(FM13) Super Caley go ballistic or they are atrocious: a Scandinavian Shankly story

[withnail316]

The Scottish League Cup Final
Sunday 16th March 2014
St Mirren v Inverness Caledonian Thistle
Hampden Park, Glasgow

Route to the final - St Mirren

Route to the final - Inverness Caledonian Thistle

A much more "normal" cup final against a solid top flight side, and one who have already beaten us this season. They are expected to finish in the top 6, but they have every chance of bettering that and securing a place in the top four. There's understandably a bigger crowd expected this year too, albeit the game won't be sold out. 

With injuries and suspensions, the team largely picked itself. The biggest question was who I selected in goal (Esson) and who started up front with Sutherland (James).

1st half

Both goalkeepers had one save to make in an otherwise edgy first half. St Mirren's chance came from a 25 yard free kick which Esson tipped over the bar, while our chance came from Luke James' head. 

Half time: St Mirren 0-0 Inverness Caledonian Thistle

2nd half

A much brighter second period, largely because we took the game to them. By the time the 75 minute mark came around I'd changed both wingers, and one of those substitutes, Aaron Doran, made the game's first goal. His pinpoint cross found the head of an unmarked Shane Sutherland five yards from goal, and he buried the chance. Just two minutes later and it was 2-0, with Sutherland dropping deep and then picking out the run of Luke James on the edge of the 'D', who coolly slotted beyond the keeper. St Mirren threw everybody forward and capitalised on a Joe Chalmers error after 89 minutes, but it came too late - we'd retained the cup. 

Final score: St Mirren 1-2 Inverness Caledonian Thistle (25,880)

Edited April 12, 2018 by withnail316

[deltablue]

Good to see you having some cup success, even if Celtic are so far ahead in the league. 

[kidthekid]

another cup success. Good job

[withnail316]

On 13/04/2018 at 10:23, deltablue said:

Good to see you having some cup success, even if Celtic are so far ahead in the league. 

Yep, the title looks beyond us for the next few years - as it should be. I'm confident we'll get there eventually, though. 

7 hours ago, kidthekid said:

another cup success. Good job

Cheers. 

[withnail316]

I've been on the hunt for a new goalkeeper for a while, and this isn't a bad deal on a free:

A big upgrade on both Esson and McGovern, one or both of whom will be leaving the club in the summer. 

[withnail316]

This is a very tidy Celtic side, and they're now in a European final.

[Northernpilgrim]

Great job so far, KUTGW

 

[Dexter_Morgan]

Probably a good thing Celtic are doing well in Europe to help boost the coefficients, I know it's making them stronger too financially and also for their rep but if it can give Scotland an extra CL spot eventually then that's around £10/15M extra a year for you potentially.  

[withnail316]

10 hours ago, Northernpilgrim said:

Great job so far, KUTGW

 

Cheers, man.

2 hours ago, Dexter_Morgan said:

Probably a good thing Celtic are doing well in Europe to help boost the coefficients, I know it's making them stronger too financially and also for their rep but if it can give Scotland an extra CL spot eventually then that's around £10/15M extra a year for you potentially.  

Yeah, long term it'll help the league. Just a pity it hasn't come in a few years when we're a little bit closer to them!

[withnail316]

[kidthekid]

wow at Celtic winning the whole thing. Who's the coach?

[withnail316]

56 minutes ago, kidthekid said:

wow at Celtic winning the whole thing. Who's the coach?

It's still Neil Lennon. They've finished 3rd in the CL group stage in both seasons so far, last year they made the quarter final of the Europa League, but this year has been amazing for them. 

[withnail316]

March (2), April & May

SPL: Ross County 1-3 Inverness
The Highland derby was a one-sided affair, even if we played over an hour with 10 men thanks to Shane Sutherland's dismissal. Luke James powered us in front after 23 minutes, and Joe Chalmers curled a free kick home just on half time. Meekings powered home a close range header on the hour and the game was done, despite a late defensive mix up.

SPL: Inverness 2-1 St Johnstone
This was a bit of a 'meh' display, but we got the job done on the day. Joe Chalmers and Liam Polworth scored two in five second half minutes to turn this one around against the Saints, who are deep in relegation trouble. 

SPL: Hibernian 1-3 Inverness
Two from Luke James and one from Conor Pepper secured a great away win in Edinburgh. 

