Blow for Scorries as Henry misses Broch opener
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Wick Academy midfielder Jack Henry will miss the Scorries' Highland League curtain-raiser at Fraserburgh tomorrow and could be out for a number of weeks.
Henry has been a valuable component of the Academy engine with a number of fine displays during the past 12 months.
However, the player has been dogged by a number of injuries which appear to have taken their toll.
Such has been his importance to the team, each comeback from the treatment room has been eagerly anticipated – maybe too much so, as Wick boss Tom McKenna explained.
"Jack won't be available for us on Saturday and he might be out for a few games after that," McKenna said. "He's had an issue with a groin injury and we're letting him rest up until he has completely recovered.
"Jack is such an important player for us and maybe that has led to this, because when he's been injured in the past we've rushed him back too quickly.
"He comes back too early and the injury he's coming back from has not fully healed, and a few games later he breaks down again.
"That puts both him and us back to square one. At a push, we could again rush him back but we're not going to be doing that this time round.
"We want Jack to play for a long number of consecutive games and we've told him to rest up and only come back when he's fully recovered.
"On top of Jack's absence, Marc Macgregor has yet to recover from his knee injury so he is missing as well.
"The young lad we've had on trial from Thurso Acks, Kuba Koziol, is out for two weeks as he picked up an injury playing for Acks in the summer football league.
We've told him to rest up and only come back when he's fully recovered
"Plus Michael and Grant Steven might be a doubt for us as work commitments on their farm may require them to remain up here instead of being on the bus to Fraserburgh. We'll have to wait and see with that one."
McKenna is looking forward to getting the new campaign under way at Bellslea Park but Academy's stop-start pre-season is still gnawing away at him.
He added: "I've said before that I felt we needed another friendly or two before the new season started in order to get match-fit.
"We are all looking forward to starting the season but our pre-season campaign was not ideal. The boys have been working hard in training but you need games under your belt.
"Fraserburgh have not had the problems we've had and were able to arrange a number of fixtures. So they'll be match-fit.
"But we've gone their as underdogs in the past and come away with something during my time here – in fact, I think we're unbeaten against them since I became manager.
"However, we are under no illusions that this will be tough. There may be long periods where we won't have the ball so it will be important for us to make it count when we do have it."
