Inverness CT 3 - 3 Kilmarnock

League Match
Saturday, February 21st, 2015, 3:00 PM at Tulloch Caledonian Stadium
Attendance: 2,912
Referee: Steven McLean
Inverness CT  Kilmarnock

Goalscorers
Graeme Shinnie (18)
Nick Ross (33)
Danny Williams (52)
Nathan Eccleston (20)
Craig Slater (45)
Tope Obadeyi (61)

Team Managers
John Hughes Gary Locke

Starting Eleven
Ryan Esson
Josh Meekings
Gary Warren
David Raven
Nick Ross
Graeme Shinnie
Greg Tansey
Ross Draper
Ryan Christie
Danny Williams
Marley Watkins
Craig Samson
Darryl Westlake
Mark Connolly
Manuel Pascali
Ross Barbour
Mark O`Hara
Craig Slater
Chris Johnston
Nathan Eccleston
Tope Obadeyi
Josh Magennis

Substitutes
Cameron Mackay
Daniel Devine
Carl Tremarco
Liam Polworth
Alasdair Sutherland
Lewis Horner
Calum Ferguson
Conor Brennan
Euan Smith
Greg Kiltie
David Syme
Dean Hawkshaw
Sam Lidington

Substitutions
Calum Ferguson for Nick Ross (74)
Mark Connolly -> David Syme (42)
Nathan Eccleston -> Greg Kiltie (79)

Bookings
Josh Meekings (90)
Nathan Eccleston (58)
David Syme (59)
Chris Johnston (81)

Red Cards
None. None.
Appearances & Goals To Date
Ryan Esson (GK) 165 apps -
Josh Meekings 134 apps3 goals
David Raven 104 apps1 goal
Gary Warren 107 apps11 goals
Danny Williams 52 apps3 goals
Marley Watkins 59 apps9 goals
Nick Ross 165 apps13 goals
Ross Draper 107 apps7 goals
Graeme Shinnie 173 apps7 goals
Ryan Christie 45 apps7 goals
Greg Tansey 88 apps14 goals
Calum Ferguson (sub) 1 app (debut) -

Starting Lineup
Youngest Player:Ryan Christie (20 years 1 days)
Oldest Player:Graeme Shinnie (2016 years 207 days)
Average Player Age:27 years 254 days
Domestic Players:8 (72.73 % of starting eleven)

Matchday Squad
Youngest Player:Cameron Mackay (15 years 78 days)
Oldest Player:Graeme Shinnie (2016 years 207 days)
Average Player Age:24 years 217 days
Domestic Players:13 (72.22 % of matchday squad)

First Team Debuts
Calum Ferguson(Signed )

Milestones

Rugby Park, Rugby Players.


They came from Rugby Park and some of them looked more suitable for the game of Rugby. Kilmarnock's Josh Magennis barged his way around the park ably supported by one or two others who were left to knock over Inverness players at will without fear of repercussion by Steve McLean, who put in a performance ranking high on the Willie Collum scale.

It was a frustrating afternoon for the home support as Kilmarnock pegged us back three times to share the points in a disappointing 3-3 draw. Aberdeen bound Graeme Shinnie opened the scoring but the lead lasted just two minutes before a fortuitous leveller from Nathan Ecclestone squared the game. Nick Ross is credited with scoring the second for Inverness but a dubious lead up to Killie's free kick saw them level the game right on half time, the ball coming off the post and Essons back before dropping over the line. Nothing lucky about our third. Danny Williams whistled home a glorious strike from 25 to 30 yards across the keeper but a frustrated home crowd saw us gift Killie yet another goal to end the scoring when Obadeyi knocked home from a corner.

Less than 3000 fans were in attendance as Inverness and Killie served up a six goal thriller................Erm, no that's not quite right. There was six goals scored but it certainly wasn't a thriller, more gripping than thrilling and frustrating than exhilarating.

I'll cut to the chase. Inverness opened the scoring when Marley Watkins teed up Graeme Shinnie who crashed the ball home from fifteen yards, but the lead was short lived. Nathan Ecclestone latched on to a wickedly deflected shot to drive the ball under Esson a couple of minutes later.

There was only one team playing football as Killie resorted to hustle and bustle, but they went unpunished for too long. Josh Magennis was the main perpetrator and he would have been better employed at Murrayfield as he shoved his way about the park.

Once again it was the home side that were intent on getting back ahead and they deservedly took the lead after great work by Christie who released Watkins. He picked out Nick Ross at the front post and the ball eventually found the net after a couple of ricochets.

However, in time added on before the break, Killie were handed a goal by the incompetent MacLean who ignored Nick Ross being bundled over by man mountain and then had the temerity to award Killie a free kick for a similar challenge as they sped towards the home box with Ross lying on the turf nursing a sore body. Nothing wrong with Craig Slater's strike which Esson seemed to tip onto the post, but the ball bounced back onto Esson to enter the net, the last act of the half and unbelievably the visitors went in at the break level.

Half Time 2-2

Not too much goalmouth action too report but Danny Williams lit up a chilly afternoon with a tremendous goal. He gathered the ball inside the Killie half and drove goalwards across the defence. He unleashed a sweetly struck shot on the run that brushed the hair of a Killie defender as it sped beyond an outstretched Samson in the Killie goal and deservedly once more put Inverness ahead.

But, as Inverness failed to kill off the game despite a couple of goalmouth scrambles Killie showed their new found grit once again. David Raven, who has had better games, lost the ball in a forward position, not for the first time, and Obadeyi raced free only to be blocked, the ball going for a corner. Danger averted we all thought. Not so. When the corner came in the ball broke to Obadeyi off Raven's head and he lashed the ball high into the net from close range to end the scoring.

Full Time 3-3

In truth, it was a game of few chances. Those that did come along ended up in the net. Killie's rough house tactics paid off as we were shoved around, MacLean not stifling this until late in the game. It ended with both sides grateful for a point as one more error would have meant nil points for either side.

Match report written by tm4tj



None.

Pld W D L F A +/- Pts
1. Celtic 24 18 3 3 48 13 35 57
2. Aberdeen 26 18 3 5 47 21 26 57
3. Inverness CT 26 16 4 6 40 26 14 52
4. Dundee Utd 25 14 3 8 48 35 13 45
5. Hamilton Academical 27 12 5 10 39 35 4 41
6. Dundee 27 10 9 8 39 38 1 39
7. St. Johnstone 26 11 4 11 24 27 -3 37
8. Kilmarnock 26 9 6 11 29 35 -6 33
9. Partick Thistle 26 6 7 13 33 35 -2 25
10. Ross County 26 4 6 16 27 52 -25 18
11. St. Mirren 27 5 3 19 21 46 -25 18
12. Motherwell 26 5 3 18 18 50 -32 18