Kilmarnock came back from behind to shrug off a spirited Caley side and move into the quarter finals of the Scottish Cup.

Caley, the side that famously despatched John Barnes' Celtic last season, had lined up Killie as another SPL scalp when Davide Xausa fired them ahead early in the second half.

But the home side struck back with two goals in quick succession to earn a home tie with Hibernian on Saturday.

This was a re-run of last week's abandoned replay, which, it was announced earlier in the day, had now become the subject of a Scottish Football Association inquiry.

That game had lasted just 28 minutes but at least had a penalty save for the fans to talk about.

The first half hour tonight had little to recommend itself.

Jim Calder was the man who made that save and, once this game was finally producing chances as well as wayward passing, he was the busier goalkeeper.

His first major chance of the night was to deny Paul Wright a point-blank header from a corner into the six yard box and just before the break he had to leap to divert Alan Mahood's lofted shot away for a corner.

Caley had been the first team to settle and Ross Tokely flicked an early header just wide.

Denis Wyness and Xausa were busy up front but there was no end product to the visitors' play and eventually the home side began to dominate.

Wright and Christophe Cocard had shown plenty of willing but the final ball always seemed to let them down, with the former showing a bizarre penchant for dummies that bamboozled team-mates more than opponents.

The one time a run and pass did open up the Caley defence, when Mark Reilly was the supplier, Peter Canero was too slow to appreciate the chance and allowed himself to be crowded out.

Mahood and Freddie Dindeleux also sent headers off target as neither team established an early claim to the home quarter final tie with Hibernian that awaited the winners.

It was Caley who opened the scoring six minutes into the restart and Xausa was the man on target.

Seconds earlier he had forced Marshall into a diving save from a 25-yard free kick struck low past the wall and, when Richard Hastings lofted a long ball into the danger zone, no Killie defender was there to meet it.

The Canadian was able to control the ball before poking past the exposed goalkeeper.

Caley boss Steve Paterson had promised his side would score but he hadn't reckoned on a double riposte from Killie.

Centre back Kevin McGowne supplied the equaliser when he bundled in from close range after Calder, under pressure at a corner, could only head as far as Reilly on the edge of the area, who nodded the ball back into the danger zone for his team-mate to beat two defenders to the loose ball.

And when Cocard was brought down by one-time Killie transfer target Paul Sheerin Wright made no mistake from the penalty spot.

Caley sent Barry Robson on as a late substitute in the hope he could do what he did in the original tie - score a goal. This time it wasn't to be.

The tie was Killie's and there was even time for Ally McCoist to get a rare run out in the closing stages.

The veteran, who has announced he is to quit at the end of the season, almost wrapped up proceedings with a delightful curled shot over Calder that smacked off the crossbar.

Wyness almost cashed in on that let off straight away with a close range flick shot from the counter attack that followed but Marshall saved smartly to preserve his side's lead until the final whistle.

Before kick-off, there was a minute's silence in memory of John Paton, the Kilmarnock vice-chairman and ex-Rangers chairman, who died on Sunday.

Teams:

Kilmarnock: Marshall, MacPherson, McGowne, Dindeleux, Baker, Canero, Holt, Mahood (Hay 86), Reilly, Cocard, Wright (McCoist 81).

Subs Not Used: Stewart, Innes, Di Giacomo.

Goals: McGowne 60, Wright 68 pen.

Inverness CT: Calder, Tokely, Hastings, Mann, McCaffrey, Bagan (Robson 78), Sheerin (Bavidge 78), Christie, McBain, Xausa, Wyness.

Subs Not Used: Teasdale, Golabek, Fridge.

Booked: McCaffrey, Xausa.

Goals: Xausa 51.

Att: 6,528

Ref: D McDonald (Scotland).