79 mins
Inverness remain in danger of relegation after Kevin Kyle's header ensured SPL safety for Killie. Killie will now can look forward to their 14th consecutive season in Scottish football's top flight!
Kevin Kyle has kept Kilmarnock up - relegation might well have meant financial oblivion - and, fortunately, there was no need of the coathanger Jefferies had at the ready to keep the striker upright.
With eight goals in just 12 games, the big man's contribution has been the difference between death and survival. The home players and fans acknowledged at the whistle the importance of staying up, the team emerging with their weans dressed in cut-down Killie strips, the supporters continuing to celebrate outside the ground for more than an hour. They haven't partied like this in a dozen years since Killie last won the Scottish Cup.
Kyle saw it rather more prosaically. He said: "I wasn't 100% and that probably showed because I had a stinker," adding that he hadn't felt as sore "since the wee man spilled boiling water over me."
The striker joked that he was so exhausted that
he "had been strapped into the horse like Charlton
Heston", adding that he "hadn't felt this sore since
my wee boy spilled boiling water on me". Not that
the Killie faithful who roared the striker to the
rafters as he and his teammates came out to take the
plaudits after the final whistle will care about his
aching limbs. "We're all happy, it's a relief for
the fans to know that we'll be playing Celtic and
Rangers next season," said Kyle.
They love the big centre forward at Rugby Park, but
then he has almost single-handedly ensured their
continued presence in the top flight. Berti Vogts'
former blue-eyed boy has now racked up eight goals
in just 12 games since joining from Coventry City
(he was on loan at Hartlepool) and is now Killie's
top scorer, with his match-winner coming on
the heels of the midweek double against St Mirren.
The visitors made a bright start, with Richie Foran, Brian Kerr and Filipe Morais all threatening.
Kyle went close with a header from on the stroke of half time but his effort was hacked clear off the line.
However, the big former Scotland striker was not to be denied and found the target from close range after good work from Garry Hay on 78 minutes.
Inverness must now avoid defeat at home to bottom club Falkirk next weekend to stay in the top flight.
With a draw suiting both sides, it was no surprise that this was not much of a contest, although the Highlanders played the more adventurous football.
Richie Foran was close to connecting with a dangerous ball across the face of the goal by Roy McBain and Brian Kerr saw his deflected shot drift just wide of the target.
Fifteen minutes before the break, Filipe Morais caught the home defence napping on the counter-attack but fired just wide.
Kyle had the chance of a trademark header 12 minutes before the break, but he could not connect with the floated ball into the box.
A 22-man stand-off then followed Killie's Garry Hay was charging up the left touchline when David Proctor slid in with a two-footed tackle which, although it took the ball, mightily annoyed the full-back who remonstrated with the shirt-front of the Caley player. Cue the assembly of a handbag convention, a general exchange of forceful opinions and the wholesale intervention of the officials.
Both
principals were then booked, followed by Willie
Gibson and Richie Foran for their part in the melee.
It was, by far, the most exciting incident of the
first half.
Inverness left-back Lionel Djebi-Zadi fired into the side-netting five minutes after the interval, while Morais saw his shot was easily saved by Combe after eluding the home defence.
Djebi-Zadi tried his luck again from distance, but Combe held the effort without any trouble.
As Inverness tired, the home side started to find Kevin Kyle more often with their favoured route of the long ball
And, with 12 minutes remaining, Mehdi Taouil beat his man and supplied Hay, who crossed for Kyle to knock the ball home at the back post.
Moroccan playmaker Taouil nearly made in 2-0 in the last minute but his effort hit the post.
Sandy's Match Pic's are HERE
