Inverness Caledonian Thistle FC

[DavidMc]

Gretna v Inverness CT
Scottish Premier League
Saturday 5th April 08

Gretna have no injury worries and will again pick from a 20-man squad, with the rest of the club's playing staff having been made redundant.

Mick Wadsworth returns to take charge, having missed last weekend's game at St Mirren when relegation was confirmed.

Inverness are without the suspended duo of Grant Munro and Russell Duncan.

Ian Black is unlikely to feature after a comment made at a team meeting, but Barry Wilson returns from his loan spell at St Johnstone.



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Inverness CT: (from) Fraser, McGuire, Tokely, Hastings, Proctor, Watt, McBain, Cowie, Hart, Imrie, Paatelainen, Bayne, Niculae, Wyness, Gillespie, McAllister, Vigurs, Kerr, Wilson, Malkowski.

Gretna: (from) Fleming, Naughton, Skelton, Meynell, McGill, Hall, Baldacchino, Osman, Murray, Deverdics, Wilkinson, Krysiak, Hogg, Shultz-Eklund, Griffiths, Barr, Taylor, Kissock.

[DavidMc]

Heart of Midlothian v Inverness CT
Scottish Premier League
Saturday 26th April 08
Tynecastle Stadium, Edinburgh

Inverness Caledonian Thistle welcome Russell Duncan back from suspension for the trip to Edinburgh.

The Highlanders have doubts over the fitness of Grant Munro and Barry Wilson and Phil McGuire is out for the rest of the season.

Hearts have called up 16-year-old striker Scott Robinson with Christian Nade suffering from concussion.

Robbie Neilson is suspended but Calum Elliot could return to the fold having recovered from a heel problem.



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Hearts (from): Banks, Thomson, Zaliukas, Berra, Wallace, Stewart, Kingston, Palazuelos, Glen, Mole, Basso, Tall, Jonsson, Elliot, Mikoliunas, Screpis, Robinson, Ivaskevicius.

Inverness CT (from): Fraser, Tokely, Hastings, Munro, Proctor, Watt, McBain, Cowie, Hart, Duncan, Black, Imrie, Paatelainen, Bayne, Niculae, Wyness, Gillespie, McAllister, Vigurs, Kerr, Wilson, Malkowski.

[DavidMc]

Inverness CT v Gretna
Scottish Premier League
Saturday 3rd May 08
Caledonia Stadium

Inverness will once again be without their first choice central defenders for Saturday's visit by Gretna.

Grant Munro and Phil McGuire are both ruled out with groin injuries, while midfielder Markus Paatelainen is also rated very doubtful.

Gretna midfielder Paul Murray is still missing after suffering a cracked rib.

But coach Andy Smith has no other worries and may make changes despite holding out for draws in their last three outings.



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Inverness (from): Fraser, Tokely, Hastings, Munro, Proctor, Watt, McBain, Cowie, Hart, Duncan, Black, Imrie, Bayne, Niculae, Wyness, Gillespie, McAllister, Vigurs, Kerr, Wilson, Malkowski.

Gretna (from): Fleming, Griffiths, Skelton, Barr, Meynell, Osman, McGill, Wilkinson, Naughton, Kissock, Fisher, Krysiak, Deverdics, Hall, Hogg, Sharples, Shultz-Eklund, Taylor.

[DavidMc]

Falkirk 2-1 Inverness CT
Scottish Premier League
Saturday 10th May 08
Brockville Stadium

Goals either side of half-time secured a comfortable victory for Falkirk over Inverness Caledonian Thistle.

Michael Higdon's close-range tap-in opened the scoring for the Bairns in the 29th minute.

Carl Finnigan added a second in the 68th minute with a strike from the edge of the penalty area.

Caley Thistle picked up a consolation in injury time when Barry Wilson converted a penalty after Thomas Scobbie felled him in the box.

The Bairns welcomed Inverness to the Falkirk Stadium still seeking to claim seventh spot in the Scottish Premier League table.

Higdon was first to stamp his authority on the match with a close-range header after just 60 seconds, but Inverness goalkeeper Michael Fraser held well.

Three minutes later, Wilson was presented with an open goal at the other end but sent his shot over the Falkirk bar.


