Inverness CT 1 - 0 Partick Thistle

League (Playoff) - Quarter Final 2nd Leg
Friday, May 6th, 2022, 7:45 PM at Caledonian Stadium
Attendance: 2,470
Referee: Kevin Clancy
Inverness CT  Partick Thistle

Goalscorers
Austin Samuels (29)
None.

Team Managers
Billy Dodds Ian McCall

Starting Eleven
Mark Ridgers
Kirk Broadfoot
Robbie Deas
Daniel Devine
Reece McAlear
David Carson
Sean Welsh
Logan Chalmers
Austin Samuels
Shane Sutherland
Billy Mckay
Jamie Sneddon
Ricky Foster
Tunji Akinola
Kevin Holt
Stephen Hendrie
Robbie Crawford
Ross Docherty
Stuart Bannigan
Cammy Smith
Brian Graham
Scott Tiffoney

Substitutes
Cameron Mackay
Cameron Harper
Scott Allardice
Lewis Hyde
Aaron Doran
Joe Hardy
Kyle Turner
Alex Jakubiak
Andy Firth
Steven Bell
Ciaran McKenna
Connor Murray
Juan Alegria
Ben Stanway

Substitutions
Aaron Doran for Austin Samuels (66)
Cameron Harper for Logan Chalmers (66)
Joe Hardy for Billy Mckay (79)
Lewis Hyde for Reece McAlear (92)
Scott Allardice for Shane Sutherland (92)
Kyle Turner -> Stuart Bannigan (45)
Alex Jakubiak -> Cammy Smith (45)
Steven Bell -> Kevin Holt (66)
Juan Alegria -> Brian Graham (66)
Connor Murray -> Robbie Crawford (82)

Bookings
David Carson (61)
Reece McAlear (88)
Daniel Devine (89)
None.

Red Cards
None. None.
Appearances & Goals To Date
Mark Ridgers (GK) 192 apps -
Kirk Broadfoot 42 apps2 goals
Robbie Deas 79 apps1 goal
Daniel Devine 148 apps5 goals
Reece McAlear 39 apps4 goals
David Carson 91 apps1 goal
Sean Welsh 104 apps13 goals
Billy Mckay 196 apps81 goals
Logan Chalmers 14 apps5 goals
Austin Samuels 15 apps3 goals
Shane Sutherland 160 apps21 goals
Cameron Harper (sub) 71 apps2 goals
Aaron Doran (sub) 326 apps50 goals
Lewis Hyde (sub) 12 apps -
Scott Allardice (sub) 62 apps3 goals
Joe Hardy (sub) 14 apps1 goal

Starting Lineup
Youngest Player:Reece McAlear (20 years 88 days)
Oldest Player:Kirk Broadfoot (37 years 280 days)
Average Player Age:28 years 39 days
Domestic Players:7 (63.64 % of starting eleven)

Matchday Squad
Youngest Player:Lewis Hyde (19 years 300 days)
Oldest Player:Kirk Broadfoot (37 years 280 days)
Average Player Age:26 years 186 days
Domestic Players:11 (64.71 % of matchday squad)

First Team Debuts

Milestones

Smokies next



A draw would have been sufficient for Inverness to progress in the Premiership Play-Offs after winning the first leg 2-1 at Firhill. After a cagey opening Austin Samuels scored a superb opening goal when Sutherland fed him into the box. Graham rattled the bar and Ridgers denied the big striker from a goalbound header as Partick came back at their hosts but at the break it was advantage Inverness. Inverness weathered the expected storm after the interval and restricted Partick to half chances and but for Sneddon Inverness could have added another couple of goals, but it's job done and Arbroath up next.



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

At home to Arbroath was the prize for getting through this game. Inverness carried a slender advantage from the first leg at Firhill into this tie at the Caledonian Stadium. Tom Walsh, Wallace Duffy and Roddy MacGregor were all out for the hosts leaving just six on the bench including the returning from long term injury, Scott Allardice. Cammy Smith and Ricky Foster were in the Partick starting XI with Brian Graham and Scott Tiffoney still the ones to watch.

The game kicked off in bright sunshine and in the third minute Logan Chalmers got the break of the ball off Ricky Foster but he shot over as he approached the corner of the box. Robbie Deas lashed one over from the same area three minutes later as a loose ball came back to him outside the box.

Partick almost got the opener when Scott Tiffoney whipped a great ball into the area where Robbie Crawford met it on the run but it just cleared the bar. Very close but no cigar this time.

Inverness responded and Billy Mckay shot just wide but he won a corner as his effort was deflected. From the corner Sean Welsh had a shot blocked on the edge of the box

The game was littered with loose passing with so much at stake, neither side wanting to make the first error.

Brian Graham turned Kirk Broadfoot well twenty five yards out but his shot curled three yards wide of Ridgers left hand post.

A wayward back header from Ross Docherty gave Inverness a corner but it was curled just behind, possibly off the corner of the bar.

Tiffoney was causing all sorts of problems down the Partick left and he drifted inside but his shot was weak and dragged wide with almost half an hour gone.

Almost against the run of play Inverness opened the scoring when Shane Sutherland sent Samuels into the left side of the box where he lashed a powerful shot high into the net behind Sneddon. Great strike, two important goals in two games for the striker. What a time to start scoring. AUSTIN POWER

Partick struck the bar moments later through Graham when he got the break of the ball off the chest of Welsh after a corner, his shot from ten yards smacking the bar and bouncing clear.

Six minutes before the break an absolutely fantastic save from Ridgers denied Graham as he dived low to his left to save what looked like a certain goal for the big striker. Back up the other end and Samuels almost snatched a second for Inverness but the ball just evaded him.

Partick may be aggrieved to be one down, but Inverness hold a two goal aggregate advantage at the interval. Inverness would be well advised to cut out the loose passing to avoid a nervy ending to the tie.

HALF TIME: 1-0

Immediately after the break Graham gave substitute Jakubiak an opportunity that won them a corner and almost another chance came from that. It was a sluggish start to the half for the hosts.

What a save from Sneddon to deny a Broadfoot header after Carson had won a corner. Great agility from the keeper. Samuels then hit the bar from close range but Mckay was adjudged offside when he clipped the ball across goal.

Ridgers gathered a speculative effort from Tiffoney just before the hour. Deas returned the speculative efforts and his one went wide.

A bit of a lull since the substitutions after sixty five minutes as the game entered the final twelve minutes with Joe Hardy replacing Billy Mckay.

Cammy Harper almost got on the end of a great Sean Welsh ball into the box, Sneddon just beating Harper to the ball to snatch it away from the Inverness player as we broke forward at pace.

Sneddon made another tremendous save as Sutherland shot goalwards after a corner, that would have been game over but for the keepers reflexes.

We appeared to have weathered the mini storm from Partick and their opportunities seemed to have dried up with eighty seven minutes gone.

FULL TIME: 1-0 ..... (3-1 agg)

Decent performance in a tough game where we stood up to Partick and eventually nullified them.

Great goal again from Austin Samuels and some tremendous defending with Carson MotM and Devine a close second.

Onwards to face Arbroath next Tuesday and Friday, another tough tie.

Match report written by tm4tj



None.