CALEY JAGS STALL AT TOPSY-TURVY TYNECASTLE

An impressive banner replicating the host club's home jersey was unfurled and dominated the structure, covering many of the supporters sitting in the middle third.

The trouble was it was upside down and although they won this encounter, the Edinburgh side's season continues to be an equally topsy-turvy affair.

As the team which split the Old Firm for the first time in more than a decade last term, they were expected to build on their progress.

But having won fewer than half their league games since, and stumbled from one embarrassing farce to another, they have succeeded only in going backwards.

So many personnel changes have made Hearts a painful team to watch and they don't appear to have the class required to repeat the second-place finish of last May.

For Aberdeen, it should be an incentive as the Pittodrie outfit vies with Hearts, Rangers and Hibs for places in Europe next season.

For Caley Thistle, it makes losing to the Jambos at the weekend so disappointing as a better performance would surely have rendered a different result.

In his post-match analysis, manager Charlie Christie said he believed his team's standards had regressed to the level they were at when Inverness first joined the SPL.

He had a point, but can be hopeful, as his men played some excellent football while winning five of their eight games before Saturday.

The Highlanders suffered their heaviest defeat of the season the last time they played Hearts in the capital, with their good performance irrelevant as they lost 4-1.

But it was a much-changed Hearts side which lined up against them on Saturday, with just one of the home players who began the August game, Marius Zaliukas, surviving.

Five of the Gorgie outfit's starting XI in last weekend's 1-0 Scottish Cup defeat by Dunfermline were dropped, with four of them taking places on the bench. The glut of alterations showed early on as Inverness created an excellent chance to go ahead inside two minutes.

Grant Munro's long throw was flicked by Ross Tokely to Graham Bayne, whose chest and volley from six yards was brilliantly tipped away by goalkeeper Steve Banks.

That was as close as either side came to breaking the deadlock in the early exchanges, with Hearts failing to take advantage of continued possession.

Their first real opportunity came from a mistake when visiting left back Richard Hastings was caught in possession. He was dispossessed by Calum Elliot who then skipped past Darren Dods and cut back across goal, only to find Tokely clearing for a corner on the line.

Inverness responded by charging upfield and Barry Wilson, captaining them on his 300th appearance for the club, drove from distance to force another good stop from Banks.

The Jambos were rattled and Wilson poured forward again, crossing from the left to Rory McAllister, who may well have netted had he connected properly.

But the last act before the interval was performed by the hosts, Ibrahim Tall heading Laryea Kingston's inswinging free -kick just over the upright.

With one turgid half finished, another soon began as play resumed with Hearts barely making an impression and Inverness trying to attack on the break.

Home manager Valdas Ivanauskas brought on Roman Bednar for the ineffective Edgaras Jankauskas and he proved more of a threat. Even then most of his efforts drifted high or wide.

McAllister sent a firm header off the top of the bar and over after a deep centre by Hastings.

Just when the game seemed poised to finish without a goal, Hearts went ahead through Michal Pospisil, seconds after he had replaced lumbering Polish forward Arkadiusz Klimek.

With his first touch of the ball, he headed Andrew Driver's left-wing cross back across goal and inside the near post.