On an emotional day for Partick Thistle as they remembered former chairman Brown McMaster, they came from behind to claim a crucial three points against Inverness at Firhill.
An early goal from Miles Storey was cancelled out by a Kris Doolan effort just before half-time, and despite some nice football from both sides in the second period, it looked as though the game was drifting towards a draw.
Enter substitute Ryan Stevenson, whose cross towards fellow replacement Mathias Pogba evaded everyone in the final minute and ended up in the Inverness net.
The visitors were straight on the attack and were keen to test Partick Thistle keeper Ryan Scully early on. Long-range efforts from James Vincent and Iain Vigurs were blocked in the opening seconds, before Liam Polworth flashed another thunderbolt just over.
Partick looked lethargic in the opening stages, and it came as no surprise when Inverness hit the front after just 7 minutes.
A lovely passing move saw the ball worked to Danny Williams on the edge of the area, and his first-time flick with the outside of the boot split the home defence in two as Storey latched onto the ball and slid it calmly under Scully.
It took fully 20 minutes for the home side to awaken from their slumber, as a diagonal ball from Stevie Lawless found the galloping Callum Booth on the left, with his cross being met by the head of Doolan who brought a save from Owain Fon Williams.
From the resultant corner, Doolan had a gilt-edged opportunity as the ball landed at his feet six-yards out after a scramble, but his shot on the turn flashed wide.
At last, it felt as though we had a game on our hands, and David Amoo was then denied from a similar position by a fantastic last-ditch block from Josh Meekings.
Partick were now getting on top of proceedings, and a shot by Lawless from range had Fon Williams scrambling before fizzing just wide of the post.
Inverness almost doubled their lead on the break, Polworth doing brilliantly on the right before firing a low ball into the area where Williams could only poke agonisingly wide on-the-stretch.
They were to rue that missed opportunity as Doolan hauled Partick level on 43 minutes, and it was just reward for the striker’s sheer persistence.
First, a run and cross from Amoo gave the frontman a sight of goal, but Fon Williams did brilliantly to spread and block. Inverness failed to heed the warning though, and when Doolan picked the ball up in the left-channel moments later, he made no mistake with a low, drilled effort that arrowed into the bottom corner.
Partick started the second-half as they ended the first with Amoo crossing for the arriving Gary Fraser who headed too close to Fon Williams from a decent position.
Liam Lindsay then showed a surprising fleetness of foot as he picked up the ball in the Inverness area after a corner and danced through a couple of challenges before blasting just over.
In the 66th minute, the age that Brown McMaster passed away, the Firhill crowd rose as one to salute a man who played a pivotal role in ensuring their survival through the Save the Jags campaign.
Lawless then drew a smart save from Fon Williams as the big Welshman got down to block his low effort with a strong left hand.
Substitute Andrea Mbuyi-Mutombo almost snatched a winner for Inverness as he drove into the area, but Lindsay slid in to deflect his effort over.
It was perhaps fitting that Thistle should be the ones to find the winner late on, although John Hughes may argue the point, as Stevenson’s in-swinging cross from the right bounced beyond the stretching Pogba, and unfortunately for Inverness, the diving Fonn Williams, to seal an unlikely three points for Partick in the dying moments.
PARTICK THISTLE: Scully; Dumbuya, Seaborne, Lindsay, Booth; Osman, Welsh; Lawless, Fraser (Stevenson, 78’), Amoo (Muirhead, 59’); Doolan (Pogba, 73’).
Scorers: Doolan (43’), Stevenson (90’)
Booked:
INVERNESS CALEDONIAN THISTLE: Fon Williams; Horner, Devine, Meekings, Tremarco; Tansey, Polworth (Draper, 73’); Williams (Mbuyi-Mutombo, 65’), Vigurs, Vincent; Storey (Sho-Silva, 69’).
Scorers: Storey (7’)
Booked:
Man of the match: Mustapha Dumbuya (Partick Thistle)
Referee: Don Robertson
Attendance: 2864
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