Inverness CT 1 - 5 Ross County

League Match
Tuesday, February 25th, 2003, 7:00 PM at Caledonian Stadium, Inverness
Attendance: 3,443
Referee: E Martindale
Inverness CT  Ross County

Goalscorers
Dennis Wyness (87)
McLeish (13)
Ferguson (pen 18)
Venetis (39)
Robertson (48)
Gethins (87)

Team Managers
John Robertson Unknown.

Starting Eleven
Mark Brown
Ross Tokely
Bobby Mann
Stuart Golabek
Stuart McCaffrey
Charlie Christie
Barry Robson
Roy McBain
Russell Duncan
Dennis Wyness
Paul Ritchie
Bullock
Tait
Robertson
McCulloch
Irvine
Webb
Venetis
Ferguson
Bayne
Cowie
McLeish

Substitutes
Michael Fraser
Grant Munro
David Bagan
Liam Keogh
Steven Hislop
McGarry
Gethins
MacKay
Bolochoweckyij
Fridge

Substitutions
Steven Hislop for Paul Ritchie (46)
Grant Munro for Bobby Mann (48)
David Bagan for Russell Duncan (58)
McGarry -> Bayne (80)
Gethins -> Venetis (84)
MacKay -> Ferguson (87)

Bookings
Barry Robson (60)
Ross Tokely (60)
Stuart McCaffrey (60)
Tait
McCulloch
Irvine
Bayne

Red Cards
None. None.
Appearances & Goals To Date
Mark Brown (GK) 30 apps -
Stuart McCaffrey 89 apps1 goal
Ross Tokely 225 apps16 goals
Bobby Mann 161 apps14 goals
Stuart Golabek 109 apps1 goal
Barry Robson 154 apps25 goals
Roy McBain 110 apps5 goals
Charlie Christie 300 apps33 goals
Russell Duncan 66 apps1 goal
Paul Ritchie 73 apps34 goals
Dennis Wyness 145 apps77 goals
Grant Munro (sub) 58 apps1 goal
David Bagan (sub) 64 apps11 goals
Steven Hislop (sub) 3 apps -

Starting Lineup
Youngest Player:Ross Tokely (23 years 360 days)
Oldest Player:Paul Ritchie (2004 years 208 days)
Average Player Age:30 years 168 days
Domestic Players:11 (100.00 % of starting eleven)

Matchday Squad
Youngest Player:Ross Tokely (23 years 360 days)
Oldest Player:Paul Ritchie (2004 years 208 days)
Average Player Age:30 years 168 days
Domestic Players:16 (100.00 % of matchday squad)

First Team Debuts

Milestones
Charlie Christie made his 300th competitive appearance for the Club.

Third top played third bottom but the match did not go according to the script. Alex Smith’s revamped County team swept to a well deserved victory and Caley Thistle were a shadow of the team that knocked Hamilton for six. Dennis Wyness was seemingly brought down in the County box in the second minute but no penalty was given. The action soon switched to the other end and Mark Brown tipped over a long range effort from Kevin McLeish in the fifth minute. McLeish scored the first goal in 13 minutes when Tassos Venetis chipped into his path and he volleyed home from 15 yards. In 18 minutes a Jordan Tait header struck the arm of Stuart McCaffrey and Steven Ferguson hit it low into the net from the resultant penalty – the home fans felt the award was harsh but it was 2-0. Wyness forced a save from Tony Bullock in 24 minutes – the first real shot on the County goal. On the half hour mark a Stuart Golabek 25 yard free kick came off the wall then he fired over the bar. Two minutes later Venetis forced his way through the middle but his shot was blocked by Brown. Venetis fared better in 39 minutes when he was in the same position and he hit past Brown for 3-0. On the stroke of half time a Barry Robson shot from outside the box hit the post with Bullock getting the faintest of touches on the way. In 48 minutes Golabek passed back to Brown but he was forced to catch it under pressure. This led to an indirect free kick a few yards out and the whole Caley Thistle team was strung out along the goal line. Hugh Robertson hammered goalwards and it deflected into the net for a fourth goal. The already subdued home fans were by now dumbfounded. It was not all one way traffic but the County defence handled all pressure easily. Steve Hislop had a good header on target on the hour mark but Robertson turned it for a corner. In 69 minutes a Robson corner seemed to hit a hand but this time a penalty was denied. Hislop then sliced across goal from a difficult angle and Bullock saved from Charlie Christie in 75 minutes. This was part of a brief spell of hope for the home fans but nothing materialised until the 87th minute when Wyness thumped home from an acute angle on the left of goal. County’s response was to race upfield and score a fifth! Conor Gethins had only been on the field for three minutes when he strode through the defence and scored easily – the home fans claimed offside but the goal stood. The last action was a David Bagan chip from 18 yards which was easily caught by Bullock. A painful night for Caley Thistle and a small step away from relegation for Ross County.

None.

Pld W D L F A +/- Pts
1. Falkirk 24 16 5 3 54 23 31 53
2. St. Johnstone 25 13 6 6 33 18 15 45
3. Inverness CT 24 13 4 7 52 31 21 43
4. Clyde 23 12 6 5 39 23 16 42
5. Ayr United 24 9 8 7 26 23 3 35
6. St. Mirren 25 7 7 11 32 52 -20 28
7. Queen of the South 24 6 9 9 32 41 -9 27
8. Ross County 25 6 8 11 30 28 2 26
9. Alloa Athletic 24 4 7 13 21 51 -30 19
10. Arbroath 24 3 4 17 22 51 -29 13