Head coach Billy Dodds praised his battling Caley Thistle side for riding the storm to score a gutsy 3-2 Championship victory at Dundee.
It’s a result which took ICT above their hosts into fourth spot in the table after Cammy Harper’s double made all the difference.
A deflected Ryan Sweeney goal gave the Taysiders the lead before Harper’s strike and a Billy Mckay penalty made it 2-1 at half-time.
Joe Grayson pulled the home side level and ICT had to defend stoutly before Harper smashed a late leveller into the net for a vital victory.
Sweeney was red-carded late on for Dundee when he was issued with a second yellow to pile on the misery for the hosts.
Dodds was on cloud nine when he spoke straight after the match.
He said: “Our fans were great. The game had everything – it was 100 miles an hour. It had a lot of good technical things in it and a lot of incidents and for a neutral it must have been great to watch.
“Gary Bowyer has a really good team and they put us under real pressure in the second half.
“But we had a chance to increase our lead at the start of the second half and that would have made it a bit easier. We knew Dundee would come at us for the equaliser and we had to dig in for long periods.
“We hit them for the third goal and we managed the game well, especially when their man got sent off.”
Bowyer less than impressed by ref
It was a different story for Dundee boss Gary Bowyer, who hit out at big decisions he felt referee Peter Stuart got clearly wrong.
Dundee felt a penalty should have been awarded in the first half and Bowyer felt there were other keys calls which went against his men.
He said: “I’m amazed we haven’t won the game – never mind drawn the game.
We had 13 corners, double figure goal attempts to their single figures but I have to say the performance the officials today was, probably, the worst I have ever seen in my footballing career – both as a player and as manager.
“The lad (Billy Mckay) saved it with his hand. He said to our lads that he handled it. I thought the tackle that led to the corner was a leg breaker from the lad. We don’t get a free-kick and it goes out for a corner.
“Then the penalty? He couldn’t give that quick enough. He hadn’t consulted his linesman who had the better view on this side.
I’ve just tried to speak to him there and… wow. In England, you are allowed to speak to the officials with the observer there. The observer wasn’t there and it’s something I will take up because I wanted to talk about his performance.”
On the late red card for Sweeney, he added: “It’s a free kick right on Tyler French right in front of the linesman.
“They break and he’s stood his ground. I thought (Zak) Delaney was clever, he got the free-kick. The ref then decides that’s a yellow card and sends him off.”
ICT turn their attention to the third round of the SPFL Trust Trophy next weekend with a home tie against Highland League pace-setters Brechin City.
Seven days later, they return to the road when they take on Ayr United at Somerset Park.
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