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Record Intact The last time Raith Rovers beat us at Stark's Park, it was jumpers for goalposts, three corners a penalty, Donview and Mantis had cranial hair and Groovejet by Spiller featuring Sophie Ellis Bextor topped the charts. Well, are we still waiting? Yes we are and here's why. Jamie Gullan saw an early header come off the crossbar as the hosts bossed the early pace of the game. Lewis Vaughan opened the scoring on the half hour after a period of home pressure when the ball fell to him outside the box after a succession of corners and he shot low beyond Ridgers. Inverness would need to up their game if they wanted to preserve that record. Jay Henderson levelled the game shortly after the break scoring from a tight angle. Unfortunately for Inverness Aidan Connolly restored their advantage with an hour gone. Scott Allardice returned to action after months out and after a couple of near things for Raith, Billy Mckay popped up to level the game once more seven minutes from the end with a header from a Sean Welsh free kick. That's how it ended and the wait goes on for Raith Rovers fans. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ With George Oakley off to Morton, Dodds had more space to fill on the bench and back into the frame came long term injured Scott Allardice and Cammy Harper. New signing Ben Woods was missing and still no sign of Austin Samuels. Raith had loan signings midfielder Scott MacGill from Hearts and forward William Akio from Ross County in their squad. Raith got the game underway and were first to show but Mark Ridgers gathered Lewis Vaughan's effort comfortably in the fourth minute. Jamie Gullan headed off the crossbar a couple of minutes later, possibly tipped onto the bar by Ridgers and the follow up by Dylan Easton was blocked as the hosts made a bright start. Daniel Mackay brought Jamie MacDonald into action as Inverness came out of their defensive shell with fifteen minutes on the clock and Billy Mckay was also denied by the keeper moments later as he tried to clip the ball past MacDonald after being fed through the left channel by Aaron Doran, the keeper shutting him down quickly. Gullan took a knock in a clash with Ridgers and Nolan had some treatment soon after. Raith forced a series of corners and the opener came through Lewis Vaughan who shot home from distance outside the box bounced into the bottom corner, probably wrong footing Ridgers. Not a great half of football with meagre picking for both sides. Half Time: 1-0 It only took Inverness four minutes to do something about it after the interval when Jay Henderson levelled the game scoring from a tight angle beyond the six yard box after a brilliant cut back from Billy Mckay, Henderson rifling the ball across the keeper to round off a tremendous move. However Aidan Connolly put Raith back in front on the hour with a curling shot into the corner of the goal with Ridgers stranded, the ball hitting the side net as it beat the keeper low down. Scott Allardice made a welcome return to action replacing Lewis Hyde soon after with Nathan Shaw replacing Dan Mackay as we looked to rescue something from the game. Billy Mckay showed his defensive qualities clearing the ball off the line to prevent a third for Raith and substitute William Akio was denied by Ridgers as the hosts looked to kill off the game. Mckay preserved the record with a headed goal from Sean Welsh's free kick, timing his run to perfection to flick the ball behind MacDonald. Raith's Brown shot just over in injury time to ensure it ended all square at 2-2. Full Time: 2-2 MotM Billy Mckay not only scored his 92nd goal for Inverness and fifth since the turn of the year but also made a valuable contribution at the back clearing off the line. Jay Henderson scored his second goal in four games since coming in on loan from St Mirren and it was tremendous to have Scott Allardice back on the pitch after a lengthy lay-off through injury. A decent point given Raith's recent resurgence and another game on our road to recovery as well. Pos Team Pld W D L F A Pts Table after todays games, January 28th 2023 1. Queens