McKenna hails 'great workout'
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BEATEN but not disgraced was the verdict from Wick boss Tom McKenna.
The Harmsworth Park manager saw his side go down to a 1-0 defeat to a Hibernian XI but the Scorries won many admirers with a determined display against their more illustrious opponents.
Innes Murray’s goal was all that separated the two sides but Academy had their chances to snatch a draw.
McKenna though praised his men for their effort and insisted this type of game against a Premiership side was just what they needed.
He said: “We were not disgraced. I thought the boys handled themselves very well. They were a lot sharper and fitter than us but we coped very well with the level that we were faced with.
“For us to move forward to where we want to get to, this was a great workout for us and I couldn’t have asked for anything more.
“The pace of the game was quite hard for them at times but that’s what we want. We want to be challenged and be able to try and improve our own standards.
“They had most of the possession, which was understandable given that they’re full time and well drilled. They’re a good, organised club and those young lads they sent up here were coming off the back of a youth league and cup double.
“We could have been closer to their goalscorer when the goal came. We said to the lads that we needed to press quicker. Obviously Alan [Farquhar] just sold himself and maybe had he stood his ground things could have been different.
“He made the lad’s mind up for him, and to be fair he finished it well with a good strike. We changed the formation a bit in the second half to give us more options attacking-wise. We didn’t really ask too much of them today. As for the chance Jack Henry had late on in the game – Jack’s more a defensive midfield player and, had it fallen to anyone else, you would hope that they would hit the back of the net.
“If I’ve got to be critical – and it’s not really that much of a criticism, to be fair – I felt we could have asked a few more questions of Hibs in the final third of the park.”
Hibs’ academy head coach Eddie May was glad to get his side’s first pre-season match under their belts but felt they should have scored more.
He said: “It was a competitive game – our first one for a couple of months – and it was good to have the lads back on the pitch again.
“It was a lovely finish from Innes but we never really exploited other opportunities that we had. We maybe should have scored a few more. Innes is making steady progress and maybe should be doing that a bit more. Jamie Gullan has also been doing reasonably well and we hope to see them make progress.
“There was no problem with our young lads being up against men in terms of the physical area of the game. We’ve got guys aged between 15 and 19 and it’s a learning curve for them. We put the young lads in this situation for a reason and they had to use their technical ability to handle the physical side of the game.”
