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Found 17 results

  1. City slickers beaten A thoroughly well-deserved victory for Caley Thistle thanks to a cool finish by Juanjo and converted free kicks from Craig Brewster and Barry Wilson. For high-flying Hibs their first competitive visit to Inverness was a bitter one - bitterly cold and a bitterly disappointing result. In early exchanges Roy McBain shot low and wide in 14 minutes and Ross Tokely blocked an overhead attempt by Derek Riordan in 21 minutes. Just after the half-hour mark a measured pass from Russell Duncan set Stuart Golabek free in the box and one-on-one with Simon Brown. As the ICT captain shot low to the keepers left he made a superb full-length diving save to keep the scoreline blank. The opening goal came in 38 minutes when the Hibs defence failed to clear a Richie Hart corner from the right and Juanjo nipped in, rounded two defenders and hit high into the net from an acute angle. Half Time: 1-0 It stood 1-0 at the break but the visitors should have equalised six minutes into the second half. Riordan seized on a short back-pass and headed for goal. He was forced wide by the diving Mark Brown and his angled shot came off the post. Grant Munro shepherded it away and the danger was past. This proved to be a defining moment as Caley Thistle quickly went two ahead. McBain was brought down by Ian Murray 22 yards out and Brewster's low free kick found the corner of the net. Hibee Garry O'Connor came close in 62 minutes but his 25 yard shot came off the bar. This was a rare effort from the visitors who failed to find the form that had taken them to third in the league. They went three down in 77 minutes after Juanjo had been brought down 19 yards out, left of centre. Barry Wilson's free kick took a deflection of the wall and Simon Brown failed to clear despite the assistance of the post. The referee and his assistant decreed that the ball had crossed the line although many in the stadium were unsure. 3-0 it was and, with a minute left, substitute Graham Bayne nearly made it four. His drive from outside the box hit the post and Simon Brown made a superb save from the strikers follow-up. Full Time: 3-0 A vital and unexpected win in the battle for SPL survival. Livingston beat Kilmarnock so the gap between eighth and twelfth is still ten points. On the other hand ICT are now just three points behind seventh-placed Kilmarnock with two games in hand. Now for Ibrox! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Inverness CT: 3 (Juanjo 38, Brewster 52, Wilson 77) Team: Brown; Tokely, Dods, Munro, Golabek, Wilson, Hart (Proctor 83), Duncan, McBain, Juanjo (Fetai 78), Brewster (Bayne 78) Subs not used: Fraser; McCaffrey, Hastings, Prunty - Booked: None Hibernian: 0 Team: Simon Brown; Whittaker, Caldwell, Smith, I Murray (Shiels 65), Murphy, Orman (Sproule 65), A. Murray (McDonald 46), Scott Brown, O'Connor, Riordan Subs not used: Brown, McCluskey, Morrow, Konte - Booked: None Attendance: 4443 - Referee: John Underhill
  2. Brewster loss in first game New manager Craig Brewster took charge of the team for the first time and was immediately dealt a blow when Roy McBain had to be replaced at the warm-up due to a muscle spasm. Liam Keogh took his place. The other change saw Stuart McCaffrey coming into the side for the suspended Ross Tokely. Most of the play in the early stages of the match was in midfield with both sides creating few chances. On the half hour mark Hibs nearly scored when Sam Morrow's 12-yard volley was well blocked by Mark Brown and from the rebound Gary Caldwell blazed the ball high into the stand. Three minutes after that Caley Thistle took the lead with a superb goal from Juanjo. The Spaniard broke down the left and moved into the box before curling an exquisite right foot shoot round the keeper into the net at the far post. The lead, however, was short-lived as the home side equalised five minutes later when the ever dangerous Derek Riordan ran down the left to the line and then cut the ball back for Guillaume Beuzelin to hit the ball home from 12 yards. The Hibees nearly made it two but Riordan drove wide with only Brown to beat. Half Time:1-1 Hibs made a substitution at the start of the second half and two minutes later they took the lead. David Murphy disposed Juanjo and moved the ball quickly through to Samuel Morrow who sent the ball to the right for Alen Orman. Orman drove the ball across the face of the ICT area and Riordan was onto it like a flash to volley past Brown. Richie Hart replied with a terrific header which was tipped over the crossbar by Simon Brown. At the other end Mark Brown was called into action once again to deny McCluskey's snapshot in a packed penalty area and Riordan then had another effort saved by the ICT No1. ICT's best chance for an equaliser came in the dying minutes of the game when Hart's long ball found Fox and the ex-Hearts youngster headed it down for the incoming Graham Bayne but the striker just missed making contact with the ball as he slid in. With the seconds ticking away there was just time for Mark Brown to pull off another fantastic save when he denied Riordan once again after fine work by David Rocastle. Full Time: 2-1 Overall we might have taken a point from the game. Livingston beat Kilmarnock and it is very tight at the bottom once again. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Hibernian: 2 (Beuzelin 39, Riordan 47) Team: Simon Brown; Whittaker, Caldwell, Murray, Murphy, Orman (Glass 83), Beuzelin, Morrow (O'Connor 61), Shiels (McCluskey 45), Rocastle, Riordan Subs not used: Smith; Brown, Dobbie, Fletcher - Booked: Murray (56) Inverness CT: 1 (Juanjo 34) Team: Mark Brown; McCaffrey, Dods, Munro, Golabek, Wilson (Fox 65), Hart, Duncan, Keogh, Juanjo (Prunty 78), Bayne Subs not used: Fraser; Proctor, Hastings, Thomson, Black - Booked: None Attendance: 9728 - Referee: Steve Conroy
  3. In midweek against Motherwell, the game was lost in the first 10 minutes. Caley Thistle's slump in form over the last few weeks helped them to go one better today and cut the time taken to lose a match to only five minutes !!! Despite a better effort in the second half, the 3rd minute goal from Nish and 5th minute goal from Fletcher were enough to seal all three points in a game where the Caley Thistle attack was as effective as a marshmallow carving knife. 23/02/08 Easter Road, Edinburgh HIBERNIAN 2 Nish (3), Fletcher (5) Team: Ma-Kalambay, Gathuessi, Hogg, Jones, Zarabi (Hanlon 85), Beuzelin, Rankin, Zemmama (Morais 65), Nish, Shiels (Murray 75), Fletcher Subs: Chisholm, Kerr, Canning, McNeil INVERNESS CT 0 Team: Fraser, Tokely, Munro, McGuire, Hastings, Cowie, Black, Duncan (Paatelainen 72), Imrie, Bayne, Niculae Subs: Wyness, McAllister, Vigurs, McBain, Kerr, Malkowski Referee Kenny Clark Attendance 12552 Difficult to know what to make of this weeks game. Despite the fact that the CaleyJags were the first on the stats sheet with a shot on goal which came from a Bayne Volley from the edge of the box which had to be pushed wide it was Hibs who were to get on the score sheet first….and second. With Colin Nish and Steven Fletcher putting Hibernian 2 goals ahead within the first 5 minutes it was tempting to head back to the pub. Both goals were one on one and Shiels looked certain to add a third and probably would have had he not tried to nutmeg Michael Fraser when he had the entire goalmouth to aim at. There’s been a lot of rumour about tension in the ranks and you could have been mistaken for believing every word of it having watched the first 10 minutes of this game. It was a nightmare start, but Caley Thistle somehow managed to get themselves composed and started to come on to a game as Hibs looked to sit back. We had loads of corners and plenty scrambles on the goal line but somehow we always needed a touch too many and none of us really believed we would ever score. Delivery was dreadful from dead balls, usually over hit. The conditions weren’t ideal, the wind was making it difficult to play accurate balls in to the area and at one point it looked like we might need to call for someone to stick a finger on the ball to allow Imrie to take a corner as the ball kept getting blown away. Added to this, the pitch seemed to cut up really early which meant that the ball was bobbling everywhere. As the saying goes “it’s the same for both teams”, but with Hibs managing to get a couple of goals on the board early, they really had given themselves that extra advantage. Half Time: 2-0 Hibs were just as bad as us a lot of the time and their fans got restless in the second half, there were even a few boos. Hibs just had more quality than us and those wee shouts you heard were Bayne asking if somebody could get him out of Jones' back pocket….he was battling hard but winning very little. If Marius had Fletcher or even Nish alongside him instead of Bayners we would probably have won it. That's without mentioning Shiels, Beuzelin and Zemmama. For me, Niculae was our best player on the day. He put in a good shift and chased back. I would also give Rossco, Black and Fraser pass marks. Cowie did OK too, and with a little more service he may have found the net - A couple of times he was wide in space and screaming for it and nobody had the vision, or maybe he's got leprosy!!! Marcus did OK when he came on. Imrie looked like he's off the pace for the SPL, though I must say against St Mirren he looked star quality. It’s a pity Proctor is still out injured as I would like to see him replace Tokely at right back and Tokely replace McGuire in the middle alongside Munro. We did have plenty of chances but they always fell to the wrong man or just resulted in the ball bouncing about in a crowded penalty box. Russell will have to hope no big Scandinavians were at the game. Did a lot of chasing and mopping up as usual, but his passes were far more over the place than normal. Just sign it Russell, while it's still on the table. Best moment for us was the chant of 'there's only one John Rankin' after he nearly sliced it into his own net. P.S. - To the young blonde lassie who got a surprise comp in her hand at 5 to 3, I know you were trying to pass me your mobile no but it's OK, really...lol
