Appearances & Goals To Date
Starting Lineup
| Youngest Player: | Richard Hastings (29 years 345 days) |
| Oldest Player: | Craig Dargo (2008 years 264 days) |
| Average Player Age: | 29 years 345 days |
| Domestic Players: | 10 (90.91 % of starting eleven) |
Matchday Squad
| Youngest Player: | Richard Hastings (29 years 345 days) |
| Oldest Player: | Michael Fraser (2008 years 264 days) |
| Average Player Age: | 29 years 345 days |
| Domestic Players: | 17 (94.44 % of matchday squad) |
First Team Debuts
Milestones
| Graham Bayne played his 100th major competitive game for the Club. |
A Dargo double in the first half was enough to secure all three points against Motherwell in a typical 'end of season' match where home keeper Michael Fraser was rarely troubled. Club Historian Ian Broadfoot provides the match report from Tulloch Caledonian Stadium.
A comfortable win for Caley Thistle in the race to be the best of the rest. Importantly the result of this first post-split match ensured that any lingering relegation worries were arithmetically over.
Darren Dods came back from suspension but Ian Black remained in the sin bin and was joined by Barry Wilson and Ross Tokely. Young defender Jamie Duff took a place on the bench for the first time and Graham Bayne became the 27th ICT player to join the 100-appearance club.
Bayne’s strike partner Craig Dargo played despite being under the weather and he put the finishing touch to good moves by scoring twice. The first real chance came in 13 minutes when a long Grant Munro throw from the left fell for Markus Paatelainen and he shot strongly through the pack in a crowded box – Graeme Smith saw it late but produced a fine save.
Within a minute Paatelainen was the provider for the opening goal when he touched the ball from the centre to Dargo racing in for the right - he took it in his stride and his angled shot took a slight deflection as it went past Smith. The pressure on Smith continued and he did well to hold an awkward bouncing 25 yard shot from Richie Hart.
Motherwell were forced into a 20th minute substitution when Kevin McBride limped off and Steve McGarry came on. Close to the half-hour mark Scott MacDonald had two rare Motherwell chances but his shots on the turn were easily collected by Mike Fraser.
Five minutes from half time Caley Thistle produced arguably the move of the season. Breathtaking interplay amongst four players resulted in Munro heading into the Motherwell box from the left – unselfishly he laid the ball off to Hart but he blasted over the bar from the penalty spot. A minute from the break a high Stuart McCaffrey free kick into the box was head-flicked by Bayne to the feet of Dargo and he sent an angled shot past Smith for his second goal.
Half Time: 2-0
The second half was rather pedestrian and there were few chances. In 52 minutes Smith saved a low shot from Bayne after a fine move then Fraser held an overhead kick by Krisztian Vodocz in the home box on 74 minutes. Ten minutes from time a Bayne back-header from a John Rankin chip sailed over the bar. Six minutes later ICT came close to a further goal - a Rankin high free kick into the Motherwell box was knocked back out to him by Dods and Rankin sent a long range shot just wide of the top right corner of the woodwork.
Full Time: 2-0
It ended 2-0 and ICT moved up a notch to ninth place. Bottom club Dunfermline beat Dundee United 1-0 and now sit just a point below St Mirren who play Falkirk on Monday. A very interesting relegation battle but thankfully Caley Thistle fans can watch it from the outside.
Match report written by Ian Broadfoot
