Hopes high for Scorries as they impress against Hibs
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WICK ACADEMY 0
HIBERNIAN XI 1
THE heavens attempted to put a dampener on Wick Academy’s 125th anniversary celebrations but the Scorries rose above the conditions with a spirited performance.
Despite going down to Innes Murray’s well-taken strike, Academy put in a shift that will have left fans and management alike encouraged for the season ahead.
The Leith side did send up a team of reserves and youth players for Sunday’s friendly, but given their full-time status – not to mention access to top-level training facilities – Wick more than gave a good account of themselves.
Hibs’ team was a young one – although it looked for a brief moment that it was too young as three-year-old mascot James McCarthy lined up for kick-off alongside his green-and-white heroes and had to be carried off the pitch lest the game be delayed.
Once it began, the skies duly opened and the deluge of rain saw a few slips and slides – not to mention Wick’s Sam Mackay losing a boot.
Hibs, though, were quicker to settle and the youngsters showed with their slick passing why other under-20 teams found the league and cup double winners too hot to handle.
Both Jamie Gullan and Murray fired warning shots that narrowly avoided Sean McCarthy’s goal.
Academy didn’t take notice, though, and a failure to close Murray down led to the decisive moment of the game.
Murray received the ball from 25 yards out and, with no defender closing him down, the young striker with all the time in the world turned and curled in a beauty past the despairing McCarthy.
Academy hit back two minutes later with Marc Macgregor coming close only to see his header well saved by Patrick Martin.
Referee Billy Baxter did little to endear himself to the visitors when Hibs’ Ben Stirling shook off the attentions of the shirt-grabbing Jack Halliday and burst clean through on goal. Baxter was too quick in blowing his whistle for the free kick instead of playing the advantage.
Davie Allan came close to levelling for Wick just before half-time when his tricky play along the byline left the Hibs defence bamboozled. However, Martin was quick to the threat and pulled off a fine save to thwart the Wick man.
The rain became a deluge as the second half began but both sides to their credit continued to play a fluid passing game.
Allan must have thought he had struck for Academy only to see his sliding effort sneak past the post. At the other end, Josh Campbell nearly extended Hibs’ lead but was denied by McCarthy at full stretch as he tipped the shot wide for a corner.
Academy were almost handed an equaliser on a plate as the wet conditions nearly claimed their first victim in the form of visiting keeper Martin.
Alan Hughes’ dipping cross looked a routine catch for Martin only for the rain-sodden ball to slip through his hands. Fortunately for him, he was able to grab it at the second attempt before the on-rushing Allan could pounce.
Jack Henry then had a glorious chance to snatch a late equaliser when he was one on one with Martin. Instead of shooting either side of the keeper, he fired straight at the Hibees’ stopper who pulled off a comfortable save.
Wick Academy: McCarthy, Steven, Manson, Farquhar, D Mackay, Gunn (Macadie 78), Halliday (Hughes 53), S Mackay, Macgregor (Henry 53), Macadie (MacNab 53), D Allan. Subs not used: Sinclair, G Mackay, Aitkenhead, Cameron, Clark.
Hibernian XI: Martin, Donaldson (Bragg 89), Mackie (Galantes 89), Blake (Paton 76), Porteous, Waugh, Murray (Woods 89), Stirling, L. Allan, Gullan (Shanley 89), Campbell.
