Scorries aim not to drop 'silly points'
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THE last time Wick Academy played Fort William, they danced an eightsome reel around their opponents with an emphatic 8-1 win at Harmsworth Park.
But a trip to Claggan Park to take on the Highland League strugglers will be a far tougher prospect, as other clubs have discovered on their travels to the west.
Brora Rangers found themselves in real trouble two weeks ago and were on the back foot for the majority of the game before a late revival secured a 3-1 win.
Scorries manager Davie Kirkwood has said that since he has arrived at the start of the season, one thing he has taught his players is not to take anyone for granted.
The players only need to look back to last season when they struggled to a 2-2 draw against Fort William.
But with five wins from the last eight games, together with an impressive draw at Keith last weekend, Kirkwood said it was vital that Academy did not drop silly points against the smaller teams.
"It is not going to be an easy task because Fort William in their own back yard are a completely different proposition to the one which travels," he commented.
"They don't concede nearly the same number of goals at home as they do away – the most goals they have conceded is three. The players know that it is a tough place to go and we will give them our due respect, but at the same time we will set up a team that can score goals.
"To get these goals you have to work hard and I'm sure Fort William will make us work for it."
The Scorries are almost back to full strength. Martin Gunn is set to return after suffering a leg injury at the start of the season, with only James More still on the injury list.
The manager is also pleased that despite his side picking up four yellow cards in its last two matches, there are no suspension issues. He will be looking for his team to keep calm during the 90 minutes.
Selection worries are a far bigger concern for Fort manager Danny Conlon who will be without nine first-team players for the game tomorrow.
The latest to join the injured list is Graham Bamber who suffered a hernia in their 6-0 trashing against Deveronvale last weekend, along with three players who may miss out due to work commitments.
Since their 8-1 thrashing in the Far North, Fort's form has improved greatly, with respectable results away to Nairn County and Huntly as well as beating Rothes 2-1 at Mosset Park.
But consistency is key explained Conlon, who said that he is familiar with the attacking prowess of the likes of Davie Allan and Stevie Cunningham.
"I was blown away by how good Wick were when we lost 8-1. For me, they are the best footballing side in the Highland League that I have seen this season," he said.
"If they are allowed to play with the ball, they are as good as anyone and I'm expecting a very difficult game on Saturday.
"We have a lot of injury issues at the moment and I won't be in a position to even think about a starting 11 until Friday night.
"It's been a hard season for us, but we have improved as it has gone on. Two weeks ago we should have beaten Brora as we were the better team for 70 minutes, but we didn't take our chances.
"For success you need to have the same 11 every week, but we are making five or six changes every game which makes it difficult to get any cohesion."
