On Guy Fawkes night, the Kilmarnock players endured a bonfire of the profanities as the paying punters bellowed their bewilderment during a staggering match at Rugby Park.

Having taken an early lead against an Inverness side propping up the table, no-one could have predicted the shambolic collapse that would unfold as the visitors roared to a first away win of the season, burnished by a clinical Andrew Shinnie hat-trick.

“I felt I was in a time warp because 6-3 was like watching those games from years ago,” said Inverness manager Terry Butcher, slurping on a celebratory bottle of beer. “We were ruthless in the second half. Funnily enough, we had a training session the other day where we tried various formations and were rubbish.

“We asked the players what they wanted to play and they said 4-3-3. That’s what we should do in future. [Maurice Malpas] and I can go to the pub and let the players pick the team.”

Kilmarnock counterpart Kenny Shiels could have been driven to drink after a calamitous second half in which his side conceded four goals in 14 devastating minutes as a promising run of results was brought to a shuddering halt.

“It was a freak day,” he said. “After the last four or five games, we’ve fallen in to the trap of thinking ‘we’re not too bad’. This was maybe a reality check and now we have to get our act together again.”

The hosts forged an undeserved lead after 12 minutes when Paul Heffernan’s tidy back heel on the edge of the box somehow managed to trundle through a tangle of Caley defensive legs and Dean Shiels meandered in to slot a neat finish past Ryan Esson.

Thistle’s response was robust, however. Greg Tansey had a curling free-kick palmed to safety by Anssi Jaakkola, who then blocked a powerful David Davis strike. From his sprawled position on the floor, the goalkeeper watched Richie Foran rattle the crossbar with the follow-up, although he was ruled offside.

The procession towards the Kilmarnock goal was interrupted only by a midfield stooshie. A collision between Shiels and Davis led to a frenzy of pushing, shoving and four bookings. When the melee petered out, Inverness continued their relentless pursuit of an equaliser and were finally rewarded after 39 minutes.

The home rearguard were caught on the hop by a short corner and Shinnie darted in to arrow a fine finish into the net from a tight angle. As half-time loomed, the visitors kept charging forward and Jaakkola blocked a Foran attempt down low before immediately flinging himself skywards to beat away a stinging Tansey blockbuster.

The Finn’s spirited resistance would however be crushed as Caley ran riot in after the break. Jonny Hayes ambled into dangerous territory unhindered after 53 minutes and smacked a low drive into the bottom corner form 25 yards.

Shinnie was then gifted possession by Alex Pursehouse and stroked in a third on the hour before Gregory Tade sprinted from the halfway line, rounded Jaakkola and rolled in number four two minutes later.

The blitz had left Kilmarnock in tatters and Shinnie waltzed in unchallenged to complete his hat-trick after 66 minutes. The bedraggled hosts staggered to their feet and Shiels lashed in their second goal from the spot after James Drayton was flattened by Kenny Gillet.

Tade gleefully thumped in a sixth for Inverness with seven minutes remaining before Heffernan had the final say in a flabbergasting contest when he rattled home Kilmarnock’s third in the last knockings.