Inverness CT 3 - 4 Falkirk

League Match
Saturday, February 8th, 2003, 3:00 PM at Caledonian Stadium, Inverness
Attendance: 3,322
Referee: W Young
Inverness CT  Falkirk

Goalscorers
Barry Robson (8)
Dennis Wyness (28)
Paul Ritchie (56)
Coyle (31, 73, 86)
Samuel (33)

Team Managers
John Robertson Unknown.

Starting Eleven
Mark Brown
Ross Tokely
Bobby Mann
Stuart Golabek
Stuart McCaffrey
Barry Robson
Roy McBain
Russell Duncan
Richie Hart
Dennis Wyness
Paul Ritchie
Ferguson
Henry
McQuilken
MacKenzie
Hughes
Nicholls
Kerr
Miller
Coyle
McPherson
Samuel

Substitutes
Michael Fraser
Grant Munro
Charlie Christie
Liam Keogh
Steven Hislop
Taylor
Rodgers
McSween
Hill
Rennie

Substitutions
Steven Hislop for Paul Ritchie (75)
Charlie Christie for Richie Hart (88)
Taylor -> Henry (63)
Rodgers -> Samuel (88)

Bookings
None. Nicholls

Red Cards
None. None.
Appearances & Goals To Date
Mark Brown (GK) 27 apps -
Stuart Golabek 106 apps1 goal
Stuart McCaffrey 86 apps -
Ross Tokely 222 apps16 goals
Bobby Mann 158 apps14 goals
Russell Duncan 63 apps1 goal
Richie Hart 24 apps6 goals
Barry Robson 152 apps23 goals
Roy McBain 107 apps5 goals
Dennis Wyness 142 apps74 goals
Paul Ritchie 70 apps33 goals
Charlie Christie (sub) 297 apps33 goals
Steven Hislop (sub) 1 app (debut) -

Starting Lineup
Youngest Player:Ross Tokely (23 years 343 days)
Oldest Player:Stuart McCaffrey (2004 years 191 days)
Average Player Age:23 years 343 days
Domestic Players:11 (100.00 % of starting eleven)

Matchday Squad
Youngest Player:Ross Tokely (23 years 343 days)
Oldest Player:Paul Ritchie (2004 years 191 days)
Average Player Age:30 years 151 days
Domestic Players:16 (100.00 % of matchday squad)

First Team Debuts
Steven Hislop(Signed )

Milestones
Barry Robson scored for the 25th time for the Club.

The top two sides in Division One produced a classic game with Falkirk just edging out Caley Thistle four minutes from time.
It could have gone either way and the home side looked set for victory after they took a 2-0 lead. Barry Robson scored the first in eight minutes with a low shot from 18 yards after a pass from Dennis Wyness and a neat turn. Caley Thistle were denied a penalty in 22 minutes when Ross Tokely was brought down by Jamie McQuilken and a corner given. Bobby Mann scored with a glancing header from the corner but it was disallowed. Wyness made it 2-0 in 28 minutes when he seized on a slip by John Hughes, created space with a double-shuffle, turned the recovering Hughes then hit low past Allan Ferguson. The lead did not last long. In 31 minutes a seemingly harmless lob from the right was headed goalwards by Owen Coyle and somehow everyone stood back to watch it end up in the back of the net. Two minutes later a long lob from Hughes was chased by Collin Samuel and he touched it past Brown despite the close attentions of Mann and Stuart Golabek. Roy McBain tested Allan Ferguson close to the interval and the ‘keeper could only parry it – Wyness was in quickly but he knocked it just past. In 56 minutes Ferguson dived to save a header from Wyness and, as the ball broke, the striker reached it first. He flicked it over the stranded ‘keeper and Paul Ritchie headed powerfully into the net for 3-2. Ferguson saved from Wyness and Ritchie before Coyle equalised in 73 minutes. Mark Kerr sent Samuel through down the left and his cross was headed home by Coyle from close range. Brown made a fine one-handed save from Coyle before the veteran striker completed his hat-trick in 86 minutes with a left-foot volley from just inside the area. Caley Thistle substitutes Charlie Christie and Steven Hislop combined to force a good save from Ferguson in the final seconds but it was Falkirk who took all the points and opened up a seven point gap at the top of the league.

None.

Pld W D L F A +/- Pts
1. Falkirk 22 15 5 2 51 21 30 50
2. Inverness CT 22 13 4 5 51 24 27 43
3. St. Johnstone 24 12 6 6 31 18 13 42
4. Clyde 22 12 5 5 38 22 16 41
5. Ayr United 23 8 8 7 25 23 2 32
6. St. Mirren 23 7 6 10 29 47 -18 27
7. Queen of the South 22 6 7 9 29 38 -9 25
8. Ross County 24 5 8 11 25 27 -2 23
9. Alloa Athletic 23 3 7 13 18 49 -31 16
10. Arbroath 23 3 4 16 20 48 -28 13