Home   Sport   Article

Top end of table is where Clach should be, says Wick manager





Harry Nicolson opens the scoring for Clachnacuddin in their 7-0 victory over Wick Academy at Grant Street Park earlier this season. Picture: Mel Roger
Harry Nicolson opens the scoring for Clachnacuddin in their 7-0 victory over Wick Academy at Grant Street Park earlier this season. Picture: Mel Roger

Wick Academy manager Gary Manson is not surprised to see Clachnacuddin challenging in the upper reaches of the Highland League this season.

The Lilywhites have arguably been the most improved team in the league since Conor Gethins took over as manager in October 2023.

They are fourth in the table going into Saturday’s encounter with Academy at Harmsworth Park in the first set of fixtures of 2025, with all last weekend’s games having fallen victim to the weather.

Manson is well aware of Clach’s strengths, as the Scorries suffered their heaviest defeat of the campaign when the sides met at Grant Street Park in August. The Merkinch outfit ran out 7-0 winners that night.

Manson pointed out that the Lilywhites have been champions during his time as a Highland League player. They won the last of their 18 titles in 2003/04.

“It’s where Clach should be, really, being the only Highland League team in Inverness,” Manson said. “They should be up there challenging every single year.

“Yes, they’ve had a few years in the doldrums, but it’s no surprise that they’re on their way back up.

“When you’re the only [Highland League] team in a city like Inverness, you should be up there challenging.

“We know they’re a good team. They took in some really good players in the summer, spent a bit of money, so it’s going to be a tough game. We’ll need to be at our best.”

The Scorries are 15th in the table. A 3-0 loss to Buckie Thistle at the end of December brought their run of defeats to seven in all competitions.

Seven of Academy’s 10 league victories in 2023/24 came in the closing three months of the campaign and they ended up 12th in the table. Manson is hoping for a similar late-season revival this time around.

“Whether we can do that remains to be seen but we’ll certainly be trying our best,” he said.

“We had a bit of a slow start last year as well and eventually we managed to climb the table and put a few points on the board. We’ll certainly be aiming to do that again.”

Academy’s preparations for Saturday’s return to competitive action have been hampered by the wintry conditions.

“The only problem we’ve had is the lack of training we’ve been able to do over the last two weeks with the cold weather and the snow,” Manson explained. “It’s a little bit of an issue.

“The lack of indoor facilities in Caithness is a problem as well. We couldn’t train on Tuesday night because all the pitches were covered in snow and the games halls were off-limits because of the prelims.

“Unfortunately these are the geographical problems that we come up against, and the lack of facilities.”

Highland League fixtures – Saturday, January 11: Brora Rangers v Nairn County; Deveronvale v Brechin City; Formartine United v Lossiemouth; Forres Mechanics v Keith; Fraserburgh v Rothes; Huntly v Banks O’ Dee; Strathspey Thistle v Buckie Thistle; Turriff United v Inverurie Locos; Wick Academy v Clachnacuddin (3pm).

Saturday, January 18: Banks O’ Dee v Wick Academy; Clachnacuddin v Deveronvale; Inverurie Locos v Brora Rangers; Keith v Formartine United; Lossiemouth v Strathspey Thistle; Nairn County v Forres Mechanics; Rothes v Huntly.


Do you want to respond to this article? If so, click here to submit your thoughts and they may be published in print.



This site uses cookies. By continuing to browse the site you are agreeing to our use of cookies - Learn More