Ross County 4 - 0 Inverness CT

League Match
Friday, April 28th, 2017, 7:45 PM at Global Energy Stadium, Dingwall
Attendance: 4,928
Referee: Craig Thomson
Ross County Inverness CT

Goalscorers
Liam Boyce (21)
Liam Boyce (34)
Liam Boyce (pen.49)
Liam Boyce (pen.60)
None.

Team Managers
Jim McIntyre Richie Foran

Starting Eleven
Scott Fox
Jason Naismith
Marcus Fraser
Kenny van der Weg
Ryan Dow
Martin Woods
Tim Chow
Jim O-Brien
Michael Gardyne
Liam Boyce
Craig Curran
Ryan Esson
David Raven
Kevin McNaughton
Jamie McCart
Louis Laing
Iain Vigurs
Liam Polworth
Greg Tansey
Jake Mulraney
Alex Fisher
Billy King

Bench
Aaron McCarey
Christopher Routis
Jonathan Franks
Oscar Gobern
Reghan Tumility
Blair Malcolm
Dylan Dykes
Daniel Hoban
Brad Mckay
Ross Draper
Lewis Horner
Larnell Cole
Billy Mckay
Henri Anier

Substitutions
Christopher Routis -> Martin Woods (64)
Reghan Tumility -> Liam Boyce (64)
Dylan Dykes -> Tim Chow (70)
Billy Mckay for Billy King (46)
Henri Anier for David Raven (54)
Ross Draper for Iain Vigurs (64)

Bookings
Jim O-Brien (10)
Tim Chow (53)
Iain Vigurs (49)

Red Cards
None. Liam Polworth (60)
Appearances & Goals To Date
Ryan Esson (GK) 183 apps -
Jamie McCart 9 apps -
Kevin McNaughton 12 apps -
David Raven 162 apps4 goals
Louis Laing 10 apps -
Jake Mulraney 29 apps -
Liam Polworth 111 apps10 goals
Greg Tansey 187 apps30 goals
Iain Vigurs 97 apps16 goals
Alex Fisher 24 apps4 goals
Billy King 31 apps3 goals
Ross Draper (sub) 198 apps16 goals
Billy Mckay (sub) 153 apps65 goals
Henri Anier (sub) 12 apps -

Starting Lineup
Youngest Player:Jamie McCart (19 years 317 days)
Oldest Player:Alex Fisher (2018 years 274 days)
Average Player Age:26 years 352 days
Domestic Players:9 (81.82 % of starting eleven)

Matchday Squad
Youngest Player:Daniel Hoban (19 years 28 days)
Oldest Player:Greg Tansey (2018 years 274 days)
Average Player Age:26 years 43 days
Domestic Players:14 (77.78 % of matchday squad)

First Team Debuts

Milestones

The Demise is complete, the Highlands are theirs:

Inverness plumbed the depths of the abyss last night and relegation looks as though it will be a formality. Unbelievably, Richie Foran still believes that four wins will save us. Whilst that is a possibility, there was nothing on display to suggest that a team with only one win in twenty-three games can miraculously win four in a row. At the moment we can't even string four passes in a row.

The game itself descended into farce from our point of view after a mildly promising first twenty minutes. Thereafter we capitulated and at the end were totally bedraggled and ripped apart by County who now own the Highlands.

Liam Boyce has been credited with all four goals and that gives him a total of nine against us this season. When I say credited, maybe some of our players could be given assists. Ryan Esson was played into trouble by a needless pass back. He reproduced numerous Owain Fon Williams blunders all rolled into one and Boyce shut him down and scored all too easily. His second was an excellent header, the last two were penalties given away by a team that already look relegated.

I'm not going to offer any more of a match report, but as I am sick to the back teeth of complaining every week like a broken record, I will let the fans do the talking and post a selection of outbursts lifted from Caley Thistle Online forum so you can get the gist of the fans feelings as our season to forget blunders to a close.

