Highland Fling
Our mission to visit the forty-two league grounds of Scotland saw us travel to Inverness this weekend.
It’s a place I have visited before and is a superb little city but for Mrs Hopper, this was her first time staying in Nessie country.
After originally booking this weekend as a special occasion to mark the visit of my 150th ground visited, postponements and strike action meant that it would be just number 146.
Inverness Caledonian Thistle‘s game against Raith Rovers was also meant to be a Saturday game until BBC Scotland decided to broadcast it on their Friday night football show. Luckily, we had arranged to travel up on the Friday in good time to still be able to attend.
Fortuitously, it also meant we could revisit Elgin City‘s Borough Briggs ground on Saturday to cover one of our ‘missing’ Hopper Tales from a couple of years ago.
So, with a hectic schedule ahead of us, let’s get on with it!
Inverness – The Journey
Our day started at 07:00 giving us plenty of time for last-minute bag checks before heading out to catch the 08:10 X1 bus to Newcastle.
With it being commuter time on a Friday, the service was very busy and made many stops, eventually arriving in Newcastle at 09:18.
We made our way to Greggs to pick up some pastry-based sustenance for the journey north, before making our way to Central Station.
We boarded the 09:53 LNER train to Edinburgh and after a smooth journey, arrived in the Scottish capital at 11:20.
With just thirteen minutes between connections, we quickly headed to Platform 11, where our connection to Stirling was already waiting.
As an afterthought, I wonder if it’s just myself and Mrs Hopper who find Waverley’s platform numbering and station layout so confusing. The numbers seem to be allocated at random with platform numbers not appearing to be concurrent.
I’m sure if you look at an overheard plan of it, there would be some logic but as a passenger scurrying to catch a train, it’s all very confusing.
We arrived in Stirling forty-five minutes later and awaited the 12:36 to Inverness.
After settling in for the longest portion of our journey to the Highlands, we sat back and relaxed, enjoying the stunning scenery Scotland has to offer.
A smooth but long journey was completed when we arrived in the Highlands capital at 15:25. A total journey time of seven hours and fifteen minutes.
Inverness
The train station at Inverness won’t win any prizes for its appearance and certainly does not indicate this city’s beauty and character.
We crossed Academy Street and headed down Union Street and Bank Lane, bringing us to the River Ness which dissects the city in two.
We headed upstream and past my favourite pub, Johnny Foxes – a place I fully intended to visit before we left.
After taking a couple of quick snaps of the wonderful city centre, we crossed the Ness Bridge and followed Tomnahurich Street, before turning right into Kenneth Street.
This is where our lodgings for the weekend were located, a total walking distance of twelve minutes from the train station.
Melrose Villa
After entering the key code to the front door, we took the keys from the box and made our way to the room on the third floor.
Our room at Melrose Villa was small but clean and perfect for our needs, as well as a great location for everything around the city.
Having dumped our bags, we wasted no time returning to the crisp, Highland air, where the sun was shining down.
Inverness – The Walk to the Stadium
We decided to slowly wander to the stadium, following the River Ness for as much of the journey as possible.
This eventually brought us to the marina, where a very expensive-looking collection of boats and yachts wallowed and bobbed in the sunshine.
Today was the first time this year that I can remember not having my coat on while outside…
The Red Shank
This was also where we would snag one of the best fish and chip meals I’ve ever had.
We had purposely come this way because there was a restaurant on Google Maps called the Redshank which had reviews of 4.9.
It turned out to not be a restaurant but rather, a mobile unit that sits on the marina’s car park.
Nonetheless, the reviews turned out to be an accurate indicator of the food being served from that van.
We were given a little beeper and told to wait until it beeped to indicate that our food was ready. We took our seats in a designated area of wooden benches and little alcoves that protected us from the wind.
Our beeper beeped and Mrs Hopper went to fetch our food, coming back clutching fish, chips and mushy peas.
These were by no means the cheapest we’ve ever had but that is more an indicator of the price of fish these days, rather than these guys ripping people off. The taste of the fresh Peterhead fish, however, soon made me forget the price tag and prevented any further beeping from me.
Redshank is highly recommended by us if you are in the area.
You can even drive in with your car and eat them in situ, with the Moray/Beauly Firth and the impressive Kessock Bridge that spans it as your backdrop.
The rest of the walk took us along the road on the southern bank of the Moray/Beauly Firth and under the bridge spanning it.
Inverness Caledonian Thistle – Caledonian Stadium Exterior
After rounding the final curve of the aptly named Stadium Road, we saw the Caledonian Stadium ahead of us.
On a sunny day like this with the surrounding deep blue water of the Firth, this is a lovely setting for a football ground.
The stadium is tilted at an angle from the water, with the northwest corner pointing north.
For simplicity’s sake, we will follow the official line, which means the stand which points to the northwest is the North Stand.