SPL: Inverness 4-1 Dundee
The last game before the split, and Dundee were routed at our place. Luke James scored a great hat-trick, and Ryan McGivern bagged a goal on his return from a long period out with injury. 

SPL: Inverness 3-1 Hearts
Sutherland was at peak fitness after missing three games in a row, and he bagged his 20th and 21st of the season in this demolition. Luke James grabbed the other with a bullet header from close range. 

SPL: Celtic 3-0 Inverness
Ouch. I think I'm going to have to have a rethink about our style of play for these games, as right now we just can't get near the champions, especially at their place. 

SPL: Inverness 2-0 Motherwell
Our final home game of the season, and we secured an unbeaten domestic season on our own patch. Sutherland and O'Hara's first for the club were enough for the points. 

SPL: St Mirren 0-2 Inverness
Think we got a bit lucky here, but I don't really care. James and Polworth got the job done, but the heroes were the back four, who were magnificent. 

SPL: Falkirk 0-0 Inverness
Falkirk have caused us problems this season, and have been terrific in their first year back in the top flight. More than happy with a point on the last day. 

[withnail316]

Inverness Caledonian Thistle
Season summary 2013/14

League (Scottish Premier League)
Media prediction: 4th
Finished: 2nd (qualified for the Europa League)

Cups
Scottish Cup: quarter finals (won by Celtic)
League Cup: winners

Europe
Europa League: play offs (EL won by Celtic, Tottenham beat Arsenal- both parent clubs of us - in the Champions League final)

Top scorers
Luke James: 40 appearances (36 starts): 26 goals (21 in the league)
Shane Sutherland: 42 appearances (41 starts): 22 goals (14 in the league)

Top assists
David Wotherspoon: 14 in all competitions
Shane Sutherland: 11 in all competitions

Positives
A second outstanding season up in Inverness. We've acquired more wins and more points, we've picked up another trophy, and we have the best home record in the league. I'm really pleased that we haven't been cannon fodder for Celtic when we've met them this season too. There's no doubt Celtic have had their eye on the Europa League throughout the season, which might explain why we've closed the gap from 27 points down to 15, but I'd like to think we can slice a bit more of that next year. I'm considering changing from our 4-4-2 to a version of 4-3-3 next season as I think I have the options in the squad to do so, but that's a decision to make in the coming days (or hours). It;s also good news that we're upgrading our youth facilities, so hopefully we'll see an improvement in our youth intake in the coming years. 

Concerns & disappointments
My biggest concern is a limited number of players who are homegrown at the club, which is an issue for European football for next year and beyond. That is fairly minor though, all things considered. As for disappointments, the Scottish Cup defeat stung a little - the league cup is nice, but winning the Scottish Cup would be huge for the club. 

Surprise of the season
Another European trophy for a Scottish club. Well played, Celtic. Well played. 

Manager's player of the season
22 goals and 11 assists is a terrific return from Shane Sutherland, but Liam Polworth gets this award this year. He's been electrifying in his first year in the first team. 

Fans player of the season
Shane Sutherland

Attendances
Lowest attendance: 2,892 (v Hamilton in the league cup)
Highest attendance: 7,750 (v AZ in the Europa League play off - sell out)
Average attendance: 5,578 (5,594 in the league)
Average attendance percentage: 71% (7,750 capacity stadium)

Finances
£3.4m in credit.

Edited April 17, 2018 by withnail316

[withnail316]

More good news:

[withnail316]

Inverness Caledonian Thistle
Season preview - SPL 2014/15

Media expectation: 2nd
Board expectation: qualify for the Europa League

Transfer budget (remaining): £0
Wage budget: £47,900p/w (£8,000p/w under budget)

It's taken me a little while with this pre-season, but I think I'm about ready to get a new campaign underway. Last season I was looking for continuity, hence why I didn't want to make too many changes. This year the squad is starting to evolve a little quicker, but I worry that I may lose a few players before the transfer window shuts in the coming weeks. If you're looking closely, you may have noticed that our wage bill has rocketed this summer in comparison to last season, and I'm tentatively optimistic that the squad can kick on from last year. 

I'm not concerned by the board's demands this season, once again targeting a European spot, and they've put their money where their mouth is in terms of investment. Buying the stadium was perhaps a little premature in terms of expansion (although I'd hope we'll be looking at that in the next 2-3 years), but a stadium for £3m is pretty good value, in my experience. The loan taken out to cover that is over 15 years too, so we shouldn't really notice the extra expense. 

