McKenna annnoyed by poor first-half display
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WICK boss Tom McKenna hit out at his misfiring Scorries following a dismal start in last Saturday’s clash against Orkney.
Despite racking up a second 3-1 pre-season victory in as many weeks, Academy’s display in the opening 20 minutes had many wondering if the islanders were the Highland League team instead of Wick.
Thankfully for McKenna, his side managed to pull their socks up and end the game with a comfortable win, but the Academy gaffer was in no mood to accept the team’s earlier complacency.
He said: “I’ll be totally honest with you. I was very, very disappointed with the way we started.
“Given what stage we’re at with pre-season, even though people are saying it’s the second game, prior to the game we spoke about standards and attitudes.
“The first period... we expect a higher level of performance than that.
“We couldn’t keep possession of the ball for long periods of time. We were playing long, aimless balls and not getting anywhere.
“I’ve got to give credit to Orkney because they came out and worked hard.
“They showed a lot more appetite than us for the first period. They wanted it more. In a football sense they were a better team than us.
“In the latter stages of the first half, we started to settle down and get into the game. We showed a wee bit more desire and quality.
“I spoke to them at half time and I wasn’t happy at all with what I had witnessed in the first half. I was honest with them. I was disappointed with them as individuals and collectively as a unit.
“I wanted a response from them in the second half and I think I got that. We ended up winning quite comfortably in the end.”
Orkney boss Karl Adamson was in a brighter mood than his opposite number and was pleased with the way his side acquitted themselves against Academy.
He said: “Wick are a very good team. They are a team of a higher standard than those we usually meet.
“But the way the game started, Wick took a bit of time to get into their normal pattern and we took advantage of that.
“Capitalising on the mistake by their keeper and getting the early goal was great and it settled us down. I’m very pleased with how we were playing then.
“But we gave away possession too cheaply for their first goal and I felt the second one was a bit of a giveaway.
“We were a little bit disappointed to go in at half-time 2-1 down but Wick upped their game and took the sting out of any comeback we were planning on making within a minute of the restart.
“They were much more like the team we were expecting to play against and had us chasing shadows. But we finished the game strongly and I thought the goal we scored late on was a fair one that probably should have stood.
“The heat was a factor but it was the same for both teams. None of us are used to playing in Caribbean conditions but the better team won on the day.”
Meanwhile, Wick chairman James Innes revealed that midfielder Ross Allan will be seeing a specialist to determine whether or not the injury – that saw him stretchered off – he picked up during the game is a fracture or a leg break.
Innes said: “Ross texted me to say that he’s going to the fracture clinic on Thursday to make sure it’s not a break. He says it doesn’t feel like one but we’ll know for sure once he’s visited the clinic.”
