Wick Academy 'in a good place' as they extend unbeaten home run
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Wick Academy are "in a good place right now" after extending their unbeaten home run in the Highland League to five matches with Saturday's impressive 3-1 victory over Formartine United.
There was a delayed start to allow surface water to be cleared from the playing surface at Harmsworth Park. The Scorries then found themselves trailing at half-time but they took charge in the second period with goals from Kyle Henderson, Jack Halliday and Mark Macadie to move up to 12th in the table.
Manager Gary Manson had recently set the players a target to start taking points from teams in the top half.
In midweek they fought out a 0-0 draw with Brora Rangers, who are ninth, and built on that display with the win against fifth-placed Formartine.
"In the last two games we've taken four points. It probably should have been six," Manson said.
"That was quite a convincing performance. Their goal came from a cross and apart from that I don't think they had a shot on goal.
"We're looking really hard to beat, and with the pace we've got we're always a threat on the counter-attack, so we're in a good place right now and long may it continue.
"We changed after half-time. Kyle went right up top with Marc [Macgregor] and it suited us better.
"Going down the hill with the wind behind our backs, we were going to be in their half a lot more. With the two up top it made a big difference.
"Kyle is playing well right now, with his workrate and his ability to affect the game in the final third."
Academy brought in an influx of new signings last summer to bolster the squad.
Manson said: "When results weren't going our way, people around about were questioning whether they were good enough to be here and what have you.
"But the togetherness and the spirit in that changing room has been there since the squad was put together in the summer. Now it's bearing fruit.
"It wasn't going to happen overnight. They're a good bunch of boys – they work as hard as they possibly can, and now they're getting their rewards."
After exceptionally heavy downpours, it was touch and go whether the game would go ahead. Committee members and volunteers worked on the pitch from 11am.
After the rain eased off, referee Robert Mackinnon carried out a 3pm inspection and agreed to let the match kick off an hour later.
"You can see by the pitch it was always going to cut up," Manson said afterwards. "But for me, it should never have been in that much doubt.
"Yes, it's a bit wet and a bit soft in places, but it's Highland League football in winter. I've played on pitches 10 times worse than that.
"It was common sense that it should go ahead."
Both teams struggled to adapt to the heavy surface and there were few clear-cut chances in the first half.
Formartine went ahead in fortuitous circumstances on 34 minutes. Lewis Duncan took a free kick from around 40 yards and the ball somehow found its way through a crowded penalty area before evading Graeme Williamson at his left-hand post.
Ten minutes into the second half, Academy got a goal out of nowhere as a miscued backpass by Jonathan Crawford rolled beyond his keeper Cammy Middleton and Kyle Henderson was on hand to slam the ball into the unguarded net.
Playing with renewed confidence, the Scorries went ahead on 72 minutes when Henderson played the ball through the Formartine back line and Jack Halliday popped up to receive it. Finding himself one-on-one with Middleton, the Wick captain fired the ball into the net with a minimum of fuss.
Academy made sure of the three points six minutes later after a superb sweeping move. Halliday's long-range pass picked out Henderson racing down the right. He played it across the edge of the 18-yard box to Mark Macadie, who directed an unerring shot low into the far corner.
Kyle Henderson was "absolutely delighted" after contributing a goal and two assists in Wick Academy's 3-1 win against Formartine United.
However, the forward admitted that his set-up for Jack Halliday's strike – which put the Scorries in front with 20 minutes to go – was in fact intended as an effort on goal.
It looked as though Henderson had slipped an inch-perfect pass through the slightest of gaps in the Formartine defence into Halliday's path.
Henderson said, though: "I've got to be honest – it was actually a shot!
"I didn't get enough power on it and it trickled through to Jack. At least we got a goal from it."
He added: "The conditions didn't help. The pitch was heavy – all you're really doing is sliding about.
"But I'm absolutely delighted. In the last five games we've been playing pretty well."
Formartine manager Stuart Anderson felt the defensive mix-up that led to Wick's equaliser had been a turning point.
"It was a disappointing second half," he said. "In the first half we were really comfortable and had a few chances.
"In the second half we gave a goal away with a defensive blunder and obviously the game turned on its head then. They got a second and a third.
"We didn't make enough of a fight of it to get back into the game.
"Sometimes you've just got to take your medicine. It's back to the drawing board for us. It has been a poor couple of weeks."
Anderson was at least pleased that the game had gone ahead after his team made the long journey from the north-east.
"The ground staff here did great," he said. "We were grateful for that."
Keith and Brechin City criticised the postponement of their Highland League fixture on Saturday, insisting the game should have been played.
Match referee Joel Kennedy declared Kynoch Park unplayable just 45 minutes before the scheduled kick-off time, with one small area of the park believed to be a safety concern.
In a joint statement, the club chairmen called the decision to postpone the match "baffling" and "nonsensical" and said they would make a complaint to the Scottish FA.
Heavy rain fell on Saturday morning, with several pitches across the north and north-east affected. However, there was a rapid improvement in the afternoon.
With more than 100 Brechin fans making the journey to Kynoch Park, both clubs wanted the game to be played and even agreed to a later kick-off time so that further work could be carried out.
Highland League results – Friday: Banks O' Dee 3, Turriff United 2. Saturday: Brora Rangers 1, Fraserburgh 2; Deveronvale 2, Rothes 2; Huntly 3, Forres Mechanics 0; Inverurie Locos 1, Lossiemouth 1; Nairn County 1, Clachnacuddin 1; Wick Academy 3, Formartine United 1.
Fixtures – Wednesday, March 6: Keith v Nairn County; Strathspey Thistle v Brora Rangers. Saturday, March 9: Brechin City v Deveronvale; Formartine United v Huntly; Forres Mechanics v Brora Rangers; Fraserburgh v Banks O' Dee; Inverurie Locos v Wick Academy; Lossiemouth v Buckie Thistle; Rothes v Clachnacuddin; Strathspey Thistle v Keith; Turriff United v Nairn County.
Wednesday, March 13: Brora Rangers v Nairn County; Buckie Thistle v Banks O' Dee; Forres Mechanics v Brechin City; Strathspey Thistle v Wick Academy.
Saturday, March 16: Banks O' Dee; v Forres Mechanics; Brora Rangers v Formartine United; Buckie Thistle v Inverurie Locos; Clachnacuddin v Brechin City; Deveronvale v Strathspey Thistle; Huntly v Wick Academy; Keith v Lossiemouth; Nairn County v Fraserburgh; Rothes v Turriff United.