In early July we have clubs interested in 11 players from my first team squad, and so while I hope my transfer activity is already complete, I might just have a bit of extra work to do. Nevertheless here are my deals done so far, starting with players leaving us:

The biggest name to leave the club was left back Graeme Shinnie, who had asked me about a transfer towards the end of last season. I had wanted a record fee if I was to sanction his request, and I got one from Championship play off finalists Norwich City, who offered £1.2m (and 50% of his next deal.) Speaking of 50%, you may remember we got that clause when we sold Andrew Shinnie to Watford last year, but he struggled with injury in England, and so when I noticed the board had negotiated  an £805,000 buy-out for that clause, I had no hesitation in taking it. Also leaving us was goalkeeper Michael McGovern, who was a little erratic last year, so I'm happy he joins Plymouth for £60,000. We've had a few players leave us for free, too: striker Kyle White (Queen of the South) full back David Raven (Chesterfield), winger Richie Foran (Falkirk) and centre back Simon King (Oxford) were all surplus to requirements, so I'm happy all are off the books. Matthew Cooper also needed more regular football than I could give him this season, so he joins newly-promoted Kilmarnock but just on loan for the rest of the season.

As for arrivals, I've spent a mere £150,000 on transfer fees - despite bringing in over £2m. That was spent on one man - full back Barry Douglas from Dundee United, who will compete with Ryan McGivern for the left back slot. I'd agreed four Bosman deals already (Cillian Sheridan, Richie Ryan, Jason Holt and Murray Wallace - all images on previous page) but I've also secured three more, all from German sides. Defender Florian Heinrich was recommended by an agent following his release by Schalke, and is immediately good enough for our first team. Wilfried Sarr had also been let go from a big German club, in his case Bayer Leverkusen, but he's been immediately loaned out to Kilmarnock. Striker Tim Bodenröder wasn't thought good enough for Schalke, but he has promise in Scotland. He'll spend a year in and around the first team, although I'm not sure how much action he'll see at this stage. Finally, newly-crowned European champions Tottenham decided to send winger Tomislav Govelt to us on a year-long loan, which really boosts our depth. 

Remember me saying I was optimistic for our chances of European progression this year? Well, that was before I saw the draw we have for the second qualifying round: Hamburg, who finished 7th in the Budesliga last season. Ouch. 

[withnail316]

Gah.

[withnail316]

7 hours ago, withnail316 said:

Gah.

This really frustrated me last night. He had asked about moving to a bigger club, I told him we could win the Scottish Cup. He told me it was impossible for us!

I accepted a huge offer of £1.8m for him from Burnley, and have lined up a replacement for £350,000. Hopefully both deals will go through before the European squad has to be confirmed.

[withnail316]

Draper has gone for a record £1.8m. On the very same day, I asked the board to upgrade our training facilities:

Can't complain at that at all. 

[withnail316]

And here is Draper's replacement, the ex Chelsea academy player has been signed from Dundee United for £300,000. 

[withnail316]

UEFA Europa League
Second qualifying round

1st leg: Inverness 1-0 Hamburger SV
A brilliant defensive performance, with goalkeeper Piotr Leciejewski deservedly taking the man of the match award. He made a string of fine saves when Hamburg got through our back four, but Shane Sutherland took one of our rare opportunities to give us a lead to take to Germany. Maybe, just maybe. 

2nd leg: Hamburger SV 3-3 Inverness
Stunning. Absolutely stunning. Shane Sutherland nodded us in front after 13 minutes from a Ryan Gauld cross, but just before half time, we fell asleep from two set pieces and were punished both times. Early in the second half it was HSV who made a defensive slip, and Luke James raced through to level at 2-2. 60 seconds later we were behind again but with 25 to play, Josh Meekings volleyed home from a corner, and we hung on for dear life. 

We'll meet Vålerenga in the 3rd qualifying round, with the first leg at our place. 

[Dexter_Morgan]

great result there

[kidthekid]

fantastic result

[withnail316]

15 hours ago, Dexter_Morgan said:

great result there

 

36 minutes ago, kidthekid said:

fantastic result

It really was. Two very different displays, but I'm quietly confident we can qualify this year. 

