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INVERNESS CALEDONIAN THISTLE 1–1 COVE RANGERS

The team picked up what could be a valuable point with a battling performance in the Highland capital, extending their unbeaten league run to three games. Adam Emslie put us in front midway through the first half, but the home side snatched the leveller early in the second.

The manager made two changes from the win at Kelty. Ryan Harrington was passed fit, but with Fraser Fyvie and Declan Glass ruled out, Aberdeen loanees Findlay Marshall and Adam Emslie returned to the starting line-up. Blair Yule captained the side.

Inverness kicked-off on a dull, chilly afternoon but Cove were the first to threaten, Emslie forcing Davidson into conceding an early corner. The winger took it himself, whipping in a dangerous delivery which Dibaga, under pressure, punched clear from under the bar.

The game settled into a pattern, both teams enjoying possession without creating anything clear cut until Caley Thistle made two big openings in the space of a couple of minutes. First, MacKinnon raced into the box and cut the ball back for Brooks, whose shot was beaten away by Nick Suman, then the striker found himself clear after a 1-2 with Gilmour, but his effort flew over.

The pressure continued when McKay fed a nice pass through for Longstaff to run on to, but Suman was quickly off his line to divert the ball to safety.

We got back on the front foot after Ryan Harrington won a crunching tackle in midfield and Marshall picked up. The midfielder rolled the ball to Megginson, who played in Emslie on the left, but his cross was deflected out for a corner, which came to nothing.

The breakthrough came in the twenty-first minute. Blair Yule looked to have been fouled wide on the right, but the ball ran to Findlay Marshall who drove down the touchline. He looked up and played an inviting delivery across the six yard box which Mitch Megginson just failed to connect with, but Adam EMSLIE was unmarked behind, and opened the scoring with a composed close range finish. It was his third goal in just seven appearances for the club.

Following a quieter spell, Inverness might have levelled shortly before the break when Devine crossed from the right and Brooks found himself unmarked at the near post, but headed well over.

Cove countered, and after some good interplay in midfield, Scully shot high over the bar from distance, the last serious action of what had been an even first half.

Caley Thistle won a corner soon after the restart, which was cleared, but they regained possession, and when the ball was fed into James NOLAN, the substitute fired goalwards. Nick Suman stopped his first effort with a good low save, but the defender latched on to the rebound and shot powerfully into the bottom corner.

The keeper then dived out to gather a through ball, injuring himself in the process, and was unable to continue, Balint Demus replacing him between the posts.

Paul Hartley made another substitution in the sixty-first minute, throwing on Reuben McAllister in place of Ryan Harrington. That meant Marshall dropping in beside Darge in the middle of the pitch and Scully filling in at left back.

The game was then halted amidst some confusion, referee Stewart Luke suffering a calf injury which prompted an appeal over the public address system for a qualified SFA official to make themselves known. Assistant Will Pare took over in the middle with local ref, Jamie MacKinnon, running the line on the far side, the game resuming after a ten minute hold-up.

We restarted the better and came close to regaining our advantage. McAllister and Marshall combined, and when Reuben was challenged on the edge of the area, he was able to flick the ball into the path of Adam Emslie. The winger shot low and hard, Dibaga making the save, and Megginson was closed down as he attempted to pounce on to the rebound.

We again threatened minutes later. After withstanding Inverness pressure, McAllister played a long ball out of the box which Emslie raced on to. His cross cleared the head of Devine and fell to Megginson who took a touch, and was about to shoot, when MacLeod made a last-gasp goal-saving tackle.

Caley Thistle hit back, Demus making a fine stop at the feet of Gilmour then cleanly collecting a dangerous low cross from Nolan.

Deep into stoppage time Myles Gaffney took over from a limping Mitch Megginson, and we might have snatched the points soon after, Yule running in behind on the right, but unable to find a team-mate with his cutback.

It was to be the least real moment of note, the stand-in ref playing an additional fourteen minutes before ending what was a closely-fought encounter, the draw a fair enough result over the balance of play.

INV CAL THISTLE (4-2-3-1): Dibaga; Davidson, Devine, Duffy (Nolan 46), Savage; Gilmour, MacLeod (Allan 90); Longstaff, McKay (c) (Thompson 90,) MacKinnon; Brooks (Bray 82)

Substitutes: Newman, Strachan, MacKay, Ferguson, Ewan

Goalscorers: Nolan (51)

Booked: Gilmour (60)

COVE RANGERS (4-2-3-1): Suman (Demus 55); Doyle, Gillingham, Parker, Harrington (McAllister 61); Darge, Scully; Yule(c), Marshall, Emslie; Megginson (Gaffney 90)

Substitutes: Murray, McGrath

Goalscorers: Emslie (21)

Booked: Doyle (39), Yule (42), Marshall (85)

Referee: Stewart Luke

Attendance: 1,505

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