Brechin City Football Club

Glebe Park, Brechin, Angus DD9 6BJ

Tel : 01356 623344
Email : secretary@brechincityfc.com
www.brechincity.com

Inverness Caledonian Thistle 4 Brechin City 0

Match Report - By Grant Hood

Manager Darren Dods took his Brechin City squad to the Highland capital to face an Inverness Caledonian Thistle side who had already enjoyed two dominant victories over The Glebe Park side earlier in the season. Sadly for the hardy band of travelling midweek City fans, this sequence continued with another comfortable victory for John Robertson’s side.

The players travelled up in A9 in good spirits after a fine performance against Dundee United which generated one point and countless plaudits.

The game had already been postponed twice - once due to the original Saturday fixture being displaced by an ICT Irn Bru Cup Tie, and the other as the result of a waterlogged pitch seven days prior. The playing surface at the Tulloch Caledonian Stadium survived a lunchtime pitch inspection and, although clearly heavy in places, was eminently playable.

Manager Dods made only one change to the team which started the game against Dundee United, with Aberdeen loanee Connor McLennan replacing Kalvin Orsi up front.

Crucially, City found themselves two goals behind within the first ten minutes - but it could have been so different. Less than two minutes had elapsed when Connor McLennan found himself racing through on goal and made absolutely the right choice by lobbing the home keeper from outside the penalty box. In an outcome which all but typified City’s luck in front of goal this season, the ball hit the post and rebounded to safety.

The Glebe Park rearguard had already survived one vicious corner from the home side’s right, when BRAD MACKAY found sufficient space inside the six-yard box to volley home an equally dangerous delivery from the left.

Former City striker JOHN BAIRD couldn’t believe his luck shortly afterwards as a mix up between Euan Smith and ‘Buzz’ saw the City keeper spill the ball, leaving the diminutive ICT forward the comfortable task of side-footing the ball into the net in the ninth minute.

The concession of such a sickeningly soft second goal seemed to knock the stuffing from City for a time, before gradually working their way back into the game, albeit without any significant goal threat.

Any hopes of an unlikely come back were extinguished early in the second half when the homesters scored a third. Disappointingly, it was as simple as the first with CONNOR BELL knocking the ball home from another high quality corner delivery.

City did appear to be a little more potent up front, with a thirty-yard strike from McLennan going narrowly wide, and another goal bound effort being headed wide by a backtracking defender. Strike partner Isaac Layne then saw a low drive hit the side net after an impressive series of midfield passes created a shooting chance for the City frontman.

Graeme Smith in the City goal was called into action on a regular basis throughout the second half and produced a sequence of impressive if not altogether heroic saves - before Liam Polworth only just missed the target after a neat passage of interplay at the edge of the City penalty area. ‘Buzz’ was left helpless however when, with 3 minutes remaining, substitute GEORGE OAKLEY latched onto a through ball and coolly dinked it over the onrushing City goalie.

And so the search for a first City Championship victory continues with Darren Dods and his squad having the opportunity to bounce back from this defeat against Greenock Morton on Saturday.



Other Results - Ladbrokes Championship


Dumbarton 2 Queen of the South 2

Another valuable point for the Sons.

St Mirren 3 Livingston 1

Saints go top of the league after coming from behind against Livi.

Result

28 November 2017
Tulloch Caledonian Stadium
Attendance: 1801
Brad McKay 7
John Baird 9
Gary Warren 52
George Oakley 87

Brechin City

1 Graeme Smith
2 Paul McLean
20 Sean Crighton
29 Euan Smith
3 Willie Dyer
6 James Dale
8 Finn Graham
11 Liam Watt
15 Euan Spark
10 Isaac Layne
17 Connor McLennan
     
4 Gary Fusco
12 Chris O'Neil
14 Aron Lynas
18 Kalvin Orsi
21 Jordan Sinclair

Substitutions:

  • On: Aron Lynas
    Off: Willie Dyer ( 54 )
     
  • On: Jordan Sinclair
    Off: Liam Watt ( 70 )
     
  • On: Kalvin Orsi
    Off: Connor McLennan ( 76 )
     

Inverness Caledonian Thistle

28 Mark Ridgers
2 David Raven
3 Carl Tremarco
22 Brad McKay
23 Coll Donaldson
4 Joe Chalmers
7 Liam Polworth
15 Jake Mulraney
24 Charlie Trafford
9 John Baird
20 Connor Bell
     
5 Gary Warren
10 Aaron Doran
14 George Oakley
16 Riccardo Calder
17 Collin Seedorf
21 Alexander Cooper
31 Cameron Mackay

Substitutions:

  • On: Aaron Doran
    Off: Connor Bell ( 63 )
     
  • On: George Oakley
    Off: John Baird ( 64 )
     
  • On: Alexander Cooper
    Off: Jake Mulraney ( 81 )