A Barry Wilson goal after 34 minutes gave Inverness a narrow 1-0 win
over Kilmarnock in their Bank of Scotland Premier League clash at Rugby Park and
maintained their slim chances of a top six finish.
In an open and entertaining game, both sides had chances to open the scoring
early in the match only to be thwarted by good goalkeeping.
However, when Caley player-manager Craig Brewster sent the midfielder clean
through on goal, Wilson rounded Killie keeper Alan Combe and slotted into an
empty net.
After the interval, the Ayrshire men huffed and puffed but found the visiting
defence in a mean mood as they clung on for three crucial points.
The seventh-placed Ayrshire side, however, went down 1-0 to Dundee at Dens
Park last week which made their task dependent on Motherwell losing their final
two games before the split.
Killie were without skipper Gary Locke who was suspended whilst striker Danny
Invincibile's ankle injury ruled him out. The Australian was replaced by Stevie
Murray.
The Rugby Park side's top scorer Kris Boyd, with 14 goals this season, took
his regular place in attack alongside Gary Wales who came in for the benched
Colin Nish.
Inverness, tipped for relegation by many pundits this season, had confounded
their doubters with their form, which also gave them an outside chance of a
top-six spot.
The Highlanders, beaten 1-0 by Aberdeen in their last match, were without
Spanish striker Juanjo who returned home for treatment after injuring his
achilles in training.
Former Blackburn Rovers player Ian Black came in for Russell Duncan who was on
the bench while Graham Bayne, Juanjo's replacement, joined Caley's
player-manager Craig Brewster in attack.
Defender Ross Tokely was making his 315th appearance for the Highlanders, a
club record.
Despite the longest journey of the league season from Inverness to Kilmarnock,
it was the visitors who started with more zest and only a great save by Alan
Combe from a close-range Brewster volley prevented Caley taking a second minute
lead.
However, Killie shook themselves out of their lethargy and in the ninth minute
a tremendous curling 25-yard free-kick from midfielder Peter Leven was touched
onto the post by Caley `keeper Mark Brown before the ball was eventually cleared
to safety.
In the 14th minute of an open game the visitors almost took the lead when
defender Stuart Golabek found himself through on goal after a fine pass by
playmaker Roy McBain had split the Ayrshire side's defence.
However, Combe made a great stop from point-blank range and was then relieved
when Bayne's follow-up shot from 12 yards bounced off the post before Freddy
Dindeleux cleared off the line.
Play moved quickly to the other end and Murray set up Gary McDonald 14 yards
from goal only to see the midfielder drag his shot well wide of the post.
The fans were certainly getting value for money as both sides went all out for
goals and by the half-hour mark the only surprise was that the deadlock had yet
to be broken.
In the 32nd minute Murray's cross from the right, following a Steven Naismith
corner, was met by David Lilley but the Killie skipper's header from 12 yards
went narrowly over.
However, in the 34th minute, after Dindeleux hesitated in defence, the
visitors took the lead with a well-worked goal.
Brewster played in the alert Wilson with a clever pass which split the
square Killie defence and the former Livingston player confidently rounded Combe
before slotting the ball into the net from an acute angle.
The Rugby Park men battled back, forcing several more corners but the
well-organised Caley defence remained comfortable under pressure.
In the 42nd minute, after Murray was fouled by Tokely at the edge of the
visitors' box, Garry Hay's cross was eventually cleared out to the other
Kilmarnock full back James Fowler who drew a decent save from Brown with his
20-yard drive.
HT: Kilmarnock 0 Inverness 1
Kilmarnock attacked from the restart and Naismith's angled drive from well
outside the box went narrowly past the far post.
Inverness could find no respite from the Rugby Park men's pressure but too
often there was a desperation about the home side's attacks when guile and
calmness were needed.
In the 50th minute Wales foraged inside the Inverness penalty area to rob
Golabek and the ball fell kindly to McDonald but once again Brown was equal to
the midfielder's close-range shot.
The Ayrshire men continued to press but it was Brewster-inspired Inverness who
broke occasionally with more purpose.
In the 57th minute Murray sent Naismith down the left and when his
inch-perfect cross came into the six-yard box, Wales somehow failed to make a
proper connection and the ball went wide.
But still Caley clung onto their lead and with Kilmarnock appearing to lose a
bit of belief, the visitors were settling down and putting some passing
movements together.
On the hour mark, only another good stop by Combe prevented Brewster curling a
20-yard shot past him for goal number two.
In the 67th minute a Murray corner from the left was disappointingly headed
over by Boyd to the groans of the home support.
Killie continued to knock at the Caley door but as the game entered its latter
stages there was more than a hint of desperation about their play.
In the 78th minute Graham Bayne should have secured the points for the
under-pressure visitors when he ran clear through on goal but the big striker,
under pressure from Hay, could only trundle his shot from the edge of the box
into the arms of Combe.
Teams:
Kilmarnock Combe, Fowler, Hay, Lilley, Dindeleux, McDonald,
Murray, Leven, Naismith (Johnston 65), Boyd, Wales (Nish 62).
Subs Not Used: Smith, Greer, Dodds, McGregor, Johnstone.
Booked: Lilley.
Inverness CT Brown, Tokely, Golabek, Dods, Munro,
Wilson (Duncan 79), Hart (Fatai 75), Black (Proctor 82),
McBain, Bayne, Brewster.
Subs Not Used: Fraser, McCaffrey, Hastings, Prunty.
Booked: Black, Brewster.
Goals: Wilson 32.
Att: 4,862
Ref: I Fyfe (Scotland).
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