Hero Brewster returns with a cameo to conquer Hearts

INVERNESS CT 2
Wyness 63; Brewster 90

HEARTS 1
Black og 35

HE LEFT the winning cameo until the last possible moment, but when Craig Brewster took the pitch on 85 minutes the Caley Thistle fans treated him like a returning hero. Five minutes later, after he volleyed Alan Morgan's cross into the roof of the net to give Inverness their first win of the season, they clapped him off like a conquering hero.

In truth, the grit and gumption of Inverness's second half display had already effected a turnaround that looked highly unlikely on the evidence of the first 45 minutes. As for Hearts, there may have been a buzz around Tynecastle after putting four past Rangers for the first time in 71 years, but they did little to deserve to leave the Highlands with all three points. Indeed, after going ahead through an Ian Black own goal on 35 minutes, they seemed content to sit back and hold Inverness at bay. It turned out to be a fundamentally flawed plan of non-attack.

Hearts have struggled to score on their past forays northwards, and that pattern reasserted itself yesterday. For all their sense of purpose and slick interplay, Hearts toiled to break down an Inverness defence that made up for its lack of pace with a maximum of obduracy and commitment. How the visitors missed the menace and invention of striker Christian Nade, who stayed back in Edinburgh with a cold.

Inverness also lacked a striker capable of converting the clutch of half-chances their route one football produced, with Wyness, Tokeley and Wilson all spurning convertible opportunities in a first half that promised much but delivered little. In fairness, the direct approach that Inverness employ even when they're not struggling was meat and drink to a Hearts defence well-marshalled by the visiting captain. Christophe Berra, who went about his business with a powerful efficiency that snubbed out so many Inverness chances at source.

Hearts had started the brighter and made a declaration of intent within seconds of the kick-off when Fraser was forced into action to deal with Ivaskevicius' cross from the right wing. The first genuine opportunity, however, fell to Inverness's Ross Tokeley when the big defender slipped his marker halfway through the first period and ghosted unmarked into the centre of the Hearts penalty box, only to get too little on Don Cowie's fizzing free-kick.

Although Inverness's preference for pumping the ball forward looked lumpen compared to the neat inter-passing of a Hearts midfield which once again revolved around the formidable fulcrum of Laryea Kingston, it again almost served them well on 25 minutes when Steve Banks was forced to make his first real save from the hyperactive Cowie's powerful long-range shot.

Yet it was Hearts who were making the better chances, and when Lee Wallace broke down the left and his shot was blocked by Cowie it rebounded to Andrew Driver, whose cross from the right was diverted beyond the wrong-footed Michael Fraser into his own goal by the right boot of Ian Black.

Inverness were lucky not to fall further behind when, just before the break, Audrius Ksanavicius was put straight through on goal by Phil McGuire's miscued header, Fraser saving smartly to his right to deny the Lithuanian.

Hearts, and especially substitute Robbie Elliot, started the second half in sparky fashion, but it was Inverness who managed to reign in Hearts, rather than the visitors who were able to pull away. Tokeley was at the heart of much of their good early work in the half, and although the right back was frustratingly shot shy, it was his delicate touch that started the move that led to Caley Thistle's opening goal when his delicate cross found Nicolae unmarked at the back post. Banks managed to parry the Romanian striker's driven shot, but it looped up past the stricken keeper and Wyness had to apply only the lightest of touches to help the ball into the back of the net and pull Inverness level.

The home side were in full cry now. Tokeley and Wyness both went close, and then Nicolae rose powerfully to head a Cowie corner goalwards, only to see Kingston, who was stationed on the back post, clear off the line. Still they came on, and as the flow of chances increased, so did their composure. Cowie, in particular, teased Hearts down the right, and it took emergency intervention from both Ibrahim Tall and Berra to keep the visitors on even terms. Not even the sight of a Kingston free-kick slamming off the post could put the home side off their stride, and Wyness almost brought Inverness level when Nicolae's clever lob cross found him unmarked just feet out, but the ball was a touch too high and in straining to reach it his header went inches wide of Banks' left post.

Inverness still needed a moment of inspiration and it arrived in the 85th minute. Cowie got busy down the right and crossed for Morgan, who hesitated when he should have volleyed. He needn't have worried, though, for as he twisted and turned and put in a delicate cross, Brewster was arriving to settle the game with virtually the last kick.

Gretna's win may mean Inverness remain anchored at the bottom of the table, but they have three points and a renewed sense of hope. For Hearts, lodged in the bottom half of the table, either of those would do.

Taken from the Scotsman