Dundee United 1-1 Inverness CT

Barry Wilson got Caley Thistle's equaliser

Inverness Caley Thistle earned a valuable point away to Dundee United to take both sides a little nearer safety from the drop.

United took the lead when Stuart Duff's cross glanced off the head of Inverness defender Grant Munro to leave Mark Brown with no chance.

But the visitors equalised after Billy Dodds was penalised for handball in his own penalty area.

Barry Wilson scored from the spot to give his side a share of the spoils.

The visitors survived a first-minute scare when Munro looked late in a challenge on James Grady inside the Inverness penalty area but the referee was unimpressed by the penalty claims.

The game was slow to come to life and it was 24 minutes before either keeper was seriously tested - Craig Brewster's fine drive from 16 yards forcing United keeper Tony Bullock to dive at full stretch.

Out of the blue, though, United took the lead after half-an-hour.

Stuart Duff swung a right-footed cross in from the left and Munro, stretching under pressure from Jim McIntyre, glanced a header from 12 yards out past the helpless Mark Brown and into the corner of the net.

The visitors drew level seven minutes later. Darren Dods' shot from just outside the box struck the arm of Billy Dodds.

Wilson confidently stepped up to send Bullock the wrong way with his well-placed penalty.

Five minutes before the break, Mark Kerr went close with a volley from the edge of the box after Brown had punched clear, but the ball went inches past the upright.

In the 51st minute Inverness midfielder Richard Hart's free-kick from 30 yards took a deflection off the United defensive wall and spun agonisingly past the post.

Moments later, Barry Robson went just as close at the other end with a free-kick from distance, Brown watching the substitute's left-foot shot shave his right-hand post.

The visitors nearly stole into the lead when Graham Bayne's head flick from 10 yards beat Bullock but, fortunately for the Tannadice men, Mark Wilson was racing back to clear off the line.

United missed two great chances to regain their lead Lee Mair's header from no more than 10 yards was blocked by Brown and, when the ball broke kindly to McIntyre, the Inverness keeper again heroically kept the ball out.

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Dundee Utd: Bullock, Duff, Mair, Ritchie, Archibald, Kerr (Brebner 68), Wilson, Dodds (Scotland 57), Grady (Robson 45), Crawford, McIntyre.

Subs Not Used: Colgan, Samuel, Cameron, Kenneth.

Booked: Archibald, Mair, Ritchie.

Goal: Munro 30 og.

Inverness CT: Brown, Tokely, Dods, Munro, Golabek, Wilson, McBain, Duncan, Hart, Bayne, Brewster.

Subs Not Used: Fraser, McCaffrey, Juanjo, Hastings, Proctor, Fox, Black.

Booked: Munro.

Goal: Wilson 37 pen.

Att: 6,110

Ref: I Brines