No points, but no shame: Caley 1-2 Celtic

By: Ian Rose | October 18th, 2008

Celtic never gets an easy match when they come calling to Inverness, and this one was no different, with a slow start from both teams, a two-goal assault from the Celts, and very nearly a classic comeback. In the end, the three points are all that will matter to Celtic, and I think we could have snatched a draw here, but I’m proud of my club and how they performed overall. The important thing when playing the Old Firm is not to fear them. When you sit back and go defensive, you concede the big visiting club not only the win but the ability to play their game, their way. We didn’t do that. In the second half, we didn’t play great football – our crossing is still horrid – but we didn’t sit back. We wanted points. The positives and negatives from this loss:

Positive: By God, A Striker Scored: Of all the young strikers on Caley’s roster (Adam Rooney, Andy Barrowman, Dougie Imrie, etc), it was the least favored one, Garry Wood, who finally broke the streak of futility for Caley forwards. The last time a forward scored from open play for us in the league was August 30th, when Imrie netted the winner against Falkirk. In the four games between then and now, we’re three losses and one win. Coincidence? Nah.

Negative: Phil McGuire’s injury: After McGuire collided with Aiden McGeady in the first half, it was immediately obvious that something was wrong. It looked bad, and his ankle looked possibly broken. They rushed him off, and news now is that it doesn’t seem to be a break, but he’s definitely looking at some down time. Our defense isn’t so deep right now, so I’m concerned about the loss of McGuire. Get better soon, Phil.

Positive: No fear: As mentioned at the top, we didn’t sit back against Celtic. I’d hardly say we broke any records going forward either, but after the Hoops scored twice in the first twenty minutes of the second half, and then almost a third, Caley turned it on. Garry Wood’s goal came relatively quickly, but there were solid attacking looks from Imrie and Rooney as well. If the crosses were a bit less shite (see below), we might have gotten a second from that stretch. Until Celtic’s three shots in extra time, we were out-shooting them for the match, so Brewster and the boys can hold heads high tonight.

Negative: The Crosses Were Shite: Whether coming from Cowie, Wilson, or anyone else, our crossing was horrible for at least the third match running. The blame has been going to the strikers for their lack of finishing, but there’s been little to get their feet on as well. Really a poor run of games in this regard.

Positive: Mikey Fraser’s double save late: Well done to Mikey Fraser. Sure, he did let in two goals, but neither were howlers on his part, and both were set up by great moves from Celtic, especially the Naylor cross in for the first. And in the 90th minute, with a point still possible, he kept us alive with a great double save – first parrying away Cillian Sheridan’s effort then catching the second attempt from Shaun Maloney. We weren’t able to draw even, but he kept the door open for us.

Negative: The Noise: Far be it from me, currently far from the confines of Tulloch Caledonian Stadium, to pass judgment, but I have to agree with Celtic Matt – things were a bit quiet for a home stand against Celtic. All credit to those that did show up, and over 7,000 did to a stadium that only holds less than 8,000, but it was a bit serene … let’s get those stands rocking next time, mates.

Looking at the season progress, things continue to be a little scary. This is yet another fixture that we won last season and lost this time. We are still 3 points ahead of last year’s total at this point, with 10 less goals scored on us, but if you take the same fixtures, we are way behind. We’re going to need to win matches we lost before to even it out, and that can start next week home against Motherwell, who beat us 3-0 in Inverness last season when each team’s fortunes were quite different.

Season Progress
At this point last season: 9 matches played, 7 points, 10 goals for, 21 goals against
This season: 9 matches played, 10 points, 11 goals for, 11 goals against

Comparable fixtures last season: 9 matches played, 21 points, 16 goals for, 7 goals against
Comparable fixtures this season: 9 matches played, 10 points, 11 goals for, 11 goals against