Caley Jags Miles better as Storey hits goal trail at last
John Robertson described jet-propelled Miles Storey as “unplayable” in current form after the Aberdeen flop tormented Ayr United.
The English attacker – back in the Highlands after three years away at Pittodrie and Firhill – showed he is beginning to recapture the kind of performance levels that enticed the Dons to swoop in the first place.
But Robertson also praised the entire team’s display after a third win and third clean sheet in a row kept the pressure on Dundee United.
The Caley Thistle boss, after watching goals from Jordan White and Storey seal victory, said: “When Miles plays like that, in this league, he’s unplayable.
“He’s very difficult to stop when he’s in the mood and, in the last few games, he has been in the mood. He knows there’s goals there for him now.
“But while Miles was outstanding, I couldn’t really pick out one individual because a lot of them looked very sharp.”
Caley Thistle have bossed this fixture since Robertson’s arrival with five victories and two draws in the last seven meetings before this latest comfortable win.
The Honest Men haven’t triumphed over the Highlanders in the league for almost 17 years. With five defeats in their previous seven games, they were thin on personnel and manager Mark Kerr had to bring himself on in the second period.
Early home pressure set the tone and saw Jordan White head over the bar from James Keatings’ corner, while Aaron Muirhead’s mistimed 18-yard line challenge on Aaron Doran somehow went unpunished.
As momentum built, the home breakthrough came after 20 minutes.
From another fine David Carson ball to his feet, White took a superb first touch just inside the penalty area and sent a first-time cushioned finish into the left hand corner of the net.
Ayr were brighter for a spell into the second half, with Alan Forrest seeing an angled shot from the left of the box shave the outside of the post.
But the hosts struck again on the counter-attack after 63 minutes.
Storey made a 40-yard burst all the way into the left side of Ayr’s box and, with Keatings screaming for a pass, somehow sent a shot squirming through the grasp of keeper Ross Doohan and trickling over the line.
Doran drew a diving parry from Doohan soon after following a neat exchange with Keatings.
With Storey now buzzing, a tremendous burst and cross set up Keatings for a first time strike which the Ayr keeper did well to push around his post.
Ayr had a chance with 11 minutes left, with Mark McKenzie getting in behind the home defence, but Ridgers was out sharply to block.
In the closing exchanges sub Nikolay Todorov had an attempt cleared off the line.
Beaten boss Mark Kerr, who has lost five of the squad Ian McCall had last season, admitted: “We didn’t pass the ball at all and didn’t do our defensive side well. We’ve normally a good tight base to our team, but it’s not there just now. “I need to get fit, because I’m going to need to play – that’s the simple fact.”