Inverness CT 4-4 Herfolge: McAllister fills Niculae's boots

Herfolge 4
Djebi-Zadi og 19; Toft 24, 52; Trager 90

Inverness CT 4
Rooney 41; McAllister 79, 82, 90

A MARIUS Niculae-free Caley Thistle may have found a budding replacement within existing ranks.

The Romanian's £500,000 switch to Dinamo Bucharest had left Craig Brewster's side short up front but up stepped 60th-minute substitute Rory McAllister with a show-stopping hat-trick.

The home side took the lead when Sebastian Andersen put in a cross from the left and, under no pressure at all, Lionel Djebi Zadi skewed a headed clearance into his own net. There was more defensive disarray for the second as Henrik Toft rose unmarked to head home.

Adam Rooney, on trial from Stoke City, cut the deficit to one but Mikael Rynall's corner was planted firmly home by Toft to make it 3-1.

With McAllister on fire, the whole complexion of the game changed in the closing period. He first muscled through to score Caley Thistle's second in style on 79 minutes, then thundered home a second with his head three minutes later from a corner. The 21 year-old then lobbed the keeper to claim what looked like a winner on 90 minutes, before Steen Trager forced in an equaliser.