Barry Wilson admitted Caley Thistle got a slice of luck with a red card call – but was thrilled to see ICT storm back to beat Ayr United 2-1 in the Championship.
The first-team coach was delighted after the comeback victory which hauls Inverness to within five points of fourth-placed Morton, while Ayr slipped to fifth.
ICT captain Sean Welsh cancelled out an early opener from United striker Dipo Akinyemi.
The hosts were reduced to 10 men when Daire O’Connor was sent off by referee Scott Lambie for a challenge on Wallace Duffy, a decision which was hotly-disputed. They felt the foul should have gone the other way first.
ICT grabbed the winner thanks to Jay Henderson’s goal on 74 minutes.
Wilson spoke about Scott Lambie’s decision to send off the Ayr midfielder at a key point, with the scores locked at 1-1.
He said: “The game turned on the red card. I thought we started well and lost a goal through a bit of slack play.
“We got back into it, but the red card put it in our favour. Ayr still made it very difficult, but we showed patience. We tweaked it, made an attacking substitution and it paid off.
“The 10 men was a crucial factor. I must admit, it looked harsh. He was a little bit late, but he was being pulled. We got the decision this time, but we’ve not had many breaks.
“It’s alright getting the break, but we’ve got to make the most of them and we did. We were patient, the boys showed great character and we dug in.
“We could have folded after losing the goal after starting well. The boys dug in and we turned it around.”
Wilson reckons the vital victory is the ideal way to lead into Friday’s cup quarter-final against their Premiership opponents Kilmarnock.
He added: “It was important we got a win. It just gives the boys a wee bit of confidence.
“We’re really looking forward to the Scottish Cup tie with Kilmarnock now. It gives us a break from the league.
“The three points were huge. Results were good for us elsewhere and we’ll see where it takes us.”
Bullen slams ’embarrassing’ red card
Ayr United boss Lee Bullen, meanwhile, is expecting to see the red card overturned on appeal and had his say after speaking to Lambie after the game.
He said: “It was embarrassing. I spoke to the referee and he said he’d look at it.
“Daire has his shirt pulled back, but even when he goes into the tackle, his toe is pointing the ground. His studs weren’t up.
“Their players are up on the referee virtually straight away. I’ll speak to my board. It would be ridiculous not to appeal it.
“On the other side, we had a boy (Josh Mullin) carried off, needing stitches and the referee and linesman are five yards from it and it was not even a yellow card. To say we’re not particularly happy is an understatement.
“The players deserve a lot of credit for playing the majority of the game with 10 men and creating the odd chance, but being a man down the opposition will have a lot more possession than you.
“It was unfortunate we decided with 20 minutes to go to have a go at it. I’ve always said if we fall short, we would fall short by having a go.”
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