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  1. Ring Rusty Caley Jags Hamered Doon. Despite the hosts having the better chances, including Miles Storey hitting the bar and Ferguson making some excellent saves, the first half ended goalless. The deadlock was broken just after the hour when Nortei Nortey ran through to score his first goal for Queens. Plenty of effort but not enough guile or composure and lots of misfortune saw Inverness take nothing from this game as the Doonhamers held on for all three points. That result leaves Inverness still second bottom although the table is a mess with postponed games. RIG has this report ready: The stunning lack of creativity in this team was on full display tonight. We might have been missing players but so were QotS so I am not having that as an excuse. Storey and Mackay, whilst willing and hard working on the flanks did not create enough throughout the time they were on the pitch to have us in a more comfortable position. A good cross by Mackay in the first half which found Storey who saw his effort deflect over / wide was as good as it got. When MacGregor came on later on and popped up on the left side he was continuously looking to cut back in on his right and with no support down the left side he was easily nullified. Keatings, despite a nice effort from a free kick in the second half, was largely anonymous and there was a huge gap between him as the 10 and the 6 and 8 at the base of the middle triangle. Defensively I thought we were mostly fine save for the moment that mattered. Grim defending and after that Queens sat back with 9 men behind the ball and challenged an insipid ICT, who had struggled to break them down for most of the game prior to the goal, to work their way through a superbly drilled defensive line. Needless to say it did not go well for us although Harper put in a nice ball for Toddy who probably should have scored. Apart from that though... For all our possession, as alluded to above, we did previous little with it and as such I cannot begrudge Queens the win. Maybe if we had created numerous great chances and Ferguson had pulled off a string of saves then I might feel aggrieved at being "robbed" but from the small number of really good chances we did have I cannot recall him being overly troubled. The action from Wednesday night... OFFICIAL MATCH REPORT FROM ICTFC Thoughts from CTO doofers dad: We've played worse than that and won. I thought we had some decent build up play and put them under a lot of pressure, but too often we hadn't got the close control or inventiveness to create clear cut chances. Then when we did shoot, the shooting was woeful. Maybe lacking a bit of confidence and match sharpness, but we don't have anybody who looks as though they could score goals on a regular basis and that's a worry. Stirling Observer: Positive me thinks there is a decent team there and it's down to a lack of match practice and sharpness due to the fragmented number of games over the last 2 months. I am hopeful it will click into place and we will hit a run of form and climb table. Negative me thinks our central defence is worryingly soft, we have a lack of wingers to create anything, we have a lack of a goalscorer. We are in for a relegation battle or at best a low placed finish. There's also a lot of unhappy bunnies on the forums, only time will tell which faction have the right end of the stick. Date: 17/02/2021 Venue: Caledonian Stadium Attendance: 0000 Referee: David Lowe Inverness CT: 0 Manager: John Robertson Lineup: Ridgers; Duffy, B Mckay, Deas, Harper, D Mackay (MacGregor 73), Welsh (Carson 78), Allardice, Sutherland, Keatings (Todorov )73, Storey Subs (not used): C Mackay; Devine, Nicolson, Hyde Scorers: none Booked: Todorov (87), Allardice (90+5) Sent Off: none Queen of the South: 1 Manager: Allan Johnston Lineup: Ferguson; Gibson, Buchanan, Breen, Maxwell, Nortey, Obileye, Jones (Goss 77), McGrory (McMahon 90+5), East, Dobbie (Joseph 60). Subs (not used): Rae; McKechnie, Camara Sylla. Scorers: Nortey (63) Booked: Maxwell (35), Obileye (87), Joseph (89) Sent Off: none a
  2. Caley Jags beat Ayr and the weather. Wet and windy was the order of the day as Inverness beat Ayr United with a goal in each half. After half an hour, Daniel Mackay finished off a swift break forward after getting on the end of some neat one touch football. Ten minutes after the break Shane Sutherland did well to control, turn, and fire the ball into the net after Todorov drove the ball goalwards. Both keepers pulled off some excellent saves but Inverness were deserved winners to lift them up above Ayr in the league. Andre Wright missed out for Ayr having picked up a groin strain with Michael Moffat starting up front. Former Caley Jags Tom Walsh and Joe Chalmers were both in the starting XI. Inverness shook their squad a bit after failing to hit the target against Queen of the South in midweek. Miles Storey, James Keatings, Brad Mckay and Sean Welsh found themselves on the bench. There were starts for Roddy MacGregor, David Carson, and Nikolay Todorov with Robbie Deas and Danny Devine back in the heart of the defence. A wet and windy afternoon greeted the players at Somerset Park. At least it's football of sorts I hear you say. A wind assisted Ayr came flying out of the blocks and forced a couple of corners in the first minutes and had Mark Ridgers grasping the ball before Ayr players got on the end of it at one point. It took the visitors fully five minutes before we got our foot on the ball. Dan Mackay did put the ball in the net with a lovely bending finish but the whistle had already gone. An early clearance from Ayr keeper Sinisalo bounced menacingly over Ridgers' bar, the keeper watching it anxiously. Ayr were buzzing around the Inverness defensive zone but neither side were able to test the keepers yet. First test for Sinisalo came after a tidy break forward on the right side. Carson drilled a low ball into the box and a turn and shot from Sutherland saw the keeper save comfortably. Ayr also had the ball in the net when Tom Walsh crossed into the box, but Miller climbed all over the defence to head home. Foul given though. Another turn and shot at the other end, this time from Todorov, another comfortable save for the keeper. Had either of these efforts been struck better we might have troubled the keeper, but both efforts were smothered when striking making it easy for the young keeper. After half an hour the visitors opened the scoring with a swift break and excellent low finish from Daniel Mackay. Danny Devine started it with a ball forward and three or four passes later Danny finished superbly with assists from Toddy and Sutherland. Five minutes before the break McCowan had a snapshot saved at his near post by Ridgers. Two minutes later he produced a brilliant save from the same player as his header bounced down to the keepers left, Ridgers diving full length to turn the ball round the post. Joe Chalmers fired a wind assisted effort from distance that had Ridgers scampering across his line but it flew just wide minutes before the break. Half Time: 0-1 Mackay latched onto the ball some distance out at the start of the second half but shot high over the bar, in fact almost over the stand. The Caley Jags doubled their lead ten minutes into the second forty-five when Shane Sutherland shot home from inside the box after controlling a Todorov drive for goal before turning and drilling behind the keeper. Soon after, Todorov found the angle too tight when through on the keeper who made an important block and moments later Ayr did well to scramble an Allardice free kick from the edge of the box away to safety. A free kick to Ayr was charged down when Chalmers tried for goal from the touch sideways as Ayr struggled to make progress and as the weather worsened Miles Storey replaced Nikolay Todorov. Almost immediately Sinisalo pulled off a tremendous save to deny Robbie Deas who had the goal at his mercy after a pinpoint cross from Cameron Harper. Ridgers did have an important block to make as a powerful shot from close range was pushed away for a corner, Walsh with the strike. Up the other end a Storey surge forward ended with Carson firing over the bar. Ayr were running out of ideas and the pitch was starting to look the worse for wear as we entered the final ten minutes, but Inverness were resolute in defence and restricted Ayr to fleeting glimpses of goal whilst always looking dangerous on the break. Time ran away from the hosts as they searched for a way through the visitors defence, but Danny Devine was calm under pressure and most Ayr raids floundered on the big defender back from injury. A deserving away win for Inverness after a frustrating few weeks and nobody was better than David Carson who was my MotM. Highlights from Ayr TV Here's a more detailed report from RIG An excellent result against potentially very difficult opposition in far from ideal weather conditions. As is usually the case in Ayr the home side started very brightly. We often find ourselves under the cosh early doors at Somerset and today was no different with the windy conditions not helping. Ayr settled quickly and were soon stroking the ball around well looking to hit Walsh and McCowan on their respective flanks. The former, well known to ICT fans of course, was the main focus as he frequently