The Spartans 0 - 0 Inverness CT

(Lost 4 - 2 on pens.)
Scottish Cup - 4th Round
Saturday, January 17th, 2026, 3:00 PM at Ainslie Park, Edinburgh
Attendance: 858
Referee: Iain Snedden
The Spartans Inverness CT

Goalscorers
None. None.

Team Managers
Dougie Samuel Scott Kellacher

Starting Eleven
Paddy Martin
Ethan Drysdale
Ayrton Sonkur
Jordan Tapping
Kieran Watson
Murry Aiken
Sean Welsh
James Craigen, Captain
Jamie Dishington
Mark McNulty
Mark Stowe
Ross Munro
Mitchell Robertson
Remi Savage
Ross Millen
Daniel Devine
Paul Allan
Alfie Stewart
Joe Chalmers
Alfie Bavidge
Liam Sole
Billy Mckay

Bench
Blair Carswell
H. Chisholm
Bailey Dall
Kenzie Nair
Given Ndlovu
Cammy Russell
MacKenzie Scott
Kev Waugh
Archie. Wylie
Logan Ross
Oscar MacIntyre
David Wotherspoon
Calum MacLeod
Adam Mackinnon
Jordan Alonge
Kieron Willox
Luis Longstaff
Chanka Zimba

Substitutions
Murry Aiken -> Cammy Russell (68)
Ethan Drysdale -> Bailey Dall (81)
Mark Stowe -> Kev Waugh (81)
Mark McNulty -> MacKenzie Scott (99)
Sean Welsh -> Kenzie Nair (105)
David Wotherspoon for Alfie Bavidge (46)
Luis Longstaff for Billy Mckay (69)
Adam Mackinnon for Liam Sole (69)
Chanka Zimba for Alfie Stewart (69)
Jordan Alonge for Paul Allan (82)
Kieron Willox for Joe Chalmers (105)

Bookings
Jordan Tapping (85)
James Craigen (93)
None.

Red Cards
None. None.
Appearances & Goals To Date
Ross Munro (GK) 28 apps -
Mitchell Robertson 20 apps4 goals
Remi Savage 91 apps2 goals
Daniel Devine 280 apps11 goals
Ross Millen 9 apps1 goal
Paul Allan 60 apps10 goals
Alfie Stewart 43 apps6 goals
Joe Chalmers 123 apps6 goals
Alfie Bavidge 38 apps20 goals
Liam Sole 31 apps5 goals
Billy Mckay 363 apps129 goals
Adam Mackinnon (sub) 60 apps5 goals
Jordan Alonge (sub) 24 apps2 goals
David Wotherspoon (sub) 38 apps10 goals
Luis Longstaff (sub) 97 apps12 goals
Chanka Zimba (sub) 25 apps13 goals
Kieron Willox (sub) 1 app (debut) -

Starting Lineup
Youngest Player:Alfie Stewart (19 years 175 days)
Oldest Player:Billy Mckay (37 years 96 days)
Average Player Age:26 years 343 days
Domestic Players:7 (63.64 % of starting eleven)

Matchday Squad
Youngest Player:Alfie Stewart (19 years 175 days)
Oldest Player:Billy Mckay (37 years 96 days)
Average Player Age:25 years 236 days
Domestic Players:13 (65.00 % of matchday squad)

First Team Debuts
Kieron Willox(Signed January 16th, 2026)

Milestones

We were Underdogged


Inverness made three changes from their KDM Trophy win at Firhill in midweek. In came Danny Devine, Joe Chalmers and Paul Allan for Oscar MacIntyre, Jordan Alonge and Adam Mackinnon. Spartans had plenty of experience in their ranks with former Caley Jag Sean Welsh in their side.
Inverness were dominant over the first half with Paddy Martin the busier keeper with four or five saves. However it was all square at the interval. The same after ninety minutes and extra time came and went.

Spartans progress 4-2 on Penalties

Some you win some you lose, but that might just rank as the worst Scottish Cup defeat in our history.

Take nothing away from Spartans, enjoy your day and good luck in the next round.

We certainly enjoyed a few underdog days out... 🏆

An early opportunity for Billy Mckay was cleared off the line with Paddy Martin saving the rebound effort from Alfie Bavidge. Danny Devine saw his header turned wide and five minutes before the break an Alfie Stewart corner went close to going in. Not a great deal of clear chances in the first half but Paddy Martin again denied Billy Mckay with a superb save to keep the score level at half time.

HALF TIME: 0-0

David Wotherspoon replaced Alfie Bavidge at the break and Billy Mckay was again denied by the keeper at the expense of a fruitless corner. The game was more open after the interval with Spartans looking for their chances to hit the visitors when they can with Marc McNulty and Mark Stowe prominent for the hosts. However, the Caley Jags were building a head of steam as the game passed the hour. With twenty minutes left Zimba, MacKinnon and Longstaff refreshed our attack. Martin pushed a powerful MacKinnon effort over the bar but the bigger shock almost came at the other end when James Craigen crashed a half volley from the edge of the box off the bar above Ross Munro. Luis Longstaff did the same at the other end minutes later as chances became more frequent, his header was turned onto the bar by the keeper before being scrambled clear. Spartans were still well into this game as the clock ticked down to ninety minutes and the possibility of extra time and penalties was getting closer as we ticked into time added on. Inverness did put the ball in the net at the death but it was flagged offside. No more than Spartans deserved for their dogged display. Plenty possession for the visitors and plenty opportunities to score, but Paddy Martin is the main reason this game will go further having pulled of a string of saves during ninety minutes.

FULL TIME: 0-0

Into extra time we went and still the game remained goalless with Kieron Willox replacing Joe Chalmers for the last half of extra time and his debut for Inverness. Despite dominating most aspects of this tie, it would be decided by penalty kicks, something we practiced in midweek. Alas it did us no good as we flopped when it really mattered.

Extra time Full Time: 0-0

Penalty Shoot Out

Craigen ⚽
Spoony ☢️
Russell ⚽
Zimba ☢️
Dishington ⚽
Longstaff ✅
Scott ⛔️
Millen ✅
Nair 🌞 4-2 🏆

Spartans progress 4-2 on Penalties

Match report written by tm4tj