Caley Thistle dumped out of Betfred Cup after below-par display
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CALEY Thistle crashed out of the Betfred Cup after a disappointing 1-0 last 16 loss to Alloa Athletic.
Jason Marr's first-half scrambled goal, almost a carbon-copy of David Amoo's against Inverness on Saturday, proved decisive as again the Caley Jags were found wanting in the final third.
It required backs-to-the-wall defending at times from Jack Ross' men but they fully merited their progression to the last eight, leaving Richie Foran to lift his side ahead of the first Highland derby of the season at the weekend.
The one plus for Foran was that Aaron Doran was able to play 20 minutes at the end of the game – his first action since the away leg of the Astra Europa League tie – but Inverness' League Cup hopes went the way of Ross County's at the Indodrill Stadium.
Alloa made two changes from the side that beat Peterhead 4-0 at the weekend, with Jim Goodwin and Jamie Longworth replacing Kevin Cawley and Graeme Holmes.
Caley Thistle, for the fourth game in a row, named an unchanged line-up, meaning Ross Draper and Doran remained on the bench.
Inverness' first foray forward saw David Raven's cross cleared under pressure by Jason Marr, who flicked the ball behind for a corner.
The hosts are clearly a side full of confidence, on the back of five straight wins to open their season. Jordan Kirkpatrick was keen to get on the ball and contributed to Alloa's first meaningful attack, darting forward before seeing his cross blocked by Raven.
Liam Polworth had the first shot on target on 22 minutes as he met Scott Boden's lay-off sweetly, sending an effort crashing back off the crossbar via the fingertips of Neil Parry.
But seven minutes later and the League One side continued their run of form against Highland sides, taking the lead a fortnight after they dumped Ross County out of the same competition.
Calum Waters delivered a delightful in-swinging ball from the right, which Marr flicked towards goal. When the initial attempt was blocked, he was first on hand to stab home the rebound, despite Raven's best efforts.
Aside from Polworth's strike, Caley Thistle failed to force a save out of Parry. As well as a further long-range try from Polworth, Billy King and Jake Mulraney both sent shots high over the top as the Wasps emerged from the first half on top.
Draper's introduction at the start of the second half looked to add more bite in the middle of the park for Inverness, but they were still ceding opportunities at the back. Scott Taggart was given an age to cross and found Greig Spence at the back post, who skied his volley high over the bar.
The ineffective Boden was withdrawn with 30 minutes to go to give Alex Fisher another chance to impress, although he drew the ire of Foran when he tried to lob Parry but instead sent the ball hurtling into the terraces behind the goal.
Caley Thistle players grew more frustrated, gesturing at each other to offer options for those on the ball. Greg Tansey tried his best to get his side back in the game, lofting the ball over the top to Draper and his cushioned header, which fell perfectly into Vigurs' path, deserved better than a skewed shot wide.
As the game wound on it required an even more resilient defensive effort from Alloa, who were finding themselves under greater pressure. Vigurs was denied off a sweet strike by Parry and then on the rebound by John Robertson, while Carl Tremarco headed straight at the home goalkeeper.
Desperate for a goal, Foran handed Doran a return after more than a year out of the game in place of Polworth. Bar a run that was drawn back for offside, he was unable to halt Caley Thistle's early slide out of the competition.
ALLOA ATHLETIC: Parry; Taggart, Waters, Graham, Marr, Goodwin, Longworth (Cawley, 46), Robertson, Flannigan, Kirkpatrick (Holmes, 74), Spence (Layne, 82). Subs unused: McDowall, Wilson, Hoggan, Hetherington. Booked: Flannigan, Longworth, Waters.
CALEY THISTLE: Fon Williams; Raven, McNaughton, Warren, Tremarco, Tansey, Polworth, King, Vigurs, Mulraney (Draper, 46), Boden (Fisher, 60). Subs unused: Mackay, Horner, Brown, Sutherland, Doran. Booked:
Attendance: 613.
Referee: D. Robertson.