cut inside Duffy on the left flank and looked to hang balls up to the back post for team mates to attack. Whilst Walsh was looking threatening on the Ayr left, on the other side the in form McCowan was being marshalled well by Harper with the Ayr player barely in the game until a tactical switch by Kerr later in the first half saw him move into the middle. Bizarrely the first chance of the game fell to the Ayr keeper Sinisalo when he launched a goal kick forward which caught the wind and almost had Ridgers scrambling to keep it out of harms way. Not too long after this Cammy Smith broke through the ICT defence and cut the ball back for team mate Moffat but the ICT defence was able to clear the danger. Most of our attacks were starting from long balls forward with Toddy displaying some deft control to take in these high balls and link with team mates to relieve the pressure on the Caley Thistle rear-guard. Carson, breaking forward, fired a low pass to the feet of Sutherland just inside inside the penalty area and he rolled his marker and shot straight at the United keeper. Ayr were next to threaten when Walsh, again cutting back onto his right foot, swung a high cross to the back post from the left where Michael Miller met it and found the net but it was correctly ruled out for a push on Harper. Todorov then had a chance with a similar effort to that of Sutherland a few minutes before as he also rolled his marker in the box but he too sent his effort down the keepers throat. Not long after this we opened the scoring with a crisp counter attack. Devine sent a controlled ball to the feet of Todorov who collected the ball and played it across to Sutherland on the Ayr right side. He then laid the ball off to the onrushing MacKay who strode onto it confidently and dispatched his shot beyond the despairing Sinisalo to open the scoring. Ayr responded with a tactical switch moving Walsh to the right, Smith to the left and let McCowan roam in the middle behind Moffat and it almost paid off when McCowan found himself just inside the penalty area in acres of space but he wasn't able to make the best of the opportunity and ICT were able to clear the danger. McCowan then almost scored again when his header from a Walsh cross was beaten round the post at close range by Ridgers. This was to be the last we would see of McCowan in the game as he was completely negated by Allardice and Carson in the second half and whilst Walsh continued to offer a threat on the Ayr right Smith drifted from the game on the opposite flank and this change really curtailed Ayr as a fluent attacking force. Only a few minutes into the second half and we grabbed a vital second goal. Todorov saw his effort blocked by his own team mate Sutherland and it was Caithness Cristiano who was first to the ball to fire it into the net with Ayr players claiming for offside. And it was almost three when Todorov bundled his way into the box and with MacKay unmarked in the centre chose to go it alone but saw his shot suppressed by a late challenge. Allardice was next to threaten for Inverness when he sent a free kick low under the Ayr wall as it jumped and it was partially saved by Sinisalo and United cleared at the second attempt. Again, the next best chance fell the way of ICT when Robbie Deas met a free kick from only a few yards out but his header was right at the Ayr keeper. Ayr almost got a goal back when Walsh, still causing problems for Harper on the ICT left, flashed a ball across goal which MacKenzie latched onto but he sent his low effort wide of the goal with Ridgers stranded. Walsh then had an effort at goal himself when he collected the ball at the back post and leathered an effort towards goal which Ridgers saved with his knee with Devine also lunging in to block. In the end though we hung on for a big three points after an excellent performance that probably should have seen us concede a goal but also should really have been much more comfortable given the chances that were passed up. Big call for Robbo to drop four players from Wednesday but they paid dividends with MacGregor, Todorov and Carson all impressing today. MacGregor offers a much more mobile link between our midfield two in front of the defence and the wide players / forward than Keatings does whilst Carson was tenacious alongside Allardice marshalling McCowan well after he moved inside and also breaking forward to support our counters attacks. Todorov showed some excellent touches holding the ball up and Ridgers pulled off some superb saves particularly from McCowan and Walsh in each half. As mentioned earlier I think Kerr's changes to the three behind Moffat disrupted the fluency of Ayr's attacks and whilst Walsh was still a threat McCowan and Smith were anonymous after the break. They didn't seem to have anything in the centre of the pitch to break up our counter attacks with Murdoch and Chalmers nowhere to be seen at times. Cheers RIG, great in depth report on the game and tactics in action And here's Bazza post match Date: 20/02/2021 Venue: Somerset Park Attendance: 0000 Referee: Peter Stuart Ayr United: 0 Manager: Mark Kerr Lineup: Sinisalo; Muirhead, Murdoch, Ndaba, Baird, Moffat, Smith (Hewitt 75), Miller (McKenzie 58) , Chalmers, McCowan, Walsh (Zanatta 86). Subs (not used): Hare-Reid; Reading, Roscoe, McGavin Scorers: none Booked: McCowan (54), Muirhead (63), Ndaba (68) Sent Off: none Inverness CT: 2 Manager: John Robertson Lineup: Ridgers; Duffy, Devine, Deas, Harper, D Mackay (B Mckay 87), Carson, Allardice, MacGregor (Welsh 75), Sutherland, Todorov (Storey 68) Subs (not used): C Mackay; Nicolson, Hyde, Keatings Scorers: D Mackay (31), Sutherland (54) Booked: Todorov (35) Sent Off: none a
  3. Wasps sting the Jags with late penalty With temporary gaffers Barry Wilson and Ryan Esson taking care of proceedings, it was an energetic start for the hosts. However that was disrupted after twenty minutes when Innes Cameron burst through the middle to stroke the ball into the net as Ridgers came off his line. Against the run of play, but the Wasps did not care and they held the advantage to go in at the break one ahead. Not much was happening until Wallace Duffy thundered a left footer from over twenty-five yards high into the net. What a strike for your first senior goal. One minute later and substitute James Keatings was stroking us up to fifth in the table before the late penalty from Alan Trouten brought us back down to earth. Disappointing to throw away the lead, but there's more to be worrying about than a game of football. ***It was announced after the game that Neil McCann will take over until Robbo is ready to return*** A difficult period for the club on and off the park has culminated in manager John Robertson being given compassionate leave by the club due to a family bereavement. I'm sure all who know Robbo will offer their sincere condolences. Assistant manager Scott Kellacher is also recovering from severe illness and he too will require some time to recover and our best wishes go out to our management pairing. With that in mind it was coaches Barry Wilson and Ryan Esson that were in the dugout for tonight's game against Alloa. The hosts were without Aaron Doran, Anthony McDonald, Sean Welsh and James Vincent as well as other long term absentees Lewis Toshney and Kevin McHattie. David Carson was the star man at Ayr and he was in the starting XI tonight. It had been a wet and windy day and but the weather was taking a break with the wind dropping and showers less frequent as the sides took to the field. A bright start to the game for the hosts produced three corners in quick succession for the Caley Jags but the Alloa defence dealt well with the threat and managed to clear their lines. Carson continued where he left off at Somerset Park and was driving forward with menace. Cammy Harper floated a ball towards the edge of the box where Roddy MacGregor knocked down for Daniel Mackay but he miscued and the half chance disappeared. The same pairing created another opportunity soon after but the shot lacked power to trouble Neil Parry. A free kick to Alloa from Innes Murray range saw Ridgers save easily as Alloa came more into the game and a couple of minutes later they took the lead against the run of play. Ray Grant intercepted the ball in midfield from Devene and fed Innes Cameron who burst clear from midway and ran through to neatly side step and slot the ball past Ridgers as the keeper came out. A blow to Inverness and they would need to work a bit harder with Alloa now only two points behind as it stands after twenty minutes. Todorov picked out the run of Carson on the right but his cross come shot drifted just over the bar with 25 minutes gone. Alloa almost doubled their lead but a Cameron shot from around the spot was charged down with the possibility of an arm hitting the ball but nothing given. A free kick offered a heading opportunity for the towering Todorov but his downward header just went the wrong side of the post with Parry beaten. All the pressure coming from the hosts but a couple of testing balls from Toddy and Mackay saw no takers in the box which is surprising considering we were one down. Despite some intricate play, Neil Parry has not had any serious work to do yet and there's only five minutes before the break as he stretches to pluck a deep cross out of the