HAMPDEN CALLING

Twenty years ago, Caley Thistle’s players and supporters were gearing up for the club’s first ever Scottish Cup final; this week, we’re all looking forward to our fifth!

Join Moff, Riley, AY and Wyness Shuffle debutants Sandy Sutherland and Calum MacDonald as they begin the countdown to the big one by looking back at our recent excellent run, hearing from a few familiar voices, and speculating on who will be running out at Hampden next Saturday.

Let’s Shuffle!

01:13: Welcome. Moff introduces the panellists and we discuss our plans for semi-final Saturday.

07:00: The Game. The panellists analyse the recent league matches against Dundee (07:25), Hamilton (12:40) Cove (17:30), Arbroath (20:25) and Morton (22:48)

24:50: Talk to Me: Nathan Shaw. Riley sits down with ICT’s in-form attacker to discuss his first season in Inverness and his feelings about playing at Hampden, then the panellists discuss his impact on recent performances.

34:10: Hot Tub Semi-Final Time Machine 1 – 2003. Riley gets into the hot tub with friend of the pod Ross Tokely to hear his memories of playing in the club’s first-ever Scottish Cup semi, followed by the panellists’ slightly more fragmented memories of our narrow 1-0 loss to Dundee.

49:37: The Opposition. Moff finds out a bit more about 2023-vintage Falkirk courtesy of Ross Wayne from the Falkirk Daft podcast, then we discuss what we can expect from the Bairns next week.

01:15:02: Hot Tub Semi-Final Time Machine 2 – 2004. ICT’s Mr Versatile David Proctor climbs into Riley’s slightly soiled bathwater to recall the drawn semi-final against Dunfermline in 2004, and the 3-2 defeat in the replay at Pittodrie.

01:25:28: The Playoffs. While the main focus of the podcast might be the Scottish Cup semi-final, there’s also a very real chance that we’ll have Premiership playoffs to negotiate in May. The panellists look forward to the matches we might have to play and discuss our potential opponents and our chances.

01:47:37: Hot Tub Semi-Final Time Machine 3 – 2019. With the water now looking a very murky grey, Caley Thistle winger Tom Walsh climbs into the hot tub and tells Riley about playing in the 3-0 semi-final loss to Hearts in 2019.

02:01:28: Talk to Me: Robbie Deas. Stevie has another chat with our outstanding defender, whose return from injury has coincided with our upturn in form, and gets his thoughts on next week’s game, and his time with the club more generally.

02:09:25: Semi-final preview. The panellists debate the likely ICT line-up and tactics for the semi-final, the financial implications for the club, and the possibility of a new club song…