Inverness CT 2 - 3 Motherwell: Steelmen stick the knife in as Terry Butcher blasts referee

FOR all of Terry Butcher’s enduring affection for past club Motherwell, the Caley Thistle manager seems to suffer hurt worthy of a spurned lover in their presence.

This was a day of jaw-dropping ill-fortune for Caley Thistle as they remained pinned perilously to the foot of the SPL table.

In contrast, the Motherwell bandwagon rolls on triumphantly as they slice a wedge between the Old Firm. But how?

How Stuart McCall’s team left the Highlands with three points in tow is anyone’s guess, although they showed the tenacity and durability of a team of habitual winners.

More than the Fir Park club, it was referee Crawford Allan who raised hackles for Butcher, who could barely contain his rage at the final whistle. With the scoreline level at 2-2, home defender Chris Hogg was sent off for supposedly denying Jamie Murphy a goalscoring opportunity from outside the box. From the resultant free-kick four minutes from the end, Tom Hateley hit the winner as the ball deflected cruelly off the wall.

“We sat there stunned because I don’t think we could have done much more to win the game,” Butcher said. “We dominated from start to finish apart from the last five minutes when we went ridiculously down to ten men. I just feel what more can hit us now? What more wrongs can be forced upon us? We’ve had a decision today which is laughable. We’ll definitely be appealing that. I’d like the referee to look at that and then apologise to me and our crowd. He said he had a clear shot at goal. Well, he had a clear shot at goal from 25 yards. There were bodies getting back and bodies around the ball.

“How much more are we going to have to take? Mario Balotelli had a shirt ‘why is it always me?’ I’m going to get one saying ‘Why is it always us?’ We can’t take much more. We’re like a boxer on the ropes being punched here and illegal punches there.”

Without question, though, Caley Thistle’s ability to surrender leads is a worry. They did it twice yesterday before Tom Hateley’s clincher.

McCall’s men mustered no more than four chances all day, yet scored on three occasions.

‘Well lost Stevie Hammell early on to a scything late challenge from young Josh Meekings. Making the first competitive start of his career, the Ipswich youth product was lucky to stay on the park.

A fifth away win from seven for Well looked unlikely for lengthy spells. Caley were dictating play – and went in front after barely three minutes. Greg Tansey’s free-kick was blocked but collected by David Davis just outside the penalty area, who sent a lovely low, curling strike into the corner of the net.

Ryan Esson, the home keeper, was having little more than a watching brief. Yet the first-half control was all undone in an instant for Caley Thistle as Motherwell finally burst to life. After 38 minutes, a Hateley corner on the right was returned by Ross Tokely’s clearing header. Hateley’s return ball picked out defender Hutchinson as he rose above the home defence to score with a five-yard header.

The half ended with Inverness on the rack. A Jamie Murphy ball in from the left struck the top of the bar, while great individual skill from the same player ended with a shot just wide of target.

A Gregory Tade rocket off the bar from six yards summed up home luck after 55 minutes, following a cleverly-worked 1-2 with Andrew Shinnie. Always slightly on top, Caley Thistle were again cursing their luck after 70 minutes following a Greg Tansey corner. Sadly for the hosts, another of the Frenchman Tade’s pot-shots flew straight at Darren Randolph and he made way for Irish winger Jonny Hayes.

Things improved for Butcher after 76 minutes, with a movement of sheer class from ex-Ranger Shinnie. Prompted by a Hayes’ run, Shinnie wound through the Motherwell defence before tucking the ball under the outcoming Randolph.

But Motherwell went straight back up the park and netted as Keith Lasley almost ripped the top of the net from 30 yards.

Matters worsened for Inverness with five minutes left as Hogg was given that straight red for a foul on Murphy as he honed in on goal. Disaster was complete when, from the resultant free-kick, Tom Hateley’s whipped effort hit the top of the wall and nestled behind Esson.