Inverness Caledonian Thistle too good for Elgin City in opening match of KDM Evolution Trophy
KDM Evolution Trophy
Elgin City 1
Inverness Caledonian Thistle 4
Scorers - Elgin: Gallagher (85) Inverness: Bavidge (47, 90 pen) Thompson (50) Allan (62 pen)
Elgin City kicked off their KDM Evolution Trophy campaign with defeat against Inverness Caledonian Thistle at Borough Briggs on Tuesday night.
Goals in the second half from Alfie Bavidge twice, Robbie Thompson and Paul Allan ensured Inverness headed back from Moray with all three points on the opening night of the competition.
However, the moment of the night came from Mark Gallagher as he scored a stunning consolation from around 20-yards out into the top left corner.
Elgin City made five changes to the team that lost 1-0 to East Kilbride in the League Two clash last Saturday.
Tom Ritchie, Matthew Cooper, Kane Hester, Josh O’Connor and Connall Ewan came into the starting line-up.
Inverness Caledonian Thistle made 10 changes to the team that defeated Peterhead 2-0 on Saturday. Remi Savage was the only player who kept his place in the starting line-up from Saturday.
Among the players in the starting line-up included new signings Jordan Alonge, Alfie Bavidge, Mitchell Robertson Logan Ross and Chanka Zimba.
After a cagey start between both teams, the first real chance came for Caley Thistle after 15 minutes when Savage’s long ball found Bavidge at the edge of the box. His cross found Thompson whose low drive went wide of the right post.
But Elgin came close to going in front minutes later when Josh Walker was allowed to charge towards the box and unleashed a powerful low drive which smashed against the left post before being gathered by a relieved Ross.
City continued to press forward as they sought an opener. Hester went close with a thunderous effort from the edge of the box which went inches over the bar.
Hester went close again when he beat the offside trap to run on to a pass from Mark Gallagher, but Ross did well to parry the ball away from finding the bottom right corner.
Inverness came close to taking the lead just before half time when the Elgin defence left a long ball to allow Zimba to latch on to. But his powerful shot went directly at Tom Ritchie as they game went into the break goalless.
Inverness stamped their authority after the break and took the lead a minute into the second half. Bavidge found himself unchallenged in the box and fired a low drive into the bottom right corner of the net.
Three minutes later, Inverness doubled their advantage when Zimba laid the ball back for Robbie Thompson 20 yards out and he fired a thunderous effort into the top right corner of the net.
Paul Allan almost made it 3-0 minutes later when his powerful shot was parried out by Ritchie for a corner kick.
However, they were gifted the chance to find their third from the spot when they were awarded a penalty after the ball struck an Elgin defender’s hand.
Allan made no mistake as his spot-kick was too powerful for Ritchie to keep out.
Elgin City pulled one back in the closing stages when Mark Gallagher unleashed a stunning effort from 20-yards out which sailed into the top left corner.
Ryan Sargent came close to making it 3-2 when he was through on goal but Ross produced a great save to keep Caley Thistle’s two-goal advantage.
Inverness were awarded a penalty injury time when Jack Murray brought down Luis Longstaff and Alfie Bavidge made it 4-1 from the spot.
Elgin: Ritchie, Cooper (Cameron 58), Booth, Virtanen, Murray, Hester (L. McDonald 76), Gallagher, O’Connor (Sargent 58), Ewan, Gavin (MacIver 58), Walker (O. McDonald 76).
Substitutes (Unused): McHale, Draper,
Inverness: Ross, Savage, Allan (Gardiner 62), Robertson, Strachan, R. Thompson, Alonge (Mackinnon 74), S. Thompson, Bavidge, Zimba (Longstaff 74), Clark.
Substitutes (Unused) : Munro, Macintyre, Devine, Wotherspoon, Macleod, Chalmers.
Referee: Gary Hanvidge.
Attendance: 852