I just felt that everything I hit was going to go in: MacNab is Wick's hat-trick hero
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Gordon MacNab hit his first Wick Academy hat-trick in a 3-2 victory over Forres Mechanics in midweek – and now he hopes the Scorries can build on that result by achieving back-to-back wins in the Highland League when they go to Lossiemouth on Saturday.
The 29-year-old forward was unstoppable on Wednesday night with three brilliant strikes in a seven-minute spell before the midway point in the first half.
"Before the game the manager and a couple of the boys said I was due a goal and I just felt up for it tonight," MacNab said. "I got my first one and then I just felt that everything I hit was going to go in – and it did, so I'm happy with that.
"Hopefully we can continue that form when we go down to Lossie on Saturday."
MacNab is enjoying playing alongside summer signing Ross Gunn.
"Ross coming in has made a massive difference," MacNab said. "He's obviously a really technical player – he's really good with the ball, he works well off the ball, he's easy to play with. All the boys seem to work well with him."
MacNab got the opener on 15 minutes when he broke into the box and calmly placed the ball low to the left of keeper Lee Herbert.
Three minutes later he got on the end of a long ball from Ross Gunn and charged through on the right before firing it into the far corner.
With 21 minutes gone MacNab produced another supremely confident finish, this time after receiving a pass from Richard Macadie wide on the left and outpacing the Forres defence.
Calum Frame pulled one back after 28 minutes when he turned the ball in at close range after a shot by Ethan Cairns had been blocked by Graeme Williamson.
Forres got a second after 65 minutes when Tom Brady sent a perfectly placed shot into the top corner from the edge of the box.
The result lifted Academy two places into 12th in the table.
Hat-trick hero Gordon MacNab was the standout performer for Wick Academy in Wednesday's 3-2 victory over Forres, but manager Gary Manson was also keen to praise the Scorries' defensive qualities.
"The boys defended really well," Manson said. "Forres were throwing a lot of balls into the box, they were really direct in getting it forward, and the boys stood up and defended manfully.
"In the first half-hour they couldn't really handle us. We played Gordy through the middle, trying to utilise his pace, with Richard Macadie and Ross Gunn really close to him to supply the ammunition, and it worked a treat. That's what Gordy has got in his locker.
"I said to the players before the game, we need to draw a line under the bad results we've had. I wouldn't have cared if it was a scrappy 1-0 win or a 6-5, I wasn't really bothered, as long as we got the three points.
"Confidence is everything in football, so that should give the boys confidence, and certainly Gordy should be flying. Hopefully we can go and put another three points on the board on Saturday."
Forres manager Steven MacDonald said: "We certainly gave it everything in the second half but the damage was done in the first half. We gave ourselves a mountain to climb with some poor defending.
"Fair play to Wick, they certainly took their goals well. We tried hard but I don't think we did enough at the end of the day."
Highland League results: Brechin City 2, Inverurie Locos 1; Clachnacuddin 0, Brora Rangers 2; Deveronvale 3, Banks O' Dee 3; Fraserburgh 1, Formartine United 2; Nairn County 3, Keith 2; Rothes 1, Buckie Thistle 3; Wick Academy 3, Forres Mechanics 2.
Fixtures for Saturday, October 7 – Highland League: Banks O’ Dee v Clachnacuddin; Buckie Thistle v Brechin City; Deveronvale v Nairn County; Formartine United v Forres Mechanics; Huntly v Fraserburgh; Inverurie Locos v Strathspey Thistle; Lossiemouth v Wick Academy (3pm); Rothes v Turriff United.
Highland League Cup semi-final: Brora Rangers v Keith.
SWF Highlands and Islands League: Orkney v Caithness (Stromness, noon).
