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Massive Game We have talked about big games before, but this one is absolutely huge in the thirty year history of Inverness Caledonian Thistle. Only two games left of the regular season and we still need to ensure we avoid the dreaded relegation play-offs. We face Arbroath at home on Saturday and then make the trip to Montrose the week after and these two games could determine our fate. Musa Dibaga is out for the last couple of games as is Alfie Bavidge. Luis Longstaff returned after injury last week and played half a game. Prior to the game, and three years on from his passing, a few of us will be raising a glass to remember Big Stew in the Innes Bar from 1:00pm. Pop in to say hello and share some stories with us. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Match/Ticket/Bus/Bar94/Info Hospitality Available Bring a friend for £5 ICTFC PotY VOTING Wayne Addicoat RIP ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Sad news released by the club today to announce that former player Wayne Addicoat has passed away at just 45 years of age RIP Wayne His passing will be acknowledged with a minutes applause ahead of kick off against Arbroath. Inverness Caledonian Thistle FC are saddened to hear of the recent passing of former player Wayne Addicoat at 45 years-old. Wayne played for the club from July 1996 until May 1999, making 54 appearances and scoring 4 goals. The club send its condolences to Wayne’s family at this sad time and we will be holding a minute’s applause before this Saturday’s match against Arbroath. Four meetings already this season and we have yet to win one. Closest we came was in the League cup game that ended goalless with Arbroath winning the bonus point after the penalty shoot-out. 2025 Apr 26th League (League 1) ? - ? H - Feb 8th League (League 1) 0 - 3 A 1,500 2024 Dec 14th League (League 1) 0 - 2 H 1,531 Oct 5th League (League 1) 0 - 1 A 1,381 Jul 23rd League Cup (Group D) p 0 - 0 H 754 Final quarter of the season: W L D L W L D ? ? Forget the rest of the season; it's what happens over the next two games that will define our season. As well as we have done to give ourselves the chance to stay in this division, we have faltered over the last few games with injuries, suspensions and administration taking it's toll on the squad. Only the two wins in this last phase, but both were emphatic. A 4-1 win in the re-arranged game at home to Stenhousemuir and a brilliant 3-0 win at Cove. A disappointing home defeat to Annan was followed by another disappointing home draw against Alloa. It got worse the week after as QotS battered us 4-1 and following the win at Cove, Kelty dumped us 0-2 in the Highlands, another three points lost. We almost pulled off a good result away to Stenhousemuir last Saturday but a 91st minute own goal left us with just a point after Billy Mckay had scored his first goal for three months earlier in the second half. Thems the breaks, as disappointing as they are. With three minutes to go, we were sitting in 7th place in the table until Montrose equalised against Dumbarton and Stenny levelled with us. Looks like we will be without big Musa again so I for one won't be holding my breath. I believe we are hopeful of acquiring Marcus Gill again. I also doubt very much that Arbroath will be sending up a second string starting XI this weekend like they did last week at Annan. They would have been as well not turning up instead of the embarrassing 5-1 defeat they were dished out by a team with a goal difference of minus 23, the worst in League1. Scott Kellacher does not want to make anything of this, however, I'm happy to do it for him. Meh! Kelty are at Cove, Montrose are at Alloa and Annan are at Dumbarton. All tricky away ties at this stage of the season. Pos Team Pld Gd Pts 1 Smokies 34 19 63 2 Cove 34 16 53 3 Queen Sth 34 3 51 4 Stenny 34 4 50 5 Alloa Ath 34 8 48 6 Montrose 34 -6 40 7 Kelty 34 -7 40 8 Caley Jags 34 2 37 9 Annan Ath 34 -23 36 10 Sons 34 -16 17 Last Six: D D W W W L The two draws were both 1-1 against Dumbarton (h) and Kelty (a). Three wins on the bounce v Cove (1-0), Montrose (0-1) and the title winning defeat of Stenhousemuir (4-0). Last week was the embarrassing loss to Annan at Galabank where they made seven changes to their line up and were thrashed 5-1 by Annan. It goes against the grain to be honest especially as they can still influence relegation places by their bringing the game into disrepute tactic. It's certainly not in the spirit of things and unless they field half a team this week then it smacks of dishonesty. When you leave players out with the quality of Fraser Taylor, Scott Stewart, Sam Stanton, Ryan Dow, Tam O'Brien, Aidan McAdams...... yer havin a laff guys. Remembering Stewart Anderson who sadly is no longer with us having departed three years ago on 13th April 2022 aged just 52. A few friends of 'Big Stew' will be remembering the Big Man and having a peedie dram in his absence before the Smokies game. Join us if you like as we reminisce about better times ahead of kick-off and fondly get the craic with Big Stew in the Innes Bar from 1:00pm onward. Many a pre-match aperitif was had with Stewart before heading to the game with ample shouting juice absorbed into the body and boarding the taxi at four minutes to three (and still making kick-off). As you can see, this painting was done by Stewart's brother, Blair. What a fantastic instantly recognisable image that captures the energy and passion, and epitomises this Gentle Giant of a character. Cheers Stewart, missed by many Slàinte Mhath Here's the new barman sampling some of the wares in what could be described as a 'lock in' back in the day. Never one to shirk a challenge Stewart could easily demolish a peedie dram or equally a 31/2 pint tumbler of the black stuff in one go. A gentleman and a scholar who will be forever in our thoughts. I'm not sure what he would have thought about the current situation the club finds itself in, but I bet he would have had a few choice words for those that have contributed to our demise. More pics to follow once preview posted.

Late drama scuppers us With both sides still having plenty to play for, points were the priority today as the season inched towards a climax. Inverness would have to do it without their talismanic keeper Musa Dibaga with a young Bhoy in goal, Marcus Gill. The last time the sides met, Inverness produced their finest ninety minutes of the season to roast the Warriors 4-1 in the Highlands only half a dozen games ago. However, we have now reached the business end of the season where experience could be crucial to the outcome. The hosts went heavy with their early season attack force and had Yates and Aitken up front with O'Donnell and Alston on the bench. Scott Kellacher was limited in choices and had Gill in goal. There was a welcome return to the bench for Luis Longstaff although it remains to be seen how fit he is after missing the last eight games with a hamstring injury. It was goalless at the break with Inverness dominating proceedings but Gill being more involved than Jamieson. News filtered through that Annan were ahead 2-1 against Arbroath reserves which has closed the gap to just one point at the break. He hadn't scored for yonks, but Billy Mckay broke the deadlock with a tremendous strike and threatened on another two or three occasions thereafter. Extra late drama as Stenhousemuir equalised in a scramble with either a Gilmour own goal or a Fisher bundle over the line. Meh! The result was a blow for ICT who are going to be without first-choice goalkeeper Musa Dibaga for the rest of the season. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Marcus Gill got his hands on the ball early as he had to stop a Kyle Banner header in the second minute. Charlie Gilmour took an early knock but continued after treatment fifteen minutes in. However, it was a cagey start from both although the visitors were having the better of the possession and forced a handful of corners without reward. The home keeper cleared a goalbound header from the line after twenty minutes and Adam MacKinnon fired just wide midway through the half before Matty Yates brought Gill back into action when the keeper held his shot comfortably from outside the box. Despite dominating possession, the home keeper had seen little action fifteen minutes before the break with little more of note before the interval. HALF TIME: 0-0 Luis Longstaff replaced Adam MacKinnon after the interval for his first bit of action since March 1st but it was Kelsey Ewen that had the first effort on target with Gill able to save. Early second half pressure from the Warriors gained them a couple of corners as they looked to put the young Bhoy under pressure. Gilmour was in the wars once more and again received treatment but was able to continue. Well I never! 'He scores when we want' Billy Mckay opened the scoring with a superb strike following an assist from Alfie Stewart as he fired high into the net from the right side, his first goal for three months. Five minutes later Mckay had another effort brilliantly saved in the bottom corner by Jamieson. Mathew Aitken responded bringing out another save from Gill as he parried away the shot superbly and Ross Meechan headed wide as Stenhousemuir's play off position came under threat. Mckay saw Jamieson save again from the reborn striker with twenty minutes left. Meechan was again denied by Gill, saving in the bottom corner as the Warriors upped the pace. Danny Devine headed over from a set piece as we entered the final ten with the game on a knife edge. Stenny threw their whole squad at us in a final fling to try and salvage a point, and it worked. Charlie Gilmour got the obligatory yellow card before a dramatic own goal levelled the game after 90+ minutes with Fisher claiming it although it might go down as an own goal by Gilmour. And that's how it feckin ended. From 8th to 7th and back to 8th as late drama scuppered us. FULL TIME: 1-1 That was Billy's first goal since January 18th at Annan. With Arbroath fielding a weakened side today against Annan and being humped 5-1, we are now only one point above the play off place although we do have a superior goal difference with Arbroath up here next week and a final game against Montrose incoming. Embarrassing stuff from the Champions. I wonder if there will be a stewards enquiry. Pos Team Pld Gd Pts 1 Arbroath 34 19 63 2 Cove Rangers 34 16 53 3 Queen of Sth 34 3 51 4 Stenny 34 4 50 5 Alloa Athletic 34 8 48 6 Montrose 34 -6 40 7 Kelty Hearts 34 -7 40 8 Inverness CT 34 2 37 9 Annan Ath 34 -23 36 10 Dumbarton 34 -16 17 The Goals>>> Date: 19/04/2025 Venue: Ochilview Park - Attendance: 0764 Referee: Grant Irvine Stenhousemuir: 1 Manager: Gary Naysmith Lineup: Jamieson; Meechan, Buchanan, Fisher, Banner (McLuckie 77), Wedderburn (O'Reilly 77), Anderson, Jacobs (Alston 87), Ewen, Aitken (McGill 62), Yates (O'Donnell 87) Subs (not used): Morrison; Bilham, Tomlinson Scorers: Gilmour (90+1 og) Booked: Aitken (62) Sent Off: none Inverness CT: 1 Manager: Scott Kellacher Lineup: Marcus Gill; Brannan, Devine, Savage, Strachan, Bray, Gilmour, Allan, MacKinnon (Longstaff 46), Stewart (Nolan 85), B Mckay Subs (not used): Rebilas; J Walker, Ewan, Gardiner, MacLeod, Thompson Scorers: Mckay (56) Booked: Gilmour (90+1) Sent Off: none a

