Inverness go top of cinch Championship with scrappy 1-0 win over Kilmarnock

Inverness are sitting pretty at the top of the cinch Championship after leapfrogging Kilmarnock with a 1-0 win over the Ayrshire side in the Highlands.

Inverness' Sean Welsh celebrates with David Carson. (Photo by Mark Scates / SNS Group)

Billy Dodds’ side were pretty in pink too, despite an ugly game won by a wonder-goal from captain Sean Welsh.

The home skipper dug the ball out from under his feet and beat Zakk Hemming from 20-yards with a 69th minute drive and sent his side top.

The home side had seemed the side most likely to score, but it was a poor advert for much of the game. Shane Sutherland went close with a curling effort that narrowly evaded the top corner just before the half-hour, and Killie’s best chance came through Chris Burke just before the break.

Inverness' Shane Sutherland surging forward during a cinch Championship match between Inverness Caledonian Thistle and Kilmarnock at the Caledonian Stadium, on December 03, 2021, in Inverness, Scotland. (Photo by Mark Scates / SNS Group)

Their weekend could get worse by slipping to fourth place with their nearest rivals, Raith Rovers and Arbroath meeting this afternoon at Gayfield. Robbie Thomson is poised to keep the Kirkcaldy club’s goalkeeper gloves with regular number one Jamie MacDonald missing the midweek cup win over Caley through family commitments. Dick Campbell’s home team have Anton Dowds and Joe Nouble back and can go second with a win.

So too could Partick Thistle, who travel to Queen of the South aiming to avoid form dip that often follows the manager of the month award after Ian McCall was recognised by sponsors Glen’s Vodka.

John Hughes takes his Dunfermline side to meet his former Falkirk player Stuart Taylor’s struggling Hamilton at New Douglas Park. Both sides are aiming to move out of the tightly packed cluster of teams at the bottom, which also includes Morton and Ayr United who clash at Cappielow.

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