LIAM BOYCE all but confirmed his status as one of the January transfer window’s hottest properties by scything down Ross County’s great local rivals with a first-half double in a thunderously competitive Highland derby.

Midfielder Martin Woods capped an imperious individual display with the crucial third goal as the Dingwall club ended a woeful run of five straight home defeats in the fixture, claiming a top-six place in the process. But the win was mostly about the work done by Boyce.

It was a display of great versatility as the Northern Ireland international ghosted into deeper positions, linked play and prompted attacks with style and cleverness. His double made it five goals in two derbies and took him back ahead of Celtic’s Scott Sinclair as top league scorer in the Premiership.

County, until a sustained siege by the visitors towards the end of the match, were the better team. Inverness, ominously for manager Richie Foran, enter the winter break cut adrift in bottom place.

For home manager Jim McIntyre, it was a first derby win in Dingwall since taking charge in September 2014.

“It is very pleasing to get [the] monkey off our back,” McIntyre said. “We wanted to get back into the top six heading into the break. Liam is a huge player for us and a clever one who we ask to play in a lot of positions. wherever he plays he can hurt the opposition as he has football intelligence and he can still get himself into goalscoring positions. He is a class player.”

The run of games without a win for Richie Foran’s side now stretches to 10 – the club’s worst spell in 10 years. They also sit with their lowest points at this point in a season, in any league, ever.

What the visiting team didn’t need was to fall behind within one minute and 45 seconds. Frenchman Christopher Routis saw his corner from the right flicked to the back of the box by the head of Andrew Davies.

Kenny Van der Weg was there to whip the ball back across to Boyce who thumped a header down off the underside of the bar. Inverness claimed it hadn’t crossed the line but referee Bobby Madden and his assistant were in no doubt.

Caley Thistle found a 28th-minute reply. Greg Tansey’s free-kick from deep right wasn’t dealt with by the home defence and fell nicely into the path of Carl Tremarco, who knocked a fine diving header past Fox from eight yards.

County midfielder Martin Woods them stamped his mark in the heart of midfield and reignited the Staggies’ threat. First, his 34th-minute free-kick had to be punched, two-fisted by Fon Williams before the Welsh goalkeeper parried another powerful strike by the same player.

The ball broke to the far angle of the Inverness box and Boyce, with some ferocity, whipped a right-footed shot into the back of the net to restore the hosts’ lead.

Boyce then missed a glorious chance for his second-successive Highland derby hat-trick when he fluffed his shot from an Alex Schalk cross to the back of the box.

Crucially, though, Away central defender Josh Meekings was off the field and still being bandaged as County picked another hole in the Caley Thistle defence. Schalk’s low ball in from the right found Woods in an expanse of space and he beat Fon Williams from 10 yards with his left foot.

Foran’s men kept fighting and it was game on again as substitute Billy King forced a low parry from Fox before fellow replacement Alex Fisher followed in to slot Caley Thistle’s second with nine minutes left.

The away side’s siege was incessant – but County held out.

“There’s a bit of a confidence problem running through the team at the moment,” Richie Foran, the Inverness manager, said. “The players need the break now. After today they need to go away, get their minds refreshed and come back stronger individuals.”