The Caley Thistle Way Scott Kellacher was buoyed by the feelgood factor this week and was looking to keep the Caley Jags ahead of Annan. For the visitors, with Charlie Mulgrew gone, it was Tam O'Ware that was tasked with getting the wee Hearts back on track or at least halting their freefall on a bright Saturday afternoon in the Highlands. The game got underway with Inverness shooting towards the North Stand in the first half for a change. It was a largely uneventful opening forty-five and if anything, Kelty created the better of the meagre opportunities with Dibaga making two decent stops. Meanwhile Inverness were mainly restricted to blocked shots and missed headers as we approached the break. We all held our breath before the interval when Dibaga went to collect the ball and crumpled to the turf. He resumed after treatment much to our relief. Gilmour hit the base of the post just on the break as a grateful Adams grabbed the ball after it bounced off the post and then hit him on the arse before he grabbed it. Alas Dibaga was unable to continue in the second period with young Szymon Rebilas taking the gloves. We still failed to trouble Adams after play resumed and it was no surprise when we went behind with Kelty looking much faster when they broke forward compared to our pedestrian approach. McCarvel raced through to slot home ten minutes from the end before Cole tied up the points with our defence in disarray. A thoroughly disappointing afternoon with little entertainment value. Let's hope Calum Jones puts on a better show in Bar94. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ FULL TIME 0-2 After last weeks win at Cove, this was a massive disappointment. The only thing in our favour was that Annan lost as well and they remain three points behind us. It's the Caley Thistle Way; one step forward and two steps backward. Another difficult game next week away to Stenhousemuir. Scott Kellacher lamented: “We didn’t start well, and we didn’t work anywhere near hard enough like we did when we won at Cove last weekend. “This is really frustrating – there are no excuses for that. “We might not play well, or some things don’t come off in play, but we need to work much harder. Speaking about Dibaga’s injury, boss Kellacher added afterwards: “Musa has pulled his hamstring – there is no way he could have carried on. “We had to put young Szymon in goals and it was a big ask for the kid. “We will see what the physio says about Musa.” Smokies up as Champions Pos Team Pld Gd Pts 1 Arbroath 33 23 63 2 Cove 33 16 52 3 Stenny 33 4 49 4 Queen of Sth 33 1 48 5 Alloa Athletic 33 8 47 6 Kelty Hearts 33 -5 40 7 Montrose 33 -6 39 8 Inverness CT 33 2 36 9 Annan Ath 33 -27 33 10 Dumbarton 33 -16 16 Apr 19th 3:00:PM Stenhousemuir (A) League Annan Home Arbroath Apr 26th 3:00:PM Arbroath (H) League Annan Away Sons May 3rd 3:00:PM Montrose (A) League Annan - Home - Cove Highlights from Kelty Hearts TV Caley100 said on CTO: We did not deserve anything from that performance... nothing! Terrible passing, no clue, no passion, no pace...nothing. Very sad to have seen this from us. Howdenender on CTO: Well, in a season full of poor performances, that just about takes top spot! Against a team who conceded 6 goals to bottom side Dumbarton last week we put them under no pressure, played at a pedestrian pace and got what we deserved. We are a full time outfit in a league full of part time dross, you only need to look at how Arbroath have run away with it to see that, and Kelty Hearts are a truly dreadful team, but we seem incapable of putting any distance between us and relegation play off place. Alan on CTO: I can't really add to the previous comments as they have described exactly how the team performed today. No idea how to break down a packed defence or how to defend a quick counter attack Date: 12/04/2025 Venue: Caledonian Stadium Attendance: 1812 Referee: Daniel Graves Inverness CT: 0 Manager: Scott Kellacher Lineup: Dibaga (Rebilas 46)); Brannan, Devine, Savage, Strachan, Stewart (Gardiner 83), Gilmour, Allan (R Thompson 71), MacKinnon (MacLeod 60), B Mckay, Bray Subs (not used): Walker, Nolan, Ewan Scorers: none Booked: Gilmour (54), Savage (87) Sent Off: none Kelty Hearts: 2 Manager: Thomas O'Ware Lineup: Adams: Paterson, O'Ware, Flatman, Owens (McClure 61), Allan (78), MacIntyre, Mercer (Lyon 78) McCarvel, Moore (61), Johnston (Fellows 90) Subs (not used): Adamson; Brown, Hobbs Scorers: McCarvel (79), Cole (87) Booked: Owens (20), Mercer (54), Johnston (82) Sent Off: none a

Bray Nets Treble Mitch Megginson was suspended for this one with Declan Glass making the bench along with Gillingham & Coulson. For Inverness, Remi Savage returned to the heart of the defence after suspension with Mathew Strachan at left back and James Nolan on the bench along with Calum MacLeod. The visitors flew out of the blocks with three or four early efforts. Adam Emslie was flagged offside when he 'netted' after ten minutes before Keith Bray rose highest to head in the opener three minutes later following a corner from Alfie Stewart. Ten minutes before the interval and Bray doubled our lead with another super strike on the break forward with Alfie. Twenty minutes from the end Alfie got his own hat-trick with assist No3 for Bray to bag his hat-trick of goals, shooting home from inside the box. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Hat-Trick Hero (it's definitely three fingers) The Icing is on the Cake As in recent weeks weeks we dominated the early exchanges with Keith Bray heading just wide off a corner after Billy Mckay had a shot deflected past the post, and another blocked, before Adam Mackinnon fired wide as we kept on the front foot. Alfie Stewart headed wide from a tight angle before Adam Emslie was adjudged to be offside as he tucked the ball into the net when Myles Gaffney played him in. Deservedly, our positive start paid off when we won a corner. Alfie Stewart swung it in to the near post where Bray leapt highest to glance the ball across goal and into the net for the first of his and Alfie's threesome. Connor Scully was close to connecting to a Fraser Fyvie cross as Cove looked to hit back immediately. However, it was the visitors that stretched their advantage on the counter when Ben Brannan, and Stewart combined neatly with Bray for the recent birthday boy to clip in his second of the afternoon ten minutes before the interval. HALF TIME: 0-2 Inverness' game management was important and we took the sting out of the home attacks time and time again with resolute defending in the third quarter of the game and denied Cove any real opportunities to get back into the game. Blair Yule had an effort blocked before Bray put the icing on the top of the birthday cake when, after good play down the right, wee Alfie stabbed a ball into his path inside the box for Keith to squeeze the ball through the keeper from twelve yards and complete his hat-trick. Stewart and Paul Allan had shots saved as we consolidated our advantage in the last twenty minutes with Cove not threatening Dibaga and the sea breeze was well and truly out of the Cove sails. FULL TIME: 0-3 WHAT A RESULT! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! Give this lad the freedom of the City. He does like a goal against Cove, but three is simply fantastic in a match we really needed all three points. With all results favourable this gives us a three point cushion over Annan and closes the gap to one point on Kelty above us and sets up a six-pointer against them next week. What a pity, arguably our best result of the season has been upstaged by Dumbarton pumping Kelty Hearts 6-0 in at New Central Park Pos Team Pld Gd Pts 1 Arbroath 32 19 60 2 Cove R 32 14 49 3 Stenny 32 8 49 4 Queen o Sth 32 0 45 5 Alloa Athletic 32 7 44 6 Montrose 32 -5 39 7 Kelty Hearts 32 -7 37 8 Inverness CT 32 4 36 9 Annan Ath 32 -26 33 10 Dumbarton 32 -14 16 It's a thumbs up from Scott Leaked footage has emerged this week of Keith Bray developing his new tricks ahead of the visit to Cove. He was asked by one punter to see if he could pull the rabbit out of the hat at Cove. He went one better and pulled the rabbit out of the hat whilst juggling three balls and felt this might be an omen of things to come. It really was the icing on the cake for Keith. As Clare Grogan said; Happy Birthday! Date: 05/04/2025 Venue: Balmoral Park, Cove Attendance: 0454 Referee: Peter Stuart Cove Rangers: 0 Manager: Paul Hartley Lineup: Suman; Lobban, Doyle, Darge, Harrington, Yule, Scully (Coulson 71), Marshall (Glass 70), Fyvie, Emslie, Gafney Subs (not used): Demus; Murray, Gillingham, McGrath, Parker Scorers: none Booked: Doyle (71), Fyvie (90) Sent Off: none Inverness CT: 3 Manager: Scott Kellacher Lineup: Dibaga; Brannan, Devine, Savage, Strachan, Bray (R Thompson 91), Gilmour, Allan, MacKinnon (MacLeod 85), Stewart (Nolan 91), B Mckay (Gardiner 81) Subs (not used): Rebilas; Ewan, J Walker Scorers: Bray (13, 36, 72) Booked: none Sent Off: none a

Doonhamers hammer Jags It was back to the scene of one of the more entertaining games of the season as we faced Queen of the South at Palmerston with just six games left of the Admin season. Both sides were desperate for the points for different reasons, Queens looking to get involved in the promotion play-offs and the Caley Jags looking to avoid the relegation play-offs at the other end. A few players missing since we last locked horns in Dumfries, notably Luis Longstaff and Alfie Bavidge for us although Calum MacLeod returned to a depleted bench and the Doonhamers were minus a few defenders in an unchanged side from the one that drew at Dumbarton. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Things took a more positive turn off the park yesterday with Alan Savage making a bid for the club, could we add to that with three points at a difficult venue on a windy afternoon? The short answer was no as the Doonhamers hammered us doon 4-1! We opened the scoring through Alfie Stewart but Jack Hannah headed in an equaliser five minutes later. Jordan Allan slotted in Queens second after the interval and ten minutes later Admin Brooks added a third before completing the rout with a minute remaining to end our miserable afternoon. It's a long way home with no points in the bag. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ It was a miserable afternoon down South as the game kicked off and after the posturing was over, Ben Brannan put the first effort of the afternoon wide in the tenth minute. Alfie Stewart went even closer from distance. It had been a good opening twenty minutes from the visitors and after Keith Bray had a header saved Alfie Stewart scored into the bottom corner from inside the box. Perfect start from the Caley Jags but we were quickly pulled level when Jack Hannah headed high into the net from a Kai Kennedy ball into the box. That was Hannah's first goal for QotS. Bray had one chalked off for offside as Inverness responded to that setback but it was the hosts who were starting to look more threatening as half-time approached and Harry Cochrane went close after he latched onto a cross from the left but shot inches wide. HALF TIME: 1-1 Shortly after the break Connal Ewan blocked a shot from Kennedy as the hosts went on the front foot. Cochrane went close again and a minute later Jordan Allan put Queens in front, slotting into the bottom corner after an assist from Admin Brooks. Alfie Stewart tried his luck from outside the box but his namesake in goal saved easily. Musa Dibaga saved from Taylor Charters after a quick counter attack with Kennedy providing the opportunity. With around twenty minutes left Admin Brooks stuck the knife in lashing home from a tight angle into the top corner. Game over, but not the scoring. Kennedy was chief tormentor winning a free kick from which Luissint went close to a fourth but for Dibaga keeping the ball out. It was a bit of backs to the wall in the final moments but Admin Brooks finished his vendetta against us with a fourth in the last minute, smashing in a powerful strike to end our day of pain in the rain. FULL TIME: 4-1 CaleyCiuinn on CTO: Drove down to this game today fairly optimistic we might get something, even with a depleted squad. Rubbish weather, rubbish performance, rubbish result. Right back in the relegation playoff fight. Now for a rubbish drive home HaughAye: 1st half was acceptable. 2nd half...what a shocker. Like watching a Ferguson team. I remember 1 effort on goal and lots of wayward passes, no pressing and shocking defending. As for the guy with the whistle, I'll not give him the title of referee, 2 blatant penalties for ICT not given, Keith Bray pushed to the ground from 2 handed pushes between the shoulders at least 5-6 times one of which lead to a QoS goal nothing given. MoM--Fans. Pos Team Pld Gd Pts 1 Arbroath 31 18 57 2 Cove 31 17 49 3 Stenny 31 11 49 4 Queen o Sth 31 -2 42 5 Alloa Ath 31 4 41 6 Montrose 31 -4 39 7 Kelty Hearts 31 -1 37 8 Inverness CT 31 1 33 9 Annan Ath 31 -24 33 10 Dumbarton 31 -20 13 Scott Kellacher talking to Paul Chalk of the P&J “Listen, for the first half an hour, I thought we were really good. We controlled the game, got our goal and then we seemed to think the job was done. It was far from done. ‘It was a really poor goal to lose’ “They wanted to get back in the game and their first goal came from us not stopping a cross into the box. “If we stop a cross into the box, we don’t then have to defend it. There was a mix-up between Musa (Dibaga) and James (Nolan) in the box and they scored – it was a really poor goal to lose. “After that, Queens did what we were telling our boys to do – go and get the second goal. “In the second half, Queens were hungrier and they won more second balls. We can’t lose the kind of goals we lost today – it’s criminal. “We’ve been far better than that. We’ve taken the plaudits, but let’s not get away from it – we’re in a dog-fight. We must get the sleeves rolled up and try and win as many of these last five games. Pregnant footballer Jack Hannah wheels away in delight after scoring his first goal for Queen of the South. Jack, who identifies as a footballer, scored the equaliser five minutes after Alfie Stewart had opened the scoring for the visitors. Queens eventually routed the Caley Jags 4-1 with further goals from Jordan Allan and a brace from Admin Books. He really has it in for us and was a pain in the rain. Match Highlights from Queen of the SouthTV Date: 29/03/2025 Venue: Palmerston Park, Dumfries Attendance: 1006 Referee: Duncan Williams Queen of the South: 4 Manager: Peter Murphy Lineup: Stewart; MacIntyre, Lyon, Hannah, Charters, Kennedy (O'Donnell 88), Cochrane, Luisint, Smith (Walker 93), Allan (Bryden 92), Brooks Subs (not used): Johnson; Douglas, Harkness, Thomson Scorers: Hannah (29), Allan (57), Brooks (68, 89) Booked: Lyon (63) Sent Off: none Inverness CT: 1 Manager: Scott Kellacher Lineup: Dibaga; Brannan, Devine, Ewan, Nolan (Strachan 59), Bray, Gilmour, Allan (MacLeod 74), MacKinnon (Gardiner 75), Stewart, B Mckay (R Thompson 74) Subs (not used): Rebilas; Scorers: Stewart (24) Booked: Brannan (72) Sent Off: none a

