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.
