Caley Thistle attacker Miles Storey admitted he handled the ball before scoring the goal which ended Ross County’s hopes of a comeback in the Highland derby on Saturday.
Inverness kept hopes of making the top six in the Premiership alive with a 3-0 win at Victoria Park but County manager Jim McIntyre was aggrieved at the decision by referee Bobby Madden to award Storey his goal.
Storey might have used his hands to control the high ball but there was no doubting the quality of his finish as he lashed a spectacular 25-yard shot past Staggies goalkeeper Gary Woods for his 10th goal of the season.
Asked if he handled the ball, Storey said: “Yes. It has come a long way in the air and I tried to chest it but if it hit my arm and I played to the whistle.
“I needed that bit of luck as I’ve been frustrated at being stuck on nine for a while now, so it’s nice to get into double figures.
“Hopefully, now I’ve got it I can keep on playing and get a few more. I haven’t scored many better but I would take one like the one I scored and one off my knee just the same.”
The win keeps Caley Thistle’s hopes alive of making the top six with three games to go until the split but Storey’s motivation for winning the game was to ensure he and his team-mates were not caught up in County’s post-match League Cup celebrations through the streets of Dingwall.
He said: “It was very important we won as we were playing against a good team which had just won the League Cup and all the players knew they were having the parade after the game.
“The last thing we wanted was to come here, get thumped then drive past the parade.
“Ross County are up there in the top six and we have got to try to chase them. We’ve had a poor run of not scoring goals or picking up points, so it was pleasing to score three without reply against our rivals.
“I enjoyed it and a result like this has been coming for a while. From the moment we got the first goal we got a lift and never looked back. It was a very good performance and we are really pleased. I hope we can kick on after the break.”