Inching towards safety Despite dominating the opening exchanges and Alfie Stewart arrowing in a sublime strike, the Caley Jags failed to capitalise on their early dominance and had to settle for a point in the end when Scott Taggart nicked a header/cross into the bottom corner early in the second half to earn the visitors their share of the spoils. It was a disappointing and frustrating result given the same happened a week ago against Annan. Stewart hit the woodwork just before Alloa equalised. Billy Mckay had a penalty saved on the hour as was his follow up, and from that point on it looked like it would be another fruitless day. Keith Bray cracked the bar when a goal looked simpler. It almost got worse late in the game when Sammon leapt to gain a free kick on the edge of the box. Worse was to follow as it was Savage and the referee that he conned and Remi was sent off for a second 'bookable' offence. As it was, they ended up lashing a shot against the bar following the free kick with Rice blocking the rebound and eventually they were deemed offside. That would have taken the biscuit but it ended thereafter a point apiece. A better result for a poor Alloa side and a point further away from Annan for the Caley Jags. A word for Rice, good display by the promising young keeper who produced a really good save in the first half from a powerful Scott Taggert strike. However, another frustrating game and more winnable points dropped. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ With Big Musa away this weekend, young Celtic B keeper Aidan Rice was between the sticks on an emergency loan after Musa Dibaga’s Gambian call-up. Longstaff, Bavidge and MacLeod all missed out again. Alloa suffered an early setback having to replace Calum Waters in the third minute. Maybe that unsettled them as we dominated the opening exchanges and got a well worked opening goal after we moved the ball smartly down the right wing before Billy Mckay chipped the ball to the left side of the box where Alfie Stewart took a touch before drilling a shot across the keeper into the bottom corner. That ball was in as soon as it left his left peg without touching a blade of grass until after it hit the back of the net. Boom! We were in total control of proceedings for around half an hour with numerous efforts blocked or off target before Aidan Rice earned his corn saving a thunderous strike from Scott Taggart's twenty-five yard effort, diving high to his left to keep the ball out in what was the visitors first serious foray forward. From this point until the interval we seemed to lose our way slightly and it was now the visitors that were winning the midfield battle, getting second balls and picking up loose passes as we regressed. Luke Rankin had an effort saved by Rice five minutes before the interval, but this one was more straightforward than his previous save. Remi Savage picked up a booking as we had pushed forward to the left of Alloa's goals. For some reason he ended up with a yellow card for possibly a shove on the bye line as he tried to keep the ball in play. Nothing in it really but it would come back to bite him on the arse later. HALF TIME: 1-0 We started the second half on the front foot and Stewart hit the keepers right post from a position similar to his opening goal at the other end of the park. Here we go we all thought and rubbed our hands in anticipation, or was it getting colder. Two minutes later Alloa levelled the game after a ball cleared from our box to the left side was crossed back in by Kurtis Roberts for Scott Taggart to get the merest of glances on the ball, and like Stewart's goal, whether it was an attempt at goal or an attempt to head the ball into the box, it was in as soon as it spun off his head with the keeper stranded at the other side of his goal. We upped the pressure on the visitors goal but too many blocked attempts and misses followed before we were awarded a penalty when Ben Brannan was upended in the box as he honed in on goal. Billy Mckay took responsibility of taking the spot kick and unfortunately Billy can't buy a goal just now. Morrison did well to deny Billy, not once, but twice as he blocked the rebound attempt as well. His third penalty save of the season. Twenty minutes later we should have been ahead but after great work Keith Bray took the more difficult option of smacking the ball off the crossbar when he should have been bulging the net. The introduction of Conor Sammon was instrumental in the red card for Savage. Sammon was fishtailing his way across the front of the box before when he went over an outstretched leg. Referee desperate Dan saw it as a second booking and sent Savage off. We weathered the free kick but five minutes later Alloa thought they had stolen the points after they crashed a shot of our bar before Rice blocked on the line, the loose ball being poked into the net. That would have been hard to take but fortunately the far side lineman flagged for offside we think. A bit of a frantic ending to a game we should have cantered through, but given the circumstances, we are a point better off than we were last week and with Annan losing, a point further away from them with a vastly superior goal difference. FULL TIME: 1-1 FT: Cove 0-0 Stenny in late game. Pos Team Pld Gd Pts 1 Arbroath 30 17 54 2 Cove 30 18 49 3 Stenny 30 12 49 4 Alloa Ath 30 5 41 5 Queen of Sth 30 -5 39 6 Kelty Hearts 30 0 37 7 Montrose 30 -5 36 8 Inverness CT 30 4 33 9 Annan Ath 30 -25 30 10 Dumbarton 30 -21 10 Share of the points between the Caley Jags and the Wasps under the Kessock Bridge. Five points dropped in the last two games which could have secured our safety. It's going to the wire... The lack of firepower through injuries to Longstaff and Bavidge is hurting us just now with Longstaff unlikely to feature again this season and young Alfie's season in the balance with a second scan required to assess the extent of his injury. It's going to be a bumpy ride over the next six games with two difficult away games coming up next at Palmerston and Cove. Red carded Remi Savage will miss the game against Queen of the South. It doesn't rain but it pours. FULL HIGHLIGHTS Date: 22/03/2025 Venue: Caledonian Stadium Attendance: 1655 Referee: Dan McFarlane Inverness CT: 1 Manager: Scott Kellacher Lineup: Rice; Brannan, Devine, Savage, Nolan (Ewan 87), Bray, Gilmour, Allan, MacKinnon, Stewart, B Mckay (R Thompson 91) Subs (not used): Rebilas; Strachan, J Walker, S Thompson, Cairns Scorers: Stewart (8) Booked: Savage (41, 86) Sent Off: Savage (86) Alloa Athletic: 1 Manager: Andy Graham Lineup: Morrison; Taggart, McKay (Dewar 46), Devine, Waters (MacKenzie 3), Roberts, Scougall (Sammon 83), O'Donnell, Donnelly (Cawley 82), Honeyman (Buchanan 63), Rankin Subs (not used): Ogayi; Mullen, Neill, Thomson Scorers: Taggart (52) Booked: Roberts (36), MacKenzie (54), Dewar (90+4) Sent Off: none a

Time wasters wasting our time Was this going to be the game that breaks the Donkey's back? A home win would put Inverness in the driving seat whilst a win for Annan would revive their ailing hopes of avoiding the relegation play-off slot. Inverness were without Luis Longstaff, Alfie Bavidge and Calum Macleod, not forgetting long term casualties in Lewis Nicolson and Jake Davidson. Annan had their own injury issues with Tommy Goss. Undaunted they opened the scoring in the third minute, a deflected effort from Paul Smith. Virtually their only attempt over the ninety minutes. We, on the other hand were usurped by their tedious time wasting eleven behind the ball tactics and couldn't hit a coo on the arse with a big stick. Sean Murdoch, the referee, using the term loosely, was so far out of his depth it was unreal. A couple of penalty claims ignored and allowing the time wasting was his speciality. Paul Allan hit the post at the end of the first half and Jamie Smith made a handful of saves. Not a great day at the office as the temperature dropped before the end and the Donkey's took all three points. Meh! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A beautiful morning in the Sneck with the sun still shining by kick-off and kids for a £ raising the pitch of the North Stand an octave or two. It should have made for a great afternoons entertainment. Alas it went awry after only three minutes and went from bad to worse given our inability to break down the worst defence in League1. After only three minutes a corner into the box was punched clear by Dibaga. It was scooped into the air but not dealt with well by the defence and Paul Smith was teed up to rifle the ball low into the bottom corner from the edge of the box with a snapshot and possibly a slight deflection. Still, we all thought we have about ninety minutes to get something from this game. Wrong! We have no seen a brand of football quite like this since Hamilton used to bore us out of points a few years ago. Time wasting of the highest quality aided by the goalkeeper, the post, bad luck and diabolical finishing were our downfall on a day when much more was expected of us. Alfie Stewart met a ball in a similar position at the opposite end of the park but Jamie Smith got down well to save low to his left. Another effort on the six yard line was scrambled clear on the line as bodies got in the way of Stewart's volley. Remi Savage appeared to be flattened in the box and just on half time Paul Allan beat the keeper but hit the post from eight yards after good work down the left by Nolan and MacKinnon. HALF TIME: 0-1 Annan had done nothing but time waste since the third minute, ably assisted by an incompetent referee and a powder puff strikeforce. The second half was no different. Nolan curled an effort from twenty-five yards but Smith was equal to it to tip the ball over the bar in spectacular fashion for a corner. A minute later we 'scored' but it was chalked off for an alleged foul in the box. What an opportunity we spurned with twenty minutes left. Keith Bray beat the keeper to a great ball through the middle. Smith blocked with his hand and the ball landed nicely for Billy Mckay who skipped round the stranded keeper on the edge of the box and shot from sixteen yards. Unfortunately he picked out the only defender who was standing on the line and the chance was gone. A striker low on scoring confidence and it showed. Allan picked out a driving run from Keith Bray five minutes from the end but his header was sent wide as he lunged at the curling cross. Another goalden opportunity wasted. Annan could have added a second from their second attack of game in the 93rd minute but after a quick sucker punch break forward the shot from Josh Todd curled a couple of yards wide. Peter Watson was apparently the Annan bruiser trialist and he put himself about to good effect as we were bullied off the ball in a frustrating encounter. Annan did what they had to do because they couldn't match us in terms of quality and for reasons already stated they took the points and we had egg on our faces. Ragin'. Absolutely... FULL TIME: 0-1 After the euphoria of the Stenhousemuir game on Tuesday night this was a bitter disappointment although given the players available it was maybe not a surprise. Annan's anti football tactics didn't help and a useless referee into the bargain all made for a frustrating but predictable afternoons non entertainment despite a decent crowd. By the end of the game, the weather matched the football and it was bl00dy freezing. Ragin' aye. Reality check from Robert on CTO: A disappointing afternoon. The early goal gave Annan something to defend, and a mixture of the woodwork, great saves and poor finishing cost us. I’d like to see the penalty incident again when Savage looked to be clearly fouled, along with the alleged foul that caused our “goal” to be disallowed. I’ve said before that we’d have bad days and setbacks, but we picked a bad day for this one. However, back on 26 October when we had -3 points and were 15 points adrift of 9th, we’d all have grabbed being 8th in mid March and in control of our own destiny. We need to put this behind us, regroup and focus on getting a win next week. Pos Team Pld Gd Pts 1 Arbroath 29 17 53 2 Cove Rangers 29 18 48 3 Stenhousemuir 29 12 48 4 Alloa Athletic 29 5 40 5 Queen of Sth 29 -5 38 6 Kelty Hearts 29 0 36 7 Montrose 29 -7 33 8 Inverness CT 29 4 32 9 Annan Athletic 29 -23 30 10 Dumbarton 29 -21 09 Listen Oor Wullie Date: 15/03/2025 Venue: Caledonian Stadium Attendance: 1703 Referee: Sean Murdoch Inverness CT: 0 Manager: Scott Kellacher Lineup: Dibaga; Brannan, Devine, Savage, Nolan (R Thompson 83), Bray, Gilmour, Allan, Stewart (Cairns 73), MacKinnon, B Mckay Subs (not used): Rebilas; Strachan, Gardiner, Ewan, S Thompson, Walker, Keogh, Scorers: none Booked: Gilmour (90+5) Sent Off: none Annan Athletic: 1 Manager: Wullie Gibson Lineup: J Smith; Gibson, Hooper, Trialist (Bisland 78), McGowan (Bell 79), Todd, A Smith, Kilsby, P Smith, Brown (Ross 62), Maxwell, Subs (not used): G Fleming; R Muir, Strachan Scorers: P Smith (3) Booked: McGowan (58), Todd (63), Gibson (90+5) Sent Off: none a

