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Picture Butcher - stays positive.

GOALS ENCOURAGE BUTCHER

By Gavin McCafferty, PA Sport

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Inverness manager Terry Butcher is optimistic their goalscoring threat can keep them in the Clydesdale Bank Premier League after a 2-2 draw at Motherwell inched them closer to safety.

Caley Thistle were 11 minutes from securing their SPL place before Motherwell substitute John Sutton grabbed an equaliser to leave the visitors in the relegation equation.

After goals from Filipe Morais and Dougie Imrie put the Jags in front, some complicated mathematics being done in the stands showed both St Mirren and Falkirk, who meet on Saturday, would not have been able to catch Inverness.

But Sutton's leveller maintained the five-way battle going into the final two games.

Inverness now face Kilmarnock at Rugby Park and Butcher is confident his team can fire their way to safety.

"We have scored goals in the post-split, five goals in three games," Butcher said. "We have also conceded goals but we still look as if we're going to score.

"We are still a threat, we are still positive, we are unbeaten now in four games.

"There are a lot of things you can spin it on but we know what we have to do now.

"When it comes down to the last two, in particular on Saturday, a win would keep us up."

Motherwell manager Mark McGhee was relatively satisfied with the point, which secured seventh place, despite failing to build on Brian McLean's headed opener.

"I was reasonably pleased, we looked comfortable at 1-0," he said. "Given the amount of play we had, we maybe should have converted it into more than one goal.

"There is always the danger a team as determined as they were, and with so much to play for, would come back, and they did. Credit to them.

"I was a bit disappointed to then go behind but we rallied and I think it was a fair result."

The statistic most Motherwell fans who were not among the 2,818 crowd will care most about is the fact no home player was booked.

The Steelmen are well placed to win Scotland's extra Europa League spot from the Fair Play league.

"It's certainly part of the process, so that's good," said McGhee, who will give some players an extra week off if last-day opponents Kilmarnock secure their SPL status on Saturday.

Meanwhile, former Well boss Butcher admitted it was "weird" to be back at Fir Park three years after leaving for Sydney.

"I nearly ended up going in the wrong dressing room and the wrong dugout," said Butcher, moments before going off to find some "Motherwell wine".

"I went along the corridor and felt like popping into my old office.

"I've seen a lot of very good friends here. Good friends, nice people, very similar to Inverness in terms of everyone has got two or three jobs here.

"The job description is about 10 pages long but everyone has got a heart here, and a big heart in Inverness as well, so it's nice to come back."

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