We walked through the car park behind the North Stand. There is nothing interesting about this end of the ground, it’s just a plain, blue metal exterior.
Walking anti-clockwise around the ground, we headed along the western side, known as the Open Terrace.
It was difficult to make out what this side looked like with BBC Scotland television crew trucks parked outside.
As we neared the southwest corner, there was an open gate and as I neared it to grab a sneak peek and get a cheeky photo, a lovely lady appeared and told me I could go in and get some photographs.
Thank you very much! I managed to get my cover photo from those few snaps.
Moving around the south stand, it was much like its counterpart at the north end, bland and nothing distinguishable about it.
The Raith Rovers coach was manoeuvering into position having already deposited its promotion-chasing cargo at the main entrance.
Main Stand
This brought us back to Stadium Road and the main stand.
The main stand was the only notable feature of the Caledonian Stadium’s exterior.
It has a nice combination of brick and steel framework construction.
This is where all the important club facilities are located, including offices, dressing rooms etc. as well as a social club bar.
There was also a small club shop and this is where we headed next.
Club Shop
Confusingly, you have to enter the club shop via the main reception and it feels wrong to be walking in that way for some reason.
There is a small but good selection of merchandise on sale in the shop but unfortunately, the two things I looked to buy were both absent.
They had sold out of club crest pin badges and no match programmes are available for Inverness matches this season.
Inverness Caledonian Thistle – Caledonian Stadium Exterior Gallery
Social Club Bar
The Caledonian Stadium doesn’t have what you would call a traditional social club.
Located beneath the main stand, the inside looks more like a concourse that has been transitioned into a bar.
After showing our match tickets to get access to the bar, we made our way inside.
The long room contained toilets, a bar and a snack kiosk. We headed to the bar and bought two pints of Tennents, costing £7.00.
After taking a seat at one of the bar stools by the window, I noticed some framed newspaper clippings on the wall at the bottom end.
Celtic fans, look away now, you know what’s coming…
The headline “Super Caley Go Ballistic, Celtic Are Atrocious”, comes from the game that made Inverness Caledonian Thistle famous in footballing circles.
Prior to that night in February 2000, a mere six years after the club’s formation, not many people outside of Scotland had heard of, or paid much attention to Caley.
After beating Celtic 3-1 at Parkhead, this headline ensured nobody would be forgetting them in a hurry.
The most famous headline in sports news reporting ever? I certainly can’t think of a better one.
One thing I love about Scottish football is that rivalries are mostly put aside. There are exceptions, of course. Some obvious, some not so much.
For the most part, though, you can go to any Scottish ground wearing your team’s colours and nobody bats an eyelid.
I watched a small group of Rovers’ fans enter the room and as they stood talking, a Caley supporter asked them if they had a good journey up and “Welcome to Inverness Caledonian Thistle!”
I love it.
By the time we left the bar, there were probably as many Rovers fans present as home supporters.
Well done Scotland.
Inverness Caledonian Thistle – Caledonian Stadium Interior
Getting In
With time moving towards kick-off, we went back outside and headed for the main stand turnstiles.
Our tickets were purchased online from the official Caley website, costing £22.00 each and printed at home.
They were scanned at the turnstile by a real human being and we entered the stadium proper.
North Stand
Away to our right was the North Stand.
This is a fully covered, all-seater stand allocated to home supporters and is where Caley’s more vocal fans sit/stand.
This is one of two stands built as part of a redevelopment in 2004/05 to accommodate Caley’s promotion to the SPL.
Incredibly, long-time sponsors and shareholders, Tulloch, completed the construction of both stands in just forty-seven days.
I can think of a few projects the government could hire these guys for!
West Side
The west side of the ground is a hotch-potch of seats, a TV gantry and open space.
The four hundred uncovered seats would only look appealing if the rest of the ground was sold out.
South Stand
The second of the two stands built in 2004/05 is a mirror image of its counterpart at the northern end of the stadium.
The South Stand is where away supporters are housed and a decent number of Rovers fans had made the long journey up from Kirkcaldy.
Especially when you consider this was a Friday night and the game was being shown on BBC Scotland.
The Jock McDonald Main Stand
The main stand at the Caledonian Stadium is named after Caley Thistle’s first chairman, John ‘Jock’ McDonald.
Jock was a key figure in the foundation of Inverness Caledonian Thistle and following his sad passing in December 2008, the club named the main stand after him the following April.
The stand is unique in its design, almost like an inverted T-shape.
The main part of it is roofed and all of it is seated but there are extensions on the lower section at both sides with uncovered seats.
Presumably, this was all part of the renovation work undertaken during Caley’s elevation to the top tier of Scottish football.
If you know differently, please let us know in the comments.
The playing surface at the Caledonian Stadium is of natural grass.