Park 22 12 4 6 44 30 40 2. Ayr United 22 11 6 5 46 29 39 3. Dundee 21 11 5 5 36 25 38 4. Partick Thistle 22 10 3 9 42 37 33 5. Inverness CT 22 8 7 7 32 30 31 6. Morton 21 8 6 7 29 24 30 7. Raith Rovers 23 8 6 9 30 31 30 8. Cove Rangers 22 5 7 10 30 47 22 9. Arbroath 23 4 9 10 22 37 21 10. Hamilton Ac. 22 4 5 13 18 39 17 SATURDAY 28TH JANUARY 2023 Dundee 3-0 Queen's Park Morton 1-2 Arbroath Partick 0-1 Accies Raith Rovers 2-2 Inverness CT Date: 28/01/2023 Venue: Stark's Park, Kirkaldy Attendance: 2025 Referee: Scott Lambie Raith Rovers: 2 Manager: Ian Murray Lineup: MacDonald; Millen, Nolan, Lang, Dick, Brown, Spencer, Connolly, Vaughn (McBride 87), Easton (Stanton 77), Gullan (Akio 71) Subs (not used): Thomson; Ngwenya, McNeil, Mitchell, Masson, Frederikson Scorers: Vaughan (29), Connolly (61) Booked: Brown (58) Sent Off: none Inverness CT: 2 Manager: Billy Dodds Lineup: Ridgers; Carson, Duffy, Devine, Delaney (Harper 81), D Mackay (Shaw 66), Welsh, Hyde (Allardice 66), Henderson (L Nicolson 87), Doran (Boyd 81) B Mckay Subs (not used): C Mackay; Strachan, Cairns, Thompson Scorers: Henderson (49), B Mckay (83) Booked: Welsh (37), Duffy (54) Delaney (71) Sent Off: none a

Is the Pendulum Swinging... It's been a long time since Raith became the dominant force in these encounters, but given our less than impressive recent form, it looks like the pendulum will be swinging the other way very soon. Already bowing down to the likes of Arbroath, Morton, Hamilton etc, we need to get our house in order on and off the park and show the desire, passion and commitment to compete at this level. Failure will have massive repercussions which could well signal the demise of the Caley Jags as we know them. Raith Rovers will host Inverness on Saturday with a 3:00pm kick-off. MATCH INFO/TICKETS/SUPPORTERS TRAVEL Venue Pld Won Drn Lst For Agst + / - Home 19 13 4 2 37 14 +23 Away 15 8 4 3 30 19 +11 Neutral 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Total 34 21 8 5 67 33 +34 Last 10 Competitive Meetings 3 - 2 (A) 1 - 1 (H) 0 - 0 (H) 1 - 1 (A) 1 - 0 (H) 1 - 0 (A) 0 - 0 (H) 2 - 0 (H) 3 - 3 (A) 4 - 1 (H) Biggest Victories Jan 12th, 2002 League (H) 5 - 0 Heaviest Defeats Aug 26th, 2000 League (A) 1 - 4 Last League game We slumped to defeat at home to Morton, another side we became accustomed to beating regularly. A Gillespie penalty undoing us in another lack lustre performance, hot on the heels of the 4-1 drubbing at Firhill. Rovers lost out to Partick Thistle 2-1 at Firhill. Tiffoney and Lawless put Partick two ahead but Ethan Ross replied immediately just before the break. That's how it finished. That leaves Rovers one point above Inverness Games this Saturday Arbroath v Partick Cove v Accies Dundee v Queen's Morton v Ayr Utd Raith Rovers v Inverness CT Latest Team News Add Roddy MacGregor to the injury list after the Motherwell game, but George Oakley will rejoin the squad after being suspended in midweek. Usual suspects still out and two or three still carrying injuries. Eric's Stark Revelations Raith have a managerial change since last season with John McGlynn moving to Falkirk, his replacement is Ian Murray who joins after his contract expired at Ardrieonians. The defenders who have left Stark's Park are Kyle Benedictus to Dunfermline, Frankie Musonda now at Ayr United, David Mackay left to join Q.O.S. and Reghan Tumulty transferred to Hartlepool Utd. In addition Seam Mackie's loan spell ended while Greig Young has been sent out on loan to Elgin City. Finally at the age of 37 veteran Christophe Berra has retired. Midfielder Ben Williamson has been recalled to Rangers after his loan Of last seasons forwards Matej Poplatnik loan from Livingston ended and Ethon Varian who was on loan from Stoke U21 is now with Irish side Bohemians. New arrivals at Stark's Park. A fourth goalkeeper has been added to the squad in Andy McNeil from Berwick Rangers. Ryan Nolan an Irish born centre back saw his development with Inter U17 & U19 in Italy and came on a transfer via Northampton Town. Another centre back Connor O'Riordan is on loan from Crewe Alexandra. On loan from Aberdeen FC B is left back Kieran Ngwenya and at right back is