Caley Thistle manager Terry Butcher was pleased to gain ground on leaders Dundee after Inverness claimed a point against Highland rivals Ross County.
The Caley Jags trail the Dens Park club, who sacked manager Jocky Scott after losing 3-0 at Airdrie, by just three points after the draw at Victoria Park.
Although outplayed in the first half at Victoria Park, the former England captain was encouraged by the way his players came back into the game in the second period.
He said: “A point like this could be the most valuable of the season.
“We are 12 games unbeaten now and there is more confidence among the players, had we played this game earlier in the season we would have lost it.
“Dingwall is a really hard place to come to, Ross County don't drop many points but we have a fantastic away record, by hook or by crook we are still there.
“There was a bit more resilience to hang on to our unbeaten streak and we look forward to playing Airdrie on Tuesday now."
Former Norwich City winger Robert Eagle scored the winner when Caley Thistle defeated Ross County in the semi-finals of the Challenge Cup last October and the 23-year-old hit the post after coming on as a second-half substitute.
Butcher praised Eagle for playing his part in the Caley Jags’ improved display after the break.
He said: “We were much better in the second half than the first.
“We started the game well and got a couple of corners.
“We looked as if we were really up for it and Ross County then took hold of the game.
“They had one or two half chances from set-pieces and pushed us back.
“I was not happy with how solid we were so I made a change at half-time and I thought we were much better.
“Robert Eagle came on and gave us a bit of width, he is the only man who knows how to score a winner for us in a Highland derby and he nearly got the winner again – history nearly repeated itself.
“Both teams had one really good opportunity, Ryan Esson made a good save from Michael Gardyne just before Robert hit the post.
“Ross County looked dangerous on the break and I thought we defended well in the last 15 minutes.
“They will be more disappointed than us with the result, considering the amount of chances they had."