Someime superstitions work and sometimes they don't - just ask Killie's Mehdi Taouil.

Midfielder Dougie Imrie ended a three-month league goal famine as he put Inverness on the road to a 2-1 victory over Kilmarnock at Rugby Park on Saturday. It was a day of mixed emotions for Imrie as he crashed home the early opener off the underside of the bar, before giving away a last minute penalty which could have resulted in the home side grabbing a point in a thrilling finish. As if happened, Imrie's blushes were saved as Mehdi Taouil blasted the spot kick well over the bar. The final whistle allowed the Highlanders to collect their fourth away win of the season and move up two places to eighth in the table.

Imrie said: "I was glad to get another goal as it's been a while since I last scored, and it set us up for a good victory. We could have killed the game off before Kilmarnock got back into it - they put us under a lot of pressure in the last 10 or 15 minutes and we were fortunate that they missed the penalty. To lose it at the end after playing so well in the first half would have been a killer, but it was good that it didn't happen and we got the three points we deserved. Away from home we seem to be picking up points here there and everywhere, and hopefully it's something we can sort at home too, because if we could have picked up more points there, you never know where we could have been in the league. I just saw the ball coming through to me for the goal, gambled and it went in; it's been coming but I just wish I could score more and hopefully I can keep that going as some of the boys at the club need to start scoring more to help the strikers." Inverness travel to Celtic on Saturday, and Imrie added: "It will be hard; if we could get something there that would be good, but as long as we don't lose 5-0 again like we did at Ibrox, we'll be all right."

Kilmarnock manager Jim Jefferies explained the superstitious reason why Taouil had stepped up to take the late penalty instead of Jamie Hamill, who scored from the spot at home to Dundee United in the last week's 2-0 win. Jefferies said: "Mehdi is our penalty taker, and has taken two for us before and scored. Last week I was surprised that Jamie took it, but the explanation was that Mehdi has been told from a young age that whenever he's the one who's fouled, he never takes them - so maybe he'd have been better being fouled in the box this time! Jamie would probably have wanted to take it again this time but Mehdi is the penalty taker and when he grabbed the ball, there was nothing to suggest he was going to miss; he normally places them but this time chose to go for power and whipped it over the bar. It's probably cost us a point but we're in it together - there will be nobody hurting more than him as he's a winner and he'll be so disappointed about missing, but we'll pick him up, tell him these things happen and make sure he's confident enough to take the next one."

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