Three points but no style marks for Forres from Academy manager
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COMING out second best in an aerial battle and two contentious decisions left top-of-the-league Wick Academy grieving three points lost over the weekend.
Scorries manager Barry Wilson said the 4-1 defeat by Forres Mechanics on Saturday was played out under the shadow of long, high balls and two decisions by the referee that he did not agree with.
This left Academy up against a brick wall and stopped their usual fluid game from cranking into gear, explained the gaffer.
“Forres’s style of play is certainly not for the purist,” he said.
“It was a total contrast of styles.
“We probably lost five minutes of play with the ball being in the air.”
Despite this, Wilson was happy with the opening stages of the game where Sam Mackay battled forward to try and create an early goal.
“We started okay with a couple of decent chances but didn’t take them,” he said.
“In the end the game probably hinged on a couple of decisions.
“The penalty they got was ridiculously soft and I couldn’t see how it could be given.”
He added: “Their second goal was from a foul throw-in and little things like that define games.”
Wilson said Mackay’s equaliser off Graeme Grant brought them back into the game and was a “well-worked goal”.
But with three more goals from the Moray outfit, Academy were fighting uphill until the final whistle.
“They played to their strengths and that stopped us from playing to ours,” he said.
“Credit to them for doing it the way they did.
“But the scoreline totally flattered them as it was a tight game right up until the last couple of minutes.”
More flattering was the Can Cans manager Charlie Rowley’s description of the game, commenting on what he called a “magnificent result given the circumstances going into the game.”
“Wick were in top form and top of the table while we were in indifferent form despite a good win against Fort William last week,” he said.
“For us to come through with a 4-1 victory and pretty much unscathed in terms of injuries is probably all I could have asked for.
“I’m really delighted with the result and the performance.”
Rowley put down the win to a good team selection, praising his starting line-up and in particular the spread of the ball and use of the wings to maximise their shooting potential.
“There weren’t many failures in my starting 11 if I’m being honest although our wide players probably had the most impact on the game regarding the service for the goals,” he said.
“I’m sure Wick will be disappointed with the result but they can hold their heads up high.
“Our game plan was to stop them playing and that worked.”
Although Academy lost the match they stay top of the league for this week. However Saturday’s opponents Formartine United are now close on their heels, just two points adrift of the Scorries.
The encounter at Harmsworth Park is already warming the blood of Wilson and his squad.
“It’s top versus second top so it should be good,” he said.
“Saturday was obviously a blip but like we said to the players – getting to the top is the easy part, staying there is the hard bit.
“You’re up there to be shot down.
“We’ve got to be prepared for that.”