[withnail316]

UEFA Europa League
3rd qualifying round

1st leg: Inverness 4-0 Vålerenga 
I fancied our chances against the Norwegians after the last round, but I didn't see *this* coming. We tore them to shreds again and again, although we had to wait until first half stoppage time for Ryan Gauld to put us in front. Conor Pepper made it two from a lightning-fast counter on 56 minutes, before Gauld curled in his second from a free kick with 15 to play. Shane Sutherland bundled home in the 86th minute to really add salt to the wound. 

2nd leg: Vålerenga 0-3 Inverness
A staggering performance over the two legs, and we deservedly take our place in the play off round for the second year in a row. Shane Sutherland grabbed his 4th of the season from distance after 22 minutes to end any doubt over the tie, and then set up Liam Polworth to double our lead soon after. Ryan Gauld drove home from distance with 20 to play, and the hardy bunch of fans who had travelled to the Norwegian capital had the night of the lives in the streets afterwards. 

The draw has been kinder to us this year than last, at least in the end. We'll meet Maribor in the play off round, a tie which I really fancy our chances in. 

[withnail316]

One more bit of transfer news:

This young keeper has joined us from Hamilton for £160,000, and has immediately been loaned out to our feeder club, Queen of the South. He'd only made 5 appearances in his career to date, but he has the makings of a monster between the sticks. 

Also, newly arrived Murray Wallace needs some first team action, so I've sent him out on loan to Ipswich after deciding against selling Michael Keane. I may aim to let Keane go next summer, but for now, he's an important player for us. 

[kidthekid]

How is the tycoon led team doing by the way? Was it Hamilton if I recall.

Enjoying the save as always

[withnail316]

On 20/04/2018 at 13:36, kidthekid said:

How is the tycoon led team doing by the way? Was it Hamilton if I recall.

Enjoying the save as always

Cheers mate, I'm having fun too, even if I can't quite play as much as I used to. I'm still getting to it 3 or 4 times a week though, so I can't complain too much!

Sadly for Hamilton, the tycoon took his money and ran. They're about to be taken over by a local businessman instead. 

[withnail316]

August

SPL: Inverness 2-0 Hearts
A routine opening day in the league campaign, with Luke James putting us in front early on. It took us 80 minutes to get a second from Doran, but there was never any danger of Hearts getting anything from us here. 

SPL: Aberdeen 1-3 Inverness
This was simply terrific, we tore Aberdeen to shreds. Conor Pepper slotted us in front after just three minutes, Ryan Gauld curled a peach of a free kick in 20 minutes later, and Sutherland made it three just on half time. We dropped off in the second half, but I did change things around ahead of our trip to Maribor. 

SPL: Inverness 2-0 Ross County
An awkwardly timed derby, coming in between the two play off games, but the lads were excellent. Mullin's penalty on the half time whistle put us in control, and two minutes after the break it was two through Doran. Simple stuff. 

[withnail316]

UEFA Europa League
Play off

1st leg: Maribor 0-2 Inverness
The perfect away performance. Defensively solid, and able to take the best of our opportunities when they came our way. Liam Polworth finished off a lightning quick counter after 31 minutes, slipping a curling effort under a despairing keeper, and Fraser Mullin's rocket of a free kick sealed a massive win for us. 

2nd leg: Inverness 2-2 Maribor
Second best here, but we progress comfortably in the end. Shane Sutherland put us in front on the hour after good work from strike partner Luke James, but we conceded twice from set pieces within the next 10 minutes. Conor Pepper's bullet header on 78 minutes secured the tie, but I'd wanted better on the night. 

Still...

OK, no glamour ties, but it's great to be in the competition. Sadly we'll have to play our home games in Perth at McDiarmid Park, but hopefully I can convince the board to expand our ground in the not too-distant future. 

Also, Celtic secured a second European trophy in a little over three months, beating Spurs on penalties in the European Super Cup. 

[Nobby_McDonald]

Going great so far.

If Arsenal and Tottenham are your parent clubs... which one is the mum and which is the dad?

[withnail316]

15 hours ago, Nobby_McDonald said:

Going great so far.

If Arsenal and Tottenham are your parent clubs... which one is the mum and which is the dad?

Cheers. And I'm not sure, but I'd suspect the kids will be unbelievably ugly...

[Dexter_Morgan]

Not a bad group there, good start in the league too

[withnail316]

1 hour ago, Dexter_Morgan said:

Not a bad group there, good start in the league too

It's not too bad, but I don't think we have much chance of progression. 

