INVERNESS put on a show of clinical finishing to reach their second Scottish Cup Final with a convincing win over Falkirk at Hampden, as a Billy McKay double sandwiched by a Daniel Mackay header gave them a 3-0 victory.
Here are five talking points as the Championship side booked a return to the national stadium in June.
Billy Mckay still has killer instinct as he brings up the century
The 34-year-old has been a talismanic figure for Inverness for what seems like an age, and just as he has consistently been throughout his career, he was lethal in the box here.
His first came from the penalty spot early in the game, showing no signs of nerves as he stepped up to send Brian Kinnear the wrong way after Leon McCann was adjudged to have handballed Wallace Duffy’s stinging cross in the area.
It was harsh on the Falkirk man as he knew very little about it having turned his back to the ball, but under the current guidelines VAR official Alan Muir was right to ask referee Nick Walsh to take a closer look, and Walsh was ultimately right to point to the spot.
Mckay sent Kinnear the wrong way, and then the striker popped up to show a similar level of cool 10 minutes after the restart to all-but end the match as a contest with Caley’s third.
A pinpoint in-swinging cross from Jay Henderson found McKay peeling off the back of the Falkirk defence, and he produced a lovely, cushioned finish across Kinnear and into the net for his 19th goal of the campaign and his 100th for the club.
Lack of quality at both ends kills Falkirk chances
It may seem strange to say after they were on the end of a 3-0 defeat, but for large spells of this game, Falkirk had much the better of the play. And they had chances. Huge ones.
Their biggest opening came after they reacted well to the early setback of falling behind, as pressure from Rumarn Burrell forced a huge error from Mark Ridgers, the ball landing at the feet of Callumn Morrison with the big Inverness keeper lying prone miles out of his goal.
With the net gaping, Morrison took on his attempt early, but as it got closer to goal it started to bend towards the far post and ultimately came back off its face to the disbelief of the Falkirk fans.
They continued to get into good areas without producing the quality required to really trouble Ridgers, with Liam Henderson missing another great chance with a header. Even when Scott Allardice pounced on a Daniel Devine error to round him again in the second half, he opted to square instead of going for goal, and the chance was lost.
At the other end, they couldn’t cope with the movement of Mckay, and ultimately it was in those vital areas that the game was won and lost.
Can loan players return to make Premiership impact?
Inverness manager Dodds, like all Championship gaffers, has had to wheel and deal to put a competitive squad together, and it seems he has used the loan market well if the displays of Henderson and Daniel Mackay here are anything to go by.
Mackay produced a brilliant late run into the Falkirk box to get on the end of Henderson’s searching cross from the right to bullet a header past Kinnear to give Inverness a crucial second goal against the run of play, putting the icing on impressive all-round performances from both men.
St Mirren fans will have been watching Henderson’s showing with interest, just as Hibs fans will likely have been impressed by Mackay, and both sets of supporters may well be wondering if these players can return to their clubs and make an impact in the summer.
Certainly, it seems that their time working under Dodds in the Highlands has done their development the world of good.
Should match have been moved?
The attendance of 12,877 dotted in clumps around Hampden may not have made for great viewing on the television, and the kick-off time being so early to accommodate the game being shown on the box was hardly ideal for the travelling Inverness supporters.
But inside the ground itself the atmosphere wasn’t half bad, helped by the more than respectable 9000 or so fans who had come to back Falkirk.
They may have left disappointed, but the Inverness fans probably weren’t moaning about the long trek up the road after watching their team reach the Scottish Cup Final in fine style, and if the clubs wanted to play at the national stadium then there is absolutely no reason why they shouldn’t have been allowed to.
Hopefully Inverness will be able to add a few thousand more onto their enthusiastic band of fans that travelled down from the Highlands for the game’s showpiece occasion at the start of June.
Hampden pitch in better fettle
There may have been some fears over the possible state of the oft-maligned surface at the national stadium ahead of the games this weekend given the rain that has fallen over Mount Florida this week, but it actually held up well and looked to be in more than decent nick.
The pitch had cut up badly when it held the League Cup semi-finals back-to-back in January, but to give the Hampden ground staff due credit, the work they have done in the interim period seems to have done the trick, and Celtic and Rangers should have no cause for complaint when they take to the field on Sunday afternoon.
