Kilmarnock took advantage of a mysterious penalty award to take the points at Inverness Caledonian Thistle.

Peter Leven made no mistake from 12 yards after referee Eddie Smith had pointed to the spot for the second time at the south stand end of the Caledonian Stadium.

Earlier, the officious official had handed Caley a spot-kick of equally dubious status which Ross Tokely had used to cancel out Gary McDonald's opener.

Neither side had relegation worries and it showed in a low-key, end-of-season tempo to the game.

But, with £70,000 at stake for finishing seventh, the onus was on Kilmarnock to eat into the home side's four-point pre-kick-off advantage and this they duly did with a little help from Smith.

The opening exchanges saw Brewster fire shots and headers goalward with no great effect and it was the visitors who took the lead in the 21st minute.

McDonald was the man who bundled the ball home from close range, with goalkeeper Mark Brown unable to stop in crossing the line but it was Gary Wales who had made it all possible.

The striker produced a superb back-heel to put James Fowler in space behind the home defence and his square ball across goal from the right was asking to be converted.

The home side were back on level terms within seven minutes, however, thanks to the first penalty award by referee Smith.

Exactly what had happened when Barry Wilson swung in a corner into a crowded box was unclear, but it seemed likely that Darren Dods' jersey had been pulled at a crucial moment.

Tokely made no mistake from the spot and the game then drifted back into its previous slumber, although the fussy Smith decided to book Killie skipper Gary Locke a minute from the break for tugging back Roy McBain by the shirt.

Little happened after the restart although Killie tried to force things up front by replacing the anonymous Craig Dargo for the tall Colin Nish in the 54th minute on a day when top scorer Kris Boyd was unavailable because of an ankle injury.

Killie made a second change on the hour mark, with Gordon Greer replacing Danny Invincibile on the right and, three minutes later, Caley swapped David Proctor for Graham Bayne.

Tokely picked up a 66th-minute booking for a foul on Nish but Caley survived the free-kick and the corner that quickly followed.

Bayne put a free header wide at the back post from a Wilson corner while Killie defender David Lilley was getting treatment for a knock at the other end.

Referee Smith awarded a second penalty of dubious pedigree when he decided McDonald's shirt had been pulled going for a Locke free-kick into the box.

Leven slotted it away in the 72nd minute and the home side's frustration was evident seconds later when McBain was booked for a foul.

Fowler might have wrapped up the game from the next attack when he burst through the middle but goalkeeper Brown made a smart block.

Caley then managed to hit the woodwork three times in the space of a few seconds with Brewster, who had been set up by a Dods pass, fired across goal only to see it bobble up off the far post.

Bayne was first to the loose ball but could only head against the bar - and Bryan Prunty's follow-up effort from further out also pinged back off the bar.

Wilson was next to have a go but he could find only goalkeeper Alan Combe.

Caley handed a debut to teenager Rory McAllister but nothing went right for the newcomer, who turns 18 later in the month.

Referee Smith was booed by the home fans on his way into the dressing room on the final whistle.

Teams

Inverness CT Brown, Tokely, Dods, Hastings, Golabek, Proctor (Bayne 63), Black, McBain, Wilson, Brewster, Prunty (McAllister 85).

Subs Not Used: Fraser, Duncan, Fox, Fatai.

Booked: Tokely, McBain.

Goals: Tokely 28 pen.

Kilmarnock Combe, Fowler, Lilley, Dindeleux, Hay, Invincibile (Greer 60), Locke, McDonald, Leven (Johnston 86), Dargo (Nish 54), Wales.

Subs Not Used: Smith, Murray, Dodds, Naismith.

Booked: Locke, Hay.

Goals: McDonald 21, Leven 72 pen.

Att: 3,108

Ref: E Smith (Scotland).