Wick Academy denied a point as Formartine leave it late
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Wick Academy looked to be on course to claim a well-earned point against Formartine United in midweek only to suffer a 3-1 defeat after conceding twice in the closing 10 minutes.
The match at North Lodge Park was the first of three successive Wednesday night trips for the Scorries in the closing weeks of the Highland League season, with the squad arriving home at around 2.30am on Thursday.
Marc Lawrence gave Formartine an early lead after a mix-up at the back, but Gary Pullen headed in the equaliser just after the half-hour mark following a cross from Gordon MacNab.
Formartine added two late goals through Paul Campbell and substitute Kevin Hanratty.
Wick manager Gary Manson said: “It was a really competitive game – it was a good game to watch.
“We gifted them a goal after two minutes. It was a wee bit of a mix-up. Graeme [Williamson] came out to clear the ball out of his box and it hit one of our defenders and just landed at their boy and he put it in from about 30 yards.
“It was obviously a bad start but credit to the boys, they rallied really well and I thought going in at half-time we were the better team.
“We had the better chances, we had more of the ball, we scored a good goal, and I was really pleased at half-time.
“We knew they were going to come out better than they were in the first half because we were well on top.
“In the second half we never really got going, we didn’t play at the same tempo, we didn’t have the same quality on the ball.
“Even with that, it looked like we were going to get the draw. We were defending our box really well, limiting them to very few chances, and I thought we were going to hold on to go away with the draw, which would have been fine – we'd have settled for that.
“But they got two quick goals, and the second was another really soft one.”
Buckie Thistle continued to play catch-up in the Highland League title race with a 2-0 victory over Brora Rangers on Wednesday. The match was switched to Lossiemouth as Victoria Park was again unplayable.
Josh Peters put the Jags in front midway through the first half and Jack Murray made sure of the points with a penalty eight minutes from time.
The result moved Buckie up to third, three points behind leaders Brechin City with a game in hand, as they continue a hectic schedule of six matches in 13 days.
Inverurie Locos were 4-2 winners over Clachnacuddin at Grant Street Park.
Wick Academy manager Gary Manson has set a target for his players to win both games in their April “double header” with Keith.
The Maroons are 12th in the table, one place above Academy. They have a four-point advantage over the Scorries, having played one game more.
The teams meet at Harmsworth Park on Saturday and then again at Kynoch Park on April 27.
Keith’s 10-game unbeaten run came to an end when Buckie beat them 3-0 on Monday.
Manson said: “It'll be a tough game. They've been on a really good run.
“It just shows you, if you get a bit of momentum behind you, and if the fixtures are kind to you, then it is the sort of thing that teams can do.
“They’ll be looking to get back to winning ways after Monday night.”
Academy themselves will be looking to bounce back after losing to Formartine United.
“The boys will rest up and hopefully be good to go for Saturday,” Manson said.
“Keith are just above us in the league so it's a double header that we'll be looking to win and finish above them. That's the target.”
Last season Academy won 1-0 at home to Keith (July 2022), with a goal by Gordon MacNab, and lost 2-0 at Kynoch Park (April 2023).
Highland League results – Monday: Keith 0, Buckie Thistle 3; Rothes 1, Forres Mechanics 1. Wednesday: Buckie Thistle 2, Brora Rangers 0 (at Grant Park, Lossiemouth); Clachnacuddin 2, Inverurie Locos 4; Formartine United 3, Wick Academy 1.
Fixtures – Saturday, April 13: Brechin City v Forres Mechanics; Brora Rangers v Banks O' Dee; Buckie Thistle v Deveronvale; Formartine United v Rothes; Huntly v Nairn County; Inverurie Locos v Clachnacuddin; Lossiemouth v Turriff United; Strathspey Thistle v Fraserburgh; Wick Academy v Keith (all 3pm).
Monday, April 15: Buckie Thistle v Strathspey Thistle.
Wednesday, April 17: Formartine United v Inverurie Locos; Forres Mechanics v Wick Academy; Fraserburgh v Brora Rangers; Strathspey Thistle v Buckie Thistle (all 8pm).
