Caley Thistle manager Richie Foran hailed the impact of attacker Billy Mckay after his late goal secured a tremendous and crucial 2-1 victory against Rangers which moved Inverness off the foot of the Premiership.
Inverness are now a point clear of Hamilton Accies, who take on Celtic at Parkhead today, after Mckay’s late overhead kick gave the Highlanders a first league win since October.
Caley Jags had taken the lead thanks to Greg Tansey’s stunning 25-yard shot on the stroke of half time, but were level again on 68 minutes when Martyn Waghorn scored from the spot after Louis Laing had fouled Lee Wallace.
Iain Vigurs missed a late penalty for Inverness after Mckay was fouled by Danny Wilson, but Mckay’s brilliant overhead goal sealed the win.
Foran believes the Northern Irishman’s contribution will be invaluable to their hopes of staving off the threat of relegation.
Foran said: “When we’ve got Billy Mckay in our team, if something drops for him he’s got a great chance of scoring.
“To have a successful season, we need a player such as Billy in our team. Not only did it give me a boost when Billy came back, but it gave the rest of the players a lift as well, knowing they’ve got a natural finisher in the team.
“Lonsana Doumbouya did a great job for us, but we need a natural finisher in our team if we’re going to have a successful season.
“Aberdeen have Adam Rooney, Ross County have Liam Boyce. We’ve got Billy Mckay.”
Mckay was delighted with his contribution and reckons the goal ranks among the highlights of his career. He said: “It felt great. I couldn’t really have scored at a better time. We needed the win. We’re delighted and we want to push on now from here.
“It ranks right up there among the best of my career and I’m just delighted to help get three points.”
Match report – Pages 58 and 59