Inverness
Caledonian Thistle is a professional football club from the city of Inverness
in the Highlands of Scotland, who were formed through a merger of Caledonian FC
and Inverness Thistle FC in 1994.
Caledonian
had been formed in 1885 by lads from the ‘Big Green’ area of the city before
becoming founder members of the Highland League in 1893. ‘Caley’ played at the
Telford Street Ground by the Caledonian Canal.
By
World War One, Caledonian had won six Highland League titles with Willie Whitton
starring before heading off down south to star for Tottenham Hotspur and
Chelsea., Two more came once peace was maintained. The fifties saw back-to-back
triumphs in 1950-51 and 1951-52.
Scottish
League clubs were defeated on regular occasions by Caledonian as another four
championships were added to the trophy cabinet thanks to the efforts of the
likes of Donald Park and Kevin MacDonald before the 1980s, which proved to be
the greatest era in the club's history.
Three
successive titles were won from 1982 to 1984 under manager, local journalist
Alex Main, who penned the club history, ‘Caley All The Way’. The club were
awarded the prestigious Rothmans Yearbook Non League Team of the Year for
1981-82. Further
giant-killing in the Scottish Cup came in 1990 when Airdrieonians were defeated.
Then in 1992 when Caledonian reached the fourth round, defeating Stenhousemuir and Clyde before going out to St Johnstone after a replay. Meanwhile
across the city at their Kingsmills Park home, Inverness Thistle were in
operation after their formation in 1885. Like many sides called Thistle, the
club were nicknamed ‘The Jags’.
The
club were also a founder member of the Highland League, going on to lift the
title in the inaugural season. Thistle would go on to win a further four league
championships as well as enjoying several wins over Scottish League clubs in
the Scottish Cup; the most notable being a 3-0 victory over Kilmarnock in
1984/85.
Thistle
applied for a place in the League in 1973-74, but they were beaten by Ferranti
Thistle, who became Meadowbank Thistle. It was suggested that the voting clubs
were unwilling to travel all the way to Inverness. However,
Scottish football was to be restructured for the 1993-94 season, with two extra
places becoming available.
Both Caledonian and Thistle decided to apply. The
League hinted that there would be a greater chance of acceptance through a joint bid. Many supporters of both clubs were very much against this, but the merger went
ahead to form Caledonian Thistle FC. The new club were accepted into the Scottish
League along with Highland League rivals Ross County.
The
club started out its life in Division Three, playing out of Telford Street. In 1996, the club changed its title to Inverness Caledonian Thistle (ICT) on the request
of Inverness District Council, who had contributed £900,000 to the new
Caledonian Stadium on the banks of the Moray Firth, when they moved during the
1996-97 campaign.
The
new surroundings obviously suited the ‘Caley Jags’ as they lifted the Division
Three title within five months of moving into the new stadium. In 1998-99, promotion to Division One was secured by finishing as runners-up to Livingston
Thistle.
The
following season saw ICT hit the headlines with a 3-1 Scottish Cup victory at
Parkhead against Celtic, which spawned the famous Sun headline, "Super
Caley Go Ballistic Celtic Are Atrocious" The
2003-04 season saw Caley defeat Airdrie United 2-0 to lift the Scottish
Challenge Cup at McDiarmid Park, before the team reached the Scottish Cup semi-final, where Dunfermline Athletic won through after a replay.
However, the
greatest achievement came on the final day of the season as St Johnstone were
beaten 3-0 to seal the First Division title and a place in the Premier League. The
place in the top flight posed a problem as membership required participating
clubs to have all-seater stadiums.
Caledonian Stadium was not up to scratch, so
after consultation with their supporters, they decided to decamp to Pittodrie
in Aberdeen, over a hundred miles away, for a year while works were carried out. The
team returned home under Player-Manager Craig Brewster to the extended Tulloch
Caledonian Stadium, as the venue had been renamed in a sponsorship deal with
the local building firm that carried out the work.
After
a few seasons of consolidation, Brewster was dismissed following a poor run of
results in the 2008-09 season, with Terry Butcher arriving as his replacement.
The new manager could not stave off relegation as Caley returned to the second
tier. Butcher
soon sorted his side out as they made an immediate return to the SPL.
This was thanks to
a twenty-one-game unbeaten run to overtake one-time runaway table toppers
Dundee to clinch the title with two games remaining. The
incredible unbeaten run continued and lasted just over a year before it was
ended by St Johnstone in January 2011. Butcher continued to mould his side from
local youngsters and several from south of the border who were looking to
rebuild their careers.
