Inverness CT 1 - 2 Stenhousemuir

League - League 1
Saturday, August 16th, 2025, 3:00 PM at Caledonian Stadium
Attendance: 1,927
Referee: Gavin Duncan
Inverness CT  Stenhousemuir

Goalscorers
Paul Allan (pen.) (22)
Matty Aitken (35 pen)
Olly Whyte (81)

Team Managers
Scott Kellacher Gary Naysmith

Starting Eleven
Ross Munro
Remi Savage
Oscar MacIntyre
Daniel Devine
David Wotherspoon
Calum MacLeod
Paul Allan
Alfie Stewart
Joe Chalmers
Luis Longstaff
Billy Mckay
Darren Jamieson
Ross Meechan
Gregor Buchanan
Archie Graham
Kinlay Bilham
Michael Anderson
Finn Robson
Olly Whyte
Dale Carrick
Matty Aitken
Euan O'Reilly

Substitutes
Logan Ross
Matthew Strachan
Mitchell Robertson
Jordan Alonge
Robbie Thompson
James Clark
Liam Sole
Alfie Bavidge
Chanka Zimba
Yan Gromov (GK)
Kelsey Ewen
Nicky Jamieson
Scott McGill
Olly Simpson
Ross Taylor

Substitutions
Alfie Bavidge for Paul Allan (59)
Jordan Alonge for David Wotherspoon (75)
Liam Sole for Luis Longstaff (75)
Chanka Zimba for Billy Mckay (79)
Kelsey Ewen -> Kinlay Bilham (46)
Scott McGill -> Michael Anderson (50)
Ross Taylor -> Matty Aitken (70)
Nicky Jamieson -> Dale Carrick (84)

Bookings
Oscar MacIntyre (34)
Daniel Devine (56)
Ross Meechan (41)
Euan O'Reilly (61)
Scott McGill (84)

Red Cards
None. None.
Appearances & Goals To Date
Ross Munro (GK) 7 apps -
Daniel Devine 261 apps10 goals
Remi Savage 67 apps2 goals
Oscar MacIntyre 4 apps -
David Wotherspoon 18 apps8 goals
Calum MacLeod 34 apps2 goals
Paul Allan 40 apps9 goals
Joe Chalmers 103 apps6 goals
Alfie Stewart 25 apps4 goals
Billy Mckay 343 apps120 goals
Luis Longstaff 73 apps8 goals
Jordan Alonge (sub) 7 apps -
Liam Sole (sub) 7 apps1 goal
Alfie Bavidge (sub) 14 apps8 goals
Chanka Zimba (sub) 3 apps -

Starting Lineup
Youngest Player:Alfie Stewart (19 years 21 days)
Oldest Player:Billy Mckay (36 years 307 days)
Average Player Age:26 years 292 days
Domestic Players:7 (63.64 % of starting eleven)

Matchday Squad
Youngest Player:James Clark (17 years 56 days)
Oldest Player:Billy Mckay (36 years 307 days)
Average Player Age:24 years 194 days
Domestic Players:13 (65.00 % of matchday squad)

First Team Debuts

Milestones

Sucker Punched

Fifth versus seventh at the start of play today on Matchday 3 with the Warriors above unbeaten Inverness. Both sides had won last weekend and in the KDM Evolution Cup in midweek which hopefully tees this up to be an entertaining game in the Highlands on a warm Saturday afternoon. Liam Sole came off injured last weekend and was on the bench today with Bavidge, Zimba and Robbie Thompson. In a first half dominated by the hosts our profligacy kept the visitors in the game. All we had to show for it was a Paul Allan penalty. In stepped Gavin Duncan, allegedly a referee, to then award a penalty to Muir in their only attack of the first half for Matty Aitken to net from the spot. A Danny Devine shove was enough to convince the ref. We should have been four up before this setback. We were pretty ineffective for most of the second half with the visitors playing more of the same rubbish. However, with ten minutes left Ross Taylor knocked in the winner after a break forward to ruin our afternoon in the Sun.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
By the time kick-off approached, it was a roasty-toasty afternoon with ample singing juice lubrication applied in Bar94 ahead of the game during the Meet & Greet with Allan Savage and 10CC. Inverness got the game underway shooting towards the South Stand and an early opportunity presented itself to Billy Mckay in the first minute, but his shot as he entered the box on the inside left position was weak and easily gathered by the keeper. Oscar McIntyre was prominent in most of the early moves but nobody in the box was able to turn his inviting crosses into the net. Longstaff might have done better twisting and turning his way into the box but was eventually blocked. McIntyre drove one find from outside the box as the one way traffic continued and Alfie Stewart was denied by the feet of Darren Jamieson before he spilled an effort from Joe Chalmers, grabbing the ball quickly as it spun behind him. The pressure eventually paid off when Jamieson unceremoniously upended Mckay as he raced round the keeper. Paul Allan made no mistake from the spot, lashing the ball high into the net. Another low ball into the box caused havoc before being eventually cleared. Mckay then shot wide...Here we go we all thought. One up going on four. However, Gavin Duncan offered Stenny a lifeline with a soft free kick in midfield and compounded our frustration for eventually booking McIntyre. When the ball was launched forward, he then gave a foul for Devine's hands on approach to defending. That foul was adjudged to be inside the box and despite protestations from the defence, a penalty was given which Matty Aitken dispatched easily. That seemed to take the wind out of our sails as half time approached.

HALF TIME 1-1

We were a bit flat at the start of the second half before Paul Allan went off after a knock to be replaced by Alfie Bavidge who got his first shot away soon after with Jamieson saving at his near post. Something odd then happened. Something that I never expected. Ross Munro had to block a breakaway as Olly Whyte burst into the box. I never knew they were allowed to cross the half way line? Substitute Jordan Alonge was inches too high as he headed goalwards off a corner a minute after entering the field of play. Alas our early slackness in front of goal came back to haunt us as Ross Taylor beat Munro at his near post with ten minutes left after meandering in from the right wing before catching the keeper out with his early strike. Liam Sole and Alfie Bavidge were both denied by the keeper as we peppered their goal but it just never happened. Lordy Lordy that was as frustrating as it gets with Stenhousemuir sticking to their game plan and Inverness wasteful. 19 shots to 4, but it's goals that count. With seven saves, Darren Jamieson was the Warriors hero. We also had 9 corners which we wasted. That's a disturbing statistic that we need to address.

FULL TIME: 1-2

Match report written by tm4tj



None.

Pld W D L F A +/- Pts
1. Queen of the South 3 2 0 1 7 4 3 6
2. Alloa Athletic 2 2 0 0 3 1 2 6
3. Stenhousemuir 3 2 0 1 4 3 1 6
4. Kelty Hearts 2 1 0 1 2 4 -2 3
5. Peterhead 3 1 0 2 4 7 -3 3
6. East Fife 3 1 0 2 3 6 -3 3
7. Inverness CT 3 2 0 1 6 2 4 1
8. Montrose 3 0 1 2 4 7 -3 1
9. Cove Rangers 3 0 1 2 3 6 -3 1
10. Hamilton Academical 3 2 0 1 7 3 4 -15