ONE of Inverness Caledonian Thistle's great strengths over the last few years is the fact their players rarely do things by halves.

It seems that healthy trait also flips into a negative. A wonderful, eight-month home unbeaten run came crashing down yesterday - and not half.

The thumping nature of this 4-0 defeat after a 12-game home spell stretching back to April Fool's Day even seemed to catch away manager Alan Archibald by surprise, although there was obvious method to the Firhill manager's gameplan.

Archibald set his team out shrewdly to counter Inverness' strengths, not least the comfort with which they move the ball out from the back. Yesterday, the two full-backs, so often instigators of attacking moves for Inverness, were rarely given a moment's peace.

That tenacity set the tone and created the platform for a deadly double from Ryan Stevenson that inspired the Glasgow visitors, before Gary Fraser and Konrad Balatoni struck the fatal blows.

It was 13th time unlucky for the hosts, then, and Archibald admitted he was startled by the comprehensive manner of the victory.

"It was a shock to come up here and win 4-0, but we had a gameplan - and I thought we stuck to it really well," he said. "We stopped Inverness in their stride and got that vital first goal.

"I've been very impressed with Inverness, and the way John Hughes has got them playing. They've been really good in recent weeks in the way they move the ball about. It was something we had to stop them doing, and we also had to move the ball really quickly ourselves, which we did.

"The lads deserve every praise - it was a great performance."

Ex-Hearts striker Stevenson doubled his own season's tally in one fell swoop for a team that had previously managed only five away goals all campaign.

Early on, there should have been an opener for the hosts when Billy Mckay sent Marley Watkins racing clean through on Gallacher, but he slipped the ball wide.

Partick, though, were impressing with their use of the ball - and grabbed the lead after 12 minutes.

Christie Elliott's low cross was excellent after his break on the right and Stevenson slid in between defenders and in front of keeper Dean Brill to stab home.

The second arrived five minutes before the break, when Gary Fraser rolled the ball square to Stevenson, who this time lifted a terrific 20-yard strike beyond Brill's reach and into the roof of the net.

Four minutes after the re-start, Stevenson turned provider with a left foot cut-back from the right to set-up Gary Fraser for a header in off the underside of the bar.

The hosts' David Raven then had a long-range effort controversially disallowed for offside and things got worse for the home crowd after 57 minutes when Stuart Bannigan's corner was headed in by Konrad Balatoni.

Partick then absorbed the best Hughes' side could throw at them as they desperately tried to make their mark on the contest.

Two young fans invaded the pitch later in the game and one tried to haul down Thistle keeper Paul Gallacher's shorts. But it was Inverness who were caught with their pants down yesterday.