Ross Millen transfer from Scunthorpe Utd previously with numerous Scottish clubs such as Dunfermline, Queens Park, Kilmarnock and Clyde FC. Scott Brown a central midfield player joins from Peterhead FC. Up front centre forward Kyle Connell is on loan from Kilmarnock. Long term injuries for Raith are. Tom Lang centre back, cruciate ligament surgery Ross Mathews midfield, sore toe Brad Spencer midfield, foot surgery Lewis Vaughan forward, cruciate ligament rupture. Cheers Eck. Breaking News Due to our inability to hit the target recently, new goalposts have been installed at the Caledonian Stadium to give us a better chance of scoring. A club spokesperson has said "we can't hit a coo in the arse with a banjo, so this should help us to improve our goals scored".

The Good the Bad and Raith Rovers With both clubs recording their first win in 2022, this clash could go a long way to deciding who has the bottle for the battle. Saturday 3:00pm at Starks Park should reveal all as good takes on bad, or Inverness versus Raith Rovers, a club apparently with the morals of Michael Gardyne. Both clubs have underperformed over the last three months but surprisingly still find themselves in contention for a play-off spot, realistically fourth place. MATCH/TICKET/STREAMING/BUS INFO OFFICIAL PREVIEW SUPPORTERS BUS 07462218717 Raith Rovers bus 19th March leaves Caley Club 10.30, stadium 10.45. Picking up in Aviemore and Pitlochry. £20 and £15 for under 16s. Book through Facebook or on 07462218717 Venue Head2Head Pld Won Drn Lst For Agst + / - Home 19 13 4 2 37 14 +23 Away 14 7 4 3 27 17 +10 Neutral 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Total 33 20 8 5 64 31 +33 Yes, the stats are not faulty: Raith Rovers have not beaten Inverness for almost twenty one and a half years. Incredible run of results going back to October 28th 2000 when we went down 1-2 in Inverness. Back to August of 2000 for their last win at Starks park and here is Ian Broadfoot's match report from that game, a 4-1 win for Raith: Caley Thistle's bad run continued against a sharp Raith side. Jay Stein set up the opening goal in 10 minutes with a run down the left and a cut back which deflected to Ray McKinnon and he scored with a low drive. The visitors best first half effort came in 27 minutes when Van de Kamp spectacularly saved a Davide Xausa 25 yard shot. On 44 minutes a free kick was touched to Kenny Black and Les Fridge tipped his shot over the bar. Raith killed the game off in a four minute spell in the second half. In 50 minutes a low ball from the right was punched by Fridge into the path of Paul Tosh who hit it home. Four minutes later Alex Burns beat three men in the box before scoring at the second attempt. Iain Stewart clawed one back with a close range header in 59 minutes after a Xausa shot had been blocked by the keeper. This sparked a revival with good efforts from Xausa and lively substitute Barry Robson. All efforts produced no more goals and Raith made it 4-1 in 82 minutes. Alex Burns crossed from the right and found Gerry Creaney who scored with a low shot from 15 yards. Decent teams back then Raith: Van de Kamp; McCulloch, Opinel, Gaughn, Browne, Black, S Tosh, McKinnon, P Tosh, Burns, Stein Inverness: Fridge; Tokely, Mann, Hastings, Golabek, Christie, Sheerin, Byers, McBain, Stewart, Xausa Subs: Calder; Robson, Bagan, Bavidge, Wyness Last 10 Competitive Meetings 1 - 1 (H) 0 - 0 (H) 1 - 1 (A) 1 - 0 (H) 1 - 0 (A) 0 - 0 (H) 2 - 0 (H) 3 - 3 (A) 4 - 1 (H) 2 - 1 (H) Saturday 3:00pm kick offs Arbroath v Ayr United Killie v Queens Partick v Accies Rovers v Caley J's Pos Team Pld W D L F A Pts DUNFERMLINE Ath v MORTON (Fri 7:45pm) 1. Kilmarnock 29 16 5 8 39 20 53 2. Arbroath 29 13 12 4 40 22 51 3. Partick Thistle 28 12 9 7 41 26 45 4. Inverness CT 29 11 10 8 38 27 43 5. Raith Rovers 29 10 12 7 35 34 42 6. Morton 29 8 10 11 32 39 34 7. Ayr United 29 8 8 13 30 43 32 8. Hamilton Ac. 29 7 11 11 31 45 32 9. Q.O.S. 29 6 8 15 29 42 26 10. Dunfermline 28 4 13 11 26 43 25 Last Time Out Inverness broke their eleven game run without a win by beating title challengers Arbroath with a somewhat flattering but nonetheless welcome 3-0 win. An