  4. Guest

    ICT 2-0 HIBS - Reserve game

    Basking in sunshine akin to the Caribbean, around 100 fans bathed in the heat wave, picnics in abundance and bikini's of all colours shapes and sizes on display. An interested array of managers also looked on, Brew and Patti of course, with Alex Rae, Kevin Drinkell, Neale Cooper and ex ICT leader John Robertson taking in the wares on offer. But I digress, on to the main ingredient, the game itself. An early chance for Hibs saw Zibi save with his legs from close in. Hart then had a shot blocked at the other end for a fruitless corner. After about seven minutes, Zibi effortlessly plucked an 18 yard shot out of the air, and two or three minutes later, Hibs did 'score' but the effort was ruled offside. Zibi seems better with his legs than his hands as he blocked another brisk shot from the angle of the six yard box with his shins, decent save this. Twenty minutes gone and Rory did some good hold up play after beating the defender, played the ball inwards to Hart but his low shot skidded just wide of the keepers right hand post. Some slack play all round as the bobbly pitch started to get the better of both sides. After twenty five minutes, Rory deservedly won a free kick in an encouraging position, but alas, Barry curled his effort into the keeper’s left hand side net, but the wrong side of the post. Half an hour gone and Watt started a decent move after a strong challenge deep in his own half, he surged forward before feeding Barry who shipped it on to Hart, but the shot was well blocked by the back tracking Hibees defenders. Hibs next to threaten when a free header from eight yards centre of goal was not powerful enough to beat a well positioned Zibi. Hibs number 8 was impressing in the first half and a good run and lay off from him resulted in one of the forwards curling a shot a yard too high. Next to show for ICT was Hart, but his final piece of action in his thrust through the Hibs defence saw him swipe at fresh air almost, and the ball eventually trundled towards the Hibs keeper. Good showing from Zibi Watt and Hart in the first half with Hibs having the sharper movement, but poor finishing from both sides evident. Half time picnics taken and still the afternoon sun blazing down, the teams returned to the fray and continued where they left off. Hibs first to attack but Zibi easily plucked the ball out of the air, like picking cherries for the ex Hibee. Another 'goal' for Hibs when Zibi was allegedly unfairly challenged twenty five yards from his goals and the ball was prodded home, but the ref gave a belated free kick to ICT. Regular reservist Richie Hart tried his luck again with a volley from 25 yards and forced the Hibs keeper to dive low to his right to save. About the hour mark, Deano came on for Martin Jack, who worked away without really threatening. Corner ensued for ICT who were beginning to get to grips with the slicker Hibees, and ball headed on to Patti, whose header was flicked wide. Centre half Bayne made not his first gaff in the box, but no takers for Hibs as the ball was cleared. A couple of minutes later, Hart shot over after decent three man move and Zibi then had to dive to his right as Hibs swiftly countered and shot goalward from right side of box about ten yards out. The game came bursting into life as the sunbathers were treated to a storming last twenty minutes with Rory shooting goalward but the keeper saving comfortably. Vigurs then burst forward but his shot was blocked. The action was coming faster than the shorthand from the reporter and a Hart corner and Watt header failed to break the deadlock, Hibs again countering quickly and a good step-over resulted in a shot deflected for a corner. Seventy five minutes gone and another strikers challenge from Bayne as he unceremoniously upended the impressive Mutumba. From the free kick Hibs effort was saved at the second attempt by Zibi as he blocked the rebound. Seconds after a Hart free kick was cleared, the ball landed at his feet and like a true Brazillian, he curled the ball with the outside of his boot to the unmarked Rory on the keepers right edge of the six yard box, he brought the ball under control, rounded the keeper and slid the ball home from six yards, a well taken goal and an impeccable cross from Hart............or maybe it was a badly sliced shot that landed lucky for Rory, anyhow, good finish from Rory. Hibs almost replied straight away but shot wide and had another close attempt a minute later. The sun-scorched crowd were just commenting on how disappointed Mixu must have been with his wee brother Markus, when out of the lengthening dark shadows on the left wing, he cut across the face of the box and struck a low right footer curling away from the diving keeper into his right hand side. Another good goal as unexpected as it was. Kerr fired in a low drive that whistled just wide as Hibs wilted in the afternoon haze. Patti was suddenly enjoying this and he dropped his shoulders to body swerve a couple of defenders but Hart again failed to trouble the scorers. Hibs were now demoralised and no doubt wondered how their slick play brought no rewards and an industrious ICT picked up all three points. Dale Gillespie just back from representing Scotland and playing against Dutch league players from Feyenoord, had a solid game playing in an unfamiliar role at right back. Pick of the ICT bunch were Zibi, Watt and Hart, with Rory and Patti taking their goals well. Deano played but nothing happened for him to make the visiting managers sit up and take notice. Barry was ineffective and Patti well shackled before coming to life. Bayne at centre back.... leave it out, too many mistimed tackles, but he also did a fair bit of clearances, although Watt was the one holding the back line firm. Kerr played at left back and did ok as well and Vigurs played deep left middle in the Roy McBain invisible man role. The sun was just dipping behind the distant snow capped hills as the teams left the pitch, the fans now able to take their hands down from their tanned faces to applaud the victors from the field, a hard fought victory but eventually deserved despite the ball being in the Inverness net three times. TM4TJ Man of the Match goes to Zibi, but Hart can once again be proud of his effort and Watt must be looking to stay as he put in a decent performance. Mutumba impressed for the visitors and McCann and Stevenson also showed up well. Sorry, no team lines available.
  5. Sponsor's Man of the Match Marius Niculae grabbed his first ever goal in the SPL just before half-time, and then scored another in the second half as Caley Thistle maintained their dominance over Hibernian at the Tulloch Caledonian Stadium. Hibs have not won, or even scored at the stadium in more than three years and we are delighted to say the only scoring duck that was broken today was Marius' SPL one... 08/12/07 Tulloch Caledonian Stadium INVERNESS CT 2 (Niculae 42, 78) Team: Fraser, Proctor, Munro, McGuire, Hastings, Cowie, Rankin, Black, Duncan (Wilson 85), McBain (Bayne 72) , Niculae Subs: McAllister, Vigurs, Kerr, McCaffrey, Malkowski HIBERNIAN 0 Team: MaKalambay, McCann, Hogg, Noubissie (Antoine-Curier 80), Murphy, McCormack, Morais (Beuzelin 57), Kerr, Stevenson (O'Brien 57), Donaldson, Fletcher Subs: Zemmama, Joneleit, Gathuessi, McNeil Referee Kenny Clark Attendance 4224 Craig Brewster sent out the same starting line-up for the second week running, and this was hardly surprising given how successful we had been in taking 3 points from Dundee Utd the week before. From the off it was obvious that this game was going to be played at a tremendous pace and with both teams opting to keep the ball down and passing it about then we could be in for a pretty entertaining 90 minutes of football. With our formation of 5 across the middle Hibs were finding it hard to find a gap through to the goal and the first shot of the game came in 8 minutes as a result of a free kick after Black had fouled Donaldson. Murphy had decided to shoot direct from 20 yards out but the curled ball was easily taken by Fraser. Players on both sides were finding conditions underfoot a little difficult to cope with as the surface appeared a little greasy. This was resulting in some mistimed and clumsy challenges from everyone and it was such a challenge that lead to McGuire getting a yellow card on the 12 minute mark. The action was being played out mostly in the middle of the pitch with neither team doing much to trouble the opposition’s defence. Roy McBain managed to get a shot on target in 17 minutes but it lacked pace and was easily gathered for the save. Things looked like they were about to go sour for ICT on 25 minutes when Fletcher managed to find himself through one on one with Fraser. Fraser had been quick to react and had pushed out off his line to cut down the angle. Fletcher attempted to play the ball into the right hand corner but Fraser managed to make contact and parried it to safety. Hibs seemed to be caught in the frustrations of the miss and ICT got the ball forward quickly. Rankin spotted the keeper off his line and sent in a lob from 25 yards out. Had it been anyone other than Makalamby then the ball would have found the net, but the towering keeper managed to recover and used his height to great advantage in tipping the ball over the bar. The resulting corners saw ICT apply the first real period of pressure