Killie had to cope without the services of goalkeeper Alan Combe who was ruled out with the groin injury picked up in the 2-0 midweek win against Motherwell.

That allowed Graeme Smith a rare start in goal, while manager Jim Jefferies made no other changes to his in-form team.

Kilmarnock started on the front-foot as Inverness eased into proceedings.

Allan Johnston was the first to test Caley goalkeeper Mark Brown with a rising drive from the edge of the box in the third minute, which the 24-year-old pushed over the bar at the expense of a corner.

Invincibile's delivery caused much consternation in the home penalty area and, when Brown only pushed Wright's snap-shot as far as the edge of his six-yard box, Steven Naismith was on hand to tap the ball into the net.

However, along with Colin Nish, Naismith was adjudged to have been in an offside position and, on the advice of his assistant Tom Murphy, referee Kenny Clark disallowed the goal.

Inverness striker Dargo came agonisingly close in the fifth minute.

Barry Wilson's free-kick was flicked on by Darren Dods and, although Dargo beat Smith to the ball, his stabbed effort struck the base of the post.

Both teams then settled into a period of possession football which was easy on the eye but offered little substance, before Naismith's speculative 20th-minute attempt at breaking the deadlock drifted well wide.

In the 27th minute the away side finally foraged far enough forward to create a good crossing opportunity for Invincibile.

And when the Australian's intelligent cut-back found Steven Naismith stationed only six yards from goal, the 19-year-old flicked out his right boot to steer a shot past Brown into the far corner of the net.

Naismith's eighth strike of the season was no more than Kilmarnock deserved after an enterprising start to the match and he nearly doubled their advantage only six minutes later after exchanging passes with Nish on the edge of the box.

But after Naismith's low drive was well saved by Brown, Inverness immediately broke up the pitch to score a 34th-minute equaliser.

Dargo did all the hard work in winning the ball for his strike partner Wyness and when the on-loan Hearts player was left one-on-one with Wright, he danced around the Kilmarnock defender before bending a shot with the outside of his right foot past Smith.

That goal visibly filled Caley with confidence and they went on to pepper the visitor's goal with two well-hit efforts before the interval.

First Proctor saw a 36th-minute soaring drive clear the crossbar, before Wilson's effort three minutes before the interval flew just over as the home side finished the opening 45 minutes the stronger.

Kilmarnock again started the second half in a positive fashion and Invincibile's wing-play afforded Nish the chance to test Brown with a header from 10 yards out which was well gathered by the Caley keeper.

But the away side's dominance was short-lived and it was Inverness who quickly wrestled the ascendancy from their opponents courtesy of a neat passing exchange between Dargo and Wyness.

Dargo the former Killie man ended up through on goal after a clever one-two, but Smith stood his ground and Dargo could only blast his close range effort against the body of the Kilmarnock keeper.

Kilmarnock continued to look dangerous in attack, none more so than when Invincibile linked up with Nish and, again, the towering striker forced Brown into a fine stop - this time with a header from the penalty mark.

Nish came even closer to scoring in the 65th minute after Brown's unorthodox block from Naismith's acute drive afforded the forward the chance to head towards goal from just past the back post.

The ball appeared to have carried over the line, but a valiant attempt by the goalkeeper just kept it out. (Was it in?)

That save was to prove crucial as Caley took the lead when a Richard Hastings cross was helped on by Stuart Golabek.

And, from six yards out, Dargo guided an effort across Smith to creep in at the far post in the 68th minute.

However, Inverness' lead lasted barely a minute.

Nish set up Gary Wales, who flashed a left-footed shot on the half-volley into the bottom left-hand corner of Brown's goal.

Substitute Alan Morgan, who replaced Golabek, then saw a shot blocked by James Fowler on the edge of his own area after more good work by Dargo and Wyness, before a Wales shot was defected wide by Dods.

However the in-form Kilmarnock forward found his range with seven minutes remaining and rounded off a fine passing move to curl the ball past Brown from the edge of the box, This was Gary Wales fourth goal in his last two games.

But just as Inverness had thrown away a lead immediately after scoring, Kilmarnock did the same.

Three minutes later Morgan's deep corner was met by Proctor at the back post to who head Caley's second late equaliser in a week after their heroics at Dunfermline.

Dargo then tried to win the game for his side with a rasping drive from the edge of the box which seemed certain to finish in the top corner before Smith's intervention at full stretch tipped the ball around the post for a corner.

In a frantic end to the game, both teams had chances to score what would have been a dramatic winner and Morgan's 90th minute header from the edge of the box was saved by "stand-in" Graeme Smith before Wales' effort from 25 yards in injury time drew a fine block from Mark Brown.

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