Partick Thistle came from behind twice to draw 3-3 with Inverness in a thrilling cinch Championship clash at Caledonian Stadium.

Inverness opened the scoring when Cammy Kerr hit the target from long-range and, with the pressure continuing to build on the visitors, they cracked for a second time when Remi Savage was on target from a corner in the 53rd minute.

Partick Thistle hit back with 26 minutes remaining when Aidan Fitzpatrick took advantage of a poorly cleared cross to stab home and then Brian Graham grabbed the equaliser from the penalty spot.

But there was still time for more twists when Nathan Shaw appeared to have snatched all three points for Inverness only for Graham to fire his second with four minutes left.

Inverness’ Max Anderson was shown a straight red card for a foul on Luke McBeth during injury-time.

George Oakley and Jack Baird lifted Morton from the foot of the cinch Championship table courtesy of a 2-1 home win over Inverness.

The home side, who won at Arbroath on Saturday, took the lead in the 20th minute when Oakley made the most of a mix-up in the Inverness defence.

They might have increased their advantage two minutes before the break but for goalkeeper Mark Ridgers’ save from Kirk Broadfoot, although opposite number Ryan Mullen had to be equally resilient to deny Billy McKay as time ran down.

However, they did go 2-0 ahead with 10 minutes remaining when Baird blasted into the roof of the net after Lewis Strapp’s throw-in had fallen to him.

Adam Brooks headed in to cut the lead deep into stoppage time but Inverness suffered just a second defeat of Duncan Ferguson’s 10-game reign.

Jamie Gullan’s penalty four mintues into time added on earned Raith a come-from-behind 2-1 win at Inverness.

The home side had led thanks to Billy Mckay’s goal just after the hour, but Lewis Vaughan’s late equaliser and Gullan’s even later penalty turned things around.

Caley went ahead when Mckay met David Wotherspoon’s 61st-minute cross with a terrific header.

But the visitors hit back four minutes from time when Vaughan flicked the ball over a defender and finished.

And there was still time for Gullan to win it from the spot, with the home side having no chance to respond.

David Wotherspoon scored twice as in-form Inverness moved out of the Scottish Championship relegation spots with a 3-1 win over play-off chasing Ayr.

Wotherspoon opened the scoring in the 32nd minute with a close-range finish after Nathan Shaw’s effort fell into his path.

The forward added a second 11 minutes later with a deflected effort, taking his goal tally to three in as many games, before Billy McKay converted from the penalty spot on the stroke of half-time after Charlie Gilmour was fouled in the box by Paddy Reading.

Ayr pulled a goal back in the 60th minute courtesy of Jamie Murphy’s penalty following a foul on Ahkeem Rose, but could not prevent Inverness from extending their unbeaten run to five matches.

Scottish Championship strugglers Inverness held Partick Thistle to a goalless draw at the Caledonian Stadium.

Partick Thistle hit the woodwork just after half-time as Aidan Fitzpatrick’s ball across the box clipped the post.

Brian Graham forced Inverness goalkeeper Mark Ridgers into a save following a swift counter-attack as the visitors continued to carry the greater threat.

Inverness, who picked up their first win of the season against Arbroath last weekend, came close on 73 minutes as Charlie Gilmour whistled an effort past the post.

Partick Thistle had a great chance to win it three minutes from time but Tomi Adeloye fired over from close range.

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.”

Ten-man Airdrie held on to claim their second successive Scottish Championship win as they recorded a 2-1 victory over Inverness.

The hosts took an early lead following some good work from Lewis McGregor down the right as Caley defender Cameron Harper turned the ball into his own net.

Calum Gallagher doubled Airdrie’s lead just after the hour mark – with another helping hand from hard-working McGregor – as he picked out the bottom corner for his fourth goal from the last three games.

The Diamonds were reduced to 10 men five minutes after the break as Adam Frizzell was shown a second yellow card for a late challenge on Keith Bray, following his first-half caution for an off-the-ball trip.

Inverness made their pressure count and Nathan Shaw pulled one back from close range with 20 minutes remaining but the home side held on for maximum points as the visitors slipped to the bottom of the table.

Franny Amartey’s early goal proved enough to give Ayr a 1-0 win over Inverness in their cinch Championship match at Somerset Park, where frustrated Caley head coach Billy Dodds was sent from the dugout.

The Honest Men, who lost 3-1 at Morton last weekend, went ahead in the eighth minute through Amartey after good build-up play involving Sam Ashford.

Ayr captain Sean McGinty then fired a long-range effort over before Caley threatened when Charlie Gilmour’s shot was saved by Charlie Albinson.

Inverness defender Daniel Devine saw his header from Cameron Harper’s free-kick pushed over the crossbar.

Luis Longstaff shot wide from 20-yards just before the break – with Caley head coach Dodds sent from the dugout by the referee as frustrations boiled over.

The visitors – who lost their league opener at home to Queen’s Park following three defeats in the Viaplay Cup – almost equalised just after the hour when Nathan Shaw’s header from Jake Davidson’s cross struck the far post.

Ayr substitute Aiden McGeady had a late effort bounce just wide and Olly Pendlebury’s long-range effort was tipped over as the hosts closed out a first league win.

Kilmarnock have made their first summer signing by bringing in centre-back Robbie Deas from Inverness.

