Date	Sunday, 05 October 2014
Competition	Scottish Premiership
Fixture/Score	Inverness Caledonian Thistle 1:1 Ross County
Venue	Caledonian Stadium
Attendance	3,741
Referee	Craig Thomson
Comments	Match Report Report by Jim Spence for the BBC. Inverness Caledonian Thistle 1 Ross County 1 Ross County keeper Mark Brown produced a superb second-half performance to deny former club Inverness Caledonian Thistle in the Highland derby. Yoann Arquin put the visitors ahead to boost new manager Jim McIntyre and his Scottish Premiership strugglers. But Caley Thistle responded after the break when Marley Watkins side-footed a deflected cross home from 10 yards. County had to defend to protect a point, with Brown making impressive saves from Aaron Doran and Watkins. The point lifts John Hughes' Inverness side into third in the table on 17 points, three behind leaders Hamilton, while the Staggies remain rooted to the foot of the league but within touching distance of Motherwell and St Mirren. County had been pressing the home side in the lead-up to the goal but it was Inverness who had started more brightly, testing County keeper Brown in the first minute, when Billy McKay jinked past his marker and fired in a low shot, but it was easily saved. Then Graham Carey cracked a free-kick over Brill's bar in the 12th minute as County went close. County should have scored five minutes later when Filip Kiss nipped in to take advantage of Draper's short back pass, but he could only stab the ball into the body of keeper Dean Brill. The home defence was finally exposed, though, in the 21st minute when Quinn lobbed the ball into the box from the left side and Arquin picked his spot before calmly heading home from the six-yard line. Quinn should have made it two in the 32nd minute but his shot from six yards was straight at Brill who blocked with his feet and who then pulled of another save from an Arquin drive only seconds later. Inverness had their best chance of the half five minutes from the break when Ryan Christie lunged at a Greg Tansey cross from the right which county keeper Brown touched over the bar. Carey hit a terrific free-kick just as half time approached but Brill threw himself to the left to push the ball to safety. Caley Thistle were level within five minutes of the restart, Watkins netting after Christie's cross deflected off Scott Boyd's head into his path to score. Doran then rifled a shot in from 20 yards but Brown dived left to hold them ball. County keeper Brown again came to the rescue in the 62nd minute, cutting out a low Watkins ball across goal. And Brown made another terrific stop just minutes later when Watkins seemed certain to score after a lung-bursting run and pass from Doran set him up, but the keeper spread himself to make a superb stop. Billy McKay then raced through with Ben Frempah chasing and that attention forced the Inverness striker to push his shot wide of the goal. Brown saved County again with an instinctive save from a McKay point-blank shot and then threw himself at shots from Draper and Christie in succession to thwart the home side. The home side maintained the pressure right to the death but County defended desperately to ensure that the points and local bragging rights were shared. Inverness manager John Hughes reacted to Mark Brown's cat-like performance against his former club by joking: "I am going to strangle him." The Ross County goalkeeper kept Caley Thistle at bay after they had equalised Yoann Arquin's Highland derby opener. "He's a good lad, big Brownie and he's a real good character and an example of what Jim McIntyre will want at his club," suggested Hughes. "How many blocks he got, past the post, some close shaves we had." The County boss also praised 33-year-old Brown. "That's why he's there," said Jim McIntyre. "He had some real, top-drawer saves. "There was heroic defending, throwing their bodies on the line and that's what's going to take us forward. "You are never going to dominate a game for the whole 90 minutes, so it's important when you don't that you do those type of things." The 1-1 draw prevented Caley Thistle from drawing level with Dundee United in second spot in the Scottish Premiership while Hamilton Academical became surprise leaders after their shock 1-0 win away to reigning champions Celtic. "I am a little disappointed we didn't pick up the three points, but to get 17 points two games before the first quarter, all credit to the boys," Hughes told BBC Scotland. "Don't underestimate Hamilton. We are the only team to have beaten them and that was the first game of the season and there was a little bit of trepidation and anxiety in their play. "They are really hard-working, full of young boys full of enthusiasm, every one of them got something to prove and it's no surprise to me that they are riding high in the league. "It is still early days and is there for the taking for anybody who wants to hit a bit of form." Hughes was dumbfounded by his side's inability to win the derby. "That Lady Luck has just evaded us," he said. "Is it luck or that final bit of quality and that final decision making, that cut-back, that final pass, that cross that's letting us down? "If I'm totally honest, they had one or two chances in the first half and Dean Brill had one or two saves, but we had enough chances in that second half to win two games never mind one." McIntyre added of his team's performance: "What we're asking them to do in playing high-pressure football you need a high level of fitness for that and you can gradually see the boys are getting there. "What I saw today was a real determination. I've seen it since I came in the door - a bit of togetherness and working their backsides off for one another. "We got that point today and I think the point was fair."
Ross County
Manager	Jim McIntyre
Starting 11	21: Mark Brown, 4: Rocco Quinn, 5: Scott Boyd, 7: Joseph Cardle, 8: Richard Brittain, 10: Filip Kiss 1, 15: Yoann Arquin 1, 18: Benedict Frempah, 23: Graham Carey 1, 25: Lewis Toshney, 36: Jackson Irvine
Bench	1: Antonio Reguero Chapinal, 9: Jake Jervis, 11: Melvin De Leeuw, 13: Darren Barr, 14: Darren Maatsen, 16: Liam Boyce, 20: Jordi Balk
Inverness Caledonian Thistle
Manager	John Hughes
Starting 11	Dean Brill, David Raven, Graeme Shinnie, Gary Warren, Josh Meekings, Billy Mckay, Ross Draper, Aaron Doran, Marley Watkins, Greg Tansey 1, Ryan Christie
Bench	Ryan Esson, James Vincent, Nick Ross, Danny Devine, Carl Tremarco, Danny Williams, Liam Polworth