that any team had shown, but despite a 12 yard drive from Niculae they were unable to convert it in to a goal. Fouls conceded within range at both ends offered opportunities to get the scoring underway but neither team were able to capitalise. Caley Thistle were relying heavily on playing on the counter, a result of the lone striker role being filled by Niculae and the midfield sitting a little deeper than many of us would have liked to have seen. However, it was just such a play that saw Rankin play a defence splitting ball on to the edge of the box for the on rushing Niculae. Makalamby found himself committed and a long way off his line and Niculae made sure this was punished. For all his height there was no way the Hibs keeper was going to manage to get a hand on this one as it was coolly lobbed over his head and in to the back of the net. Given his frustration in the goal department since arriving at ICT it was hardly surprising that Niculae was over the moon to finally see one go between the sticks and he was joined in grand celebrations by his team mates as the Home Support roared from the stands and the final 4 minutes of the first half played out without much to report on. Half Time – Inverness CT 1 v 0 Hibernian Conditions hadn’t improved much when teams took to the field for the second half and I come to realise (not for the first time) that the trade off for a better view in the main stand is often having to suffer the full force of the brass monkey weather that comes hurtling along the Glen. Collins half time talk seemed to have sparked a little more urgency into the Hibs squad and they looked the brighter for the opening spell. Despite this the Caley Thistle back line seemed to be holding strong and it was 10 minutes in before Hibs managed to get a shot away when Donaldson should have done better than to shoot wide from the edge of the box. Makalamby seemed to be pushing his luck a lot when it came to collecting and distributing the ball and not for the first time in the match it looked like he had deliberately handled the ball outside his area. Fortunately for him, this was something that all three officials seemed blind to despite calls from the fans on each occasion. Collins decided to make some early substitutions on 56 minutes when Stevenson and Morais were replaced by Beuzelin and O’Brien. O’Brien getting an early welcome from Proctor with a heavy challenge only moments after stepping on to the pitch. Duncan shot narrowly over on the 60 minute mark and the return play saw Donaldson’s shot saved…shortly after Fraser pulled of another great save when Kerr managed to get a shot on goal from 12 yards. The clearance wasn’t the best and Donaldson found himself in a bit of a scuffle on the edge of the box before getting his shot in. The ball came off the underside of the bar before bouncing and being collected by Fraser. Hibs players were claiming that not only should it have been a penalty for Donaldson being pulled down, but that the shot had crossed the line…fortunately for us the linesman and referee disagreed and play was waved on. Fraser had come under a bit of unfair criticism from the North Stand in our last game at TCS but the cheers this week were “There’s Only One Mikey Fraser”…what a fickle lot we really are!!! The ICT dugout signalled that they wanted to make a substitution and Bayne was ready to take to the pitch. Niculae looked prepared to make way and had even gone so far as to roll his socks down. Much to his surprise he was not the man being hooked, and nobody could have faulted his effort if he had been, but it was a none to happy McBain who was waved from the field. The philosophy seemed to be that the best form of defence was attack and by bringing on the second striker this prevented Hibs being able to push so many men forward without leaving themselves exposed at the back. Black, Rankin and Cowie all had efforts on goal in the next 15 minutes of the game demonstrating just how important they are to this squad in terms of providing an attacking midfield option. However, it was that man Niculae who was to prove deadliest again on 77 minutes. He tee’d up his first shot at goal with his left foot, but despite it heading wide it was blocked and fell back to him, this time he took it on his right and made no mistake when sending it in to the bottom left corner beyond the reach of the outstretched Makalamby. Noubissie and Black had been having a right battle in the middle of the park the whole game with the smaller of the two men not giving an inch to his Hibernian rival. Black had taken a few knocks and almost come off worst in a couple of the encounters so it would have come as a relief to see Noubissie being replaced by Antoine-Curier on the 80 minute mark. The temp of the match had been high since the first kick of the ball and neither team seemed willing to let up as it continued in to the final 10 minutes. Russell Duncan had taken a knock and tried to continue but it wasn’t happening and he signalled to the bench that he needed replaced…Wilson coming on to relieve him. Hibs were pushing forward desperately in an attempt to claw the game back which was leaving them a little more exposed at the back. Every time they came at us we were ready to hit them on the counter it was an end to end affair for the final minutes of the game. Niculae came close to securing his hat trick, and it would have been well deserved had he not gone inches wide in the final play of the game. Full Time: 2-0 All in all a great team effort with every ICT player getting full marks for effort and commitment. With Tokely due back from suspension and Wyness hopefully available soon after problems with a hamstring then Brewster will be facing problems in terms of team selection as we head towards the festive fixtures. These are the kinds of headaches that no manager would ever complain about. We face Celtic next week, a match which we would have been dreading a month ago when things weren’t looking to good. However spirits are high among players and fans and I for one am thoroughly looking forward to the clash. Like a Phoenix from the ashes…Tulloch Caledonian Stadium is one again re-establishing it’s Fortress Status….long may it continue.
  6. The last four games between these sides have ended in a home win and today was no different. Reputed Caley Thistle target Dean Shiels scored all three goals in a deserved victory for the Hibees and probably killed any chance Caley Thistle have of getting him to come to the Caledonian Stadium as new boss Mixu Paatelainen will likely be less than enthusiastic about letting him go now. 12/01/08 Easter Road, Edinburgh Hibernian 3 Shiels (5, 53, 84) Team: MaKalambay, McCann, Hogg, Jones, Hanlon (McCormack 62), Morais, Kerr, Beuzelin, Zemmama, Shiels, Benjelloun Subs: Antoine-Curier, Chisholm, O'Brien, McNeil I.C.T. 0 Team: Fraser, Tokely, Munro, McGuire, Hastings, Cowie (Proctor 61), Black (McDonald 85), Duncan, McBain, Bayne (Wyness 62), Niculae Subs: Vigurs, Malkowski Referee Steve Conroy Attendance 9622 Dean Shiels was the hat-trick hero for Hibs as they eased into the fifth round of the Scottish Cup at Caley Thistle’s expense. The player – seemingly frozen out under previous manager John Collins – returned to the starting line-up for new manager Mixu Paatelainen and virtually guaranteed his Easter Road future as he handed the gaffer his best possible start. It could all have been so different had Caley Thistle taken one of three chances they had in the first five minutes through Niculae, Bayne or Tokely. In the fifth minute a neat move between Hanlon, Zemmama and Shiels allowed the latter to drift wide of McGuire and Tokely before drilling a shot across Fraser and into the far corner from 12 yards out. This inspired Hibs and they played some neat football after this with Zemmama in particular coming close a couple of times. Caley Thistle had a chance in 18 minutes when Roy McBain found Niculae with a cross but his close range effort was saved by Ma-Kalambay. The rest of the half belonged to Hibs with both Benjelloun and Zemmama going close again. Half Time: 1-0 Caley Thistle started the second half brightly and had chances through a Niculae long range effort and then through Bayne who was set free down the wing courtesy of a Niculae back-heel. Unfortunately, when he got inside the box, the final shot sailed well over the bar. In 53 minutes, the game was really over as a contest when Hibs got their second. Shiels nutmegged Munro on the edge of the box and shot low under Fraser. Morais almost made it three a short while later but he put it just past the post. Caley Thistle chances were few and far between and any that we had were saved easily by Ma-Kalambay who easily held onto a deflected Niculae effort in 73 minutes. The moral of this game seemed to be that anything we could do, Hibs could do better and straight after Niculae’s chance for ICT, Hibs had several of their own. Antoine-Curier crossed for Morais but he failed to make contact with the ball just yards from goal. A minute later, it was Antoine-Curier doing the missing himself as Zemmama crossed and he headed over with Fraser already beaten. The final blow for ICT came in the 83rd minute when Shiels was first to react to a Morais shot that had hit the post and scored to complete his hat-trick To add insult to injury, Caley Thistle’s “new” defender Phil McGuire – who has now signed a 2 ½ year deal – was red carded with three minutes to go after Filipe Morais squared up to him. Although McGuire didn’t appear to do anything, Mr Conroy decided to give both of them a yellow card and as each had been booked earlier, the yellows were quickly followed by reds. Full Time: 3-0 Following ICT in the cup has given us many good days to remember but this was one we should try to forget... quickly.
