Praise as defence holds firm
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ANOTHER point on the road against one of the Highland League’s top teams has pleased Academy manager Davie Kirkwood but he believes his side could have won.
The draw at Kynoch Park against Keith was hard fought and it was Davie Allan’s 42nd-minute goal that ensured the Scorries returned north on Saturday with one point.
He still believes that his side can step it up another gear and be more ruthless in front of goal to make the Scorries a force in north football.
He said that his defence deserved a lot of credit for keeping the likes of Cammy Keith and Jamie Lennox quiet during the game, but he headed home thinking that the win was there for the taking.
"It’s another game which we could have lost or won, but I am pleased that we came away with a point," he said.
"There were chances on both sides, but I think that our opportunities were a bit more clear cut.
"Given the conditions of severe winds and heavy rain, together with a slow pitch which suffered from snow earlier on in the week, there was some great football to watch and it proved to be an entertaining spectacle for both sets of supporters."
He added: "Keith used the wind in their tactics, especially during set pieces when they tried to make the most of their height advantage.
"But our defence held firm throughout the 90 minutes, apart from the goal which was due to a long ball into the back post.
"The 2-0 loss to Deveronvale was mainly due to tiredness as we had not played a game in three weeks and the players simply ran out of steam after dominating the match for an hour.
"But the team looked a lot sharper on Saturday and were in the game for the whole 90 minutes, which will stand us in good stead against Fort William this weekend."
Keith manager Darren Still said that both teams deserved a share of the points, but was disappointed his side couldn’t extend its winning run to five matches.
"It was very difficult conditions for both teams to play in and a draw was probably the right result," he said.
"We started the match off brightly and posed a threat up front, but as the game went on we seemed to go a bit flat.
"I was pleased with the effort and endeavour of the players, but we lacked a cutting edge in front of goal which let us down on Saturday.
"Wick put constant pressure on us throughout the match and it turned out to be a very frustrating day for us."
