Academy take derby honours at Brora
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BRORA RANGERS 2 - 3 WICK ACADEMY
Scorers: Brora Rangers: McKain (41), Baxter (85). Wick Academy: Weir (5), Allan (36), Macadie (69).
Richard Macadie takes the ball past Gary Kerr of Brora during Academy's 3-2 derby victory at Dudgeon Park. Macadie got Wick's third goal, equalling Martin Gunn's club record tally with both players now having scored 64 times in the Highland League.
THE Scorries came out on top in a five-goal thriller against Brora in the last Far North derby of the season.
A determined Academy side headed back over the Ord with three points and their second away win in the league on Wednesday evening.
Co-managers Ian Munro and Richard Hughes were delighted to pick up the win against their local rivals as their time in charge draws to a close.
The result gives them of hope of reaching 13th in the league by the end of the season, with their final four games all against bottom-half opposition.
Munro said that they are looking to take maximum points from the remaining games.
"We want to take 12 out of 12," he said. "We have three away games left, which include going to Fraserburgh and Lossiemouth which are always difficult places to play.
"But tonight there was a real hunger about the guys from start to finish. We had a great start, taking the lead after five minutes and carried on from there.
"The downside was to concede two cheap goals, but the overall performance was good and hopefully we can play like this until the end of the season."
A focused Academy side took to Dudgeon Park looking for revenge after losing the corresponding fixture in January 3-2 at Harmsworth Park.
It didn't take the visitors long to get on the scoresheet.
Within five minutes, Craig Shearer won the ball off Robbie Stephen in midfield and launched it upfield to find Gary Weir who calmly slotted his shot past Daniel Bell.
Academy were awarded a penalty on the half-hour mark when the referee claimed a Broa defender handled the ball inside the box.
Richard Macadie was given the duty of doubling the lead, but was denied by Bell who made an excellent save to his bottom left.
Disappointment soon turned into delight in the away dugout six minutes after the penalty miss. David Allan hit a spectacular first-time effort past Bell.
The hosts responded just before half-time when a corner from Ross Grant found the head of Scott McKain. His header dropped down off the face of the crossbar and was forced into the net via a Brora knee.
Brora were awarded a penalty in the 55th minute after Grant was brought down in the penalty box.
But it wasn't to be a day for penalty-takers, as Grant launched his effort over the bar and out of the ground.
Academy made Brora pay for the miss in the 69th minute when they regained their two-goal advantage.
Macadie scored his 64th goal for the club when his free kick from 35 yards found its way straight into the net.
Brora went on to dominate the remainder of the game and pulled one back five minutes from time when More's clearance from goal clattered off substitute Liam Baxter who kept possession to score their second.
The home side bombarded the Wick goal in injury time, desperately trying to find the equaliser, but it was Academy who headed up the A9 as the victors.
Brora manager Andy MacLeod said that his side's penalty miss in the second half was the defining moment of the game.
"If we pulled it back to 2-2, I thought that the match was there for the taking," he said. "After the miss, I felt that our heads went down and let the game slip away. But I can't argue with the scoreline, Wick were well worth the win and deserved to pick up the three points."
Brora Rangers: Bell, Munro (Baxter 70), Mackay, McDonald, Stephen, Macleod, Grant, Ross, Murray (Jones 80), McKain, Kerr. Subs not used: Murray, Fraser, Larnach.
Wick Academy: More, Sinclair (Steven 75), Manson, Farquhar, Lamb, Shearer (Mackay 90), McKiddie, Weir, Allan, Macadie, Cunningham (Cowie 90). Subs not used: Gunn, Bokas.
Referee: Graham Fraser.