  7. 5 SPL games, 5 losses... that's the bottom line at the end of today's game as Caley Thistle made their worst ever start to a season. However, terrible though it is, today there were signs of hope. For long periods of today's game Caley Thistle dominated Hibs and if it was not for some good goalkeeping from Ma-Kalambay, including a penalty save from Marius Niculae, the outcome may have been a lot different. Both Niculae and Brewster had numerous chances but couldn't grab the goal that would cancel out Steven Fletcher's 2nd minute penalty. 01/09/07 Easter Road Stadium, Edinburgh HIBERNIAN 1 (Fletcher 2 pen) Team: Ma-Kalambay, Gathuessi, Hogg, Jones, Murphy, Zemmama (Shiels 57), Kerr, Beuzelin, Stevenson (O'Brien 70), Fletcher, Benjelloun (Morais 46) Subs: Lynch, Donaldson, Joneleit, McNeil INVERNESS CT 0 Team: Fraser, Tokely, McCaffrey (McGuire 53), Munro, McBain, Wilson (Rankin 84), Black, Duncan, Cowie, Brewster, Niculae (Wyness 75) Subs: McDonald, McAllister, Vigurs, Malkowski Referee Eddie Smith Attendance The day we went to Leith: 9:30am and the Innes Bar Supporters Bus heads off down the A9 en route to Easter Road and Inverness Caley Thistle's first SPL match with Brewster at the helm. After some initial discussion about events of the last couple of weeks and setting the world to rights on all matters regarding Brewster’s appointment we got down to some discussion about the game ahead. Would Brewster play himself? Was he right to play himself? - The general consensus seemed to be that it was a no-brainer and under any other circumstances then Brewster would be the first name on the team sheet. We'd have to wait till nearer kick-off to find out if we had called it right. "CaleyD, what's on the radio"....."Nothing it's screwed". So here we are, heading off down the road and no music to keep us entertained, thinking caps had to go on. Themann4thejob was quick to spot the newspapers and decided we should do all the Saturday quizzes you get in these things. We ran through the TV Quiz with relative ease, and the Telly Addicts were quickly identified. OK, what now...it was TM4TJ again who decided to entertain us by reading out the Dear Deidre with the inclusion of the odd ad-lib and I barely managed to keep the bus on the road through laughing. The crossword was next, but this was abandoned as we crossed the Forth Road Bridge due to the bumps making it impossible to write (and nothing to do with us struggling to complete it). We all arrived safely at Easter Road and were fortunate to find a great parking spot close to both the ground and The Iona Bar. Non-Alcoholic Beer for me, necking pints and shorts for the rest. News then came through that the team bus was late in arriving and the line-ups would be delayed as a result...then further news that it still wasn't here yet. We'd all decided that should the worst come to the worst then we'd have to put out a team made up of those present in the bar. Thankfully news came through very soon after that the team had arrived...and more importantly, that our collective wisdom 4 hours previous had called it right and Brewster would start for Inverness Caledonian Thistle FC. More drink (more Kaliber for me) and a flash of IHE's new tattoo and we were ready to head for the stadium. The walk from The Iona being perfectly timed and us arriving in our seats just as the teams were making their way on to the pitch. Dennis Wyness had been dropped to the bench to make way for Brewster who was partnering Niculae up front. Probably a wise decision when you take into account all 6'6" of Rob Jones at the back for Hibs. Grant Munro returned to the team after being out midweek with a back niggle and once again captained the team. The referee had barely got the whistle away from his lips for the start of play when Caley Thistle launched their first attack which led to a corner within the first 20 seconds of the game. Then it all went a bit pear-shaped at the other end as we had to defend the first Hibs attack. As our defence worked to clear the ball from the box the ball was played against McCaffery who was deemed to have handled deliberately in the area. He had his back to us but it looked a very harsh decision and the spot kick was awarded. Steven Fletcher stepped up and put the ball in the back of the net to make it Hibs 1 - 0 Inverness CT inside the 2 minute mark. Caley Thistle were quick to compose themselves and get on with the game. It was on the 4 minute mark that Caley Thistle got their next corner. Barry Wilson played a ball in to the back post and, Hibs Keeper, Kalambay did well to tip it over. Another corner and shouts were going up for the old school rule of "3 Corners = a penalty". The fourth corner of the match came in 7 minutes and Don Cowies’ delivery was met in the centre of the box by a great shot from Brewster who was unlucky to put it straight at the keeper. The Caley Jags were dominating the game at this stage and were unlucky not to have scored from the next 3 attempts. Wilson had a shot which went straight to the keeper, followed by Brewster going wide left from the penalty area and Black having a chip taken by Kalambay - all before the 20 minute mark. Fletcher then had one of Hibs few chances at the ICT goal when he headed over the bar. We were really stringing some nice play together at this stage of the game and one attacking play by us saw about a dozen one touch passes strung together. It was the kind of play that deserved a better end product and you could have put the "Goal of the Season" stamp on it right there and then, but it wasn't to be. Every one of the ICT players seemed to want a bit of the action as Cowie, Black and Niculae all had shots at goal with a weak Stevenson effort at the opposite end being the only reply. The ICT fans were missing out on much of the action in the first half but you can be sure they weren't complaining and everyone as in good spirits....that was raised through the roof on 35 minutes when Jones took Brewster down inside the box. Some justice for the soft penalty we had conceded at the other end. Niculae stepped up to the mark and after seeing his free-kick against Arbroath you would have bet your house on him putting it away. He struck the ball solid, however it was a little to straight and all 6'7" of Kalambay was put to good use as the ball clipped his trailing foot and went high over the bar. Both teams were to have a further 2 corner kicks before the half-time whistle but neither could capitalise. Michael Fraser did have one decent attempt at goal to save but he covered it well and punched it wide. Inverness go in at the break a goal down which was hard to bare when you consider how much they had dominated in the first half. Opinion among the ICT fans during the break was that if this had been boxing match then the referee would have stopped it long ago as Hibs were struggling to offer up anything. Confidence was high though and if we continued where we had left off in the second half then surely we would get our just rewards. Continue where they left of they did. Barry Wilson was the first to have a go at goal but shot high over the bar. 8 minutes in and Niculae was dealt a harsh blow. Need to see the replay but from where I was sitting it looked like a Hibs player bundled him over in the box. It looked like a strong claim for a penalty, but the referee pulled out a yellow for Niculae - I can only think that he must have thought he dived, but as the player was practically crawling over the top of him I can't for one second believe how he came to that conclusion. Stuart McCaffery had earlier been replaced by loan signing Phil McGuire and Niculae came off with 15 minutes to go, being replaced by Dennis Wyness. With Niculae having received a knock to the head and being on a yellow card this was probably a sensible tactical move by Brewster. We had been dominating the game for long spells and it wasn't long before Wyness was proving difficult for the Hibs defensive to deal with. A shot by Brewster which was set to go wide right was clipped by Dennis Wyness who almost succeeded in re-directing it into the postage stamp top corner. The referee hadn't been too kind to us all afternoon and he again seemed to make a bizarre decision when flashing a yellow at Phil McGuire for a foul on Fletcher. Mike Fraser who had been solid all day had one final save to make about 5 minutes from the end when he comfortably caught a shot from O'Brien. From here on in it was all Caley Thistle as the stepped up the pace and really pushed for the much deserved equaliser. A volley by Cowie was saved by Kalambay whilst Wyness was struggling to keep the ball down and shot over the bar twice. Russell Duncan had the last real attempt on goal just inside injury time when he was unlucky not to have stuck the ball in the top corner from 25 yards out. Full Time: 1-0 A small lapse in concentration in front of the ICT goal was the last of the excitement for the day. It was a hard loss to take when you look at how much of the game we controlled but the end product just couldn't be found and the players just weren't getting the breaks in front of the goal. Every man on the pitch had given it 100% today, they knew it and the fans knew it. Instead of sliding off dejected they remained to clap and cheer the team off the pitch. I had commented on the forum last week that we had lost the team spirit and that we were more used to a team who held their head high - win, lose or draw - and that was back there again today for all to see and for the first time in a long time the players took the time to acknowledge the fans as they left the field...so spot on to the lads for that. Everyone back to the battle bus and we had one extra body (no..not the ref). Kind of Blue was joining us for the return trip. We were quickly under way......to KFC, and then back on the road home. TM4TJ had forgotten his 'Depends' and it wasn't long before I was receiving rather large hints that I may want to stop the bus at the next stop. In fact, these hints had started before we even reached the Forth Road Bridge. Thankfully the Toll Booth attendant couldn't count as I lied through my teeth about the number of seats on the bus in order to save a few sheckles and we were away again. It wasn't long before Tm4TJ was becoming more annoying than a 4yr old and trying to convince me that him needing to pee was an emergency and justifiable reason for stopping on the hard shoulder....lol. He had to wait till we reached the Perth Bypass. We mulled over the days events, agreed that the whole team had a great performance and then had another crack at the crossword. That lasted a little while before the light made it impossible to continue...we were actually managing to answer some questions in this one. A brief pit-stop at Aviemore when I realised that the orange light that had been annoying me on the dash for the last 30 miles was the fuel light and then the last leg home. A thoroughly enjoyable day had by all and even though we never put any points on the board it was obvious to everyone present that this is a team who are making progress. Roll on Celtic!!!
