Managers Post Inverness

17/04/10: JM - "The first goal is always crucial and you can see in the stats this year the number of times that you go on and win the game.

Jim McIntyre acknowledged how important Nick Phinn's disallowed 'goal' might have been. He felt that the 26th minute decision triggered by the far side linesman was one of two first half decisions that could have changed the match:-

"The first goal is always crucial and you can see in the stats this year the number of times that you go on and win the game. David Graham's also looked contentious from where  we were, I would need to see it again on the video.

"We had the better of the first half, I thought we had more possession without really looking great or threatening apart from those two opportunities. The second half we were poor. We gave the ball away far too many times. Inverness got their goal after a couple of warnings just before that at setpieces. They are always a big danger at set plays and you see the lift that the goal gave.

"Goals change games for me and they were the better side after that. We lost terrible goals right through the centre of our defence and that is simply not good enough. It has cost us yet we still had two decent chances - Holmes header in the last couple of minutes and the one from Gary Mason that the keeper saved. We didn't do nearly enough in the second half, it was really disappointing."

Steven McDougall was forced to retire at half time after taking a knock on his previously injured toe but the Manager refuted suggestions that the length of the injuries list had a bearing on the outcome of the match:-

"I don't like to use that as an excuse to be honest. We had enough on the park to claim the game but we just never produced in the second half."

Despite obviously sore from the experience of defeat Macca had some humour for the North of Scotland journalist who asked what he would need to make a difference next season:-

"About £500,000."

Inverness Caley Thistle Manager Terry Butcher was on fine form after the match promising to wash the taste of success down with some fine Merlot:-

"We were rubbish in the first half but the fans reaction when Morton scored lifted us. At half time we saw that Dundee were losing 1-0 and we said you are a yard off the pace.  We had got in some reasonable positions without creating much. We were fortunate enough not to lose a goal; the farside linesman gave the decision not the nearside one. He saw the ball hit his hand.

"At half time we said to the lads 'look Morton are winning 1-0, score a goal here and win 1-0 we will win the championship - what more incentive do you need than that?

"We got the goals at the right time, out of nothing really and when you have someone like Adam Rooney you always feel that we are going to score goals.  The second goal came along very quickly and settled us down really.

"Mathematically we can still be caught but really I am just delighted to get the win - thats 19 now unbeaten.  We want to make it 21 and I don't see why we can't do that.  The unity of the squad is the whole chemistry of our success. They are a really tight group."