Sensational Caley stroll to the top of the league
INVERNESS CT 3
White (11), Rooney (22), Welsh (pen, 31)
PARTICK THISTLE 2
Spittal (82), Doolan (90)
John Robertson, the Inverness Caley Thistle manager, described his team’s first-half performance as “sensational” after surviving a late Partick Thistle fightback to surge clear at the top of the Championship table.
Despite two late lapses against the Firhill team, the Inverness manager ordered his exhausted players to wipe glum expressions from their faces at full-time.
The Highlanders are now the Championship’s only undefeated team, with a 16-match unbeaten league run stretching back deep into last season.
They were thrilling to watch before the break, with victory setting up yesterday’s hosts and second top neighbours Ross County for a mouth-watering Highland derby confrontation next weekend. “A game is won over 90 minutes and our performance for the first 45 minutes was sensational,” Robertson said.
“Some of the football, movement, passing and link-up play was different class.
“We said to the players, ‘Well done – you’re top of the league’.
“We were telling them, coming in, ‘What are you down about?’
“If someone told them before the game, they would win and be top of the league they’d have taken it.
“We put so much effort into the first 70 minutes, we were always going to run out of steam at some point.”
The Jags, fresh from an Irn-bru Cup
scalping by East Fife, started well enough, testing the hosts with dangerous balls into the box.
But it all disintegrated pretty quickly for Alan Archibald’s side, with defensive frailties ruthlessly preyed upon.
With 11 minutes gone, Liam Polworth’s shot from the edge of the box was only just turned on to the post by keeper
Cammy Bell, but home striker Jordan White snapped up the rebound.
The second arrived after 22 minutes, when Polworth’s corner was met by Coll Donaldson’s head but knocked out of a crowded six-yard box. With Partick flailing, though, it fell perfectly for Shaun Rooney to side-foot home from seven yards.
It was three just after the half hour mark as Polworth’s burst of pace into the box was halted by Brice Ntambwe’s grapple to earth and ex-jags midfielder Sean Welsh tucked away the penalty with ease.
The Maryhill side were further demoralised by Miles Storey having a penalty against his past club saved by Mark Ridgers before the break, but mustered better into the second half.
But it was only inside the last 10 minutes the hosts began living dangerously and lost two goals.
Blair Spittal wriggled through to poke a shot past Ridgers and, with home substitute George Oakley injured and Caley Thistle down to 10 men, Kris Doolan bundled in another stoppage time consolation.
Alan Archibald, the Partick manager, was left pleading for more time for his revamped squad to improve but the visiting supporters left with dark thoughts after a third away defeat.