Moving on up This rearranged fixture took second place Stenhousemuir North to face the Caley Jags, fresh out of the relegation play-off slot after last weeks dramatic win over Dumbarton. Stenhousemuir were looking to keep the pressure on top of the table Arbroath whilst Inverness could climb another place with a win. The Warriors were on a five game winning run that included a win over League leaders Arbroath recently. Luis Longstaff missed out for the hosts with Ben Brannan getting his second start. Nat Wedderburn was in the Warriors squad and Corey O'Donnell was the hot property to keep an eye on with nine League goals to his name was on the bench. Mathew Aitken and Matty Yates were back in the starting XI. It ended in the Caley Jags biggest win of the season with early first half goals from Ben Brannan and Charlie Gilmour followed by two quick second half strikes from Keith Bray and Paul Allan, who also rattled the post with a superb strike in the first half. We tailed away towards the end and McLuckie was unlucky as he hit the bar with a good effort from outside the box and Musa Dibaga saved an injury time penalty from Blair Alston after a dubious trip on a Stenny player bursting into the left side of the box. That win moves us above Montrose and into seventh place. Great win, plenty of goals and climbing the table. What's not to like. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ It had been a decent afternoon in the Highland capital and the weather had stayed fine into the evening, with just a gentle shower or two to moisten the pitch as the teams took to the park under the floodlights. All set for the game until we had a half hour delay to find a replacement referee after the first one broke! Scott Kellacher was looking for his side to get off to a fast start and he got exactly that in both halfs. With just three minutes on the clock after a 35 minute delay, the impressive Ben Brannan opened the scoring. We moved the ball sharply from the left side across the face of the box where Calum MacLeod laid it off to Brannan who made the run into the box on the right side. He never really broke stride before rifling the ball high into the net from ten yards for his first goal for the Caley Jags. The perfect start for the hosts. Alas, seven minutes later we were level when Euan O'Reilly got on the end of a ball into the box after a fast break forward that caught us on the hop as we pushed forward. It went from bad to worse just four minutes later when Alfie Bavidge had to leave the pitch with what looked like a thigh/hamstring injury. As he limped off he was replaced by Billy Mckay and we all feared the worst in the stands. Fear not said Charlie Gilmour as he put us back in front three minutes later when he fired in following a corner as he drilled in the second ball. It was a really positive display from the hosts as they took the game to their more fancied opponents and Adam MacKinnon was unfortunate not to score as his twenty-five yard drive just cleared the corner of the bar. Both sides were playing some slick football and as the hosts opened up the visitors defence five minutes before the break Paul Allan's curling effort clattered the post halfway up with keeper Jamieson rooted to the spot. Just on the interval, Musa Dibaga had to make a scrambled dive across his goal as O'Reilly shot from the centre of the box following another incisive burst forward from the Warriors. A better connection might have been rewarded with a goal. HALF TIME: 2-1 We stated the second half even faster than the first and within two minutes Keith Bray had diverted a superb driven cross from MacKinnon into the net from close range with his chest to make it 3-1. Well worked goal and more followed four minutes later when a slick move down the right ended with Paul Allan drilling home ably assisted by three or four willing helpers, Mckay with the killer ball. The wind was well and truly out of the Warriors sails by now as we controlled the next phase of the game with ease. With twenty minutes remaining the unfortunately named Bobby McLuckie was unlucky that Dibaga was in good form to push his drive round the post. He was even unMcLuckier minutes later with a tremendous effort that crashed back off Dibaga's crossbar as the visitors looked for a consolation goal. They almost achieved that with what might go down as a soft penalty award but Dibaga guessed right and smothered Blair Alston's spot-kick to his left and reached forward to grab the loose ball just in time. The stuff legends are made of. FULL TIME: 4-1 Best performance of the season against a pretty slick Stenhousemuir. Paul Allan was the sponsors MotM. To be honest we were not short of contenders. How about Remi Savage who doubled up as a twinkle toed left winger at times. Danny Devine who was solid at the heart of the defence against the athletic Yates, Aitken and O'Reilly. Big Musa with a couple of crucial saves and the penalty stop. For me, the performance of Ben Brannan was outstanding. He brings a new dimension to our game with his foraging forward, his loooong throws, precise curling crosses and biting tackles. He was my pick. The only downside was the injury to Alfie Bavidge. Let's hope his substitution was more precautionary than serious. With Cove cuffing Kelty Hearts 0-4, the table now looks like this with eight games left. Pos Team Pld Gd Pts 1 Arbroath 28 17 52 2 Cove Rangers 28 18 47 3 Stenhousemuir 28 12 47 4 Alloa Athletic 28 6 40 5 Kelty Hearts 28 0 35 6 Queen of Sth 28 -6 35 7 Inverness CT 28 5 32 8 Montrose 28 -7 32 9 Annan Athletic 28 -24 27 10 Dumbarton 28 -21 08 The Eagle was too incisive for the Warriors in an entertaining contest as the Caley Jags consolidated their new found league position with a confident and sometimes swashbuckling performance. Alfie Bavidge came off wounded, but he was not the first to come off injured. We needed a replacement referee before the game started and a thirty-five minute delay ensued as another one was unearthed. Seventh in the table now and the prospect of more to come. Date: 11/03/2025 Venue: Caledonian Stadium Attendance: **** Referee: Tommi Kerr Inverness CT: 4 Manager: Scott Kellacher Lineup: Dibaga; Brannan, Devine, Savage, Nolan, Bray, Gilmour, Allan (Stewart 69), MacLeod, MacKinnon (R Thompson 84), Bavidge (B Mckay 13) Subs (not used): Rebilas; Ewan, Strachan, Walker, Keogh, Cairns Scorers: Brannan (3), Gilmour (17), Bray (47), Allan (51) Booked: Allan (60) Sent Off: none Stenhousemuir: 1 Manager: Gary Naysmith Lineup: Jamieson; Meechan, Buchanan, Fisher, Bilham, O'Reilly (Alston 72), Anderson (Wedderburn 71), McGill (Jacobs 77), McLuckie, Aitken (O'Donnell 61), Yates Subs (not used): Morrison; Banner, Ewen, Tomlinson, Taylor Scorers: O'Reilly (10) Booked: Anderson (71) Sent Off: none a

Warriors head North Second top Stenhousemuir come North to face the Caley Jags in this re-arranged fixture on Tuesday night, 11th of March. Kick off is 7:45pm and you can get to the Stadium on the Footie Bus at 17:45 or 19:00 from the bus station in the centre of the City. Bar94 will open from 17:30. We are now into phase 4 of the League season and the only team we play twice in the run-in is Stenhousemuir. The only team we don't meet again is Dumbarton. After beating Dumbarton on Saturday and Stenhousemuir beating Annan, we have now crawled out of the relegation play-off zone for the first time since we entered administration. Great achievement by Scott Kellacher and his mostly young side and this has not gone unnoticed by the fans. Kellacher has gone on record as stating that the home games will be crucial over the next few weeks with five out of the nine games remaining played at the Caledonian Stadium starting with this one on Tuesday night. Of these five sides only Arbroath play on grass. That will be his focus as the season reaches boiling point. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Match/Ticket/Bus/Bar94/Info ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Venue H2H Pld Won Drn Lst For Agst + / - Home 4 3 1 0 11 3 +8 Away 6 4 1 1 11 5 +6 Neutral 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Total 10 7 2 1 22 8 +14 Only the ten competitive matches against Stenhousemuir and this is the third one this season. We first crossed swords with the Warriors in a Scottish Cup tie in 1996 when we recorded a narrow one goal win, going on to play Rangers in the next round. A tremendous victory for the Inverness side and a place in the last 8 of the cup. We 'scored' in 2 minutes through Thomson but Christie was offside. After that their defence had to withstand tremendous pressure. Mathieson was a real handful and he came close on 3 occasions - chances also fell to Brannigan, Sprott, Roseburgh, Aitken & Bannon. Caley Thistles only other first half chance was a shot from Thomson in 15 minutes but it went past. In the second half Caley Thistle took control and in 53 minutes Thomson was unlucky when his 25 yard shot was tipped over. In 60 minutes Stewart beat the offside trap but keeper McKenzie came off his line well. 2 minutes later a great shot from 18 yards by Christie was held by McKenzie. On 75 minutes Teasdale set off on a run down the right wing and sent a low cross to Brian Thomson just outside the penalty area - his shot into the corner was unstoppable. With a minute to go Stenhousemuir had the ball in the net but it was chalked off. Caley Thistle held out for a famous victory and the prospect of Rangers at home in the next round. ***We did of course play Rangers at Tannadice going down 3-0 in the Quarter Finals. Starting XI McKenzie Sprott Bannon Armstrong Brannigan Roseburgh Aitken Fisher Mathieson Hutchison Little Jim Calder Mike Noble Richard Hastings Iain MacArthur John Scott Graeme Bennett Charlie Christie Mike Teasdale Alan Hercher Iain Stewart 75mins Brian Thomson Subs Haddow Hunter Scott Dave McGinlay Davie Ross Colin Mitchell 2024 Dec 21st League (League 1) 1 - 0 A 719 Sep 28th League (League 1) 0 - 0 H 1,601 2012 Sep 25th League Cup (Rd 3) p 1 - 1 A 705 1999 Jul 31st League Cup (Round 1) 3 - 1 A 534 1998 Apr 11th League 2 - 1 H 1,414 Feb 28th League 3 - 0 A 463 1997 Nov 8th League 4 - 1 H 1,669 Aug 30th League 2 - 3 A 400 Aug 2nd League Cup (Rd 1) 5 - 1 H 1,735 1996 Feb 17th Scottish Cup (Rd 4) 1 - 0 A 2,300 INVERNESS CT The Season So Far D L D D W D D D L / W L(11)D W W W L W L W W L W W L W D W / ? Since Scott Kellacher was handed the reins in game 11, there has been a more positive approach to our matches which has resulted in improved performances and a more enjoyable matchday experience all round. Alas we were brought back to earth with a disappointing result in our last game of 2024, a crushing 1-4 defeat at home to Cove Rangers. We'll have to put that one down to a bad day at the office. However, we bounced back in our first game of the second half of the season in the six pointer against Dumbarton with a hard fought 2-0 win. That win over Dumbarton was a vital one and the introduction of Alfie Bavidge was a welcome one as he opened the scoring early in the first half. Charlie Gilmour slotted in the clincher in the second half to give us a cushion over the Sons and to narrow the gap on Annan to seven points. We took part in the only League1 game next weekend and came away from Annan with a resounding 3-0 win, Alfie Bavidge netting again with Keith Bray and then Billy Mckay from the spot. It was then on to Palmerston on the Tuesday night but in a five goal encounter we went down 3-2. Alfie Bavidge notched his third goal in three games and Keith Bray added a second but goals from Adam Brooks (2) and Jordan Allan kept the points in Dumfries. We bounced back with a resilient 1-2 win at Alloa in our third away game on the bounce, Dunfermline bound Keith Bray with his fourth of the season and Alfie Stewart. We got our revenge at home to QotS (1-0) with Alfie Bavidge scoring his fourth goal in five appearances. Alas it was a bridge too far at Arbroath last week and we went down losing three without reply. The Stenhousemuir fixture was postponed and is re-arranged for March 11th. We went to Kelty and came away with a narrow 1-0 win thanks to Alfie's 5th goal in 7 appearances. Montrose proved to be stubborn opponents and it took a superb diving header from Keith Bray to rescue a point in a rather turgid encounter after Sandilands had opened the scoring in the first half. A last gasp win at Dumbarton on Saturday with Alfie Bavidge scoring his 6th goal in 9 games and that takes us back home to face Stenhousemuir on Tuesday night in the first of our final nine fixtures with another two home games to follow. Scott Kellacher will be without Luis Longstaff who has a hamstring injury and missed the game at Dumbarton. Ben Brannan came into the starting XI and did well, helping set up the late winner with his ball into Charlie Gilmour. Brannan went to right back which allowed Keith Bray to take up Longstaff's role. Kellacher has said we have one or two other niggles. Hardly surprising given the state of the surface at Dumbarton after heavy rain during the Arbroath fixture and only a couple of days to get the body back to manageable levels. Tuesday night fixtures: Cove v Kelty & ICT v Stenny Pos Team Pld Gd Pts 1 Arbroath 28 17 52 2 Stenny 27 15 47 3 Cove 27 14 44 4 Alloa Ath 28 6 40 5 Kelty Hearts 27 4 35 6 Queen of Sth 28 -6 35 7 Montrose 28 -7 32 8 Inverness CT 27 2 29 9 Annan Ath 28 -24 27 10 Dumbarton 28 -21 08 Warriors Last Six: L W W W W W The best run in the League at the moment, winning their last five on the bounce. They started with a crushing 4-0 defeat at home to Cove Rangers. They bounced back winning the next five starting with a 3-0 win at Montrose. Next was a 2-1 home win over Queen of the South then a 2-0 home win in the top of the table clash against Arbroath. A 3-1 win at Dumbarton and a 2-0 win at Annan sets them up nicely for their third away fixture on the trot at the Caledonian Stadium. Corey O'Donnell is top scorer with nine League goals. Blair Alston has seven. It's been a good season so far for Stenhousemuir and in the first game at the Caledonian Stadium back in September it was a no scoring draw. We nicked the return fixture in December with a 1-0 win thanks to a late Charlie Gilmour strike when he nicked the goal off Paul Allan. Some unusual 'facts' on wikipedia: In 1890, the Warriors moved to Ochilview Park following spells at Tryst Park and Goschen Park. In the early 20th century the club had a brief spell of success, winning the Scottish Qualifying Cup twice in 1901 and 1902. In 1902–03, the club reached the Scottish Cup semi-final, losing 1–4 at home to Rangers. The 1921–22 season saw Stenhousemuir compete for the first time in senior Scottish League Football. In 1925–26, Stenhousemuir goalkeeper Joe Shortt was offered a £50 bribe to throw a match against Broxburn United, but he rejected the offer and the Warriors won the match 6–2. A bookmaker from the Bainsford district of Falkirk, was subsequently jailed for attempted match fixing. In 1928, the wooden grandstand at Ochilview Park burnt down in a fire , which led to a new stand being built in its place, although staircases reputedly had to be added later due to planning errors (was Scot Gardiner in charge). The 1936–37 season saw the club register a record victory – a 9–2 home win against Dundee United. More than a decade later in 1949–50, a Scottish Cup quarter-final tie against East Fife drew a record crowd of 12,525 – the highest ever at Ochilview Park. On 7 November 1951, the first floodlit game between two Scottish senior teams occurred at Ochilview Park, a friendly match between Stenhousemuir and Hibernian. The floodlights had been paid for three years earlier by Tommy Douglas, a butcher in King Street, Stenhousemuir.

