'One-way-traffic' as Wick Academy hit six against Strathspey
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Wick Academy's players are "getting their just rewards" after stepping up their performance levels since the midway point in the Highland League campaign, according to manager Gary Manson.
He was speaking after Wednesday's 6-1 victory over Strathspey Thistle in Grantown-on-Spey – the Scorries' first away win in any competition for 11 months. It was their biggest win in an away match for seven-and-a-half years.
Manson said the team will be "buoyed" by the result as they prepare for Saturday's match against Huntly, Academy's third away fixture in eight days.
Jack Halliday opened the scoring at Seafield Park when he lifted the ball over keeper Ethan Rae with 15 minutes gone.
Mark Macadie doubled the lead on the half-hour mark and added his second of the night four minutes later. Marc Macgregor headed in the fourth on 38 minutes.
Strathspey pulled one back from the penalty spot after 57 minutes but the Scorries responded with two more goals from Gary Pullen and Ross Gunn on 62 and 69 minutes respectively.
"It was a good result," Manson said. "Travelling down there on a Wednesday night is never ideal, and the pitch was a little bit fiery, so it could have been a potential banana skin for us.
"But the boys dealt with it really well. We had a reasonably ropey first five minutes but after that it was just one-way traffic. It could have been more than six.
"As I said when we beat Lossiemouth 3-0, there's not many games that you can just relax and enjoy watching the boys play. Wednesday night was one of those.
"As soon as we went 2-0 up the boys were in full flow."
It was Academy's fourth win in their last seven Highland League outings. During that run they have beaten Strathspey Thistle (twice), Lossiemouth and Formartine United, drawn with Brora Rangers and lost to Brechin City and Inverurie Locos.
They are back up to 12th in the table with 26 points from 25 games.
Manson said: "I'm sure the players are buoyed by the result – and the performance level in general, probably since the turn of the year.
"As soon as we hit the halfway point in the league I set them a couple of targets. They've certainly improved their performances in the second half of the season and they're getting their just rewards.
"They're picking up the points and scoring the goals that their play merits now. Long may it continue."
It was Academy's first away win since beating Turriff United 3-0 in April 2023. The last time they had won an away match by a margin of five goals or more was an 8-3 victory at Fort William in September 2016.
Highland League results from Wednesday: Brora Rangers 2, Nairn County 1; Buckie Thistle 2, Banks O' Dee 1; Forres Mechanics 1, Brechin City 1; Strathspey Thistle 1, Wick Academy 6.
Fixtures for Saturday, March 16: Banks O' Dee v Forres Mechanics; Brora Rangers v Formartine United; Buckie Thistle v Inverurie Locos; Clachnacuddin v Brechin City; Deveronvale v Strathspey Thistle; Huntly v Wick Academy; Keith v Lossiemouth; Nairn County v Fraserburgh; Rothes v Turriff United.
Wednesday, March 20: Brora Rangers v Clachnacuddin; Buckie Thistle v Formartine United; Forres Mechanics v Fraserburgh; Huntly v Keith.
Saturday, March 23: Brechin City v Turriff United; Formartine United v Banks O' Dee; Forres Mechanics v Nairn County; Fraserburgh v Rothes; Huntly v Brora Rangers; Inverurie Locos v Keith; Lossiemouth v Deveronvale; Strathspey Thistle v Clachnacuddin; Wick Academy v Buckie Thistle.
