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[tm4tj]

Arbroath Test

 

Inverness and Arbroath started 2023 with a bang, something's got to give as the New Year big hitters collide at Gayfield on Saturday. Both sides had been struggling to build anything before Xmas but found their goal scoring boots in the New Year games. Inverness put six past Cove Rangers and Arbroath had a stunning 4-2 win at League leaders Dundee. Plenty of changes at Arbroath for Inverness to contend with, however Dick and Dom are still going strong at the helm.

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Match/Ticket/Bus Info

Arbroath Audio available

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Venue H2H v Arbroath

Pld

Won

Drn

Lst

For

Agst

+ / -

Home	23	16	4	3	57	19	+38
Away	21	9	6	6	26	22	+4
Neutral	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Total	44	25	10	9	83	41	+42

Inverness shading the away fixtures but the games have generally been tight affairs in recent years apart from a rogue 3 - 0 win for the Caley Jags in March 2022. No scoring draw anyone?

Last 10 Competitive Meetings v Arbroath - Honours even over last seven meetings

1 - 1 (H)

0 - 0 (A)

0 - 0 (A)

0 - 0 (H)

3 - 0 (H)

0 - 0 (A)

0 - 1 (H)

1 - 0 (A)

1 - 0 (H)

1 - 1 (A)

Last away win at Arbroath was a 1 - 0 win back in July 2021 when Shane Sutherland was the difference between the sides in a tight game on a difficult day for football.

CTO summary: After a goalless first half Shane Sutherland broke through the middle to drink the ball neatly over Gaston for the opening goal with just over twenty minutes left. A late rally from the hosts should have drawn them level but Inverness hung on grimly to take all three points. In the opening forty-five, Sutherland had an effort cleared off the line and Nouble proved to be an awkward customer as he bulldozed his way around the park spurning the Lichties best chance of the first half. It was a welcome three points but a difficult watch throughout.

Pos Team Pld W D L F A Pts   1. Queens Park 19 11 3 5 38 27 36 2. Dundee 19 10 4 5 32 24 34 3. Ayr United 19 9 5 5 38 27 32 4. Morton 18 8 6 4 27 19 30 5. Partick Thistle 20 9 3 8 40 35 30 6. Raith Rovers 20 8 3 9 25 26 27 7. Inverness CT 19 7 5 7 26 27 26 8. Cove Rangers 19 5 6 8 28 34 21 9. Arbroath 20 3 8 9 17 30 17 10. Hamilton Ac. 19 2 5 12 16 38 11

 

FRIDAY 6TH JANUARY (7:45pm)

Raith Rovers v Dundee Fc

SATURDAY 7TH JANUARY (3:00pm)

  Arbroath v Inverness

Ayr United v Hamilton 

   Cove R v Queen's

    Partick v Morton

Meetings this season

It's the third meeting this season and both previous games had ended all square. No goals back in August in the first fixture and a 1 - 1 draw back at the Caledonian Stadium in November thanks to goals from Nathan Shaw and Kieran Shanks. Mark Ridgers had been benched after the Morton gubbing as we entered our slump. Both sides have only one win in their last six games, but what wins they were. Six of the best including a Billy Mckay hat-trick, his fourth for the Caley Jags, with Devine and a couple of og's. Arbroath stung Dundee with four away from home for the Smokies at Dens Park. McKenna, Hamilton, O'Brien and Hilson put ten man Dundee to the sword and toppled them off their lofty perch.

Latest Team News

Great to see Mark Ridgers back between the sticks against Cove. Hopefully that's the end of the Ridgers Rift. Zak Delaney returned from injury and Sean Welsh played again but no sign of more recent casualties like Nathan Shaw, Cammy Harper. Roddy MacGrgor or Austin Samuels. Jay Henderson fitted in well on his debut and looks to be an asset and we have also taken young loan players back on board. Ryan Barrett has left the building after his loan deal ended. Wallace Duffy should be available for selection after his suspension last week.

 

 

 

Arbroath 

OUT x4: Lot of changes at Arbroath as they try to save their season. Kareem Isiaka has left Arbroath after his loan deal expired and Kieran Shanks has gone on loan to Peterhead with Ryan Dow moving in the opposite direction. Daniel Fosu has left and Mason Hancock has returned to Aberdeen with a knee injury that has ended his season. 

IN x4: Yasin Ben El-Mhanni made his debut against Dundee and ran the show in that stunning away win and has plenty of quality. Former West Ham and QPR striker Sean Adarkwa is another new to the Smokies as is midfielder João Baldé coming in from Hibernian.  As noted above, the experienced Ryan Dow comes in from Peterhead on an 18 month deal.

Midfielder Keaghan Jacobs is in rehab after a knee operation.

[Robert]

Sounds like they’ve found a decent winger. Does he play in the left or right? Our full backs are hopefully up to speed on him and keep him out of the game. 

