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Horner saves blushes Inverness came from behind twice to snatch a 2-2 draw against Dundee United after two former Caley Jags players had put United ahead. John Rankin smashed in the opener as the Arabs went in at the break a goal up. We levelled right at the start of the second half when Liam Polworth side footed a volley into the net. Billy Mckay capitalised on an Owain Fon Williams error late on, but Lewis Horner bundled in the equaliser in stoppage time to end the scoring. A mild but damp December afternoon greeted the players as the game kicked off with Xmas shopping looking like the winner. Yogi continued without David Raven at right back, but the bigger surprise was that Josh Meekings missed out through injury, as did Ross Draper. Lewis Horner was the man chosen to fill the position and he had a torrid time of it, but it was he who would have the last laugh as he netted the equaliser. Dundee United fielded two former Inverness favourites, and they would play a big part in the outcome. John Rankin was recalled to the starting X1 along with Scott Fraser and Chris Erskine. A brisk start for the bottom club and Billy Mckay almost scored in the first minute had he connected with a cross, and a couple of minutes later we had Owain Fon Williams to thank for blocking a Mckay effort from inside the box. We forced four corners in quick succession, all to no avail despite dangerous looking crosses into the box, but no takers in blue shirts were to be found. Lewis Horner was having a tough time of it down the United left flank. He was doing plenty of ball watching and lost his man a few times which was causing a bit of concern in the North Stand. Practically every United attack was coming through that channel and Horner was left exposed a few times. Iain Vigurs brought out a save from the keeper although it looked as though his header was going just wide anyway. We chose the wrong option plenty of times in the first half and did our best to help out United with a series of misplaced passes, electing to pick out players in tangerine despite our players clearly dressed in blue. Storey brought out another save when he tried to float in a shot from the left but it was dealt with comfortably. With twenty five minutes gone United once more capitalised on poor defending down their left wing. Scott Fraser wriggled clear on the bye line and his cut back was met by John Rankin who lashed the ball high into the net from twelve yards giving the keeper no chance. We had a shot charged down in a penalty box scrambulation, the ball just never fell kindly enough for us. Next, Devine found himself well forward as we neared the break but his shot whistled just wide. The miss of the match came a minute before the break as James Vincent looked set to head home, but he headed wide when it looked easier to score from Polworth's cross. Half Time 0-1 Hughes would have read the riot act at the interval and it worked as we were level within thirty seconds of the restart. Danny Williams did well down the left and he picked out Polworth with his cross and he duly guided the ball into the net from ten yards. That should have been the cue for us to kick on, but after a brief flurry we reverted to type and started passing the ball sideways and backwards again. Iain Vigurs had a shot wide and at the other end Scott Fraser made Fon Williams work to keep the ball out. The game went through an untidy phase with neither side creating much although Gary Warren saw a header miss to the right as the ball flashed across the goal, but United were starting to come more into the game as an attacking threat. Rankin had a shot saved and Fraser shot just over from outside the box. But it's Xmas time and presents are all the rage at the Caledonian Stadium. A speculative cross from the left should have been tidied up by Fon Williams but he dropped the ball at the feet of the wrong man and Billy Mckay turned villain as he scored against his old club. Gary Warren crashed a close range header off the bar as we tried to recover from this blow, and it looked all over for Inverness but we woke from our slumber once more to press for a second equaliser and another villain, Lewis Horner, turned saviour as he bundled a Williams cross just over the line. We almost had the audacity to score a winner, but despite a late flurry of activity the game ended all square. Full Time 2-2 We snatched a draw from the jaws of defeat but it wasn't our most impressive of performances. Too many sloppy passes ruined our first forty-five and it was no surprise that Rankin blasted United ahead after getting the opening down the left wing. Horner was being horribly exposed and the big surprise was that he came out for the second half. He did however stick to his task and got some joy with the equaliser. A disappointing result and performance really against a struggling side, but at the end of the day it was a relief to snatch a draw. This was a tremendous opportunity to crawl into the top-six, but we blew it big style and this result has dropped us down the table to ninth place. All the teams from second to twelfth are capable of beating each other and this result just shows that you can take nothing for granted in this league. My MotM goes to Gary Warren who had a couple of crunching tackles and tried his best to get a goal. Helping him out were Greg Tansey and, erm, well, that's about it. Not enough passmarks for anyone else to get a mention. Date: 19/12/15 Venue: Caledonian Stadium Attendance: 2981 Referee: Craig Thomson Inverness CT: 2 Lineup: Fon Williams, Horner, Warren, Devine, Williams, Tansey, Wedderburn (Tremarco 86), Polworth, Vincent (Sho-Silva 90), Vigurs (Mbuyi-Mutombo 68), Storey Subs (not used): Esson, Raven, Lopez, Foran Scorers: Polworth (46), Horner (90) Booked: Warren (25) Sent Off: none Dundee Utd: 2 Lineup: Szromnik, Durnan, Morris, Gunning, McGowan, Demel (Souttar 77), Rankin, Dixon, Fraser (Spittal 89), McKay (Dillon 89), Erskine Subs (not used): Zwick, Murray, Spark, Bodul Scorers: Rankin (26), Mckay (81) Booked: Durnan (5), Dixon (77) Sent Off: none

