Two unchanged sides faced each other in the third last match of the season – Motherwell were playing for pride and points but Caley Thistle had much more at stake.

In the end honours were even but this was not enough for the visitors to be sure of SPL safety.

Nothing was on target until the home side took a 26th minute lead. Stevie Hammell sent in a curling corner from the right and Brian McLean headed in at the near post.

Three minutes later it was 1-1 when Dougie Imrie did well to find space on the right bye-line and cut it back for Filipe Morais to volley home from 10 yards.

Early in the second half Morais came close to number two when he forced a fine save from Graeme Smith. The visitors made it 2-1 in 55 minutes when Lionel Djebi-Zadi sent a cross in from the left and Dougie Imrie hit it first time past Smith off the bar.

Hopes of an ICT victory were dashed eleven minutes from time when a David Clarkson low ball from the right was touched on by Maros Klimpl and John Sutton netted from a few yards out. Caley Thistle pushed hard right to the end and Richie Foran thought he had scored a winner but a goal-line clearance denied him despite protests that the ball had crossed the line.

It ended 2-2, a welcome point against Motherwell after six defeats in a row to them, but bitter disappointment that it was not a victory. The bottom five clubs shuffled their positions as Kilmarnock beat St Mirren, Hamilton lost to Falkirk and ICT took a point at Motherwell.

With two games left it is all very tight and any one of five teams could go down. St Mirren prop up the league on 34 points, Falkirk have 35, ICT are on 37 and both Kilmarnock and Hamilton are on 38.

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