Killie, who had lost three times to the Highlanders
this season, were without Frazer Wright with a knee injury, with David
Fernandez returned to the bench after his hamstring troubles.
With Falkirk and St Mirren out of action, the hosts
were aiming to trim the gap on their visitors to a point ahead of next
weekend's trip to bottom side Falkirk.
A
lively start saw Inverness keeper Ryan Esson called into action after 50
seconds when he got down well to block from Craig Bryson.
Then Kevin Kyle fed the ball in for Danny Invincible,
but the big forward failed to connect with it.
Moments later, Invincible hesitated when put clear
again, allowing Ross Tokely to challenge and clear it.
On 18 minutes, Caley Thistle stole into the lead when
Tokely's sweeping ball into the box was met by Richie Foran's header as
he outjumped keeper Alan Combe on the six-yard box. (right).
It was exactly the start the relegation-threatened
team were looking for, just 10 days after their 1-0 win at Ibrox, which
shot them off bottom spot.
And the advantage was doubled just three minutes
later when Ian Black's free-kick, with the wind behind it, fooled
everyone including Combe to finish in the bottom right corner.
The two-goal lead did not stop the Caley Jags from
pressing forward as they sought another to kill Killie off, without
carving open any clear opportunities.
The
wind was whipping around the Tulloch Caledonian Stadium as Jim
Jefferies' men probed for a goal before the interval.
And their efforts paid off when Garry Hay's cross was
driven into the area and Simon Ford was on hand to head
home, giving his side a lifeline. (right).
Kilmarnock made a flying start to the second half and
keeper Ryan Esson had to be lively to push away a Gavin Skelton effort
in the opening seconds.
The visitors continued to push for the leveller, much
to the frustration of Butcher on the sidelines.
Chances were few and far between, with the battle in
the midfield rarely resulting in creating attacks.
With 15 minutes to go, Tokely tested Combe with a low
drive, but Combe got down well to hold it.
Substitute David Fernandez cut the ball back into the
box moments later, but Lionel Djebi-Zadi was there to swipe it clear.
Killie finished the stronger team, but Caley Thistle
held on for a precious three points in their bid for top-flight
survival.
45
mins