  8. Craig Dargo opened the scoring in 20 minutes and Roy McBain and Barry Wilson both scored before half time as Caley Thistle strolled to a comfortable 3-0 victory. Club Historian Ian Broadfoot provides the official report from the Tulloch Caledonian Stadium. ICT 3-0 HIBERNIAN 21st January 2007 Tulloch Caledonian Stadium, Inverness INVERNESS CALEDONIAN THISTLE FC 3 (Dargo 20, McBain 30, Wilson 42) Team: Fraser, Tokely, Dods, Munro, Hastings, Wilson (Paatelainen 80), Duncan (Black 77), McBain, Rankin, Dargo (Bayne 70), Wyness Subs: McCaffrey, Soane, McAllister & Smith HIBERNIAN 0 Team: McNeil, Whittaker, Jones, Hogg, Stewart, Murphy, Brown, Thomson (Fletcher 46), Beuzelin (Stevenson 46), Benjelloun, Campbell (Sproule 46) Subs: McCann, Glass, Martis & (Simon) Brown Referee William Collum Attendance 4577 Man of the Match Craig Dargo (ICT) A first half three-goal blitz gave Caley Thistle a well deserved win against a Hibs side that surprisingly created very little. The Hibs/Aberdeen cup tie on Thursday led to this game being postponed by 24 hours as John Collins brought his side to Inverness for the first time. He was without the injured Chris Killen and Merouane Zemmama but, despite a doubt, Michael Stewart played. With Mark Brown having left for Celtic, the ICT goalkeeping position was wide open for the patient Mike Fraser to step in after 165 bench slots, two starts and three substitute appearances. He handled everything confidently but was never seriously troubled. New signing Markus Paatelainen from Cowdenbeath was on the bench and came on for the last ten minutes. The first 45 minutes were some of the best ever seen at the Tulloch Caledonian Stadium as the home side swept forward and Hibs did not know what had hit them. In six minutes John Rankin robbed Steven Whittaker on the left, sent the ball across goal and Barry Wilson shot from an angle – Andrew McNeil got a touch and just managed to claw it back before it trickled over the line. McNeil spilled a Wilson shot two minutes later but Craig Dargo’s follow up touch went past. The lively Abdessalam Benjelloun (Benji) was through on the right in 11 minutes but Darren Dods blocked for a corner. Rankin shot over in 18 minutes then two minutes later the deserved opening arrived. The creator was Dennis Wyness who intercepted on the right then found Craig Dargo 15 yards out – he hit it first time into the net with the outside of his right foot as McNeil scrambled back in vain. On the half hour mark it was 2-0 when Ross Tokely intercepted down the right wing, slipped it to Roy McBain in the centre and he sent it neatly past the helpless McNeil for his second goal of the season. The closest Hibs came in the first half was when Scott Brown netted in 34 minutes but the whistle for offside had long gone. With three minutes of the first half remaining Barry Wilson brought the home crowd to its feet when he sent a tremendous 25 yard angled shot past McNeil from the right to make it 3-0. Half Time: 3-0 It was all change after the break as Hibs threw on three substitutes in an attempt to retrieve something from the game. They pushed hard for 20 minutes but the home defence held firm. In 62 minutes there was a moment of alarm as a Steven Fletcher free kick seemed on target but Fraser saw it safely past the post. At the other end a Wyness shot was charged down by Chris Hogg in 64 minutes then a Ross Tokely effort was deflected for a corner. The only black spot of the afternoon came in 70 minutes when Craig Dargo dislocated his shoulder after a simple challenge and he was replaced by Graham Bayne. With four minutes left Mike Fraser punched clear a David Murphy shot then an Ian Black 25 yard drive went wide at the other end. The last action was a long range attempt by Graham Bayne but it was wide of the mark. Full Time: 3-0 A fine victory for Charlie Christie ’s men, eighth place retained and the top six within sight.
  9. The thing about streaks is that they have to come to an end. Caley Thistle lost a couple in this game - 8 SPL matches unbeaten, and 5 games without defeat against the Hibees - after going down 2-0 at Easter Road and having Mark Brown red carded. Ian Broadfoot reports from the Easter Road encounter. HIBERNIAN 2-0 ICT 11th November 2006 Easter Road, Edinburgh HIBERNIAN 2 (Fletcher 65, Killen 83pen ) Team: Malkowski, Whittaker, Martis, Jones, Stewart, Murphy, Brown, Thomson (Beuzelin 59), Sproule (Benjelloun 46), Zemmama (Fletcher 22), Killen SUBS: Shiels, Glass, Hogg, McNeil INVERNESS CALEDONIAN THISTLE FC 0 Team: Brown, Tokely, Munro, Dods, Hastings, Wilson (Fraser 82) , Duncan, Rankin (McSwegan 78), McBain, Bayne, Dargo (Wyness 74) SUBS: McAllister, Sutherland, Black, McCaffrey Referee John Underhill Attendance 12868 Man of the Match A disappointing end to Caley Thistle’s eight-game unbeaten run at Easter Road. The loss of Mark Brown to a red card ten minutes from the end made it very hard and at that point the game was effectively over. Chris Killen’s goal from the resultant penalty sealed Hibs’ victory after substitute Steven Fletcher had given them a 64th minute lead. It was a disappointing end to Brown’s week after he had been named in the Scotland B squad for their visit to Dublin. Charlie Christie fielded an unchanged side from Monday’s draw with Aberdeen - Ian Black’s two-game suspension was over but he could only make it onto the bench. Hibs also made no changes despite an injury doubt over Michael Stewart. Steven Whittaker proved to be the main threat for the home side in the first half and he had three good efforts. The first went wide in eight minutes but Mark Brown had to be alert to push away the second just two minutes later. In 11 minutes a Craig Dargo shot was charged down by Rob Jones and there was a forlorn penalty claim from the visitors. Malkowski saved from John Rankin in 15 minutes and Dargo was booked for a follow-up push on the keeper. Whittaker’s third first half shot could have led to a contender for goal of the season if it had come off. He set off from the half way line and ran past a series of defenders but his final shot was blocked by Rankin. Caley Thistle’s best efforts of the half came a couple of minutes before the break when a Russell Duncan cross from the right was volleyed goalwards by Craig Dargo, touched away by Malkowski, stabbed towards the line by Graham Bayne and saved once more by the keeper. Half Time: 0-0 Into the second half and Hibs took the lead in 64 minutes through substitute Steven Fletcher. Beuzelin and Scott Brown combined to set up Fletcher via a David Murphy lay off and he netted at the back post. Dennis Wyness replaced Dargo in 74 minutes then four minutes later Rankin made way as Gary McSwegan made his first top team appearance. The three-striker formation nearly paid off immediately when McSwegan’s first touch brought out a fine save from Malkowski and his follow-up was blocked. The game went beyond Caley Thistle with ten minutes left when Killen was one-on-one with Mark Brown and the striker went down as he rounded the keeper. A penalty was awarded (the first against ICT since last March) but there were loud protests from the players who thought that contact had been minimal. John Underhill did not change his mind, Brown saw red and Barry Wilson was sacrificed for substitute keeper Mike Fraser. Fraser’s first action was to face the penalty and he could do nothing to prevent Killen making it 2-0. The ten men battled on and with seconds left Caley Thistle nearly managed a consolation when Graham Bayne headed across goal and Darren Dods headed over the bar from a few yards out. Full Time: 2-0 The defeat meant a slip to sixth but it is still very tight.