Both of these clubs have budgets far and beyond ours (Raffael earns £20,000p/w more than my entire squad!) but maybe we can compete with Legia for 3rd. 

[withnail316]

September

SPL: Inverness 1-0 Dundee
A pretty tame affair, not much happened after the sixth minute, when Shane Sutherland drilled us in front. Still, I'll take it. 

SPL: Kilmarnock 1-2 Inverness
This could probably have finished 5-4 either way, but we got the points thanks to a Luke James double. 

Europa League Group I: Inverness 3-2 Dynamo Kyiv
A long trip to Perth for our fans for a 'home' game, but the 5,690 who were there got to see a belter of a performance. Luke James slotted us in front from the penalty spot after just six minutes, and four minutes later Wotherspoon made it two. We were in dreamland just four minutes later when Sutherland made it three. The Ukrainians dragged themselves back into the game, but we held firm. 

SPL: Hibernian 2-3 Inverness
The perfect start to the league season continues, but only just. Hibs opened the scoring on 25 minutes, but a bullet James header levelled straight after. We conceded a penalty after 37 minutes, only for James to grab his second right on half time. In the second half it was us who were given a penalty, and James stepped up to complete his hat-trick. 

Scottish league cup 3rd round: Raith Rovers 1-1p Inverness (aet)
I put out a second string side here, and we rather got away with it in the end. Cillian Sheridan bagged his first for the club after 32 minutes, but we fell asleep in the second half and were punished from a corner. Not thrilled we had to rely on extra time and penalties to get the job done, but we're through to face Dunfermline in the quarter final. 

[kidthekid]

amazing start to the season

[withnail316]

On 25/04/2018 at 00:42, kidthekid said:

amazing start to the season

It's definitely tidy...

[withnail316]

October

SPL: Inverness 4-3 Falkirk
The game of the season so far. Luke James was magnificent, and bagged three of the four goals. It took a late Liam Polworth header to ensure we took all three points though. 

Europa League Group I: Panathinaikos 0-1 Inverness
Absolutely staggered with our European performances so far. This was a game in which *nothing* happened for 92 minutes, but Cillian Sheridan popped up in stoppage time to smash home. 

SPL: Motherwell 1-1 Inverness
Luke James continued his great run of form with another goal here, but we should have secured the win. We conceded in the 87th minute from a corner, but a draw was probably a fair result. 

SPL: Inverness 1-0 St Mirren
A tight game, but Conor Pepper's header on the hour secured all three points. 

Europa League Group I: Inverness 2-1 Legia Warsaw
This is *unbelievable*. We ripped Legia to pieces despite falling behind early on, and in truth should have won this by three or four. Still, an OG and one from Conor Clifford put us on the brink of qualification. 

SPL: Celtic 2-1 Inverness
It didn't help playing the champions just a couple of days after Legia, and unfortunately they took advantage of our tiredness. Shane Sutherland had put us in front, but we can't complain about the result in the end. 

Scottish league cup 3rd round: Dunfermline 1-2 Inverness
I changed every player for this game, and although we fell behind again, Douglas and Pepper secured our place in the semi final. We did however lose Barry Douglas for three months to a knee injury. 

[withnail316]

Much better offer than my last one, but I'm not going anywhere. 

[withnail316]

November

SPL: Dundee United 0-4 Inverness
Really good display at Tannadice, with Shane Sutherland finding his scoring boots. He bagged a hat-trick, including one from 30 yards, while Luke James continued his good form with another one, from the penalty spot. 

Europa League Group I: Legia Warsaw 2-1 Inverness
Disappointed not to get a result here, but we're very much in the mix for progression. Luke James levelled for us right on half time, but Legia deservedly won the game. 

SPL: Inverness 3-2 Aberdeen
An end-to-end affair, but we got the result we wanted. Michael Keane put us in front after just four minutes, but Aberdeen scored twice to lead 2-1 at the break. I lost my temper at half time, and got the reaction I wanted. Luke James scored two more, the last one coming 8 minutes from time, to maintain our excellent home form. 

SPL: Hearts 2-3 Inverness
Definitely got some work to do on our defending, but once again we got the job done. Two more for James, but Conor Clifford scored the goal of the game to win it 10 minutes from time. 

SPL: Inverness 2-1 Kilmarnock
Killie pushed us hard, but we're unbeaten at home in 26 league games now. We fell behind early on, but Liam Polworth and Shane Sutherland secured the points. 

