Inverness CT 2 Dunfermline 0
Saturday, 26th Mar 2022cinch Championship: Dunfermline unchanged from midweek match v Partick Thistle. Reece McAlear (58) 1-0: Austin Samuels (77) 2-0:
Dunfermline’s hopes of Championship survival were dented as their unbeaten run was halted by an on form Caley Thistle.
Both teams met on the back of two good performances, Caley Thistle after back to back wins over Arbroath and Raith Rovers, the Pars after doing everything but win the match against Morton, and a convincing 4-1 over Partick Thistle.
It was an international weekend so Inverness were without Sam Pearson who was on duty with Wales under 21s. Dunfermline were without keeper Jakub Stolarczyk who was with the Poland under 21s.
Manager John Hughes named an unchanged starting eleven, one that included three players - Coll Donaldson, Joe Chalmers and Liam Polworth - who had played for Inverness not so long ago. The goalkeeper on the bench was 16 year old academy player, Callum Archibald and Bobby Kamwa returned to the subs bench.
Billy Dodds Caledonian Thistle side was missing Danny Devine and Joe Hardy. Into the home side came Wallace Duffy and Logan Chalmers but they named only five substitutes.
So on a beautiful sunny day in the Highlands, it was third placed Caley Thistle against ninth placed Athletic. Both teams emerged from the tunnel, Pars skipper Steven Lawless with a cover over the cut on his right cheek and Polworth kicked off for the Fifers attacking the goal at the Kessock Bridge end.
Matty Todd created the early danger with a cross into the opposition box that Kirk Broadfoot had to turn behind for a fourth minute corner. That was taken short and when the ball came across it was headed away before Efe Ambrose could connect.
Deniz Mehmet was called into serious action in 11 minutes parrying a Logan Chalmers shot and the defence mopped up the loose ball. Five minutes later Aaron Doran swept a shot wide right of the goal and then Chalmers blasted the ball over the crossbar from a corner on the right.
Next Billy McKay had two cracks at goal, the first deflected away for a corner on the right by Ambrose and then from Doran’s delivery the Thistle striker lashed an acute angled shot over the bar.
Inverness were being the more creative and they came close to notching the opener in 31 minutes when McKay, deep into the right side of the Pars box, cut the back for Doran to send an effort at goal. Fortunately for the Fifers the ball travelled just wide of the left goalpost.
There was an opportunity from a 40th minute free kick on the left after David Carson clashed with Josh Edwards but Polworth sent the ball directly into the hands of keeper Cameron Mackay. Two minutes later Lawless conceded a free kick in tugging back Sean Welsh and Reece McAlear’s effort from 20 yards swung in to hit the junction between right goalpost and crossbar with Edwards shielding the rebound back to Mehmet.
It has been a first half where the visitors found it hard to get near the Caley goal, their two shots countered by eight from the home side who had enjoyed 52% of the possession in the first 45.
Half time: Inverness Caley Thistle 0 Dunfermline 0
An early second half chance was laid on by Robbie Deas with a ball in from the left towards Shane Sutherland at the far post that Edwards got to first. Dunfermline were played into the Inverness box by Thomas who had come to play on the right, but Kevin O’Hara’s 52nd minute shot was blocked.
Wallace Duffy was forward to earn a free kick 25 yards out and from the setpiece Welsh drove the ball into Ambrose in the Pars wall. The ball dropped to the right side towards McALEAR, the on loan Norwich City player drove a stinger of a shot into the far side of the net. 1-0
John Hughes immediately made one substitution with Bobby Kamwa coming on for Steven Lawless and within minutes another two with Ryan Dow and Nikolay Todorov replacing Dom Thomas and Liam Polworth.
The substitutions almost had the desired effect. Dow teed up Todorov in the centre of the box but Mackay pulled off a save. Next Dow found O’Hara in the box and again the shot was saved. There were two more efforts in 68 minutes when Dow picked out Donaldson and his effort deflected to Dow who was miraculously kept out by the Inverness keeper.
The Fifers had really up the tempo and Kamwa lobbed in a ball from the left touchline that Dow returned for Todorov but former Caley Thistle striker did not get the required connection. Then Dow provided for Kamwa and the on loan Leeds player’s shot was headed away by Deas.
