This was a heroic performance from Inverness Caledonian Thistle in a rousing 90 minutes after which medals should have been struck for the players of both sides, forced as they were to try and display a modicum of technique in wet and windy conditions only deemed fit for football half an hour before kick-off.

Shane Sutherland's headed goal soon after the interval kept the points in the Highlands as the home side showed a hunger that their opponents lacked. And it was that desire that was the principal difference between the sides, a point conceded by Paulo Sergio, the Hearts manager.

In contrast his counterpart Terry Butcher heaped praise on his battling side and their ability to handle a howling gale and driving rain.

"For me only one team wanted to win," he said, "and only one team had the right attitude. I can't fault the players. I am very proud of them."

Sergio agreed that his side did not display the kind of spirit required on the day.

"I didn't think we did enough to deserve anything from the game," he insisted. "It was a mentality thing from my players who complained about the weather, the pitch; I don't want excuses like that in my squad. It was the same conditions for both teams but Inverness were more determined than ours."

The home side's injury problems could not be understated; Roman Golobart, Andrew Shinnie and Lee Cox the latest faces in the long queue outside the Caledonian Stadium's overcrowded treatment room.

It meant starts at centre-back for David Proctor and Steve Williams – his debut – among seven changes from the side which beat Dunfermline in the William Hill Scottish Cup fourth round replay in midweek, as well as the movement of personnel to accommodate their difficulties.

For Hearts, the picture was considerably more settled, with confidence high on the back of five wins and a draw in the last half-dozen games.

Perhaps it was such confidence that prompted Jamie Hamill to fire in a ferocious 35-yard shot after just five minutes which rattled the crossbar – almost the only time they threatened the Inverness goal.

There were claims by the visitors that Josh Meekings' tackle on Templeton inside the area merited a penalty, a point underlined by Sergio after the game, though protests from his players to referee George Salmond were fairly muted.

Little Jonny Hayes used his low centre of gravity to jink his way past the Tynecastle defence on a number of occasions as he displayed superb skill in opening up space for a tremendous shot which Hearts goalkeeper Marian Kello spilled. Kenny Gillet picked up the scraps and found the net, only to discover that his team-mate Nick Ross was offside.

But it was Sutherland, something of a bit-part player at Inverness, who ensured he was in the right place at the right time after only three minutes of the second half. His header from a Hayes cross from the left – it was the final pass following yet another dazzling piece of skill from the Irishman – trickled over Kello's line.

Sutherland almost grabbed an astonishing second goal with a high, searching cross that became a shot, Kello thankful that the ball hit his far post after sailing over his head.

As the Tynecastle side toiled in conditions clearly not to their liking, Caley Thistle's appetite was as palpable as it had been at the start of this surprisingly entertaining encounter and when Greg Tansey finished a powerful run by releasing Hayes in the box, Kello blocked the winger's one-on-one shot.