been missing in recent weeks. 29/03/08 Tulloch Caledonian Stadium, Inverness INVERNESS CALEDONIAN THISTLE 3 Bus (21 o.g.), Duncan (40), McBain (58) Team: Fraser, Tokely (Paatelainen 82), McGuire, Munro, Hastings, Proctor, Cowie, Duncan, McBain, Imrie (Hart 75), Niculae SUBS: Wyness, McAllister, Vigurs, Kerr, Malkowski ABERDEEN 4 Aluko (7), Nicholson (45), Miller (54), McGuire (94) Team: Soutar, Maybury, Considine, Bus (Maguire 46), McNamara, Foster, Nicholson, Severin, Aluko, Mackie (Duff 73), Miller SUBS: Pawlett, Walker, Touzani, Mair, Langfield Referee Dougie McDonald Attendance 5655 RIG: Just going to list various things I noticed or thought of during/after the game: Overall the game was poor in terms of the football played. Aberdeen seemed more likely to try and pass it but we were too reliant on hoofing the ball up the park as usual. However, there was some nice passing in places I felt. Our line up was odd. Not sure about Tokely in midfield really. He was caught out a lot by Aluko but stuck to his job well on most occasions. However, in our system the right midfielder needs to help cover back with our right sided full back and this he couldn't to due to this lack of pace and Proctor was often left exposed. The first Aberdeen goal was abysmal defending from Proctor, Tokely, Munro and McGuire. Far too easy for the lad to cut inside and stroke the ball past Fraser. Niculae being ball greedy! Why oh why did he not pick out Cowie all alone with an empty net in front if him? Worst decision by anyone of the entire 90 minutes. Odd goal to level with but we'll take it. I thought it was going to head out of play till Bus(s) arrived to smash a header into his own net. Duncans finish was a sweet strike and I believe his yellow for his celebration was incorrect however the highlights might clear this up as to what happened. Seemed that it was the reaction of Aberdeen players and fans that got him booked. Especially when you consider Nicholson celebrating in front of/baiting the ICT fans. Personally I think both should have been allowed but if MacDonald was to book Duncan then he should book Nicholson. It was a fantastic goal they equalised with but Hastings was too slow to close down and allowed Foster (?) too much time and space to pick out the runner into the box with McGuire static as Nicholson rose. Could Ikey have come for it? Cracking goal nonetheless but we made it easy. Duncans sending off - will be interesting to see just what he does with regards to "kicking the ball away" from MacDonald. Can't help but feel that there wasn't too much in it but we'll see (hopefully) in the highlights. Put us on the back foot for the 2nd half but we coped well under intense pressure at times though on other occasions we were falling apart. Seemed to galvanise the effort from the lads so that was appreciated given recent performances showing so little enthusiasm. Munro had a spectacular goal line clearance from Miller or Mackie I think it was. Miller then went on to miss an open goal as he sidefooted wide. More dodgy defending from us allowed this opportunity. Our free kicks at the edge of the box were atrocious. We had a horror one from Duncan against "Team X" but Imrie topped that yesterday with his one. Something we need to work on clearly. Any chance of Rankin giving the lads some pointers? Subs were interesting. I actually think the players he brought on were good - Hart added fresh legs and plenty of effort in the midfield and putting Marcus on retained our balance. However we could have used another pair of fresh legs in there to help us hold the ball up away from the goal. That's where Wyness came in. Players like McBain and Cowie were tiring badly although that's too be expected. We still looked a threat on the counter. Forced some corners and had a few reasonable efforts e.g. Marcus going for glory and I think Hart and Tokely both had breaks into the box that just failed to result in anything. Killer goal at the end where we just couldn't clear our lines and up popped Maguire to steal in to get the winner. Positives The sheer effort from the team was a huge positive and something we haven't seen in a long time. Some of the goals we scored were excellent I felt. I thought McBains goal was a great finish as it could so easily have got stuck under his feet (see Brown in the Rangers v Celtic game) Niculae was brilliant in holding the ball up and looking for the