early goal by Man of the Match Shane Sutherland was followed soon after by a Reece McAlear strike following a neat move involving Shane and David Carson. We reverted to type after that and the ball was like a hot potato as it was battered skywards with great regularity. However we repelled the advances of Arbroath without too much hassle and Billy Mckay sneaked a third goal as we started to dominate with twenty minutes left. Get in Reece as he finishes off a tidy move down the right... Raith also ended a similar barren spell (first win in twelve) by beating Queen of the South 1-0 at Palmerston to remain only one point behind Inverness in fifth place. The only goal of the game came in the first half through Matej Poplatnik. The honours are favouring Inverness this season in league games. Inverness edged the first one in the Highlands with a Roddy MacGregor special doing the damage, but the two subsequent meetings ended in draws. There was also a drawn Challenge Cup game at Starks Park which Raith eventually won on penalties. Latest Team News Allardice and MacGregor out longer term, but unless there are any new issues Dodds should have a relatively injury free squad. Cammy Mackay could well continue in goal as he has done well since getting his opportunity through Mark Ridgers downtime. Sam Pearson has been called up to the Welsh u21 squad for forthcoming games against Switzerland and Bulgaria. Read Here Unfortunately it rules him out after the Raith game and he is unavailable for the Dunfermline game on 26th March. Former Raith Rovers player Paul Hampshire passed away at the weekend after an accident. RIP Paul condolences to all. Here's an obituary from John Greer on Raith Rovers FC Website. PAUL HAMPSHIRE Raith TV McGlynn Preview (we have our own injuries/illnesses) Eric the Stats Raith round up. In: Sam Stanton, midfielder (Dundalk); Jamie Gullan, forward (Hibernian) Loan: Ben Williamson - midfielder (Rangers). Sean Mackie - a left back on loan from Hibernian FC, originally joined Raith in 2015 from the Fife Elite Academy before moving to Hibs the next season, according to sources his last 2 years at Hibs has been blighted by injury. And last but not least; In & Out; the Hokey Cokey saga of David Goodwillie. Yes, the in-out, in-out, shake it all about transfer that rocked the club back onto it's heels and brought out some embarrassing grovelling apologies. He went back to Clyde (loan) and his career is on hold as a footballer I believe as he is not welcome there either. Out: Adam Masson - Centre back on loan to Thornton Hibs JFC Blaise Riley Snow - Midfielder on loan to Alloa Athletic Kieran Mitchell - the 18 year old is on loan to Bo'ness United Luke Mahady - a centre forward loaned out to Burntisland Shipyard FC Quinn Coulson - left wing player farmed out to Cowdenbeath James Keatings has severed his ties with Raith, mainly due to injury

Rovers Return Rovers drew 3-3 with Inverness and won the penalty shoot-out to take the bonus point. Manny Duku scored twice for Raith and Danny Devine put into his own net. Shane Sutherland, a James Keatings (penalty) and Roddy MacGregor got the Inverness goals in what was a good work out for both sides. That was MacGregors first goal for the club, watch him go now. Inverness travelled to Kirkaldy for a Betfred League Cup Group A game against the form team in the Championship, Raith Rovers. The game was a 7:45pm kick-off at Stark's Park with both sides having only a slim chance of progressing, depending on other results. Here's the format for the competition:The eight group winners qualify for the next stage along with the four best placed second teams. There they are then joined by Scotland's Euro representatives in the second round; Celtic, Rangers, Motherwell and Aberdeen. The seeded teams in the last 16 are the four European clubs and the four group winners with the best records. The tournament reverts to a traditional knock-out format from the second round onwards, with ties decided by extra time and penalties if the scores are level after 90 minutes. Here's how it went on the night....... For the hosts, midfielder DylanTait was suspended and Lars Lokotsch was