Greg Fleming turned the hero for Peterhead as he scored from the spot to earn Peterhead a penalty shootout win over Caley Thistle.
The game finished goal-less, with all 10 outfield players scoring their penalties before Mark Ridgers blazed wide and Fleming was left to tuck away the winner.
Only Ridgers’ heroics kept the game level at full-time, with a poor Inverness side bailed out by the goalkeeper pulling off a string of superb saves keeping the game goal-less.
Ridgers’ man-of-the-match performance kept the game goal-less at the end of normal time, with Peterhead unlucky not to take a deserved three points from the contest.
Caley Thistle handed debuts to Mitch Curry, James Keatings and David Carson, with James Vincent and Nikolay Todorov on the bench.
Peterhead boss Jim McInally dropped Derek Lyle, Rory McAllister and Jack Leitch to the bench and Scott Hooper missed out through an ankle injury. Jamie Stevenson, Mick Dunlop, Gary Fraser and Willie Gibson came in.
Keatings’ early strike was deflected into the arms of Greg Fleming by Dunlop and Gibson, a late substitute against Cove, whistled a shot over Ridgers’ crossbar.
Jordan White forced a smart stop out of Greg Fleming, with the Blue Toon stopper clawing away the shot with his right hand.
The home side were stifling their Championship opponents and felt aggrieved that referee Steven Reid failed to penalise Jamie McCart, who appeared to drag down Aidan Smith on the edge of the area when he had got a clean run at goal.
White had been Caley Thistle’s most prominent goal threat, as he was denied a one-on-one chance by Dunlop’s intervention and Paddy Boyle deflected his near-post strike wide.
Peterhead were far from overawed and Scott Brown could have tested Ridgers with a header from Smith’s cross, but failed to get his attempt on target.
Vincent came on for Brad Mckay at half-time and while Keatings’ ball across goal went unrewarded, it was Peterhead who showed most promise.
Scott Brown dipped an effort over Ridgers’ bar and the Caley Thistle goalkeeper reacted quickly to boot away Jamie Stevenson’s strike, as McInally’s side continued to threaten.
On his first debut six years ago, Vincent scored against St Mirren and ought to have done so again here, heading Walsh’s cross against the upright from point-blank range.
Ridgers was required twice in five minutes as Peterhead continued to probe for an opener, with Smith and Scott Brown both seeing shots turned away.
At the other end, Fleming kept the scores level with a superb one-handed save to keep out White’s header, while Ridgers again came to his side’s aid. Stevenson’s corner was met by Dunlop and his goal-bound header was brilliantly saved by the former Hearts and St Mirren stopper.
Experienced defender Dunlop then turned a shot on to the bar from the ensuing corner as the League 1 side began to hem Inverness in.
Peterhead’s frustrations with Reid grew further with another goalscoring opportunity for Smith seemingly halted unfairly, with Carson this time the culprit but no decision from the official was forthcoming.
White, Coll Donaldson, Todorov, Walsh and Carl Tremarco netted for Caley Thistle in the first five, while McAllister, Gibson, Leitch, Stevenson and Ben Armour found the net for Peterhead.
Carson and Boyle were followed by Vincent and Jason Brown to make it 7-7, before Fleming thought he had kept out Trafford’s effort only for the ball to cross the line. Dunlop beat Ridgers for eight apiece, with McCart and then Cammy Eadie keeping the scoring going.
Roddy MacGregor and Simon Ferry both scored to ensure the goalkeepers would have to take spot-kicks, with Ridgers blasting his penalty wide. Fleming was then the unlikely saviour to seal a dramatic 11-10 shootout triumph.