Sons on the Rocks The Admin Derby saw plenty of changes from both clubs previous starting XI. Scott Kellacher was without Luis Longstaff with Ben Brannan taking his place. James Nolan came back into the starting XI with Alfie Stewart dropping to the bench. Michael Ruth who fired in a thunderba***rd of a free kick in midweek was on the home bench after taking a knock against Arbroath. Orsi, Wallace, Niang and Young all joined him on the bench. After a battling performance from the hosts including McGuffie rattling the crossbar, Inverness clambered out of the relegation zone with a last gasp goal from our saviour, Alfie Bavidge who scored his sixth goal since coming here in January nine games ago. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Inverness forced a corner in the opening minute after which there followed a scramble in the box when Sliwinski had blocked the ball before Adam MacKinnon shot over. With the visitors on the front foot James Nolan had an effort saved as we dominated the early exchanges. Carlo Pignatiello had a shot blocked as Dumbarton made their way forward. He then clipped a ball in but Finlay Gray glanced his header wide. Sliwinski then kept out a low shot from MacKinnon with his feet. Dumbarton were slowly clawing their way back into this game and Craig McGuffie shot over from a free kick. Ten minutes before the break Alfie Bavidge shot from a tight angle, winning a corner and Ben Brannan had an effort blocked as the corner count mounted, but still nothing to show for it. In the final minute of the first half, another corner as we ended the half as we started it but the opening goal has eluded both sides. HALF TIME: 0-0 McGuffie bounced a twenty-five yard shot just wide as the Sons came out of the blocks fast on the restart. Minutes later he bounced a shot off the crossbar and over for a goal kick. Deserved better and a big warning for the visitors. Billy Mckay was denied by Sliwinski from inside the box and minutes later saw another effort blocked. Dibaga saved from Mark Durnan as the hosts reminded us they are still in this game, and as we entered the final ten minutes Dibaga saved a close range volley from substitute Michael Ruth and Aron Lynas headed over. Billy Mckay fired a volley just wide as time was running out to find a winner. However, up popped Alfie Bavidge to seal the deal with a 93rd minute winner. It started deep on the right with Danny Devine and Ben Brannan playing a neat one-two before a great ball into the box from Brannan found Charlie Gilmour who did well to control it and lay it back to Alfie some twelve yards out and he drilled it low into the bottom corner. Sensational ending to the game in the dying embers to leave Dumbarton floundering on the Rock. FULL TIME: 0-1 What a finish to the game with Alfie scoring his sixth goal since coming in on loan. With Annan losing to Stenhousemuir we are no longer in the bottom two and the chance to go even higher should we beat the Warriors on Tues night. It might be a dream just now, but it could be reality. Big shout out to Musa Dibaga for another solid display between the sticks. Mantis on CTO: We murdered them in the first half but a very open second half with probably the better chances falling to them and Musa saving us a few times. That winner was the highlight of the season for me but then I missed the Montrose game… LisleRightPeg: It’s great to win games when the team hasn’t played well. Yet again Big Musa came up with crucial saves to keep us in it. Pos Team Pld Gd Pts 1 Arbroath 28 17 52 2 Stenny 27 15 47 3 Cove 27 14 44 4 Alloa Ath 28 6 40 5 Kelty Hearts 27 4 35 6 Queen of Sth 28 -6 35 7 Montrose 28 -7 32 8 Inverness CT 27 2 29 9 Annan Ath 28 -24 27 10 Dumbarton 28 -21 08 Date: 08/03/2025 Venue: Dumbarton Football Stadium Attendance: 0757 Referee: Steven Kirkland Dumbarton FC: 0 Manager: Stephen Farrell Lineup: Sliwinski; Lynas, Durnan, Miller, Pignatiello, Webster, Shiels, Blair (Niang 75), Gray, Mumbongo (Ruth 71), McGuffie (Hilton 81) Subs (not used): Kelly; Young, Orsi, Wilson, Wallace, Clark Scorers: none Booked: Shiels (19), Lynas (51), Miller (89) Sent Off: none Inverness CT: 1 Manager: Scott Kellacher Lineup: Dibaga; Bray, Devine, Savage, Nolan (Stewart 70), Brannan, Gilmour, Allan (MacLeod 88), MacKinnon, B Mckay (R Thompson 92), Bavidge Subs (not used): Rebilas; Walker, Ewan, Strachan, Keogh, Cairns Scorers: Bavidge (90+3) Booked: Brannan (25), Bavidge (90+3 for celebrating) Sent Off: none a

2025 AD Inverness have a big cushion over the automatic relegation spot at the moment as we approach the final Admin Derby of the Season from Hell. At the moment we have an eighteen point advantage over bottom club Dumbarton. However, let's not lose site of the fact that the Sons have a superior goals for total than us. We are the third poorest goals for side in League1. On the plus side, we have the third best defensive record in the league. Dumbarton gave Arbroath a hard time in their re-arranged fixture in midweek before going down 2-1. If you haven't seen the opening goal from the Sons' Michael Ruth yet, take a look at his free kick. Boom! What a stunning strike, and in off the bar! Beware the angry Son. The downside of their battling performance in midweek was that the game was played in a monsoon on a ploughed field. I hope the pitch recovers in time for this weekend. We had our own stunning goal last week when a Savage diagonal > Devine volley > and Bray diving header bulleted into the net to earn us a valuable point in a lack lustre display against Montrose. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Match/Ticket/Travel Info Update from the Supporters Trust Meeting ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 2025 Mar 8th League (League 1) ? A ? Jan 4th League (League 1) 2 - 0 H 1,894 2024 Oct 26th League (League 1) 1 - 3 A 872 Aug 3rd League (League 1) 1 - 1 H 1,439 2023 Jul 18th League Cup 1 - 2 A 594 2018 Apr 18th League 1 - 0 A 392 Apr 14th League 5 - 1 H 2,355 Mar 24th Challenge Cup (Final) 1 - 0 N 4,602 2017 Dec 16th League 1 - 0 H 2,103 Sep 23rd League 1 - 2 A 594 Prior to 2017 we only met twice, in 2002 and 2007 with Inverness winning both League Cup encounters. 2002 was our first meeting and who else but Dennis Wyness and Paul Ritchie were the scorers in a 2-0 win at the Caledonian Stadium. The first ever meeting of these clubs and it was a one sided affair in front of 667 fans. Despite Dumbarton's lofty position at the top of Division 2 they were outclassed by Caley Thistle. In 12 minutes Stephen Grindlay blocked a Charlie Christie shot with his legs after the born-again striker took full advantage of a half chance in the box. Six minutes later Grindlay palmed away a 20 yard shot from Barry Robson. Christie limped off in 21 minutes and was replaced by Paul Ritchie. Two minutes later Dennis Wyness played a one-two with Russell Duncan then pulled his shot wide. The opener came just a minute after that when Robson found Wyness in the box and he scored from 10 yards after a neat 'Wyness Shuffle'. Four minutes into the second half Ross Tokely fired wide then Robson curled a shot over the bar. In 52 minutes Grindlay saved his side once more when he tipped over a Richie Hart drive. In a rare Dumbarton foray upfield a minute later Craig McEwan hit the side netting from 12 yards. Ritchie headed over then saw a shot cleared off the line by David Stewart before he scored with a blistering 16 yard drive in 71 minutes. Robson and Duncan came close towards the final whistle but the Dumbarton defence held out. 2-0 flattered Dumbarton and they had Grindlay to thank for keeping the score down. INVERNESS CT The Season So Far D L D D W D D D L / W L(11)D W W W L W L W W L W W L W D ? / Since Scott Kellacher was handed the reins in game 11, there has been a more positive approach to our matches which has resulted in improved performances and a more enjoyable matchday experience all round. Alas we were brought back to earth with a disappointing result in our last game of 2024, a crushing 1-4 defeat at home to Cove Rangers. We'll have to put that one down to a bad day at the office. However, we bounced back in our first game of the second half of the season in the six pointer against Dumbarton with a hard fought 2-0 win. That win over Dumbarton was a vital one and the introduction of Alfie Bavidge was a welcome one as he opened the scoring early in the first half. Charlie Gilmour slotted in the clincher in the second half to give us a cushion over the Sons and to narrow the gap on Annan to seven points. We took part in the only League1 game next weekend and came away from Annan with a resounding 3-0 win, Alfie Bavidge netting again with Keith Bray and then Billy Mckay from the spot. It was then on to Palmerston on the Tuesday night but in a five goal encounter we went down 3-2. Alfie Bavidge notched his third goal in three games and Keith Bray added a second but goals from Adam Brooks (2) and Jordan Allan kept the points in Dumfries. We bounced back with a resilient 1-2 win at Alloa in our third away game on the bounce, Dunfermline bound Keith Bray with his fourth of the season and Alfie Stewart. We got our revenge at home to QotS (1-0) with Alfie Bavidge scoring his fourth goal in five appearances. Alas it was a bridge too far at Arbroath last week and we went down losing three without reply. The Stenhousemuir fixture was postponed and is re-arranged for March 11th. We went to Kelty and came away with a narrow 1-0 win thanks to Alfie's 5th goal in 7 appearances. Montrose proved to be stubborn opponents and it took a superb diving header from Keith Bray to rescue a point in a rather turgid encounter after Sandilands had opened the scoring in the first half. Off to Dumbarton on Saturday and at home to Stenhousemuir on Tuesday night... Latest Team News from within: Luis Longstaff was helped off the park last weekend against Montrose with a hamstring injury and will be going for a scan to assess the damage. It looks likely that he will miss out. Scott Kellacher is also wary of the pitch at Dumbarton and that might affect his selection and style. Pos Team Pld W D L F A Pts Table ahead of the final Admin Derby of the season 1. Arbroath 27 15 4 8 45 29 49 2. Stenhousemuir 26 13 5 8 39 26 44 3. Cove Rangers 26 12 5 9 43 31 41 4. Alloa Athletic 27 10 10 7 39 32 40 5. Q.O.S. 27 10 5 12 28 32 35 6. Kelty Hearts 26 9 7 10 31 27 34 7. Montrose 27 7 10 10 28 35 31 8. Annan Athletic 27 7 6 14 29 51 27 9. Inverness CT 26 11 8 7 29 28 26 10. Dumbarton 27 5 8 14 34 54 8 Michael Ruth's sublime free kick. Pick that one out... Last Six: D L L L L L <<<This was their Starting XI v Arbroath. Not great results for Dumbarton over the last half dozen games. February was a poor Month for the Son's. It all started innocuously with a home draw v Alloa (1-1). It was all downhill thereafer. Losses at Annan (2-1), a tough one to take at home to Montrose (2-3) and defeat at Cove (2-1) March has seen two home defeats by Stenhousemuir (1-3) and Tuesday night against League Leaders Arbroath (1-2). It's been a tough run for the Son's but don't be fooled, they won't go down without a fight and trounced us 3-1 the last time we were here in Scott Kellacher's first game in charge. Top scorer is jointly held by Carlo Pignatiello and Michael Ruth with six goals each. Like us, the January sales were not really for Dumbarton: Loan in: Owen Hayward, goalkeeper (Falkirk); Milosz Sliwinski, goalkeeper (Queen's Park). Looks like they will be putting two in goals against us. Son's fans can be seen watching a previous encounter perched precariously on the 'Rock' basking in the sunshine as the eagles kept their distance circling overhead. The Sons moved away from Boghead in 2000 and Dumbarton Football Stadium, locally known as 'The Rock' was officially opened on 2nd December 2000, and they kicked off in style with a 3-0 win over Elgin City. It's an imposing landscape with the Rock and Dumbarton Castle next to the ground. It has a capacity of 2020 and it's had many names since it opened as the Strathclyde Homes Stadium and kept that title for eleven years. It's now tagged as the Marbill Coaches Stadium since last July.