clever pass into space - no long ball mince here! Negatives The result obviously The possible lack of discipline from Duncan and Munro that resulted in the red cards The defence still needs a lot of work The fact that we were crying out for another pair of fresh legs to help take some of the heat off the lads towards the end was ignored FROM CTO Just back...traffic was shocking, much like our defending! However, I've been moaning about being bored at the last few games, and even though we lost that was an absolutely magnificent football match. We feared the worst after the Aberdeen opener, and at 3-2, but for the first time in months we had players out there who were sweating blood. Hundreds of fans stayed behind at the end to applaud the players off and they deserved it. Our third goal was a work of art as well - Niculae's one touch flick releases Cowie down the right, and his first time cross picks out McBain striding through the centre to score. Magic. POSITIVES Rossco - I was horrified by the decision to stick him on the right wing, and it took a while for him to settle there. But in the second half he was incredible. Had to be subbed because he looked like he would collapse from exhaustion. Roy McBain - also put in a magnificent shift second half, capped with a goal. Marius - simply a class act. Held up play well and set up so many of our attacks with clever flick on's. Hart - did well off the bench Brew - not his fault we lost. Tactically we were a bit better today, and the players gave everything second half. NEGATIVES Russell b***** Duncan - I think it is reasonable that your teammates receive a public apology. Whatever you got sent off for, you are an absolute moron. We're running out of central midfielders fast. Mind you, in his absence we looked twice the team we were. Phil McGuire - a wheelie bin would be more useful at centre-half. Utterly hopeless and a liability. Grant Munro - I don't care if the referee and standside linesman were completely incompetent (which they were) - if you were sent off after the game then you are a total idiot. Ian Black (or the absence of)- was apparently in the Heathmount while we were playing. Anyway, the best we've played in ages. At 3-3 we had at least as much chance of nicking it
  20. A humiliating 4-1 defeat today against Kilmarnock makes it 6 defeats in a row and 10 games without a win. The solitary win in 2008 came against freefalling Gretna in early January. Its time for changes at the Tulloch Caledonian Stadium but will anyone have the balls to step up and make them...... 22/03/08 Rugby Park, Kilmarnock KILMARNOCK 4 Wright (38), Bryson (50, 56), Flannigan (64) Team: Combe, Lilley, Hay, Wright, Clancy, Fowler, Bryson, Flannigan, Taouil, Invincible, Fernandez SUBS: Di Giacamo, Wales, Hamill, Morgan, Johnston, O'Leary, Harpur INVERNESS CALEDONIAN THISTLE 1 Black (14pen) Team: Fraser, Tokely, McGuire, Munro, Proctor, Vigurs (Hart 62), Black, Duncan, McBain (Imrie 73), Bayne, Niculae (McAllister 77) SUBS: Cowie, Kerr, Hastings, Malkowski Referee Stephen Finnie Attendance 5100 tm4tj said: I did some hoovering, washed some dishes, picked the wife up from the shops, sat down and we had gone from 0-1 to 4-1. I almost left early, then I realised I was already at home.... From CTO: That long trip up the M77/A9 in the snow seems an awful lot harder when your team has just had a 4-1 pasting! I can't fault the team for effort. They tried but there was a big hole in front of the defenders which allowed Killie to run riot in the second half. Also, there seems to be an understandable lack of confidence with all the recent defeats and this was obvious in the last third of the field. Bursting forward from the halfway line didn't seem a problem but as soon as there was any pressure from the Killie defence, ideas would run out and the ball would be given away cheaply - again and again. My usual moan is that they are afraid to have a shot from distance but I couldn't fault them for that on this occasion (not that it happened often). There was a clear lack of cohesion today, set-pieces were wasted, second-half passing was atrocious and our team look like a mid-table First Division outfit struggling against better quality players in a genuine SPL team. As someone said above, we have made a habit of signing lower league players who will never be SPL standard. Can't fault the effort - just the quality is not there with a