  10. Caley Thistle make it three wins out of three against Hibs this season with a fine 0-2 victory at Easter Road. Goals from Darren Dods and a Barry Wilson penalty secured all three points. Saturday 25th March 2006 Easter Road, Edinburgh HIBERNIAN 0 Team: Malkowski, Whittaker, Caldwell, G Smith, Murphy, Sproule, Stewart (Dalglish 59), Thomson, Glass, Killen (Fletcher 56), Riordan Subs – Hogg, McCluskey, Shields, D Smith & S Brown INVERNESS CALEDONIAN THISTLE 2 (Dods 58, Wilson 78pen) Team: Brown, McCaffrey, Dods, Munro (Golabek 69), Hastings, Wilson, Black, Duncan, Morgan (Bayne 72), Hart, Wyness (Keogh 86) Subs – Parratt, Fox, McAllister & Fraser Referee M Ritchie Attendance 12745 Man of the Match Info not supplied A fine away win and a clean sweep over Hibs this season. Charlie Christie made one change from the team that narrowly lost 2-1 to Celtic in midweek. Barry Wilson came into the starting eleven and Graham Bayne reverted to the bench. Craig Dargo remained sidelined and with Ross Tokely still suspended Stuart McCaffrey continued at right back. Hibs looked the better side in the opening exchanges but Caley Thistle’s Richie Hart was first to have a realistic sight of goal. He tested Zbigniew Malkowski in the Hibs goal with a low 25 yard free kick in 12 minutes. Derek Riordan then attacked the visitors’ goal but he shot wide and another 12-yard effort from Riordan was blocked by McCaffrey. With seven minutes of the first half remaining Ivan Sproule was denied by the feet of Mark Brown then Brown tipped over a Chris Killen header. A long Alan Morgan pass set Dennis Wyness on a run but he shot at Malkowski from 18 yards. Half Time: 0-0 The visitors started the second half well and within a minute Malkowski pushed an Ian Black long-range shot for a corner. The pressure was rewarded in 58 minutes with the opening goal. Grant Munro was the architect when a trademark long throw from the left came back to him and he headed the ball into the heart of the box. It fell for Darren Dods and he drove it low into the net from 12 yards. This was the unified club’s 900th competitive goal. Almost immediately Hibs came close when a Riordan corner was missed by substitute Paul Dalglish then the other substitute Steven Fletcher hit it wide. A Riordan free kick from 30 yards in 67 minutes came close but Brown tipped it over as it headed for the top corner. Malkowski saved from Wilson then, with twelve minutes left, Wilson was tripped by Gary Caldwell in the box and Mike Ritchie pointed to the penalty spot. Wilson rose to his feet, took the penalty himself and scored goal number 901. Many Hibs fans decided it was all over and started to leave. Their team tried to salvage something but Riordan hit wide, Gary Smith went down and failed to win a penalty then a Steven Whittaker shot was pushed for a corner by Brown. In the four minutes added time Fletcher sent in a poor shot and it trundled over for a goal kick. There was still time for a Hibs corner which was headed off target by Caldwell – it fell for Riordan then Fletcher headed over the bar. Full Time 0-2 The afternoon was made even better for the Caley Thistle camp when the score from Pittodrie came through – Aberdeen 2 Motherwell 2. Caley Thistle thus moved back into sixth place. With two games left before the split, next week’s home game against Aberdeen will be vital.
  11. Caley Thistle take all three points against Hibs at the Tulloch Caledonian Stadium in this boxing day encounter. Craig Dargo scored both goals and is now ICT top scorer for the season so far after a slow start. Caley Thistle’s fine form against the top teams continued with this well deserved 2-0 win over Hibs. This was the club’s 500th senior game since amalgamation and they celebrated in style. Monday 26th December 2005 Tulloch Caledonian Stadium INVERNESS CALEDONIAN THISTLE FC 2 (Dargo 8, 11) Team; Brown, Tokely, Dods, Munro, Hastings, Wilson (Hart 76), Duncan, Black, McBain, Dargo (McAllister 70), Brewster (Bayne 58) Subs – Golabek, McCaffrey, Fox & Fraser HIBERNIAN FC 0 Team: Malkowski, Beuzelin, Scott Brown (Konte 74), Caldwell, Fletcher (O’Connor 54), Glass, Riordan, Smith, Sproule, Thomson (Stewart 58), Whittaker Subs – Hogg, McCluskey, McDonald & Simon Brown Referee A Freeland Attendance 7017 Man of the Match Craig Dargo (ICT) Craig Dargo scored both goals although Barry Wilson had a strong claim on the first. With twenty minutes left, Dargo departed the scene with concussion and, at the end, he remembered very little of the game. The home side totally dominated the first half and played some fine football. The second half was more of a battle and the crime count continued to rise – in the end there were a total of nine bookings with Hibs by far the greater sinners. Grant Munro made his 150th appearance in an unchanged team. The opening goal came in eight minutes when Ian Black fed an excellent pass to Barry Wilson on the right and, with Ross Tokely causing a diversion on the overlap, Wilson cut inside. He sent a low angled ball goalwards from long range and Hibs’ keeper Malkowski dived in an effort to save - a touch from Dargo left him helpless. The goal was credited by the press corps to Wilson until Dargo’s vital contribution came to light. Three minutes later a poor goal kick from Malkowski was collected by Dargo 40 yards out and he raced in on goal. Malkowski narrowed the angle but Dargo neatly side-stepped him and hit into the net for 2-0. In 18 minutes Craig Brewster sent Dargo off goalwards and Derek Riordan earned the first yellow card by bringing him down. Just after the half hour mark Brewster once more provided Dargo with a fine pass and he headed towards Malkowski – the keeper came out to face the striker and this time he hit the ball early but just wide. There was very little to report at the other end and in first half added time it could have been 3-0. Dargo was on another strong run when Stephen Glass brought him down – he was lucky to escape with a yellow card. Brewster took the free kick from wide right and it was deflected for a corner. Half Time: 2-0 Hibs were expected to come out fighting after the break and they did spend more time in the ICT half – all to no avail. Mark Brown made a rare save in 55 minutes when he dived low to stop a Scott Brown effort. On 63 minutes Guillaume Beuzelin went down in the box alongside Darren Dods and was promptly booked for diving. Rory McAllister was presented with a chance seconds after coming on in the 70th minute – Wilson sent him on track for goal but he hit early and over. Hibs were reduced to shooting from long range and typically substitute Michael Stewart hit well over from 25 yards in 76 minutes. They should have pulled one back in 79 minutes when Riordan for once got the better of Ross Tokely down the left – Riordan’s low ball into the centre reached Garry O’Connor but from a few yards out he stretched and hit wide. Stewart limped off in 85 minutes leaving Hibs to complete the game a man down. Mark Brown rose high to collect a Riordan free kick a minute later then the same player hit a fine shot from the left – it cleared the bar with perhaps a little help from Brown. A goal kick was given and play headed back towards Malkowski. Graham Bayne touched on a Richie Hart cross but it was deflected for a corner. Into added time and McAllister came up against Steven Whittaker as last man – Bayne was clear on his left but the pass came a fraction late and Bayne was offside. Full Time: 2-0 The whistle went and ICT ended the day still in sixth place but a mere four points behind fifth placed Rangers.
  12. David Proctor gets his first for the club, Dennis Wyness breaks the goalscoring record, and the gaffer gets sent off as ICT grab a vital 3 points against Hibs at Easter Road Sunday 2nd October 2005 Easter Road, Edinburgh HIBERNIAN 1 (Fletcher 82) Team: Malkowski, Caldwell, Whittaker, Stewart, Hogg, Sproule, Murphy, Thomson, Beuzelin (Morrow 53), O'Connor (Fletcher 53), Riordan (Shiels 65) Subs – Glass, Konte, Rudge & S Brown INVERNESS CALEDONIAN THISTLE 2 (Proctor 46, Wyness 65) Team: Brown, Tokely, Dods, Munro, Morgan, Proctor, Fox (Black 79), Duncan, Wilson (Hart 80), Wyness (Dargo 88), Brewster Subs – Hastings, Parratt, McAllister & Fraser Referee B Martin Attendance 11683 Sent Off C Brewster (ICT) A cracking game and three well-deserved points – but it was a nervous last 24 minutes after Craig Brewster received his second yellow card. Hibs were just back from a UEFA cup defeat in Ukraine but they fought hard and did not look a tired side. The verbally challenging Zbigniew Malkowski in the Hibs goal had more to do in the first half than Mark Brown but the teams changed ends goal-less. ICT took command very early in the second half and scored two record-breaking goals - David Proctor netted his first for the top team and Dennis Wyness created a club record with his 83rd. It was backs-to-the wall from Brewster's departure in the 66th minute but Hibs only managed a consolation. The lively Ivan Sproule raced into the ICT box in the second minute and it took an excellent Alan Morgan tackle to avert the danger. A minute later Wyness collected a bad pass-back from Steven Whittaker and found Liam Fox on the left – his shot was pushed for a corner by Malkowski. Sproule earned a corner off Darren Dods seconds later then another Sproule run was ended by a timely Dods tackle. Play swung from end to end as Whittaker shot wide for Hibs in eight minutes and Wyness did the same before almost knocking in a Morgan pass. Wyness headed past in 12 minutes then Hibs' Garry O'Connor lobbed over from an acute angle as Brown came out to close. A Russell Duncan high ball in 19 minutes was tipped over for a corner, a curling Wyness shot went just wide in 23 minutes then Barry Wilson set up Morgan on the half hour mark but his shot went low and wide. Sproule continued to be Hibs main danger man and he sent an angled shot past the post in 35 minutes. David Murphy's angled shot went well over in 40 minutes then Malkowski saved a Wyness glancing header just before the half-time whistle. Half Time: 0-0 Two minutes into the second half Brown blocked a Sproule shot in the box then ICT took the lead. A Proctor run down the right started the move then the ball reached Wyness via Brewster – Wyness's shot from the left was parried by the ‘keeper and Proctor followed up to bundle the ball home. In 53 minutes Ross Tokely shot low and just wide - he did well to come so close as he took a knock en route. The lead was extended in 65 minutes when Wyness took advantage of a mix-up between Chris Hogg and Malkowski – the ball broke free and Wyness neatly lobbed in to make it 2-0. Brewster departed the scene involuntarily a minute later and the game changed as Hibs saw a chance of recovery. The impressive Dods headed a Dean Shiels chip off the line in 75 minutes then he headed away a Gary Caldwell shot. Shiels tried again in 77 minutes but Brown tipped it over. The pressure paid off eight minutes from time when substitute Steven Fletcher headed a corner in at the back post. It was not all one way and Richie Hart relieved his defence in 85 minutes with a good run upfield – he seemed to be brought down but nothing was given. Brown held a looping header then a bouncing dangerous ball before two Dargo forays into the Hibs box were thwarted. In added time Brown collected a difficult ball from the left, Morgan cleared a Michael Stewart free kick and Fletcher hit miles over. Full Time 1-2 The final whistle went and was met by loud cheers from the Caley Thistle fans. A good day out in the capital, a sweet victory and eighth place regained after a slip to ninth overnight.