The
2012-13 season saw the Caley Jags finish in a maiden top-six position as they
continued to build, as they just missed out on a Europa League place following a
1-0 defeat in the Highland Derby against Ross County. ICT spent much of the opening months of the 2013-14 inaugural SPFL Scottish Premiership season at the top of the table.
That was until manager Butcher and his
assistant Maurice Malpas departed to join Hibernian. John Hughes was selected
as the new boss, with Russell Lapaty assisting. In
February 2014, ICT defeated Heart of Midlothian in a penalty shootout at Easter
Road to reach the final of the League Cup. The showpiece was against Aberdeen
at Celtic Park.
This time, Caley lost out on spot kicks after the game had ended
scoreless after extra time.
The side ended the 2013-14 season in fifth position, which was improved upon to
third place the following season as Billy McKay put away the goals. The team
skippered by Richie Foran slipped to mid-table before he stepped up to manager,
where he couldn’t save his side from relegation in 2016-17.
John
Robertson arrived as manager in May 2017 as his side finished fifth in the
Championship in 2017-18 before reaching the play-offs twelve months later, where
Ayr United were disposed of before a semi-final defeat to Dundee United. Carl
Tremarco continued to captain the side, while the goals of Jordan White helped
Caley to second place when the season was curtailed owing to the outbreak of
Coronavirus.
Billy Dodds was appointed as manager in June 2021, taking the team all the way to the playoff final, where St Johnstone ended any dreams of promotion. Duncan Ferguson came in to lead the side from the dugouts in September 2023, with the side being relegated after a playoff defeat to Hamilton Academical.
Huge financial issues affected the club in 2024-25, which saw it enter administration and have to dismiss Ferguson to save cash. He was replaced by Scott Kellacher in October 2024, with his Caley Thistle side digging in deep to avoid relegation despite being deducted fifteen points, as Keith Bray scored the goals.
The club was bought by the owner of Hayes & Yeading United FC, Ketan Makwana, in July 2025, with the team having to start the 2025-26 season with a further five-point deduction.
Inverness
Caledonian Thistle will play in the Scottish League One in the 2025-26 season.
My
visit
Inverness
Caledonian Thistle 2 St Johnstone 0 (Tuesday 20th January 2015) SPFL
Scottish Premiership (att: 3,161)
Thanks
to my many train journeys, I had accumulated enough loyalty points with East
Coast Trains for a free ride anywhere on the network. I had also accumulated
some refund vouchers from delayed services. As I was scheduled to be in
Scarborough for a week's Annual Leave from work, I began to investigate my
options.
The
Scottish fixtures revealed a great opportunity. They had a full programme
scheduled for Wednesday night. However, BT Sport decided to show the
following weekend’s games between St Johnstone and Aberdeen on the Friday
night, which in turn pushed the ICT v St Johnstone forward to Tuesday
night.
After
studying availability on the trains, I booked to go to Inverness and stay
overnight before riding down to Dundee via Aberdeen for their fixture the
following evening. The whole journey would cost me just £35 return.
The
weather was a slight concern as I set off to York for breakfast before boarding
the service to Edinburgh. I was really looking forward to the journey as I was
in first class all the way. Before long, we headed north as the staff gave me cottage pie for lunch along with crisps, biscuits and cake.
The lady with the drinks trolley could sense my
excitement as I told her my plans. She commented that the ride north of
Edinburgh wouldn’t be as luxurious on ScotRail, so she kept coming back with
gin, tonic and fresh glasses with ice at regular intervals. I was comfortably
numb as I changed trains in the Scottish capital. As
the train headed over the Forth Bridge, I was at my highest ever point north.
The service was restricted to complimentary hot drinks and biscuits, but
the reclining seat was welcome. Once north of Perth, the hills were covered in snow.
The Cairngorms cut a dramatic scene with deer gambolling on the undulating
landscape, with ice-cold streams cutting through the snow. Onwards we went
through Aviemore, which looked to be quite a ‘happening’ town before arriving
in Inverness at just gone 5pm.
Ready
for a walk, I set out having a look at the city centre before crossing the
River Ness, with the illuminated castle looking down from the hill, as I headed
to my room for the night. The
Ardross & Glencairn Guest House on Ardross Street was pretty basic, but I
wasn’t going to see too much of it. Within minutes of chucking my stuff in, I
was out again and heading into the centre.
I
struggled to find the Wetherspoon Kings Highway establishment after heading
down the wrong street. It was good to see a banner over Academy Street
advertising the match and inviting fans to ‘Pay What They Can’. In
an adventurous incentive, the club had decided to allow fans to go to the match
and pay whatever they could afford in an attempt to boost the attendance after
the festive period.