There was always a threat from the home side and there was a let off as Sutherland’s shot from the right hit a defender and then his keeper before going out for a corner on the left. Austin SAMUELS replaced Billy McKay and with his first involvement ran through on to a Doran ball to score. 2-0
The 77th minute goal really put the result in little doubt. Both sides had chances, Tom Walsh hit a screamer narrowly past Mehmet’s right hand post and Kamwa hit the sidenetting with the last shot of the match.
The Fifers three match unbeaten run ended with Caley’s third successive victory. Consolation in as much Queen of the South lost 1-0 at Hamilton but Ayr United increased their lead over Dunfermline to four points by taking a point at Cappielow.
SUBS NOT USED: Lewis Hyde, Mark Ridgers (GK)
SCORERS: McAlear (58)
YELLOW CARD: Samuels (83)
DUNFERMLINE: Deniz Mehmet: Matthew Todd (Reece Cole 79), Coll Donaldson, Efe Ambrose (Aaron Comrie 79), Josh Edwards: Liam Polworth (Nikolay Todorov 63), Dan Pybus, Joe Chalmers, Dom Thomas (Ryan Dow 63): Steven Lawless (c) (Bobby Kamwa 59), Kevin O’Hara
SUBS NOT USED: Lewis Martin, Rhys Breen, Paul Allan, Callum Archibald (GK)
YELLOW CARD: Donaldson (83), Pybus (90+1)
REFEREE: Graham Beaton
WEATHER: Sunny 16°C
ATTENDANCE 2171
NEXT MATCH: cinch Championship (home) v Raith Rovers, Wednesday 6th April 2022, kick off 7.45pm at East End Park
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Inverness CT 2-0 Dunfermline
Sat, 26th Mar 2022
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Preview Inverness CT
Saturday, 26th Mar 2022cinch Championship: (away) Saturday 26th March 2022 v Inverness Caledonian Thistle, 3.00pm kick off at the Caledonian Stadium
Dunfermline take the road north on Saturday hoping to repeat their win their back in November on the day after John Hughes was announced as manager.
Fresh from their victory over Raith Rovers, Caley Thistle will be out to make it a Fife double but the Pars, now up to ninth, are battling for points and will not be easy opponents.
The sides have met 48 times before, Dunfermline winning 11, Inverness 18 with 19 matches having been drawn. In Inverness the record is won 4, lost 9 and drawn 8.
Milestones Inverness Caledonian Thistle (Away)
Last Victory: 13/11/21: 2-1 Championship
Last League Victory: 17/03/07: 3-1 SPL
Last League Defeat: 04/05/19: 0-1 Championship
Best League Victory: 22/04/00 2-1 Sc Div 1
Worst League Defeats: 15/08/04 & 29/01/05 0-2 SPL
Last Goalless Draw: 03/05/12: 0-0 Premier League
First visit: 23/10/99: 1-1 Sc Div 1
Last Time at Inverness Caledonian Stadium,
cinch Championship
Inverness CT 1-2 Dunfermline
Sat, 13th Nov 2021
Inverness had looked the most likely to open the scoring and they duly took the lead in 22 minutes after a Gardyne run created the chance to shoot and from 25 yards out his effort rebounded back off the crossbar only for McKAY to follow up and net. 1-0
Five minutes into the second half Macdonald picked out O’Hara on the right wing, his powerful run put the Pars striker in position to drill the ball across the face of goal where former Pars defender Danny Devine turned the ball into his own net denying McCann the pleasure. 1-1
THOMAS terrorised the right side of the Caley defence and got his reward with a wonderful 64th minute shot from 15 yards out that he floated in at the far post for the visitors to take the lead. 1-2
Dunfermline achieved what was their first league victory in Inverness since 2007, to earn their first three points of the Championship season.
INVERNESS CT: Mark Ridgers: David Carson (Anthony McDonald 80), Kirk Broadfoot (c), Danny Devine, Robbie Deas, Michael Gardyne, Reece McAlear (Lewis Jamieson 67), Scott Allardice, Aaron Doran, Tom Walsh (Roddy MacGregor 67), Billy McKay
SUBS NOT USED: Cameron Harper, Cameron Mackay (GK).
