Match Report - By Grant Hood

Brechin City’s hugely dispiriting sequence of results continued at a bitterly cold and rainy Tulloch Caledonian Stadium against a more than competent Inverness CT side, with John Robertson’s men running out comfortable 4-0 victors.

City started without the suspended Sean Crighton, but skipper Paul McLean made the starting line up as The Club lodged an appeal against the sending off he received against Falkirk on Saturday. This saw Gary Fusco return to the starting line up in a central defensive partnership, with James Dale replacing Jordan Sinclair in midfield.

The home side took the lead in 12 minutes when the ball fell kindly in the middle of the penalty area after Graeme Smith and his defence, under pressure from George Oakley, failed to clear a cross from the Inverness right flank, allowing JOE CHALMERS to slot the ball home.

ICT then found themselves two goals ahead some 10 minutes later as COLL DONALDSON prodded the ball over the line after a free kick wasn’t cleared.

In an immediate response, City striker Isaac Layne almost silenced the home support with a vicious 25-yard effort which only just curled past the home keeper’s left hand post. Shortly before half-time, Liam Polworth curled a not too dis-similar effort from a free-kick just past Buzz’s far post.

City started the half with Euan Spark on in place of Liam Watt, but almost found themselves three goals down within seconds as Willie Dyer cleared off the line from a home corner.

As Darren Dods’ men gradually came into the game, the home side grabbed a killer third. Brechin’s midfield and forward players enjoyed a passage of play in the home half, but possession was lost and a slick and incisive passing move saw Liam Polworth find JOE CHALMERS who drilled the ball home for his second of the night to take any semblance of pressure off ICT.

Amongst the usual second half flurry of substitutions, John Robertson’s men grabbed a fourth on 65 minutes when another lightening fast move saw the impressive Connor Bell cross from the right to leave GEORGE OAKLEY an easy volley home from close range.

With the result well beyond doubt, the home fans might have thought a goals bonanza was there to be had against a tired and leggy looking City side. To their credit though, Dods’ players continued to work exceptionally hard, with ‘Buzz’ looking alert on a number of occasions to ensure there would be no further goals conceded. It would be wrong to think City carried no goal threat with Isaac Layne stinging the home keeper’s hands from 20 yards, before Kalvin Orsi slid arguably City’s best chance a foot wide of the post from inside the penalty box.

Although ICT missed a handful of well created chances – including a drive from Connor Bell being blocked on the line by team-mate Joe Chalmers – efforts from Jordan Sinclair and Isaac Layne also drew fine low saves from the home keeper.

City’s luck was summed up in added-on time when a cross from the left was deflected goalwards by defender Gary Warren, but the wrong-footed home keeper was still able to regain the ground required to ensure City’s score tally remained blank.

Given the season The Club is enduring, the handful of supremely loyal travelling fans who made the journey north would doubtless have enjoyed a City goal - even an own-goal in injury time of a 4-0 defeat would have been welcome.

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