  13. Replay Required. Inverness survived to fight another day after a 1-1 draw at Easter Road. James Keatings opened the scoring as the Hibees looked to be on the ascendency. Yogi had seen enough as the game passed the seventy minute mark and hooked Liam Polworth and Iain Vigurs. That altered our dynamic and it was all smiles when substitutes Lewis Horner and Andrea Mutombo combined for the latter to slam the ball home to send the tie towards a replay on 16th March. The winner of this tie now also know who they will face as the draw has paired them with Dundee United, the other semi-final will be interesting as Celtic will play the Rangers. Immortal Howden Ender has this report for us.............................. Well we are still in the cup and IF we beat Hibs - at home - we have avoided the Old Filth and the Arabs were clearly the best option, as they are probably saying about us or Hibs. Prior to the game I was really positive and optimistic. I had been talking to some Hibees on the train and they were staying that a lot of their mates were staying away. They were of the opinion that they would be getting thrashed. They also clearly dislike Mr Stokes as well. Pre-game in the Iona the spirits were flowing and “highs” all abounding. And for fifteen minutes that appeared to be the case but then it dawned that we had eight Ray Wilkins crabs in action. I am all for experimenting with systems but not away from home in a Scottish Cup Quarter Final. Personally I felt that was a sign of disrespect to Hibs. I feel that we totally underestimated them, we were cocky and we got what we deserved. Well in fact we didn’t – we didn’t get beat – but God knows how not. Perhaps I should also have read the stats for the cups this season as Hibs have knocked out Aberdire, St Jones Town, the Arabs and the Jam Tarts. We were the better side early doors but it was the side to side, tippy tappy style that I detest. Pretty patterns but NO penetration whatsoever. 3-5-2 simply did not work. I wonder whether it was to accommodate Tansey, Vigurs and Draper in midfield. Tansey played too deep, Vigurs did not get the time and Draper was wasted. To me they are three players of similar ilk who all want the ball. Polworth never really went wide and spent a lot of time covering for the back four and our intrepid central midfield. How many times did Danny Williams get the ball but instead of going at defenders stopped and played a ball in to our midfield trio. And how may times was Storey caught offside – guilty mostly of not watching the line. Two shots on target in a Cup Quarter Final is absolutely ridiculous. Hibs had 5 on target and despite our sideways passing Hibs had the bulk of the possession. And even when we were in the ascendancy, Hibs could have scored in the 9th minute when Gray and Fontaine produced great stops from Fon Williams and what looked like a third save of a goalbound effort in the melee that followed. And then four minutes later Keatings had the ball in the net but he did look offside. Following this we appeared to play a bit of side to side and either hoof or deliver a dreadful last ball. Polworth was the first to go in to the book and again our disciplinary problem of needless cautions may end up with us having half a team for the remaining games IF we progress. I had hoped that the second half would produce an immediate change in tactics but it all stayed the same. Keatings had another shot on target, the eejits shouted fer a penalty against Devine and, of all people Stokes started the move for their goal. Keatings finished things off for his first goal in sixteen games. I thought that Tansey, Warren and Storey were beginning to lose the plot and we were lucky that one of them did not get a red card. And then a miracle happened. A fan from the away support made a Van Gaal like message on his notepad, did a bit of origami and fired it into the Leith sky. It landed next to Yogi who handed it to Polworth. He read it and it started “get Polworth off” so he handed it to Warren. And that was the turnaround. We ended the game better although it was still end to end. And then fortunately we came up with a divine move. Lets give credit to the two substitutes who did both look lively. Horner produces the first overlap of the day, Roberts gets his first decent pass of the day, lays it off to MBUYI-MUTOMBO and goal and GOLD erupted on the terraces. In the dugout, Yogi gave Polworth an ear bashing, literally. His delight at Mutombo's goal warmed the lugs of the substituted midfielder who was left nursing his head after Yogi's robust celebration. So we live to fight another day and we have Hibs away to Spain and hopefully going to penalties in the League Cup Final. They will have their missing stars back but I am not sure if that is an advantage or not. And the 800+ away support heaved a massive sigh of relief. 9800 altogether was a very disappointing turn out and I bet there were quite a few Hibees who wished that they had turned up, even if it was to boo Anthony Stokes. And as for Crawford Allan? Well at least he managed to maintain the performance status of Scottish refereeing and the main stand official must have been sponsored by Specsavers. It was all Hibs bias to begin with but at least he managed to even things up later. Lets hope for a better performance and a better result on March 16th and back to our second home on Sunday 17th April. Better to end on a Yogi quote - "I felt we were lacking a little bit up top but we have great team spirit and effort and I can't ask for anymore." No shit Sherlock. SMILEYMOMETER: Out of 10 Fon Williams (7) – My MOM as he basically kept us in the Cup. Polworth (5) – Completely played out of position and his safety zone. Almost swapped with Warren in the second half which was not tactical. Warren (6) – Some may say Captain Fantastic and that is true to a degree but his “gung-ho” attitude in the second half left the defence stranded – and Polworth filling in – and could have easily got a red. He may well miss another trip to Hampden Devine (6) – Thought he had a good game and at least he stuck to his task – but again he probably had no choice. Tremarco (6) – I actually thought that he did OK. He was stranded as well at times but did not let us down. Roberts (6) – Really felt sorry for him as his movement was good and he must have been screaming about the number of times that he made space and the ball went sideways. Tansey (4) – Sorry but he was played too deep but he made no impact on the game whatsoever. Draper (4) – Well probably played too far forward and bypassed. Vigurs (5) – Probably the best of the central midfield three but that is nothing to be proud of. Danny Williams (5) – As soon as he remembers what driving forward and taking defenders on is about the better Storey (3) – Sorry but I thought that he was terrible. He looked as if he couldn’t run after 75 minutes and I was amazed that he wasn’t hooked. His vitality appears to have been sapped as has his confidence which may be linked to the goal drought. Or is he carrying an injury. For obvious reasons I will give Mutombo and Horner 7 each. Date: 06/03/16 Venue: Easter Road Stadium, Edinburgh Attendance: 9884 Referee: Crawford Allan Hibernian: 1 Lineup: Oxley, Gray, Henderson, Fontaine, McGeouch (Gunnarsson 26), Stevenson, McGinn, Keatings (Dagnall 86), McGregor, Stokes, Thomson Subs (not used): Virtanen, El Alagui, Boyle, Shaw, Donaldson Scorers: Keatings (54) Booked: Keatings (70) Sent Off: none Inverness CT: 1 Lineup: Fon Williams, Tremarco, Warren, Draper, Roberts, Devine, Tansey, Williams, Polworth (Horner 71), Vigurs (Mbuyi-Mutombo 72), Storey. Subs (not used): Esson, Williams, Foran, Wedderburn, Hughes Scorers: Mbuyi-Mutombo (77) Booked: Polworth (29), Warren (63), Tansey (64) Sent Off: none
  14. THE MATCHDAY THREAD Discuss ICT & other games in this thread as they happen Hibernian -V- Inverness CT PREVIEW 28th February @ 7:45pm, Easter Road Stadium, Edinburgh Follow us on Twitter Follow us on Facebook Media Coverage AUDIO COVERAGE BBC Sportsound BBC Sportsound [UK Only] LIVE TEXT (ONLINE) Sporting Life BBC VIDEO LIVE ONLINE [UK Only] : https://www.bbc.com/sport/live/football/51633608 SPFL YouTube Channel ICT Official YouTube Channel TEAM LINEUPS TO FOLLOW Tweets by @ICTFC Tweets by @ICTFC
  15. Can we? There's only a Scottish Cup quarter final to be played on Friday night in the Capital of Scotland and guess who will be there? That's right, the Pride of the Highlands, Inverness Caledonian Thistle. We will be at Easter Road in time for the 7:45 kick off. If you can't make it, then BBC Scotland is the channel to find for full live coverage of the game. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ TICKET INFO The club can confirm that tickets for tomorrow’s Scottish Cup Quarter Final against Hibernian at Easter Road will be available from Ticket Pods at the South Stand from 6pm. Payments can be taken by cash or card. No season ticket discounts apply to tickets bought on the night Any remaining collections will be available from the he South Stand Ticket Pods TICKET PRICES Adult: £22 Concessions (65+/Students/Under 18s/Child): £12. 2 years old and younger are free James Keatings ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ In the last round Hibernian knocked out runaway Championship leaders Dundee United 4-2 after a 2-2 draw at Tannadice. Inverness edged out Livingston in a close affair, Sean Welsh scoring the only goal of the game at the Caledonian Stadium with a superb free kick in stormy conditions. Interestingly, Hibs drew with Livingston last week and that should be a confidence boost for the Caley Jags. This is a big ask for Robbo's men after a couple of tough Championship games that saw us go down 2-1 at Tannadice last Friday and them we beat Dunfermline 2-1 at East End Park on Tuesday night. What was encouraging in both of these games was the performances and level of commitment shown. The same will be required against Hibs although this might be a game we will do well to contain a Hibs side who are always willing to go forward, especially at home. Having knocked The Arabs out at the same venue then they will be confident of quelling a Highland resurgence in a competition that we are no strangers to. Robbo was the scourge of the Hibees in days gone bye. He had bulged the Hibs net on no fewer than 27 times in Edinburgh derbies. I'm sure he will get a warm reception tonight from the Hibs faithful. Who put the ball in the Hibees net, Johnny Robertson...... Lewish Toshney is cup-tied and Sean Welsh is still out with an ankle injury. 27 year old Christian Doidge is the man to watch for Hibs. He has been in tremendous form with 17 goals so far this season, including the one last week against Livi. He's a handful at 6ft 2in and will need to be shackled if we want to get back to Hampden. Robbo pre-match.... And man of the moment, James Keatings.............
