Lossie defeat felt like 'daylight robbery' as Wick aim to kick-start their season in cup derby against Brora
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Wick Academy manager Gary Manson felt that Saturday's 2-1 defeat at Lossiemouth amounted to "daylight robbery" as the Coasters conjured up a last-gasp winner completely against the run of play.
It means the Scorries are still searching for their first win of the Highland League season despite dominating for long spells in all four of their games so far.
Just as in the draws with Forres Mechanics, Strathspey Thistle and Clachnacuddin, Academy paid the price for failing to make the most of their pressure and chances.
In Saturday's match at Grant Park, the visitors also came up against a goalkeeper in inspired form as young Logan Ross – on loan from Ross County – pulled off a succession of great saves.
Manson said: “I sound like I'm repeating myself every week here, but if anyone was at the game I'm sure they'd have the same opinion as most – that it was more or less daylight robbery with Lossiemouth taking all three points out of that game.
“I think they had about three or four attacks the whole game – not just chances on goal, I mean attacks.
“For them to come away with all three points, it's very frustrating and it doesn't quite make sense, but that's football at the end of the day. You don't always get what you deserve out of games and that's four games now that I've been saying exactly the same thing.
“I would imagine people that are reading or hearing this would be thinking I'm just saying the same thing over and over again, but anyone at the game I'm sure would agree with me. We're just not getting the breaks at the moment that our play deserves.
“It's always that way – when you're in a bad run it's hard to get out of it and when you're in a good run then things just seem to go from strength to strength.
“I said to the boys all it takes is one result and it will hopefully change our season. We've got a big game on Wednesday night that will hopefully go a long way to doing that.”
Brodie Allen had put Lossie ahead on 19 minutes and there was another setback for Academy when Alan Farquhar went off injured just after the half-hour mark.
Gordon MacNab equalised five minutes into the second half and, in Manson's words, "at that stage you were thinking there's only going to be one team winning it".
However, the Scorries were left with nothing to show for their efforts as Lossiemouth captain Liam Archibald struck a 90th-minute winner.
“The second half was just a procession towards their goal," Manson said. “Their goalkeeper made three or four really good saves, we missed a couple of good chances, and then the same as last week [against Clach] in the 90th minute they went up the park and scored a goal.
"It is very difficult to come back after a goal scored in the last minute of the game.
“The two games were almost carbon copies. One was obviously a draw and one was a defeat but they were very similar patterns.”
Manson believes Wednesday night's North of Scotland Cup second-round tie against Brora Rangers offers Academy an opportunity to kick-start their season.
While the Scorries go into the derby at Harmsworth Park still looking for their first win, Brora have been going through a difficult patch with league defeats to Fraserburgh and Formartine United either side of Steven Mackay's decision to resign as manager.
Manson said: “I'd be a lot more worried if we were playing poorly, getting outplayed by the opposition and losing games. But it has not been that in the slightest.
“We've completely outplayed every team we've come up against this season and we're just not getting the rewards that our play merits at the moment.
“But you never know, a local derby in a cup game might be what we need at this moment in time. By all means if we get a good result on Wednesday I'm hoping that'll kick-start our season and hopefully gee up the boys to go on a good run then.
“There are two ways of looking at it. It might be a good time to get them, or we might be on the end of a backlash. You just never know.
“Brora will be looking at it the same as us. We're not on a good run at the moment so they might be thinking it's a good time to get us as well.
“I'm not reading too much into their form. At the end of the day it's a cup game and it's a derby – so, as the old saying goes, the form book goes out the window.
“A Wednesday night game at the Harmsworth under the lights is always a good occasion.”
Buckie Thistle made it four league wins in a row with an impressive 5-0 success over Deveronvale on Saturday.
The Jags are top of the table alongside Fraserburgh, who won 3-2 at Nairn County.
Former Aberdeen player Max Barry got the ball rolling for Buckie in the Banffshire coast derby, scoring twice in the opening 25 minutes.
Sam Morrison's third goal in three games and a strike by captain Kevin Fraser had them 4-0 up by half-time.
Kyle Macleod added a fifth soon after the restart, with Vale limiting the damage after that.
Forres Mechanics were made to fight for their second straight victory as they took on an improving Fort William outfit.
Ruaridh Macdonald put Fort ahead, but the under-strength Can-Cans quickly replied through Moray Taylor.
Ross MacPherson gave Forres a half-time lead and Allan MacPhee made it 3-1 before Connor Moore's late strike reduced the deficit.
Champions Brora Rangers suffered another setback as they were beaten 3-0 at home by Formartine United.
The Cattachs, who parted company with boss Steven Mackay after the 6-2 defeat at Fraserburgh a week earlier, lost more ground on the leaders. Scott Lisle and Jonny Smith (2) got the goals for Formartine at Dudgeon Park.
Another team without a manager, Keith, held Inverurie Locos to a goalless draw with Locos' Neil Gauld missing a late penalty.
Rothes ended Brechin City's 100 per cent start but were denied victory by a last-minute equaliser.
The Glebe Park men led at the break through a David Cox goal but the Speysiders levelled through Jack Brown before Aidan Wilson put them in front. Max Kucheriavyi equalised for Brechin in the closing stages.
Fraserburgh's perfect record was under threat at Station Park when Nairn County took the lead through Max Ewan.
Bryan Hay levelled before half-time and a Paul Campbell penalty edged Broch ahead before Scott Barbour made it 3-1.
An own goal by Owen Cairns late in the game gave County some hope but Fraserburgh held on to win 3-2.
Huntly continued their good start with a 4-0 win at Turriff United.
On-loan Buckie Thistle striker Marcus Goodall netted a hat-trick and Gavin Elphinstone was also on target.
Clach beat Strathspey Thistle 4-1 on Friday night. Kris Duncan scored first for Jags but the Inverness side hit back with goals from Scott Morrison, Ross Logan and Liam Taylor (2) for their first win of the season.
