Caley Thistle ended their Championship campaign with a superb 3-0 win at Morton – however Dunfermline’s win over Dumbarton finally put paid to the Highlanders’ play-off hopes.
Inverness triumphed comfortably thanks to George Oakley’s first half double and a tap-in from Nathan Austin after the break, ensuring they end the campaign on an impressive 12-match unbeaten streak.
Caley Jags also required Dumbarton to win at East End Park in order to finish fourth but the Pars’ 4-0 victory means John Robertson’s men must settle for fifth.
Inverness made two changes from the side that defeated Livingston 1-0 on Tuesday, with Aaron Doran and Connor Bell making way for Nathan Austin and Iain Vigurs, who was back from a two-game suspension.
Inverness started brightly, with Vigurs unfortunate to see his excellent free kick from 20 yards come off the underside of the crossbar, while Austin saw an effort saved by Conor Brennan.
Caley Jags took the lead on 20 minutes however, when Oakley was on hand to bundle home at the near post after meeting Liam Polworth’s corner.
Oakley doubled his tally on 38 minutes when he latched on to Austin’s through ball before drilling past Brennan from the angle of the penalty area 14 yards out, with the goalkeeper getting a strong hand on the shot but unable to keep it out.
Morton made a decent start to the second half, with Ridgers making outstanding saves to thwart Gary Harkins’ deflected free kick as well as Bob McHugh’s follow-up attempt.
Inverness’ third goal was not long in coming however, with Austin finding himself in acres of space following Polworth’s through ball, and although the attacker was foiled by Brennan with his first attempt, he was on hand to bundle home at the second attempt, with Caley Jags comfortably seeing out the remainder of the match.