It took almost 30 minutes before the deadlock was broken when Higdon scored his first goal after returning from injury after Moutinho swung in a corner and Darren Barr flicked on for the Englishman to tap in from three yards out.

Falkirk followed up with a flurry of corners but failed to extend their lead, although Finnigan came close with a powerful shot from 12 yards out on the left, but Wilson was on hand to block.

Caley Thistle's Don Cowie could have levelled matters six minutes from half-time with left-footed drive from distance, but Falkirk keeper Shane Supple parried.

After the break, Falkirk pushed to double their tally when Moutinho flighted in a trademark corner, but Fraser out-jumped the crowd to gather it.

The pressure from Falkirk continued with a 53rd-minute shot from Scott Arfield, but again Fraser thwarted the attack.


However, Finnigan made it two for the Bairns with a right-footed strike into the top corner of the net from 18 yards out following an assist from Moutinho.

As time wore on, Inverness struggled to make any major contribution to the match, although Ross Tokely's header bounced off the post with five minutes left to play.

In the dying minutes of injury time, Wilson was bearing down on goal when Scobbie appeared to fell him inside the box and the ref pointed to the spot.

Wilson stepped up and sent Supple the wrong way to pick up a morale-boosting consolation.

But it was John Hughes' men who deservedly took all three points from their final home match of the season.



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Falkirk: Supple, Aafjes, Barr, Scobbie, Cregg, McBride, Mitchell, Arfield (Latapy 59), Moutinho (Moffat 76), Finnigan (Stewert 86), Higdon. Subs Not Used: Olejnik, Ross, Barrett, Bradley.

Goals: Higdon 28, Finnigan 68.

Inverness CT: Fraser, Proctor, Tokely, Hastings, Imrie, Wilson, Black (Duncan 46), Cowie, McAllister (Bayne 71), Niculae (Vigurs 80), McBain. Subs Not Used: Malkowski, Hart, Wyness, Kerr.

Booked: Proctor, Bayne.

Goals: Wilson 90 pen.

[LAF]

Niculae leaves as bid is rejected

Romania striker Marius Niculae has been given a week's leave from pre-season training after Inverness rejected a transfer bid from Kaiserslautern.

But Caley Thistle insist that the two events are not connected.

"He was at the European Championships and needs a few days to sort out some business back home," director of football Graeme Bennett told BBC Sport.

"But we expect him back after the squad return from Denmark next Sunday. We have had bids, but none were accepted."

Bennett confirmed that Kaiserslautern, now in the second division of the Bundesliga, had made an offer for the 27-year-old on Sunday.

"It was a realistic offer, but it still did not meet our valuation of the player," he said.

"We also had offers from Turkish club Kayserispor and PAOK of Greece, but none have been acceptable."

Caley Thistle have a verbal agreement with Niculae that he can leave if a major club makes an acceptable offer.

But Bennett is surprised that there has not been more interest and thought it possible that he would still be an Inverness player come the start of the Scottish Premier League season on 9 August.

"After he appeared at the European Championships, I would have said no chance, but the longer it goes, the more likely that is," he said.

Bennett said there had been no contact from Dinamo Bucharest, despite newspaper speculation linking Niculae with a return to his homeland.

Inverness manager Craig Brewster had announced Niculae's leave of absence following his side's 4-1 victory over St Johnstone in a pre-season friendly.

"Marius will not be coming with us to Denmark," he told Caley Thistle's website. "The board have given him permission to sort out some personal stuff and we will see him again on our return.

"Marius is still a Caley Thistle player for another year and he will remain here until the board agrees a fee with another club."

Meanwhile, Brewster is still awaiting word from Hearts following their bid to take striker Calum Elliot on loan.

New Hearts manager Csaba Laszlo has given permission for Elliot to be farmed out, but other clubs are also interested in the 21-year-old.

BBC SPORT | Football | My Club | Inverness CT | Niculae leaves as bid is rejected

[DavidMc]

Rooney on trial at Inverness

Inverness have taken Stoke City striker Adam Rooney on their pre-season tour to Denmark as he begins a week-long trial.

The Republic of Ireland under-21 forward most recently had a loan spell at Bury, where he scored three times in 16 games.

