Arbroath 4 - 2 Inverness CT

Challenge Cup - SPFL Trust Trophy - 3rd Round
Saturday, September 9th, 2023, 3:00 PM at Gayfield Park, Arbroath
Attendance: 780
Referee: Steven Maclean
Arbroath Inverness CT

Goalscorers
David Gold (34)
Thomas O'Brien (41)
Scott Stewart (70)
Aaron Steele (84)
Adam Brooks (43)
Lewis Hyde (93)

Team Managers
Dick Campbell Billy Dodds

Starting Eleven
Ali Adams
Aaron Steele
Thomas O'Brien
Ricky Little
Scott Stewart
Keaghan Jacobs
David Gold
Jermain Hylton
Michael McKenna
Joao Candé Baldé
Kenan Dünnwald-Turan
Cameron Mackay
Morgan Boyes
Zak Delaney
Jake Davidson
Wallace Duffy
Keith Bray
Robbie Thompson
Aaron Doran
Austin Samuels
Adam Brooks
Luis Longstaff

Bench
Derek Gaston
Craig Slater
Leighton McIntosh
Ryan Dow
Mark Stowe
Jess Norey
Mark Ridgers
Cameron Harper
Lewis Hyde
Charlie Gilmour
Harry Lodovica
Nathan Shaw

Substitutions
Ryan Dow -> Joao Candé Baldé (58)
Craig Slater -> Keaghan Jacobs (72)
Mark Stowe -> Jermain Hylton (72)
Leighton McIntosh -> Kenan Dünnwald-Turan (72)
Jess Norey -> David Gold (79)
Charlie Gilmour for Austin Samuels (45)
Cameron Harper for Wallace Duffy (49)
Harry Lodovica for Keith Bray (61)
Nathan Shaw for Aaron Doran (61)
Lewis Hyde for Robbie Thompson (74)

Bookings
Thomas O'Brien (75) Morgan Boyes (83)

Red Cards
None. Harry Lodovica (63)
Appearances & Goals To Date
Cameron Mackay (GK) 40 apps -
Morgan Boyes 2 apps -
Zak Delaney 47 apps -
Jake Davidson 9 apps1 goal
Wallace Duffy 81 apps3 goals
Aaron Doran 377 apps55 goals
Keith Bray 9 apps -
Robbie Thompson 6 apps -
Austin Samuels 51 apps7 goals
Adam Brooks 7 apps1 goal
Luis Longstaff 7 apps -
Cameron Harper (sub) 127 apps9 goals
Lewis Hyde (sub) 48 apps1 goal
Charlie Gilmour (sub) 8 apps1 goal
Nathan Shaw (sub) 53 apps12 goals
Harry Lodovica (sub) 5 apps -

Starting Lineup
Youngest Player:Keith Bray (17 years 165 days)
Oldest Player:Aaron Doran (32 years 127 days)
Average Player Age:22 years 244 days
Domestic Players:6 (54.55 % of starting eleven)

Matchday Squad
Youngest Player:Keith Bray (17 years 165 days)
Oldest Player:Mark Ridgers (33 years 39 days)
Average Player Age:23 years 137 days
Domestic Players:10 (58.82 % of matchday squad)

First Team Debuts

Milestones
Adam Brooks scored his first goal for the Club.
Lewis Hyde scored his first goal for the Club.

Smoked by the Smokies

A visit to Arbroath in the SPFL Trust Trophy saw both sides make a few changes from their Championship personnel. It would appear that Arbroath were taking this more seriously than Inverness although Campbell made four changes to the starting line up this week with Adams replacing Gaston in goals and Jacobs, Hylton and Baldé starting in place of Slater, Dow and the injured Bird. Inverness made eight changes to their side in the spirit of the competition and rested Billy Mckay, Max Anderson and Danny Devine with Doran in for his experience along with youngsters Brooks, Bray and Thompson with Big Harry on the bench.

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

Little to talk about in the opening exchanges but Arbroath were looking the hungrier side and trying to create with the visitors lacking penetration. David Gold opened the scoring ten minutes before the break smashing the ball in from a Hylton cross. A second followed just before the break after Cammy Mackay produced a spectacular save to deny a Turan header, but from the corner Tam O'Brien tapped in at the second attempt after a scramble in the box. That prompted a rapid response from Inverness when Adam Brooks replied for the visitors two minutes later after goog possession and a cross from Longstaff. Before the whistle Wallace Duffy left the field to be replaced by Cammy Harper in stoppage time.

Half Time: 2-1

Charlie Gilmour replaced Austin Samuels at the interval but it was the hosts that went straight onto the front foot. On the hour Doran hit the crossbar after he got on the end of a Longstaff cross to volley from six yards. Big Harry and Nathan Shaw were introduced with Bray and Doran making way with around half an hour remaining. Harry's game was short. He was sent off a couple of minutes after coming on for a reckless challenge on McKenna, lordy lordy :redcard: Ross Stewart restored the two goal cushion with a vicious strike from just outside the box in the 70th minute. Aaron Steele knocked in the fourth in another melee in the box as we struggled to stop the rot. The smokies could have had a fifth when substitute Slater beat Mackay from eighteen yards but his shot bounced off the post and across the face of the goal. Lewis Hyde reduced the deficit in the final minutes with a header off a Harper free kick to end the scoring. An eventful but unsuccessful afternoon for the Caley Jags. Do I hear the word untennable being passed around?

Full Time: 4-2

Regardless of the eight changes made, it was another poor day at the office...

The stats don't lie no matter what team you put on the park. That's now seven defeats and one draw in our last eight big boy games (excluding the Inverness Cup Final). Where does Billy Dodds go from here? Most fans, if not all, are bringing out the untennable option. And along with Dodds, is it time for the whole board to resign.

By the end of October, it should be clearer. We face Raith Rovers (a), Dundee United (h) and Arbroath (a) again. If we take nothing from these games, then there will be only one option.

Match report written by tm4tj