Appearances & Goals To Date
Starting Lineup
Youngest Player: | Ross Tokely (27 years 301 days) |
Oldest Player: | Graham Bayne (2008 years 149 days) |
Average Player Age: | 30 years 285 days |
Domestic Players: | 10 (90.91 % of starting eleven) |
Matchday Squad
Youngest Player: | Ross Tokely (27 years 301 days) |
Oldest Player: | Alan Morgan (2008 years 149 days) |
Average Player Age: | 30 years 285 days |
Domestic Players: | 17 (94.44 % of matchday squad) |
First Team Debuts
Milestones
Darren Dods scored just before half time to level an earlier penalty from Rangers (Novo) but it was John Rankin who scored an injury time winner to beat the Gers and end Caley Thistle's 9 game run without a win. Club Historian Ian Broadfoot reports from Tulloch Caledonian Stadium.
ICT 2-1 RANGERS
A dramatic injury-time goal from John Rankin earned all three points for Caley Thistle, continued their 100% league record against Rangers this season and gave them a tremendous confidence boost after a disappointing run.
Pre-match Rangers manager Paul Le Guen made no secret of his desire to avenge the October result at Ibrox but he was to be bitterly disappointed. His side was without the injured Dado Prso and Caley Thistle also had Craig Dargo sidelined. Graham Bayne partnered Dennis Wyness up front and they worked their socks off for the home cause. Otherwise the home side was unchanged.
A new record crowd of 7522 settled down to watch the action – a vocal away support expecting to see their side’s revival continue and a home crowd hoping for that elusive win. Caley Thistle started at pace and earned a corner in the second minute. Barry Wilson’s kick came off a defender and hand ball was claimed to no avail.
An excellent Wyness flick in four minutes set up a John Rankin shot in the Rangers box but he hit first time over the bar. The first real chance for Rangers came in eleven minutes when Mark Brown had to be alert to beat the ball away from the feet of Nacho Novo. Four minutes later Brown held a low shot from Charlie Adam.
The game took a turn Rangers way in 21 minutes when Barry Ferguson went down alongside Roy McBain in the home box. TV pictures confirmed minimum contact but it was a penalty and Novo sent Brown the wrong way for 1-0.
The home side continued to hold their own in defence and to create chances at the other end. In 26 minutes Ross Tokely and Roy McBain combined to set up Wilson but McGregor saved his low shot.
With four minutes of the first half left Tokely found Darren Dods just inside the Rangers box and McGregor parried the captain’s shot – it fell neatly back to Dods and he hit it high into the net for a very welcome equaliser.
Half Time: 1-1
This set up a lively second half with Allan McGregor the busier ‘keeper. In 65 minutes Wilson sent a ball across goal from the right which had McGregor scrambling - it reached Rankin beyond the far post but his effort from an acute angle was not quite on target.
Two minutes later Grant Munro did well to rob Filip Sebo as he poised to shoot. McGregor saved an excellent Ian Black angled shot in 69 minutes then seconds later he did the same from Wyness before stopping Graham Bayne’s headed follow-up. Brown took the ball off Sebo’s feet in 76 minutes then a minute later he safely took a Ferguson rising free kick.
Ten minutes from time Black sent a long ball to Bayne down the right and McGregor raced out of his goal to clear for a throw-in. Chris Burke had come on as a substitute for Rangers in 72 minutes and he was proving a handful. His speed down the right wing was creating danger but the home defence stuck to its task well. Burke had a chance in 84 minutes but he hit over the bar.
With two minutes left, Wyness flicked the ball to Rankin close to the Rangers goal but his low shot was held by McGregor. Into added time and a draw looked inevitable. The away fans started to head for their buses but were stopped in their tracks when Rankin struck. A neat pass from substitute Alan Morgan sent Rankin off from the halfway line towards McGregor’s goal. From 25 yards out he sent a high ball goalwards – the ‘keeper (and most of the crowd) thought it was going to clear the bar but it dipped and nestled in the net.
There was still time for one last Rangers attack through Alan Hutton but Munro cleared the ball and the whistle went.
Full Time: 2-1
A fine way to end a long run without a victory. Boxing Day results elsewhere had sent ICT down to eleventh but these three points propelled them up to eighth.
Match report written by Ian Broadfoot