cuptied. Rovers went without Iain Davidson, Kieran MacDonald, Jack Smith, Gozie Ugwu and Lewis Vaughan. John Robertson rested Nikolay Todorov, Roddy MacGregor and Robbie Deas, all three on the bench. Sean Welsh and Daniel Mackay were missing from Saturday's team and Kevin McHattie, Lewis Toshney, Miles Storey and David Carson are all still receiving treatment. Inverness looked pretty in pink as James Keating got the ball rolling on the artificial surface. First chance came after seven minutes for Raith as they broke on the left but a curled effort from Ethan Ross drifted just wide. Striker Manny Duku made Danny Devine look pedestrian as he cut in from the left and drilled low past Ridgers in ten minutes. They never heeded an earlier warning about his pace. James Keatings fired a long range dipping effort just over from almost forty yards as we responded to going behind, but another good ball into the visitors box just eluded Duku at the far post. Wallace Duffy did well to deny Duku at the expense of a corner from a great ball into the box on the right, the striker looked favourite to score. Soon after, Inverness broke forward on the right and Kai Kennedy sped forward before pinging a tremendous ball to the far post where Shane Sutherland nodded through the keeper to level the score. Devine did well to stop a foray forward with a well timed tackle but Raith fed another ball close to Duku's head, the ball bouncing through to Ridgers. Another tremendous tackle by Devine thwarted the ever eager Duku six yards out. What a tackle that was. Most of Raith's good work was coming down their left side and they were getting a lot of success with balls into the box just needing a touch, Duku lurking ominously inside our box. Brad Mckay looked to have caught his studs on the pitch and went down heavily as Raith broke forward, Devine having to concede a free kick twenty-two yards out by upending Ethan Ross, and getting a yellow for his misfortune. James Keatings was ruled offside as he tapped the ball in following a good move forward by Inverness involving Aaron Doran and Kai Kennedy five minutes before the break. Raith missed a penalty soon after when Duffy was adjudged to have fouled Musonda but Armstrong fired well over the bar. Justice done maybe as Duffy looked to have poked the ball from Musonda's toe. Duku was causing all sorts of problems with his pace and movement and Ridgers was forced into a save just on the interval and Brad Mckay eventually had to leave the park just before the whistle, being replaced by Robbie Deas. Half Time 1-1 No changes at the break and a bright start by Inverness as Thomson blocked a ball into the six yard box. A massive kick-out by Ridgers saw Thomson hoof the ball away from the edge of his box. Moments later Keatings almost scored but his rasping shot rose just over the bar from ten yards on the left. Big Raith defender Fernandy Mendy killed the corner flag, body blocking in the Marvin Andrews style. Solid lad, no messing. Some poor defending allowed Raith to break quickly on the left through Ethan Ross and it ended with the ball going behind Ridgers to put the hosts ahead. The ball apparently coming off Devine for an og. Meh! Kennedy did well down the right, but despite a close call for a penalty we had to settle for a corner. Good pressure from the Caley Jags and a header went just over from a corner, but we would not be denied a leveller. Tumilty impeded Roddy MacGregor at the far post as he looked certain to tap in and James Keatings tucked it away nicely. Two minutes later MacGregor won a free kick on the edge of the box. Keatings took the dead ball and he struck the post with a super curling shot, and MacGregor reacted quickest to tuck the rebound away. Inverness looked to be getting on top and Sutherland saw Thomson save down low. A dangerous ball across the face of the visitors box just needed a touch but it went abegging. Moments later Ridgers saved brilliantly from point blank range as Rovers tried to force an equaliser, Benedictus with the shot from six yards. Just on the ninety, Duku grabbed his second after a good knock down in the box by Mendy, our defence looking a