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Back-to-back wins will be target for Wick Academy





Marc Macgregor shields the ball from Connor Macaulay of Lossiemouth during Wick Academy's 3-1 victory at Grant Park last weekend. Picture: Mel Roger
Marc Macgregor shields the ball from Connor Macaulay of Lossiemouth during Wick Academy's 3-1 victory at Grant Park last weekend. Picture: Mel Roger

Back-to-back wins in the Highland League will be the target for Wick Academy when they welcome Keith to Harmsworth Park on Saturday.

The Scorries will be looking to build on their 3-1 victory at Lossiemouth last weekend – a result that ended a run of four consecutive league defeats as well as a Scottish Cup exit on penalties.

In-form striker Kyle Henderson was the hero for 10-man Academy as his hat-trick secured a much-needed three points at Grant Park.

Manager Gary Manson said: “We were overdue a win – we’d had five games without one. In that regard it was a welcome boost.

“But we’ve been playing reasonably well for the last four or five games, it’s just that we haven’t had the results to show for it.

“At least we got the result and the performance on Saturday, and a home game against Keith is another opportunity to go and play well and hopefully get another three points on the board and get back-to-back wins.

“That’s the aim, and that’s what we will be trying to do.”

Saturday’s result was Wick’s fourth win of the league campaign and it lifted them two places to 13th in the table with 13 points from 14 fixtures.

Keith are 16th with nine points from 13 games.

Academy did the double over the Maroons last season, not only winning both league encounters but keeping a clean sheet on each occasion.

Those matches were played a fortnight apart in April, with the Scorries running out 2-0 winners at Harmsworth Park with goals from Gordon MacNab and Marc Macgregor before rounding off the season with a 4-0 victory at Kynoch Park. Macgregor and Henderson were on the scoresheet that day, along with Ross Gunn and Owen Harrold.

Midfielder Jack Henry will miss out on Saturday as he starts a two-game suspension after being red-carded in the first half at Lossiemouth.

Henderson got the opener at Lossiemouth from the penalty spot. The Coasters equalised through Jared Kennedy before half-time, with the visitors down to 10 men by then, but Henderson grabbed a second-half double to seal Academy’s second away win of the season.

Afterwards, Manson said Henderson’s confidence would be “sky-high” after scoring his first hat-trick for the club.

Buckie Thistle and Fraserburgh have had underwhelming starts to the Highland League campaign by their standards, but both won in midweek – moving up to seventh and ninth in the table respectively.

Champions Buckie edged out Nairn County 2-1 at Victoria Park in a match that was rearranged from the opening day of the season.

In the night’s other game, Fraserburgh ended Formartine United’s winning run with a 2-0 success at Bellslea Park.

Highland League results – Saturday: Banks O’ Dee 7, Rothes 1; Brechin City 2, Brora Rangers 2; Buckie Thistle 1, Forres Mechanics 2; Clachnacuddin 3, Turriff United 1; Formartine United 2, Deveronvale 0; Keith 1, Huntly 2; Lossiemouth 1, Wick Academy 3; Nairn County 1, Fraserburgh 1; Strathspey Thistle 0, Inverurie Locos 4.

Wednesday: Buckie Thistle 2, Nairn County 1; Fraserburgh 2, Formartine United 0.

Fixtures – Saturday, October 19 – North of Scotland Cup final: Brora Rangers v Clachnacuddin (at Nairn).

Highland League: Deveronvale v Lossiemouth; Formartine United v Buckie Thistle; Forres Mechanics v Brechin City; Fraserburgh v Inverurie Locos; Huntly v Nairn County; Rothes v Strathspey Thistle; Turriff United v Banks O’ Dee; Wick Academy v Keith (3pm).


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