Inverness CT 3 - 2 Falkirk

League Match
Saturday, October 21st, 2006, 3:00 PM at Tulloch Caledonian Stadium
Attendance: 3,749
Referee: Stuart Dougal
Inverness CT  Falkirk

Goalscorers
Craig Dargo (69)
John Rankin (82)
John Rankin (86)
Stokes (41)
Stokes (51)

Team Managers
Charlie Christie John Hughes

Starting Eleven
Mark Brown
Richard Hastings
Ross Tokely
Grant Munro
Darren Dods
Barry Wilson
Roy McBain
Ian Black
John Rankin
Graham Bayne
Craig Dargo
Higgins
Dodd
Ross
Twaddle
Barr
Milne
Thomson
Cregg
O'Donnell
Latapy
Stokes

Substitutes
Michael Fraser
Stuart McCaffrey
Russell Duncan
Richie Hart
Zander Sutherland
Dennis Wyness
Rory McAllister
Moutinho
Craig
Stewart
Lima
Scobbie
Lambers
Gow

Substitutions
Dennis Wyness for Richard Hastings (57)
Richie Hart for Roy McBain (57)
Russell Duncan for Craig Dargo (88)
Gow -> Dodd (90)
Stewart -> O'Donnell (90

Bookings
Barry Wilson (25)
Craig Dargo (45)
O' Donnell (78)
Dodd (81)

Red Cards
None. None.
Appearances & Goals To Date
Mark Brown (GK) 190 apps -
Grant Munro 180 apps5 goals
Darren Dods 85 apps3 goals
Richard Hastings 271 apps2 goals
Ross Tokely 374 apps28 goals
Roy McBain 238 apps13 goals
Ian Black 54 apps1 goal
Barry Wilson 283 apps75 goals
John Rankin 11 apps2 goals
Craig Dargo 49 apps24 goals
Graham Bayne 74 apps12 goals
Richie Hart (sub) 145 apps16 goals
Russell Duncan (sub) 195 apps5 goals
Dennis Wyness (sub) 200 apps92 goals

Starting Lineup
Youngest Player:Ross Tokely (27 years 234 days)
Oldest Player:Ian Black (2008 years 82 days)
Average Player Age:30 years 218 days
Domestic Players:10 (90.91 % of starting eleven)

Matchday Squad
Youngest Player:Ross Tokely (27 years 234 days)
Oldest Player:John Rankin (2008 years 82 days)
Average Player Age:30 years 218 days
Domestic Players:17 (94.44 % of matchday squad)

First Team Debuts

Milestones
Dennis Wyness made his 200th competitive appearance for the Club.

Caley Thistle looked down and out after Anthony Stokes had scored either side of half-time but a second half goal from Craig Dargo and a two excellent free kicks from John Rankin meant it was Caley Thistle who snatched all three points. ICT Club historian Ian Broadfoot reports from the Tulloch Caledonian Stadium

John Rankin’s first senior goals for Caley Thistle proved decisive as they helped turn a 2-0 deficit into a 3-2 win.

Not surprisingly Charlie Christie stood by the same side that beat Rangers but things did not go right until major personnel and formation changes in 56 minutes. With three at the back and three strikers it was all-out attack and this paid off.

Not much happened in the first half but Falkirk, with Russell Latapy’s electric pace, looked more likely to score. Latapy hit over from 22 yards in eleven minutes then in 18 minutes he drove a 30 yard free kick just wide left. At the other end Ian Black shot over the bar in the early minutes, Graham Bayne did the same and Craig Dargo headed high in 33 minutes.

Falkirk’s Anthony Stokes looked to have put Falkirk in a winning position with goals either side of the break. In 40 minutes he raced in on goal from the right, Grant Munro slipped and he hit the ball under the advancing Mark Brown.

Half Time: 0-1

In 51 minutes Stokes did it again after a great Latapy build-up – Latapy ran across the box leaving defenders helpless then slipped it to Stokes who scored easily at the left post.

Five minutes later came the decisive changes. Richard Hastings was sacrificed for Dennis Wyness, making his 200th appearance, and Richie Hart provided fresh legs to replace Roy McBain. The new formation settled down and ICT started to make inroads on the Falkirk defence.

It all paid off in 70 minutes when Scott Higgins scrambled a Grant Munro shot for a corner on the right. John Rankin’s kick led to an almighty scramble and a Graham Bayne shot which Craig Dargo headed onto the bar. It bounced down over the line, the goal was given and Darren Dods hammered the loose ball into the net to make sure.

The crowd were now treated to one of the best 20 minutes of home action seen in a long time. With nine minutes left Dennis Wyness was brought down a yard outside the box and John Rankin took the free kick. He curled it low to the left, round the wall and in for 2-2. This was the midfielder’s first goal for the club and his second was only four minutes away.

Ross Tokely was brought down on the right some 30 yards out and this time Rankin sent the free kick high and left into the net for 3-2. There was no way back for Falkirk but they did throw on two substitutes for the two minutes added time.

Full Time: 3-2

Stuart Dougal blew the final whistle and the home team was cheered off the pitch. Three wins in a row and up to a heady fourth.

Match report written by Ian Broadfoot



None.

Pld W D L F A +/- Pts
1. Celtic 11 9 1 1 21 7 14 28
2. Hearts 11 6 2 3 18 11 7 20
3. Kilmarnock 11 5 3 3 14 17 -3 18
4. Inverness CT 11 4 5 2 14 12 2 17
5. Rangers 10 4 3 3 15 11 4 15
6. Aberdeen 11 4 3 4 12 10 2 15
7. St. Mirren 10 4 2 4 10 11 -1 14
8. Hibernian 10 3 3 4 13 11 2 12
9. Falkirk 11 3 2 6 8 15 -7 11
10. Motherwell 11 3 1 7 13 18 -5 10
11. Dunfermline 10 2 2 6 8 12 -4 8
12. Dundee Utd 11 1 5 5 9 20 -11 8