Caley Thistle are now without a win in six games after a goalless draw with Raith Rovers in the Highland capital.
A spirited display, in which they hit the woodwork in the second half, kept Raith at bay but was not enough to arrest their disappointing recent run.
Interim boss Neil McCann is still left chasing his first win since taking over and Inverness have won just once this year – a 2-0 victory at Ayr United in February.
The point sees them move above Ayr United and Arbroath, ahead of their games on Saturday.
It was the first of two games in four days against Raith. Their other proposed meeting against John McGlynn’s side was postponed after a Covid-19 outbreak at the club, with Caley Thistle due to head to Stark’s Park on Tuesday.
Inverness made two changes from the midweek defeat to Morton, with Sean Welsh and Daniel MacKay in for Wallace Duffy and James Keatings.
With their games in hand running thin, the time was now for Caley Thistle to make moves and save their season.
Their dire recent form had seen them slip away from promotion contention to real fears of relegation.
Raith have enjoyed a resurgent season back in the Championship, soaring up to second, and have Kai Kennedy in their ranks. The Rangers kid spent the first part of the campaign on loan with the Caley Jags, before returning to Ibrox to sign a new deal and be subsequently loaned out again.
Instability at the back was obvious from the start. With two makeshift full-backs, Robbie Deas and David Carson, in place, the flanks were ripe for Raith to exploit.
Their first foray down that avenue came on eight minutes, with Reghan Tumilty’s delivery narrowly evading Gozie Ugwu for Brad Mckay to scoop clear.
Kennedy almost capitalised on a Mckay error to fashion a chance for the visitors, as he seized on a loose ball from the defender and tore at Carson. Fortunately, there were bodies back to block the cross.
Centre-back Frankie Musonda nearly profited from further indecision in the Caley Thistle defence from a corner, instead scooping his shot over the bar.
19' | 0-0
Great ball from Allardice finds Carson running down the right hand side and his cross finds Todorov in the middle but his header is wide.
— Inverness Caledonian Thistle FC (@ICTFC) March 12, 2021
The hosts’ fortunes of late were summed up by a 29th-minute chance that bizarrely managed to stay out. Daniel MacKay, set free in behind, saw his shot evade Jamie MacDonald’s grasp and kiss the inside of the post; it appeared to be heading in before Kieran MacDonald somehow managed to keep it out.
With the ball breaking out into the six-yard box, it appeared certain that Roddy MacGregor would crash in the rebound. However his shot contrived to hit the prone defender on the line and Raith, somehow, escaped with their goal intact.
While Ugwu remained a threat at the opposite end of the park, Nikolay Todorov was the focal point of Inverness’ game plan and certainly wasted no time in targeting him.
But aside from a couple of deliveries which he had to hang in the air for, rather than attack, his potency was limited to a couple of half-chances.
Composure and quality is sadly lacking in the midfield just now and up front, they are not showing the required craft and guile to fashion openings. Scott Allardice is arguably the only player who combines tenacity with an assurity in possession; Carson will run himself into the ground for the cause but had to do so from right-back.
It was Carson’s right-wing cross that Welsh thumped off the post with a header, while Shane Sutherland was played in behind the Raith defence but was unable to lift the ball over the advancing goalkeeper.
The hosts felt they had a clear penalty call waved away by Steven McLean too, when Mckay went down under the challenge of Dylan Tait. The rub of the green was not going their way.
Raith’s goal threat had dimmed in the second period and the lively Kennedy had been subdued. A snappy interaction with Carson, after the makeshift defender had chopped him down, showed Kennedy was certainly not making friends on his return to the Highlands.
Inverness’ forward play had improved with Sutherland and MacGregor allowed to play more centrally in the second period and they certainly posed a greater goal threat.
Playing against a team who had been pushing at the top end of the table, they wrestled control of the game back and can count themselves unfortunate not to have taken all three points.
But misfortune will provide little comfort in the Highland capital, as their search for some sort of form goes on.
