Caley Thistle defender Zak Delaney admitted he made the most of the incident which saw Cove Rangers forward Leighton McIntosh sent off.
McIntosh was given a straight red card in the dying embers of Saturday’s game, after lashing out at Delaney in the penalty area.
It sparked a melee among the players while Delaney was on the ground before referee Graham Grainger gave McIntosh his marching orders.
“He dragged me to the ground – he was giving it a bit, I was giving it a bit,” said Delaney. “He caught me in the face and I went down like a ton of bricks. I milked it to be fair but you have to, in the last minute of the game.
“I enjoy that side of the game. I never shy away if someone has a go at me. I’ll stand up for myself.
“I heard after all the boys were sticking up for me as well, which is good.”
It was a dogged and determined performance from Caley Thistle, who have now won five games on the bounce and sit joint-top of the Championship.
They have also kept three consecutive clean sheets and look to be building momentum, ahead of Tuesday’s game against Hamilton Accies.
“Confidence is high, particularly from where we started,” added Delaney. “We had a tough start and the loss to Morton at home wasn’t great.
“But things seem to be clicking now. It’s a big week for us with another game Tuesday and then Saturday. We’re short on bodies as well so we need to dig in again for those two games.
“We know the league is really tight but anyone can beat anyone. You just have to focus on yourself and after the two games this week, see where we are from there.
“In leagues like this, to get results when you’re not playing well is a massive thing. To be under the cosh and come away with 1-0 wins, that’s what keeps you up at the top.
“We’ve been short on bodies but if we keep grinding it out – and have people to come back to the squad – it looks good.
“Everyone is buzzing just now. Everywhere in the league is a tough away game so to win five on the bounce is really good.
“We haven’t been our best on the ball but defensively we’re really solid. We were under the cosh for bits of the game but they didn’t have many clear-cut chances.”
