The game fell the day after my company’s Christmas night out and whilst I hadn’t gone completely mental I was still feeling a little worse for wear early on Saturday afternoon. For one reason or another my Dad and I found ourselves in Gorgie slightly ahead of schedule which prompted my Dad to kindly announce that he’d buy me a pint at Gorgie Road’s Station Bar. Normally I’d have bitten his hand off, but after the previous night’s excesses I could only muster a polite smile whilst simultaneously, secretly wishing he’d not bothered.
After having a chat and forcing down a lager in the busy pub we made our way along the road to the ground. Inverness supporters seemed thin on the ground but upon turning into Macleod Street, one could see that they’d travelled in reasonable number and had certainly brought as big a support as an SPL club would have at that time of year, save for the bigger clubs from Glasgow, Leith or Aberdeen.
Whilst the Inverness crowd appeared friendly enough, I noticed that they maybe seemed less cuddly that in previous years. This could totally be in my head but I felt as if there was a bit more needle between opposing fans than I’ve ever noticed with ICT. Perhaps in previous seasons Inverness fans have been just to enjoy the ride in the SPL, any results were merely a bonus. This time around though Inverness, under Terry Butcher, seem to mean business and perhaps both the team and the fans are seen as genuine rivals to other, more established SPL clubs.
Maybe it’s just the simple concept of progress and development in action..... or maybe I’m just talking tripe.
The teams shake hands prior to kick off.
I’m writing this blog ten days after the event so it’s difficult to recall all the specifics of the game. Clearly I’ve been preoccupied with the Christmas festivities and a slightly bland bird which could be argued is ultimately a waste of money, but anyway, enough her Majesty’s speech. Inverness started brightly and it wasn’t until Hearts were forced into a reshuffle through an injury to Ismael Bouzid that the Jambos really took control of proceedings and looked the better side. Inverness, however, took a first half lead through a free kick from Munro after Ian Black committed a foul. Adam Rooney came close to adding a finishing touch but Munro had given the delivery sufficient power to take it past Marian Kello and into the net. In a departure from the norm I've tried posting a video showing Kyle's penalty. Next time I need to remember to take it in a landscape view!
Hearts hit back fairly swiftly with Kevin Kyle confidently despatching a penalty to equalise for hearts after Stephen Elliot was brought down in the box.
After the break Hearts continued to push but the winning goal remained elusive. On any other given day Hearts could have perhaps scored an additional two or three goals but the Inverness defence doggedly preserved their point and went home with a share of the spoils. Templeton, Skacel, Kyle and Elliott all went close for Hearts, however, a final home win before Christmas was just not to be.
Given the chances created by hearts in the second half the result felt more like a defeat to the Tynecastle faithful, but in reality, a point against their nearest league rivals wasn’t exactly a dreadful result.
Caley were delighted to secure the point and maintain there unbeaten record for the calendar year. Whilst it was backs to the wall stuff from them for much of the afternoon, they managed to see out the game to seal what has to be recognised as a magnificent achievement.
Hearts meanwhile, remain undefeated in the last seven games and could remain positive ahead of the forthcoming matches over the festive season.
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