Since bitterness and recrimination are standard post-match fare when apparently contentious decisions heavily influence matches, yesterday's thoughts from John Hughes could hardly have been better selected for this season of goodwill to all men.

The Inverness Caledonian Thistle manager might have blamed opponents for theatricality over the penalty which produced the only goal and the sending off of one of his players; might have blamed the referee; might even have blamed his own players' errors.

Instead, on a day his recently Premiership-topping side slid from second to fourth, the Hughes was the voice of reason.

Of the short pass-back that let Brian Graham run at Inverness goalkeeper Dean Brill, he said: "You can't legislate for the mistake for the goal. These things happen in football so there's no finger of blame."

On the way Graham went down, arms flailing: "If there was [contact] and the St Johnstone boy made a meal of it, I'd probably be saying the same to my player. If he sticks his leg out make sure you go down and take the penalty. Let the referee make his mind up. That's the way football is being totally honest."

On the resultant decision to award a penalty and subsequently to order off Ross Draper? "It would be unfair of me before I see it up close to make any decisions about whether it was a penalty or it was a sending off."

Hughes added: "I'm not going to point a finger of blame at the referee. They're out there trying to do the best that they can. We're all in it together.

"We have to make Scottish football a spectacle and he's got a split decision and that's why they get paid. If he got it right, spot on. If he got it wrong we just have to take it on the chin."

The only people Hughes spared no thought for were the press, who rely on strong feelings being expressed in such circumstances.

There were few talking points before the 62nd-minute goal and, four minutes later, Draper's red card for his mid-air collision with Simon Lappin.

Over the piece Inverness passed the ball well without generating much threat. The home side, with Lee Croft in particular looking to drive at the opposition, generated better chances.

On the decisive moment, the alleged victim was adamant. "I had a good head of steam up, I went over his leg and then there was contact. He caught me as I went through," Graham said.

Josh Meekings offered the case for the defence' "It's a tough situation," the Inverness centre back acknowledged, in keeping with his manager's tone. "The referee has to make a decision. He thinks the boy was touched by Dean but Deano says he was nowhere near him. It's cost us the game, but it's out of our hands."

Even in arguing Draper's innocence Meekings could hardly have been more fair-minded.

"Drapes has raised his hands to try to protect himself but I don't see any malicious intent to hurt anybody there," he said.

"It's another one where it can go either way and the referee can make a decision for us or against us and unfortunately both of them went against us, but you have to take that on the chin because it happens in football."

Whatever the rights and wrongs the outcome felt fair as, for the first time in more than two years, St Johnstone notched a fifth successive win.