Inverness Caley Thistle await the outcome of tomorrow’s Glasgow Derby Scottish Cup Final to see whether they will take on Celtic or theRangers in the Scottish Cup final on Saturday 3 June at Hampden Park. Billy Dodds’ side emerged 3-0 winners over Falkirk in the first semi-final today with two goals from Billy McKay and one from Daniel Mackay.
The Highlanders from the Championship this afternoon got the better of League one side Falkirk in the first semi-final played out before an embarrassingly low crowd as VAR intervened to give Inverness an early goal from the penalty spot. Ronny Deila would be entitled to allow himself a wry smile if he watches that one which was deemed a penalty kick whereas the one that Leigh Griffiths was denied in the 2015 Scottish Cup semi-final against Inverness, remarkably was not given.
A first experience of VAR for both teams and it takes just 4 minutes for it to lead to a penalty! 😱
Billy McKay makes no mistake from the spot to give @ICTFC an early lead 🔴🔵#ScottishCup pic.twitter.com/eIucU2Ilmd
— Viaplay Sports UK (@ViaplaySportsUK) April 29, 2023
That denied Celtic the chance of a Treble so a win tomorrow will set up a tremendous opportunity to right that 2015 wrong and playing and beating Inverness Caley Thistle will provide some form of poetic justice for one of the most blatant of all the Honest Mistakes.
The Scottish FA’s decision to play this game with such an early kick-off thus forcing the travelling Inverness fans to be on the road at the crack of dawn is anything but sensible or customer friendly from an organisation that never really gets things right.
And why not play that game at a more appropriate and convenient venue, for instance at McDiarmid Park in Perth to provide a better atmosphere and spectacle for the Scottish game? Hampden was always going to be empty. No wonder so many Inverness fans decided to watch the game on television.
David Potter was watching today’s semi-final and he has these five post match points he’d wants to make…
1. BBC Scotland will really have to get their act together. The constant breaking down was annoying, to put it mildly.
2. If VAR gives a penalty like that tomorrow for either side, there will be serious consequences! The row could go on for days!
3. Well done, Inverness! They are not exactly favourites for the Scottish Cup, however, but it will be another day out for them. And their other two goals were good ones. They must be the first club to reach a Scottish Cup final having lost a game. (They lost to Queen’s Park but Queen’s Park fielded an illegal player).
4. I thought that Liam Henderson had changed somewhat since he played for Celtic, but of course, its another Liam Henderson.
5. Would that game not have been better played at McDiarmid Park or Tynecastle or some place which looked reasonably full?
6. Did you hear Neil McCann before the start? He was talking about the 2009 Scottish Cup final in which Nacho Novo scored a “Hail Mary goal”! I’ve a funny feeling that that remark may not have gone down very well in some quarters!
Here are the three goals that take Inverness Caley thistle into the 2023 Scottish Cup Final.
“I get frustrated and annoyed as an ex-full back!” 🗣️@Sports_EmmaD, @mstewart_23 and Alan Hutton discuss the handball given against Falkirk which lead to the opener 💬#ScottishCup pic.twitter.com/PyzZSuPwmH
— Viaplay Sports UK (@ViaplaySportsUK) April 29, 2023
🙌 @ICTFC are producing a ruthless performance on the big stage!
Daniel Mackay with a great header to double Caley Thistle’s lead 🔴🔵#ScottishCup pic.twitter.com/jCgDEwcSYt
— Viaplay Sports UK (@ViaplaySportsUK) April 29, 2023
“What a finish!” 🎙@billymckay22 picks a great time to score his 100th goal for @ICTFC as they go 3-0 up in the #ScottishCup semi-final 💯 pic.twitter.com/8Wjys212l9
— Viaplay Sports UK (@ViaplaySportsUK) April 29, 2023
This was yet another extremely embarrassing decision to award a penalty kick to Caley.
VAR hs become such a laughing stock in Scotland!