IT'S fair to say Caley Thistle's first victory against Aberdeen at the 18th attempt after a decade of trying came as a surprise to many. After all, even those most astute of judges, the bookmakers, found it hard to see where the Highlanders' goals would come from.
That was amply illustrated by the fact that Craig Brewster was listed on their fixed-odds coupons as second favourite amongst the visiting players to get the first goal on Saturday, even though the 41-year-old has vowed to limit himself to the role o
f manager this season.
The temptation to recant must have been great for someone who has struggled to replace Dennis Wyness, Graham Bayne and Marius Niculae, who left during the summer, but the decision was vindicated by the performance of Andy Barrowman.
Aberdeen fielded recent additions Charlie Mulgrew, Mark Kerr and Gary McDonald but it was Caley Thistle's solitary new face who made by far the biggest impression, despite having moved up two divisions.
Barrowman scored a club record 29 goals in helping Ross County to the Second Division title last season and the question of how he would adapt to the move across the Kessock Bridge was answered in an emphatically positive sense.
The striker operated so effectively in his lone role up front that it was no surprise he should mark an impressive debut with the opening goal in 27 minutes. And it was appropriate that Ross Tokely, who has made more appearances than anyone else for the club, should provide the right-wing cross that allowed Barrowman to tap in at the back post.
Of course, Brewster should know a good goalscorer when he sees one and the Caley Thistle manager always believed his faith in Barrowman would be justified. He said: "I think if you are a natural goalscorer, then you can do that regularly at any club and in any division and Andy has certainly made a great start in the SPL.
"He wants to do well for himself and the team which you could see in the quality of his all-round game against a very experienced Aberdeen. We were really pleased to get him on board and I am excited at the prospect of seeing how he will develop over the next three years."
Giving his protege someone to play alongside would help that and it remains Brewster's priority before the transfer window closes this month. Caley Thistle now have as many points after one game as they did after the first seven a year ago, and this long-awaited victory was finally clinched at the death by someone else marking a milestone occasion.
Veteran midfielder Roy McBain celebrated his 300th appearance with a lung-bursting 50-yard run in the last minute to collect Dougie Imrie's pass before driving in the second goal.
On this evidence the Highlanders look more than capable of surviving again, but quite what the overhauled Aberdeen squad is capable of is anyone's guess as the first match of this season could not have produced a starker contrast to the last of the previous one.
Defeating Rangers on the night Celtic retained their title saw the players depart to a raucous standing ovation. On Saturday, those Aberdeen fans still in Pittodrie at the final whistle greeted them with equally deafening howls of derision.
Hesitant in defence, uninspiring in midfield, and with strikers who lacked any decent service throughout, Aberdeen delivered a frustrating afternoon for manager Jimmy Calderwood, left, who has yet to win an opening day fixture in five attempts at the club.
Throughout that time, Calderwood's capacity for blunt assessment has been consistent and, typically, he said: "The quality of supply to our strikers was so bad Wayne Rooney would have struggled to get a goal for us in that game.
"Inverness deserved their win and all credit to them, but we are our own worst enemy as we used the ball poorly. It was a sore one for us to take and I understand the fans' disappointment, but we are just as disappointed because we wanted to start the season on a positive note."
Man of the match: Andy Barrowman (Inverness CT)The former Kilmarnock striker made an immediate impact on his return to the top flight, not only with his debut goal which set the visitors on their way to victory, but also the intelligent way he operated as Caley Thistle's lone striker.
The full article contains 754 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
