Anderson pleased with reaction as Wick Groats beat holders Pentland United in cup semi
Register for free to read more of the latest local news. It's easy and will only take a moment.
Wick Groats manager Kevin Anderson said he got the reaction he was looking for as his team booked a place in the first final of the Caithness AFA season with a 3-1 victory over Pentland United.
Goals either side of half-time by Korbyn Cameron and Steven Anderson put Groats firmly in charge in a scrappy Colin Macleod Memorial Cup semi-final at Ham Park on Tuesday night. Andrew Brims gave the holders some hope when he reduced the deficit but Ben Sinclair settled the issue right at the end.
Groats will take on town rivals Wick Thistle in the final at Castletown on Saturday, June 10.
Going into the match at Dunnet, manager Anderson had demanded an improvement from last week's 1-1 league draw with Thistle and he was satisfied with the response.
"We let ourselves down last Wednesday, to be honest, so we got the reaction today," he said. "That's what we asked before the game – we had to react, that's what it's all about. When you get a setback you need to bounce back, so we bounced back well."
He went on: "I thought we controlled most of the game. It was quite scrappy at times, and probably could have done with a bit more quality and composure, but it was a typical cup game. It was quite frantic and both teams were going at each other.
"I would say we edged the first half without being too brilliant. I said to the boys at half-time we had a couple of gears to go up, and I thought we did go up a couple of gears in the second half.
"At 2-0 I felt we were really comfortable. We lost a bad goal. We made a couple of changes – maybe that was partly my fault, too many changes all at once.
"But we have a lot of guys struggling with niggles and injuries so we're trying to get boys off as well and get them rested up."
Asked whether he had been concerned when United pulled a goal back, Anderson said: "You always worry because goals change games.
"Up to then I thought we were quite comfortable, we defended well. John Budge and Gavin Sinclair were immense at the back – they swept everything up.
"Two-nil is a funny scoreline because if you lose a goal it can change the whole complexion of a game. There could have been panic – thankfully there wasn't.
"It's the first cup of the season and we're in the final so I'm delighted.
"We've started the season quite well. We had a wee blip last week but, as I keep saying, we've lost a spine of a team. We're more inexperienced so we challenged the boys tonight and they stood up to the challenge."
Cameron opened the scoring just before half-time when he broke through and thumped the ball home. Groats doubled their lead early in the second half when Alan Mathieson's free kick from wide on the left was head-flicked in by Steven Anderson.
Brims fired home with about 10 minutes to go to hand the Stabbies a potential lifeline, but victory was assured for the Wick outfit when they were awarded a penalty in the last minute of the 90. Ben Sinclair's spot-kick was kept out by Mackenzie Beaton but Sinclair hammered in the rebound.
Wick Groats resume their Division One campaign on Friday as they take on Tom McKenna's Castletown at Back Park.
"Tom has got them well organised," Anderson said. "They're well drilled, hard-working, they have a lot of energy in their team. It'll be a tough game."
Results – Alan Farquhar Testimonial: Wick Academy 6, SPL Legends 4.
CAFA Division Two: Keiss 5, Thurso Pentland 0; Swifts 1, Lybster 3; Watten 0, Top Joe's 3.
Colin Macleod Memorial Cup, semi-finals: Pentland United 1, Wick Groats 3; Wick Thistle 2, John O'Groats 1.
Fixtures: Friday, May 26 – CAFA Division One: Castletown v Wick Groats; High Ormlie Hotspur v Pentland United; John O'Groats v Wick Thistle; Staxigoe United v Acks (all 7.15pm).
Monday, May 29 – Division One: Wick Thistle v Castletown. Division Two: Keiss v Lybster; Top Joe's v Swifts; Watten v Thurso Pentland (all 7.30pm).
Tuesday, May 30 – Division One: Acks v John O'Groats; Pentland United v Wick Groats; Staxigoe United v High Ormlie Hotspur (all 7.30pm).
