Academy banish Brora blues with a Keith cuffing
ACADEMY’S dream of winning a first Highland League championship could still come true after they woke up from their nightmare in Sutherland to knock sleepy Keith for six.
With four absentees from the squad meaning they could only bring four substitutes to Moray, some critics thought the bubble had well and truly burst.
But a devastating first half performance in which they scored four goals in 12 minutes sent out a warning to the chasing pack that they were not finished yet.
Academy headed east without Alan Farquhar and James Pickles through injury while captain Sam Mackay was given leave to celebrate the arrival of his first child. However Craig Shearer – arguably the player of the season so far for the Scorries – returned to the starting line-up from injury, to add some muscle to the midfield.
The triumph was the perfect antidote to the midweek 5-0 hiding they suffered at the hands of north rivals Brora Rangers.
It took the visitors just 23 minutes to open the scoring when Grant Steven picked the ball up in midfield and played Davie Allan up the right flank who sent in a cross from the right wing to find fans’ favourite Lukasz Geruzel.
He held off the challenge of Gary McNamee and from 15 yards fired the ball with the outside of his right foot into the bottom right-hand corner, giving Murray Kinnaird no chance.
Two minutes later, the Pole doubled Academy’s advantage as Davie Allan once again played provider, his pace being too much for the Maroons defence to cope with as he once again crossed into the box for Geruzel to tap home from six yards.
Stevie Cunningham, who manager Barry Wilson said has been an unsung hero this season, made it 3-0 just after the half hour. Allan once again setting up one of his team-mates with another lung-busting run upfield to lay off for Cunningham who sidestepped the goalkeeper before knocking the ball into the net.
Four minutes later, the game was over as a contest when record goalscorer Richard Macadie got his name on the scoresheet. Gary Weir’s shot was blocked by Kinnaird with the rebound falling for Macadie to nod home.
Geruzel was forced to come off before half-time with a groin strain and was replaced by Ross Allan who was to stay on the field for just 12 minutes.
Seven minutes into the second half, he angrily took exception to a rough tackle with his retaliation leaving referee Ryan Milne no choice but to produce the red card.
But Academy made it 5-0 immediately after the incident when Michael Steven rose to power a head past Kinnaird from Macadie’s corner.
Davie Allan, who had spent the entire afternoon setting up his team-mates, decided to grab a goal for himself in the 72nd minute when, after making some space just outside the box, he fired a low shot inside Kinnaird’s right-hand post. Academy keeper James More was called into action for the first time in the dying moments of the game when he pulled off a great save when he turned a powerful Jonathan Smith behind. But the Keith player did get the better of the goalkeeper on the second time of asking with a close-range header from the resultant corner.
Keith: Kinnaird, Phillips, Hutcheon, McNamee, Niddrie, Raffell, McCulloch, MacAskill, C. Keith, Smith, S. Keith. Subs (unused): Anderson, Morrision, MacAskill, Anzevui, Horne.
Wick: More, Sinclair, Manson, M. Steven, G. Steven, Shearer (McKiddie 55), Weir, Cunningham, Geruzel (R. Allan 37), Macadie, D Allan (Wilson 77). Sub (unused): Gray.
Referee: Ryan Milne.