Inverness CT 2-0 Hibernian: Caley revival in full swing

Inverness CT 2

Proctor 15; Foran 65

Hibernian 0

THE wry cheers that greeted the half-time announcement at the Caledonian Stadium that Craig Brewster had relaunched his playing career with a goal for Ross County at the ripe old age of 42 underline how quickly things have changed at Inverness since his departure as manager. For the first time in a while the smiles have come back to the faces of the Inverness fans. Terry Butcher's mini-revival now spans an unbeaten four-game run and the spirit shown in this win underline that the battle is not lost. Not by a long shot.

Goals from David Proctor and Richie Foran do not tell the whole story but the performance does as Inverness are no longer haunted by the burden of relegation. Yes, they are still bottom – now just a point adrift of Falkirk – but as Butcher toasted the success with a glass of wine last night, Mixu Paatelainen wouldn't have been in such a celebratory mood.

"The dressing room is pretty euphoric right now," said Butcher. "The players just wish they could play again on Monday and that shows how confident they are right now. The hard work is still to come but there is a real feelgood factor around the club right now and that can only bode well."

Inverness may prove a popular place for tourists with its scenic views of the highlands, fresh sea breeze and history. However, it's doubtful if many players at Hibs welcome their bi-annual journey up the long and winding road of the A9 having never won there.

Once again Inverness proved very unwelcoming hosts. Playing some slick, free-flowing football, they dominated the Edinburgh side and were well worth their early goal. In fact, they could well have been in front within three minutes as on-form Dougie Imrie rose to meet a Proctor cross only to head wide.

At the other end, Hibs were also looking a threat, with Finnish international Jonatan Johannson leading the charge and he nearly netted from a well-worked three-man move on seven minutes. Derek Riordan found Steven Fletcher in space on the left and his cross was met by the head of Johannson, only for the effort to crash into the side netting.

Caley earned a deserved 15th-minute lead as Eric Odhiambo slipped in Proctor to coolly dispatch past Grzegorz Szamotulski from 10 yards.

Johannson should have squared things up six minutes later after being sent clear by Ross Chisholm. He slipped the ball past the advancing Ryan Esson only to see the ball bounce the wrong side of the post.

As the clock ticked down on the second period, Inverness had a series of chances to underline their superiority. Imrie had the first on 40 minutes as he drove wide from 25 yards. Foran also came close when he attempted to lob Szamoltulski from long range.

There was controversy as Proctor fell inside the Hibs box under the challenge of Rob Jones. Alan Muir, who had only seconds early given Paatelainen his final warning over his touchline conduct, was behind the play as the challenge came in and instantly waved away appeals.

Foran then had one final chance to add to Caley's lead before the break but this time his chip shaved the bar on its way out of play.

Hibernian made a change at the break as they brought on Joe Keenan for the ineffectual Chisholm but the substitution did little to stem the flow of play.

Throughout the game, several Hibs players were posted missing and the lack of fight in their ranks must be a source of worry for Paatelainen in his quest for top-six football. Their day of misery was compounded on 63 minutes as Foran pounced on Imrie's rebounded strike to fire the ball into the net and give Inverness a boost in their survival fight. The win could have been even more resounding as Inverness continued to press for more. Lionel Djebi-Zadi had the best of their efforts when he crashed a late strike into the side-net.

However, there was little for Hibs to cheer about as they stared the prospect of yet another pointless journey back to the capital.

"Maybe all the hype and speculation around certain players has gone to their heads and they believe they are better than they are," said Mixu Paatelainen.