  16. Another Chance. For one of these sides, their season is about to get worse. Hibernian travel North for this Scottish Cup replay at Inverness, hot on the heels of their League Cup final defeat at the hands of our dear neighbours and Highland compatriots, Ross County. It's a 7:45pm kick off at the Tulloch Caledonian Stadium, the prize for the victor will be a semi-final meeting with Dundee United and a tremendous opportunity to reach the Scottish Cup Final against either Celtic or the Rangers. The first game at Easter Road ended in stalemate as Hibs failed to capitalise on their early superiority. Inverness were content to faff around and wait for something to happen and it did. Hibs scored early in the second half through James Keatings with a smart finish. This roused Inverness and Andrea Mutombo scored an equally impressive goal after great work by Lewis Horner who chased a ball to the bye line before sliding a ball into the box where Jordan Roberts touched it on to Mutombo. He was calmness personified as he rolled the ball under his studs before lashing it home with his left peg. Rumour has it that around eighteen passes were involved in that goal. Both sides will have players returning for this game. Inverness have been seriously understrength of late with a full team of potential starters missing. One bright note on Saturday was the return to action of Richie Foran who injected some urgency and leadership on the park in what was an otherwise luckless display as we went down to legendary timewasters Hamilton Accies. Gary Warren and Carl Tremarco missed that game through suspension, and eight or nine others were out injured. Hibs will have their talismanic top scorer Jason Cummings back and he can be a handful with his shoot on sight ability. Former St Mirren player John McGinn has been called up to the Scotland set up and will also be a menace and Anthony Stokes knows his way around. Kevin Thomson is a seasoned pro and James Keatings is energetic enough to cause problems. Liam Henderson is another that looked promising for Hibs along with Lewis Stevenson. All in, Hibs are not short of talent and this will be another tough test for both sides. Latest team news:- Inverness will be without Greg Tansey, the latest to suffer the archaic rule of two bookings and yer out. It'll be jumpers for goalposts and three corners a penalty next. However, to balance that, Carl Tremarco and Gary Warren should return after their misdemeanours saw them miss the Hamilton match. Richie Foran had twenty minutes against Accies and looked OK. Meekings has started training but there is no hint of a return for Raven, Vincent, Doran, Brill, Fisher or Mutombo. Alan Stubbs will have Jason Cummings back after he missed the first game through suspension. Dylan McGeouch is a major doubt after he limped off in the first game and he missed the League Cup final. tm4tj prediction:- We have had a rough time of it lately and a win here would be a tremendous confidence booster. Hibs have been poor of late as have we, but going down to Morton, Dumbarton and Queen of the South in successive Championship games is not the sign of a side deserving of a promotion shot despite their tremendous facilities and potentially massive fanbase. I said it before the first game that we would go through after a replay and I will stick by that prediction, but only if we up our energy levels and compete from the off. We will certainly need to monitor Jason Cummings closely, but it's what we do at the other end that is more important to the outcome of this tie. We have been less than impressive when trying to create anything and even less impressive getting shots on target. That has to change or we will be handing the Cup back to Hampden Park and then their will only be one Cup left in the Highlands.
  17. The defence of our trophy. Inverness continue the defence of their trophy at Easter Road in a 2:00pm kick off on Sunday in the quarter finals of the William Hill Scottish Cup. This will be the last quarter final to be played and we already know the outcome of the Saturday cup games. The Rangers thumped Dundee 4-0 in the early game and ten man Dundee United knocked Ross County out as Billy Mckay scored the winner in a thrilling 2-3 win at Dingwall. Celtic take on Morton in Sundays early kick off and the Cappielow club will be hoping for a repeat of the league Cup result from three years ago when they put Celtic out after extra-time. Hibs have won the Scottish Cup twice. That in itself is not unusual, but their last triumph in this competition was back in 1902 when they defeated Celtic 1-0 at Celtic Park in front of 16,000 fans. That's 114 years and counting. Incidentally, Inverness Caledonian beat Stranraer 6-1 in the first round that same year before going down 5-1 at Ibrox against Rangers. Hibs have reached the Quarter Finals by beating Raith Rovers 2-0 away from home and then coming back from the dead to draw 2-2 at Tynecastle. In the replay, Hibs went through thanks to a Jason Cummings strike. However their top scorer will miss the tie against us as he is suspended after being red carded Inverness made it here after needing a replay to dispose of Stirling Albion 2-0. Andrea Mutombo scoring the goal of the round in that replay. Jordan Roberts was the match winner as he replicated Mutombo's feat by scoring a spectacular winner at Fir Park against Motherwell in a 1-2 victory. Hibs are coming into this game off the back of three defeats in a row in the Championship and have now slipped down to third in the division as these results take their toll. Morton, Dumbarton and Queen of the South were the teams that beat the Hibees and Falkirk are now above them in the league. Inverness have little to shout about. We have slumped to ninth in the Premiership after a series of frustratingly grim performances and gifting goals like nobodies business. It's four games since we won, beating Aberdeen 3-1 with a stirring performance, but erratic form, injuries and suspensions have curbed our desire to entertain and we now find ourselves staring at the heart of the relegation battle. Defeat at Tynecastle has thrown our season into despair and just when we thought our injury predicament was getting better, we had nine players out receiving treatment and Ross Draper suspended. Yogi has been proclaiming the Hibernian side this week and despite criticism from some fans regarding his comments I tend to agree that Hibs are a miss to the Premiership. If nothing else, it's a great day out in Leith and one of the better grounds in Scotland. It's the usual posturing prior to games and bigging up Hibs will help to make them more complacent. I'm sure Yogi will be looking to end their cup run despite his history with the Easter Road club. It's all part of the game. Alan Stubbs will be without a trio of suspended players. Jason Cummings, Paul Hanlon and Marvin Bartley. John Hughes will have Ross Draper back after his suspension and the good new continues with Josh Meekings and James Vincent likely to be added to the squad as they recover from injury. Andrea Mutombo is a doubt but Richie Foran, Aaron Doran, Alex Fisher, David Raven, Nat Wedderburn and Dean Brill are all out. tm4tj Prediction:- I'm taking Inverness to get into the semi-final, but it might take a replay to sort this one out. Our wafer thin squad has been exposed recently, but it's great to have Draper back and with Meekings and Vincent set to return things are looking up. Scoring goals is a problem and Miles Storey and Jordan Roberts will be the men asked to do just that. Hibs will miss the tenacity of Cummings up front, but in John McGinn they have one of the most talented players in Scotland. Anthony Stokes is another who will provide a challenge for any defence and he knows the way to goal. I'm banking on our midfield holding the key to our success here and our passing game to frustrate Hibs and their big support, I'm just not sure who will be scoring the goals. Replay up North and Inverness to progress.
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