Henderson to the four as Wick Thistle take top spot with win over Acks
Wick Thistle manager Owen Harrold believes his young side are beginning to come into their own after he watched them surge to the top of Caithness AFA Division Two with a statement 6–1 win over Thurso Acks.
The Tuesday evening victory sees Thistle leapfrog Acks into first place, moving three points clear with a game in hand – and a goal difference now in double figures.
The standout on the night was centre-half Ryan Henderson, who produced a scarcely believable four-goal haul as the main feature of a commanding second-half performance.
“We took 10 or 15 minutes to get going,” said player-boss Harrold. “But after that we really dominated every aspect of the game. I couldn’t have asked much more of the lads – we knew it was going to be a tough night against Acks.
“I’m still in shock with Ryan’s four goals but equally delighted for him,” Harrold said. “He’s had a solid start to the season and deserved that tonight.
“Our target is to make a quick return back to the First Division. We wanted to keep all our young players and build a team around them – and everything is slowly starting to click together.
“I’m really looking forward to seeing how this squad develops.”
Acks – who had made an unbeaten start to their league campaign – capitalised on early pressure with a headed goal from a corner inside ten minutes.
Henderson’s equaliser arrived on the half-hour mark when he reacted quickest to a goalmouth scramble following a dangerous delivery from Sam Barclay.
Then, just before the break, Thistle went in front through a moment of quality from midfielder Jamie Steven, who collected a loose ball on the edge of the box and curled a superb left-footed shot into the top corner.
Thistle came out after the interval with real purpose and added to their lead seven minutes in.
Barclay was once again the provider as his pinpoint cross found Henderson unmarked to make it 3–1.
The same combination struck again on the hour mark, this time from a corner, as Henderson rose highest to power a header into the net for his hat-trick.
Still not finished, Henderson added a fourth just minutes later, latching on to another dangerous delivery and driving the ball beyond the helpless Acks keeper to make it five.
Substitute Cory Miller then capped things off with a well-taken sixth, finishing confidently after being played through by Morgan Kennedy.
The result continues the Jags’ unbeaten run and puts them firmly in the driving seat as the early front-runners for promotion.
Thurso Pentland kept up their own strong start with a 3–1 win at home to bottom-placed Top Joe’s on Tuesday.
Liam Wann added to his season tally, scoring a hat-trick to take his side to nine points from four games.
Pentlands struck first before Top Joe’s hit back through Lee Taylor, who levelled the match midway through the first half.
Wann restored the lead soon after, and later added a third to complete his treble.
At Recreation Park, Halkirk and Watten played out a closely fought 0–0 draw in a game that was anything but a crowd pleaser.
With few clear cut chances for either side, Watten had the best of their opportunities in the opening ten minutes, but it was Halkirk man Ally Mackintosh who came closest to breaking the deadlock with a shot off the post.
Upcoming fixtures:
Tonight – Stannergill Cup, semi-final: Castletown v Swifts (7pm).
Friday, May 23 – Stannergill Cup, semi-final: Staxigoe United v Pentland United (7pm).
Monday, May 26 – Eain Mackintosh Cup, first round: Thurso Acks v Keiss; Top Joe's v Halkirk; Watten v Wick Thistle (all 7.15pm).
Tuesday, May 27 – Eain Mackintosh Cup, first round: Pentland United v Wick Groats; Staxigoe United v John O'Groats; Thurso Pentland v High Ormlie Hotspur (all 7.15pm).
Wednesday, May 28 – Eain Mackintosh Cup, first round: Thurso Swifts v Castletown (7.15pm).