A magical solo goal from Jonny Hayes earned Inverness Caledonian Thistle a well-deserved point last night as Hibernian once again surrendered a lead at a wind-battered Easter Road.

The Irish winger left Danny Galbraith in his wake with a burst of pace, jinked past the lax Lewis Stevenson and penetrated the centre of a woefully exposed defence. The run was scintillating and the finish unerring, firing into the bottom corner.

It was a moment of true class that illuminated a game that throbbed with industry and grit, but was too often sabotaged by an interminable gale. The strike also served to cancel out a fine opening goal from Garry O'Connor, whose 20-yard free-kick swept into the top corner after just seven minutes.

After a lively first-half the match petered out somewhat after the break, ensuring a point for both sides – something which will be seen as far more palatable for the Highlanders than Hibs, particularly with Pat Fenlon still waiting for his first win as manager of the club.

Some of the more embittered Hibs fans will tell you that much of the football played at Easter Road this season has been a farce, however last night that ceased to be supporters' hyperbole and actually became an apt description of both sides as they competed with the weather as much as with each other. While shops boarded up their windows and sane members of the public locked themselves indoors, 22 men were asked to kick a football around. The conditions conspired to make them look foolish. Taking a corner was a particularly slapstick affair, as keeping the ball stationery proved almost impossible.

Indeed, it is to the credit of both teams that the spectacle put on, amid a whipping wind and debris scything across the pitch, was eminently watchable. It is actually a shame a rather modest crowd of 6677 were there to take in the action but, given the harsh conditions, the effort of the fans who made the journey to Easter Road should be lauded. The 246 supporters who travelled down from the Highlands while 90 miles-per-hour winds battered Scotland should surely receive psychological attention.

"Both teams huffed and puffed for the winner, but nothing was getting blown over except by the wind," noted Terry Butcher, the Inverness manager, before detailing a tortuous journey carried out by his players. "The boys had to go all the way round via the Kincardine Bridge because the Forth Road Bridge was shut. It was a long journey and I think for the first 15 minutes they were still on the bus."

Indeed, Hibs certainly started sharper. Within seven minutes the importance of O'Connor to Hibs' cause was made starkly clear. Having been fouled on the edge of the area, the 28-year-old dusted himself off and sent a sumptuous free-kick past flailing goalkeeper Ryan Esson.

If Hibs have learned anything in a miserable 2011 then it is surely that no lead is secure. Thus, it came as no particular surprise to see the opening goal prompt trepidation in the stands.

Rather it was Inverness were the side who grew, who dominated, who, ultimately, equalised – but not before several warning shots were fired across the bows of Fenlon's side. Billy McKay was first to threaten, having been played through on goal by a delicate Richie Foran pass, only for David Stephens recovered to deny the striker as he was about to get a shot away. Foran then curled an excellent effort of his own against the inside of a post from the edge of the box, with Graham Stack rendered utterly helpless.

As the visitors' onslaught continued, Hayes fizzed a shot inches wide – an effort which could be called a sighter for what was to come minutes later. With five minutes left in the first half the winger slalomed in from the right flank, darted towards gaping hole where the Hibs defence should have been, and slammed a superb effort low into the corner of the net.

Fenlon's side emerged with renewed vigour in the second half, although they were still far from fluid. A chipped effort from Galbraith from all of 25 yards was ambitious, while a long distance strike from Leigh Griffiths cleared the crossbar.

There was time for one late onslaught, though, with Hibs coming tantalisingly close to securing a precious three points. A corner was flicked towards the back post where Sean O'Hanlon rose highest, but his header was blocked heroically by Foran. "We had a go at the start and the end, but it was probably the worst we've played," said Pat Fenlon with a weary shrug. "Yet we've got something out of the game – there's really no logic to football."