air with aplomb. Carson got the break of the ball on the right and his clipped cross found Todorov at the back post but his header went over junction of post and bar. MacGregor picked up a loose ball on the edge of the box and drilled it home, unfortunately the whistle sounded just as he shot and play was taken back for a free kick to Alloa on the edge of the box Half Time 0-1 Like the first half, we forced a couple of quick corners but the pressure was relieved when a foul was given after the second one. Slack play was evident as a heavy shower lashed the park and Alloa introduced Innes Murray for Scougall five minutes into the half and Inverness racked up the corner count, Devine winning another corner. Parry had some work to do as he gathered a low shot from Allardice as the pressure continued. A rare break forward found substitute Innes Murray at the back post but he slashed his shot well wide of the mark, a let off for the Caley Jags. With half an hour left Miles Storey replaced Dan Mackay. Too many hapless long hanging balls into the box were collected by Parry with ease as we struggled to create decisive opportunities. James Keatings replaced MacGregor as we looked to create more but with less than twenty minutes left, nobody was holding their breath. Out of the blue after a couple of fresh air swipes at the ball inside the box, Wallace Duffy strode onto the ball some twenty five yards out and lashed a thumping left footer high behind Parry for his first goal for the Caley Jags and a much needed goal tonight. In dramatic fashion, moments later Keatings buried the ball into the bottom of the net to turn this game on it's head. It should have been three minutes later but Storey dollied a penalty into the keeper. Inverness were swarming all over the Wasps now and Keatings flashed a header just wide with Parry scrambling to get there, and again Alloa got the benefit of another 'goal' when a Storey header beat Parry once more. The craziness continued when Alloa got a stonewall penalty after Harper tripped Robertson in the box and Trouten did what Storey should have done, scored to make it 2-2. A frantic finish saw corners taken and defenders clearing their lines at the expense of more corners and Alloa still trying to break at pace, but alas for the Caley Jags it ended all square. Full Time 2-2 The second half exploded into life with Duffy's thunderous strike and then Keatings' goal. It all looked rosey when we were awarded a penalty but Why Storey took it only he will know. That could have taken the stuffing out of Alloa but they went up the park and got a penalty of their own, and well, Trouten just does not miss. A frenetic last twenty minutes livened up a dull game, but the joy of turning this game round was neutralised by Trouten's 12 yard dead ball death strike. At that point we had reached fifth in the table, unfortunately it was not to be and Alloa will be delighted with their point. Match reaction from BBC Sport Inverness Caley Thistle coach Barry Wilson: "The performance levels were really high tonight - we created chances and dominated the game. Even though we missed the penalty we should still see out the game. It's really frustrating." Alloa manager Peter Grant: "I thought we should have been more comfortable at half-time. This group have fantastic spirit and they showed that. I'm delighted to get the point at the end." Full highlights from Caley Jags TV Date: 23/02/2021 Venue: Caledonian Stadium Attendance: 0000 Referee: Grant Irvine Inverness CT: 2 Manager: Barry Wilson/Ryan Esson (John Robertson on compassionate leave ) Lineup: Ridgers; Duffy, Deas, Devine, Harper, D Mackay (Storey 61), Carson, Allardice, MacGregor (Keatings 71), Sutherland, Todorov Subs (not used): C Mackay; Nicolson, Harkness, Hyde, B Mckay. Scorers: Duffy(77), Keatings (78) Booked: none Sent Off: none Alloa Athletic: 2 Manager: Peter Grant Lineup: Parry; Taggart, Dick, Graham, Hetherington, Robertson, Cawley (Buchanan 83), Scougall (Murray 53), Grant, Trouten (Jameson 87), Cameron Subs (not used): Wright, Brown, Connelly, Thomson, Scorers: Cameron (20), Trouten (87 pen) Booked: Graham (73) Sent Off: none a
  4. Too little too late. Dundee manager Jake McPake looked to have tightened his shoogely peg as first half goals from Max Anderson and Jason Cummings put Dundee in at the break two up. Inverness were out of sorts in a poor first forty-five. Nikolay Todorov pulled a goal back with fifteen minutes left heading home a Cammy Harper cross. Inverness mounted a mini-comeback but fell just short as Dundee held on for all three points. Neil McCann returned to Dens Park where he had mixed fortunes as a player and manager. Tonight he would be in the away dugout with John Robertson on compassionate leave. His first game in charge was a 1-1 draw with Hearts on Friday night. Four days later and here we are at Dens Park looking to keep in touch with the teams in the top four. David Carson was on the bench after two MotM performances and Roddy MacGregor was not in the squad, presumably injured. Daniel Mackay and Scott Allardice were in the starting XI. As expected, Dundee were without Charlie Adam due to the results of the positive covid testing at Dens Park. Here's RiG with his match report Grim, grim, grim. Dundee were well on top at the start and although we pushed them back a bit they quickly re-established their dominance. They knew a high press against our back line would work given McCann's preference to play out from the back and players were often caught in possession. Meanwhile, our defence looked haphazard any time a cross or long throw came anywhere near it. McDaid turning Duffy inside out for a good chunk of the first half before he eventually realised he could nullify him by sending him towards the bye line was criminal in how long it took to be employed. By that time though the damage was largely done. McMullan was ripping Harper apart on the ICT left and he sent in a cross that found Max Anderson as he burst into the penalty area and although Ridgers did well to save his first effort the Dee player made no mistake at the second time of asking and put Dundee 1-0 up. We rallied a little to push the home side back a bit and had some half chances but Dundee took a deserved two goal lead when a high ball into the box was missed and it landed at the feet of Cummings who spun round and whipped the ball into the net. Prior to this Dundee had great chances falling the way of Mullen, Cummings and Anderson who all had goal bound efforts blocked by Deas or Ridgers. It was one way traffic in the first half and ICT could count themselves fortunate not to be further behind. Half Time: 2-0 Second half was less eventful overall compared to the first. A suspiciously offside looking Storey broke through the Dundee defence but shot straight at Hamilton as the angle narrowed whilst Sow blazed over after good work by Cummings on a Dundee counter attack. We did get one goal back when Harper sent over a delicious cross from the left touchline to find Toddy at the back post and he thumped a header past the flailing Hamilton. Great goal from the big striker and one wonders what he needs to do to get a start. A similar move almost lead to an ill deserved equaliser but this time the header went wide. Grim performance from us. As has been the case at times this season we are poor for about 75% of the game then improve markedly for the final 15 to 20 minutes or look like we might do something. I know we have important creative players like Doran and McDonald out but we should be still be doing better than we are. We created precious little for most of that game it is extremely concerning going into a very tough game on Saturday against Alloa. Go behind in that and I don't fancy our chances of turning it around into a much needed 3 points. Neil McCann post match Date: 02/03/2021 Venue: Dens park, Dundee Attendance: 0000 Referee: Steven Kirkland Dundee FC: 2 Manager: James McPake Lineup: Hamilton; Fontaine, Elliot, Ashcroft, Marshall, McGowan, McMullan, Mullen (Sow 53), Anderson (Byrne 87), McDaid, Cummings (Aflabi 91) Subs (not used): Legzdins; Kerr, Fagan-Walcott, Robertson Scorers: Anderson (10), Cummings (45) Booked: McGowan (60) Sent Off: none Inverness CT: 1 Manager: Neil McCann Lineup: Ridgers; Duffy, Deas, Devine (B Mckay 77), Harper, D Mackay (Todorov 61) Welsh, Allardice (Carson 46), Keatings, Sutherland, Storey Subs (not used): C Mackay; Nicolson, Fyffe, Vincent Scorers: Todorov (75) Booked: Deas (63), Welsh (65) Sent Off: none a
