Appearances & Goals To Date
Starting Lineup
| Youngest Player: | Aaron Doran (22 years 175 days) |
| Oldest Player: | Nick Ross (2015 years 92 days) |
| Average Player Age: | 25 years 304 days |
| Domestic Players: | 6 (54.55 % of starting eleven) |
Matchday Squad
| Youngest Player: | Liam Polworth (19 years 22 days) |
| Oldest Player: | Graeme Shinnie (2015 years 92 days) |
| Average Player Age: | 25 years 171 days |
| Domestic Players: | 10 (62.50 % of matchday squad) |
First Team Debuts
Milestones
Inverness edge thriller:
Inverness edged out Dundee United after a pulsating cup tie which had more bookings than Eden Court, a red card, a mass brawl, Butcher and Jackson sent to the stand, extra-time and an injury time winner off the cross bar which means Inverness head for their second semi-final in as many years.
Keith Watson opened the scoring in the fifth minute when he smashed a shot high into the net from fifteen yards giving Brill no chance. Inverness then knocked on the United goal for the remainder of the game and Gary Warren buried a header to level the scores before Ross Draper scored the winner via the underside of the bar in the 120th minute.
Nadir Ciftci was sent off just before half time for his involvement in a mass scrum when Gary Mackay-Steven had hit the turf after being shot by a sniper. It would be easier to name the players who were not booked as the referee went card happy, seemingly flashing a total of 12 yellows and a red, but that might just be an estimate.
When the dust settled, it was Inverness that deservedly go forward to another semi-final spot giving the home fans something to look forward to in the spring while the large away support, some 750 of them, went home to lick their wounds and reflect on what might have been had they kept their discipline.
Immortal Howden Ender has the unenviable task of sorting this one out and getting a full report to us...........
Well, Michael Fish got the forecast wrong yet again. The storms were supposed to be limited to Southern England but "Hurricane Clancy" encircled the Tulloch Caledonian Stadium and created chaos. Messrs Butcher and Malpas may not be allowed to say it but that was undoubtedly the worst officialdom display witnessed in Inverness for many years, if not ever. 12 bookings, a red card and Butcher and Jackson dismissed to the stand!! It was a niggly affair but Clancy and his crew (especially the stand side linesman) simply lost control and dished out cards like a game of Snap. Neither team can really complain though as the decisions were crazy in both respects - perhaps apart for the sending off.
It was actually a rather enjoyable evening and prior to the sending off it was an end to end affair. ICT were taking control before the melee but it was one way traffic after that and there were more tired legs than bookings by the end.
It all started off in the 5th minute when Ryan "how did I manage to stay on the pitch" Gaulds speculative cross reached Watson who launched a Scud missile at the goals and Brill had no chance. Possibly harsh but Aaron Doran may have closed him down quicker.
After that it was attack after attack, half chance after half chance, for ICT and the Arabs looking dangerous on the break. We had efforts from Doran, Draper, Ross and Watkins which all went close but to no avail. Surprisingly the main "miss" culprit was Billy McKay - who looked a bit off the pace all night.
The game turned just before half time when we were entertained in Royal Rumble fashion when Richie "The Rock" Foran allegedly axed McKay-Steven ("The Undertaker") and the wee man threw himself over the ropes and out of the ring, falling at the feet of "The Butcher" who gave him a few choice words of consolation. And then the handbags started flying, leading to Ciftci being rightly dismissed and Butcher and Jackson heading for the Coach park in the stands. It probably said a lot that McKay-Steven stayed in the dressing room at half time.
Half Time 0-1
The second half started with more and more digs and fouls. Rankin picked up a booking for a silly trip on Watkins but paid the price as Graeme Shinnie delivered a peach of a cross and Gary Warren rose above all and fair leathered the equaliser off his napper. At that stage it felt like it was just a matter of time before we finished them off. But United were resolute and shut up shop. Clerzniak played a stormer although some of his play acting could get him a game in goals for Partick Thistle. McKay missed another chance and picked up a knock in the making.
That goal was enough to extend the game into extra-time and the pattern remained the same, Inverness on the front foot and United defending in depth.
The longer the game went it felt like penalties were again on the horizon. United were clearly playing for it and we were increasingly dreading it. We had two good penalty claims in the last 15. McKay's would have been soft but the foul on Foran was crystal clear - but not to Mr Clancy!!
Just when it looked forlorn Williams hit the bye line and his excellent deep cross was met majestically at the back post by Ross Draper. We were spared the drama and agony of penalties and we were heading to our second league cup Semi Final on the trot.
Full Time 2-1 (after extra time)
To be fair it was slightly unjust on United and their impressive midweek support but they did just go in to negative mode.
Warren was awarded the MotM and I have no problems with that. Ross and Doran were the other stand-outs for me. February 2014 is looking good.
Match report written by tm4tj/IHE
