Youth to the fore in morale-boosting win for Wick Academy
Manager Gary Manson made it clear that Wick Academy will be targeting as many points as possible in the closing three months of the Highland League campaign after Saturday’s morale-boosting victory over Rothes.
The Scorries eased to a 4-0 win at Harmsworth Park to end a run of eight defeats in all competitions and open up a six-point gap over the Speysiders, with the teams remaining 16th and 17th respectively in the 18-team division.
The emphasis was on youth as Academy fielded seven teenagers. George Ewing and Matthew Robertson were in the starting line-up, Matthew Aitkenhead and Euan Kennedy came on with 20 minutes to go and a triple substitution in the closing stages brought debuts for Arran Bain, Owen Bain and Jayden Bremner.
Ewing and Kennedy both got their first goals for the senior team, with the others coming from Jack Henry and Marc Macgregor. Goalkeeper Lewis Gallacher played a crucial role too with a first-half penalty save when the score was 1-0.
It was Academy’s first victory since beating Lossiemouth 3-1 away on October 12 and the first time they had picked up any points at home since a 2-1 success against Strathspey Thistle on August 7.
Manson called it “a good day’s work”. He said: “We’ve certainly not done ourselves justice in the first 21 games. Our points tally doesn’t reflect the quality that we have.
“It’s just getting that quality on a consistent basis.”
Ewing scored the opener on the half-hour mark when he broke up the left, spotted Rothes keeper Sean McCarthy well off his line and curled the ball into the net from the edge of the penalty area.
Three minutes later the visitors were awarded a spot-kick when Jake Thomson was adjudged to have been tripped in the box. Ross Logan stepped up to take it, only for Gallacher to fling himself to his right to push the ball away.
Academy doubled their lead in the 67th minute. After a good spell of pressure, a corner from the left by Gordon MacNab was headed in by Henry.
The third arrived on 78 minutes when Richard Macadie lofted a free kick into the box and Macgregor reached the ball ahead of McCarthy to nod it into the net.
In stoppage time Macgregor had a shot blocked by McCarthy but Kennedy was on hand to calmly slot in the rebound.
Manson said: “I thought the first half was scrappy – both teams were quite low on confidence going into it. It was windy, it wasn’t an easy day to play football, and I thought that showed.
“But I thought the quality in the final third showed a little bit more once we got to the latter stages of the game.
“They had their chance with their penalty. It might have been slightly different if that had gone in, but obviously it didn’t – Lewis made a good save. In the second half we just took control and it was never in doubt then.
“As long as it’s 1-0 there’s always the chance that they might get a penalty or they might get a cross into the box and a deflection, or whatever it may be, so it was pleasing to get the cushion of the second, the third and the fourth. Overall it was a good day’s work.”
All 16 players who took to the field for Academy on Saturday – from the relative veterans to the seven teenagers – have been part of youth football club Caithness United at some stage.
Manson added: “Today we had to rely on the young boys. I had no problem with that, but you wouldn’t mind turning round in more pressing games and having a full bench of fully fledged, experienced Highland League players.
“Getting everybody available at the same time has proved difficult this year, but that’s no excuse – we still should be sitting with more points than we have at present.
“But we’ve got a good few games left to try and get as many points as we can, so that’s what we’re aiming to do.”
Meanwhile, Owen Harrold is facing a spell on the sidelines after suffering a calf injury.
Highland League results: Brora Rangers 2, Fraserburgh 3; Buckie Thistle 1, Clachnacuddin 2; Deveronvale 0, Banks O’ Dee 2; Forres Mechanics 0, Inverurie Locos 1; Huntly 3, Turriff United 5; Lossiemouth 2, Keith 0; Wick Academy 4, Rothes 0.
Fixtures – Saturday, February 1: Banks O’ Dee v Buckie Thistle; Clachnacuddin v Brechin City; Fraserburgh v Forres Mechanics; Huntly v Brora Rangers; Inverurie Locos v Formartine United; Keith v Strathspey Thistle; Nairn County v Lossiemouth; Rothes v Deveronvale; Turriff United v Wick Academy.
Wick Academy’s forthcoming Highland League fixtures: February 1, Turriff United (A); February 8, Brora Rangers (H); February 15, Fraserburgh (A); February 19, Clachnacuddin (H); February 22, Forres Mechanics (H); March 1, Turriff United (H); March 8, Formartine United (A); March 15, Lossiemouth (H); March 22, Keith (A); March 29, Nairn County (H); April 12, Inverurie Locos (A). To be arranged: Strathspey Thistle (A).
Highland League bottom four: 15 Lossiemouth (played 22, points 16, goal difference -29); 16 Wick Academy (22, 16, goal difference -33); 17 Rothes (21, 10, goal difference -59); 18 Strathspey Thistle (19, 9, goal difference -45).