Wick boss hoping for strong finish to season after back-to-back wins
Manager Gary Manson is hoping Wick Academy will have another strong run-in after they achieved back-to-back wins in the Highland League for the first time this season.
Saturday’s hard-earned 2-0 victory over Turriff United at Harmsworth Park followed on from a 3-1 success against Forres Mechanics the previous week and it means the Scorries have picked up 10 points since the last weekend of January.
Prior to that they had lost eight games in a row in all competitions.
Academy found their best form of 2023/24 in the closing three months of the season and Manson wants the same this time around, although Keith’s victory over Strathspey Thistle on Saturday means the Scorries remain 15th in the table.
“It’s the second year in a row that we’ve set up a strong finish for ourselves,” Manson said. “Hopefully it carries on like that and we can climb the table.”
Turriff had won 3-0 when the sides met at The Haughs a month earlier, but the Scorries were well on top on Saturday and again their work ethic was a key factor.
“The boys have always worked hard – they’ve just not got the breaks maybe that they’ve deserved,” Manson said. “They’ve started to get them in the last couple of weeks, so fair play to them.”
The opener came on 25 minutes after Marc Macgregor had been fouled outside the box on the right. Kyle Henderson swung the resultant free kick into the danger zone and Macgregor got to it first, controlling the ball before placing it beyond debutant keeper Cammy Reid.
Gordon MacNab doubled the lead after 58 minutes. The ball broke to him on the right edge of the penalty box and he took a touch before dispatching an unstoppable shot low into the opposite corner.
Late on, Lewis Gallacher blocked a fiercely struck shot at point-blank range to secure Academy’s third clean sheet of the league campaign.
Manson said: “When you get to this stage of the season, pitches aren’t pristine and you have to find a way to win games.
“It’s not about getting the ball down and playing 13, 14, 15 passes before you get a shot at goal. It’s about being efficient with the ball, getting it forward and taking your chances when they arise – and that's exactly what we did.
“It wasn’t a game full of goalmouth action, it wasn’t a game full of quality football, it was a game that you just had to go and win. You have to do what it takes to get over the line and that’s exactly what the boys did.
“They were absolutely brilliant – defending their box when they had to, keeping their shape... It was really, really good from start to finish and we scored two good goals.
“Pitches that have had a hard winter are fiery, they’re bobbly, but the boys dealt with it really well.”
Highland League title contenders Brechin City have parted company with manager Patrick Cregg and his assistant Logan McConachie.
Their last match in charge was a 1-1 draw against Clachnacuddin at Glebe Park on Saturday. It was the fourth home game in a row in which Brechin had to settle for a share of the points.
They remain second in the table, three points behind Brora Rangers, having played the same number of fixtures.
Brechin chairman Kevin Mackie said: “Whilst we are all disappointed that things have not worked out as we had hoped, football is a results-driven industry and unfortunately recent results have not met expectations.
“We thank Patrick for his efforts in his first venture into management and wish both him and Logan every success in the future.”
Clachnacuddin took the lead through James Anderson in the second half but Scott Logan hit a late equaliser.
Bottom club Rothes looked on course to end a run of nine straight defeats when they led 2-0 at Inverurie, but Locos reduced the deficit with a penalty before scoring twice in the closing stages.
Brora left it late before sealing a 3-1 win in their Highland League Cup semi-final away to Deveronvale. Brora’s opponents in the final will be Fraserburgh, who beat Banks O’ Dee 2-0 on Friday night.
Results – Highland League Cup semi-finals: Deveronvale 1, Brora Rangers 3; Fraserburgh 2, Banks O’ Dee 0. Highland League: Brechin City 1, Clachnacuddin 1; Forres Mechanics 1, Formartine United 1; Inverurie Locos 3, Rothes 2; Nairn County 0, Buckie Thistle 2; Strathspey Thistle 0, Keith 2; Wick Academy 2, Turriff United 0.
Highland League fixtures – Wednesday, March 5: Brora Rangers v Nairn County; Deveronvale v Brechin City; Formartine United v Lossiemouth; Fraserburgh v Rothes; Huntly v Banks O’ Dee; Strathspey Thistle v Buckie Thistle.
Saturday, March 8: Banks O’ Dee v Strathspey Thistle; Brechin City v Turriff United; Buckie Thistle v Brora Rangers; Clachnacuddin v Rothes; Deveronvale v Forres Mechanics; Formartine United v Wick Academy; Keith v Fraserburgh; Lossiemouth v Huntly; Nairn County v Inverurie Locos.