Still in the Zone An Inverness win could lift them out of the relegation zone for the first time since administration hit providing we did our bit. Scott Kellacher had emphasised how important our home form was going to be ahead of this vital clash and he went with an unchanged side. Michael Gardyne & Matheus Machado were not listed for the visitors and defender Aulay Martin was recalled from his loan at Junior side Montrose Roselea and went straight into the starting XI. We almost achieved our goal but our own performance left us chasing the game after a poor first half. Callum Sandilands opened the scoring for the visitors in an uninspiring opening forty-five but Keith Bray saved the day with a superb diving header ten minutes from the end. All square and a point closer to Annan who lost 3-0 at Arbroath. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ An overcast but frost free morning gave way to glimpses of sunshine as kick-off approached. By 3:00 it was an almost pleasant afternoon with a breeze as the game got underway. First attempt of the afternoon saw a Billy Mckay shot blocked and then Charlie Gilmour fired over after a free kick. Not much to talk about ten minutes in but hot prospect Owen Stirton had a shot blocked after twenty minutes with neither side able to make much progress in the final third. With half an hour gone both keepers could have gone for a coffee such was the dearth of activity around the penalty boxes. Graig Wighton and Billy Mckay exchanged misses and with that comment came the kiss of death as young Callum Sandilands, on loan from Hearts, opened the scoring for the visitors, chipping home from inside the box. Not the scoreline Scott Kellacher was hoping for and it went from bad to worse when Luis Longstaff went off injured to be replaced by James Nolan. This fired Inverness into action and Mckay had another effort blocked, this time by Gill before Alfie Bavidge hit the bar from outside the box. Just before the break Musa Dibaga saved from Sandilands at the expense of a corner and at the other end Keith Bray fired wide. HALF TIME: 0-1 With our most creative player subbed off, this was now going to be a massive test of the character of Kellacher's side. Montrose had Graham Webster on from the start of the second half. Gilmour headed on a corner but Mckay knocked it wide five minutes into the second half and Danny Devine lofted a shot over as the hosts looked to get back on level terms. A Paul Allan header off James Nolan's cross was held by Cammy Gill and the pressure was mounting on the visitors defence with Adam MacKinnon having an attempt blocked and Gilmour heading wide. Mckay was denied again by Gill. Charlie Gilmour must have a head like a threepenny bit as he headed wide again and Ben Brannan made his debut replacing MacKinnon. With ten minutes of normal time left up popped Keith Bray with a diving header ably assisted by Remi Savage's ball and Danny Devine's first time cross. No more than we deserved for our second half dominance but a lack of efforts on target meant it ended all square in the Highlands. FULL TIME: 1-1 Dunfermline bound Keith Bray with his fifth goal of the season earned us a point after we came out of our shell in the second half to keep the pressure on those above us. Fair play to Kellacher for turning it around again in the second half, just need to sort out our first half listlessness. More match reaction to follow... Pos Team Pld Gd Pts 1 Arbroath 26 15 46 2 Stenhousemuir 26 13 44 3 Cove Rangers 26 12 41 4 Alloa Athletic 27 7 40 5 Queen of Sth 27 -4 35 6 Kelty Hearts 26 4 34 7 Montrose 27 -7 31 8 Annan Athletic 27 -22 27 9 Inverness CT 26 1 26 10 Dumbarton 26 -19 08 Date: 01/03/2025 Venue: Caledonian Stadium Attendance: 1653 Referee: Peter Stuart Inverness CT: 1 Manager: Scott Kellacher Lineup: Dibaga; Bray, Devine, Savage, Stewart (Cairns 86), Longstaff (Nolan 39), Gilmour, Allan, MacKinnon (Brannan 70), B Mckay, Bavidge Subs (not used): Rebilas; Ewan, Keogh, Strachan, MacLeod, R Thompson Scorers: Bray (80) Booked: Gilmour (41) Sent Off: none Montrose FC: 1 Manager: Stewart Petrie Lineup: Gill; Freeman, Quinn, Waddell (Dillon 66), Steeves, Martin (Webster 46), Masson, Sandilands, Wighton (Brown 66), Stirton, Lyons (Watson 77) Subs (not used): Mathews; Bertie, McKenzie, Redwood Scorers: Sandilands (34) Booked: Steeves (89) Sent Off: none a

Gable Endies at Home Montrose are the visitors this weekend and if you can make it along early there's a Supporters Trust Meeting at 12:30 ahead of the game in Bar94 where they will endeavour to give you an update on the Administration process. The prospect of an entertaining game this Saturday with Inverness on the up and Montrose struggling of late and starting to tread water with one relegation play-off place still up for grabs. At present we hold the trumps for that with eleven games left to Alan Salvage our season.We drew the first encounter 1-1 but a stirring away performance in the second game saw us leave Montrose with a 3-2 victory at the beginning of December. They have their own Alfie Bavidge in Owen Stirton on loan from Dundee United and he has banged in six goals in just a handful of games. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ FANS MEETING 12:30 Full details are in the flyer below, but the meeting gives fans an opportunity to put questions to Charlie Christie, Scott Young or the Supporters Trust Board. Charlie and Scott will be giving updates on the club's situation and Charlie will be sharing some memories of the club's first 30 years. The meeting is open to all fans and we hope to see many of you there, and remember there is an extra bus being provided by Stagecoach at 12.00 noon from the Bus Station, allowing time to grab a pie or drink before the meeting starts. Concession passes are valid, with the single fare being £2.40. - - - - ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Match/Ticket/Bar94/Info Supporters Trust Meeting Early Bus to Stadium ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Venue Pld Won Drn Lst For Agst + / - Home 7 3 2 2 8 11 -3 Away 6 3 2 1 9 7 +2 Neutral 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Total 13 6 4 3 17 18 -1 Thirteen meetings in total with just the three defeats so far spanning 30 years starting with a 3-1 defeat at Links Park in October 94 in a division Three encounter with Sergei Baltacha the manager. Montrose nearly scored very early in the game but Mark McRitchie saved well from Colin McGlashan. In the 22nd minute a Charlie Christie cross was only inches from Norman MacMillan's head. In the 32nd minute McRitchie again saved at full length from a McGlashan shot. One minute later MacMillan put the visitors in front when he latched on to a Mitchell through ball and shot home. Things went badly wrong in the second half for Caley Thistle when in 58 minutes Paul MacKenzie was sent off for a second bookable offence. It was an uphill struggle after that and it was no surprise when Montrose equalised through Grant in 68 minutes. As the visitors tired McGlashan put Montrose in front with a tremendous shot in 74 minutes and one minute from time McRonald made it three with an overhead kick. Our next meeting in February was even worse. We were hammered 4-0 at home when a Stuart Beedie brace, with Milne and Mark Haro all scoring second half goals without reply. We won the third game 1-0 through a last minute goal from Wilson Robertson but ended as we began with a 3-0 doing at home in April thanks to strikes from Neil McAvoy, Colin McGlashan and Shaun Smith. Montrose went on to gain promotion this season with a late run for the finishing line pipping Ross County for the second place finish. Caledonian Thistle ended the season in mid-table and Forfar Athletic were the Champions. Those were the days... Last 10 Competitive Meetings 3 - 2 (A) 1 - 1 (H) 1 - 0 (H) 0 - 0 (A) 1 - 1 (H) 3 - 2 (H) 2 - 0 (A) 2 - 0 (H) 2 - 2 (A) 0 - 3 (H) INVERNESS CT The Season So Far D L D D W D D D L / W L(11)D W W W L W L W W L W W L W Since Scott Kellacher was handed the reins in game 11, there has been a more positive approach to our matches which has resulted in improved performances and a more enjoyable matchday experience all round. Alas we were brought back to earth with a disappointing result in our last game of 2024, a crushing 1-4 defeat at home to Cove Rangers. We'll have to put that one down to a bad day at the office. However, we bounced back in our first game of the second half of the season in the six pointer against Dumbarton with a hard fought 2-0 win. That win over Dumbarton was a vital one and the introduction of Alfie Bavidge was a welcome one as he opened the scoring early in the first half. Charlie Gilmour slotted in the clincher in the second half to give us a cushion over the Sons and to narrow the gap on Annan to seven points. We took part in the only League1 game last weekend and came away from Annan with a resounding 3-0 win, Alfie Bavidge netting again with Keith Bray and then Billy Mckay from the spot. *It was then on to Palmerston on the Tuesday night but in a five goal encounter we went down 3-2. Alfie Bavidge notched his third goal in three games and Keith Bray added a second but goals from Adam Brooks (2) and Jordan Allan kept the points in Dumfries. We bounced back with a resilient 1-2 win at Alloa in our third away game on the bounce, Dunfermline bound Keith Bray with his fourth of the season and Alfie Stewart. We got our revenge at home to QotS (1-0) with Alfie Bavidge scoring his fourth goal in five appearances. Alas it was a bridge too far at Arbroath last week and we went down losing three without reply. The Stenhousemuir fixture was postponed and is re-arranged for March 11th. We went to Kelty and came away with a narrow 1-0 win thanks to Alfie's 5th goal in 7 appearances. Montrose up next and a win would be helpful and much appreciated with only 11 games left in our fixture list. Latest Team News from within: Scott Kellacher has not mentioned any fresh injury worries but is focussed on four of the next five games being at home for the run in with a total of six of our final games at the Caledonian Stadium against five teams who play on artificial surfaces. Good news if we can use that to our advantage. So, the big emphasis is on our home form. Pos Team Pld Gd Pts 1 Arbroath 25 12 43 2 Cove Rangers 25 13 41 3 Stenny 25 11 41 4 Alloa Ath 26 6 37 5 Queen of Sth 26 -3 35 6 Kelty Hearts 25 3 31 7 Montrose 26 -7 30 8 Annan Ath 26 -19 27 9 Inverness CT 25 1 25 10 Dumbarton 25 -17 8 Last Six: D L D D W L At the end of January Montrose picked up an away point with a 2-2 draw at Annan, Stirton and Lyons scoring early goals. A home defeat to Stenhousemuir followed (0-3) with two draws on the bounce against Alloa (2-2) and Cove (1-1). The highlight of the last six was a rousing 2-3 win at Dumbarton with (Stirton x2 & Quinn scoring). Last week saw them well beaten at Home by QotS. <<<That was Stewart Petrie's squad for the win over Dumbarton. However, last week Machado started with Masson coming off the bench. Not a great run by Montrose and that has seen them sink perilously close to the relegation scrap. Owen Stirton is top scorer with six goals on loan from Dundee United. He seems to be the Gable Endies equivalent of our own Alfie Bavidge. Experienced arrival in the shape of Craig Wightman to back him up. Callum Sandilands is a promising young forward player in from Hearts. Matheus Machado is still at Montrose as is the imbecilic Michael Gardyne. Good footballer, bit of a tool though. January Sales: Loan in: Owen Stirton, forward (Dundee United); Callum Sandilands, forward (Heart of Midlothian); Craig Wighton, forward (Dunfermline Athletic); Kieran Freeman, defender (Raith Rovers). Kane Hester has signed on again at Elgin City and Defender Callum Hannah has gone back to Raith Rovers.

