KILMARNOCK last night celebrated keeping a clean sheet for the first time since March 14 as they recorded a thoroughly merited victory at Rugby Park.
The visitors paid the price for failing to capitalise on their early superiority and were a dispirited and disjointed unit long before the end.
“It was a great day for us but the clean sheet was the most important one because we hadn’t had one this season,” said the home manager, Gary Locke. “I’m particularly delighted for our goalkeeper, Jamie MacDonald, because he’s had a great season for us so far. Inverness started the game well but, after that initial period, I thought we put in a really good performance.
“Josh Magennis just needed a regular run of games. You can see that he’s now playing with confidence and players are completely different when they don’t have that. But the international recognition he’s received and getting his goal for Northern Ireland has certainly helped him kick on. It was a collective effort, though.”
Thistle ought to have broken the deadlock in the eighth minute when Carl Tremarco flicked on Greg Tansey’s corner for Danny Devine but the central defender, six yards out, headed wastefully over.
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Two minutes later, the home side failed to match Ross Draper’s run at a Ryan Christie free-kick but he, too, failed to hit the target with a free header.
Kilmarnock believed, with some justification, that they should have been awarded a penalty in the 26th minute when Draper looked to have used his arm to deflect a netbound drive from Craig Slater to safety but the referee, Stephen Finnie, was unimpressed.
By then the home side had gained a foothold in the match and Draper also blocked a shot from Higginbotham before they broke the deadlock in the dying seconds of the first half.
Greg Kiltie did the damage with drive from 18 yards after Magennis had headed Steven Smith’s cross down for the teenager.
MacDonald did well to turn over a dipping long-range effort from Christie but Killie would have doubled their advantage if Magennis had squared for the unmarked Kevin McHattie instead of going for glory.
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Redemption was at hand. The Northern Ireland striker displayed power and precision to collect a pass from Higginbotham, shrug off his marker and beat Owain Fon-Williams with an angled drive from 15 yards which clipped the inside of the far post on its way in.
“We simply weren’t at the races after the break,” admitted Inverness manager John Hughes.
Star man: Josh Magennis (Kilmarnock)
Kilmarnock: MacDonald 6, O’Hara 6, Balatoni 6, Findlay 6, McHattie 6, Slater 7, Smith 7, McKenzie 7 (Frizell 89min, 5), Higginbotham 7, Kiltie 6 (Obadeyi 83min, 5), Magennis 8 (Boyd 86min, 5)
Inverness CT: Fon-Williams 5, Raven 5 (Sutherland 82min, 5), Devine 5, Meekings 5, Tremarco 6, Draper 6 (Vigurs 46min, 5), Tansey 6, Polworth 5, Christie 6, Williams 5 (Mutombo 54min, 5), Storey 5