Wick Academy aiming to make club history in Scottish Cup
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In what will be the longest away trip of the Scottish Cup second round, Wick Academy will be hoping to beat SFL opposition for the first time when they take on Berwick Rangers tomorrow.
It won’t be a cheap trip for the Scorries, with transport and hotels estimated to have cost the Caithness club in excess of £5000.
But caretaker manager Richard Hughes said the fact the board has spent so much money in allowing players to get to Berwick in the best shape possible has given the team all the confidence it needs to pull off a cup shock.
“The distance is a fair trip for the boys but the club has allowed us to stay in a hotel in Edinburgh overnight before heading to Berwick on Saturday to allow us to be fully refreshed for the game,” he said.
“The trip home will be a long one as we won’t be back until the early hours but we will be in top condition for the match.”
Going in as huge underdogs, bookmakers have offered odds of 4/1 of Wick progressing to round three.
Ross Allan is the only doubt for the match after injuring his ankle during a training session on Tuesday, otherwise Hughes has a full complement of players to choose from.
His only knowledge of Berwick Rangers comes from their televised game against Rangers but Hughes said that having already outgunned Spartans in round one, as well as enjoying an impressive 4-1 victory against Highland League title contenders Fraserburgh, his team has what it takes to beat the third division outfit.
“They have a couple of decent players in midfield but I am more concerned about how my players perform.
“I will be asking them to do what they have already done in the last four games by playing attacking football – the thought of trying to defend for 90 minutes is not an option.”
Berwick Rangers manager Ian Little doesn’t fancy a midweek replay at Harmsworth Park and will be looking to get the job done tomorrow afternoon.
The Wee Rangers have made an average start to their campaign, picking up just eight points in their first six matches, and lie sixth in the table. However, they will be coming into the game after a fine 4-1 win against Stirling Albion last weekend and they also held Rangers to a 1-1 draw earlier in the season.
Marc Lancaster is the only player who will be missing due to injury, with the rest of the squad match fit.
Having faced Highland League opposition in the past, Little said his team will have to be at their best to progress.
“We have had a few match reports on Wick Academy in recent weeks and they seem to be doing quite well in the league.
“A few years ago we were drawn against Cove Rangers in the cup where we came away with a narrow win but also lost away to Deveronvale 4-0 last season in round two.
“Any team doing well in the Highland League is always a tough proposition and if we’re not up to our best we have every chance of getting beat.
“I’d like to think that home advantage will count for us, as in the last few seasons we’ve played a lot of games at other grounds, but we will be alert for the danger they pose.”
* Are you going to the game? Keep an eye out for North of Scotland Newspapers reporter Will Clark who’ll be getting reaction from the Scorries faithful for his exclusive match report which will appear in next week’s Caithness Courier. For those of you who won’t manage the journey south, he will also be giving live updates from the match via Twitter. Follow him @GroatWillClark