Another unusual feature of the stadium is the floodlighting.
There are two small floodlights on either side of the main stand, with more lighting on the roof.
On the opposite side of the ground, two large floodlights stand in either corner while five smaller floodlights line the length of the pitch. Maybe these are from before the renovations and were never taken down?
Again, if you know, please drop a comment below.
Capacity at the Caledonian Stadium is set at 7,512.
Inverness Caledonian Thistle – Caledonian Stadium Interior Gallery
Inverness Caledonian Thistle Tidbits
The Inverness Caledonian Thistle Football Club was founded in 1994.
They resulted from a merger between two Highland League clubs based in the city, Inverness Thistle and Caledonian Thistle.
Both of those clubs can trace their history back to 1885. Another team still represents Inverness in the Highland League, Clachnacuddin and are the most successful side in the league’s history, with eighteen title wins.
When the SPL announced it was expanding with two extra slots opening, Caledonian Thistle and Inverness Thistle merged to take one of those spots. Ross County joined the league at the same time.
There was opposition to the merger which you can read more about here.
Opening day for the new club (still known as Caledonian Thistle for now) brought instant success. The visitors to their then ground, Telford Street, were Arbroath, and the Smokies got smoked 5-2. Captain Alan Hercher helped himself to a hattrick on the day.
The club finished sixth in the Third Division of that inaugural season.
1996/97 saw ‘Inverness’ added to the club’s name and a move to the new Caledonian Stadium. This eventful season also saw the club crowned champions.
Two years later, they were promoted again, as runners-up to Livingston.
They stayed in Division One for five years and during that time, earned themselves a reputation as giant-killers. They defeated Celtic 3-1 in that famous game at Parkhead and pulled off a succession of ‘shocks’ to go alongside that most famous one.
Top Flight Caley
In 2003/2004 Caley Thistle won the First Division title and was promoted to the Scottish Premier League, just ten years after their formation.
Due to the Caledonian Stadium not meeting SPL requirements, the decision was made to ground share with Aberdeen for a season. The rapid construction of the new stands meant that only eleven games were played at Pittodrie before the club played their first SPL game at ‘home’.
The club retained its top-flight status for five seasons before relegation in 2008/09.
During that season, Caly hired ex-England international, Terry Butcher as manager. He would remain with the club during much of the success until he left for Hibernian in November 2013.
Caley returned just one season later and this time managed seven seasons in the SPL.
2013/14 saw them attain their best-ever placing in the SPL, finishing third.
This also earned them their first (and only) European campaign. Unfortunately, this was a short-lived experience, losing 1-0 on aggregate to Romanian side, Astra Giurgiu.
Cup Success
In 2015, they won the Scottish Cup and their first national trophy when they defeated Falkirk 1-0 at Hampden Park.
Relegated in 2016/17, Caley has yet to recapture the magic that accompanied them during those SPL years and has spent the interim time in the Championship. They were unfortunate to be in second place when the COVID-19 pandemic meant the league was shut down early in 2020.
In August 2018, came the death of the club’s first goalscorer and hattrick hero, Alan Hercher, aged just fifty-two.
The club’s highest attendance was set against Aberdeen, while still ground-sharing at Pittodrie. 9,530 spectators watched on as Caley fans occupied the Red Shed and the players had the home dressing room.
The record attendance at the Caledonian Stadium is 7,753. This was set with Rangers as the visitors on January 20th, 2008.
In 2023, former Scottish international striker, Duncan Ferguson replaced Billy Dodds as manager and he remains at the helm.
Inverness Caledonian Thistle considers their main rivals to be Aberdeen, Ross County and Clachnacuddin.
This season has seen them battling at the wrong end of the division and tonight’s game would be crucial to their hopes of remaining in the Championship.
Inverness Caledonian Thistle – Pre-Game View of the Caledonian Stadium
Inverness Caledonian Thistle v Raith Rovers – The Game
Form
Coming into today’s game Caley Thistle sat in a relegation scrap, hovering third from bottom. With Arbroath already destined for the drop, it looks like a straight scrap between Caley and Queen’s Park for the relegation playoff spot.
Opponents. Raith Rovers sit in second place having led the league at some points of the season.
With Dundee United now looking unlikely to relinquish the top spot, all Rovers can do is push and hope.
For Caley, March ended with defeat at Partick Thistle, while April has seen them pick up six points in their two games. Crucially, one of those wins came against the Spiders and that win gives them pole position going into the final three games.
Their other game saw them beat Arbroath 2-1 at the Caledonian Stadium.
Raith Rovers finished March with a season-defining 2-0 loss at promotion rivals Dundee United.
Since then, they have picked up just four points from a possible nine. A 2-1 win against Ayr United was followed by a 1-3 home reverse against Airdrieonians and last time out, the Kirkcaldy team drew 0-0 at home to Partick Thistle.
