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Anderson's fab four puts Fraserburgh to the sword


By Matt Leslie

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WICK ACADEMY 4

FRASERBURGH 0

FRASERBURGH left Harmsworth Park shocked and stunned after Steven Anderson’s quadruple salvo sank whatever title dreams they had left.

Granted their chances were slim to begin with but Academy dished out a lesson in counter-attacking that had Broch raising the white flag long before referee Billy Baxter blew the final whistle.

Wick though will be wondering if they can start the season all over again. The Scorries have now lost just once in the last 15 games and were it not for their slow start to the season, they would probably be fighting it out with Broch and Inverurie Locos for second place right now.

However, this win moves them up to eighth – given it wasn’t that long ago they were hovering closer to rock bottom Fort William than to newly-crowned champions Cove Rangers.

Anderson’s four goals will draw much of the acclaim to him – and rightly so – but the last-ditch defending of Wick’s back four and the saves made by goalie Sean McCarthy kept Broch at bay and gave Steven the platform to wreak havoc up front.

Academy should have taken the lead in 12 minutes when David Allan waltzed past Fraserburgh’s defence only for his attempt to round visiting keeper Paul Leask was denied by the Broch stopper’s outstretched palm.

Allan would master the art of going around the keeper in 24 minutes but this time to allow someone else the honour of giving Wick the lead.

The Wick attacker again left Broch’s defence in his wake. He managed to evade the keeper but had pulled the ball too wide for a shot at goal. Noticing Anderson charging up the pitch, he duly squared the ball to his team-mate who thrashed the ball into the net.

Fraserburgh had their chances to draw level before half-time. Firstly, Gary Harris’ turn and shot from outside the box was well-saved by McCarthy.

Then Wick had a huge let-off when William West’s header came crashing back off the post. Bryan Hay looked certain to smash in the rebound only for McCarthy to pull off a fine save.

The second-half saw plenty of ball for the visitors but so solid was Wick’s back four, they were unable to breach the black and white blockade that had been set up.

As the half wore on, Broch began to take risks by pushing more men upfield. The plan backfired when Anderson beat the offside trap in 69 minutes to bear down on goal and curl a superb finish past Leask.

In 76 minutes, Wick hit their visitors on the counter again as Allan raced down the left-flank to square the ball for Anderson who completed his hat-trick with a deft flick into the net.

Three-nil did seem harsh on Fraserburgh who did have the majority of possession but Wick rubbed further salt into their wounds when Anderson gambled on charging down a clearance from Leask.

The ball fell kindly to the Scorries man and although Leask saved his first attempt, he could do nothing as Anderson rattled in his fourth from the rebound.

Wick Academy: S. McCarthy, Hardwick (Gunn 81), Steven, D. Mackay, R. Allan, MacAdie, Halliday, S. Mackay, Anderson (Cameron 87), D. Allan (Hughes 85), Farquhar. Unused subs: D. McCarthy

Fraserburgh: Leask, Rae, Hay, R. Cowie, Christie, Young, Beagrie, West (Johnstone 75), Harris, Campbell (Combe 68), G. Buchan. Unused subs: C. Buchan, D. Cowie, Hanner, Tait


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