Fans vent their frustration after the derby defeat, although many saw this coming months ago.

I'll not put any names to these comments, but there's no many happy bunnies out there tonight............
"It's truly amateur stuff we have been playing. I watch part time football most weeks and the standard of inverness isn't much better than what i watch over here most week's. Only difference is caley have more howlers from the keeper. Deserve to be where we are." "And off goes the TV."
"We are going down and completely deserve to".
"This single season has put this club back 15 years. There's nothing recognisable about us anymore. At least the last time we went down there was optimism. I fear that we are another Dunfermline/st mirren".
"You dont languish at the bottom of the league for so long without fully deserving to get relegated." "Acts of PURE desperation from Foran now."
"Resign."
"Shambles. It's like Foran is playing football manager and selecting random formations."
"This is an absolute disgrace ... I am so angry ... and sad. When is enough enough Richie? Get lost right now!"
"Total embarrassment. I said weeks ago we were down, 4 wins all season, is shocking. I'm sure Foran will come out with his usual sob story after this. If he had any decency he'd walk."
"Switched it off. i am not watching this amateur embarrassment any longer. Foran, just GTF, i don't want to hear any more pathetic excuses or delusional fantasies from you ever again. We haven't a hope of coming back up with such an inept, utterly clueless manager. Cut out the rose-tinted rubbish about your past, man up and disappear. This is your doing, no-one else's."
"Richie do you still believe our winning run is coming? Go now and take the board with you!"
"How can his position be defended now? Any club in the right mind would remove the manager. This is a complete joke."
"Punt all the players in the summer (along with the manager and Board)"
"Any other club and his feet wouldn't touch the ground. He's been a complete and utter disaster."
"Foran MUST go now! not next week or the end of the season. The man is a disgrace who has no footballing ideas. Most of ICT players were part of a good team until Foran took charge! The rebuilding must start tomorrow."
"Hats off to any of our fans staying in the stadium to the bitter end, it must be excruciating being there!"
"Please Richie for the love of all that is holy walk away. This is beyond brutal."
"Just when you think they can't possibly get any worse they come up with another blinder. The board should have bitten the bullet months ago and kicked RF down the A9. No shape, no passion, no game plan (other than the aimless punt upfield) and not even a pale shadow of ICT teams of past seasons : even when we played in lower leagues. Everyone involved in this worst ever season in our history should hang there heads in shame."
"Very very enlightening listening to Charlie Christie on the radio.........he's not holding back !!"
"I believe Charlie was never convinced about Foran's credentials. Why is nobody on the board listening to a club legend who has more insight and knowledge about the game than they will ever have? Why didn't they listen to him last year? "
"Foran shouldn't be made the scapegoat. The hierarchy must take responsibility for their actions or, more appropriately, inactions !!"
"Been a Caley supporter from the Telford Street days 65 years ago. Honestly this is the worst performance have seen. I liked Ritchie as a player but as a Manager he leaves a lot to be desired.. The board of ICT must show they want to be in the Premier League and not the Highland League. The Board and Ritchie must go now."
"Painful, board must take a long hard look at themselves. Respect to all who stayed to the end... Did not think we could ever be this poor. Only way is up....."
"I can't (or can I) believe Ritchie has come out and said we just need 4 wins / 12 points - he has lost the plot as have the Board!"
"There was a lot to take in and Barry Wilson was chipping in too so between them both they touched on .squad size too big, no opportunities for U20's, players wages structure, lack of proper scouting network, concern in youth for about job security, players signed without someone looking at them, an SPL club selling merchandise out of a portakabin, no crowd bounce despite cup win, Foran saying he "needs men" - Charlie rubbishing that and saying we need committed footballers. "Defending is the easy bit of the game". RF wanting a team of 11 RF's. Lack of a team shape, trying to play with a no 10 using players who aren't no10's. Losing the dressing room. Not investing transfer windfalls. What was going wrong tactically on the night. Comparison with slicker club operation at County. Some fans having unrealistic expectations. Recognition of Roy McGregor and plea for ICTFC benefactor to step forward. I sensed he was as angry as the rest of us. There was just no doubting his passion for club and disappointment. Really was a must listen."
