Inverness CT 3 - 1 St. Johnstone

League Match
Saturday, May 15th, 2004, 3:00 PM at Caledonian Stadium, Inverness
Attendance: 6,092
Referee: K Clark
Inverness CT  St. Johnstone

Goalscorers
David Bingham (30)
Barry Wilson (pen.) (56)
Paul Ritchie (76)
Parker (44)

Team Managers
John Robertson Unknown.

Starting Eleven
Mark Brown
Ross Tokely
Bobby Mann
Stuart Golabek
Stuart McCaffrey
Barry Wilson
Roy McBain
Richie Hart
Liam Keogh
David Bingham
Paul Ritchie
Nelson
Baxter
McQuilken
Forsyth
Weir
Fraser
Stevenson
Fotheringham
Parker
Donnelly
McLaughlin

Substitutes
Michael Fraser
Grant Munro
David Proctor
Darran Thomson
Steven Hislop
Malone
Hay
Reilly
Dods
Cuthbert

Substitutions
Steven Hislop for Liam Keogh (46)
Malone -> McLaughlin (34)
Reilly -> Forsyth (57)
Hay -> Stevenson (68)

Bookings
None. Forsyth

Red Cards
None. None.
Appearances & Goals To Date
Mark Brown (GK) 91 apps -
Bobby Mann 214 apps17 goals
Ross Tokely 283 apps20 goals
Stuart Golabek 166 apps3 goals
Stuart McCaffrey 147 apps5 goals
Barry Wilson 190 apps59 goals
Richie Hart 64 apps12 goals
David Bingham 42 apps17 goals
Roy McBain 166 apps9 goals
Liam Keogh 64 apps3 goals
Paul Ritchie 130 apps63 goals
Steven Hislop (sub) 47 apps16 goals

Starting Lineup
Youngest Player:Ross Tokely (25 years 75 days)
Oldest Player:David Bingham (2005 years 288 days)
Average Player Age:28 years 269 days
Domestic Players:11 (100.00 % of starting eleven)

Matchday Squad
Youngest Player:David Proctor (20 years 76 days)
Oldest Player:Darran Thomson (2005 years 288 days)
Average Player Age:25 years 326 days
Domestic Players:16 (100.00 % of matchday squad)

First Team Debuts

Milestones

A triumphant end to a fantastic day, season and decade. The sun shone, the ground was packed, there was tension in the air and the First Division trophy was waiting in a helicopter at Braemar. It just remained for the team to make one last major effort and they did just that. Clyde were leading Brechin 1-0 before the Inverness match even started but this changed nothing as it had always been clear that a win was essential. David Bingham headed a Liam Keogh corner past in the second minute then Craig Nelson tipped over a Stuart Golabek shot from 18 yards. A Bobby Mann header from Keogh’s corner scraped past the post. In 14 minutes Barry Wilson raced to stop the ball crossing the bye line but Paul Ritchie touched his cross past. The home pressure finally paid off on the half-hour mark in bizarre circumstances. Stuart McCaffrey’s free kick reached Bingham and his overhead kick fooled Nelson – the ‘keeper backtracked but could only help the ball into the net. This was what most of the crowd wanted and they went wild. It was back to earth just before half-time when Keigan Parker raced through and hammered an equaliser past Mark Brown from long range. Seconds later Wilson scored with a low shot but the offside flag was up. Steve Hislop came on for Keogh in the second half. Saints began to play some good football, particularly through Parker and Simon Donnelly, but ICTalways looked more like scoring. In 56 minutes Bingham’s through ball set Wilson heading for goal and, as he waited for the moment to shoot, Nelson brought him down. The penalty was a certainty and the pressure was all on Wilson. A trademark short run and it was 2-1. A male streaker joined in the celebrations and was promptly evicted. As the excitement reached fever pitch all that was needed was a third goal to calm the nerves. Roy McBain tried to provide it in 64 minutes with a neat lob over Nelson but it cleared the bar. Bingham headed a Wilson corner goalwards in 71 minutes but Mark Reilly hit it off the line then Stuart McCaffrey headed wide. A third goal came in 76 minutes and fittingly it was from Paul Ritchie who was playing his last game for the club. Wilson took a corner from the left and Ritchie stooped low to head home his 63rd goal in three years. The title was a certainty and the final period was all about waiting for the whistle. Wilson shot wide in 86 minutes then the ball spent vital minutes deep in the Saints’ half and around the corner flag. The final whistle went, the crowd invaded the pitch, the cup arrived by helicopter, Bobby Mann stepped up to receive the trophy from Lord Macfarlane and the whole of Inverness went ballistic. Now for the SPL – maybe.



None.

Pld W D L F A +/- Pts
1. Inverness CT 36 21 7 8 67 33 34 70
2. Clyde 36 20 9 7 64 40 24 69
3. St. Johnstone 36 15 12 9 59 45 14 57
4. Falkirk 36 15 10 11 43 37 6 55
5. Queen of the South 36 15 9 12 46 48 -2 54
6. Ross County 36 12 13 11 49 41 8 49
7. St. Mirren 36 9 14 13 39 46 -7 41
8. Raith Rovers 36 8 10 18 37 57 -20 34
9. Ayr United 36 6 13 17 37 58 -21 31
10. Brechin City 36 6 9 21 37 73 -36 27