PRS Posted December 23, 2012 Share Posted December 23, 2012 1356211994[/url]' post='6914549']Thanks RayBees. I had wondered about Grant Street hosting so many cup finals down the years but it must have had a really good capacity with those 3 stands on that side. The ground has fairly shrunk since then unfortunately. The original wine shed is the enclosure closest to the camera in the photo, this was where the "hard core"Clachers stood up. Did venture in there on a couple of occasions in the 70s and 80s, but hid my Caley scarf in the interests of self preservation! 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stonedsailor Posted January 2, 2013 Share Posted January 2, 2013 Good news guys. The Rangers situation means that ICT are a continuation of Caledonian (and Thistle). You can all get back to supporting your club again. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RayBees Posted January 2, 2013 Author Share Posted January 2, 2013 Good news guys. The Rangers situation means that ICT are a continuation of Caledonian (and Thistle). You can all get back to supporting your club again. Haven't looked in the Big Rangers Liquidation thread for some time but I'm sure it's fascinating stuff. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Mighty Wah Posted February 13, 2013 Share Posted February 13, 2013 I've just spent two evenings reading throught this thread, luckily I'm on a week off ! and although my allegiances lie with the lilywhites ( I was born in the Merkinch although moved at an early age over the river to the east side and I think I'm in the Wine sheds in one of the 1981 shots ) I wanted to add a few memories and have selected my user name in deference to the Caledonian FC memorial thread as it's my first contribution to the site. My first memory of visiting Telford Street Park was I think 1978 Caley v Jags. I'd just moved back to Inverness after a couple of years away and remembered being surprised that guys from my old primary class were jumping out of the HE before kick off ( naively I assumed everyone apart from me and living in Hilton had been red & black and Invernessians used geographical allegiances when there was obviously family tie ins ) The score line that jumps into my head was 5-1 Caley and it was very one sided ... I also recall it was a cup tie ! The other memory was the guy who took me to the game bought a big carry out and sat drinking it in the main stand during the game ( The OF Final in 1980 was to change that little luxury before I was of legal age to drink) One player who hasn't been mentioned is Wizzy Dingwall. I recall him as a Clach player in the early 80s but he also had a spell with Caley and thought he was a cracking player. Mind you it's all relative and although the lilywhites reached the Scottish Cup proper in the 81/82 before losing ( undeservedly) to Albion Rovers in Coatbridge we always punched above our weight at that time so he may not have been a stand out with Caley ( older fans will recall I'm sure) but he was still a talent with Clach IMHO albeit getting longer in the tooth. I attended the Cup game v Airdrie and stood in the HE and can testify to the atmosphere on what was a bitterly cold night. Despite the outcome I also enjoyed the cup game there v Clach when it went to a monumental penalty shootout and Bleep ( what was his real name ? ) scored the winning pen for Caley. All the Clach fans had charged round to be in the HE for the shootout and it was a brilliant atmosphere that night ( a young Robbie Williamson was in with the Clach fans that night). The funny thing about Bleep was having played with him at Youth league level he had refused to play for the Telford Street Sides ( formerly Queen Street sides ) at that level under John Beaton et al yet was still good enough to break through at the senior level. Another guy who didn't quite make it for Caley was Ian Macinnes who scored with a cracking strike past Neil Gunn at the Distillery End in a pre season friendly v Aberdeen. MacInnes suffered a bad knee injury I think but played on for many years in the old Welfare League. He played in the same Crown Street league team as Darren Maclean - who joined Liverpool as a schoolboy from Jags before returning to Inverness and Caley via Dundee. Anyway just a few things that jumped into my head and I would never profess to ever being a true afficieanado of Caledonian FC but as an Invernessian football fan recall them with great nostalgia, as I do Inverness Thistle ... but perhaps that's for another thread. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RayBees Posted February 14, 2013 Author Share Posted February 14, 2013 Great post Might Wah. Wizzy Dingwall was once a neighbour of mine. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Mighty Wah Posted February 14, 2013 Share Posted February 14, 2013 My memory may be playing tricks but like a lot of ex HL players Wizzy Dingwall may have played for a spell in the old Welfare League. Teams like British Legion had a few as did Olivetti. Willie Fraser ( if it's the same guy as mentioned in an earlier post and drank in the fluke) was certainly involved with a welfare team and Stevie Polson played in the Springfield team that won the Scottish Welfare Cup in the mid 80s. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PRS Posted February 15, 2013 Share Posted February 15, 2013 Wizzy played for the three clubs in the capital. He was with Thistle in the late 60s as a youngster and went to Muir of Ord who were then in the North Reserve League. He joined Clach in the early 70s where he established himself as a classy midfielder, joining Elgin with Ray McIntosh (I think) moving to Clach as part of that deal before coming to Caley in season 77-78 along with Billy Douglas. As the great Caley side of that era began to seriously break up under Willie Hunters mis management around 1980, he joined Ross Co along with Ray McIntosh, Peter Corbett, Sugar Kennedy to name a few. He might well have returned to Clach at some point after his adventure in Dingwall, as certainly it was not a location favoured by the first two named. They returned to Telford Street as soon as Alec Main was re appointed manager. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Mighty Wah Posted February 16, 2013 Share Posted February 16, 2013 Yes Wizzy was back at Grant St Park during season 81/82 at least and featured in a number of matches including the coatbridge defeat in the Scottish Cup. I attended the Highland League Cup victory v Brora Rangers at Dingwall in the same season but can't recall if he was in the starting XI. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stonedsailor Posted May 9, 2015 Share Posted May 9, 2015 Been an utter arse on this thread at times. I must apologise. 