Inverness tough it out for three points

Caley Thistle finally managed to claw themselves off the bottom of the table with a hard fought win in Paisley.

A first half goal from Andrew Shinnie and a second half strike from Jonny Hayes saw to that although it could have been a case of deja vu if Ryan Esson had not made a save on the line deep into second half injury time.

Our scribe today is Proctor, and without further ado, we let him take up the story ......

Terry Butcher’s tactical gamble paid off at New St Mirren Park as the Caley Jags claimed maximum points to leapfrog three teams to 9th place.

Butcher opted for a formation that saw three players up front, including Billy McKay in place of Gregory Tade.

Before the start of the game there was a minute’s applause for the Wales Manager Gary Speed who died tragically last Sunday.

03/12/11	St Mirren Park, Paisley
St Mirren	1 - Thompson (45)
	TEAM: Samson, Mair (Barron 46), McAusland, Tesselaar, Haddad, Goodwin, Mclean, Teale (Carey 74), Thompson, McGowan, Hasselbaink (McShane 74)
	SUBS: Smith, van Zanten, McKee, Mooy
	Booked: none
	Sent Off: none
I.C.T.	2 - A.Shinnie (11), Hayes (69)
	TEAM: Esson, Tokely, Hogg. Golobart, Gillet, Hayes, Tansey, A.Shinnie, Davis, Foran (Cox 85), McKay (Tade 85)
	SUBS: Tuffey, G.Shinnie, Ross, Morrison, Sutherland
	Booked: Davis (63), Gillet (80)
	Sent Off: none
Referee	Euan Norris
Attendance	3675

The early stages of the game went in the Buddy’s favour, St Mirren were granted an early free kick, Kenny McLean crossed the ball into the box which failed to connect with anyone

Four minutes into the game Nigel Hasselebaink worked his way into the Caley Thistle box but was forced to sky the ball over cross-bar, Hasselebaink would continue to look menacing, forcing Ryan Esson out of his box three minutes later.

The young Dutchman was not the only St Mirren player to trouble ICT early on. Striker Steven Thompson nearly scored from a corner at the seven minute mark. Early signs showed the Highlander’s defence may struggle in the manner they have all season.

The Caley Jags were soon able to breathe easier as Jonny Hayes nicked the ball from St Mirren’s Marc MacAusland and passed to Andrew Shinnie in the box. Shinnie slotted the ball past Craig Samson for his sixth goal of the season via a neat step-over from the alert McKay.

ICT showed signs of class. At the 36th minute mark Ross Tokely looked keen to score two weeks in a row, having grabbed a consolation goal at Tynecastle, the defender sent a shot high and wide after a silky piece of play. Much to the dismay of the home support who booed Tokely for much of the game. Greg Tansey and Billy McKay would have their respective chances before the end of the first half. Tansey’s shot would strike the advertising boards while McKay would hit the side netting.

St Mirren’s Jeroen Tesselarr would force Ryan Esson to knock the ball over the bar for a corner before half-time, showing the Saints were still in the game as the end of the half approached. They would claw back into the game with the last kick of the half as Steven Thompson converted an inswinging Teale corner into his 6th goal of the season.  In reality, this was sloppy defending once more as Thompson was left on his own to nod home. All square going into half time, something that Saint's barely merited.

Half Time 1-1

During the interval the weather in Paisley seriously deteriorated. Heavy rain seemed to affect the playing surface.

Caley Thistle’s Billy MacKay had an early chance in the second half. The Northern Irishman picked up a Kenny Gillett cross only to send it left of the post.

Steven Thompson was keen to bag another goal. Ryan Esson was forced to spill his shot in the first five minutes of the half. It wouldn’t take long for Ryan Esson to be tested again as he tip a long range Gary Teale free-kick over the bar.

Jonny Hayes would net the winner for Inverness in the 69th minute. The Irishman drove the ball into the left hand corner from outside the box after some tidy interplay from Shinnie, Tansey and Davis. With 20 minutes left in the game, the Highlanders needed to hold on.

The remainder of the game was rather lacklustre. Gary Teale was replaced by Graham Carey in the 75th minute for St Mirren. While Billy McKay and Richie Foran were replaced by Gregory Tade and Lee Cox. St Mirren’s attempts to score an equaliser were futile. There closest chance came through a Steven Thompson header.  A late flurry from the home side came to nothing as the Inverness defence coped comfortably with a spate of crosses and corners and held on for a deserved three points.

Full Time 1-2

Despite Thompson’s impressive performance. The Buddies recorded their second loss in a row. Inverness grabbed a valuable win but have still not kept a clean sheet all season. The bottom six now looks to be exceedingly competitive. 

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