Despite the gap, I was predicting a 1-1 draw and we all know how good my predictions are… 🙄
Kick-Off
Despite reservations about my prediction abilities, Caley started on the front foot.
Indeed, they stayed on the front foot throughout most of the ninety minutes.
Manager, Big Duncan Ferguson, prowled around his technical area getting more agitated as the game wore on.
He has my sympathy, too.
Caley was the better team throughout and it’s hard to believe they didn’t get at least a point from today’s game.
I feel like my pre-match prediction was robbed! 😂
Half Time – Inverness Caledonian Thistle 0 Raith Rovers 0
The teams went into the break all square, despite Caley’s best efforts.
With no Stoke game to check in on, I spent the halftime interval staring around the stadium and taking a few extra snaps.
The sunshine had faded away, leaving a lovely sky of differing shades of purple, or so Mrs Hopper tells me.
Second Half
The second half began with a momentary lapse of concentration that cost the home side dearly.
Lewis Vaughan opened (and closed) the scoring for the away team against the run of play, just four minutes into the second half.
After that, it was a succession of chances for the home side. They hit the woodwork three times and Rovers’ keeper, Kevin Dabrowski pulled off a couple of outstanding saves.
It was no coincidence that he got the Hoppers Guide Man of the Match award.
Be careful with that trophy, Kevin. Although you can’t see it, trust me, it’s huge and made of solid silver.
So, a 1-0 win for Rovers at a ground that has traditionally seen them struggle to get a result. That said, they have won both fixtures here this season.
You can read a full Match Report here, courtesy of the Raith Rovers website.
Attendance – 2,385
Entrance Fee – £22.00
Programme – N/A
Inverness Caledonian Thistle v Raith Rovers – Match Highlights
League Table After Today’s Game
League table courtesy of the BBC Sport website
Up Next
Caley’s remaining scheduled games see them travel to East End Park to face Dunfermline on April 27th.
They will round off their regular season campaign at home to Greenock Morton on May 3rd in a reverse fixture of Hopper Tales #96.
Rovers will finish their regular season campaign with a trip to Morton’s Cappielow Park before a home fixture against relegated Arbroath.
Neither side will want to play any further games but in Rovers’ case, it now looks certain that they will face the promotion playoffs.
Meanwhile, Caley will desperately hope they can avoid that relegation playoff spot.
Based on today’s performance, it won’t be for a lack of effort if they fail.
Inverness Caledonian Thistle – Thoughts
The Caledonian Stadium is a fine setting for football.
I’m sure there are vantage points that could show off the beauty of its natural surroundings.
Even with my mobile phone’s camera, I got some pictures that make me want to return.
I feel certain things could be improved, though.
For instance, the stadium’s exterior is bland in contrast to its surroundings. Maybe the outer shell of the north and south stands could be painted red and blue in club colours?
How about something showing some of the history of the two clubs that formed Caley, attached to the stadium?
I also lament the lack of a printed programme whenever I visit a club that doesn’t produce one. Even an eight-page £1.00 programme, or a teamsheet at the very least, is better than nothing.
If non-league clubs can continue to produce these, then league clubs have no excuse in my opinion.
The vibe around the ground is friendly and welcoming, including to the visiting Rovers fans. That should always be praised in places where it is evident and encouraged at clubs where it’s not.
The ground itself affords great unobstructed views of the action in all areas.
One final thought… Why on Earth did I not see a Nessie mascot? Surely the club should be cashing in on their most famous resident?
Inverness – After the Game
After the game, we headed back towards the city centre via Stadium Road but in the opposite direction from which we had come in.
A long walk down Longman Road before we were back in the centre and familiar territory.
It was time to head to my favourite UK watering hole.
Johnny Foxes
Having visited this pub back in 2009, I couldn’t wait to revisit it.
I had the second-best night out of my life here – second only to my first night out with Mrs Hopper at Hulk Hogan’s bar in Tampa, Florida.
The night of my first visit was a packed pub, where live, traditional Scottish music was provided by a band called Torridon. It was the perfect combination of decent music, a packed and happy crowd and good beer.
It was a relief then, that not much has changed. There is still nightly live music and a good crowd in there on Friday night.
The Electric Cherries were playing tonight and an excellent job they did of it, playing covers of popular female pop-rock songs.
They did a particularly good version of Fleetwood Mac’s The Chain and we spent a few happy hours here before heading back to the lodgings.
Next Up for Hoppers Guide
Not long to wait until our next Hop…
The very next day would see us make the short trip to Elgin City’s Borough Briggs ground.
This will be our second visit to Elgin, as it is one of our ten ‘missing’ Hopper Tales from when I was building the Hoppers Guide website.
Knowing what lay in store didn’t diminish the excitement of returning to this fabulous old-school ground.
Onto the next!
