Inverness CT 1 - 0 Ross County

League Match
Saturday, March 27th, 2004, 3:00 PM at Caledonian Stadium, Inverness
Attendance: 4,019
Referee: T Brown
Inverness CT  Ross County

Goalscorers
Barry Wilson (60)
None.

Team Managers
John Robertson Unknown.

Starting Eleven
Mark Brown
Ross Tokely
Bobby Mann
Stuart Golabek
Stuart McCaffrey
Barry Wilson
Roy McBain
Russell Duncan
Liam Keogh
Darran Thomson
Paul Ritchie
Smith
McCunnie
MacKay
McCulloch
Canning
Lauchlan
Rankin
Hannah
Bayne
McGarry
Winters

Substitutes
Michael Fraser
Grant Munro
David Proctor
Richie Hart
Craig MacMillan
Higgins
Hamilton
O'Donnell
Malcolm
Fridge

Substitutions
Richie Hart for Darran Thomson (58)
Higgins -> McGarry (68)
Hamilton -> Winters (68)
O'Donnell -> MacKay (71)

Bookings
Ross Tokely (60)
Paul Ritchie (60)
Mackay
Hannah

Red Cards
None. None.
Appearances & Goals To Date
Mark Brown (GK) 82 apps -
Stuart Golabek 159 apps3 goals
Stuart McCaffrey 138 apps5 goals
Ross Tokely 275 apps20 goals
Bobby Mann 205 apps17 goals
Barry Wilson 183 apps56 goals
Roy McBain 158 apps9 goals
Darran Thomson 27 apps2 goals
Russell Duncan 111 apps2 goals
Liam Keogh 55 apps2 goals
Paul Ritchie 121 apps59 goals
Richie Hart (sub) 57 apps12 goals

Starting Lineup
Youngest Player:Ross Tokely (25 years 26 days)
Oldest Player:Darran Thomson (2005 years 239 days)
Average Player Age:28 years 220 days
Domestic Players:11 (100.00 % of starting eleven)

Matchday Squad
Youngest Player:David Proctor (20 years 27 days)
Oldest Player:Craig MacMillan (2005 years 239 days)
Average Player Age:25 years 277 days
Domestic Players:16 (100.00 % of matchday squad)

First Team Debuts

Milestones

The highest home crowd of the season, Caley Thistle’s first league derby win of 2003/04 and a very valuable three points. It was a match full of incident and endeavour but only one goal. The first six minutes were frantic with a goal at either end a distinct possibility. In only 40 seconds Darran Thomson collected a Barry Wilson pass and raced in on Graeme Smith. The ‘keeper came out quickly and blocked. In four minutes Mark Brown pushed over an angled shot from David Winters then a minute later he saved a long range effort from John Rankin. The ball broke to Graham Bayne off-balance in the box and he volleyed onto the post. A relieved Brown held the rebound. Seconds later play switched ends and Wilson closed in on Smith but his shot was saved by the ‘keeper’s legs. A Roy McBain corner from the right was played back to him by Thomson and he sent a curling ball goalwards. Smith left it to Martin Canning who headed off the line. Things calmed down after that and County played the better football for the rest of the first half. They could not break down the home defence despite trying hard. A Bayne cross in 29 minutes was met by the head of Winters close to goal but he could not connect properly and the chance was lost. Shots by Paul Ritchie and Thomson were blocked by the County defence then Brown saved at the feet of Winters. Early in the second half a Bobby Mann header was cleared off the line then Brown made a magnificent flying save from a Rankin free kick. The only goal came on the hour mark following a cross from the left by substitute Richie Hart. It flew over Ritchie but he stopped it at the line and hooked it cleverly back across goal – Wilson was well placed to head into the roof of the net at the back post. Caley Thistle grew in confidence but shots were rarely on target. Russell Duncan and Hart both hit wide then with ten minutes left a dangerous Duncan cross was headed for a corner. County’s closest effort came with seven minutes left when a Jim Hamilton header was cleared off the line by Stuart McCaffrey. In the last couple of minutes Liam Keogh and Wilson successfully combined to keep the ball around the right corner flag and waste precious time. The whistle went and with Clyde rescuing a draw against St Mirren the gap is now only four points. St Johnstone lie well placed a further three points behind.

None.

Pld W D L F A +/- Pts
1. Clyde 29 17 6 6 50 33 17 57
2. Inverness CT 29 16 5 8 56 30 26 53
3. St. Johnstone 29 14 8 7 51 34 17 50
4. Falkirk 29 13 7 9 39 33 6 46
5. Ross County 29 11 10 8 44 33 11 43
6. Queen of the South 29 12 7 10 38 38 0 43
7. St. Mirren 29 6 12 11 29 41 -12 30
8. Raith Rovers 29 8 6 15 32 47 -15 30
9. Ayr United 29 4 10 15 29 50 -21 22
10. Brechin City 29 5 7 17 31 60 -29 22