number of them. Our first half performance was reasonable though and I thought David Proctor had a very good first 45 minutes. We were doing fine before Christmas but I genuinely think all this contract signing hoo-haa has seriously affected team spirit and individual performances and has allowed certain players to think they are an awful lot better than they actually are. When these players have 26 caps for their country then I will understand why they should be holding out for a similar deal to the one Marius Niculae has. On the positive side - I was really impressed with the Rugby Park stadium (my first visit there). I thought the Killie folk (including the stewards) were really friendly. And the Killie pies ARE indeed as good as they are hyped up to be. I also had a chat with Jim Jeffries when he stopped to give my wee fella an autograph. He most definitely rates as one of the nicest and most pleasant guys I have ever met in football - a real gentleman!! Resident analyst Alternative Maryhill said: Amazed A96 managed to draw any positives out of that at all. It was deeply humiliating. We were just about passable in the first half, but having said that, we looked like we were playing a team even lower in confidence than us. Killie looked tentative whenever they had the ball. There was a bit of luck about their equaliser, but the moment their second went in it just felt like that they, their fans and our fans knew we were there for the taking. After 4 it looked like it was going to be 6 or 7. I have to disagree with the comment about not being able to fault the players for effort too - I didn't see too many throwing themselves into tackles, chasing every 50-50 and looking determined to rescue the game. McBain seemed to be hiding and I don't recall Bayne, surprisingly, doing much chasing back. Duncan set himself new standards for the ineptitude of his passing. Niculae and Black, as usual, started brightly and looked inventive but by half time had been dragged into the mediocrity of it all. Still wouldn't have subbed Niculae, but as the whole occasion was characterised by tactical idiocy from Mr Brewster, at least he was being consistent when he hooked Marius. Just three examples of Brewster's cretinous tactics: 1. If anyone can explain to me the wisdom of dropping Cowie and forcing Tokely, in effect, to have to run the entire length of the touchline for the whole game, I'd be happy to listen. Tokely did fight for the shirt yesterday, but he's too one-dimensional going forward to bring any real invention, and we did look exposed at the back. This 3-5-2 thing stops working when you're behind and both having to defend and trying to get goals back - all you end up with is knackered wide players who are neither fish nor fowl. 2. Why put Vigurs into a team which is already so low on confidence? There's no way he was going to make a significant difference. At times yesterday he looked quite classy on the ball and certainly looked like he was trying to make passes, but there didn't seem to be anyone really looking for it. Hiding, as I said earlier. If we had to change things, and we did, yesterday was surely a day for players with some experience but something to prove - Hart (who at least showed the right attitude when he did get on), Markus, Dennis. 3. Can anyone point to an occasion when the Bayne - Niculae partnership has been an unqualified success? I've not been to any home games this season so I may have missed occasions when they looked good together, but I've never seen it and it certainly isn't working now. The best performances I've seen this season have all, to my recollecton, had Marius partnering Wyness up front and Rankin wide left. So why not go back to tha... oh, I forgot. We can't. Because you sold Rankin and you've effectively pushed Wyness out of the club. Nice one. The second half was, I think, in 12 or 13 years of attending games, the most spineless and depressing performance I've witnessed from a Caley side, and that includes the Morton and Airdrie circuses mentioned by Arbroath Awayday. That bad. Don't know if there's any point in getting shot of CB now, purely because I don't see a replacement and it would be folly to panic and stick any old applicant in, but the thought of him still being here next season makes me shudder and relegation, on yesterday's evidence and given the recent travesties in man-management, would be highly likely.