To test the water, I decided to conduct my own social
experiment via text and Facebook to see what amount my friends thought I should
pay. The results were interesting, and some cases were highly predictable. I
certainly found out who I’d need to approach if I ever needed a sub!
Having
eventually located the pub and enjoyed a meal, it was time to see a bit of old
football history and make the evening easier.
The
Caledonian Stadium is quite a hike from the city centre, so I did lots of research
before heading north. It appeared my best way was by bus, but I couldn’t find
any definite pickup points or times. Then I discovered the old Caledonian (now
ICT) Social Club just over the river on Greig Street. It advertised departure
at 7.30 and a return at full time.
The
club was warm and busy, and serving food to customers. There were plenty of
souvenirs on the wall. I bought a pint of Tartan Bitter from the keg pumps and
bought my return bus ticket. I
followed the crowd outside and got aboard the half-full double-decker. We were
dropped off outside the main entrance with the waters of Moray Firth over the
road, where I bought the programme for £3.
This was more of a monthly magazine
with a four-page colour match-specific insert. The
queues to get inside the stadium were quite long. I decided to go for the stand
behind the goal. It was taking a long time for each person to go through, as the
turnstile operators had to write down how much each person had paid before
issuing a standard ticket.
Having
thought long and hard, I decided to pay the normal admission of £20. I was going
before I heard of the offer, and I was in a fortunate position that I could
afford to. I knew from first-hand experience just how hard smaller clubs have
to work to make the books balance. I got
in with about thirty seconds on the clock as I surveyed the scene.
The
Caledonian Stadium was extremely functional and organised. The Main Stand had a
lower seating tier that ran the whole length of the pitch, with a second level
in the middle third of the pitch, with a roof over it. The North and South
Stands stood identical behind each goal with permanent roofs, but the semi-permanent slot in seating sections seen at Craven Cottage and Dean Court. The
final side was open with a section of seating on its few steps. The TV gantry
stood on the halfway line.
It
was cold, but not as bad as I was worried about. My Bovril was most welcome
from the shivering young staff in flimsy club uniform. The pitch was in
excellent condition. ICT played plenty of good, slick passing and went into a
deserved 2-0 lead at the break with goals from Billy McKay and Marley Watkins.
It has to be said that the Saints were obliging at times at the back.
The
match was played in an almost polite atmosphere. The home fans applauded plenty, but the only shouts of encouragement came from some wee 'uns at the back during
the second half. I was glad that the stand wasn’t packed, as this was another
venue with a less-than-generous tread between the rows. Caley continued to play
plenty of stuff pleasing to the eye, but could not add to their tally. It was
the correct score line.
The
bus was thankfully waiting for us. There was some dismay from his peers at a
regular who appeared to be proud to have only paid £1.50 to get in. That was
surely taking the mick? Once
dropped off, I wanted to explore some real ale establishments. The Blackfriars
Highland Pub had plenty going for it, but on my visit, it had all the atmosphere of
a funeral parlour.
The Phoenix Ale House, with its central bar directly over
the road, was excellent. Cricketing
pal Colin Williams studied in the city and messaged me to recommend Johnny
Foxes or Hootenanny. I plumped for the latter as it ticked all the required
boxes. The beer was fine, and an excellent atmospheric couple played traditional
music. Sadly, they closed at midnight, so I returned to the Kings Highway, which
was open until 1am.
I
am a big fan of Wetherspoons pubs in general. I couldn’t recall ever seeing any
trouble in them, and the food and drinks offer great value. However, they open
too long. People get smashed. I was somewhat taken aback to see a youth punch a
woman by the hotel door, with her partner naturally joining in.
I
ordered my beer inside as the police sirens got nearer and bouncers from other
pubs came to assist. Suddenly, a row broke out amongst the English builders who
had started their session when I ordered my meal over six hours earlier. One of
them was dragged out by a couple of mates.
The
completely female staff were shaken. One said that they’d never had trouble for
two years but had three incidents in a few hours. Maybe it was my effect on the
city? She commented that they’d come out without medication. While funny, it
was also ironic as she had stood there and allowed them to overdose.
As
I say. Pubs were opening too late, and they should not be totally staffed by
females. It was leading to an increase in bad behaviour. In my opinion. Normality
was restored as a Turkish cab driver took me back to my economy lodgings while
telling me how he loved living in London. Perhaps he’d been on the top shelf earlier in the evening as
well?
