Inverness CT 2 - 1 Arbroath

League - Championship
Saturday, April 6th, 2024, 3:00 PM at Caledonian Stadium
Attendance: 2,223
Referee: Colin Steven
Inverness CT  Arbroath

Goalscorers
Wallace Duffy (48)
Alex Samuel (80)
Leighton McIntosh (61)

Team Managers
Duncan Ferguson Jim McIntyre

Starting Eleven
Mark Ridgers
Remi Savage
Cameron Harper
Cameron Kerr
Wallace Duffy
Morgan Boyes
James Carragher
Max Anderson
Samson Lawal
Alex Samuel
Billy Mckay
Max Boruc
Scott Stewart
Ricky Little
Craig Slater
Gordon Walker
David Gold
Innes Murray
Zak Delaney
Adam Mackinnon
Leighton McIntosh
Jay Bird

Substitutes
Cameron Mackay
Nikola Ujdur
Daniel Devine
Roddy MacGregor
Aaron Doran
Adam Brooks
Luis Longstaff
Aribim Pepple
Derek Gaston
Aaron Steele
Michael McKenna
Keaghan Jacobs
Ryan Dow
Mark Stowe
Connor Teale
Kyle Robinson
Darren Lyon

Substitutions
Daniel Devine for Remi Savage (46)
Luis Longstaff for Samson Lawal (73)
Aaron Doran for Billy Mckay (88)
Michael McKenna -> David Gold (34)
Darren Lyon -> Gordon Walker (64)
Ryan Dow -> Innes Murray (73)
Mark Stowe -> Jay Bird (73)

Bookings
None. Ricky Little (31)
Gordon Walker (56)
Mark Stowe (85)

Red Cards
None. Ricky Little (76)
Appearances & Goals To Date
Mark Ridgers (GK) 272 apps -
Cameron Kerr 12 apps1 goal
Wallace Duffy 98 apps5 goals
Morgan Boyes 24 apps2 goals
James Carragher 13 apps -
Remi Savage 12 apps1 goal
Cameron Harper 156 apps10 goals
Max Anderson 29 apps2 goals
Samson Lawal 5 apps -
Alex Samuel 11 apps5 goals
Billy Mckay 285 apps111 goals
Daniel Devine (sub) 209 apps7 goals
Aaron Doran (sub) 390 apps57 goals
Luis Longstaff (sub) 26 apps1 goal

Starting Lineup
Youngest Player:Samson Lawal (19 years 351 days)
Oldest Player:Billy Mckay (35 years 175 days)
Average Player Age:25 years 281 days
Domestic Players:5 (45.45 % of starting eleven)

Matchday Squad
Youngest Player:Samson Lawal (19 years 351 days)
Oldest Player:Billy Mckay (35 years 175 days)
Average Player Age:25 years 181 days
Domestic Players:8 (42.11 % of matchday squad)

First Team Debuts

Milestones

Smokies Kippered



On a blustery day more akin to AA Milne and Winnie the Pooh, Arbroath and Inverness battled it out to see who would get the final nails hammered into their coffins. Arbroath were in the last chance snug in the last chance saloon, whilst Inverness have one foot in the grave. I don't believe it! Arbroath tried everything, they even took their own wind with them. However, they had Murray, Bird and Slater on from the start but O'Brien missed out. Zak Delaney also started for the Red Lichties. A bright opening spell saw Alex Samuel denied twice inside five minutes. Once by a combination of Max Boruc and his crossbar, the second by Boruc on his own as Samuel got his shot away from inside the box. Wallace Duffy got the goal we deserved on the interval as he drove across the keeper from the right side of the box to put us in ahead at the break. Leighton McIntosh restored parity on the hour as he drilled home from eighteen yards, but Alex Samuel won the points with a late strike to all but relegate ten man Arbroath who had Ricky Little sent off.

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Arbroath were on the back foot from the off as Inverness had the wind at their backs and Austin Samuel was unlucky not to open the scoring in the fourth minute as he turned and shot from the edge of the box. However Max Boruc brilliantly tipped his shot onto the bar. A minute later he got on the end of a ball in the box and forced another save from Boruc as we looked like turning the Smokies over. Max Anderson was also thwarted by Boruc when through on goal when Anderson should have been bulging the net. Despite our superiority, we struggled thereafter to create that premium opening until the stroke of half time when Wallace Duffy drilled in from the right side of the box. Unfortunately we lost Remi Savage to injury just before the goal and he was replaced by Danny Devine after an accidental kick in the face from Kerr.

Half Time: 1-0

Just after the break Billy Mckay saw an effort saved from fifteen yards. However, we made heavy weather of a Smokies foray forward and Leighton McIntosh levelled the game fifteen minutes into the second half with a great strike from the edge of the box. Devine headed badly wide when his threepenny bit head nodded astray as we looked to get our noses back in front and Samuel was denied by Boruc as he ran through on goal, the keeper doing well to deny the striker for the third time. Boruc punced away a Cammy Harper free kick Arbroath were reduced to ten men when persistent fouler Ricky Little was dismissed. Alex Samuel got the goal his tenacious display deserved as he won a ball into the box he had no right to win. He then turned and lashed it home from fifteen yards on the left side of the box, I think he enjoyed that one. Great finish from the wee battler.

FULL TIME: 2-1

Alex Samuel scored his fifth goal for the Caley Jags and his first since his hat-trick against Raith Rovers at the end of January. He was the difference between the sides today as Arbroath struggled to cope with his aggressive style which eventually led to his winning goal. Good to see the much maligned Wallace Duffy scoring as well, his second in a couple of weeks having also netted at Tannadice.

Sadly for Arbroath they will now be relegated at the end of the season unless they perform a miracle.

Match report written by tm4tj



None.

Pld W D L F A +/- Pts
1. Dundee Utd 32 19 8 5 64 21 43 65
2. Raith Rovers 31 18 7 6 51 39 12 61
3. Partick Thistle 32 13 11 8 58 50 8 50
4. Airdrieonians 31 13 6 12 39 36 3 45
5. Dunfermline 32 11 9 12 38 42 -4 42
6. Morton 31 11 7 13 38 37 1 40
7. Ayr United 31 11 5 15 44 56 -12 38
8. Queens Park 32 9 9 14 43 55 -12 36
9. Inverness CT 32 8 11 13 36 37 -1 35
10. Arbroath 32 6 5 21 34 72 -38 23