  21. Caley Thistle lose to an 86th minute Billy Clarke goal in a game that could certainly not be described as a classic. That's still only 1 win in 2008 for the Caley Jags and if Gretna go to the wall before the end of the season, that solitary win might even be expunged from the records !!! 15/03/08 Tulloch Caledonian Stadium, Inverness INVERNESS CT 0 Team: Fraser, Tokely, Munro, McGuire, Hastings, Duncan, Black, Cowie (McAllister 80), McBain (Imrie 80), Niculae, Wyness (Bayne 53) Subs: Proctor, Kerr, Vigurs, Malkowski FALKIRK 1 Clarke (86) Team: Olejnik, Aafjes, Scobbie, Barr, Milne, Cregg (Riera 57), McBride, Arfield, Moutinho (Clarke 70), Barrett, Finnigan (Latapy 57) Subs: Bradley, Stewert, Ross, Supple Referee Calum Murray Attendance 4012 ICT’s wretched run of form continued unabated as Billy Clarke‘s late strike gave visitors Falkirk a deserved win. The visitors had to work rather harder for a victory than Hearts did a fortnight ago, but otherwise there were few positives for Craig Brewster to find after yet another lukewarm, passionless performance. Caley had only a single victory, against Gretna, to show for their first ten matches of 2008 and Brewster reverted to a 4-4-2 after the defeat to the Jambos two weeks previously. Dennis Wyness and Roy McBain were recalled, with Dougie Imrie dropped to the bench and Markus Paatelainen left out of the matchday squad altogether. Falkirk, meanwhile, continued with the same eleven that drew with Motherwell in their last match, with John Hughes continuing to go with an attacking triumvirate of Moutinho, Barrett and Finnigan. Under the backdrop of a clear blue sky and some unseasonable warmth, it was the Bairns who dominated possession throughout the opening period, with Hughes clearly upset that his side, clearly missing the injured Michael Higdon, had few chances to show for it. Carl Finnigan had the best of them, but his stabbed effort from six yards was blocked by a spread-eagled Michael Fraser when a corner caused chaos in Caley’s box. The first forty-five minutes followed a familiar pattern, with Falkirk given licence to knock the ball about and Inverness happy to sit deep and soak up pressure. Robert Olejnik was briefly called into action to turn a Niculae shot round the post, though the shot was drifting wide anyway. That was the exception, though, as the Austrian keeper saw very little action in a first half best described as uninspiring. The only thing the sides had to show for their stalemate was a bit of a suntan. Half Time: 0-0 Unfortunately for the increasingly frustrated home support, there was little change in proceedings after the break, leading both managers to make early substitutions; Caley hooking Wyness for Graham Bayne and Falkirk replacing Cregg and Finnigan with Latapy and Riera. Caley finally found some impetus, with Bayne inches away from reaching McBain’s ball across goal, then somehow managing to head wide from six yards while unmarked. Ultimately, though, it was the introduction by Falkirk of their veteran Trinidadian schemer that decided the game. Caley threw on McAllister and Imrie as they looked to nick the win, but instead got caught on the break. Receiving the ball in the centre circle, Latapy waltzed through the Caley defence, dummied Phil McGuire with a lovely body swerve, and squared the ball for another substitute, Billy Clarke to tap home for his first goal for Falkirk. Clarke was booked for over celebrating, but his delight was understandable with the three points keeping his side in the driving seat for a top six place. In the remaining four minutes Caley never looked like grabbing an unlikely equaliser, and the home support vented their fury at another dour, pointless performance with a cacophony of boos at the final whistle. Full Time: 0-1 They now head to Rugby Park next week with any hopes of finishing in the top half well and truly extinguished, and aware that their campaign is now increasingly in freefall.
