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Partick Thistle
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Inverness CT
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Appearances & Goals To Date
Starting Lineup
| Youngest Player: | Ross Tokely (26 years 351 days) |
| Oldest Player: | Ian Black (2007 years 199 days) |
| Average Player Age: | 29 years 335 days |
| Domestic Players: | 10 (90.91 % of starting eleven) |
Matchday Squad
| Youngest Player: | David Proctor (21 years 352 days) |
| Oldest Player: | Ian Black (2007 years 199 days) |
| Average Player Age: | 27 years 339 days |
| Domestic Players: | 15 (93.75 % of matchday squad) |
First Team Debuts
Milestones
Caley Thistle lose out on penalties to Partick Thistle after a 1-1 draw at Firhill. There was no winner in extra-time and penalty misses from Dennis Wyness and Ross Tokely sealed Caley Thistle's fate. Ian Broadfoot reports.
The Battle of the Thistles ended with victory for Partick and bitter disappointment for Inverness. It took two games, extra time and penalties to decide this tie and send Partick to Tynecastle for a lucrative quarter final match. Sky TV were there to witness the shock win by the second division side. Over the two games Mark Roberts scored all three Partick goals and keeper Kenny Arthur was the penalty shoot-out hero. Grant Munro, Ross Tokely and Ian Black returned to the Caley Thistle side after injuries.
Caley Thistle pushed hard from the kick-off and had a number of first half chances. The first came in just one minute when Arthur tipped a low Barry Wilson shot for a corner. Dennis Wyness mishit in the Partick box 30 seconds later and Ian Black hit low past the post in ten minutes.
In 13 minutes a high ball fooled Marc Smyth and Arthur but not Craig Dargo - he headed goalwards and it looked in before Smyth scrambled back to clear. Two minutes later it was 1-0 to Partick when a Stephen McConalogue corner was headed on by Adam Strachan and Roberts swept the ball home at the back post. The Caley Thistle heads stayed up and they pressed hard. The reward came in 24 minutes when Wilson crossed from the right, Black headed for the line on the right and threaded the ball into space past two defenders and the keeper. Wyness was inside the six yard box and he had a tap in for the equaliser.
The second ICT goal just would not come and it remained 1-1 at half time. Partick had more of the game in the second half and Paul Ritchie tested Mark Brown in 58 minutes. Two minutes later Scott Boyd diverted a Wyness shot for a corner then Sean Kilgannon hit wide from 20 yards.
With normal time running out Arthur saved a difficult curling ball from Dargo then Wyness hit wide. Into an additional 30 minutes but there were few good scoring chances. 11 minutes into extra time a Wyness ball from the left reached Dargo but Arthur smothered his shot at the second attempt. A minute later Strachan crossed into the Caley Thistle box from the right and it deflected off Darren Dods for a corner. The last outfield actions of the game were a wide Richard Hastings shot from 25 yards then a Brown save from a Roberts header.
The dreaded penalty shoot became a reality and it was the usual nervous affair. Dargo set ICT on the right track with the first kick and the first goal then Mark Roberts equalised, Arthur saved Wyness's kick, Ricky Gillies made it 2-1, Arthur saved from Ross Tokely and Sean Kilgannon netted for 3-1. Wilson scored for ICT but Will Snowdon did the same for Partick to give them an unassailable 4-2 lead. Finally it was all over.
Match report written by Ian Broadfoot
