Butcher enjoys deserved win

Terry Butcher insists his Inverness side fully deserved all three points as they narrowly overcame Hearts 1-0 in the Highland Capital.

Inverness stretched their unbeaten run to six games courtesy of Shane Sutherland's 49th-minute header at a wet and windswept Tulloch Caledonian Stadium to help Terry Butcher's men close the gap on the Clydesdale Bank Premier League's top six. The game was only given the go-ahead at 2pm following a pitch inspection by referee George Salmond.

Butcher said: "For me, there was only one team that showed the right attitude in terms of wanting to win the game. People will say that we played the conditions well, but up here we're pretty much used to this type of weather. I'm just delighted with the win because a lot of people worked very hard to make sure this game was on."

He added: "It was quite literally all hands to the pump, but everyone was rewarded for their efforts with three points."

It was Inverness's second consecutive 1-0 league win against a team sitting third in the league before kick-off, having seen off Motherwell in their last outing.

Hearts had arrived in Inverness on the back of a six-game unbeaten run, but boss Paulo Sergio conceded they had not deserved to win.

However, he did feel his side should have had a penalty when substitute David Templeton went down inside the box under a challenge from Caley Thistle defender Josh Meekings.

He said: "The performance was disappointing, but for me it was a penalty.

"The referee was closer to it than I was and I haven't seen it again on television, but David Templeton says he was touched.

"From where I was, it looked like a penalty, but the referee is nearer and he makes the decision."