Carl Tremarco saw red against Falkirk in Caley Thistle’s Scottish Cup final win in 2015 – and his advice for Inverness ahead of Saturday’s semi-final against the same opponents is to be prepared for games to flip in an instant.
Tremarco lifted the famous old trophy as John Hughes’ then-Premiership men held their nerve to beat their then-Championship opponents 2-1 in the final.
They had to dig deep, with Tremarco’s dismissal for a foul on Blair Alston throwing their opponents a lifeline and a route back into the contest.
With ICT 1-0 in front, the flashpoint set the scene for a nervy finish as Peter Grant thumped a header home to make it 1-1.
Then came the magical, cup-winning moment for the Highlanders when Marley Watkins’ shot was spilled by goalkeeper Jamie MacDonald and James Vincent arrived to seal the win for the club’s first national trophy triumph.
Inverness – who are also bidding to reach the play-offs in the Championship by beating Ayr United next Friday – host Falkirk in a cup last-four clash this time around. The Bairns are against a division below Caley Thistle, and look set to finish as runners-up in League One this term.
Tremarco, who is head of youth at Ross County, knows better than most that never assuming the game will go to plan is the key.
He said: “Ideally, it will be plain-sailing for Inverness. As we know from the 2015 final, it doesn’t always work out that way.
“It was a tough game. Falkirk were the league below and we were heavy favourites, as is the case this Saturday.
“If I can pass anything on to the (ICT) boys at all, it would be to take nothing for granted. Anything can happen, like a sending off, which can change the game.
“In the (2015) semi-final, Celtic (who Inverness beat 3-2) had (goalkeeper) Craig Gordon sent off. They didn’t plan for that to happen and we went on to win.
“A game can change in an instant.”
‘We feared the worst’ after red card
Tremarco, who also helped ICT reach the 2014 League Cup final which they lost on penalties to Aberdeen, admits facing lower league opponents requires a certain mindset in the build-up.
He said: “Being honest, I fell into the trap of perhaps expecting us to win because we were playing Falkirk from the league below.
“In the first half of the final against Falkirk, we were pretty comfortable. We were 1-0 ahead at half-time and we’d created a few other chances.
“In the second half, it was totally different – even when we still had 11 men. Prior to my sending off, we were under the cosh and were hanging on.
“My sending off then gave Falkirk even more momentum and they equalised. We feared the worst. We were Premiership against Championship.
“Falkirk will know there’s nothing to lose, knowing all the pressure is on Inverness.”
Players must enjoy the occasion
Chances of playing in national semi-finals at Hampden are rare and that’s why Tremarco encourages the ICT players to soak it all up this weekend.
He said: “I’d also advise the players to try and enjoy it.
“I was lucky enough to play in a few semi-finals at the club and not everyone will get that.
“Treat it as if you’re never going to do it again. Don’t let the game or occasion pass you by.
“Don’t let your emotions take over yourself. You’re there to do a job. If you win, there’s an even bigger carrot with the prize of a cup final waiting for you.
“An even bigger day out and bigger experience that you can enjoy 100 times more than the semi-final.”
Normal week ahead of facing Hoops
Tremarco said the Inverness heroes of 2015 had built up big-game know-how before sensationally sending Celtic crashing 3-2 in the semi at Hampden after extra-time.
He added: “When we made the semi-final against Celtic, we already had experience of playing in semi-finals.
“We had played Hearts in two semi-finals, so we were well prepared for taking on a big team in the semis.
“We knew what to expect. You can only prepare so much. You know Celtic are going to fill out Hampden as much as they can and we took as many fans as we could as well.
“In the lead-up to that semi-final, it was a pretty normal week. Yogi (John Hughes) wanted that and we worked on Celtic and what we were going to do.
“We actually played really well against Celtic that season, including only losing 1-0 at Celtic Park. We were excellent.
“On the day, it panned out to be one of those game you would have loved to have been the final.”
Former ICT players will ‘add spice’
Six straight wins, and a draw against Dundee, on league business mean third-placed ICT need to beat Ayr next week to secure a play-off spot for the second year running.
Tremarco has been impressed, but insists a semi-final stands alone as soon as the first whistle sounds.
He said: “Inverness are finishing this season like a train. Falkirk maybe realised a few weeks ago it was going to be the play-offs in League One for them (behind champions Dunfermline).
“They had a good win at Alloa on Saturday and they have a few ex-Inverness players, which will add some spice in the game.
“Form, in semi-finals, goes out of the window. The tie needs to finish on the day and anything can happen.”
🚗 @ICTFC's Road to Hampden…
Ahead of this weekend's Semi-Final at Hampden Park, take a look back at Inverness Caledonian Thistle's Scottish Cup journey this season.#ScottishCup pic.twitter.com/mNBoA1Rszy
— Scottish Cup (@ScottishCup) April 26, 2023
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