Caley Thistle secured seventh place in style, courtesy of an emphatic 4-0 victory against Dundee at Caledonian Stadium.
Following a goalless first-half, in which Inverness dominated possession but Dundee created the better chances, the hosts ran riot after the break, coming out on top thanks to goals from Miles Storey, Danny Devine, Ross Draper and a Richie Foran penalty.
Both sides named unchanged line-ups for the final game of the season, with Caley Jags boosted by a fine run of end of season form which had seen them pick up four wins from their previous six games, the latest being a 1-0 win against Hamilton Accies on Wednesday night.
Needing only a point to secure seventh place, Inverness started better and nearly took the lead in bizarre circumstances, when Storey’s delivery from the right forced Dundee goalkeeper Scott Bain to tip over the bar.
Caley Jags continued to threaten, with Liam Polworth lashing over the bar from long-range, before Iain Vigurs forced a good save from Bain with a low free-kick from the edge of the box.
Dundee were inches away from taking the lead on 23 minutes however, when Greg Stewart cut past Devine and Draper, before striking at goal from 20 yards with an effort that clipped the bar on its way over.
Paul Hartley’s side continued to cause problems, with Rory Loy firing wide and leading scorer Kane Hemmings sidefooting over from a Paul McGinn cross.
Greg Tansey twice forced Bain into action from distance before half-time, but the home side emerged far more ruthless after the break and took the lead on 61 minutes. Polworth’s fine through ball picked out the run of Storey, and he rounded Bain before tucking home from a tight angle.
Caley Jags doubled the advantage eight minutes later, when Vigurs’ corner reached Devine at the far post, and he got enough contact on the ball to bundle it home at the far post.
It got even better for the Highlanders within 60 seconds, when Ross Draper caught former Caley Jags team-mate Nick Ross in possession before slotting past Bain.
Hughes introduced defender David Raven and Richie Foran as substitutes, for what could be their last appearances for the club. Should he leave in the summer, Foran took full advantage of the opportunity to sign off in style, when he tucked home from the spot after Polworth had been hauled down by Dundee substitute Andy Black six minutes from time.
The goal secured Caley Jags’ biggest win since December 2014, when they defeated St Mirren by the same scoreline.
