Rothes game will let us see how far we've come, says Wick Academy manager Gary Manson
Register for free to read more of the latest local news. It's easy and will only take a moment.
Wick Academy manager Gary Manson believes Saturday's Highland League tussle with Rothes will be a chance to gauge how far the Scorries have progressed over the past two months.
The 4-3 victory over Deveronvale at Princess Royal Park last weekend was Academy's sixth win in a row and their eighth in nine games stretching back to November 20.
Manson's men are eighth in the table on 34 points – seven points behind seventh-placed Rothes, having played four games more – ahead of the Speysiders' visit to Harmsworth Park.
All nine league wins for Academy this term have been against teams currently below them in the table. While they have yet to beat any of the top seven, the Scorries did earn a 1-1 draw with Rothes at Mackessack Park in September.
“I think it's fair to say that we've proved that we're better than all the teams below us," Manson said. "I don't think I'm out of turn saying that.
“We've proved that over the last nine weeks, and we now need to start looking up the way.
“Rothes are the only team that we've taken points from in the first round of fixtures that are above us, so it'll be good to see how far we've come.
“The game down there finished in a draw but I think Ross Jack [Rothes manager] said that we were the better team that day and should probably have taken all three points.
“While it is a game against a team that are above us, it's one that we are all relishing. We've proved that we're better than the teams in the bottom half – now the challenge for the squad is to go and prove that we can live with the guys in the top half.”
Wick's unbroken run of fixtures means they have been able to play more league games than any other club. However, Manson has had very little continuity in terms of team selection.
“We've had numerous players out every single week and we've been scratching to get a squad together, so it's not as if we've had the same squad going into every game and building momentum that way," the manager said.
“It has proved that our squad is quite strong – we've had to use everybody in the last few weeks.
“Rothes are obviously a good team. They're above us in the league, so we'll need to respect that, but we are certainly going for a win.”
Academy will again have a number of injury absentees, although there was positive news as Jack Henry and Brandon Sinclair returned to training on Tuesday night.
“They won't be ready for Saturday but it's good to see them back in training at least,” Manson said.
Steven Anderson struck twice against Vale, with the others coming from Davie Allan and an own goal. The Scorries led 3-0 and 4-1 before conceding twice late on.
“It wasn't a ding-dong affair, it wasn't the end-to-end stuff that you might associate with a 4-3 if you've not watched the game," Manson said. “For large parts of the game it was very one-sided."
Highland League fixtures for Saturday: Brora Rangers v Brechin City; Clachnacuddin v Keith; Formartine United v Inverurie Locos; Forres Mechanics v Nairn County; Fort William v Buckie Thistle; Huntly v Fraserburgh; Lossiemouth v Turriff United; Strathspey Thistle v Deveronvale; Wick Academy v Rothes.
