Caley Thistle boss Scott Kellacher frustrated at more home points dropped

Scott Kellacher insists Caley Thistle cannot afford for dropped points to become a regular occurrence at home after digging deep to force a 2-2 draw against Kelty Hearts.

Inverness found themselves two goals behind against the Fifers, who occupy second-bottom place in League One, courtesy of an Innes Murray double within the opening 24 minutes.

Caley Jags rallied to find a way back into the game, with Danny Devine pulling a goal back just prior to the interval, before half-time substitute Chanka Zimba restored parity early in the second half.

Despite dominating the remainder of the second half, the Highlanders ultimately had to settle for a point.

Inverness remain third in the table, with three points separating them from both Hamilton Accies and Stenhousemuir who occupy the top two positions.

Caley Thistle boss disappointed by first half display

Caley Jags had won three of their previous four home league matches ahead of the visit of Kelty, with the only blemish coming in a 2-1 loss to Stenny on August 16. 

In spite of that, Kellacher was frustrated at failing to collect maximum points at Caledonian Stadium – which he insists cannot become a habit for his side.

Kellacher said: “The first half was nowhere near acceptable. We gave ourselves a mountain to climb.

“I think we have controlled pretty much all of the game, but to give the goals away we did was not good enough.

“The first goal is a poor goal to lose, and then we give away a penalty.

“We need to be far better. I want us to be better in the way we start games, and I don’t think we did that.

“I’ve got to give credit to the players for coming back, they showed character from 2-0 down.

“We could easily have gone on and won the game, which we were trying everything to do.

“Points at home are not good enough for us. If we want to be up at the top come the end of the season, it needs to be far better.

“We need to be on the front foot more, we need to be sharper, and we need to defend better as well.

“A point is better than losing the game, because that might have happened last year. Overall, we need to be far better and more positive – especially when we are at home.”

Caley Jags punished for poor start

Midfielder Paul Allan made just his second league start of the campaign, having been back in the line-up for the previous week’s 4-1 win over Forfar Athletic in the KDM Evolution Trophy.

The injured Ross Millen, along with Mitchell Robertson, Adam MacKinnon and Billy Mckay, dropped out from the side which defeated the Loons, with Joe Chalmers, David Wotherspoon, Luis Longstaff and Danny Devine returning.

It was Thomas O’Ware’s men who made the perfect start, breaking the deadlock after 10 minutes.

A neatly worked goal saw Aberdeen loanee Joseph Teasdale release Murray into a gaping hole in the heart of the Caley Thistle rearguard, with the forward applying a crisp low finish beyond Ross Munro.

The home side’s task heightened significantly on 22 minutes however, after Chalmers tugged Alexander Ferguson to the ground following a short corner.

Referee Jamie Wilkie did not hesitate in pointing to the spot, with Murray stepping up to dispatch the penalty beyond the reach of Munro.

The two-goal setback took the wind out of Caley Thistle’s sails somewhat, although they finished the first half strongly – and grabbed a vital lifeline four minutes before the interval.

Chalmers swung in a deep corner to the far post, where Devine made a darting late run to escape his marker and thump a powerful finish beyond Ryan Adamson from six yards.

It injected a fresh spring into the Caley Jags’ step, and they were close to restoring parity in the final seconds of the first period when Oscar MacIntyre saw his strike spectacularly tipped wide by Adamson.

Zimba makes impact from the bench

Kellacher made a change at half-time, with Zimba replacing Longstaff, and the forward nearly made an immediate impact when his powerful strike forced Adamson into action again, before Allan saw his follow-up blocked.

Zimba was not to be denied on 54 minutes however, as he pulled the home side level with a cushioned header after meeting a sublime delivery from David Wotherspoon on the right flank.

That appeared to give Inverness the impetus to win the game however they were unable to fashion enough pressure to find a winner.

Sole was twice off target with efforts, with the best late chance falling to Alfie Stewart in the dying stages, only for his effort to be deflected wide.

Inverness boss wants response at Peterhead

After taking just a point from their last two league matches, Kellacher is determined to return to winning ways when the Highlanders make the trip to Peterhead next Saturday.

He added: “We need to realise where we are and what we’re trying to achieve.

“I said it last year – we’re going to have setbacks along the way. It’s a long year, and we’re only 10 games in.

“We won’t be the only team that drops points here and there, a lot of teams will do that, but today I just felt that we weren’t anywhere near what we have been. We need to make sure that we are.”

[Source: Press and Journal]