  22. Inverness Caledonian Thistle were deserving losers in what has to be one of the worst performances they have ever put together since joining the SPL. The display on the park today was so bad it was verging on the comical and at times it was hard to know whether to laugh or cry. 0-3 going on 0-6 and we had nothing to respond with. 01/03/08 Tulloch Caledonian Stadium, Inverness INVERNESS CT 0 Team: Fraser, Tokely, McGuire, Munro, Hastings, Cowie (McAllister 83), Black (Proctor 73), Paatelainen (Wyness 46), Duncan, Imrie, Niculae Subs: Vigurs, McBain, Kerr, Malkowski HEART OF MIDLOTHIAN 3 Karipidis (22), Elliot (33, 47) Team: Banks, Neilson, Karipidis, Berra, Wallace, Jonsson, Palazuelos, Driver (Ivaskevicius 64), Mikoliunas (Screpis 72), Nade (Beniusis 84), Elliot Subs: Glen, Tall, Zalukas, Ridgers Referee Alan Freeland Attendance 4489 With only one win under our belt since Craig Brewster and Marius Niculae picked up Manager and Player of the month awards you could be forgiven for thinking that our demise is some kind of sick conspiracy. ICT seem to be on self-destruct and nobody seems to know what to do other than watch as the clock tics away!!! Recent results against Hibs and Celtic weren’t the best, but at least the team showed some willingness to fight and attempt to battle back in those matches, but against Hearts it was an entirely different kettle of fish. We got off to not too bad a start and were the ones applying pressure to Hearts in the first 20 minutes, albeit it phases and without much in the way of an end product. The only shot I can remember going in the direction of the goal was Duncan around the 15 minute mark, but even that sailed harmlessly high over the bar. We weren’t playing brilliant football, but we seemed to be edging it over what looked like an equally mediocre Hearts team….that was until the 22nd minute. Hearts won a corner and Driver delivered a high ball in to the middle of the box which Fraser looked to be coming to collect with ease, but for some reason he stopped and decided to back pedal towards his line giving Karipidis all the time in the world to pick his spot and head the ball in to the back of the net. This was the moment when the wheels really fell off for ICT, our midfield started to sit so deep they had the defence in their back pockets and even when we did manage to avoid tripping over each other and get the ball up the park, we had nobody to keep it there and it came straight back at us. The only time our midfield seemed willing to cross the half way line was when Fraser was taking a goal kick. To rub salt in the wounds, Referee (I use the word in it’s loosest form) Alan Freeland seemed to be making it up as he was going along. Despite Mikoliunas diving about like the Sugar Plum Faerie for most of the game it wasn’t until he tried to break the legs of Hastings that he caught the refs attention…and even then he got a yellow card for what was clearly a dangerous challenge and would have seen any other ref give a red without hesitation. On the few occasions we did push forward we were slow to get back and defend once we gave up possession and that was a regular occurrence during this match. Hearts second goal, and the first for Elliot in 2 years came when ICT were caught napping. We had lost possession on the left and failed to break down a run on the right before the ball was played down the line to Nade. Nade then made it look like he was out for a stroll in the park as he nutmegged Munro, stepped over a fresh air challenge by Duncan and then cut the ball back past McGuire who had left Elliot standing alone in the middle of the box….0-2 Hearts. The best efforts for Caley Thistle came towards the end of the first half when Niculae was unfortunate not to have stuck 2 half efforts away to level the scoring. The first chance came from a cross ball deep in to the box, but it was a little too high for Niculae to get above it to head it done and he nodded it over. The second chance saw Niculae again make a break deep in to the box as Tokely crossed the ball from the right. Niculae stuck out a leg, but the ball took a bounce and even at full stretch he couldn’t get enough on it to put it in to the net. 2 Goals down at half-time, but a glimmer of hope that we could actually create something up front and might be able to come back in to this if we could send out the real Caley Thistle team for the second half. For the first time I can remember in long enough, we actually made a tactically sound substitution at half time. Half Time: 0-2 Paatelainen made way for Wyness to give us 2 strikers up front. It wasn’t long before all hopes of a comeback were dashed though and on 47 minutes Black made the biggest error of the game. He attempted to pass the ball back through a crowd of players to Fraser, but he failed to get enough on the ball and it forced the Caley Jags goalkeeper to come out to the edge of his area to make the challenge. He was first to the ball but failed to clear it and was slow to get back to his line….this gave Elliot time to pick himself up off the ground and float the ball over the sauntering Fraser to make it 0-3 for Hearts. At this stage most of the team seemed to give up, even those who might have been accused of putting in some effort just weren’t bothering and the only people who seemed to be playing with any passion were Niculae and Tokely…we hadn’t exactly been peppering the Hearts goal, but for the bulk of the second half nobody seemed to be interested in having a go, even from distance. Freeland’s catalogue of ridiculous decisions continued to grow when he failed to book Mikolionas for diving, even after gesturing that is what he had done and telling him to get up. He also produced his card from his pocket in another tussle, but seemed to change his mind after much remonstrating from the Hearts players. The most bizarre decision of all came when the nearside linesman made what felt like the first correct decision of the game in awarding ICT a corner, only for Freeland to overrule it and give the goal kick. In all honesty, the poor refereeing had no effect on the outcome, but it’s no wonder other teams don’t want Freeland officiating their matches when you see such a poor and incompetent display as that…it really was a performance of the lowest order. Rory McAllister replaced Don Cowie on 83 minutes and showed that he was at least hungry to prove himself and win a starting place in the team on a more regular basis. A late drive from 25 yards would have had the Hearts Keeper beaten but it inched narrowly over the bar to put an end to what should have been a more comprehensive loss. Full Time: 0-3 “I Believe” is the adopted motto of the ICT fans, and they tried their hardest to lift the team throughout the match, but it becomes difficult when it is obvious to all that the team have lost belief and that the Manager and ICT Board are making decisions which are having a serious negative effect on the performances on the park.
