DAVID CLARKSON couldn't stop hitting the net up to November - then he just stopped.

A goal a game in his eight first matches was the payback for boss Paul Hartley's faith in the 29-year-old free agent, picked up at the end of September.

In Inverness on Saturday, then, there was relief for the former Motherwell and Bristol City striker as he broke a four-month goal drought dating back to a defeat at home to Inverness.

"I hadn't scored for a while - last goal was against Aberdeen in the cup in November, so hopefully I'll take a bit of confidence from that," Clarkson said.

"If I keep working hard and doing as much as I can and the chances keep coming one will go in like it did today.

"I am happy with the return after missing the start of the season when I didn't have a club. To score nine goals is good, but hopefully I can get a few more."

On a difficult, rutted surface, Inverness were dominant before the break, but failed to capitalise. Dundee then snatched the lead through Clarkson's low smash but were then immediately pegged back by Graeme Shinnie's reply.

The striker admitted Dundee probably gave Caley Thistle too much respect before the break.

"In the first half we probably sat off them a wee bit and they were probably the better side. In the second half, we stepped it up and a draw was probably a fair result," he said.

"Possibly, we gave them more respect than we should have, but the last thing you want is to lose a quick goal or two here because it's going to be hard to come back from that."

After a first half stalemate, with the hosts dominant, the game was crying out for inspiration as the second half unfolded and it eventually came in the 53rd minute for previously timid Dundee.

Greg Stewart's ball set up David Clarkson to fire low under Ryan Esson's diving body from 15 yards.

Caley Thistle, shaken to life, hit back almost immediately. Ross sent in a cross from the right, missed by the head of young Ryan Christie and Shinnie took control, cutting inside determinedly, before spearing a diagonal strike home from 10 yards.

The introduction of big Edward Ofere up front signalled the hosts' intent for the closing stages, but the Nigerian was to miss a glorious chance with nine minutes left.

Watkins' flick knocked the ball into Ofere's path closing in on Bain, but his touch past the keeper bounced off-target.

There is frustration in the Caley Thistle camp that a better return from a five-game run without victory might already have put them out of sight in the race for a first European place in their history.

But Nick Ross, the hosts' midfielder, sought perspective.

"There have been a few games we've looked back on and thought, had we won, we would be 10 or 11 points clear. It's really frustrating we're not further ahead," Ross admitted.

"But we're in charge of our own fate and that's all we can ask for. If you had offered us the chance to be eight points clear of fourth with eight games remaining we'd have taken it.

"We cannot allow ourselves to get disappointed by the last few games."