Hartley’s Highland headache continues as dozy Dee throw away a two-goal lead
Paul Hartley cursed Dundee’s lack of ruthlessness as the 14-year wait for a win in Inverness continued.
The Dens Park boss admitted the draw felt like a defeat after Caley Thistle stormed back from 2-0 down with a show of grit and character in the second half.
Marcus Haber and Darren O’Dea seemed to have Dee cruising by the break but Richie Foran’s men rallied with a Billy Mckay penalty.
Even after the frontman missed his second spot- kick, they came again and a fine Greg Tansey strike sealed a valuable point.
The draw meant the Inverness men are still 13 league games and three months without a victory, but the recovery had the fans standing to applaud where they had booed at half-time.
Hartley, though, was far from happy and said: “It does feel like a defeat. This is a venue where I don’t think we’ve won.
“To be 2- 0 up and looking fairly comfortable, the boys have done well. Especially in the first half we took our chances when we looked a threat.
“I was pleased with how we played offensively but you’ve got to be clinical and ruthless.
“But the other side of it is in our own box. The two penalties we gave away, you just can’t do that. Julen Etxabeguren has to learn that.
“This was a big opportunity here. We need to get better at seeing the game out.”
It isn’t going to get any easier for Caley – with a Parkhead trip up next in the Scottish Cup then league tests against Hearts, Rangers and Celtic to follow. But they might well have left with a victory had Mckay’s second penalty of the day not been superbly saved by Scott Bain.
Foran’s fury after the 3- 0 midweek defeat to Hamilton had brought a savage assessment of his players as ‘ bottlers’, lacking in appetite and winning mentality.
It meant his team selection saw three changes with Ryan Esson replaced by Owain Fon Williams in goal, 19-year-old Celtic loanee Jamie McCart, son of Parkhead head of youth Chris, earned a debut, while ex-Hearts winger Billy King made his first appearance of 2017 after injury.
Dundee also made three changes
with Kevin Holt and Darren O’Dea restored, while Henrik Ojamaa, the former Motherwell striker, debuted.
Caley were unlucky not to the take the lead in six minutes when Henri Anier stabbed across goal and Carl Tremarco’s first-time strike smacked off the junction of post and bar.
Luck was out again in 14 minutes when a well-worked move ended with Mckay finding the net only to be flagged offside.
Disaster struck for Caley eight minutes before Dee’s Haber got on the end of Cammy Kerr’s cross and smashed a downward header past Esson to break the deadlock.
It got worse for Caley just before half-time when Tom Hateley’s corner from the right was nodded home by O’Dea, who rose unchallenged in a crowded home box.
But there was a shift in fortunes in 53 minutes when the striker Mckay was held by Etxabeguren in the box as Vigurs swung in a corner.
Ref Nick Walsh pointed to the spot and Mckay netted Caley Thistle’s first league goal of 2017.
Raven did well to clear off the line when Ojamaa shot from a Mark O’Hara’s cross soon before Caley won a second penalty in 73 minutes.
Again, Etxabeguren was the villain, leaning over the top of Anier as he made for a Vigurs’ cross. But there was agony for Inverness as keeper Bain pulled off a brilliant save down low from Mckay’s kick.
With 11 minutes left, though, the gritty hosts were back level. After Mckay’s shot was parried, it fell nicely to Tansey outside the box and he swerved a stunning 20-yard shot inside Bain’s left hand post.
Inverness coach Scott Kellacher believes the real Caley re-surfaced after the dismal show at Hamilton.
He said: “The boys know they fell short on Tuesday. Richie was always hard on them when he was a player and knows what they are capable of.
“He expects a good bit more – and he got that here.”