  23. Caley Thistle could not end their winless streak that now stretches to seven games, but on the plus side, this was not a capitulation in the same manner as the last two games. Unlike previous games where certain players appeared to just be going through the motions, the Caley Jags fought hard to get back into this game and almost succeeded. After holding out for most of the first half, the Caley Jags went in at the break down by a goal after Scott McDonald scored on the stroke of half-time. On the hour mark, Samaras extended the Celtic lead but Caley Thistle fought back with a goal from Marius Niculae with 20 minutes to go. Despite several good chances, the equaliser wouldn't come but it was a far better performance than recent games. 27/02/08 Celtic Park, Glasgow CELTIC 2 McDonald (45), Samaras (61) Team: Boruc, Hinkel, Caldwell, McManus, Naylor, Nakamura, Donati, S. Brown, McGeady, McDonald (Killen 83), Samaras Subs: Hartley, Riordan, Sno, Robson, O'Dea, M. Brown INVERNESS CT 1 Niculae (70) Team: Fraser, Tokely, Munro, McGuire, Hastings, Cowie, Black (McBain 78), Duncan, Imrie, Paatelainen (Wyness 78), Niculae Subs: Vigurs, Kerr, Proctor, Gillespie, Malkowski Referee William Collum Attendance 56787 Ian Black made his 100th appearance for Caley Thistle in this game but Craig Brewster did have an enforced change with Graham Bayne dropping out through injury and he was replaced by Markus Paatelainen. Former Caley Thistle and Dundee United midfielder Barry Robson was on the bench for Celtic. Caley Thistle started with a 4-5-1 formation that has become familiar throughout parts of this season and were forced to soak up enormous amounts of pressure in the first half as Mike Fraser performed heroics in the ICT box. Donati was the first with a shot from the edge of the box in 8 minutes that Fraser held well, then Samaras twice went close either side of the 20 minute mark with a 15 then a 20 yard drive and in 28 minutes McGeady came close with an effort that Fraser caught at the second attempt with McDonald nearby. A minute later and it was Nakamura who shot wide of the post. All this before Caley Thistle had even had a sniff of a chance. However, as the half wore on, Caley Thistle did manage to get a little further forward. In 31 minutes Niculae made a break, found Paatelainen who in turn found Imrie but the recent signing could only put it wide. Imrie had another chance just before the break when an Ian Black free kick was headed back across the box but his volley went over the bar. Right on the stroke of half-time Celtic took the lead. Hinkel was fouled on the right by Paatelainen and from the resultant free-kick, Nakamura fired in a dangerous ball. His kick was met by the head of McDonald on the six yard line and Fraser had no chance at stopping him scoring his 25th goal of the season. Half Time: 1-0 Into the second half and Celtic went looking for the goal that would kill the game off. The first effort came in 51 minutes when Samaras hit the post but it was the same player who would extend the lead on the hour mark courtesy of some good work by Aiden McGeady. He beat a couple of players on the left then curled a cross into the box. Samaras was there to bullet the header past Fraser. 2-0 Caley Thistle got back into the game in the 70th minute through Marius Niculae with an assist from the Celtic defence. Scott Brown made a poor pass across his box that was pounced on by Niculae and he curled an excellent effort past Boruc. 2-1 From then on in, Caley Thistle tried hard to get an equaliser but it just wouldn't come. In 87 minutes Wyness came agonisingly close when his curling effort just went past the post and despite a late flurry of corners and free-kicks for ICT the ball didn't find its way into the net. Full Time: 2-1 A disappointing defeat but a lot of heart to be taken from this match as the Caley Jags once again looked like a team who were giving 100%. Lets hope that continues.
