 Inverness defender Ross Tokely produced a 20th-minute wonder goal to deny Dundee United what would have been only their second win in 10 attempts and ensure under-pressure manager Gordon Chisholm's future remains unclear after the 1-1 draw.
The visitors took a seventh-minute lead thanks to a Lee Miller spot-kick after Grant Munro had hacked down the former Hearts striker with a lunging tackle. However, shortly afterwards Tokely equalised with a sublime overhead kick, before Miller was denied his second goal of the afternoon in the 67th minute when Mark Brown tipped his header onto the crossbar. The early stages were hampered by both teams' inability to keep the ball on the deck, resulting in an opening five minutes which were far from easy on the eye. But from their first meaningful attack United took the lead. Right-back Mark Wilson advanced far enough up the pitch to swing a dangerous cross into the Caley penalty area, which was directed into the path of Miller by strike partner Jim McIntyre. Miller was all set to pull the trigger and surely open the scoring from only six yards out, when Munro intervened with a sliding tackle where he won none of the ball and succeeded only in taking the former Hearts striker's legs from under him. Referee Calum Murray correctly awarded the penalty and Miller dusted himself down to fire the spot-kick low to the right-hand side of Brown. The next 13 minutes produced a further spell of banality before the home side equalised with a goal which was certainly a diamond among the rough. Barry Wilson swung a corner to the edge of the box, which midfielder Ian Black headed back into the area towards Tokely. The towering right-back then confidently cushioned the ball on his chest before acrobatically firing an overhead kick past the helpless Derek Stillie in the United goal. Caley were forced into a reshuffle in the 35th minute when the left-footed Alan Morgan replaced the injured David Proctor, forcing the versatile Wilson to switch wings and move to right midfield. Six minutes after his arrival, Morgan blasted a volley from an acute angle across the face of goal, before right on the half-time whistle Craig Dargo fired an effort from distance straight into the arms of Stillie. Barry Robson then tried to interject some pace into proceedings with a surging run up the right wing, but he was penalised for pushing away the dogged Russell Duncan and subsequently ended up being cautioned by Murray. Despite offering little attacking flair, in the 67th minute United were denied a second goal when Miller saw his powerful header tipped on to the bar via an outstanding save from Brown. Wilson was again the architect, delivering an inswinging cross this time from the left-hand side and Miller rose magnificently, only to be denied by a brilliant fingertip stop from the Caley goalkeeper. David McCracken then headed wide from a Robson free-kick, before Darren Dods was booked for an offence on Collin Samuel which directly mirrored Robson's earlier infringement. Caley came closest to scoring a winner when Wilson's 88th-minute free-kick was well saved by Stillie, but this evenly-contested match was always destined to end in a draw. Inverness CT: Brown, Tokely, Dods, Munro, Hastings, Proctor (Morgan 35), Black, Duncan, Wilson (Hart 88), Bayne, Dargo (Juanjo 83).
Subs Not Used: Fraser, Wyness, Fox, Brewster. Booked: Dods, Morgan. Goal: Tokely 20. Dundee Utd: Stillie, Wilson, McCracken, Archibald, Duff, Samuel, Kerr, Fernandez, Robson, Miller, McIntyre.
Subs Not Used: Samson, McInnes, Dodds, Kenneth, Robertson, Cameron, Goodwillie. Booked: Robson. Goal: Miller 7 pen. Att: 3,239 Ref: C Murray
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