Mid Table Congestion. It's a mid-table battle to end the year at Hamilton as Inverness head to New Douglas Park to take on the Accies as both clubs strive to get into the top half of the table. Inverness fought hard for their point at Pittodrie on Boxing Day and will be a tad disappointed at only coming away with the draw after surrendering a two goal lead. It was great to have an almost full strength X1 available at Aberdeen with only Josh Meekings being the obvious exception. Hamilton lost to second bottom Kilmarnock on the same day and that result saw us jump above them in the league on goal difference. Accies are on a shocking run just now with only one win out of their last ten games, that being a defeat of bottom club Dundee United. They have now lost their last three games, conceding eight goals and scoring one. However, they did win in Inverness back in August, inflicting a 2-0 defeat on us in the Highlands. We have not made the most of some of our visits to NDP and often come away empty handed. In saying that, we have won our last four games there. Back in August on matchday five, Hamilton came North and goals from Carlton Morris and Louis Longridge won the game for them. That result put Accies fourth in the table and we were bottom equal with just two points after five games. We are starting to get a more settled side on the park now while Accies slide down the table and John Hughes will be looking to get something from this game. There's little to choose between the sides. We have scored one more goal but have conceded three less, hence we sit above them in the table. Recent form hints that we should be favourites to win this one, but that's never a good status for us. Inverness will be able to call upon Iain Vigurs after suspension, But Josh Meekings is still struggling with an injury after he missed the game at Pittodrie. Also out are long term victims, Aaron Doran, Dean Brill and Richie Foran. Jordan Roberts is fit enough to claim a spot on the bench and will be like a new signing when he is unleashed on the unsuspecting SPFL. Hamilton have no new injury worries although Michael Devlin and Darren Lyon are not ready to return, but Daniel Redmond played his first game this season last weekend in the defeat by Kilmarnock when he came on as a substitute in the 81st minute. tm4tj Prediction:- I suppose I was a bit scathing in the lead up to the Aberdeen game, but with players returning, we are starting to see a better all round balance to the side. Ross Draper was excellent at Pittodrie as was Miles Storey who ran himself to a standstill. With David Raven also returning at right back, we will be healthier defensively. If we can nick a goal or two then Dougie Imrie and Co will be staring at four defeats in a row. Here's hoping.

Return of the Mac. Basement boys Dundee United will be our last visitors before Santa comes along. The Tayside strugglers are propping up the league and thus far have made themselves favourites for the automatic relegation slot, although there is plenty of time to overhaul that eight point gap to second bottom Kilmarnock before next May. The clubs met back at Tannadice in September and bludgeoned their way to a 1-1 draw with Billy Mckay scoring for the Arabs after his return to Scottish football. Josh Meekings squared the game in the second half and a point each was just about right. Jackie McNamara was still in charge but things were not going well for the ex-Celtic player. That result left them on five points from eight games and second bottom of the league. Fast forward to the present, and they have hit rock bottom, sacked their manager and slipping into the Championship at an alarming rate. In the ten games since our last meeting, United have gained a mere four points out of a possible thirty. That's relegation form in any league. Their only win in that run was against Ross County, a draw with ten man Kilmarnock their only other positive result. Looks like new manager Mixu Paatelainen has plenty of work to do if he wants to avoid relegation being stamped on his CV. We have not had a lot to crow about either, but the return from injury of some influential players has seen us gather thirteen points over the same period. Four wins in that run of games, the Aberdeen one being the pick of the bunch. Also worth mentioning a 2-1 derby defeat of Ross County and despite our dismal start and erratic form we find ourselves eleven points above United in seventh place and knocking on the top-six door. Inverness have been able to field Richie Foran in development matches, although he got a smack on his face in the last one and left the field for treatment. Jordan Roberts also took part and that is good news for us. Ross Draper is struggling for fitness and will be assessed later. Definitely out are Aaron Doran and Dean Brill with Roberts and Foran likely to miss out. More good news, Miles Storey is fit enough to be included in the squad and John Hughes is looking to extend the young strikers stay at Inverness along with Tobi Sho Silva. Dundee United will be without Paul Paton, Ryan Dow until New Year and Florent Sinama Pongolle is out for a month. Japanese keeper Eiji Kawashima has still not completed his work permit tests based on his understanding of the English language. Not sure how much English he will need to get by in Dundee. United have struggled since losing Gary Mackay-Stevens, Stuart Armstrong and Nadir Ciftci, three players who could change a game. tm4tj Prediction:- Well, everybody else is taking plenty of points from the Arabs so anything less than that will be seen as a disappointment. Miles Storey will be vital to our success and the striker should start. The ongoing question of who plays at right back is one for Yogi to decide, but general opinion seems to be that David Raven should be there if fit. Plenty of choices now for the manager to ponder over and that's a bonus. Billy Mckay is worth keeping a close eye on, rumour has it he has an eye for goals. Home win for me, let's not make the mistake of underestimating a team down on their uppers.

