Caley edge past Pars in cagey match

CHAMPIONSHIP Dunfermline 1 Inverness CT 2

JOHN ROBERTSON accepts Inverness Caledonian Thistle enjoyed a degree of good fortune in last night’s 2-1 win over Dunfermline. However, he believes his courageous charges earned their luck.

Aaron Doran opened the scoring with a spectacular free-kick which crashed off the underside of the bar and narrowly crossed the line.

The hosts levelled through Dom Thomas in the second period, only for Tom Walsh to bag a deflected late winner, moving his side three points clear of Dundee as a result.

However, Robertson conceded that a draw would have been the fair outcome and had sympathy for opposition manager Stevie Crawford.

“Stevie [Crawford] must be cursing us because there has been absolutely nothing in the games between these sides,” he said. “There were two unbelievable goals from Aaron

Doran and Dom Thomas and it looked like it would end 1-1 but we got a wee bit of fortune.

“However, the fact we were brave and kept going forward maybe earned that. If you’re a Pars fan you’ll say ‘they were lucky’ but we kept pushing.”

The home side should have broken the deadlock when Kevin Nisbet headed wide from point-blank after meeting a fine Ryan Dow cross.

Inverness, by contrast, were clinical when opportunity knocked. Winger Roddy MacGregor was fouled on the edge of the area, allowing Doran to step up and open the scoring with a wonderful free-kick.

Dunfermline found a way past Mark Ridgers after the break when Thomas cut in from the right flank and produced an unstoppable drive into the postage stamp.

But Walsh, on as a secondhalf substitute, would not be denied and bagged a dramatic winner when he cut in from the right wing and produced a shot which took a wild deflection before nestling in the net.

Crawford rued: “I felt we created enough chances to take something but the players applied themselves properly and they need to keep belief.”