[STFU]

Listening to Dodds, it doesn't sound like the CEO is offering any money to strengthen in this window. Can't offer what we don't have, I guess.

A couple of young loan players to develop instead of developing our own is the most we can 'hope' for it seems.

[tm4tj]

29 minutes ago, Robert said:

Sounds like they’ve found a decent winger. Does he play in the left or right? Our full backs are hopefully up to speed on him and keep him out of the game. 

I believe he is predominantly right footed.

[Robert]

Delaney needs to be switched on, with Mackay tracking back and whoever is on the left of the central pairing needs to be ready to cover.

The best approach is to get the ball to Mackay so their winger has to track back to help their right back and limit his ability to cause us trouble as a result. 

[IBM]

We have to get stuck in from the first whistle and win the game any way we can or last weeks win will count for nothing! Come on ICT 

[+Gringo]

Big wins for both sides last week. This has got 0-0 written all over it  Hope not mind.

[Robert]

Our last three games there have ended 0-0! The one before that we won 1-0. I’d take a 1-0 win tomorrow. 

[+DoofersDad]

A win tomorrow would put us back ahead of Raith and closer in points to top spot than the relegation play off position.  It's a huge incentive.  Arbroath will know that if they lose, the bottom 3 start to look very isolated so they may be a bit nervous.  However, that was a terrific win for them at Dundee and Arbroath look to have brought some quality players in.  Looks like the sort of game that both managers will feel it is more important not to lose than to win it.  Could be a boring goalless draw but I'm predicting an early goal will make it a more open game with a few goals for a change.

[Bridge and a Castle]

14 hours ago, Robert said:

Delaney needs to be switched on, with Mackay tracking back and whoever is on the left of the central pairing needs to be ready to cover.

 

Thought Delaney was excellent with the interceptions vs Cove, sometimes worry that he's always trying to nip in front to win the ball every time, but his recovery pace is great so he looks like being a really good player to have in the team

[jed5697]

2-1 ICT half time....Billy McKay and Jay Henderson......nice....

[jed5697]

3 now Dan Mackay

[SteveA]

Dan Mackay subbed after receiving treatment. Hopefully nothing serious just as he seems to be hitting form.

[Robert]

4-1. Lewis Nicolson.

Sets us up nicely for a crunch game against Queens Park next week, one we really need to win. They’ve won 6 on the trot in the league and have scored 23 goals on that run. 

Edited January 7, 2023 by Robert

[jed5697]

Number 4....

[Bridge and a Castle]

10 (TEN) Goals in 2 games, I know the teams we've been playing have been dross, but it just shows what we're capable of when out attacking players are fit!! long live Dan MacKay, hope his substitution was only cautionary!! 

[Caley Mad In Berks]

Well, how pleasing is that win!   Especially after Arbroath's great result last week.  Well done to all concerned.  Let's hope our great start to 2023 continues for a good while longer.  Onwards and upwards!

[Yngwie]

Must be our biggest win at Gayfield? It’s a ground ICT have always hated playing at but we have had good results there recently.

[+CaleyHedgehog]

24 minutes ago, Robert said:

Sets us up nicely for a crunch game against Queens Park next week, one we really need to win.

Bring it on.........well done boys!

 

[Yngwie]

17 minutes ago, Bridge and a Castle said:

10 (TEN) Goals in 2 games

Our previous 10 league goals took 12 matches!

[CaleyCanary]

Well goodness gracious me! We were all saying how crucial it was to win those last two games and they have gone way past what any of us expected. Big congratulations to all, great to have some sharpness up front again.

Will take a few more like this to see if our season has really been turned around and Queens Park will provide a far bigger test than the last two. So the jury may still be out but if this continues the lynch mob should be less vocal.

[Douglas Mackenzie]

Great result well done boys.Back to back wins, hopefully we have turned that long corner.Didn't make game ,but kept up via radio and Iive score.

Always thought and previous said, dropping Ridgers was a mistake.He is the main stay of the team and controls things from the back.Then we have Devine,Welsh and McKay.What was missing was our wide play and Jay Henderson seems to have gone some way to giving us that width.Whatever we do we have to try and not ever revert back to hoofing high balls forward to the wee strikers.It never has worked and never will.

Well, just not used to being in a good mood two weeks running.

Good stuff.

Edited January 7, 2023 by Douglas Mackenzie

[CELTIC1CALEY3]

By definition another win against what looked like the odds. Lewis Nicolson gets his second goal for the first team - another benefitting from the injury crisis. Two wins gives us a glimmer of hope next week against the league leaders.

[Yngwie]

8 minutes ago, CaleyCanary said:

the  lynch mob should be less vocal.

More likely they’ll argue that a different manager would have won these games more convincingly!

[No Shin Guards]

Happy New Year Dick Campbell. Mustn't forget Rab Douglas either