tad static. Keatings might have done better from a great ball through the middle from Allardice, in fairness it wasn't an easy chance. We should have had a penalty in a late flurry and then Thomson made a miraculous double save from Kennedy and Todorov to claw away the ball from under the bar. Three corners followed for Inverness but the game ended 3-3. On to penalties for the bonus point, no use to either club but hey ho. Rovers scored their first three penalties through Hendry, Mathews and Armstrong before Spencer skied one. Inverness were poor in the shoot-out missing the first two with Kennedy also missing the last. Toddy - saved Keatings - xbar Deas - Goal! Allardice - Goal! Kennedy - wide Rovers win penalty shoot out 3-2 Cracking nights entertainment and great coverage by Raith Rovers TV. Take note Mr Gardiner, it puts Pixie Lott to shame. Here's the Highlights from Raith TV Post match Robbo https://fb.watch/1HGK9frWHh/ Date: 10/11/2020 Venue: Stark's Park, Kirkaldy Attendance: 0000 Referee: Steven Reid Raith Rovers: 3 (3 pens) Lineup: Thomson; Tumilty, Musonda, Mendy, Benedictus, Armstrong, Hendry, Duku, Matthews, Spencer, Ross Subs (not used): J MacDonald; Mahady, Arnott, Coulson. Scorers: Duku (11, 90), Devine (og 59) Booked: Benedictus (81) Sent Off: none Inverness CT: 3 (2 pens) Lineup: Ridgers; Duffy, B Mckay (Deas 45+1), Devine, Harper, Doran Todorov (85), Vincent (MacGregor 33) Allardice Kennedy, Keatings, Sutherland Subs (not used): C Mackay; Nicolson, Fyffe, Hyde. Scorers: Sutherland (24), Keatings (pen 67), MacGregor (69) Booked: Doran (15), Devine (36), Allardice (79), Duffy (89) Sent Off: none a

Season hanging by a thread. Match Postponed due to covid outbreak at Raith Rovers Saturday’s Scottish Championship match between Raith Rovers and Inverness Caledonian Thistle at Stark’s Park has been postponed after Raith Rovers informed the SPFL that they could not fulfil the fixture. SPFL Statement Should Nicola Sturgeon not shut down all sport in the aftermath of the ill advised and infamous Dubai debacle, then Raith Rovers should host Inverness on Saturday 16th January 2021 @15:00. As it stands, all football below Championship level in Scotland has been put on hold and all Scottish Cup games postponed until after the weekend of January 30/31st. If the Cup games do return to action, an eagerly awaited potential Highland derby could materialise should we first see off Buckie Thistle in a twice postponed tie. Anyway, frozen out in more ways than one at the moment. It barely seems justified or acceptable that I should be writing about a bunch of guys kicking a bag of wind around a frozen park in the middle of winter, but I suppose we need something to take our minds off the ongoing battle against coronavirus that has brought this and other countries to it's knees. We are not alone in this struggle, it's threatening the very existence of mankind so let's all try and do our bit to get back to some form of normality and do as we are asked. In the darkest days on this planet, world wars saw millions of people asked to go out and save our country by fighting the enemy, lying in muddy trenches, frozen, soaking and terrified, going to foreign lands, being apart from our families and the ones we love. Today, we are being asked to stay inside our own houses and wash our hands with soap and water. It's a small sacrifice, but one that is just as important as the previous battles that have killed millions around the world. I hope we can all help and ease the burdens on our Doctors, nurses, NHS, essential retailers and workers who are keeping the country going. So, over to you and let's beat the enemy you can't see. