How Inverness Caley Thistle's Scottish Cup semi final record looks ahead of a return to Hampden Park against Falkirk this Saturday
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Anticipation is building in the Highland capital as Inverness Caledonian Thistle make their final preparations for Saturday's Scottish Cup semi final against Falkirk.
It is a competition that has almost become synonymous with the Caley Jags since they formed 29 years ago, with Inverness recording a number of famous giant killings over the year.
Their association with the Scottish Cup does not just hinge on a few notable results, though. Inverness have backed it up with real progress too.
This weekend will be their fifth semi final appearance in the last 20 years – a tally only beaten by Celtic, Rangers, Hibernian, Hearts and Aberdeen. So how have ICT fared when they got to this stage in the past?
2002/03 v Dundee
Every Scottish football fan knows about the "Super Caley Go Ballistic" headline and moment. 2015's win against Celtic will also live long in the memory – both due to the drama involved and the magnitude of the occasion.
Outside the Highlands, fewer supporters may remember the 2003 victory over Celtic in the cup – courtesy of a Dennis Wyness strike – that sent Caley Thistle to their first ever semi final.
There, the opponents for second-tier ICT were Dundee, who would finish sixth in the Premier League that season.
Inverness started well, with captain Bobby Mann and Paul Ritchie having sights of goal, but eventually Dundee's experience at a higher level began to tell.
It took the Dens Park outfit a while to make the breakthrough, but when Fabian Caballero teed up Giorgi Nemsadze in the 78th minute and the ball hit the back of the net, the dream run came to an end.
2003/04 v Dunfermline Athletic
Thankfully, Caley Thistle would not have to wait long before making their return to Hampden.
The very next season, victories over Brechin City, St Mirren and Motherwell saw Inverness return to the semi final, where they took on another Premier League side in Dunfermline Athletic.
It seems strange looking back on it now, but this semi final was notable for taking 180 minutes – as a replay was needed to separate the sides.
Only the first match, which ended 1-1, was played at Hampden. Paul Ritchie's header had gone in off the post just before half time, only for Craig Brewster to equalise in the 67th minute.
That meant the two sides would reconvene 10 days later on a Tuesday night at Aberdeen's Pittodrie Stadium.
Again, Ritchie opened the scoring, but this time Darren Young levelled before Brewster gave Dunfermline a lead.
With 12 minutes left on the clock, Barry Nicholson scored a wonderful solo goal to seemingly put the result beyond doubt, but ICT kept fighting and got one back in stoppage time through David Bingham's penalty.
Although it was not to be in the cup, it was still an extremely successful season for Caley Thistle as they won the old First Division title – earning them a spot in the top flight for the first time.
2014/15 v Celtic
This match was mentioned earlier, but it is difficult to write enough words to do it justice.
A first trip to Hampden in 11 years for the now well-established Premiership club was earned through victories over St Mirren, Partick Thistle and Raith Rovers.
By this time, semi final replays were a thing of the past, and that worked out to ICT's benefit against Celtic.
Virgil Van Dijk had the Glasgow giants 1-0 up at half time, and really they should have had a numbers advantage after Josh Meekings kept Leigh Griffiths' effort out with his hand before the interval.
Somehow, though, the officials missed the indiscretion, and instead it was a red card for Celtic goalkeeper Craig Gordon who took out Marley Watkins, with Greg Tansey slotting home the resultant penalty.
Against 10 men, John Hughes' men had every reason to believe as the game went into extra time, even more so when Edward Ofere gave them the lead in the 96th minute.
John Guidetti's free kick would put the game back in the balance, but then ICT's full backs combined as Graeme Shinnie set up David Raven to fire in the winner in the 117th minute.
Of course, the celebrations would not end there, as the Caley Jags would go on to lift the trophy after another tense match in the final – against this Saturday's opponents Falkirk no less.
2018/19 v Hearts
After the high of winning the Scottish Cup, it may have been somewhat inevitable that a fall was coming.
By the time the summer of 2018 rolled around, Caley Thistle had already been back in the Championship for a year, with most of their cup-winning squad having moved on.
Still, the club's association with cup upsets remained. After seeing off Edinburgh City in a replay, East Kilbride with relative ease and Highland rivals Ross County in a penalty shoot-out, John Robertson's side won 2-1 away at Dundee United to seal a return to the national stadium.
This time around, it was Hearts waiting for them in the semi final – a poignant moment for Jambos legend Robertson in particular – with ICT back in the role of underdogs.
However, a repeat of the achievements of 2015 was not forthcoming, as goals from Uche Ikpeazu, John Souttar and Sean Clare sent Inverness back to the Highlands without much cause for celebration.
2022/23 v Falkirk
All of that brings us to this year. There is no doubting that Caley Thistle and the Scottish Cup have been intertwined over the last 30 years, and against a team that is a division below them in the pyramid, Saturday represents a real opportunity to reach a second ever Scottish Cup final.
Since qualifying for the semi final, the form book has favoured Inverness.
They recorded six consecutive Championship wins to salvage their play-off hopes, only losing once in their last eight games.
Falkirk, meanwhile, saw the League One title slip out of reach and have won two, lost two and drawn four since their quarter final win over Ayr United.
Inverness know all too well, though, that upsets can happen in cup competition. Surely that will make them all the more determined to be celebrating at the full time whistle on Saturday afternoon.
