Caley Thistle boss Scott Kellacher hailed the impact of Aberdeen loanee Alfie Bavidge whose goal secured a 1-0 victory over visitors Queen of the South.
The forward struck the all-important goal of the game to keep administration-hit Inverness two points behind eighth-placed Annan Athletic in League One.
Annan came from a goal down to defeat Kelty Hearts 3-1 in Fife to ensure ICT didn’t overtake them.
Kellacher: Bavidge takes his chances
Bavidge, 18, took his tally to four goals in five games since his loan switch from the Dons and Kellacher knows he can play a big role in their bid to stay up.
He said: “Alfie has played on the left, on the right, and I played him through the middle today.
“When he goes through on goal, he’s such a confident boy. You can see he wants to take chances and be in the right place and he wants to score goals. That’s worth its weight in gold.
“There might be a few more games that are 1-0 this season, so it was important to know how to manage games.
“Alfie did great today, as they all did after a slow start.”
Boss: ICTFC ‘managed match well’
Kellacher praised his players for seeing the game out, while not being at their free-flowing best.
He said: “I thought overall we deserved the three points. It wasn’t quite the same as last week’s game against them (a 3-2 away defeat) when it was end-to-end. This was more cagey affair.
“I have a lot of respect for Queen of the South and what (manager) Peter Murphy is doing there, the way he tried to play football and can mix it up. We knew how hard it would be.
“We’re delighted to win 1-0 and go away with a clean sheet. We asked the boys to go up another level and I felt we did that. As much as I didn’t think we were at our best, it was a cagey game.
“We got the goal then managed the game really well by doing the right things at the right time. After the first 25 minutes, we took control and started playing our game.”
Luis Longstaff in welcome return
From the side which won 2-1 at Alloa Athletic last week, assistant player-boss Billy Mckay dropped to the bench, making way for the return of Luis Longstaff from his leg injury.
Queens had gathered 29 of their 32 points at Palmerston, but arrived in Inverness with just three away draws in the bank.
They had posted back-to-back home wins over ICT and Dumbarton, so travelled in confident mood, boosted by successive braces from former Caley Jags forward Adam Brooks.
After a tentative start overall, Queens carved the first opening when Josh Walker’s neat pass found Jordan Allan and the on-loan Falkirk man’s shot was pushed away by goalkeeper Musa Dibaga.
It was soon a battle with some meaty challenges taking over and a few bookings dished out by referee Alastair Grieve, two for ICT and three for the Doonhamers around the half hour mark alone.
Inverness made the breakthrough on 36 minutes with a simple but deadly move.
Adam Mackinnon brought Paul Allan into play and the midfielder’s ball for Bavidge was slotted low into the net beyond Ross Stewart.
It was a moment of quality, which is the reason ICT fought hard to bring him to the club on loan.
Doonhamers end game with 10 men
Early in the second half, there were appeals for a spot-kick when Michael Hewitt seemed to take down Longstaff, but those pleas were ignored – much to the anger of the Caley Jags.
Mackinnon came close to doubling the scoreline for Inverness on the hour, but a great save from Stewart pushed the searing drive wide.
With Annan turning a losing position at Kelty into a victorious one, it was crucial for ICT to try and stay ahead to keep them within sight in the table.
A smart stop from Stewart with seven minutes to go denied Longstaff, who steered a Bavidge cross on target.
Queens’ sub Jack Brydon was sent off just after that for a second bookable offence for a rash challenge on Billy Mckay.
Two more saves by Stewart prevented Inverness from sealing the win with another goal, but they vitally walked off with their fourth victory from five games to keep their survival bid on track.
Next weekend, they travel to Arbroath, whose 2-1 defeat at Cove Rangers saw them slip from top to third spot as Stenhousemuir moved to the summit.
Caley Thistle v Queens ratings
CALEY THISTLE (4-3-3): Dibaga 6, Nolan 6, Savage 6, Devine 7, Bray 6, Mackinnon 7 (Cairns 89), Gilmour 7, Stewart 6, Longstaff 6, Bavidge 7, Allan 7.
Subs not used: Rebilas (GK), Mckay, Strachan, MacLeod, Thompson, Keogh, Ewan.
QUEEN OF THE SOUTH (3-1-4-2): Stewart 7, MacIntyre 6, Douglas 6, Hannah 6 (Smith 60), Cochrane 6, Walker 6 (Brydon 60), Lyon 6, Allan 3 (Charters 38), Hewitt 7, Brooks 6 (Bryden 72), Dickenson 6.
Subs not used: Johnson (GK), O’Donnell, McLinden
Referee: Alastair Grieve.
Attendance: 1,726.
Man of the match: Alfie Bavidge.
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