21 years after the end of Caledonian and the metamorphosis into the club that they became with their Kingsmills rivals and I have to say that the pain back then has been worth it. Whether or not it was the correct thing to do, whether or not either club could have done it alone are moot points now. The memory of Caledonian FC and Inverness Thistle FC are to be honoured next season with something none of us could have dreamed of. We will have European football in Sneck. We might even see the Scottish Cup paraded through the streets of Dalneigh and Kingsmills before resting up for a year at the CALEDONIAN stadium. Whatever your feelings then, or now, Caledonian will never die. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PRS Posted May 9, 2015 Share Posted May 9, 2015 Yes, Caledonian FC will live forever in the hearts of most of the contributors to this thread, but don't kid yourself for a second that any of us will ever feel anything but at best, antipathy to ICT ,who will always be the club that killed the real Caley. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stonedsailor Posted May 10, 2015 Share Posted May 10, 2015 Yes, Caledonian FC will live forever in the hearts of most of the contributors to this thread, but don't kid yourself for a second that any of us will ever feel anything but at best, antipathy to ICT ,who will always be the club that killed the real Caley. I understand your position and empathise but Caledonian will only live on in ICT. Your mind's version of Caledonian will die with the memories of you and those who think the way you do. I feel sorry for you. You are missing out on Inverness football's greatest moment. It must be killing you inside to see Caley grow and grow. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jimmy Shaker Posted May 11, 2015 Share Posted May 11, 2015 How can Caley keep growing when they were killed off? 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
weirdcal Posted May 12, 2015 Share Posted May 12, 2015 How can Caley keep growing when they were killed off? under developments in the last 3 years, you should be aware that clubs dont die, their history just magically appears under a new related club. all in all, i was only 10 when the merger happened and at that stage the implications of what that meant were lost on me. However, having a team in the 'proper' leagues from near by made it exciting. i feel for the older fans with this but at the same time i also wish they started lending the support, singing the old songs (both Caley and Thistle ones) and make it look like Inverness really deserve a top flight club. sadly most would rather support one of the glasgow cheeks from the comfort of their local / couch and it seems at times that its because they couldnt have their big team and wee team in the same league setup and made their choice. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stonedsailor Posted May 13, 2015 Share Posted May 13, 2015 How can Caley keep growing when they were killed off? Caley are dead, long live Caley. Seriously though. Even though ICT are a new and different club to Caledonian everyone knows us as Caley in the main, Inverness a good bit of the time and Thistle occasionally. SuperCALEYgoballisticcelticareattrocious. One of the best known headlines in British football. Football supporters, from the rest of the UK, on ships which I have served reel that tongue twister off to me even to this day after finding out which team I support. It beats the but who do you support out of Celtic and Rangers? I used to be hit with prior to Feb 12th 2000. We may not be Caledonian but we are the famous Caley. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheScarf Posted May 14, 2015 Share Posted May 14, 2015 ICT are Caley and Thistle as one team. Both clubs are still there. -1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jimmy Shaker Posted May 14, 2015 Share Posted May 14, 2015 No they're not. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PRS Posted May 15, 2015 Share Posted May 15, 2015 under developments in the last 3 years, you should be aware that clubs dont die, their history just magically appears under a new related club. all in all, i was only 10 when the merger happened and at that stage the implications of what that meant were lost on me. However, having a team in the 'proper' leagues from near by made it exciting. i feel for the older fans with this but at the same time i also wish they started lending the support, singing the old songs (both Caley and Thistle ones) and make it look like Inverness really deserve a top flight club. sadly most would rather support one of the glasgow cheeks from the comfort of their local / couch and it seems at times that its because they couldnt have their big team and wee team in the same league setup and made their choice. Not accurate, Caley didn't "reappear under a related club", they played their last game nearly 21 years ago I know quite a few Caley supporters and most have been lost to football completely and nothing to do with the big team/wee team comment you make above, in fact for many, Caley was not just their "big" club, but their only club. When I head north, I watch Clach if they are at home. On a week to week basis, I usually pick a good junior match in the central belt 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheScarf Posted May 15, 2015 Share Posted May 15, 2015 No they're not. Except that they are. -2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
weirdcal Posted May 15, 2015 Share Posted May 15, 2015 Caley didn't "reappear under a related club", they played their last game nearly 21 years ago I know quite a few Caley supporters and most have been lost to football completely and nothing to do with the big team/wee team comment you make above, in fact for many, Caley was not just their "big" club, but their only club. When I head north, I watch Clach if they are at home. On a week to week basis, I usually pick a good junior match in the central belt the reappear thing is a tongue in cheek reference to what seems to have happened down govan way in 2012. obviously we dont claim the two clubs trophy hauls as our own. we arent that desperate to cling on to others glory as if its some form of personal reflection. quite a number of former caley fans i know now prefer to support one of the old firm and happily cheer them on from the pub / couch which is sad. work with a guy who lived not far from Telford street and went every home game. now has a Rangers tattoo and blames people like me for 'Killing his club' so to speak (given the history i dare not ask which one ) it would have been nice to have both Caledonian and Thistle as SFL teams but the GFA saw to that. as i said in previous post, my age denied me the true realisation of what transpired at the time but as the years have gone by i couldnt imagine not having an Inverness team in the top flight. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jimmy Shaker Posted May 15, 2015 Share Posted May 15, 2015 Except that they are. Except that they aren't. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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