More stuff worth remembering:

Promotion, Promotion, Promotion
In 1997, after only three years in existence, Caley Thistle won the Third Division at a canter, after an amazing 22 game unbeaten run to become the first team from the Highlands to win a national trophy. Two years later we were narrowly pipped to the Division Two Championship by our arch-Nemesis Livingston. Actually, we threw it away by ourselves: it's never smart to give your championship rivals a 4-goal head start at their own place in the championship decider. I still wake up in a cold sweat over that one. Despite this, we were promoted in second place, which nobody complained about.

It took us a few years and a change of manager to get out of the first division. In the end, it was under the leadership of pint-sized genius John Robertson that we realised the long-standing dream of reaching the Premier League. Winning the First Division Championship was the right way to celebrate ten years in existence, although it immediately opened up a promotion hornets' nest. Were we going up or not? Having cleared numerous hurdles, we eventually got to the SPL. Graeme Spiers said he would eat his hat if Caley Thistle stayed in the SPL. He's still embarrassed by that one.

Hampden
Playing at Hampden. We'll be back there. Eventually.

Changing the face of Scottish Football
As mentioned above, our first division victory was immediately followed by a summer of utter SPL lunacy, as the promotion issue became more and more complex. Finally, once we had established that we were legally entitled to be in the SPL with our groundshare at Pittodrie, we got to play with the big boys. This had an immediate impact on the SPL in two ways.

We were not afraid of any other team, took everyone on and showed no fear, thus making that first SPL season much more exciting for the whole league than anticipated. At last they got some healthy open competition, which had been somewhat lacking.
We successfully got the SPL to allow us back home in January 2005, after two new stands were built in eight weeks. The SPL seating requirement was finally dropped to 6,000, benefitting all smaller teams who get promoted. Hurrah!

I don't suppose we brought about the reforms entirely on our own, but the fuss that was made over our promotion struggle certainly helped to highlight the many problems with the SPL. Anything that thumps some sense into the powers that be in our game is a good thing.

Front door of Pittodrie
As bizarre a sight as one is likely to see, from the heady days of 2004, when we temporarily took over Pittodrie.

Other Achievements
As well as all the headline-grabbing cup and promotion business, there are a number of things that most Caley Thistle fans are quite proud of, or at least enjoy a bit of Schadenfreude over. During the days of Highland derbies, we genrally managed to show County who was boss, although why people go all misty-eyed about derby games I will never know: I can count on the fingers of one hand the number of decent matches that have come out the derby fixture. We also managed to make Ayr United thoroughly hate our guts in 2000/01, first of all by hammering them 7-3 in the league (I have never seen the like of that game before, and probably never will again) then by putting them out of the Scottish Cup 4-3, after being 3-0 down at half time. You really had to be there.

Season 2003/04 was arguably our most productive season: as well as winning the first division we also pocketed the Challenge Cup at the second time of asking, another pretty memorable day for all concerned. One day maybe we'll win some silverware again, but I doubt it will be as satisfying as the two trophies earned that season.

Finally, we had the last laugh with longtime rivals/sparring partners/deadly enemies Livingston when we beat them at the end of 2005/06 to finally send them back to Division One. Their twelve fans were absolutely gutted.

<<Back the way to Part 1

Forward>> to Part 3