Kelty Hearts Broken The two previous encounters this season had ended all square but this Training Ground Derby at New Central Park went the way of the visitors thanks to a strike from Alfie Bavidge. Scott Kellacher had a full squad to pick from with James Nolan dropping down to join new signing Ben Brannan on the bench and Billy Mckay was up front with Alfie Bavidge. Charlie Mulgrew had a defender trialist on from the start who turned out to be Kirk Broadfoot but top Scorer Ross Cunningham missed out. After a goalless first half the Caley Jags upped the pace and Alfie Bavidge opened the scoring with twenty minutes remaining. A late scare as Kelty bounced a header off the crossbar following a corner but the visitors held on for the win in what turned out to be a great day for the Caley Jags with all others round about them losing. Happy days! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ In less than ideal conditions and after a cagey opening it took ten minutes before Paul Allan had the first attempt in earnest when Luis Longstaff's ball in was met by the midfielder, his effort saved by Adams in goal. Kelty were perhaps shading the early exchanges and from hereon they dominated the first forty-five although the visitors had a couple of great opportunities to open the scoring. Lewis Moore saw Dibaga save his effort from outside the box and midway through the half he shot wide from inside the box. The Inverness defence were working hard to contain the eager Maroons, blocking a couple of efforts from outside the box and it remained goalless at the break. The second half saw the Caley Jags up their work rate and they took control of proceedings from the whistle. Adam MacKinnon had a long range shot saved and Alfie Bavidge missed the target as we rolled our sleeves up. Connor Allan went close with a shot from inside the box on the hour and Blaine McClure fired a free kick wide. However, it was the visitors who were now in pulling the strings. Billy Mckay and Charlie Gilmour went close as the pressure mounted on the hosts defence and they combined to set up Bavidge for a great team goal to open the scoring from close range, Alfie's fifth goal in seven appearances. A late surge from the hosts as they tried to salvage something from the game saw Scott Mercer head onto the bar following a corner with ten minutes remaining. Despite this late flurry and seven minutes of time added on, Inverness kept the Hearts out and closed the gap on Annan to just two points with a game in hand. 5th goal in 7 for Alfie, that's some return since he came in on loan. Mantis summed up on CTO: We were very poor first half although as Kell says we had the best two chances. Defensively, Devine and Savage were in total control and Kelty, minus Cunningham, never really looked like breaking us down. Will be interesting to see Kelty’s penalty claim on the highlights. Second half we started at a decent tempo with Bray and Longstaff causing a lot of problems down the right, and you could feel the pressure building. We spurned a few chances before finally scoring. We might have tied the game up as we then had to endure a nervy few minutes at the end, during which Devine and Savage were both booked. Meanwhile the Annan game, which was a few minutes ahead of us, ticked on past the 97 minute mark. Thought Billy was more effective in his deeper role than in recent weeks and very happy that nobody snapped up Charlie in the transfer window. He even avoided a booking this week… Pos Team Pld Gd Pts 1 Cove Rangers 25 13 41 2 Stenny 25 11 41 3 Arbroath 24 11 40 4 Alloa Ath 26 6 37 5 Queen of Sth 26 -3 35 6 Kelty Hearts 24 4 31 7 Montrose 26 -7 30 8 Annan Ath 26 -19 27 9 Inverness CT 25 1 25 10 Dumbarton 25 -17 08 Goals Scored by Alfie Bavidge Jan 4th, 2025 League (H) vs. Dumbarton 2 - 0 (15') Jan 18th, 2025 League (A) vs. Annan Athletic 3 - 0 (40') Jan 21st, 2025 League (A) vs. Queen of the South 2 - 3 (10') Feb 1st, 2025 League (H) vs. Queen of the South 1 - 0 (36') Feb 22nd, 2025 League (A) vs. Kelty Hearts 1 - 0 (73') Date: 22/02/2025 Venue: New Central Park, Kelty Attendance: 0641 Referee: Alastair Grieve Kelty Hearts: 0 Manager: Charlie Mulgrew Lineup: Adams; Mercer, Flatman, Trialist, Paterson, McClure, Lyon (McCarvel 61), C Allan, McIntyre (Thomas 81), Moore, McLeish (Johnston 75) Subs (not used): Adamson; Fellows, O'Ware, Bryce, Watson, Brown Scorers: none Booked: McClure (64), Mercer (78) Sent Off: none Inverness CT: 1 Manager: Scott Kellacher Lineup: Dibaga; Bray, Devine, Savage, Stewart, Longstaff, Gilmour, Allan, Mackinnon, Bavidge, B Mckay (Cairns 90+4) Subs (not used): Rebilas; Walker, Ewan, Keogh, Nolan, MacLeod, R Thompson, Brannan Scorers: Bavidge (73) Booked: Devine (87), Savage (90+1) Sent Off: none a

Big Loss to Round off a Miserable 2024 Last game of Annus Horribilis had Cove Rangers as visitors to the Highlands on a damp but mild afternoon at the Caledonian Stadium. Robbie Thompson returned to the squad after suspension. Charlie Reilly and Jake Davidson were the main players missing. Paul Hartley in his 200th game in charge of Cove covering two spells was without Will Gillingham, Liam Parker and Blair Yule but Mitch Megginson returned after injury and Findlay Marshall and Declan Glass also started. This fourth meeting of the season between the clubs ended in a disappointing defeat. Declan Glass had opened the scoring in just five minutes after Dibaga had knocked away a shot from Megginson and on the rebound, Emslie. Megginson helped himself to number two after a corner. Remi Savage halved the deficit before the interval. Arron Darge headed Cove two ahead just after the interval, his second in two games. A late Emslie strike was the icing on the cake for Cove. Too little too late despite a late flurry from the hosts made all the more disappointing with the news that Dumbarton won whilst our goal difference took a hammering and Annan picked up a point. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ An early setback for the hosts in the fifth minute when Glass scored on the rebound after Megginson's and then Emslie's shot broke to him from Dibaga. Glass had a second effort saved by the keeper a few minutes later as Cove dominated the early exchanges. James Nolan fired over before Megginson forced Dibaga into action again winning a corner. From that corner Megginson added a second goal heading in from the corner of the six yard box, his eighth strike in the League campaign. An uphill struggle after only twenty minutes with Cove dominating proceedings and Inverness unable to create anything of note. Out of the blue, we scrambled a goal back through Remi Savage following a Paul Allan free kick. Just what we needed to kick-start our afternoon. However, the ever dangerous Megginson was denied by Dibaga a couple of minutes later some five minutes before the break. The hosts were trying to salvage their poor first forty-five and Billy Mckay had an effort saved by Nick Suman as possession almost levelled out after Cove's blistering start but Dibaga had been the busier of the two keepers in a disappointing half for the home fans. HALF TIME: 1-2 Ethan Cairns replaced Mathew Strachan at the interval but we fell further behind minutes after the restart when Darge headed home following a free kick. Mckay was denied two minutes later from close range from Luis Longstaff's free kick. Suman saved from Cairns, tipping over the bar after an hour and Connor Scully shot just wide from a free kick with Danny Devine being booked for his troubles. Allan missed the target as Inverness looked to get a lifeline with twenty minutes left. Cove still looked more dangerous and Glass saw an effort saved by Dibaga after being put through by Megginson. Into the final ten minutes and Inverness were finding it difficult to break Cove down and create anything meaningful whilst Darge fancied another but headed off target. Keith Bray saw his shot saved by the keeper from distance and substitute Robbie Thompson headed wide. Adam Emslie rounded off the scoring as we chased a late consolation, slotting in from the edge of the box in some style. FULL TIME: 1-4 Well that was a kick in the teeth for the Caley Jags who were well beaten by Cove. A random summary on CTO: A game of 2 halves and we were sh!te in both Perhaps too much Christmas pud was had by those in red and blue! Couldn't keep possession - either pushed off the ball far too easily or passing to an opponent. Cove came prepared and soaked up everything we threw at them with ease, and with similar ease strolled through our defence whenever they fancied a shot at goal. They wanted it so much more than we did and could have won by a much bigger margin. Pos Team Pld Gd Pts 1 Arbroath 19 10 34 2 Stenny 19 9 30 3 Kelty 19 9 29 4 Cove R 19 6 28 5 Alloa Ath 19 2 25 6 Montrose 19 -2 23 7 Queen of Sth 18 -5 22 8 Annan Ath 19 -16 19 9 Inverness CT 18 -3 10 10 Dumbarton 19 -10 07 Date: 28/12/2024 Venue: Caledonian Stadium Attendance: 1974 Referee: Iain Snedden Inverness CT: 1 Manager: Scott Kellacher Lineup: Dibaga; Nolan (R Thompson 85), Devine, Savage, Strachan (Cairns 46), Bray, Gilmour, Allan, Longstaff, MacKinnon, B Mckay Subs (not used): Patterson; S Thompson, L Walker, Gardiner, MacLeod, C Mackay Scorers: Savage (37) Booked: Devine (65) Sent Off: none Cove Rangers: 4 Manager: Paul Hartley Lineup: Suman; Lobban, Doyle, Darge, Harrington, Fyvie, Marshall, Scully, Glass, Megginson (Gaffney 81), Emslie Subs (not used): Demus; Murray, McAllister, McGrath Scorers: Glass (5), Megginson (18), Darge (49), Emslie (90+2) Booked: Harrington (81) Sent Off: none a