"The fight for Premiership survival is lost. Nevertheless, we can't drift for the rest of the season. Foran needs to be gone by Monday either of his own volition or at the hands of the increasingly discredited board. This season is lost and was a complete shambles. We need now to get someone who can manage in to start preparing for life in the Championship to give us any chance at all of recovery."
"The club is a shambles. From top to bottom change is needed across all levels - Board, coaching, players. I have lived across the UK and in every place I have lived I've followed and supported the local team - that was until I came to Inverness. The product being sold being the stadium, the team, the vision is non existent. The engagement with the city is really poor - I coached school level for 6 years and there was virtually no engagement of any sort from the club, in fact a senior member at the club actively disengaged with the coaches. Fans are treated badly, the Board - well if they operated like that in a business world they would be sacked or bankrupt. ICT has massive potential but only with a young, fresh forward looking positive board."
"We the supporters have been taken for granted by the board for long enough. The set up is a shambles from the very bottom to the very top. Tonight was an all time low in Dingwall , not just the result but the feeling that in all aspects they are streets ahead of us. Hate to say it but can only see them getting stronger in our absence from the SPL and we need serious change so Cameron and co do the right thing and go now."
"What a shambles. I couldn't watch the game live as I had a commitment I couldn't get out of, so I recorded it. Just watched first half with my whisky glass covering my eyes for a lot of it. Gave up then and flicked to BBC to see the full time score. Not surprised that it got even worse. Nothing more to add. Feel sure that with this manager, no matter how much the squad might be improved, we will struggle again in the championship. I said months ago that we should bin Ritchie, get new blood in and prepare for lower league football. Even more important now that a new man is appointed quickly to give him some time in the summer to try and get some organisation and dicsipline into a new squad. Thanks anyway ICT for giving me a few years of top flight football, and of course, the brilliant cup win, and even a taste of European football, none of which I could even of dreamt of, when growing up in Inverness after second World War, and watching Caley play at Telford Street for a tanner (2.5pence in todays money) ,in the glory days of the early 50s."
"Never made the game tonght due to prior engagement. Feared the worst but even my abject pessimism failed to predict the utter shambles which transpired. Enough is enough. Time for a change of direction at all levels. The incumbents have nothing to offer. We need a radical overhaul of all levels from kids to first team. On current form we will be fighting relegation from Championship next season. Unbelievable to contrast with where we were a mere two years ago. A massive missed opportunity from our non-existent board. Sad."
"What can i honestly say about last night....... Absolute shambles a huge disgrace to the fans foran has to go and go now!!! If we don't change anything now we are heading for further relegations. Championship will be hugely hard. We aren't the pride of the Highlands now we are the embarrassments of the Highlands. On aspects of these so called rumours? Richie lost the dressing room weeks ago after a incident at half time don't remember what game it was but it was shocking to even hear about. Sad but people will lose jobs and budget will be drastically reduced."

Match report written by tm4tj plus fans comments



Pld W D L F A +/- Pts
1. Celtic 33 29 4 0 87 22 65 91
2. Aberdeen 33 21 4 8 63 28 35 67
3. Rangers 33 16 10 7 48 34 14 58
4. St. Johnstone 33 14 7 12 44 40 4 49
5. Hearts 33 12 9 12 51 43 8 45
6. Partick Thistle 33 10 11 12 35 38 -3 41
7. Ross County 34 8 12 14 41 54 -13 36
8. Kilmarnock 33 7 14 12 30 49 -19 35
9. Hamilton Academical 33 6 14 13 30 48 -18 32
10. Motherwell 33 8 8 17 38 61 -23 32
11. Dundee 33 8 6 19 33 53 -20 30
12. Inverness CT 34 4 13 17 36 66 -30 25