Rooney has made two youth international appearances and became Stoke's youngest ever hat-trick scorer in only his second match, during season 2005-06.

Inverness are also trying to sign Hearts striker Calum Elliot on loan.

[LAF]

East Fife strike to sign Crawford

Former Dunfermline Athletic striker Stevie Crawford has rejected overtures from Inverness and another Scottish Premier League club to join East Fife.

The 34-year-old former Scotland international has signed for the Methil club on their return to Division Two.

Crawford's agent, Bill McMurdo, told BBC Sport: "Stevie felt that he could not wait for the SPL clubs to decide.

"The new season has nearly started and it is a two-year deal, with coaching experience also being an attraction."

Crawford was also attracted by the proximity of New Bayview to his Dunfermline home.

The striker, who will be part-time with the Third Division champions, had been released after a disappointing season with Dunfermline in Division One.

But his agent had received interest from an English Championship club as well as the two SPL outfits.

Crawford has previously had two spells in England with Millwall and Plymouth Argyle.

The striker began his career with Raith Rovers and also played for Hibernian, Dundee United and Aberdeen.

Crawford scored four times in 25 appearances for Scotland.

BBC SPORT | Football | My Club | East Fife | East Fife strike to sign Crawford

It's great to have such a name at the club but he better work hard. I know alot of Par fans who were fed up with his non-performances last season.

[DavidMc]

Aberdeen v Inverness
Scottish Premier League
Saturday 9th August 08
Pittodrie Stadium

New Aberdeen signing Tommy Wright is unlikely to face Inverness at Pittodrie as the striker arriving from Darlington is short of fitness.

Defender Zander Diamond has declared himself fit to play after overcoming a foot injury, but youngsters Peter Pawlett and Michael Paton are doubtful.

Caley Thistle are without defender David Proctor, who is serving a two-match suspension.

Summer signings Andy Barrowman and Lionel Djebi-Zadi could make debuts.



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Aberdeen (from): Langfield, Foster, Mulgrew, Mair, McDonald, Considine, Severin, J Smith, Miller, Mackie, Maguire, Stewart, De Visscher, Young, Bossu, Kerr, Diamond, S Smith.

Inverness (from):Fraser, Tokely, Hastings, McBain, Cowie, Hart, Duncan, Black, Imrie, McAllister, Barrowman, Vigurs, Kerr, Wilson, Wood, Sutherland, Djebi-Zadi, Esson.

[DavidMc]

Inverness CT v Hamilton
Scottish Premier League
Saturday 16th August 08
Caledonia Stadium

Inverness captain Grant Munro is doubtful for the visit of Hamilton after suffering a knee injury during last week's win against Aberdeen.

David Proctor is suspended and manager Craig Brewster hopes to add Stoke forward Adam Rooney to the squad.

Hamilton manager Billy Reid has a full squad to choose from.

French striker Joel Thomas, 21, may make the squad after signing on Monday, while Finnish winger Sebastian Sorsa is also pushing for a first-team place.



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Inverness (from): Fraser, Tokely, McGuire, McBain, Black, Barrowman, Imrie, Duncan, Cowie, Hastings, Esson, Djebi-Zadi, Sutherland, Wilson, McAllister, Wood, Kerr, Vigurs.

Hamilton (from): Cerny, Stevenson, Easton, McLaughlin, Swailes, McCarthy, McArthur, Neil, Mensing, Offiong, Graham, Corcoran, Akins, Sorsa, Elebert, Thomas, Taylor, Murdoch.

[DavidMc]

Inverness CT v St Mirren
Scottish Premier League
Saturday 13th September 08
Caledonia Stadium

Captain Grant Munro is set to return to the Inverness defence after recovering from the knee injury which has caused him to miss the last four matches.

But David Proctor and Russell Duncan are likely to miss out with ankle and hamstring problems respectively.

St Mirren defender David Barron will be an injury absentee for the visitors.

However, Will Haining, Scott Cuthbert, Jim Hamilton and Stephen McGinn have all returned to full training and are in contention for places.



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Inverness: (from) Fraser, Tokely, McBain, Munro, McGuire, Hastings, Black, Cowie, Wood, Barrowman, Duff, Vigurs, Imrie, Rooney, Wilson, Esson, Djebi-Zadi, McAllister.