  24. In midweek against Motherwell, the game was lost in the first 10 minutes. Caley Thistle's slump in form over the last few weeks helped them to go one better today and cut the time taken to lose a match to only five minutes !!! Despite a better effort in the second half, the 3rd minute goal from Nish and 5th minute goal from Fletcher were enough to seal all three points in a game where the Caley Thistle attack was as effective as a marshmallow carving knife. 23/02/08 Easter Road, Edinburgh HIBERNIAN 2 Nish (3), Fletcher (5) Team: Ma-Kalambay, Gathuessi, Hogg, Jones, Zarabi (Hanlon 85), Beuzelin, Rankin, Zemmama (Morais 65), Nish, Shiels (Murray 75), Fletcher Subs: Chisholm, Kerr, Canning, McNeil INVERNESS CT 0 Team: Fraser, Tokely, Munro, McGuire, Hastings, Cowie, Black, Duncan (Paatelainen 72), Imrie, Bayne, Niculae Subs: Wyness, McAllister, Vigurs, McBain, Kerr, Malkowski Referee Kenny Clark Attendance 12552 Difficult to know what to make of this weeks game. Despite the fact that the CaleyJags were the first on the stats sheet with a shot on goal which came from a Bayne Volley from the edge of the box which had to be pushed wide it was Hibs who were to get on the score sheet first….and second. With Colin Nish and Steven Fletcher putting Hibernian 2 goals ahead within the first 5 minutes it was tempting to head back to the pub. Both goals were one on one and Shiels looked certain to add a third and probably would have had he not tried to nutmeg Michael Fraser when he had the entire goalmouth to aim at. There’s been a lot of rumour about tension in the ranks and you could have been mistaken for believing every word of it having watched the first 10 minutes of this game. It was a nightmare start, but Caley Thistle somehow managed to get themselves composed and started to come on to a game as Hibs looked to sit back. We had loads of corners and plenty scrambles on the goal line but somehow we always needed a touch too many and none of us really believed we would ever score. Delivery was dreadful from dead balls, usually over hit. The conditions weren’t ideal, the wind was making it difficult to play accurate balls in to the area and at one point it looked like we might need to call for someone to stick a finger on the ball to allow Imrie to take a corner as the ball kept getting blown away. Added to this, the pitch seemed to cut up really early which meant that the ball was bobbling everywhere. As the saying goes “it’s the same for both teams”, but with Hibs managing to get a couple of goals on the board early, they really had given themselves that extra advantage. Half Time: 2-0 Hibs were just as bad as us a lot of the time and their fans got restless in the second half, there were even a few boos. Hibs just had more quality than us and those wee shouts you heard were Bayne asking if somebody could get him out of Jones' back pocket….he was battling hard but winning very little. If Marius had Fletcher or even Nish alongside him instead of Bayners we would probably have won it. That's without mentioning Shiels, Beuzelin and Zemmama. For me, Niculae was our best player on the day. He put in a good shift and chased back. I would also give Rossco, Black and Fraser pass marks. Cowie did OK too, and with a little more service he may have found the net - A couple of times he was wide in space and screaming for it and nobody had the vision, or maybe he's got leprosy!!! Marcus did OK when he came on. Imrie looked like he's off the pace for the SPL, though I must say against St Mirren he looked star quality. It’s a pity Proctor is still out injured as I would like to see him replace Tokely at right back and Tokely replace McGuire in the middle alongside Munro. We did have plenty of chances but they always fell to the wrong man or just resulted in the ball bouncing about in a crowded penalty box. Russell will have to hope no big Scandinavians were at the game. Did a lot of chasing and mopping up as usual, but his passes were far more over the place than normal. Just sign it Russell, while it's still on the table. Best moment for us was the chant of 'there's only one John Rankin' after he nearly sliced it into his own net. P.S. - To the young blonde lassie who got a surprise comp in her hand at 5 to 3, I know you were trying to pass me your mobile no but it's OK, really...lol