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Live Streaming from Raith TV Official Preview ICTFC Tribute to Ian Broadfoot Donation in memory of Ian Broadfoot ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Our last game was on 29th December when we drew 1-1 with Dunfermline in the Highlands. A stunning second half goal from Miles Storey cancelled out a first half strike from Kyle Turner. That endeth the scoring in a game both managers felt they deserved to win. Our previous game was on 19th December when we slumped 2-1 at Alloa having taken an early lead through the much maligned Brad Mckay. However a thumping free kick from Innes Murray and a gaffe from Mark Ridgers gifted the points to the Wasps as we simply crumbled. So, only one game in a month after the cup ties against Buckie Thistle were postponed firstly for a frozen pitch then the covid19 shutdown. Rovers see-saw season continues. High scoring yet also producing some stunning reverses. On boxing day they went to Alloa and came away with a 5-2 victory at what has been a difficult place for Inverness to pick up points. That game ended with a flurry of goals (Duku (17), Armstrong (33), Lokotsch (84), Ross (90, 90+3). Buchanan scored a brace for Alloa (75 & 89 pen). They followed that up with a surprising 2-0 home defeat by Queen of the South. The only certainty in the Championship is that there are no certainties, think Dundee 3-1 Hearts. We have played Raith twice already this season. A topsy turvy League Cup encounter at Stark's Park ended 3-3 with Raith taking the 'bonus' win after a penalty shoot-out. Back in November, we entertained Raith at the Caledonian Stadium in front of a covid restricted '300' fans. It was an excellent performance and James Keatings and Scott Allardice were the men that did the damage in what turned out to be a comfortable 2-0 win. Our record against Rovers has been tremendous over the years. Our last defeat was over twenty years ago when an understrength side went down 2-1 at the Caledonian Stadium. Fittingly, Ian Broadfoot was our reporter at the game on 28th October 2000. Here is his report: Injury-hit Caley Thistle lost this game because of a poor first half display. Despite this they nearly took the lead in 13 minutes when a David Bagan shot was blocked by Greig McCulloch and spun over the bar. Raith scored first in 16 minutes when Jim Calder failed to hold a Shaun Dennis cross and Jay Stein hit home the loose ball from six yards. In 21 minutes a poor headed clearance by Stuart McCaffrey was picked up by Andrew Clark and he set up Ivan Mballa and the Frenchman slammed the ball into the net from 12 yards. ICT had a penalty claim turned down in 38 minutes when Charlie Christie was brought down by Paul Browne. After the break the home side improved but Guido Van de Kamp denied them on several occasions. Paul Sheerin pulled one back in 79 minutes when he netted from close range after a good cut back by Roy McBain. Four minutes later Sheerin watched in frustration as Van de Kamp saved his low shot. As time ran out he came close twice more but Raith held on to win. Match report written by Ian Broadfoot Inverness would finish fourth that season with Raith ending up seventh. Last ten meetings between the clubs 2 - 0 (H) 3 - 3 (A) 4 - 1 (H) 2 - 1 (H) 1 - 0 (H) 4 - 3 (H) 4 - 0 (A) 1 - 0 (H) 1 - 0 (A) 1 - 0 (A) This time round, it will no doubt become known as the Kai Kennedy derby. The loan arrangers at Rangers have loaned the Ranger out to Raith Rovers after his loan spell at the Caledonian Stadium ended in January. He will be a huge miss to us with Aaron Doran having received a bang on the head and an enforced lay off because of it. Lewis Toshney and Kevin McHattie are out for around another month, but David Carson could be ready for a place on the bench. ***Latest Team News*** Wallace Duffy is set to return to action and Daniel Mackay and Nikolay Todorov are in pole position for a first XI start. Brad Mckay is available for selection as his suspension was only covering Scottish Cup games. Danny Devine took a knock at the end of the Dunfermline game but should be good to go for this one. Assistant manager Paul Smith is still in charge and Manny Duku is still banging in the goals, and along with Kai Kennedy and Ethan Ross they will be a handful for our defence. At the back, Mendy, Benedictus and Musonda are immovable objects so expect a tough day for our front men. Maybe Todorov will get the nod to combat the height of the Rovers defence. ***Even Later News*** Inverness Caledonian Thistle have a new Board Oh well, that's another preview in the bin. Best wishes for a speedy recovery to all affected.

