It is habitual now for the Scottish Cup semi-finals to throw up entertainment, excitement, controversy and goals. Inverness Caledonian Thistle’s famous victory over Celtic was just the latest instalment, following on from Hibs 4 Falkirk 3, Hearts 2 Celtic 1, Rangers 1 Dundee United 3, and perhaps it was the best.
The sides had met three times already this season with each enjoying a 1-0 win to go along with the 1-1 draw played out last week. A mark of how well ICT have stepped up to the occasion to face the Champions in waiting, but they saved their very best for Sunday. Few teams domestically have gone toe-to-toe with Celtic in the way Inverness did for two hours at Hampden Park.
The controversy and headlines which have stemmed from the Josh Meekings handball incident should not be allowed to obfuscate not only Inverness’ achievement but also their performance which led to their exalted success. For what it is worth, regarding the handball incident, the official behind the goal and linesman were clearly unsighted, while on first viewing I thought the ball had hit Meekings on the face. It happened so quickly and if Steven McLean was unsure he can’t give the decision based on the Celtic players’ reactions.
Now we have got that out of the way, Inverness were excellent throughout, barring a spell midway through the first half where Celtic peppered Ryan Esson’s goal. John Hughes’s men were brave, determined, indefatigable, the qualities needed as underdogs, but they were also clam, composed and showed an attacking intent which both surprised and flustered Celtic.
It is hard to pinpoint one player wearing blue who was a standout man of the match, with Graham Shinnie, Ross Draper, the centre back pairing, Ryan Christie and Marley Watkins all putting in inspired performances, while David Raven is certainly man of the moment thanks to his winning goal. Yet, perhaps the man who deserves most praise is Hughes. Derided and genuinely ridiculed, Hughes has displayed more than his goofy, chest beating persona, taking ICT onto another level following Terry Butcher’s departure.
A team who could be best described as robust, organised and determined when Butcher was in charge have slowly evolved under Hughes. Players who you wouldn’t expect to adapt to a more aesthetically pleasing style have improved, namely Draper, Meekings, Raven and Gary Warren, while Shinnie, Greg Tansey, Christie and others have flourished.
In the past Hughes could be labelled idealistic and even naïve but he has clearly found a steady formula, using his past experience in helping him become a more adroit coach. Although they may have struggled since the departure of Billy Mckay, understandable considering his contribution in recent seasons, there were no signs of a lack of confidence at Hampden.
Hughes made a bold and decisive change to the team which drew with Celtic last week, pushing Watkins further forward to join Edward Ofere in attack. It was a strategy which proved worthwhile as Watkins unnerved the Celtic pairing of Virgil Van Dijk and Jason Denyaer, the former was especially rattled, the Dutchman becoming more rancorous as the game progressed. Watkins battled manfully, an old-fashioned centre forward performance, while Ofere used the ball well and got in to scoring positions.
It would have been interesting to see if Hughes would have used Mckay as part of a two-man frontline if he was still at the club.
With both full-backs given licence to surge forward and Christie playing narrow and high on the right, ICT were clearly not of the mindset of ‘two banks of four and see what we can nick on the break’. There was a caveat in that although they posed a threat going forward they were at times exposed when Celtic countered swiftly, especially through the pace and directness of James Forrest. It was Forrest who won the free-kick for the opening goal and he who created the opening for Stefan Johansen’s shot which led to the handball controversy.
Yet, thanks to a mixture of luck and good goalkeeping ICT hung in when they came under pressure and should have levelled when the ball dropped to Ofere from a corner, the striker rushing his attempt high and wide. Even before Craig Gordon was sent off for bringing down Watkins before the hour, ICT grew further into the game. Shinnie delivered a captain’s performance from left-back, driving forward with pace and repelling attacks, while Christie cherished the football. The diminutive attacker was always keen to get on the ball and floated into spaces from the right, taking possession on the turn or while moving. He plays the game in a similar manner to Spanish maestro David Silva, making him one of the easiest players on the eye in the league.
The removal of Forrest for Lukas Zaluska was a boost for ICT before Tansey had slotted the penalty. Ronny Deila had removed Celtic’s most dangerous player on the afternoon and the ideal out-ball for Celtic on the break. Even so, with a man down, we have seen it many times previously, Celtic continue to dominate against weaker opposition. But not this time, ICT took ownership of the ball and moved it side to side. Draper, Tansey, Warren and Meekings kept it safe and simple as ICT probed for openings. There was an intelligence and poise to their play.
They continued to be the better side into extra time with Scott Brown and Nir Biton looking as forlorn as they have done all season, unable to put a stop to the ICT pressure and dominate the middle of the pitch. Once John Guidetti’s tame free-kick had bounced past Esson, cancelling out Ofere’s earlier goal, there would have been no shame to see the game out until penalties. But they still had the belief they would go on and win it, a belief which has no doubt been instilled into them by Hughes, always the optimist in interviews, always talking up the talent, determination and potential in his squad.
And it was two of the most dependable player who combined to write the final line in this most dramatic, gripping . . . breathtaking of semi-finals. Shinnie hitting a cross-shot which was turned in by his fellow full-back Raven provoking scenes of joy and delirium. It epitomised Inverness’s approach to the final: confident, determined and daring.
As well as reaching the club’s first Scottish Cup Final in the year they turn 21, the occasion was also medicinal for Scottish football as a whole after another trying week off the field, with the SPFL’s desultory approach to fixtures angering fans up and down the country. But there is little to sneer about Scottish football when it solely comes down to on the field matters. A small band of Inverness fans who had to travel to Glasgow for a 12.15pm Sunday kick-off without the aid of trains, were able to let that drift from their minds and simply celebrate a momentous achievement. One in which bigger clubs take for granted and will fail to understand when they see fans and players bound about in unison, knowing they have another trip to Hampden Park to come.
Having reached the semi-finals of the League Cup in 2013, the final in 2014, now they go into the 2015 Scottish Cup final as favourites. It will take something special to trump Sunday’s manic match, but no matter the outcome they will still go down in history as having produced on of the finest Scottish Cup moments.
WRITTEN BY JOEL SKED
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