  5. At the Crossroads With our season gradually disintegrating, we head to Recreation Park Alloa to face The Wasps @ the Indodrill Stadium. It's a 3:00pm kick-off on Saturday with both sides lingering at the wrong end of the table, games in hand or not. Our games in hand are dwindling away and there's little improvement in our league position. Four wins from sixteen games is not the form of a team challenging for a play-off slot to the premiership. This is now a crucial game in our season which is at the crossroads. Which way do we turn? Crossroads We have found Alloa difficult to beat recently with no wins in our last four meetings, such is the demise of our club. Financial constraints have seen us unable to attract the quality of player required at this level to sustain a challenge at the top end of the table and we are having to blood youngsters in the Championship. The latest jumping ship is James Keatings who has reportedly signed a pre-contract agreement with Raith Rovers. With little leadership on the park, it's difficult to get any consistency and Premiership football looks unlikely with the prospects of league 1 closer to the mark. It's a tough league to get out of at the right end and there's a fine line between challenging at the top to falling into a relegation battle and that is something we have to get used to pretty quick. We have eleven games left to save our season, which way will we turn? Last 10 Competitive Meetings 2 - 2 (H) 1 - 2 (A) 0 - 2 (A) 1 - 1 (H) 3 - 2 (A) 2 - 0 (A) 2 - 2 (H) 3 - 0 (H) 2 - 1 (A) 3 - 2 (H) Pld W D L F A +/- Pts 1. Hearts 18 12 3 3 44 20 24 39 2. Raith Rovers 16 8 3 5 32 24 8 27 3. Dunfermline 17 7 6 4 26 19 7 27 4. Dundee 16 6 6 4 30 30 0 24 5. Queen of the South 18 7 3 8 26 35 -9 24 6. Arbroath 18 5 6 7 15 20 -5 21 7. Inverness CT 16 4 7 5 24 21 3 19 8. Morton 17 4 7 6 16 22 -6 19 9. Ayr United 16 4 5 7 20 21 -1 17 10. Alloa Athletic 18 3 4 11 20 41 -21 13 All Championship games this weekend Raith v Dundee - Postponed - Covid Alloa v Inverness CT Arbroath v Queen of the South Hearts v Dundee Morton v Ayr United Only eleven games left and we need to start picking up points starting with Alloa away at the weekend, so get behind the guys, for better or for worse. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ OFFICIAL PREVIEW PPV STREAMING £12 FROM ALLOA TV +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Neil McCann pre-match with Alloa... ***Latest Team News*** Anthony McDonald has had an operation on his knee and with only a dozen games left in this season, it is unlikely we will see much, if anything at all from him this campaign. Roddy MacGregor is doubtful after the clattering he took against Hearts from Kingsley. The rest are back in training and will be needed as soon as they are ready for action before our season is beyond repair. It looks as though the best we can do this year is survive and get the youngsters some valuable game time ready for next season. This is not a drill! Alloa will make it difficult and for the first time ever we will probably be regarded as underdogs in this fixture. Their mix of experience, young loanees and dogged journeymen have been good enough to hold the Indian sign over us recently and I see little evidence that will change this weekend. Loan signing Innes Cameron seems to be prospering with game time and Innes Murray likes a free kick, both scoring against us in the last couple of meetings. Here's a wee reminder that not all left feet are just for standing on.... View full article
  6. At the Crossroads With our season gradually disintegrating, we head to Recreation Park Alloa to face The Wasps @ the Indodrill Stadium. It's a 3:00pm kick-off on Saturday with both sides lingering at the wrong end of the table, games in hand or not. Our games in hand are dwindling away and there's little improvement in our league position. Four wins from sixteen games is not the form of a team challenging for a play-off slot to the premiership. This is now a crucial game in our season which is at the crossroads. Which way do we turn? Crossroads We have found Alloa difficult to beat recently with no wins in our last four meetings, such is the demise of our club. Financial constraints have seen us unable to attract the quality of player required at this level to sustain a challenge at the top end of the table and we are having to blood youngsters in the Championship. The latest jumping ship is James Keatings who has reportedly signed a pre-contract agreement with Raith Rovers. With little leadership on the park, it's difficult to get any consistency and Premiership football looks unlikely with the prospects of league 1 closer to the mark. It's a tough league to get out of at the right end and there's a fine line between challenging at the top to falling into a relegation battle and that is something we have to get used to pretty quick. We have eleven games left to save our season, which way will we turn? Last 10 Competitive Meetings 2 - 2 (H) 1 - 2 (A) 0 - 2 (A) 1 - 1 (H) 3 - 2 (A) 2 - 0 (A) 2 - 2 (H) 3 - 0 (H) 2 - 1 (A) 3 - 2 (H) Pld W D L F A +/- Pts 1. Hearts 18 12 3 3 44 20 24 39 2. Raith Rovers 16 8 3 5 32 24 8 27 3. Dunfermline 17 7 6 4 26 19 7 27 4. Dundee 16 6 6 4 30 30 0 24 5. Queen of the South 18 7 3 8 26 35 -9 24 6. Arbroath 18 5 6 7 15 20 -5 21 7. Inverness CT 16 4 7 5 24 21 3 19 8. Morton 17 4 7 6 16 22 -6 19 9. Ayr United 16 4 5 7 20 21 -1 17 10. Alloa Athletic 18 3 4 11 20 41 -21 13 All Championship games this weekend Raith v Dundee - Postponed - Covid Alloa v Inverness CT Arbroath v Queen of the South Hearts v Dundee Morton v Ayr United Only eleven games left and we need to start picking up points starting with Alloa away at the weekend, so get behind the guys, for better or for worse. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ OFFICIAL PREVIEW PPV STREAMING £12 FROM ALLOA TV +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Neil McCann pre-match with Alloa... ***Latest Team News*** Anthony McDonald has had an operation on his knee and with only a dozen games left in this season, it is unlikely we will see much, if anything at all from him this campaign. Roddy MacGregor is doubtful after the clattering he took against Hearts from Kingsley. The rest are back in training and will be needed as soon as they are ready for action before our season is beyond repair. It looks as though the best we can do this year is survive and get the youngsters some valuable game time ready for next season. This is not a drill! Alloa will make it difficult and for the first time ever we will probably be regarded as underdogs in this fixture. Their mix of experience, young loanees and dogged journeymen have been good enough to hold the Indian sign over us recently and I see little evidence that will change this weekend. Loan signing Innes Cameron seems to be prospering with game time and Innes Murray likes a free kick, both scoring against us in the last couple of meetings. Here's a wee reminder that not all left feet are just for standing on....
  7. until
    Inverness CT -V- Arbroath Championship Football @ The Caledonian Stadium, Inverness Saturday 27th March 2021 @ 3:00pm Covid Restrictions - No Fans
  8. until
    Inverness CT -V- Morton Championship Football @ The Caledonian Stadium, Inverness Tuesday 9th March 2021 @ 7:00pm Covid Restrictions - No Fans
  9. Should Auld Acquaintances be forgot... We travel to Somerset Park, Ayr on Saturday for a 3:00pm kick-off against the Honest Men and renew acquaintances with a couple of former colleagues, namely Tom Walsh and Joe Chalmers. It's been a difficult few weeks for the Caley Jags with postponements in abundance although we did return to action in midweek after the big freeze relented. Unfortunately, despite dominating the game, we went down 1-0 to Queen of the South when Nortei Nortey scored his first goal for the Doonhamers. We seemed to lack composure or pick the right ball as we failed to unlock the visitors defence and resorted to shooting from distance which keeper Ferguson dealt with comfortably. Failing that, many of our efforts were blocked before troubling the keeper or blazed high and wide which meant a frustrating night all round for the Caley Jags and their supporters. Ayr have not played since losing narrowly to Hearts a couple of weeks ago, a Liam Boyce penalty the only difference between the sides. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ OFFICIAL PREVIEW Ayr United PPV £12.50 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Last 10 Competitive Meetings against Ayr United going back to August 2018 1 - 1 (H) 0 - 1 (A) 2 - 0 (H) 2 - 0 (A) 1 - 1 (H) 3 - 1 (A) 1 - 0 (A) 3 - 2 (A) 1 - 0 (H) 0 - 0 (H) Incidentally, that 1-0 defeat shown in the above stats for January 2020 was the first win for Ayr in 17 years covering 14 games. We drew the first encounter this season in the Highlands when Nokolay Todorove earned a point with an 86th minute goal after Innes Cameron gave United the lead around the hour. All fixtures on Saturday at 3:00pm Ayr United v Inverness CT Arbroath v Raith Rovers Dundee v Queen of the South Dunfermline v Alloa Athletic Hearts v Morton Latest Team News Robbo will be without the usual long term crocks, Kevin McHattie and Lewis Toshney (is he a real thing). Add Aaron Doran and recent loan signing Anthony McDonald to that list. James Vincent is a new short term casualty, another training ground injury. Good to see David Carson back on the pitch in midweek, his energy has been missed. Looks like more game time coming for our youngsters over the next few weeks which will see two games a week for the foreseeable future. Mark Kerr has defender Jordan Houston returning to the squad after injury. We know all about the dangers that Walsh and Chalmers possess but there's more to United than that. Former Aberdeen and Dundee United forward Cammy Smith will cause problems and never write off veteran Michael Moffat. Young keeper Sinisalo is also proving to be an excellent shot stopper. The team that night v Hearts: Sinisalo, Miller, Muirhead, Baird, Ndaba, Chalmers (McGavin 79′), Murdoch, Walsh (Moffat 74′), Smith, McCowan, Wright. Robbo talking ahead of the trip to Ayr...
