Wick striker Gunn hoping for boost in attendances when pandemic is over
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Wick Academy striker Craig Gunn reckons that clubs can look forward to a boost in attendances when the Highland League finally emerges from Covid-19 restrictions and supporters realise how much they have missed going to games.
All football below Championship level is suspended while lockdown measures are in force across Scotland and there are no guarantees about when it will resume.
Gunn hopes the 2020/21 Highland League campaign – already shortened to a 15-match fixture list – will be played to a conclusion. And, looking ahead to when the pandemic is over, he believes fans will flock back to grounds in greater numbers than before.
“You'd like to think that people do miss the football and won't take it for granted as much – you'll get more people going to games because they've missed it and it's just something to do on a Saturday," the 33-year-old said.
“Sometimes people might think they can't really be bothered going. Now they don't have a choice – you've not got football. Hopefully they will want to make the most of it and go to as many games as they can.”
The former Elgin City hitman had been in impressive form before football was brought to a halt earlier this month because of rising numbers of Covid cases.
Having regularly got on the scoresheet in pre-season friendlies, Gunn netted three of Wick's six goals in the four competitive matches they managed to fit in – a tidy finish in the league opener against Buckie Thistle at the end of November and a couple of penalties in the 3-1 Scottish Cup victory over Musselburgh Athletic just before Christmas.
"I got myself quite fit pre-season," Gunn said. "Once you get a couple of goals the confidence comes.
"It was a good start for me. We got the cup win and we grew in confidence from there, but then we were back to lockdown again.
"Boxing Day was the last game we played, so it has been kind of frustrating. We don't know when it's going to be back, or even if it's going to be back.
“Now we've started the season it would be good to get it finished but there are games to fit in with not many Saturdays left, so there could be a few midweeks thrown in. It's a pity it has just been stop-start."
Under the current measures even group training is not permitted. The Academy players have been going on fitness runs, monitored remotely by manager Gary Manson.
“Gaz has got us in pairs and has been giving us different running drills to do," Gunn explained. "With the dark nights and the not-so-great weather it's quite hard but the boys are trying the best they can.
"We log it on to a Strava app and he sees what everybody has done – he can keep track of what we're up to.
"We're just playing it by ear and obviously Gaz is trying to keep us busy. But we don't know if we'll have a date to go back."
Gunn, who works as a childcare practitioner with Pulteneytown People's Project, is in his second spell at his home-town club.
He burst onto the Highland League scene as a 16-year-old, banging in 25 goals for Academy in season 2003/04 including a hat-trick in a 4-3 away victory over Cove Rangers.
He moved to Ross County and had a loan spell at Peterhead before signing for Elgin City in 2009.
Gunn scored 128 times in 316 appearances for the Borough Briggs club, becoming the first Elgin player to hit more than a century of goals since they gained Scottish League status in 2000.
After a brief stint at Brora he rejoined Academy at the end of 2017 and has now racked up a total of 50 goals in 110 appearances for the Scorries.
Gunn has been fortunate in keeping clear of injury problems and is keen for that to continue as he looks to prolong his career at Highland League level.
“Throughout my career I've never really had a serious injury that has kept me out for four or five games consecutively," he said. "I've been lucky with injuries.
“Hopefully we'll get this season done and I'm still under contract for next season. After that obviously you're getting on a bit. I'll just see how I feel, as we have a few good young players coming through. But I'd like to think I have a few years yet.
Gunn says there is a good spirit within the Wick squad and the players have adapted well to Manson's methods, despite the shortage of competitive action.
"Everyone knows everyone,” he said. “It's a Wick and Thurso-based squad this season, the first time it has been like that since I've been involved. You get a laugh on the bus and it has been good so far.
“Gaz has got his ideas, he wants to play football the right way and the boys have all bought into that. They want to play the way he wants to play.
“Hopefully it will make for entertaining football that people will want to come and watch.”