Scottish cup 4th round: Wick Academy 0-5 Inverness
I rotated almost everybody for this game, but I left Shane Sutherland in as it was against his old club. He clearly enjoyed it, and bagged a hat-trick. Nick Ross got the other two.

[kidthekid]

is this the closest you have ever been to Celtic at this stage of the season?

[withnail316]

10 hours ago, kidthekid said:

is this the closest you have ever been to Celtic at this stage of the season?

Massively so, yes. I'm about to play our game in hand in mid-December. If we win it, we move within 3 points of them. They've been 10 points clear at this stage in my first couple of seasons.

[Dexter_Morgan]

Even if you don't win it for another couple of seasons you're clearly getting much closer to them now, the thrill is in the chase 

[Nobby_McDonald]

I had a similar chase with Cefn Druids on FM15 trying to haul in The New Saints. That was a very enjoyable three seasons, until I got sacked for a poor start to a season.

[withnail316]

December

Europa League Group I: Dynamo Kyiv 0-2 Inverness
A monster of a performance, which secures our place in the knock out rounds after Christmas. Conor Clifford's brilliant volley put us in front after just five minutes, and Shane Sutherland grabbed a second just 10 minutes later. Glorious. 

SPL: Inverness 2-2 Hibernian
Disappointed with this result, to be honest. We took the lead inside four minutes with a goal from Luke James, but Hibs hit straight back. James grabbed another on the hour, but five minutes from time, we conceded from a corner. Frustrating. 

SPL: Ross County 0-4 Inverness
Much, much better. We tore County to pieces from the offset, with David Wotherspoon scoring inside two minutes. Luke James then took over with three goals, taking him to 23 for the season. 

SPL: Dundee 0-2 Inverness
Very much a 'meh' game, but Pepper and Gauld ensured we got the job done. 

Europa League Group I: Inverness 2-0 Panathinaikos
Considering I had no hopes at all with this group, I'm amazed we've come through and won it. Luke James was once again on target, and a late Josh Meekings goal added the icing to the cake. 

SPL: Falkirk 0-1 Inverness
Shane Sutherland was the hero in this one, slotting home from the edge of the area after 22 minutes. We should have won by more, but James missed a late penalty. No matter. 

SPL: Inverness 1-0 Motherwell
We were really poor here, but once again Shane Sutherland ensured we got the points. 

SPL: Inverness 1-0 Celtic
Glorious. Absolutely glorious. We didn't play as well as we can going forwards, but Josh Meekings header from a corner after 58 minutes was enough for a priceless win. 

[withnail316]

On 03/05/2018 at 14:32, Dexter_Morgan said:

Even if you don't win it for another couple of seasons you're clearly getting much closer to them now, the thrill is in the chase 

It's a fun season so far, but it does feel like this is our moment. Things will get more complicated next year with Rangers almost certain to be promoted, so maybe this will be our best chance for the next few years....

On 03/05/2018 at 22:47, Nobby_McDonald said:

I had a similar chase with Cefn Druids on FM15 trying to haul in The New Saints. That was a very enjoyable three seasons, until I got sacked for a poor start to a season.

Yeah, I like these kind of battles. This reminds me of a save where I ventured to Ukraine with Chornomorets Odessa, and it took me five years to finally overhaul Shakhtar and Dynamo. 

[deltablue]

Panathinaikos clearly couldn't cope with a December night in the Highlands

[withnail316]

On 05/05/2018 at 12:45, deltablue said:

Panathinaikos clearly couldn't cope with a December night in the Highlands

Sounds more appealing than any night in Stoke....

[Nobby_McDonald]

Yeah, avoid Burslum like the plague and the city centre is not much better.

[withnail316]

January

SPL: St Mirren 2-0 Inverness
Something typical about beating Celtic but losing to the Buddies, but there we go. We simply weren't good enough. 

SPL: Inverness 2-0 Dundee United
Much better, and a double from Pepper secured the points. 

SPL: Inverness 3-1 Hearts
We had to work hard here, and Hearts deservedly led at the break. Sutherland and Pepper (2) turned things around in the second half though, with the former up to 20 now for the season. 

SPL: Inverness 1-0 Ross County
I don't care how we win derbies, all that matters is the result. We were woeful here, but Luke James won it right on the hour mark. 

SPL: Aberdeen 1-0 Inverness
Dreadful display, and we got exactly what we deserved.