DUNFERMLINE: Owain Fôn Williams: Aaron Comrie, Mark Connolly, Rhys Breen (Ross Graham 74), Josh Edwards: Kyle Macdonald, Matthew Todd (Dan Pybus 62), Graham Dorrans (c), Dom Thomas: Lewis McCann (Ryan Dow 84), Kevin O’Hara.
SUBS NOT USED: Craig Wighton, Nikolay Todorov, Paul Allan, Deniz Mehmet (GK)
The last dozen league matches between the teams have seen three Dunfermline wins, four draws and five Caley Thistle wins.
Last 12 League matches v Inverness Caley Thistle
22/01/22: (H) D 1-1 [0-1] Sutherland, [1-1] Lawless (pen.)
13/11/21: (A) W 2-1 [0-1] McKay, [1-1] Devine o.g, [2-1] Thomas
18/09/21: (H) D 0-0
20/03/21: (H) L 0-1 [0-1] Carson
29/12/20: (A) D 1-1 [1-0] Turner, [1-1] Todorov
17/10/20: (H) W 3-1 [0-1] Todorov, [1-1] E Murray, [2-1] Dow, [3-1] McManus
25/02/20: (H) L 1-2 [0-1] Doran, [1-1] Thomas, [1-2] Walsh
21/12/19: (A) L 0-2 [0-1] Rooney, [0-2] McCart
14/09/19: (H) L 0-1 [0-1] Welsh
04/05/19: (A) L 0-1 [0-1] Austin
16/02/19: (H) W 1-0 [1-0] Thomson
30/10/18: (A) D 2-2 [1-0] Keena, [1-1] Calder, [2-1] Keena, [2-2] White
Recent Form
Both teams go into this match on the back of confidence boosting wins. Inverness came from behind to grab all three points in Kirkcaldy last Saturday courtesy of a late Logan Chalmers double.
Caley Thisle’s impressive 3-0 over Arbroath the previous week ended a run of eleven matches without a win.
Dunfermline have lost only two of their last ten matches and their 4-1 win over Partick will send them to the Highlands with a bounce in their step.
Last six matches
DUNFERMLINE
Partick Thistle (H) W 4-1
Morton (H) D 1-1
Hamilton Academical (A) D 2-2
Arbroath (A) L 0-1
Kilmarnock (H) D 0-0
Kilmarnock (A) L 1-2
INVERNESS CALEY THISTLE
Raith Rovers (A) W 3-2
Arbroath (H) W 3-0
Partick Thistle (A) L 0-1
Hamilton Academical (A) D 1-1
AyrUnited (H) L 1-2
Partick Thistle (H) D 3-3
League Record
DUNFERMLINE
League Position: 9th
League Points: 29
Goal Difference: -14
Away League Record: P15 W2 D6 L7 GF14 GA24
Last Six Match Form: LDLDDW
INVERNESS CALEY THISTLE
League Position: 3rd
League Points: 46
Goal Difference: +12
Home League Record: P15 W7 D3 L5 GF22 GA16
Last Six Match Form: DLDLWW
Last Time Out
DUNFERMLINE (v Partick Thistle): Deniz Mehmet: Matthew Todd (Aaron Comrie 89), Coll Donaldson (Rhys Breen 89), Efe Ambrose, Josh Edwards: Liam Polworth (Paul Allan 85), Dan Pybus, Joe Chalmers, Dom Thomas (Ryan Dow 85): Steven Lawless (c), Kevin O’Hara (Nikolay Todorov 85)
SUBS NOT USED: Lewis Martin, Leon Jones, Reece Cole, Neil Alexander (GK)
INVERNESS CALEY THISTLE (v Raith Rovers): Cameron Mackay: David Carson, Kirk Broadfoot, Danny Devine (Cameron Harper 66), Robbie Deas: Aaron Doran (Logan Chalmers 66), Reece McAlear, Sean Welsh (c), Shane Sutherland (Tom Walsh 77), Billy McKay, Joe Hardy (Austin Samuels 54).
SUBS NOT USED: Lewis Hyde, Sam Pearson, Mark Ridgers (GK)
Other Championship Fixtures
Arbroath v Raith Rovers
Hamilton v Queen of the South
Kilmarnock v Partick Thistle
Morton v Ayr United
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- Inverness Ticket Information
- Dunfermline 4 Partick Thistle 1
- Dunfermline 1 Morton 1
- Hamilton Academical 2 Dunfermline 2
- cinch Championship Table