The 23-year-old revealed on Saturday that the Scottish Cup final had been his final game for Caley Thistle and Deas has now signed a two-year contract with Killie.

The left-sided defender joined Inverness from Celtic in the summer of 2020 and made 113 appearances, bouncing back from a broken leg earlier in the season to help the club reach the cup final.

The former Scotland Under-21 international told Killie’s website: “I fully understand the size of this club and the demands that will be placed on me as a player, so I’m excited about taking this step in my career.

“It was inspiring to speak with the manager about his ambitions for the club and it became clear that Kilmarnock would be a perfect fit for me.

“I’m determined to kick on and do my best for the manager and supporters over the next two years.”

Killie announced on Saturday that Fraser Murray had agreed a two-year contract and Innes Cameron had signed a one-year deal after returning to fitness before the end of the campaign.

Alan Power, Blair Alston, Chris Stokes, Scott Robinson, Calum Waters, Lee Hodson and Dylan McGowan are all departing at the end of their deals while loan players Jordan Jones, Lewis Mayo, Luke Chambers, Zach Hemming, Ben Chrisene, Christian Doidge, Ryan Alebiosu and Jeriel Dorsett have all left.

The club remain in discussions with Ash Taylor, Liam Polworth, Brad Lyons, Jack Sanders, Sam Walker and Liam Donnelly.

Manager Derek McInnes said: “While discussions are ongoing with a number of players, I would like to take the opportunity to thank departing members of the squad for their effort and commitment.”

Celtic face Inverness in the Scottish Cup final on Saturday in a match with numerous discussion points around the game.

The Hoops are aiming for a 41st triumph in the competition while Caley Thistle bid to make it two wins from two final appearances.

Here are some of the key issues ahead of the Hampden encounter.

The last dance?

“We have done this dance a few times this year,” said Ange Postecoglou after being quizzed over reports that Tottenham had made him their top candidate for their managerial vacancy. The Celtic manager has been linked with numerous Premier League jobs this season – Leeds, Everton, Brighton, Crystal Palace, Leicester and Chelsea to name a few – and he pointed out there had been another favourite for the Spurs job last week. The Australian stressed that nothing would distract him from preparing for Saturday’s game but Celtic fans approach the final with anxious thoughts over the future.

Treble chance

Postecoglou is looking to emulate Jock Stein, Martin O’Neill, Brendan Rodgers and Neil Lennon in securing a clean sweep of domestic honours in the one season in what has been classed as a world-record eighth treble. Postecoglou is determined to write that chapter of the club’s history and make it a fifth treble in seven seasons to underline Celtic’s dominance in Scotland.

Will lightning strike again?

Celtic must overcame opponents who have caused them all sorts of problems in the Scottish Cup, since their first meeting in 2000 when First Division Caley Thistle won 3-1 at Parkhead in their sixth season in the league, costing John Barnes his job as Hoops manager. John Robertson’s then top-flight side repeated the feat three years later, three days after Celtic had won at Anfield on their way to the UEFA Cup final. A hat-trick of shocks was completed in the 2015 semi-finals as Ronny Deila’s side saw their treble hopes collapse in a controversial 3-2 defeat. John Hughes’ team went on to lift the trophy. Celtic have won four of the seven Scottish Cup meetings but have twice needed to come from behind.

Rested or rusty?

Caley Thistle finished sixth in the Championship, with a late winner from Ayr’s Josh Mullin ending their play-off hopes in the final minutes of the season. Billy Dodds’ side have not played a competitive fixture since that May 5 game, a friendly against Dean Shiels’ Dungannon Swifts side the only time they have appeared.

Kyogo or no go?

Celtic top goalscorer Kyogo Furuhashi is a fitness doubt after coming off worse in a 50-50 with Aberdeen goalkeeper Kelle Roos last weekend. The Japan forward, who has 33 goals this season, did not train until Friday but history would suggest he will declare himself fit. The 28-year-old scored a match-winning double against Hibernian in last season’s League Cup final despite nursing a hamstring injury which would soon rule him out for more than three months. He also notched both Celtic goals in this season’s final against Rangers.

European dream

Caley Thistle will guarantee European group stage football if they win – they will go into the Europa League play-offs and drop into the Conference League group if they lose. Aberdeen and Hibernian fans will be cheering on Celtic. The Dons will get the Europa League play-off spot if Celtic win but enter the Conference League qualifiers otherwise, while Hibs need a Hoops win to qualify for Europe. It is all or nothing for Caley Thistle with the Scottish Cup runners-up no longer getting a European place.

Cup reprieve

Inverness could find themselves featuring in quiz questions for decades if they pull off a shock, as the team that won the Scottish Cup despite losing in an earlier round. Caley Thistle were beaten 2-0 by Queen’s Park in a rearranged fourth-round tie but the Spiders were expelled from the competition for fielding an ineligible player – Euan Henderson had been signed on loan from Hearts after the original date. Inverness seized their second chance by defeating Premiership sides Livingston and Kilmarnock before a 3-0 semi-final win against Falkirk.

Kick-off controversy

In a break with tradition, the game will kick off at 5.30pm after the Scottish Football Association elected to make way for the Manchester derby FA Cup final in a bid to maximise television exposure. The decision disappointed both clubs and Inverness blamed the later kick-off as the reason they handed back 2,500 tickets.