Scott Kellacher demands improvements as Caley Thistle need penalties after Premier Sports Cup draw with East Fife

Caley Thistle boss Scott Kellacher admits his side must improve after their penalty shoot-out Premier Sports Cup win against East Fife.

The League One winners were taken all the way by Dick Campbell’s team from that division to ensure they collected two points from this opening Group F tie.

Myles Gaffney’s first-half goal put the Fifers ahead, despite plenty of positive attacks from the Highlanders, who are back in the Championship.

It was a frustrating afternoon for an Inverness team without much verve or bite, but substitute Adam Mackinnon took the tie to penalties with a stoppage-time strike.

And a save from goalkeeper Ross Munro gave ICT the edge in the shoot-out and Luis Longstaff rounded off a 5-3 spot-kick win.

‘It was very sluggish’

Kellacher admitted that his players will have to improve on a day when they should have been much slicker than they were.

He said: “There have been a lot of positives over the past few weeks of pre-season, but being realistic, there is still a lot we need to work on.

“We know that was not good enough today, even though I felt we controlled most of the first half. The goal was gave away was criminal. That was the frustrating thing today.

“It was very sluggish and we needed a better tempo in terms of being more aggressive with the passes and more movement off the ball.

“I will take a lot from the game, like we have over the last few weeks. We have to be far better on and off the ball.

“A lot of credit goes to East Fife. They were very well organised and they worked really hard. It was difficult to break them down at times but we need to find a way to be better. We should be used to that from last year.”

With League One side East Kilbride beating Dunfermline Athletic of the Championship 3-0 and Lowland League champions Linlithgow Rose, ICT’s next cup opponents, winning at Championship hosts Morton, Kellacher was just grateful to emerge with two points.

He added: “It’s so early on and you’re going into a cup competition and you’re still in pre-season (mode) but we’re not making any excuses.

“There were a few shock results today and that’s what can happen so early in the season when you are not fully up to speed and you’re trying to get there.

“Ross normally comes up trumps with penalties and the penalties were of high quality.”

Four new signings get home debuts

Dick Campbell’s East Fife, who finished eighth in League One last term, lost three of the four matches with Inverness in the third tier in 2025-2026, but did draw 1-1 in their last meeting in April.

That was a result which took the title race on to the final weekend when ICT beat Hamilton Academical to become the champions, despite a -5-point deduction due to being in administration in 2024.

Six of the starters from that triumphant day lined up for this first competitive game of the season, with new permanent signings Nou Boutin, Graeme Shinnie, Ryan Duncan and Liam Sole all named in the starting XI.

Inverness took control from an early stage, without ever really testing former Arbroath and Stirling Albion goalkeeper Derek Gaston.

East Fife were using the left flank to try and find an opening, with Reis Peggie at left-back also showing his attacking talents.

Inverness were close to making it 1-0 on 25 minutes when , from an Alfie Stewart free-kick, his ex-Dons club-mate Duncan slid in and guided a shot over the crossbar, with Gaston rooted to the spot.

Cameron Ross had the first effort on goal for the visitors moments later, but Munro was equal to the shot with a comfortable take.

Fifers’ goal came out of the blue

However, on 34 minutes, Munro was picking the ball out of the net after Gaffney slotted his shot into the net after Ross fed the pass into him after winning possession from defender Remi Savage.

There were some calls for it being offside, but the officials had no issues with it and the Methil side led.

The tie then followed a pattern of Inverness having more of the play, either side of half-time, but they were not truly testing their opponents.

Kellacher looked to his bench just after the hour mark for a spark as Luis Longstaff, David Wotherspoon and Hamzad Kargbo came on for Sole, Paul Allan and Alfie Bavidge.

Yet, it was East Fife who then enjoyed a decent spell, with a low drive from Pat Slattery flying just off target.

Wotherspoon then tested Gaston, who did enough to push away the 20-yard shot, then the follow-up Stewart drive was blocked and before ICT captain Danny Devine flashed a shot just wide a few minutes later.

Mackinnon to the rescue

With the clock passing the 90-minute mark, a surging counter-attack powered by Longstaff saw him then pick out Mackinnon, who curled a left-footed shot into the far corner of the net to lift the gloom and offer a chance of a bonus point.

In the penalty shoot-out, Shinnie, Wotherspoon, Hamzad Kargbo, Morgan Bates and Longstaff all netted, with new East Fife signing Tyrell Skeen-Hamilton seeing his kick, the second East Fife penalty, saved by Munro.

Caley Thistle’s second tie in the competition takes them to West Lothian on Saturday when they take on Linlithgow Rose, who have three points on board after their win at Morton.

Team line-ups and ratings

CALEY THISTLE (4-2-3-1): Munro 6, MacLeod 7, Devine 6, Savage 6, Boutin 7 (Bates 72), Allan 6 (Wotherspoon 62), Shinnie 6, Duncan 6 (Mackinnon 85), Stewart 6, Sole 6 (Longstaff 62), Bavidge 6 (Kargbo 62).

Subs not used: Ross (GK), Chalmers, Keogh, Clark.

EAST FIFE (4-3-2-1): Gast7n 6, Wilson 6, Bah 6, Easton 6, Peggie 7, Millar 6, Milne 6, Slattery 6, Gaffney 7 (Skeen-Hamilton 64), Newton 7 (Trialist 83), Ross 7 (Austin 86).

Subs not used: Rollo (GK), Healy, Fairley, Linton.

Referee: Sean Murdoch.

Man of the match: Liam Newton.

[Source: Press and Journal]