  25. Caley Thistle's 500th senior game ended in defeat as Motherwell ran out 3-1 winners at Fir Park. 2-0 down after only 10 minutes, Caley Thistle had an uphill struggle to get back into the game but despite Don Cowie's 19th minute goal, it was not to be. There were plenty of talking points in this game - from tactics and team selection to a "stonewall" penalty claim near the end. 20/02/08 Fir Park, Motherwell MOTHERWELL 3 Clarkson (7,42), Porter (10) Team: G Smith, Quinn, Craigan, Reynolds, Hammell, D Smith (Lappin 53), Lasley, Fitzpatrick, Clarkson, McCormack (Maguire 73), Porter (J Murphy 89) Subs: McLean, D Murphy, Archdeacon, Daniels INVERNESS CT 1 Cowie (19) Team: Fraser, Tokely, Munro, fMcGuire, Hastings, Duncan, McBain (Paatelainen 76), Cowie, Imrie (Black 76), Wyness, Bayne Subs: Watt, McAllister, Kerr, Vigurs, Malkowski Referee John Underhill Attendance 4526 Manager Craig Brewster made two changes to the side that had managed a 1-1 draw with Dundee United. Out went Marius Niculae and Ian Black with Dennis Wyness and Graham Bayne replacing them. Russell Duncan made his 250th ICT appearance in this game. Motherwell started brightly and within 10 minutes had established a 2-0 lead. A couple of early chances came to nothing but in 7 minutes Ross McCormack found David Clarkson in the box with a pass and he took a touch before sending a powerful shot past Fraser. Three minutes later it was number two, this time down the left. Stevie Hammell crossed to the back post and Chris Porter was there to head home his 13th of the season. Caley Thistle at this stage were not in the game at all and further chances fell to Motherwell with McCormack, Porter and Clarkson combining to run the Caley Jags ragged. The only bright spot for Caley Thistle up to this point was a Don Cowie effort that had gone well wide but in 19 minutes he was to get one on target well and truly against the run of play. A flick from Wyness fell just nicely for him and he blasted a dipping, swerving shot past the helpless Graeme Smith from 25 yards. 2-1 The game was a little more open after this but Motherwell were definitely in the ascendency and in 25 minutes Mike Fraser did well to get down and push away a Ross McCormack effort that looked goal-bound. It all went pear-shaped again in 41 minutes when the ever impressive David Clarkson got his second and Motherwell's third. A corner was floated in by Hammell and headed out of defence but it only got as far as Clarkson on the edge of the box and he volleyed it into the roof of the net giving Fraser no chance. Caley Thistle almost got one back immediately through Dougie Imrie as play raged to the other end but Smith got the better of him in a one-on-one situation and Dennis Wyness couldn't connect with the rebound. Half Time: 3-1 The second half started brightly, with Porter hitting the bar just 30 seconds after the restart and a couple of minutes later, Ross Tokely heading the ball onto the junction of post and bar from a Don Cowie corner with the keeper well beaten. In 51 minutes, Caley Thistle hit the bar again. This time it was Grant Munro getting on the end of another Don Cowie corner. The first half, and the early stages of the second half were full of pace and action, but inevitably, when that happens things eventually slow right down and so they did. As the pace of the game dropped, so it seemed did Caley Thistle's chance to come back into it. In fact, one of the few highlights of the second half was the substitution of the referee. John Underhill was injured and 4th official Frank McDermott had to take over in 75 minutes. McDermott didn't have a lot to do but did have a moment of controversy five minutes from the end. In what looked like a stonewall penalty claim, Duncan went down in the box but the referee waved away the claims and the game fizzled out without any further action. Full Time: 3-1
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