  10. Blown Away Arbroath came off the foot of the table at the weekend after beating Morton, something Inverness had failed to do one week ago. Inverness were starting to flirt with the wrong end of the table after the Morton result. A windy encounter saw Jack Hamilton gave the hosts the lead right on the interval, punishing some weak defending to slot home. Just after the break Shane Sutherland headed Inverness level. This game was carried forward from 2nd January when a frozen pitch saw the game called off. John Robertson had to make some defensive alterations with Robbie Deas and Daniel Devine missing. In came Brad Mckay and striker come centre half Nikolay Todorov. Miles Storey returned to action up front with Doran, MacGregor, Allardice and Carson on the bench. Dick Campbell handed Jack Hamilton his home debut with bin man Linn the wide provider. Plenty experience on the bench as well with Gavin Swankie and Kris Doolan. A very windy but dry Gayfield met the sides as the game kicked off with Alan Newlands the man in charge. First big chance of the game fell to Jack Hamilton but he mishit a Bobby Linn cross from six yards when it looked easier to score. The strength of the wind was evident when big Mark Ridgers struggled to get the ball thirty yards up the park from a goal kick before the wind halted the ball. Gaston on the other hand had no problem getting the ball to land in Ridgers' box. Aye, we all knew the weather would be a problem, let's see who masters it best. A strong burst on the deck down the left was the best we mustered after fifteen minutes but Storey's cross went behind. The pace of the game was dictated by the conditions and a midfield battle ensued with some untidy tackles ending in numerous free kicks. one such incident saw Keatings replaced by Scott Allardice after 25 minutes. Ridgers had to grab a corner kick from right under the bar as Arbroath got two corners in succession, the second one swirling into the box dangerously, a third soon followed as Linn curled a ball across the box that evaded everyone. Similar to Hamilton's early miss, Storey swung a ball into the box and Daniel Mackay couldn't get enough contact under challenge and the chance evaporated. A slack clearance in our box offered a glimmer of a chance to the Smokies five minutes before the break, but the loose ball was eventually cleared. Most Inverness bursts forward were going through Storey but the final ball is not forthcoming. Just on the interval, Arbroath opened the scoring through Jack Hamilton. He held off a weak challenge on the edge of the box before cutting a low ball back across Ridgers and into the back of the net. The jovial commentators enjoyed that as they headed for half a coo and bread as the interval came along Half Time 1-0 Half cow scoffed and there were no changes at the break, but the visitors squared the game within three minutes when Shane Sutherland headed a Cameron Harper cross in from close range. Good pressure from the Caley Jags kept Arbroath hemmed in and ended with Allardice rifling a shot across the keeper and just wide of the far post. Sutherland found himself without a marker at the far post from a Harper free kick, but unfortunately he fluffed his lines and the ball trundled into the keepers hands. Hamilton missed a sitter from six yards when he headed a tempting cross well over the bar. At the other end a Sutherland shot was charged down then another effort was put behind by Gaston, the corner wasted. Allardice's tenacity saw the home defence make a couple of blocks as we looked to get our noses in front with about ten minutes left and Cammy Harper forced Gaston into a routine save. Kris Doolan does like a goal against Inverness and he almost snatched the win but his shot bounced back off the base of the post with Ridgers beaten. Let off for the visitors. A couple of late corners came and went for Inverness but to no avail and a share of the points it was. Full Time 1-1 A draw about right but Arbroath will rue missing the better chances. I suppose a point in these conditions is fair enough for the endeavour on the park and hopefully everyone avoided hypothermia. Highlights can be seen at ArbroathFCTV Robbo talking post match Date: 03/02/2021 Venue: Gayfield, Arbroath Attendance: 000 Referee: Alan Newlands Arbroath Fc: 1 Manager: Dick Campbell Lineup: Gaston; Thomson, Little, O’Brien, C Hamilton, McKenna, Craigen, Williamson, Hilson (Doolan 80), J Hamilton (Donnelly 80), Linn (Stewart 61) Subs (not used): Gallagher, Swankie, Gold, Whatley Scorers: Jack Hamilton (45) Booked: none Sent Off: none Inverness CT: 1 Manager: John Robertson Lineup: Ridgers; Duffy, B Mckay, Todorov, Harper, Welsh, Vincent, Keatings (Allardice 22), Sutherland, D Mackay (Doran 71), Storey Subs (not used): C Mackay; Nicolson, Fyffe, Carson, MacGregor Scorers: Sutherland (48) Booked: Duffy (68) Sent Off: none a
  11. Ten man Ton grab a point An early goal from Sean McGinty was cancelled out in the fourth minute by a Shane Sutherland strike. Daniel Mackay put the visitors ahead after fifteen minutes. Morton were reduced to ten men with half an hour gone after Rabin Omar stopped a break forward and picked up a second yellow. That seemed to spur Morton on and they had a 'goal' chalked off for climbing ten minutes before the break. no surprise when Morton grabbed a share of the points when Cameron Blue knocked home after sterling work by Gary Oliver. No more scoring and a couple of points missed out on by Inverness against ten men for over half a game. After a prolonged break for various reasons, the Caley Jags played their first game since drawing with Dunfermline on 29th December 2020. The enforced lay-off meant that our match sharpness would be questioned by a Morton side that have played three games since then, drawing twice and losing their last outing at Palmerston. It was an early kick-off at Cappielow, 6:30pm with live streaming available from Morton TV. Miles Storey was one of the players who failed to make it and Brad Mckay was nowhere to be seen either. Daniel Mackay getting a rare start and Wallace Duffy returning to right back with Brad out. David Carson was on the bench along with regulars James Keatings, Nikolay Todorov and Roddy Macgregor. Anton McElhone had Orsi, Salkeld, Lyon and McAlister on the bench with McGuffie, Oliver and Omar stating tonight. The winter weather looked to have taken it's toll on the Cappielow turf, some areas looking heavy before a ball was kicked in earnest. We didn't have long to wait for the opening goal as Sean McGinty fired high into the net with only three minutes on the clock. The visitors replied immediately, if not sooner when Shane Sutherland slotted home a minute later. Daniel Mackay then put Inverness ahead with a fine finish after a through ball from Aaron Doran, easing round the keeper to score neatly. Disaster for Ton after twenty-eight minutes when Rabin Omar stopped Sutherland bursting forward in the middle of the park and picked up his second yellow card of the night. He was sent packing for his troubles. That seemed to inject some urgency into the hosts and from a corner Morton McGinty had the ball in the net again but climbing was deemed to have occurred and the Inverness defence breathed a sigh of relief. Robbie Deas saw a shot saved as the Caley Jags looked for a cushion before the break, and just before the interval it was Morton that were sighing as Inverness had a 'goal' ruled out as well. Half Time 1-2 No changes at the break and five minutes in Morton survived a penalty claim when it looked like an arm was used to bring the ball under control in the box. Referee Stuart saw it as accidental after a long hard look at the incident. With heavy drizzle dampening the occasion errors were always going to be a danger. A long throw in from Strapp was returned to him and he launched a fierce shot that fizzed over the bar. An Inverness corner caused some concern in the home box but it was scrambled clear by the defence before Sutherland found himself shooting from an offside position. Morton almost levelled from a set piece when a Nesbitt free kick to the back post was knocked back almost onto the goal line, and with our defence ball watching Ledger tried to force it home. It was scrambled clear and when we eventually made our way to the far end Sean Welsh rasped a long range shot over the bar. Both keepers made routine saves thereafter before Sutherland made a hash of striking goalwards from a good position on the right side. Plenty of life still in Morton as we looked uncomfortable dealing with balls into the box. No sooner said than done! A good burst forward by Gary Oliver saw Cameron Blues knock the ball home from his cross eight yards out. Twelve