Scorries boss says 2012 will be ‘an education’
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ENTERING 2012 just one goal away from the Highland Football League’s top 10 has prompted Wick Academy manager Davie Kirkwood to make three New Year’s resolutions.
The Scorries lost out on an opportunity to capitalise in the second match of the festive double-header against Brora Rangers, which was cancelled on Friday due to a waterlogged pitch. They had already picked up a 2-1 win at Dudgeon park just before Christmas.
But Kirkwood is as keen as ever to take the team up the league and his first commitment is to maintain the squad’s skill level.
“We have to maintain our current form,” he said. “I know that is going to be difficult with the weather taking its toll on games but the thing is we have the facilities there to keep training so we will keep fit anyway.
“I just hope the disruption to games doesn’t impact on our game, which has been excellent.”
Two wins and a draw in December put weight behind Kirkwood’s words.
He said that although progress has definitely been made since taking the reigns up at the start of the season, the foundations of good football were already in place.
“The football is still the same as it was under Tichie and Zeeky (Richard Hughes and Ian Munro, former co-managers) which was good open play,” he said.
“But football is not just about attacking, there are many elements to a game. It’s about when you’ve not got the ball and what you can do to get the ball back quicker.
“There are a lot of good players here and some of them just need a little bit of an education in football.”
An “education” is what Kirkwood aims to focus on with his second resolution.
The appointment of Highland League veteran Rab Mulheron to the coaching staff in mid-December should help fulfil that ambition.
Kirkwood is keen to point out that patience will be key and that all his players will be given a fair chance at stepping up to the raised bar.
“You can’t learn those skills overnight and it’s going to take a little bit of time,” said the manager.
“Some players will pick it up faster than others and some won’t pick it up at all, but that’s what recruitment is for.
“I’m not going to make any rash decisions about players, they will be given time.”
The final resolution for the Scorries skipper is to ensure that the new professional contracts that the club have signed the players up to has the right effect – time off means time off.
“None of the players will be playing summer football as they need the rest,” he said.
“I’m not being detrimental to summer football and if a player was not getting a game and needed their fitness I’d consider letting them do it.
“But when it’s such a short break in the summer it’s detrimental to Academy.”
He added: “We need to take a check on players and make sure that they are healthy and that they get their holidays, because you need to recharge your batteries.”
Academy’s next game is at home to Rothes on Saturday.