League Cup Group A Back to league cup duty Tuesday night and it's a tough task ahead as we face Raith Rovers at Starks Park, Kirkaldy, the game has a 7:45pm kick-off. Usual covid restrictions with fans unable to attend although the action can be seen on Raith TV. The other Group A game features East Fife at home to Hearts, and that's the top of the table clash. Who knew? Rovers are romping along in the Championship with three wins and a draw. They are top scorers with fourteen goals, the latest a five goal drubbing of Morton on Saturday. They also put five past Queen of the South and are the form team at the moment. They sit above Inverness in Group A of the Betfred League Cup having beaten East Fife but losing 3-1 to Hearts who top the group. Raith have made this game available on a PPV basis, but first you have to log in to RAITH TV. Once logged in you can then select the PPV option for this game at the reasonable price of £9.99. Take note Hearts! While Raith were thrashing Morton on Saturday we were going down 2-1 at Tynecastle. We gave a resolute performance without over exerting Craig Gordon. However, Hearts were left clinging on in the final ten minutes after Aaron Doran glanced home a tidy header that had Gordon sprawling across his goal in vain as the ball nestled in the corner of his net. Rovers and John McGlynn have recruited wisely since promotion and look likely to maintain their push for a top four finish. Jamie MacDonald is between the sticks. Important player in our Scottish Cup win over Falkirk, but nonetheless an excellent keeper on his day. Reghan Tumilty, an experienced defender once of Ross County. Manny Duku, a man of many clubs, born in Amsterdam with an eye for goal. German Lars Lokotch is on loan from Livingston and is a handful for defenders. Defender Frankie Musonda comes in from Luton Town and midfielder Ethan Ross is on loan from Aberdeen. Gozie Ugwu is another burly striker who was at Pars once upon a time. The addition of these players along with youngsters stepping up and the remainder of last seasons promotion winning squad will see Rovers staying at the business end of the table throughout the season. Our injury list could only get better and we saw Shane Sutherland and Aaron Doran come off the bench with James Vincent and Danny Devine remaining seated. The next two League Cup encounters will give us a chance to ease these players back into match routines. It may be too soon for Miles Storey, Kevin McHattie, David Carson and Lewis Toshney but at least our bench is looking stronger. Here's Johnny.... With Hearts running away with Group A, it's a great opportunity for both clubs to test the water and this might be the occasion to do it before the teams meet again in a couple of weeks on Championship duty. I won't be reading too much into this result as Robbo has always said that the League Cup is not his priority although it's always nice to put on a decent performance and get some positives from the game. The eight group winners qualify for the next stage along with the four best placed second teams. They are then joined by Scotland's Euro representatives in the next stage. Celtic, Rangers, Motherwell and Aberdeen. The seeded teams in the last 16 are the four European clubs and the four group winners with the best records. The tournament reverts to a traditional knock-out format from the second round onwards, with ties decided by extra time and penalties if the scores are level after 90 minutes. Meh, the League Cup, it's not for everyone..... Milestones & Memories Lest we forget, it's getting close to the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month.... Many made the ultimate sacrifice. Many never came home. They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old: Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn. At the going down of the sun and in the morning We will remember them… Laurence Binyon

Raith Rovers v Inverness CT Betfred League Cup Group A Tuesday 10th November Stark's Park, Kirkaldy Pratt Street, KY1 1SA Unfortunately these will be closed doors games due to Covid19