Duncan Ferguson’s first game as Inverness manager ended in a 3-2 win at Arbroath.

Former Scotland striker Ferguson was appointed Inverness boss on Tuesday and saw his new side take an 11th-minute lead when Luis Longstaff scrambled the ball home from close range.

Inverness doubled their lead after 32 minutes when Aaron Doran turned in Longstaff’s cross from the left.

Billy McKay then raced on to a long ball from goalkeeper Mark Ridgers three minutes after the break to score with a delicate lob.

Scott Stewart and Michael McKenna set up a grandstand finish in the final 20 minutes, but Inverness held on to climb off the bottom of the table.

Morton slipped to the bottom of the Scottish Championship after a 1-0 home defeat to Airdrie extended their winless streak to six matches.

Home midfielder Robbie Muirhead curled an effort against the post in the 27th minute.

But Airdrie went ahead five minutes later when Lewis McGregor drilled home at the near post.

The visitors thought they had sealed the win with 14 minutes remaining, only for Calum Gallagher’s effort to be ruled out for offside.

Tony Watt scored twice as unbeaten Dundee United remained top of the Scottish Championship after a 4-1 home win over Queen’s Park.

The visitors needed just 43 seconds to break the deadlock when Ruari Paton’s cutback was converted by Jack Thomson on the edge of the box.

Watt equalised from close range eight minutes before half-time and the Tangerines went in front 11 minutes after the interval through Scott McMann, who smashed home a flick-on at the back post.

Watt grabbed his second shortly after with another close-range finish and Kai Fotheringham headed in a fourth to condemn Queen’s Park to a fifth consecutive defeat.

Partick Thistle bounced back from their 3-0 home defeat to Arbroath by beating Scottish Championship rivals Dunfermline by the same score.

Scott Robinson opened the scoring after 21 minutes, collecting a pass inside the area and finishing well.

The home side doubled their lead four minutes into the second half as Dunfermline goalkeeper Harrison Sharp could not collect a shot and Brian Graham was alert to tap home.

Kerr McInroy made the points safe with a headed third on the hour mark.

Duncan Ferguson never stopped to consider the significance of his return to Scottish football when he seized the chance to take over as Inverness manager.

The former Dundee United and Rangers striker is back in his homeland 29 years after leaving Ibrox for Everton.

The 51-year-old had a swift return to Glasgow in 1995, a year after his move to Merseyside, when he spent 44 days in Barlinnie Prison following a failed appeal against his conviction for assault against John McStay during a game against Raith Rovers at Ibrox.

He never played in Scotland again as he ended his international career in 1997 amid lingering resentment over the Scottish Football Association’s attempts to impose a 12-match suspension – both before his initial court case and after his jail term. The protracted dispute was ultimately resolved in the player’s favour after another court case.

When asked how he was feeling about his return to Scottish football, the former Newcastle striker told MFR Radio: “I’m feeling good, I’m feeling great. I suppose I never thought about that really.

“Fitba’s fitba, isn’t it? It doesn’t matter where it is, it can be in England, it can be in Scotland.

“Obviously it’s nice to come back up to Scotland, my home, but that’s not the reason why I took the job. The reason I took the job is because I think this club can move in the right direction.

“But it is great to be back. I obviously come and visit, so I have not been totally down south forever. I have got family up here. But it is lovely to be back.”

The job is Ferguson’s second in management after a brief spell at Forest Green last season. Rovers won only one of the 18 games he took charge of and were relegated from Sky Bet League One.

Stirling-born Ferguson, who has signed a three-year contract, said: “It’s a great opportunity for myself. It’s great to be back being a manager, the thing that I love, coaching, managing, and really excited about the project ahead.

“The club have got a really big ambition to go back to the Premiership. Unfortunately that’s not the case at the moment but they have certainly got a lot of good ideas of how to get there.

“The main reason I came was the ambition of the club and the ambition of myself, and it’s a great opportunity.”

Ferguson spent 14 years as a coach at Everton, most of them working with the first team, and believes he can get Caley Thistle off the foot of the cinch Championship and up the table.

Previous manager Billy Dodds was sacked months after leading the club to the Scottish Cup final, and Caley Thistle sit bottom with one point from six matches.

Ferguson, whose first game will be against Dick Campbell’s Arbroath at Gayfield on Saturday, said: “We need to get some goals, we need to start creating some chances, we need to make sure we are in the opposition box.

“There’s not a lot of points on the board so we need to make sure we change that and change that quickly.”

Duncan Ferguson has been appointed as Inverness manager.

The former Dundee United, Rangers, Newcastle and Everton striker has signed a three-year contract.

The job is Ferguson’s second in management after a brief spell at Forest Green last season. Rovers only won one of the 18 games the former Scotland forward took charge of and were relegated from Sky Bet League One.

The ex-Everton coach succeeds Billy Dodds, who lost his job months after leading Caley Thistle to the Scottish Cup final. Inverness are bottom of the cinch Championship with one point from five games.

Inverness said the appointment came after an “extensive recruitment process which involved some truly excellent candidates”.

A club statement added: “Duncan has worked alongside some of the most respected and outstanding football coaches in the world in recent seasons and we are proud to have him join ICTFC as our new manager.

“His professionalism, commitment and dynamic leadership skills shone through in our discussions, making him the standout candidate.

“Everyone at the club is looking forward to supporting Duncan as the hard work starts now and we hope every Caley Jag will now get right behind him and the team in what we are sure will be a thrilling journey.”

Arbroath made it five straight wins in all competitions as they beat Partick Thistle 3-0 at Firhill.

Jermaine Hylton gave the visitors an early lead in the 12th minute when he drilled a low shot into the corner after being picked out by Michael McKenna.

