Inverness Caley Thistle ease to four-goal victory over Albion Rovers in Premier Sports Cup as Billy Mckay, Cameron Harper and Wallace Duffy find the net
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Inverness Caledonian Thistle 4 (Mckay, Harper x2, Duffy)
Albion Rovers 0
Inverness Caledonian Thistle eased to a one-sided victory over Albion Rovers to move within a point of qualifying for the Premier Sports Cup second round.
First half goals from Billy Mckay and Cameron Harper were supplemented in the second by Wallace Duffy and another from full back Harper.
There was one scare for the home side, as Albion Rovers hit the bar twice in quick succession, but for the most part the Caley Jags were well in control and good value for their margin of victory.
The hosts got off to the perfect start as they took the lead inside three minutes.
Aaron Doran took possession of the ball having drifted out to the left flank, and picked out Billy Mckay in plenty of space inside the box.
At first he was denied by Jack Leighfield, but Rovers' keeper could do nothing to prevent Mckay nodding in on the follow up.
While it would have been easy to assume the floodgates would open from there, instead a frantic spell followed where both teams had chances as the game opened up.
Kyle Fleming and Scott Roberts each stung the palms of Cameron MacKay in the Inverness goal, while Austin Samuels flashed one effort across the face of goal and went inches away from converting another driven Doran cross.
Things settled down after that, but the Caley Jags would double their advantage before the interval.
Samuels was taken down just outside the box, and Cameron Harper stepped up to send the ball into the corner of the net directly from the dead ball.
Inverness would have been hoping to start the second half with the same spark they had in the first, and they delivered exactly that by making it 3–0.
This time it was Wallace Duffy who converted at a corner kick, giving the hosts a commanding lead.
Before long, it was 4–0. Again, it was Harper that found the net as he found himself playing target man in the final third, and getting to a long ball before an on-rushing Leighfield and heading into an empty net from the edge of the box.
Substitutes then began to come into play, and while the momentum was not disrupted as such Caley Thistle were comfortable controlling the game.
That was until around 15 minutes before the end, when Albion Rovers hit the woodwork twice in quick succession.
Both attempts came from players who had come on for the visitors, as first Devan McColl fed a low shot through a small crowd of bodies and hit the post, with Kieran Dolan on hand for the follow up – only to see his effort crash back off the bar.
Caley Thistle responded by hitting the post themselves. Lewis Hyde latched on to a loose ball after Mckay's cross was only half-cleared, and the young midfielder's attempt at goal took two deflections before bounces harmlessly off the post and into Leighfield's hands.
Inverness were comfortable in the latter stages, moving the ball about with ease and never really coming under pressure of conceding a consolation, which will only give the Caledonian Stadium outfit confidence going into their final group match against Cove Rangers on Saturday where a point will be enough to take them through to the knockout rounds.
Caley Thistle: C Mackay, Duffy (Delaney 55), Harper (Nicolson 70), Deas, Carson, Mckay, Doran, MacGregor, D MacKay (Cairns 70), Allardice (Hyde 63), Samuels (Shaw 55).
Subs not used: Ridgers, Oakley, Boyd.
Albion Rovers: Leighfield, Fernie, McGowan, Sonkur, Fagan, Fleming, Wilson (Duncan 71), Leslie, Roberts (McColl 71), Paton (Dolan 66), Reilly (Testa 74).
Subs not used: Smith.
Referee: Gavin Duncan
Attendance: 871