St Mirren: (from) Howard, Ross, Miranda, Mason, Haining, Cuthbert, Potter, Dorman, Brady, Robb, Wyness, Mehmet, Dargo, O'Donnell, Smith, Murray, McAusland, McGinn.

[DavidMc]

Heart of Midlothian v Inverness CT
Scottish Premier League
Saturday 20th September 08
Tynecastle Stadium

Hearts remain without new signings David Obua and Mike Tullberg through injury for Saturday's Scottish Premier League visit by Inverness.

Wingers David Cesnauskis and Andrew Driver are also still missing.

Caley Thistle midfielder Russell Duncan and defender David Proctor are back in contention for a place after returning from injury for the reserves.

Manager Craig Brewster could be tempted to bring captain Grant Munro back into defence after last weekend's defeat.



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[DavidMc]

Heart of Midlothian 1-0 Inverness CT

Hearts climbed up to second place in the league with a narrow home victory over Inverness Caledonian Thistle.

Salius Mikolunas netted the only goal of the game in the eighth minute with a fine strike after some good work by Andrius Ksanavicius.

Inverness failed to impress in the first 45 minutes, although Ross Tokely was unlucky not to score before the break, but rallied in the second-half.

Hearts keeper Marian Kello helped seal the points with a series of fine saves.

The first chance of the match fell to the home side after seven minutes when Laryea Kingston sent in a searching corner and Christos Karipidis fired in an ambitious overhead kick from the penalty spot, but blasted his effort over the bar.


Less than sixty seconds later, Hearts took the lead when Mikolunas broke free after Ksanavicius sent him clear on the right-hand side to round Inverness keeper Michael Fraser and confidently slot home.

Michael Stewart almost doubled Hearts' tally in the 18th minute when he fired in from the right-hand side of the Inverness penalty area, but Fraser was up to the task.

It was over 30 minutes before Inverness sparked to life when Tokely sent in a powerful drive from 18 yards out, but Hearts keeper Kello punched it clear and recovered to smother Dougie Imrie's follow-up shot.

As half-time approached, Inverness looked more positive and picked up their share of possession, but efforts by Tokely and Philip McGuire failed to break down a solid Hearts defence.

After a low-key start to the second-half, Hearts' Jamie Mole looked set to score when he picked up a slack ball on the Inverness six-yard line, but the former Livingston man couldn't find a way through the Hearts defence to line up a shot.

Adam Rooney replied for Inverness at the other end with a left-footed drive, but Marius Zaliukas blocked.

On the hour mark, Roy McBain was unlucky in Inverness' search for an equaliser with a low, left-footed volley from the left side of the Hearts box, but yet again Kello thwarted the visitors.

Kingston was at the heart of the action with 15 minutes to play when he collected a long pass out on the right and powered into the Inverness box, but his final ball drifted wide of Fraser's left-hand post.

As full-time approached, Inverness pushed for an equaliser with good efforts by Imrie and Don Cowie, but Craig Brewster's men lacked the necessary quality to break down a resolute Hearts defence.

[DavidMc]

Inverness CT v Celtic
Scottish Premier League
Saturday 18th October 08
Caledonian Stadium

Inverness boss Craig Brewster is sweating on the fitness of Andy Barrowman ahead of the SPL clash at the Caledonian Stadium.

The former Ross County forward strained a muscle in his leg while training earlier this week and remains a doubt.

Celtic striker Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink faces a month on the sidelines with a groin injury.

Scott McDonald, Shunsuke Nakamura, Artur Boruc and Georgios Samaras are all available after internationals.



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Inverness CT: (from) Fraser, Tokely, Duff, Munro, Hastings, Cowie, Black, Wilson, Vigurs, McBain, Imrie, Barrowman, Rooney, Wood, Esson, Djebi-Zadi, McGuire, Gillespie.

Celtic: (from) Boruc, Wilson, Caldwell, McManus, Robson, Nakamura, S Brown, O'Dea, Crosas, McGeady, Samaras, Maloney, McDonald, M Brown, Donati, Hartley, Caddis, Naylor, Hinkel.