minutes to go and a dribbler of a shot from Sutherland is cleared from the Morton line and substitute James Keatings' follow up volley is cleared. Morton are working so hard it's difficult to know if they have actually had a man sent off. A lung bursting run from Lyon allowed Strapp to cause more havoc in our defence as Morton looked to get a winner with five minutes of the ninety left. A late corner saw another one given as the clock passed ninety minutes but Morton clear well before Todorov appeared to miss a tap in as the ball bounced past him. McAdams did well to tip a deflected cross come shot away for a corner which ended the contest in a draw after more climbing at the back post was penalised. Full Time 2-2 A couple of points dropped against the ten men as we managed to get on a pitch for the first time in a month. Good to get amongst the goals but we looked vulnerable when Morton came forward. Maybe conditions and the lay off played a part but there's no rest for the wicked as Queen of the South come North at the weekend Here's what was said on BBC Sport Morton manager Anton McElhone: "Tremendous performance from the guys. It shows the determination, hunger and desire. "We knew that on the transition we could catch them out and the run from Cameron Blues was excellent. We are trying to strengthen; we've got a few more days and we are trying to do stuff." Inverness CT scorer Daniel MacKay: "It was good to get back in the team and get the goal - it was a brilliant ball through from Aaron Doran. "But it's about the result and from it nearly being a really good three points, to it just being the one point is disappointing." Match highlights can be seen here Date: 27/01/2001 Venue: Cappielow, Greenock Attendance: 000 Referee: Peter Stuart Morton: 2 Manager: Anton McElhone Lineup: McAdams; Ledger, Fjortoft, McGinty, Nesbitt, Oliver (Salkeld 79), McGuffie (Millar 63), Strapp, Blues (Lyon 73), Colville, Omar Subs (not used): McLean, McAlister, Muirhead, Orsi. Scorers: McGinty (3), Blues (66) Booked: Omar (19), Oliver (74) Sent Off: Omar (28) Inverness CT: 2 Lineup: Ridgers; Duffy, Deas, Devine, Harper, Doran (Keatings 70), Welsh, Allardice (Todorov 70) Vincent, Sutherland, D Mackay (MacGregor 83) Subs (not used): C Mackay; Nicolson, Hyde, Carson. Scorers: Sutherland (4), D Mackay (15) Booked: none Sent Off: none a
  12. Season hanging by a thread. GAME POSTPONED Should Nicola Sturgeon not shut down all sport in the aftermath of the ill advised and infamous Dubai debacle, then Raith Rovers should host Inverness on Saturday 16th January 2021 @15:00. As it stands, all football below Championship level in Scotland has been put on hold and all Scottish Cup games postponed until after the weekend of January 30/31st. If the Cup games do return to action, an eagerly awaited potential Highland derby could materialise should we first see off Buckie Thistle in a twice postponed tie. Anyway, frozen out in more ways than one at the moment. It barely seems justified or acceptable that I should be writing about a bunch of guys kicking a bag of wind around a frozen park in the middle of winter, but I suppose we need something to take our minds off the ongoing battle against coronavirus that has brought this and other countries to it's knees. We are not alone in this struggle, it's threatening the very existence of mankind so let's all try and do our bit to get back to some form of normality and do as we are asked. In the darkest days on this planet, world wars saw millions of people asked to got out and save our country by fighting the enemy, lying in muddy trenches, frozen, soaking and terrified, going to foreign lands, being apart from our families and the ones we love. Today, we are being asked to stay inside our own houses and wash our hands with soap and water. It's a small sacrifice, but one that is just as important as the previous battles that have killed millions around the world. I hope we can all help and ease the burdens on our Doctors, nurses, NHS, essential retailers and workers who are keeping the country going. So, over to you and let's beat the enemy you can't see. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Live Streaming from Raith TV Official Preview (when available) ICTFC Tribute to Ian Broadfoot Donation in memory of Ian Broadfoot ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Our last game was on 29th December when we drew 1-1 with Dunfermline in the Highlands. A stunning second half goal from Miles Storey cancelled out a first half strike from Kyle Turner. That endeth the scoring in a game both managers felt they deserved to win. Our previous game was on 19th December when we slumped 2-1 at Alloa having taken an early lead through the much maligned Brad Mckay. However a thumping free kick from Innes Murray and a gaffe from Mark Ridgers gifted the points to the Wasps as we simply crumbled. So, only one game in a month after the cup ties against Buckie Thistle were postponed firstly for a frozen pitch then the covid19 shutdown. Rovers see-saw season continues. High scoring yet also producing some stunning reverses. On boxing day they went to Alloa and came away with a 5-2 victory at what has been a difficult place for Inverness to pick up points. That game ended with a flurry of goals (Duku (17), Armstrong (33), Lokotsch (84), Ross (90, 90+3). Buchanan scored a brace for Alloa (75 & 89 pen). They followed that up with a surprising 2-0 home defeat by Queen of the South. The only certainty in the Championship is that there are no certainties, think Dundee 3-1 Hearts. We have played Raith twice already this season. A topsy turvy League Cup encounter at Stark's Park ended 3-3 with Raith taking the 'bonus' win after a penalty shoot-out. Back in November, we entertained Raith at the Caledonian Stadium in front of a covid restricted '300' fans. It was an excellent performance and James Keatings and Scott Allardice were the men that did the damage in what turned out to be a comfortable 2-0 win. Our record against Rovers has been tremendous over the years. Our last defeat was over twenty years ago when an understrength side went down 2-1 at the Caledonian Stadium. Fittingly, Ian Broadfoot was our reporter at the game on 28th October 2000. Here is his report: Injury-hit Caley Thistle lost this game because of a poor first half display. Despite this they nearly took the lead in 13 minutes when a David Bagan shot was blocked by Greig McCulloch and spun over the bar. Raith scored first in 16 minutes when Jim Calder failed to hold a Shaun Dennis cross and Jay Stein hit home the loose ball from six yards. In 21 minutes a poor headed clearance by Stuart McCaffrey was picked up by Andrew Clark and he set up Ivan Mballa and the Frenchman slammed the ball into the net from 12 yards. ICT had a penalty claim turned down in 38 minutes when Charlie Christie was brought down by Paul Browne. After the break the home side improved but Guido Van de Kamp denied them on several occasions. Paul Sheerin pulled one back in 79 minutes when he netted from close range after a good cut back by Roy McBain. Four minutes later Sheerin watched in frustration as Van de Kamp saved his low shot. As time ran out he came close twice more but Raith held on to win. Match report written by Ian Broadfoot Inverness would finish fourth that season with Raith ending up seventh. Last ten meetings between the clubs 2 - 0 (H) 3 - 3 (A) 4 - 1 (H) 2 - 1 (H) 1 - 0 (H) 4 - 3 (H) 4 - 0 (A) 1 - 0 (H) 1 - 0 (A) 1 - 0 (A) This time round, it will no doubt become known as the Kai Kennedy derby. The loan arrangers at Rangers have loaned the Ranger out to Raith Rovers after his loan spell at the Caledonian Stadium ended in January. He will be a huge miss to us with Aaron Doran having received a bang on the head and an enforced lay off because of it. Lewis Toshney and Kevin McHattie are out for around another month, but David Carson could be ready for a place on the bench. ***Latest Team News*** Wallace Duffy is set to return to action and Daniel Mackay and Nikolay Todorov are in pole position for a first XI start. Brad Mckay is available for selection as his suspension was only covering Scottish Cup games. Danny Devine took a knock at the end of the Dunfermline game but should be good to go for this one. Assistant manager Paul Smith is still in charge and Manny Duku is still banging in the goals, and along with Kai Kennedy and Ethan Ross they will be a handful for our defence. At the back, Mendy, Benedictus and Musonda are immovable objects so expect a tough day for our front men. Maybe Todorov will get the nod to combat the height of the Rovers defence. ***Even Later News*** Inverness Caledonian Thistle have a new Board More to follow......
