Hearts 0 - 0 Inverness CT

League Match
Saturday, December 10th, 2005, 3:00 PM at Tynecastle Stadium, Edinburgh
Attendance: 16,373
Referee: Calum Murray
Hearts Inverness CT

Goalscorers
none None.

Team Managers
Graham Rix Craig Brewster

Starting Eleven
Gordon
Neilson
Fyssas
Pressley
Webster
Cesnauskis
Simmons
Hartley
Skacel
Pospisil
Elliot
Mark Brown
Richard Hastings
Ross Tokely
Grant Munro
Stuart McCaffrey
David Proctor
Barry Wilson
Russell Duncan
Ian Black
Craig Brewster
Craig Dargo

Bench
MacDonald
Mikoliunas
Camazzola
Jankauskas
MacFarlane
Berra
Wallace
Michael Fraser
Roy McBain
Richie Hart
Liam Fox
Alan Morgan
Graham Bayne
Juanjo Carricondo

Substitutions
Camazzola -> Simmons (67)
Jankauskas -> Elliot (72)
Mikoliunas -> Pospisil (84)
Richie Hart for David Proctor (38)

Bookings
Hartley (85) Russell Duncan (71)
Craig Brewster (72)

Red Cards
none None.
Appearances & Goals To Date
Mark Brown (GK) 154 apps -
Grant Munro 149 apps3 goals
Stuart McCaffrey 165 apps6 goals
Richard Hastings 241 apps2 goals
Ross Tokely 341 apps24 goals
David Proctor 37 apps2 goals
Russell Duncan 165 apps4 goals
Ian Black 30 apps1 goal
Barry Wilson 250 apps71 goals
Craig Brewster 30 apps11 goals
Craig Dargo 18 apps5 goals
Richie Hart (sub) 121 apps15 goals

Starting Lineup
Youngest Player:David Proctor (21 years 285 days)
Oldest Player:Ian Black (2007 years 132 days)
Average Player Age:30 years 0 days
Domestic Players:10 (90.91 % of starting eleven)

Matchday Squad
Youngest Player:David Proctor (21 years 285 days)
Oldest Player:Juanjo Carricondo (2007 years 132 days)
Average Player Age:30 years 0 days
Domestic Players:17 (94.44 % of matchday squad)

First Team Debuts

Milestones
Barry Wilson played his 250th major competitive game for the Club.

Caley Thistle battle hard and take a share of the points in this tussle at Tynecastle. Stuart McCaffrey came back into the side to replace the suspended Darren Dods and Barry Wilson marked his 250th appearance by being given the captains armband for the day. Ian Broadfoot reports on the game.

Caley Thistle ended Hearts 100% home record and, with a rub of the green, could easily have taken all three points.

With Darren Dods suspended Stuart McCaffrey came back into the side after an extended period on the sidelines due to injury. Dennis Wyness was ineligible because of the terms of the loan agreement with Hearts and Barry Wilson captained the side on his 250th appearance.

The vocal home support, the healthy Caley Thistle contingent and some great football added up to an entertaining afternoon for all. The visitors had a goal disallowed, a penalty denied and the best chances of the game.

Hearts pushed forward from the start but achieved little. In four minutes Mark Brown easily saved a Stephen Simmons header then Michal Pospisil headed over. At the other end Ian Black sent an angled volley past Craig Gordon’s right-hand post.

Both defences held firm under pressure then in 36 minutes Craig Dargo set up a glorious chance for his manager. He cut the ball back from the byeline on the right but Craig Brewster hit first time over the bar from eight yards.

Apart from a wide Rudi Skacel shot Hearts rarely troubled the Inverness goal in the first half. Robbie Neilson left significant marks on the game twice. In the first half he stopped a David Proctor shot on the line then, in the second half, he blocked a Barry Wilson ball en-route to Dargo with his arm – the referee deemed the offence to be accidental but you would be hard pushed to find an Inverness supporter who agreed.

The closest Hearts came to a goal was in 54 minutes when Deividas Cesnauskis (surprisingly named ‘Man of the Match’) was sent through by Pospisil but Mark Brown parried his shot. Gordon turned a long-range effort from Black round the post in 67 minutes then six minutes later Brewster let fly from an acute angle on the left and forced an excellent save from Gordon.

A minute later the away fans were incensed when a McCaffrey pass found Ross Tokely and he ran through before netting clinically. The goal was disallowed however as Dargo was in an offside position - despite the striker taking no part in the move.

In the closing minutes Pospisil and Edgaras Jankauskas hit over for Hearts then Brewster hit wide for ICT with three minutes left. There was still time for Dargo to hit over before the final whistle.

Full Time 0-0

Another fine performance on the road and sixth place maintained.

Match report written by Ian Broadfoot



Pld W D L F A +/- Pts
1. Celtic 18 14 2 2 47 16 31 44
2. Hearts 18 12 5 1 34 12 22 41
3. Hibernian 18 11 1 6 32 22 10 34
4. Kilmarnock 17 7 5 5 31 26 5 26
5. Rangers 17 6 6 5 26 20 6 24
6. Inverness CT 18 5 8 5 20 20 0 23
7. Motherwell 18 6 5 7 30 34 -4 23
8. Aberdeen 18 5 7 6 21 22 -1 22
9. Dundee Utd 18 4 6 8 19 28 -9 18
10. Falkirk 18 4 5 9 19 33 -14 17
11. Livingston 18 2 5 11 10 35 -25 11
12. Dunfermline 18 2 3 13 10 31 -21 9