Appearances & Goals To Date
Starting Lineup
| Youngest Player: | Ross Tokely (26 years 300 days) |
| Oldest Player: | Darren Dods (2007 years 148 days) |
| Average Player Age: | 32 years 36 days |
| Domestic Players: | 10 (90.91 % of starting eleven) |
Matchday Squad
| Youngest Player: | Ross Tokely (26 years 300 days) |
| Oldest Player: | Craig Dargo (2007 years 148 days) |
| Average Player Age: | 32 years 36 days |
| Domestic Players: | 17 (94.44 % of matchday squad) |
First Team Debuts
Milestones
Caley Thistle take all three points against Hibs at the Tulloch Caledonian Stadium in this boxing day encounter. Craig Dargo scored both goals and is now ICT top scorer for the season so far after a slow start. Ian Broadfoot reports from the match.
Craig Dargo scored both goals although Barry Wilson had a strong claim on the first. With twenty minutes left, Dargo departed the scene with concussion and, at the end, he remembered very little of the game.
The home side totally dominated the first half and played some fine football. The second half was more of a battle and the crime count continued to rise – in the end there were a total of nine bookings with Hibs by far the greater sinners. Grant Munro made his 150th appearance in an unchanged team.
The opening goal came in eight minutes when Ian Black fed an excellent pass to Barry Wilson on the right and, with Ross Tokely causing a diversion on the overlap, Wilson cut inside. He sent a low angled ball goalwards from long range and Hibs’ keeper Malkowski dived in an effort to save - a touch from Dargo left him helpless. The goal was credited by the press corps to Wilson until Dargo’s vital contribution came to light.
Three minutes later a poor goal kick from Malkowski was collected by Dargo 40 yards out and he raced in on goal. Malkowski narrowed the angle but Dargo neatly side-stepped him and hit into the net for 2-0.
In 18 minutes Craig Brewster sent Dargo off goalwards and Derek Riordan earned the first yellow card by bringing him down. Just after the half hour mark Brewster once more provided Dargo with a fine pass and he headed towards Malkowski – the keeper came out to face the striker and this time he hit the ball early but just wide.
There was very little to report at the other end and in first half added time it could have been 3-0. Dargo was on another strong run when Stephen Glass brought him down – he was lucky to escape with a yellow card. Brewster took the free kick from wide right and it was deflected for a corner.
Half Time: 2-0
Hibs were expected to come out fighting after the break and they did spend more time in the ICT half – all to no avail. Mark Brown made a rare save in 55 minutes when he dived low to stop a Scott Brown effort. On 63 minutes Guillaume Beuzelin went down in the box alongside Darren Dods and was promptly booked for diving.
Rory McAllister was presented with a chance seconds after coming on in the 70th minute – Wilson sent him on track for goal but he hit early and over. Hibs were reduced to shooting from long range and typically substitute Michael Stewart hit well over from 25 yards in 76 minutes.
They should have pulled one back in 79 minutes when Riordan for once got the better of Ross Tokely down the left – Riordan’s low ball into the centre reached Garry O’Connor but from a few yards out he stretched and hit wide. Stewart limped off in 85 minutes leaving Hibs to complete the game a man down. Mark Brown rose high to collect a Riordan free kick a minute later then the same player hit a fine shot from the left – it cleared the bar with perhaps a little help from Brown. A goal kick was given and play headed back towards Malkowski. Graham Bayne touched on a Richie Hart cross but it was deflected for a corner.
Into added time and McAllister came up against Steven Whittaker as last man – Bayne was clear on his left but the pass came a fraction late and Bayne was offside.
Full Time: 2-0
The whistle went and ICT ended the day still in sixth place but a mere four points behind fifth placed Rangers.
Match report written by Ian Broadfoot
