Inverness CT 0 - 0 Arbroath

League (Playoff) - Semi Final 1st Leg
Tuesday, May 10th, 2022, 7:05 PM at Caledonian Stadium
Attendance: 2,201
Referee: Euan Anderson
Inverness CT  Arbroath

Goalscorers
None. None.

Team Managers
Billy Dodds Dick Campbell

Starting Eleven
Mark Ridgers
Kirk Broadfoot
Robbie Deas
Daniel Devine
Reece McAlear
David Carson
Sean Welsh
Logan Chalmers
Austin Samuels
Shane Sutherland
Billy Mckay
Derek Gaston
Jason Thomson
Ricky Little
Thomas O'Brien
Colin Hamilton
Chris Hamilton
Scott Stewart
Nicky Low
Michael McKenna
James Craigen
Jack Hamilton

Substitutes
Cameron Mackay
Wallace Duffy
Cameron Harper
Lewis Hyde
Scott Allardice
Aaron Doran
Joe Hardy
David Gold
Gavin Swankie
Bobby Linn
Luke Donnelly
Sam Ford
Michael Bakare
Craig Wighton
Calum Antell
Liam Henderson

Substitutions
Aaron Doran for Billy Mckay (63)
Cameron Harper for Shane Sutherland (71)
Joe Hardy for Logan Chalmers (79)
Liam Henderson -> Nicky Low (84)
Luke Donnelly -> Jack Hamilton (84)

Bookings
Kirk Broadfoot (39)
Reece McAlear (65)
Thomas O'Brien (58)
Liam Henderson (93)

Red Cards
None. None.
Appearances & Goals To Date
Mark Ridgers (GK) 193 apps -
Kirk Broadfoot 43 apps2 goals
Robbie Deas 80 apps1 goal
Daniel Devine 149 apps5 goals
Reece McAlear 40 apps4 goals
David Carson 92 apps1 goal
Sean Welsh 105 apps13 goals
Billy Mckay 197 apps81 goals
Logan Chalmers 15 apps5 goals
Austin Samuels 16 apps3 goals
Shane Sutherland 161 apps21 goals
Cameron Harper (sub) 72 apps2 goals
Aaron Doran (sub) 327 apps50 goals
Joe Hardy (sub) 15 apps1 goal

Starting Lineup
Youngest Player:Reece McAlear (20 years 92 days)
Oldest Player:Kirk Broadfoot (37 years 284 days)
Average Player Age:28 years 43 days
Domestic Players:7 (63.64 % of starting eleven)

Matchday Squad
Youngest Player:Lewis Hyde (19 years 304 days)
Oldest Player:Kirk Broadfoot (37 years 284 days)
Average Player Age:26 years 120 days
Domestic Players:12 (66.67 % of matchday squad)

First Team Debuts

Milestones

All to play for at Gayfield: Arbroath were up for this one shutting Inverness down high up the pitch in a poor first half. Logan Chalmers was nearest to breaking the deadlock when he hit the bar with a rasping shot from close to thirty yards. Inverness upped the pace after the break but it was too little too late. Sleeves will need to be rolled up on Friday from the start if we are to get through. The whole of the first half passed Inverness by as Arbroath were in our faces. That needs to change on Friday and it might work in our favour if Arbroath decide to have a go which will give us more space to exploit.

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The Premiership Play-Off 1st leg paired Inverness with second place finishers Arbroath, everyone's favourite wee team. Could Inverness upset the apple cart and take a lead down to Gayfield for the return leg on Friday? All would be revealed at a breezy Caledonian Stadium. Tom Walsh and Roddy MacGregor were missing for Billy Dodds as he went with the same team that started against Partick Thistle with Wallace Duffy added to the bench along with just six others. Dick Campbell unsurprisingly made eight changes from his last game against Morton and managed a full bench of nine.

Arbroath set the ball rolling in between the showers on a blustery evening and as the visitors pushed forward in the fifth minute, Mark Ridgers produced a vital tip away from a deep cross with Nicky Low about to head into the net. It was a typically cagey start from the hosts.

Kirk Broadfoot gave away the ball and when Arbroath transferred it into the box a half chance presented itself but the ball was knocked high over. The Smokies were in our face and we were struggling to make any headway with fifteen minutes gone. Any football that was being played was coming from the visitors.

Twenty minutes gone and the Caley Jags had not started yet in a scrappy affair. Maybe they thought it was a 7:45 kick off.

A long free kick into the box almost found Ricky Little on the lunge but it just evaded him and out for a goal kick.

On a rare jaunt forward, Austin Samuels almost set up Billy Mckay, but his awkward flick went out for a goal kick. Moments later Logan Chalmers struck the bar with a superb near thirty yard shot.

A booking for Broadfoot gave Arbroath a free kick twenty five yards out, but Ridgers was equal to Low's strike as he made a decent but routine save, and at the other end Logan Chalmers drilled a left footer just wide from outside the box as the interval loomed.

That half took forever to get going, but opportunities did manifest themselves just before the break, but there's no scoring so far.

HALF TIME: 0-0

Just after the start of the second half a well timed sliding tackle by Devine stopped Arbroath bursting into the box to thwart a run forward.

A swift break upfield started with David Carson bursting forward at pace and ended with Chalmers winning a corner from his blocked shot. It was a brighter start to the second period from the hosts.

A super run forward by Robbie Deas on the other wing offered Chalmers another opportunity but the final ball wasn't ideal and Chalmers eventual shot missed the target. Arbroath responded and Hamilton drilled a low ball into the box which was put behind for a corner. The action raged to the other end and Derek Gaston denied Samuels with a tremendous save. That would be the closest to a goal all night and moments later Aaron Doran volleyed just over.

Chris Hamilton smuggled the ball away from under the feet of Samuels in the box and from the corner Broadfoot headed over when he should have hit the target. A Michael McKenna snapshot saw Ridgers parry to safety and the defence cleared.

Chalmers volleyed over after a clearance fell to him on the edge of the box, just after Dick and Dodds had a wee spat on the touchline :argue02:

An untidy spell ensued with play broken by fouls and substitutions.

The chances stopped coming for both sides as time slipped away and a late free kick was wasted and that was it. Not a great night for Inverness to be honest, but still all to play for at Gayfield.

FULL TIME: 0-0

Best performers were in defence with maybe Sean Welsh the only midfielder to put his foot on the ball.

Match report written by tm4tj



None.