TERRY BUTCHER'S opening observation spoke of a man warily familiar with the slings and arrows of out­rageous footballing fortune.

"I've told them there's 36 games to go; that's brought them back down to earth," said the Inverness Caledonian Thistle manager of the players who earned this victory, one which took the Highlanders to the summit of the SPFL Premiership.

Consecutive wins have already been offered as evidence that Butcher's side will emulate, if not eclipse, their achievements of finishing fourth and reaching the semi-finals of the League Cup last term but the Englishman appreciates just the dangers inherent in making such rash assumptions after the opening two contests of the campaign.

After all, this time last year, standing in the very same room, Peter Houston was being asked if successive 3-0 victories meant that Dundee United were destined to challenge Celtic for the championship, never mind finish best of the rest. And we know how that went . . .

With expectations dampened, then, Butcher embarked on a remarkable anecdote about animal characteristics and how they were reflected in his players. To continue the theme, the tortoise beat the hare last season; Inverness recovering from not winning any of their opening seven matches to best United in the final reckoning. Their form in the late autumn, in particular, was outstanding - only a late stumble deprived them of the opportunity to compete in the Europa League - and they have carried that on into the start of this campaign.

In this case, familiarity has breed contentment. Of Saturday's starting XI, just two were not part of last season's successes and that was reflected in the fluid nature of Inverness' performance, their combinations all over the pitch clearly honed by hours of training and playing and were in stark contrast to a disjointed display by a United XI with five new faces. "Since I've been at the club, there has been a lot of changes every year and this is maybe the first year where there has been only one or two," said full-back Graeme Shinnie. "I think that helps massively because it's been a steady progression."

While that is the case for the team as a whole, Billy McKay's development over the past 12 months has been nothing short of startling. The Northern Irish internationalist garnered attention for his haul of 23 league goals last season but, amid such a spurt, other facets of his game were often overlooked. Quick, wiry and intelligent, he scored in the opening game of the current campaign against St Mirren and did so again on Sunday, gilding a performance that belied suspicions he would struggle without foil Andrew Shinnie. The 24-year-old was a persistent pest - akin to a wasp, according to Butcher's animal comparison chart - and mercilessly discomfited ­United's fragile central defence. His goal was ingenuously created and clinically converted.

"The way we play, we know if we keep it tight at the back he will put one away," Shinnie said. "He works tirelessly, chases lost causes right to the last whistle, keeps the ball when you play it up to him, brings other players into the game and he gets goals, so he's a big part of this team."

That is the role David Goodwillie was supposed to fulfil for United but, after a profligate performance at Firhill in the season opener, the striker missed his one glaring opportunity on Saturday. While apparently lacking in confidence after a dismal time at Blackburn Rovers, the 24-year-old was not helped by his isolation at the apex of Jackie McNamara's 4-2-3-1 formation and struggled to make any impact on the formidable Inverness defence.

The fielding of Chris Erskine, Stuart Armstrong and Gary Mackay-Steven as an attacking trident behind Goodwillie did not have the desired effect: the former Partick Thistle winger was disgracefully booed off on his home debut, the Scotland under-21 captain was unconvincing as a playmaker and the influence of the feted winger was curtailed by Richie Foran's tackle on the half hour. "I wasn't happy at all about it," said Mackay-Steven, who insisted the damage to his knee should not risk his participation for Scotland at Wembley. "I felt it was a red card because it was a straight leg and studs were shown. Still, he apologised after the game and I respect that."