  13. Season hanging by a thread. Match Postponed due to covid outbreak at Raith Rovers Saturday’s Scottish Championship match between Raith Rovers and Inverness Caledonian Thistle at Stark’s Park has been postponed after Raith Rovers informed the SPFL that they could not fulfil the fixture. SPFL Statement Should Nicola Sturgeon not shut down all sport in the aftermath of the ill advised and infamous Dubai debacle, then Raith Rovers should host Inverness on Saturday 16th January 2021 @15:00. As it stands, all football below Championship level in Scotland has been put on hold and all Scottish Cup games postponed until after the weekend of January 30/31st. If the Cup games do return to action, an eagerly awaited potential Highland derby could materialise should we first see off Buckie Thistle in a twice postponed tie. Anyway, frozen out in more ways than one at the moment. It barely seems justified or acceptable that I should be writing about a bunch of guys kicking a bag of wind around a frozen park in the middle of winter, but I suppose we need something to take our minds off the ongoing battle against coronavirus that has brought this and other countries to it's knees. We are not alone in this struggle, it's threatening the very existence of mankind so let's all try and do our bit to get back to some form of normality and do as we are asked. In the darkest days on this planet, world wars saw millions of people asked to go out and save our country by fighting the enemy, lying in muddy trenches, frozen, soaking and terrified, going to foreign lands, being apart from our families and the ones we love. Today, we are being asked to stay inside our own houses and wash our hands with soap and water. It's a small sacrifice, but one that is just as important as the previous battles that have killed millions around the world. I hope we can all help and ease the burdens on our Doctors, nurses, NHS, essential retailers and workers who are keeping the country going. So, over to you and let's beat the enemy you can't see. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Live Streaming from Raith TV Official Preview ICTFC Tribute to Ian Broadfoot Donation in memory of Ian Broadfoot ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Our last game was on 29th December when we drew 1-1 with Dunfermline in the Highlands. A stunning second half goal from Miles Storey cancelled out a first half strike from Kyle Turner. That endeth the scoring in a game both managers felt they deserved to win. Our previous game was on 19th December when we slumped 2-1 at Alloa having taken an early lead through the much maligned Brad Mckay. However a thumping free kick from Innes Murray and a gaffe from Mark Ridgers gifted the points to the Wasps as we simply crumbled. So, only one game in a month after the cup ties against Buckie Thistle were postponed firstly for a frozen pitch then the covid19 shutdown. Rovers see-saw season continues. High scoring yet also producing some stunning reverses. On boxing day they went to Alloa and came away with a 5-2 victory at what has been a difficult place for Inverness to pick up points. That game ended with a flurry of goals (Duku (17), Armstrong (33), Lokotsch (84), Ross (90, 90+3). Buchanan scored a brace for Alloa (75 & 89 pen). They followed that up with a surprising 2-0 home defeat by Queen of the South. The only certainty in the Championship is that there are no certainties, think Dundee 3-1 Hearts. We have played Raith twice already this season. A topsy turvy League Cup encounter at Stark's Park ended 3-3 with Raith taking the 'bonus' win after a penalty shoot-out. Back in November, we entertained Raith at the Caledonian Stadium in front of a covid restricted '300' fans. It was an excellent performance and James Keatings and Scott Allardice were the men that did the damage in what turned out to be a comfortable 2-0 win. Our record against Rovers has been tremendous over the years. Our last defeat was over twenty years ago when an understrength side went down 2-1 at the Caledonian Stadium. Fittingly, Ian Broadfoot was our reporter at the game on 28th October 2000. Here is his report: Injury-hit Caley Thistle lost this game because of a poor first half display. Despite this they nearly took the lead in 13 minutes when a David Bagan shot was blocked by Greig McCulloch and spun over the bar. Raith scored first in 16 minutes when Jim Calder failed to hold a Shaun Dennis cross and Jay Stein hit home the loose ball from six yards. In 21 minutes a poor headed clearance by Stuart McCaffrey was picked up by Andrew Clark and he set up Ivan Mballa and the Frenchman slammed the ball into the net from 12 yards. ICT had a penalty claim turned down in 38 minutes when Charlie Christie was brought down by Paul Browne. After the break the home side improved but Guido Van de Kamp denied them on several occasions. Paul Sheerin pulled one back in 79 minutes when he netted from close range after a good cut back by Roy McBain. Four minutes later Sheerin watched in frustration as Van de Kamp saved his low shot. As time ran out he came close twice more but Raith held on to win. Match report written by Ian Broadfoot Inverness would finish fourth that season with Raith ending up seventh. Last ten meetings between the clubs 2 - 0 (H) 3 - 3 (A) 4 - 1 (H) 2 - 1 (H) 1 - 0 (H) 4 - 3 (H) 4 - 0 (A) 1 - 0 (H) 1 - 0 (A) 1 - 0 (A) This time round, it will no doubt become known as the Kai Kennedy derby. The loan arrangers at Rangers have loaned the Ranger out to Raith Rovers after his loan spell at the Caledonian Stadium ended in January. He will be a huge miss to us with Aaron Doran having received a bang on the head and an enforced lay off because of it. Lewis Toshney and Kevin McHattie are out for around another month, but David Carson could be ready for a place on the bench. ***Latest Team News*** Wallace Duffy is set to return to action and Daniel Mackay and Nikolay Todorov are in pole position for a first XI start. Brad Mckay is available for selection as his suspension was only covering Scottish Cup games. Danny Devine took a knock at the end of the Dunfermline game but should be good to go for this one. Assistant manager Paul Smith is still in charge and Manny Duku is still banging in the goals, and along with Kai Kennedy and Ethan Ross they will be a handful for our defence. At the back, Mendy, Benedictus and Musonda are immovable objects so expect a tough day for our front men. Maybe Todorov will get the nod to combat the height of the Rovers defence. ***Even Later News*** Inverness Caledonian Thistle have a new Board Oh well, that's another preview in the bin. Best wishes for a speedy recovery to all affected.
  14. until
    Arbroath -V- Inverness CT ***MATCH POSTPONED*** ***FROZEN PITCH*** Gayfield Park, Arbroath Saturday 2nd January 2021 @ 3:00pm Championship Football Covid restrictions apply Live Streaming available
  15. No Post Turkey Trot @ Cappielow ***GAME OFF*** Waterlogged pitch After a pitch inspection at 09:45 this morning the game at Cappielow has been called off due to a waterlogged pitch. The game has still to be re-scheduled but will now be after New Year given the fixture is already in place for the 29th December against Dunfermline Athletic at the Caledonian Stadium. After an inexplicable collapse last week at Alloa, Inverness face an even tougher task on Boxing Day as they head for Greenock to take on form side Morton, who have jumped up to third in the table after excellent back to back wins over Queen of the South and Dunfermline Athletic. The game will kick off @3:00pm with covid restrictions in place meaning no fans in attendance at a down to earth rustic Cappielow. After a deserved win at East End Park for the Ton, they backed that up by beating struggling Queen of the South 2-0 on Saturday. Kalvin Orsi scored his first two goals of the season; a close range shot and a second half header from similar distance. The added bonus for the Greenock side is that interim manager Anton McElhone has been given the job at Cappielow until the end of the season after David Hopkins' departure. ********************************************* ‘TonTV Streaming Information Saturday’s game will be available to watch live for £14 on ‘TonTV. Supporters are asked to purchase in advance where possible to avoid any excessive online traffic before the coverage starts at 2.45pm. ********************************************* As all around us were dropping points, we failed to capitalise and capitulated worryingly at recreation Park. Most of that was of our own doing apart from a stunning free kick from Innes Murray, worth another look to be honest. After Brad Mckay had lashed in an early goal from close range we struggled to impose ourselves on the match and as Alloa grew in confidence, we regressed. Too many needless free kicks around the box led to the spectacular opener from Murray which Ridgers could do nothing about. However, he won't want to see the second goal as a simple collection squirmed out of his grasp and into the net. Oops, butterfingers was the cry heard in living rooms around the North. The disappointing aspect of this defeat was confirmed at 5:00pm as all other results would have been exactly as we would have wanted had we done our own job and won. Credit to Alloa, zilch for us. Boom! Worth noting that the village team from Dingwall are all heart in the lead up to Christmas and have offered a jobless man work for the next few months. It's a heartwarming festive tale that will see John Hughes try to scrape Dross County (damn you predictive text) off the bottom of the Premiership before the end of the season. Aye, good luck with that Yogi, some guid honest laddies there. Championship games on Boxing day, all 3:00pm kick-offs. Alloa Ath v Raith Rovers Dunfermline v Arbroath Hearts v Ayr United Queens v Dundee Morton v Inverness CT John Robertson had gone with an unchanged side for the third week in a row at Alloa. Maybe it's time to freshen up with Sean Welsh, Nikolay Todorov and Aaron Doran all starting from the bench and David Carson getting closer to match fitness. Certainly it seemed that we ran out of ideas quickly at Alloa and could not inject any urgency after the Waspies started buzzing. We were one paced and one dimensional which was a massive reality check given that the part timers had played a gruelling midweek cup tie against Hibs prior to our visit. Difficult to spot the full timers on that evidence. Robbo has said that Wallace Duffy is ready for selection and changes will be made with a hectic three game schedule coming up. Morton had this team against Queen of the South: McAdams; Ledger, McLean, McGinty, Strapp, Lyon, McAlister (Omar 69′), Salkeld (Nesbitt 66′), Muirhead, McPake (Oliver 77′), Orsi. OFFICIAL PREVIEW FROM ICTFC Robbo Shuffling