Hylton then turned provider five minutes before half-time when his cross was dispatched by Thomas O’Brien, whose shot looked to have taken a deflection past Jags keeper Jamie Sneddon.

Craig Slater tested Sneddon early in the second half when his rising shot was tipped over before Hylton, who had seen a shot blocked over the crossbar, wrapped things up with Arbroath’s third goal in the 80th minute.

Partick were denied a late consolation when substitute Kieran Ngwenya’s effort was saved by Derek Gaston.

Arbroath made it five straight wins in all competitions as they beat Patrick 3-0 at Firhill.

Jermaine Hylton gave the visitors an early lead in the 12th minute when he drilled a low shot into the corner after being picked out by Michael McKenna.

Hylton then turned provider five minutes before half-time when his cross was dispatched by Thomas O’Brien, whose shot looked to have taken a deflection past Jags keeper Jamie Sneddon.

Craig Slater tested Sneddon early in the second half when his rising shot was tipped over before Hylton, who had seen a shot blocked over the crossbar, wrapped things up with Arbroath’s third goal in the 80th minute.

Patrick were denied a late consolation when substitute Kieran Ngwenya’s effort was saved by Derek Gaston.

Substitute Chris Mochrie struck a stoppage-time winner to give 10-man Dundee United a 1-0 victory at Inverness and send them top of the cinch Championship.

The hosts created an early chance when Charlie Gilmour headed over from a corner in the 10th minute and threatened again towards the end of the first half when Nathan Shaw cut in from the right and his shot was palmed away by Terrors’ keeper Jack Walton.

The visitors, unbeaten so far this season in league, almost broke the deadlock before the break when Archie Meekison’s 20-yard shot came back off the post.

With 20 minutes left, Terrors midfielder Jordan Tillson – who had not long come on – was sent off after collecting two quick yellow cards.

Kai Fotheringham tested Mark Ridgers again with a low strike, with Caley substitute Austin Samuels shooting wide at the other end before Mochrie slotted in a stoppage-time winner after the ball came back off the crossbar.

Michael O’Halloran’s late goal settled some late nerves and helped Dunfermline to a 3-1 win over struggling Morton in the cinch Championship.

The hosts had started brightly at East End Park with Craig Wighton grabbing an eighth-minute opener from a Joe Chalmers corner.

Lewis McCann crashed a 25-yard effort against the crossbar before he doubled Dunfermline’s lead after 27 minutes by converting a Josh Edwards cross.

Alex Jakubiak missed two good chances for the hosts in the second half before Morton rallied with both Cameron Blues and Robbie Muirhead coming close.

Robbie Crawford’s first-time shot reduced the deficit eight minutes from time, but O’Halloran’s late finish finally sealed victory for the hosts.

Calum Gallagher’s second half strike gave struggling Airdrie a 1-0 win over Raith Rovers, the visitors’ first defeat of the season in the cinch Championship.

Gallagher’s 73nd-minute effort combined with results elsewhere saw Ian Murray’s men also surrender their lead at the top of the table.

Airdrie were on the front foot throughout with visiting goalkeeper Kevin Dabrowski doing well to save from Adam Frizzell before Gallagher headed over the bar.

Sam Stanton had Raith’s two best chances towards the end of the first half, denied by Airdrie goalkeeper Josh Rae before sending a long-range effort against the post.

Dabrowski saved well to deny Murray Aiken in the 70th minute but three minutes later the hosts made the decisive breakthrough when Lewis McGregor squared for Gallagher to slot home.

Logan Chalmers hit an early brace as Ayr secured an impressive 5-2 win away at Queen’s Park in the cinch Championship.

Last season’s runners-up have been slow out of the blocks this season but stormed past their hosts at Hampden Park.

Chalmers broke the deadlock after just six minutes as he scored directly from a corner and doubled up for the night by rounding off a counter-attack.

Ruan Paton halved the deficit, but Ayr were out of sight by the break after Ahkeem Rose and Jamie Murphy struck.

The hosts pulled another back through Barry Hepburn, although any thoughts of an unlikely comeback were extinguished a minute later when Anton Dowds grabbed his first goal for the Honest Men.

Dundee United surrendered top spot in the Scottish Championship after they were held to a 1-1 draw by struggling Morton at Tannadice.

The hosts had Mathew Cudjoe sent off in the 63rd minute but came close to snatching the points when Louis Moult headed against the post four minutes from time.

Moult had headed United into a 19th-minute lead, shortly after Steven Boyd struck the post for Morton.

But the visitors battled back with Robbie Muirhead capitalising on a mistake in the home defence to level just before the hour mark.

Arbroath secured three straight league victories after thumping Airdrieonians 4-0 in a game which saw both teams have players sent off.

The hosts went in front through a Michael McKenna header in the 27th minute and quickly doubled the lead just eight minutes later when Jermaine Hylton slotted home.

They were handed a blow when Ricky Little was dismissed in the 38th minute after picking up his second yellow card of the game, but Airdrieonians were also reduced to 10 in the second-half after Liam McStravick picked up two yellow cards within the space of four minutes.

With a level playing field for the rest of the game, Arbroath secured victory in the final stages of the game with Jay Bird scoring in the 88th minute followed by Leighton McIntosh three minutes later.

Lewis McCann’s second-half double helped Dunfermline claim their first cinch Championship win since the opening day of the season as they won 2-0 at  Queen’s Park.

The 22-year-old striker opened the scoring with a shot which went in off a post six minutes after the break – his first goal in seven games.

McCann doubled his tally and his side’s advantage in the 67th minute with a stunning free-kick from around 30 yards.

Dom Thomas, Jack Turner and Aaron Healy had Queen’s Park’s best efforts as they suffered a third successive league defeat.