Happy New Year I hope we will all have a great New Year and are looking forward to getting back to business as usual. For Inverness Caledonian Thistle that will be a case of steadying the ship, not dropping any further in terms of league positions, sorting out the massive black hole where the finances disappeared into, hopefully a new buyer with the interest of the club and the community at heart and the process of building bridges with the local business community and fanbase can be reborn and flourish. Alan Salvage, as we know him on here, has gone a long way to restoring the good name of the Caley Jags. There is, however, still a long way to go. Duncball, relegation, reign of tyranny, oligarchy, lies, deceit destruction and administration. This last season has seen our darkest moments on and off the park and one that showed that Immortality is real as one of our legendary supporters moved on to a spiritual level to oversee our resurrection from the ashes of administration. It's been a difficult time for the club and it's supporters who now have one of their own, Scott Kellacher trying his utmost to repair the damage done over the years of mismanagement. So far it's been a steadying process and recent results have been encouraging as he adopts a more positive approach to the beautiful game, something that has not gone unnoticed amongst the fanbase who are seeing the improvements from a year of Duncball; all possession, relegation and limited entertainment. On Saturday, we face Cove Rangers at the Caledonian Stadium in the last game of our Annus Seasonal Horribilis. It's scheduled for a 3:00pm kick off before Dumbarton first foot us on 4th of January 2025 bringing coal, shortbread, their own administration and a wee dram. To be honest, I'd rather have the three points instead. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Match/Ticket/Supporters/ Bus Info Half Season Tickets Administration Topic on CTO ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Last 10 of 11 Competitive Meetings 0 - 2 (A) 2 - 1 (A) 1 - 1 (H) 2 - 1 (A) 6 - 1 (H) 1 - 0 (A) 4 - 1 (H) 1 - 1 (H) 1 - 3 (A) 3 - 2 (H) INVERNESS CT: D L D D W D D D L / W L(11)D W W W L W That's our League1 season so far, almost half way through the campaign for us. Scott Kellacher came in at matchday 11. His winning streak bookended by the losses at Dumbarton and the loss at home to Arbroath before last weeks stirring late drama at Stenhousemuir where Charlie Gilmour was credited with the goal after full time. We have played Cove Rangers three times this season and it's one win apiece and a draw. Cove's win was a Scottish Cup tie. Drab Draw: 1-1 Inverness hosted Cove Rangers and were without Flynn Duffy, Lewis Nicolson and Ethan Cairns. Paul Allan and former Cove players Luis Longstaff and Charlie Gilmour had returned to the squad with Gilmour and Longstaff starting. Cove had won their last two outings and put three past Kelty Hearts last weekend with Mitch Megginson always a threat up front. Adam Emslie tapped in at the back post to open the scoring after twenty minutes. Substitute James Nolan levelled five minutes after the restart following a corner. A replacement official was required to complete the game and despite fifteen minutes added on, there was no further scoring. Caley Jags Get Vital Win: 1-2 Top versus bottom ended in victory for the Caley Jags who climb into positive numbers at the foot of the table. Cove had made one change from the win at Dumbarton as they looked for their fifth win on the trot. Findlay Marshall replaced Arron Darge. For Inverness, graduate Sam Reid took his place on the bench with Lewis Nicolson missing. On the field, Charlie Gilmour returned to midfield to bolster the squad with Connal Ewan out injured and boss Scott Kellacher would be looking to get into positive numbers with his positive team talks. However, it only took Cove ten minutes to get in front through top scorer Mitch Megginson. Megginson failed to convert a first half penalty with Dibaga saving and two minutes later it was all square when Adam MacKinnon drilled high into the net. With 25 minutes left, Keith Bray popped up with a much needed and deserved winner. This was a great result played out at Cove, sharpened at Inverness but made in the Isle of Lewis. Cup of no Cheer: 0-2 Jake Davidson, Keith Bray, Charlie Reilly, Connell Ewan and Lewis Nicolson were all missing for the The Caley Jags on Scottish Cup 3rd Round action at Balmoral Stadium, Cove. Fraser Fyvie was out for Cove. No scoring in the first half, not for the want of trying, but two very late goals, one from the spot after a dubious handball attributed to Danny Devine put Cove into the draw for the 4th Round. Substitutes Glass with the penalty and McGrath with a strike into the bottom corner sent the Caley Jags tumbling out of the cup after it was looking good for soooo long. Pos Team Pld Gd Pts 1 Arbroath 18 7 31 2 Kelty 18 11 29 3 Stenny 18 7 27 4 Alloa Ath 18 4 25 5 Cove 18 3 25 6 Montrose 18 1 23 7 Queen of S 17 -5 21 8 Annan Ath 18 -16 18 9 Caley Jags 17 0 10 10 Dumbarton 18 -12 04 Latest Team News Inverness have limited options as is the norm these days since administration. No new injury worries that we are aware of and Robbie Thompson will be available after his suspension last week. Charlie Reilly will hopefully be getting closer to a return. Jake Davidson will miss out. Kellacher is reported to have one or two niggles within the squad, we'll have to wait and see what transpires. Cove Rangers Last Six League games: L L L D D W A poor recent run by Cove saw them drop from the top spot but they had a good win last week as they beat Alloa Athletic 2-0 in front of a mere 323 fans at Balmoral Stadium to get back on track. This was their squad for that encounter. Arron Darge scored his first goal for Cove with a header after twenty minutes. Substitute Myles Gaffney sealed the points in the second half with a couple of minutes to spare. Everyone is beating each other as Arbroath sneak their way to the top of the table. Cove are sitting in fifth place only six points off the pace. Ones to watch: Mitch Megginson (7 League ), Adam Emslie (4 ), Findlay Marshall (3 ) Connor Scully and Fraser Fyvie along with Emslie are able providers. Striker Mitch Megginson should be fit to return having missed the Alloa game, but Liam Parker and Blair Yule are still unavailable. Saturday will be manager Paul Hartley's 200th game in charge and it coincides with his 500th game in football management overall. Hartley is confident his team will be well prepared to mount a serious challenge for promotion in the New Year.

A view of the Ochil's for Xmas An away day to Ochilview Park lies in wait for the Caley 'IOU' Jags on Saturday. With the creditors looming, the club still running at -£10K per week and Administrators already running up a bill of over a quarter of a million pounds, are we a viable proposition or are we running on borrowed time? The financial mess left in the wake of the ill fated previous regime uncovered by the forensic sweep over club accounts is staggering. It's embarrassing to be honest and shameful that the list of creditors still owed money has over 140 names on it. These range from a few £'s to £1.6m in the case of former Chairman Ross Morrison. In total the Caley Jags IOU total is standing at over £3.8m and rising daily. Morrison, Allan Munro and David Cameron alone are down £2,721,751. That's not a lot if you say it quickly. How low can we stoop. I hope they all paused for thought when they donned their red poppy in November, the food suppliers are owed over £26K! There's also a geezer called Scot Gardiner who is looking for £70K and O2 are £1.64p short. WTaF. Meanwhile, on the Park Inverness have to pick themselves up after tasting defeat at home to Arbroath last weekend. The dismissal of Robbie Thompson means that he will miss out along with the injured Jake Davidson, Lewis Nicolson, Charlie Reilly and Connall Ewan. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Match/Ticket/Travel/Info ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Venue (only 9 meetings) Pld Won Drn Lst For Agst + / - Home 4 3 1 0 11 3 +8 Away 5 3 1 1 10 5 +5 Neutral 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Total 9 6 2 1 21 8 +13 Not many games against the Warriors over the years. Prior to the earlier fixture this season that ended 0-0, our next most recent game was a League cup encounter in 2012 that ended 1-1 at Ochilview. Our one defeat was back in 1997 at Ochilview. Match report by Ian Broadfoot can be read below. The rest of our meetings took place between 1996 -1998. All 9 Competitive Meetings 0 - 0 (H) 1 - 1 (A) 3 - 1 (A) 2 - 1 (H) 3 - 0 (A) 4 - 1 (H) 2 - 3 (A) 5 - 1 (H) 1 - 0 (A) Stenhousemuir 3-2 Inverness: Aug30th 1997. The game started at a fast pace and the home side thought they had scored in 4 minutes when an Innes effort was cleared off the line. In 7 minutes an excellent McCulloch 20 yard shot was painfully blocked by a defender and it fell harmlessly into the arms of Alexander. Wilson had a great chance in the 11th minute - he was clean through after a good pass from Thomson but he dithered too long. Stenhousemuir took the lead in 18 minutes when a Roseburgh cross from the left was knocked in by Farrell from close range. The visitors fought back and in 26 minutes a Wilson corner led to an Alexander save from Cherry and a Teasdale header off the bar. The Warriors took control and came close in 29 minutes when a 25 yard blast from Fisher flew low past the post. On 45 minutes Fisher collected a pass 30 yards out, calmly drew Fridge and slotted the ball home. On 47 minutes the visitors came back into the game when Wilson was brought down and Thomson hammered home the penalty. The revival lasted for 3 minutes. MacArthur was judged to have handled in the box to the amazement of all who saw the ball hit his shoulder. The soft penalty was converted by Roseburgh. In 73 minutes Henderson had the miss of the season. He was one yard out when the ball came across the face of the goal but he failed to connect. In the 85th minute a 25 yard McCulloch strike was tipped over by Alexander. Ross took the corner and Addicoat forced the ball over the line with his chest to make it 3-2. Caley Thistle chased the equaliser in the last 5 minutes but could not penetrate the well organised home defence and overall the final score of 3-2 flattered the Inverness side. Starting XI in bold Alexander Sprott Roseburgh pen (Campbell 84) Armstrong Innes Law Farrell Fisher Little Brown Henderson Les Fridge Richard Hastings Iain MacArthur (Ross 75) Paul Cherry Vetle Andersen Mark McCulloch Charlie Christie Mike Teasdale Barry Wilson (Addicoat 75) Iain Stewart pen Brian Thomson INVERNESS CT: D L D D W D D D L / W L D W W W L That's our League1 season so far. Scott Kellacher came in at matchday 11. His winning streak bookended by the losses at Dumbarton and the loss at home to Arbroath last week. The earlier fixture against the Warriors ended in a Bore Draw (0-0) Stenhousemuir came North for the first time since 1998 on League business when a Mike Teasdale brace won the day after Ian Little had opened the scoring for the Warriors in front of 1414 fans. Brian Thomson has been our all time top scorer against them with seven goals including a hat-trick in a 5-1 rout in 1997. Hope he has taken his boots along for this one. In an instantly forgettable first half, the only highlight was a brilliant penalty save from Musa Dibaga to keep the score level with opportunities non-existent for both sides. The closest we came was when Davidson shot just wide when we broke forward. The second half produced more of the same with neither side able to find the finishing touch. Another point and another game without a goal. Whatever way you spin it, it's another dire performance which won't encourage many fans to come back. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A chilly afternoon with the threat of rain dampened the atmosphere and to be honest it must have got to the players who produced a dire first forty-five only brought to life by a superb penalty save from Dibaga. Nothing wrong with the strike, but the keeper guessed right as he dived full length low to his right to deny Matty Yates. The rest of the half was disjointed and Jake Davidson was the only other one that went close ten minutes before the interval. Half Time: 0-0 The second half was no better with half chances and missed opportunities. Anderson glanced a header a yard or two wide and Yates shot wide as the Warriors threatened to take control. However with defences on top it was unlikely that anyone would score and James Nolan lifted a shot over the bar after good work down the right flank by Longstaff and lay-off's from Billy Mckay and MacKinnon. Nobody could hit the target and Brooks dragged a long range shot two or three yards wide. MacKinnon had an effort blocked from close range from the edge of the six yard box. Highlight of this half was a tremendous block by Jake Davidson as Ross Meechan looked favourite to score. Unfortunately it was the same old same old as we struggled badly to create enough and take any chances that did come our way. Full Time: 0-0 Poor fare at the Caledonian Stadium as we huffed and puffed our way around the park to little effect. Great save from MotM Musa Dibaga to deny Matty Yates but that was all there was to cheer. We did have an early penalty claim brushed aside, as Billy Mckay seemed to be barged off the ball and another in the second half when Duffy appeared to be pushed in the box going for a cross. Either way, a draw was about right, but two poor teams on display..... That was Duncball for you! Pos Team Pld Gd Pts 1 Arbroath 17 3 28 2 Stenny 17 8 27 3 Kelty Hearts 17 9 26 4 Alloa Ath 17 6 25 5 Montrose 17 2 23 6 Cove 17 1 22 7 Queen S 16 -3 21 8 Annan Ath 17 -12 18 9 Inverness CT 16 -1 07 10 Dumbarton 17 -13 01 Stenhousemuir Last Six League1 Games: L D W W W L The Warrior's form over the last six League games is a mirror image of our own. One of the big differences is they have scored plenty goals. 4-0, 3-0 and 1-0 wins over Dumbarton, Cove and Montrose are sandwiched between defeats at and Queen of the South and Arbroath with a draw against Annan five games ago. This was their line-up in the 2-1 defeat at Palmerston last week. Reece Lyon put Queens ahead early in the first half. And look who added a second, none other than Adam Brooks with a sharp first time hit from a low cross into the box. Connor O'Donnell reduced the deficit on the hour but despite Queens keeper being the busiest, it ended in a loss in Dumfries. Unfortunately, Matty Aitken will be unavailable after suffering a kidney injury at Dumfries and has been receiving hospital treatment. Greg Buchanan is over the bookings threshold but should be available for this one. Matty Yates is top scorer with five and Blair Alston has four. Danny Devine is still our top 'striker' with three goals. Nat Wedderburn is still at Stenny. Latest Inverness CT Team News A disappointing defeat last week at home to Arbroath was not helped by the sending off of Robbie Thompson who will miss this clash at Ochilview. No news again from the Inverness camp but as we have heard nothing, can we assume we will be along similar lines with Keith Bray starting in place of Thompson. Talk of a new young striker in the New Year, but we need the goals now as Billy seems to have run dry. Missing last week were Davidson, Reilly, Ewan, Nicolson and Cairns. No news from the gaffers this week again