Inverness Caledonian Thistle see red as they remain four points from safety after defeat against Partick Thistle in Glasgow
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Scottish Championship
Partick Thistle 1
Inverness Caledonian Thistle 0
Scorer: Robinson (41)
Inverness remain four points from safety in the Championship after they suffered defeat at Partick Thistle in a game where they were reduced to 10 men.
Scott Robinson gave Partick Thistle the lead 10 minutes before half time when the Inverness defence failed to pick up a rebound from a Mark Ridgers save.
Cammy Kerr was sent off after picking up his second yellow card of the game after the break and Inverness were unable to recover.
Arbroath’s defeat to Dunfermline means they have made no further ground on Inverness as their time in the Championship looks to be coming to an end.
However, Caley Thistle are running out of time to make it out of the relegation play-off zone and being forced to continue their fight to survive in the second tier after the end of the regular season.
After Ayr United’s 2-1 win over Airdrie in the Friday night game, Inverness were desperate for a victory to close the gap on the teams above.
But Inverness remain four points behind Queen’s Park in eighth after they lost 2-0 at Morton.
Manager Duncan Ferguson made two changes to the Caley Thistle team that drew 1-1 with Dundee United. Billy Mckay came back into the starting line-up and replaced Aribim Pepple. Samson Lawal also started, replacing Nathan Shaw who is out for the rest of the season after injury at Tannadice.
Caley Thistle had a great chance to take the lead early on when Wallace Duffy fed Cammy Kerr at the edge of the box. He launched a powerful shot towards goal and was only denied the net by a Partick defender's leg deflecting the ball out of a corner.
They went close again 10 minutes before half time when Kerr’s corner found the head of Wallace Duffy, who beat everyone in the air, but nodded the ball against the crossbar before a foul was given in the scramble afterwards.
However it was Partick Thistle who took the lead before half time. Goalkeeper Mark Ridgers produced a good stop to deny a long range shot from Ben Stanway. But no defender followed up for the rebound as Scott Robinson was left unchallenged to fire home from 10-yards.
Inverness claimed for a penalty on the stroke of half time when Cammy Kerr appealed that he had been fouled by Jack MacMillan. But referee John Beaton said the defensive midfielder was guilty of simulation and booked them as Inverness went one goal down into the break.
Partick should have doubled their advantage just before the hour mark when Aidan Fitzpatrick was unchallenged in the box and his low drive beat Ridgers, but shaved the right post.
Inverness responded as Cameron Harper’s cross from the left wing into the box found Kerr, but he fired wide of the left post from 12-yards out.
However, Kerr’s afternoon was to end minutes later, when he fouled Aidan Fitzpatrick and picked up a second yellow card.
But they were unable to find the leveller as they remain four points from safety.
Partick: Mitchell, McMillan, Milne, Muirhead, Neilson, Graham, Lawless, Robinson (Mackenzie 90) McBeth, Fitzpatrick (Ngwenya 80), Stanway (Alston 73).
Substitutions not used: Stewart, Ngwenya, Campbell, Horn, Loney.
Inverness: Ridgers, Duffy (Doran 58), Harper, Kerr, Mckay (Pepple 78), Anderson, Boyes (Brooks 90), Carragher (MacGregor 90), Savage, Samuel, Lawal.
Substitutions not used: Mackay, Devine, Ujdur.
Referee: John Beaton
Attendance 3371.
