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‘We have suffered an injustice’, says Wick Academy boss


By SPP Reporter

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Wick manager Davie Kirkwood – ‘Forres are very good at what they do, but I wouldn’t say they are the best footballing side.’
Wick manager Davie Kirkwood – ‘Forres are very good at what they do, but I wouldn’t say they are the best footballing side.’

BEMUSED Wick manager Davie Kirkwood is still struggling to comprehend how Forres Mechanics survived Saturday’s clash with 11 men on the pitch.

In 28 years of football, he has never heard a reason so astonishing as that given by referee Doug Ross as to why Forres goalkeeper Stuart Knight was not red-carded for apparently denying Academy’s Gary Weir a goal-scoring opportunity when he palmed the ball outside the box in the game’s 23rd minute.

Speaking to the referee after the game, Kirkwood was told Weir hit the ball too high over the keeper’s head for it to be classed as a goal-scoring opportunity. But the manager argued the explanation was a new one for him.

“It was a deliberate handball outside the box,” he told the Courier.

“The rules of the game state that is an instant red-card offence and Forres should have been down to 10 men.

“I told the referee that the goalkeeper managed to get a touch on the ball, so how can that be too high over his head?

“It wasn’t like the goalkeeper had his arms at his sides – his arms were fully stretched out and meant to touch the ball.

“The referee also said that there were two defenders just in front of him which meant the goalkeeper wasn’t the last man. But two of our board members spoke to the linesman after the game who said the goalkeeper was the last line of defence and should have been sent off.

“The referee then said that he makes the decisions, not the linesman, so does that mean that linesmen should not be consulted?”

Kirkwood added: “Getting a man sent off does not necessarily mean you are going to win the game, but it does disadvantage the other team and would have influenced the match.

“We do feel we have suffered from an injustice as the referee did not follow the laws of the game.”

Despite the 2-1 defeat at Mosset Park, Kirkwood hailed his team’s performance as the best so far this season.

He was particularly pleased about the second half when he claimed Forres were there for the taking.

“Forres are very good at what they do, but I wouldn’t say they are the best footballing side.

“They have a very direct style of play and make use of their height advantage.

“But after the interval we kept possession and kept their chances to a minimum.”

Forres manager Charlie Rowley thought Knight should have been dismissed for the incident and was panicking about who to put in goal.

“We were already in the process of deciding who was going to replace him as we did not have another recognised goalkeeper in the squad.

“When the referee only produced a yellow card, I was very surprised and believe that we were very fortunate.

“It would have been the turning point in the game and I think that Academy have a case to feel aggrieved.”


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