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Press and Journal
5 days ago
- Sport
- Press and Journal
Starting XI: Former Caley Thistle midfielder Richie Hart on the Rangers and Celtic players who were his toughest opponents
Former Caley Thistle midfielder Richie Hart starred for four seasons in the SPL before playing for Ross County then Dundee. Hart's career kicked off as a youth with the Staggies, and he also played for Brora Rangers twice, Dundee and Maltese side Hibernians and Ostersunds in Sweden. His best days were with ICT where he won the Division One title in 2004 as well as the Challenge Cup, and made 164 Inverness appearances, scoring 16 goals. My first senior debut was with Ross County under Neale Cooper away to Forfar Athletic (on February 8, 1997 in Division Three, now League Two). I was still at school and came of the bench late and managed to score the winner. I have been fortunate to have some amazing moments in football, but winning the First Division with Caley Thistle which got us promoted to the Scottish Premier League (SPL) was the best and a real pivotal moment for the club. That's a really tough question so I'm going to name a few. In my younger years, Billy Ferries (Ross County) and Alan Hercher (Brora Rangers) both played a huge part in me going to Caley Thistle. In my Caley Thistle years, it would have to be Dennis Wyness. We struck up a great understanding right from the off. On his day, he was unplayable and scored some unreal goals. Off his day, you were a man down! Seriously though, what a fantastic player. Another tough question, so I'll go for two. I played against (Rangers') Barry Ferguson at youth level and senior level and I couldn't get near him. He always seemed to have so much time and space. And (ex-Celtic winger) Shaun Maloney was such a talented footballer. He had that low centre of gravity, and was difficult to knock off the ball and so sharp. A top player. The only one that really springs to mind is Richie Britain – only because like of Martin 'Jimmy' Scott and Steven Craig used to slaughter him! As a player, hopefully it would be hard-working strong, fast – and someone they could depend upon. As a young lad on loan to Brora from Ross County, I remember tenacious midfielder and top guy Jocky Mackay saying to me one time that he thought I was a good player, but didn't play with enough desire. That instantly struck a chord with me and literally from that moment changed me in how I played the game from then on. Tynecastle always gets a mention and rightly so, but it's got to be Celtic Park for me. I managed to score there (in March 2006 in a 2-1 defeat) and it was the first game there since Jimmy Johnstone had passed away. The atmosphere was incredible. My favourite goal has to be my free-kick against Ross County for Caley Thistle (in a 2-0 win in Dingwall in March 2003). I still wind up County goalkeeper Tony Bullock about it and ask why he even attempted to dive for it. I also remember Paul Ritchie scoring an unbelievable volley down at Alloa (in a 6-0 win in Division One in March 2002). It was Van Basten-esque! Dennis Wyness and Paul both scored hat-tricks. This is the easiest question for me – Liam Keogh without shadow of a doubt. There wouldn't be much to do there, but there is no doubt Liam would keep the spirits high with his story telling. Plus, he would be very handy in fending off any wild animals. In the early days of Caley Thistle, we would all go for lunch together, have coffee or play snooker or golf. As time went by and things evolved, new managers, double sessions and the like, recovery became even more important. When I played in Malta though, we didn't train until the evenings due to the heat, so I could spend some time on the beach in the morning, get a sleep in the afternoon and then train in the evening – much to the annoyance of my wife Lisa, who was working all day! Graeme Stewart on title joy with Buckie and early days at Caley Thistle Clachnacuddin boss Conor Gethins on facing Arjen Robben and Robin van Persie Caley Thistle legend Ross Tokely on Barry Robson's shocking attire, 'absolute madman' team-mate and country music Former Aberdeen captain Russell Anderson on the day the Dons painted Glasgow red Steven Ferguson on Dunfermline captain's tragic death, Ross County boss Neale Cooper's 11 Kenny Gilberts quip and 'absolute genius' Paul Gascoigne Ex-Caley Thistle full-back Richard Hastings on facing Luis Figo and vital golden goal on way to Canada's Gold Cup glory Aberdeen FC Gothenburg Great Neil Simpson on the night he claimed Michel Platini's jersey Peterhead co-manager Ryan Strachan on his toughest opponent and favourite away ground
Press and Journal
25-04-2025
- Sport
- Press and Journal
Stuart Findlay: Thanks for the memories, but if Caley Thistle have a serious chance of moving to a new home they should grasp it with both hands
It's perfectly normal to have an emotional attachment to a building. When the time comes to leave, whether that's moving to a new house or a different place of work I'll feel a lump in my throat at the prospect. So I'm not taking it lightly when I say this: if there is a realistic chance of Caley Thistle moving on to another home in Inverness, they should take the plunge. I remember Dennis Wyness's Scottish Cup winner against Celtic. I remember running onto the pitch with hundreds (thousands?) of others when John Robertson's team held off St Johnstone to clinch promotion to the top flight for the first time. There was the first taste of European football in the Highlands against Astra Giurgiu (result aside) and Barry Wilson's goal against Dunfermline in the inaugural SPL encounter in Inverness in January 2005. The good times have been really, really good. But as a football fan, it's only natural to look around at what's happening elsewhere and wonder if it could all be a bit different. For the longest time, my favourite place to watch Caley Thistle was in the away terrace at Victoria Park. Those Highland derbies against Ross County were intense affairs. And through the 2000s, Inverness usually came out on top. But my favourite part was that ICT fans were in Dingwall. They weren't just a little more animated, they were like a different group of people altogether. County's Jail End roared and Inverness fans roared straight back, backing their team and dishing it out to players like Tony Bullock. Now, it's not unusual for away fans to be noisier. They're usually the more hardcore element of the support. And for Inverness, playing Ross County was the only away game that wasn't a huge ordeal geographically to get to. But you can't ignore the other factors. The tighter pitch, the fans being closer to it, the fact that Victoria Park is next to a pub and a train station. It all adds up to a far greater sense of occasion as a supporter when you're part of a large group of fans walking towards the ground. Now, don't get me wrong. There have been plenty of times where the Caledonian Stadium has knocked it out of the park without it needing to be a momentous occasion on the pitch. I remember a Liam Boyce hat-trick en route to County winning 3-2 in Inverness on a baking hot August day. OK, the result wasn't great. But the conditions were perfect and pre-match walk from the Chieftain was a delight. But most of the Scottish football season isn't played on days like that. Playing so close to the Moray Firth means the stadium can be a very windy place indeed. It's tucked away in a place that's not very easy to get to. And the stands are all much further away from the pitch than they should be. There are a lot of different reasons why the club hasn't been able to kick on from the 2015 Scottish Cup success and grow the fanbase. The thousands of Old Firm fans in the city are undoubtedly a big factor, for instance. But I can't help but feel it would have been an easier sell for fans if the matchday atmosphere was just… better. I know what you're probably thinking. There is an absolutely massive elephant in the room. The club is in administration and fighting for its very survival. So my thinking is purely hypothetical. There's a fair chance that it makes absolutely no financial sense to consider moving to a new ground while everything is still so up in the air. But the potential unlocking of huge swathes of land at Ashton Farm, close to Inverness Campus, presents an interesting prospect. A tie-in with Highland Council, HIE and others to provide sports facilities could open the door to a community stadium that may solve some of the club's long-standing issues. It's not the Bught and it might not be perfect. But as long as it's in Inverness, I'm ready to roll the dice. Stuart Findlay lives in Inverness and works as a journalist for the Press and Journal.