  16. Dumfries Cruise Inverness deservedly opened the scoring through Kai Kennedy in the 20th minute, his first goal for the club as he cut in from the left and scored low behind Leighfield from a tight angle, the ball coming off the keepers leg. Roddy MacGregor scored a second with a tremendous finish five minutes after the break to give Inverness a cushion. Miles Storey secured the points with a vicious left footed shot into the bottom corner from fifteen yards. Great three points for Inverness and consolidation in the middle of the table. Queen of the South were the last side we played back in March before covid19 came along and changed our lives. On that occasion Inverness ran out 3-1 winners. What happened on the night... John Robertson had slightly more choice than normal as injuries began to heal thanks to the International break and League Cup second round. Still without Kevin McHattie and Lewis Toshney, but the rest are on the mend and back training although not all back to match fitness. Inverness looked pretty in pink as they took to the artificial surface at Palmerston. TV on and tuned to BBC Scotland, James Keatings was first to show with a header that he should have done better with, but he missed the target from a great position. He was involved in the next opportunity when Deas made a great run forward to get on the end of it, but his effort was blocked by Leighfield as he slid in and from that save, Sutherland dribbled across the box but he smothered his shot and it was cleared. McKee got an effort away as Queens got forward but it was deflected for a fruitless corner for the hosts. Twenty minutes gone and the brilliant Kai Kennedy opened the scoring for Inverness when he dribbled down the left, cut along the byeline and drove the ball low into the net from an acute angle. First goal for Inverness and what a goal! Kennedy and Keatings had shots that troubled the Queens defence as Inverness pressed for a second. Dobbie broke on the left a las Kennedy but Shields effort was just wide of the post from close range. Queens were on a roll just now and another couple of efforts went close. Attempts at both ends thereafter but both keepers were mainly untroubled before the interval although Dobbie was starting to pull a few strings. Deas and Devine were intercepting most Queens forays forward and at the interval it remained 1-0 for the visitors. Half Time 0-1 No changes at the break and five minutes into the half Roddy MacGregor doubled the lead for the visitors. A great ball forward was headed on by Shane Sutherland to Brad Mckay who cut the ball across the edge of the box where Roddy met it perfectly to side foot the ball into the top corner. What a tremendous goal for the Caley Jags and young Roddy. There were opportunities for both sides, but the keepers were underworked until Inverness stretched their muscles again. Storey passed up on a great opportunity when he broke clear down the left but was forced wider than he would have liked. His shot hit the side netting when a bit of composure would have seen him score but he would not be denied. Miles Storey scored a superb third to seal the points as he turned and slotted into the bottom corner with some venom ten minutes from time. No more than Inverness deserved after a long throw in by Brad Mckay found Miles in the box. Miles better as they say around here. On a night when the clubs saluted Diego Maradona, young Roddy MacGregor wrote a whole new book of skills and capped it all with a tremendous goal. Kai Kennedy was another who impressed again and in truth, there were no flaws in the side tonight. Solid in defence, and playing with some style. The future is bright, the future is pink. Great result for Inverness who move on to 10 points. OFFICIAL REPORT What the managers said on BBC Sport Queen of the South manager Allan Johnston: "First half I thought we didn't start well at all. Then when we started to actually pass the ball, we created a number of chances, but we obviously weren't clinical. We just never had that spark tonight. We didn't do enough to get anything out of the game." Inverness CT manager John Robertson: "We're delighted. After such a good performance at home to Raith Rovers, you're worried especially with a young squad that you don't maintain those standards. Our squad's coming back slowly, and we just need to pick up points and keep it going." Congratulations to Mark Ridgers. He does like a clean sheet. That's 50 clean sheets in 133 appearances for the Caley Jags keeper and he tweeted this: Delighted to reach 50 and looking forward to many more!! Great result and performance again from the boys! Hopefully be home for sun rise now. Highlights from BBC/SPFL Date: 04/12/2020 Venue: Palmerston Park, Dumfries Attendance: 000 Referee: Steven McLean Queen of the South: 0 Lineup: Leighfield; Maxwell, Obileye, Buchanan, McKee, Fitzpatrick (McCabe 84), Pybus, Shields, Dobbie, Joseph (East 56) Gibson (Nortey 82) Subs (not used): Ferguson, McKecknie, McGrory, Goss. Scorers: none Booked: Fitzpatrick (58) Sent Off: none Inverness CT: 3 Lineup: Ridgers; B Mckay, Deas, Devine, Harper, Kennedy (Doran 78), Allardice, MacGregor, Sutherland (Todorov 84), Keatings (Welsh 72), Storey Subs (not used): C Mackay; Duffy, Vincent, D Mackay. Scorers: Kennedy (21), MacGregor (50). Storey (80) Booked: Welsh (90+2) Sent Off: none a
  17. Ayr today, gone tomorrow It's matchday two this weekend in the Ladbrokes Championship and the visitors to the Caledonian Stadium are Ayr United who have two former Caley Jags players in their ranks. Tom Walsh and Joe Chalmers joined the Honest Men in the summer and could be in the squad this weekend for the game that kicks off at 3:00pm. It is of course another covid restricted game played behind closed doors, with Alan Muir the man in charge of proceedings. Ayr's one and only win at the Caledonian Stadium came in 2003. That's seventeen years ago, and since then it has been five draws and four defeats for the Honest Men. Live streaming is available for all home Championship games through your season ticket or PPV for any game. The Ayr game will be our first broadcast match and can be viewed through the SPFL Portal. Let's hope it all runs smoothly. The link below takes you to the SPFL Portal from where you can view the games. You must have already registered to gain access to this portal. All live matches available on the platform are broadcast from a Pixellot camera, one of which has been installed at each Scottish Championship ground. The camera is unmanned and uses ball tracking technology. These cameras will produce 1080p (HD) footage and the broadcast will come with commentary. What could possibly go wrong...... ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Live Streaming link & PPV Official ICTFC Preview ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The opening fixtures saw mixed fortunes for the teams with Inverness going down 3-1 at East End Park. Nikolay Todorov had given us the lead in 88 seconds, converting a tantalising cross from Daniel Mackay. Unfortunately Pars captain Euan Murray scored his 4th goal of the season, all with the head, to level matters. Ryan Dow prodded home from close range as we failed to clear our lines in the last quarter of an hour and Declan McManus fired a superb strike into the top corner across keeper Mark Ridgers to seal the points. A disappointing outcome where we matched the home side for long spells but slackness at the back benefited Dunfermline who took full advantage and all three points with two goals in the final twelve minutes. To compound matters, goalscorer Todorov had to leave the pitch twenty minutes in after a nasty collision with Euan Murray where he took a heavy knock from which he never recovered. That's all three strikers crocked one game into the season to add to four other regulars that were unavailable. Meh! Here's the early strike from Toddy before he joined the crocked list...... Ayr opened their account by beating Queen of the South 2-1 at Somerset Park. Defender Michael Miller scored both goals with Stephen Dobbie grabbing a penalty for the Doonhamers. Both sides ended the game with ten men as Luke McCowan was sent off in stoppage time for Ayr with James Maxwell likewise for Queens just after the hour. Ayr had to thank nineteen year old Finnish keeper Viljami Sinisalo for making a magnificent save to deny Gregor Buchanan in the dying embers of time added on. A hard earned three points for Ayr, but it's three more than we got. Our injury woes are well documented with Miles Storey, Nikolay Todorov and Shane Sutherland all injured. David Carson, Lewis Toshney, Aaron Doran and Danny Devine all missed the Pars game although Devine was an unused sub. Kai Kennedy should be available after his isolation from the Scotland u19 squad covid problems. Dorans sketch is all we have seen of him so far this season. Here's the breakdown on the broken players: Lewis Toshney (hip flexor), Kevin McHattie (hip), David Carson (muscle), Miles Storey (torn hamstring), Nikolay Todorov (rib and lung bruising), Aaron Doran (knee) and Shane Sutherland (hamstring strain). Dario Zanatta was rested for the opener and Tom Walsh also missed out. Walsh has the Caley Jags jinx, hamstring problems. However, Joe Chalmers played and Patrick Reading made his competitive debut. Bruce Anderson and Michael Miller also featured and young Finnish keeper Sinisalo had a good afternoon. Other Championship fixtures this weekend. ARBROATH 0-1 HEARTS (Fri) ALLOA v DUNFERMLINE DUNDEE v MORTON QUEENS v RAITH ***LATEST TEAM NEWS*** John Robertson is without a number of players, particularly up front with Miles Storey and Nikolay Todorov out. Shane Sutherland is struggling to be ready in time and will be assessed late. Aaron Doran and David Carson have not featured in pre-season and Lewis Toshney was injured during it. Kai Kennedy has met his new pals and will enter the squad. Hopefully he will get some time on the park. Danny Devine will be fit enough to be included as he made the bench last week. Brad Mckay and Kevin McHattie have had to play in the opening games despite not being up to speed yet after a disjointed pre-season. Jesus Christ, he's like buses. Nothing for eight months then two images at the same time. Hi Aaron, hiya pal! Remember, all will be revealed soon as we enter the age of streaming where video will be the order of the day, so stay tuned to any statements coming from ICTFC or any of their media outlets such as Facebook or Twitter. Ayr signed Dundee United midfielder Cammy Smith on loan two days before they came North and he will go straight into their squad. He is signed until January, as is striker Innes Cameron who comes in on loan from Kilmarnock ahead of the trip North. Jordan Houston could return along with Zanatta, but Walsh looks set for another week or two on the sidelines. Luke McCowan is suspended after his late sending off against Queen of the South last Saturday. The evergreen Michael Moffat will be a threat as always. The 35 year old is still one to be watched and along with Cammy Smith will provide the pace and ammunition for the rest. Don't forget to check out all the latest from the fabulous Wyness Shuffle guys....
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