Capital Return Game Off A welcome return to the Capital for Inverness Caledonian Thistle this weekend. It's been too long and this is our first League visit to Tynecastle since February 2013 after both Hearts and Hibs tasted relegation over the last couple of seasons. We have all missed our trips to Edinburgh since the demise of the Capitals big two, and this one comes along just in time for some Xmas retail therapy and mulled wine ahead of the festivities. However, if you are travelling from the North side of Edinburgh, be aware that the Forth Road Bridge is closed both ways for structural repair and you will have to take the long way round. I don't see why we can't use the fifth bridge. It doesn't rain but it pours, and a pitch inspection will be carried out at 07:30 tomorrow. Inverness looked relatively comfortable last weekend against Celtic but the same old failings cost us dear. A bit of slackness in defence and a lack of creation were evident as Celtic ran out eventual winners by three goals to one. It was great to have Gary Warren and Ross Draper back in the starting line up, but without the tenacity and creativity of the injured Ryan Christie, we were pretty toothless up front, despite the best efforts of Miles Storey who scored his seventh goal of the season. Celtic recovered well from their disappointment in the Ajax tie. They were deservedly hauled level at the break but they were able to ease towards the three points without much fear of retaliation in the second half. We could consider ourselves a tad unlucky given the circumstances of the killer third goal, but if you don't create sufficient chances for the front men, then you will invariably come up short. We had to play Danny Williams at left back against Celtic with Carl Tremarco out through injury. That is no bad thing, but one wonders why we are persisting with Josh Meekings at right back and David Raven on the bench, unless of course he is carrying an injury. Meekings and Warren were a formidable force in our cup winning season, but since Warren's injury, we have played Danny Devine in the centre back position. That was fine when we had no other options, but what are we waiting for now. Scoring goals has been a problem all season and with Yogi penning a new deal, will we see one or two following in his footsteps. It would be prudent to try and get Miles Storey on board before someone else notices his potential and prises him away. We have yet to see the best of Tobi Sho-Silva since he arrived. His best wee cameo was in our first win of the season ironically against Hearts in Inverness. He played a starring role in that game when he came on as a substitute, hitting the woodwork and winning headers in the box. He was involved in the sending off of Juwon Oshaniwa just before we sealed the points with a debut goal from Miles Storey. James Vincent had opened the scoring earlier in the second half after great work by Ryan Christie. Since that game in September, we have picked up only eight points from a possible twenty-seven, while Hearts have accumulated sixteen points in their nine games. That damning stats are consistent with the season so far as the Jambo's have almost twice as many points as we have, (31 against 17). The table is a good reflection on the difference between the sides this year. Hearts sit third and we are hovering just above the relegation play-off place. The Edinburgh side are ahead of us in every statistic, scoring 29 against our 17, and conceding 17 compared to our 22. It makes you wonder how we managed to beat them already. It's a funny old game. Our injury crisis has improved to just drastic now after the return of Warren and Draper, with news that Foran has also returned to playing some development games. Andrea Mutombo and Sho-Silva were substitutes against Celtic and will benefit from more game time. Dean Brill has even managed some glove work so things are looking up, although Carl Tremarco missed out against Celtic and could miss out again to add to Ryan Christie, Aaron Doran and Jordan Roberts on the sidelines. Dani Lopez is clear of SFA suspension and it will be up to the Inverness management if he is to feature. Hearts were boosted by news that Arnoud Djoum and Igor Rossi have signed contract extensions until May 2017. Alim Ozturk is fit enough to be added to the squad but Jamie Walker is out. tm4tj Prediction:- We are not in the best of condition right now and although we won the first encounter this season, we don't look capable of stringing a few results together to get us out of the rut we are in. Hearts on the other hand are sitting pretty, third in the league on merit and can produce some sparkling results. I hope we have turned the corner in terms of injury, but I still fear for us in games like this when we could get overrun. I hope I am wrong here, but we are still a long way from our best and it could be a bleak day out in the capital.