Caley Thistle interim boss Neil McCann says his faith in Daniel MacKay to find the net against Ross County paid off.
MacKay struck the all-important second goal after Nikolay Todorov had cancelled out Billy Mckay’s opener, with Shane Sutherland adding a late third goal to secure a memorable 3-1 Highland derby victory over the Staggies.
The result books Championship side Inverness’ place in the last-16 of the Scottish Cup, with the draw made on Sunday.
McCann says 19-year-old MacKay epitomised Inverness’ attacking belief against their Premiership opponents, and he says he backed the winger to find the net.
McCann said: “I’m delighted. I’m a very, very proud man at the minute. This was a tough game. We knew that John Hughes might change his shape and might freshen it up a bit. They’ve got a strong squad.
“But we were coming into the game in good form ourselves and I think there is a belief about the group in what we’re doing at the minute.
“We are hard to break down and score against, but when it’s time to attack, I think there’s a wee bit of belief about us.
“Maybe a wee bit of quality let us down in the first half and our play maybe deserved something better. But as a team, I thought they were outstanding and I thought we thoroughly deserved our win.
“Daniel MacKay is lightning quick and I know speed terrifies defenders. He was one of the ones I wanted to go and show that pace. When he shows it and believes in himself, he’s a real handful and a real threat.
“That was a really good individual goal, carrying the ball like he did, cutting inside and then popping it away. I told him before the game that I fancied him to score.”
McCann is proud of the stubborn resistance of his side, who have now racked up five straight victories.
He added: “I’m proud of their character and they are a tough group. They have to be a tough group because they’ve been asked to play their tenth game in just over a month. They need to be tough mentally, never mind physically.
“The boys are just going for it. They’re playing with injuries just now, they’re playing with aches and strains but there’s a real strength about their mentality. That is required.
“This is a wonderful night and we’ll enjoy it but we’re back at it – they will get time to recover and then we go to Morton which is a huge game for the club.”