Caley Thistle’s undefeated run in the league came to an end as they suffered a second half collapse in a 3-0 defeat by basement side Hamilton Accies.
After a first half where the Caley Jags had started well and produced the better chances, the home side found themselves behind two minutes after the interval courtesy of a Lucas De Bolle goal.
Hamilton doubled their advantage with 10 minutes left to play through Jean Pierre Tiehi before Connor Smith added a third through a penalty in the 87th minute.
The Championship defeat brings Inverness’ five-game unbeaten run in the league to an end, and leaves them sitting in seventh in the table.
Billy Dodds’ men return to action on Tuesday – away to Hamilton.
At the Caledonian Stadium, Caley Thistle started on the front foot as Scott Allardice went close within the opening two minutes, before skipper Sean Welsh teed up Daniel MacKay who would’ve been clear on goal if his first touch had been better.
There was another missed opportunity for the home side as in-form striker Billy McKay missed a sitter from four yards out, before Hamilton started to grow into the game with chances of their own from Rhegan Tumility.
In the second half, Hamilton’s first goal came as Nathan Shaw lost possession to Scott Martin, who found Lewis Smith before Tiehi got involved in the action. Daniel Devine put in good tackle to deny Tiehi, but the ball fell to De Bolle who slotted home from close range.
The hosts found themselves 2-0 down after subsitute Dylan Stephenson had the ball at the byline and crossed it in for Tiehi to tap home.
Things went from bad to worse for Inverness, as Hamilton’s Smith added a third from the spot with three minutes remaining on the clock, after Scott Martin was taken down by Allardice.
Talking points
Caley Jags looked sharp in opening stages
It was a lively start from the home side as they played some really good football going forward with Shaw and Jay Henderson benefitting from acres of space and Hamilton’s lack of pace, while good chances fell to Allardice and Mckay.
Within the opening two minutes, Allardice had a low drive saved by Fulton, while after 15 minutes Mckay missed a glorious chance to put Inverness 1-0 up as he hit the post with a shot from 4 yards out.
But for all Caley Thistle’s dominance in the first 25 minutes, Accies did start to find their way into the game, with the first half ending on a much more even note than it had first played out.
Little response offered from Inverness after first Accies goal
After a fast start from Hamilton after the break, the Caley Jags offered little in the way of a response with their first real chance after going behind being a shot on the edge of the box from Henderson on 62 minutes.
It was a case of Caley not doing the simple things well enough, with Mckay misplacing a key pass, Welsh mistiming a run, before a lack of communication between Devine and Ridgers made a defensive clearance harder than it needed to be.
There were glimpses of the good football that ICT played in the first half with Henderson taking the ball down the left flank before finding Welsh who scuffed his shot well wide of the target.
Inverness’ best chance was when it was still 1-0 and it came from a Henderson corner, which was met with a powerful header from Devine, but he was denied by a fantastic save from Accies’ Fulton.
Following that save, Caley Thistle fell apart as Hamilton went on to score two more.
Austin Samuels returns from injury
A positive in defeat for Inverness was the return of long-term casualty Austin Samuels, whose previous game came over five months ago against Dundee.
The winger came on with more than 20 minutes left to played with heavy strapping to his leg, but his return should be a big boost for Caley Thistle going forward.
Talking tactics
Dodds named an unchanged starting XI, lining up in the same 4-4-1-1, from the impressive 3-0 win over Livingston in the Scottish Cup, while Samuels was named in the matchday squad for the first time since October.
Referee watch
Matthew MacDermid awarded a penalty on 85 minutes after Martin was taken down in the box by Allardice – who was already on a yellow but not shown a red, which resulted in Accies’ third goal.
Player ratings
CALEY THISTLE (4-4-1-1): Ridgers 5, Duffy 5, Harper 6, Welsh 6 (Boyd 77), Devine 6, Carson 6, Mckay 6, MacKay 6 (Samuels 67), Allardice 5, Henderson 6, Shaw 5 (Cairns 75)
Subs not used: Cameron MacKay (GK), Deas, Doran, Hyde, Delaney, Thompson
HAMILTON ACCIES (3-5-2): Fulton 7, Shiels 6, O’Reilly 5 (McGinn 87), Martin 7, Smith 6, McGowan 6, Tiehi 7 (Zanatta 87), Smith 7 (Stephenson 58), Tumilty 6 (Lawson 70), De Bolle 7 (Winter 70), Owens 6
Subs not used: Smith (GK), Easton, Newbury, Latona
Star man
Ryan Fulton: The Hamilton Accies goalkeeper made a vital stop within the opening minutes to deny Allardice before thwarting Devine with 15 minutes left on the clock which would have pulled ICT level.
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