Wick take on familiar foes Brora in cup derby after 'embarrassing' loss to Locos
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Wick Academy will be looking to move on from last weekend's "embarrassing" defeat at the hands of Inverurie when they face familiar foes Brora Rangers on Saturday in the first round of the Highland League Cup.
The under-strength Scorries were thumped 6-0 by Locos, having played most of the match with 10 men after Gordon MacNab was sent off in the first half. It was Academy's heaviest home defeat in the Highland League for 26 years.
Manager Gary Manson admitted the result was "not acceptable" and he is hoping his team can make amends when Brora visit Harmsworth Park for the third time this season. The Cattachs edged a North of Scotland Cup tie 1-0 in August and ran out 4-1 winners in a league fixture last month.
“We should be slightly better off in terms of personnel," Manson said. "We are still missing five for Saturday.
“It's our third game against Brora this season so there should be no surprises in how they are going to play or the standard of their players.
“'It'll be a tough game, but it's a derby in a cup tie so you never know what might happen.
“We'll go with a game plan and try to beat them at the third attempt. We'll give it our best shot.”
Reflecting on the defeat to Inverurie, which kept Wick in 15th place, Manson said: “It was a tough one to take. Getting beaten 6-0 by any team is not really good enough, it's not acceptable. It's not something that has happened to me recently.
“When I first came into the league, there was a spell maybe in the early 2000s when we were down at the bottom end of the table and we were getting beaten more often than we were winning. But 6-0 at home is a bit embarrassing.
“It's a strange old game. In the first 10 minutes I thought we were really good, we created two good chances and possibly could have taken them.
“As soon as we lost the first goal, heads seemed to drop a little bit. The manner of the goals that we conceded as well was really disappointing.
“If you watched the first 10 minutes of that game, it was an extremely evenly fought contest. If anything we were the better team.
"As soon as we lost the first goal you could see the confidence just drain out of the boys. Then we went down to 10 men just after half an hour and it was always going to be a struggle in the second half.
“It was just really, really disappointing how it went on on Saturday in terms of the goals we conceded. But you certainly couldn't fault the guys' effort and the work they put in – with 10 men for an hour, it was commendable.”
Inverurie were three up courtesy of Mark Souter, Ross Still and Kieran Shanks before MacNab got his marching orders for a second bookable offence.
Robert Ward extended the visitors' lead after the break and Shanks struck twice more to complete his hat-trick. It was Academy's biggest home defeat in a league match since being beaten by the same score against Lossiemouth in April 1995.
Saturday's Highland League Cup first-round ties: Buckie Thistle v Nairn County; Clachnacuddin v Strathspey Thistle; Deveronvale v Rothes; Formartine United v Brechin City; Forres Mechanics v Turriff United; Inverurie Locos v Huntly; Keith v Fraserburgh; Wick Academy v Brora Rangers.
Manager Gary Manson believes Wick Academy's young defender Joe Anderson has all the attributes to go far in the game.
Anderson (16) was one of five teenagers who featured in Saturday's heavy defeat to Inverurie Locos, along with fellow starter Mark Macadie (18) and substitutes Liam Bain, Conor Farquhar and Alan Mathieson, who are all 17.
“You would like to introduce them into the first-team arena in better circumstances, but sometimes you learn more in adversity," Manson said.
“It was Joe's second start of the season on Saturday and I thought he acquitted himself quite well. I've spoken to him at training about the difference at this level.
"Sometimes you have to learn the hard way but in general I thought Joe was really good on Saturday.
“He's got all the attributes to go really far and have a really good career if he wants it.”
