Wick has game plan at the ready
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IMPROVING their goal-to-shot ratio is Wick Academy’s main aim when they take on bottom-of-the-table Fort William tomorrow at Harmsworth Park.
Having had last weekend off due to Keith playing Deveronvale in the Aberdeenshire Cup final, manager Davie Kirkwood said the break gave his team a chance to work on its game plan with an extra training session. The manager was furious after his side was beaten 2-1 by Deveronvale after passing up several chances to put the game away.
But, speaking to the John O’Groat Journal, he said his reaction was drawn from frustration rather than anger with his players.
“After the final whistle I went into the dressing room and told the lads how disappointed I was. I went outside for five minutes and had the chance to calm down,” he said.
“I went back into the dressing room and talked to everyone to try and get their spirits up.
“We have a very talented defence which are maybe slightly young at the moment. But to see us dominate games and come away with nothing is very frustrating.” Wing back Michael Steven returns from suspension to give Kirkwood a full-strength side at his disposal.
He is aware Fort William are having problems this season after being on the end of some big score lines already.
But he said the only thing he is concerned about is how his team performs.
“Fort William will bring a good side which will be very defensively minded. We create a lot of chances upfield but we are not putting them away.
“The team know what they have to do. If we can get a good result on Saturday, we can carry on from there.”
Fort William, who have failed to score a point so far this season, could be heading to the Far North without a recognised goalkeeper.
First choice John Campbell is still out injured awaiting physiotherapy and the side’s trialist goalkeeper is suspended after being sent off in the match against Brora Rangers.
So too is Michael Ellis who was also sent off in Fort William’s 4-1 defeat against Brora.
Manager Danny Conlon said he is looking at putting out a very inexperienced side tomorrow.
“We are really missing the presence of having a goalkeeper the calibre of John Campbell,” he said.
“I am still trying to arrange for another trialist to play for us in the game against Wick Academy.
“At the moment it looks like we will have to put in a goalkeeper from our youth setup to start the match.
“As Wick can appreciate, our geographical location puts us at a disadvantage when we are looking for quality players to cover injuries and suspensions.
“We have a good young squad and my first season in charge is a learning curve – not just for the players but for the club as a whole.”
He added: “We’ve not been able to put out the same team two weeks in a row. Fitness is also our main problem – despite having good players at under-19 level they are not physically ready to cope with playing in the Highland League.
“I admit we have one eye on the Scottish Cup game against Bo’ness United next week, but I just want to see a decent performance from us on Saturday.”
