Caley Thistle took Morton to the cleaners just four days after being left in the dark and out of the Scottish Cup at Cappielow.
The Inverness side had been seething all week, not only at losing their third-round replay on penalties in Greenock on Tuesday.
A broken generator with the Caley Jags players and staff placed in portable cabins led to team talks in darkness and players chilled to the bone and less than impressed.
Such was the anger within the ICT camp, head coach Billy Dodds even suggested they’d consider not playing the game should the solution not be fixed for Saturday’s league contest.
Thankfully, the local council had rubber-stamped the gym in the opposite end of the ground for use by ICT and it just came down to who would do their talking on the pitch.
By 5pm, ICT were still one point clear of Raith Rovers at the top after the Kirkcaldy side beat Kilmarnock 1-0.
Morton, who will face Motherwell in the next round of the cup next month, are now alone at the foot of the table, one point behind Dunfermline and Queen of the South.
The goal spree in rain-lashed Greenock was their most complete performance of the season, with a Shane Sutherland double and goals from Aaron Doran, Billy Mckay, Reece McAlear and Lewis Jamieson left the hosts floored.
ICT showed how good they can be
Afterwards, Dodds really didn’t want to talk about shoddy dressing rooms and praised Morton for getting matters sorted off the park while his team fixed their own issues on them.
He said: “You try to get an edge and we were angrier on Tuesday and we wanted to turn up and show how good a team we are and that’s what we did.
“We’re all fighting against a pandemic and nothing’s ideal facilities in the pandemic, but Tuesday was unacceptable and that’s why I made my case. Today was professional. It was fine, there was lighting!”
The cup loss aside, ICT are right on form, with three straight league wins keeping them in pole position.
Luck on Doran’s side for opener
The opening goal came on 15 minutes when a whipped in cross from Doran crashed off the post and goalkeeper Jack Hamilton before ending up in the net.
That set-back unsettled Morton, who had gone close early on through Gary Oliver, while Danny Devine stopped Gozie Ugwu in his tracks as he threatened to shoot.
ICT were playing with confidence and doubled their lead on 33 minutes when Sutherland slotted home from close range after Hamilton denied Mckay.
6️⃣ of the best 🤩
The goals from our sensational 6-1 win against Morton at Cappielow 😍
What a performance! 🔴🔵 pic.twitter.com/U7sRYVpdFf
— Inverness Caledonian Thistle FC (@ICTFC) December 12, 2021
McAlear, in for the injured Roddy MacGregor, was a livewire and he cleverly fed the ball for Mckay to steer home the visitors’ third goal just two minutes before the break.
The rain was matching the mood for Morton, but they got on the scoresheet from the penalty spot on the stroke of half-time.
McAlear was judged by referee John Beaton to have brought down Gavin Reilly and, from the spot-kick, Ugwu guided it past Mark Ridgers into the net.
Three second half goals in the rain
After a bright start to the second half by Morton, Dodds’ team got their fourth goal when 19-year-old Norwich City loanee McAlear scored his first ICT goal with a cracking long-range shot high into the top corner of the net.
Morton looked done at 4-1 and it worsened for them on the hour mark when perseverance paid off in the box and Sutherland crashed home number five.
With 11 minutes to go, on-loan St Mirren striker Jamieson, who had just replaced Sutherland, netted his first league goal, and third of the season, with a classy finish after outsmarting two ‘Ton opponents.
🗣️ "It's hard to get the smile off my face!"
Head Coach Billy Dodds gives his thoughts following our 6-1 win against Morton this afternoon.
Full Interview 👉 https://t.co/PM1A2jAkP9 pic.twitter.com/RkWC2QmK4v
— Inverness Caledonian Thistle FC (@ICTFC) December 11, 2021
It was the icing on the cake for the Caley Jags. Going out of the cup was tough to take, especially on penalties, but remaining top of the table just before the midway mark is a festive sweetener.
ICT now face successive home matches against Hamilton and Partick Thistle as they seek to stay in first position.
‘Scoreline doesn’t lie’ – Anderson
Morton interim manager Derek Anderson, who hinted he might not be in charge for Saturday’s game at Arbroath, was asked whether the dressing room row might have inspired the visitors.
He said: “It could have been a factor, but we have to look after what we do. We didn’t compete and they were first to every ball.
“Inverness thoroughly deserved their win. It was night and day from Tuesday’s performance. They know they let themselves down and the scoreline doesn’t lie.”
HOW THEY LINED UP
MORTON (4-4-2) – Hamilton 5, Strapp 5, Oliver 6, Muirhead 6 (McGregor 68), Lyon 6 Easdale 81), Ugwu 6, Reilly 6 (Blues 56), Russell 6, Hynes 6, Oksanen 6, Lithgow 5. Subs not used: Ledger, Jacobs, McGrattan, King.
CALEY THISTLE (4-4-1-1) – Ridgers 6, Deas 6, Devine 6, Carson 6, Mckay 7 (Duku 66), Doran 6 (Harper 58), Sutherland 7 (Jamieson 75), Walsh 6, Broadfoot 6, Allardice 6, McAlear 7. Subs not used: Mackay, Duffy, McDonald.
Referee: John Beaton.
Attendance: 1192.
Man of the match: Billy Mckay.
