Manson pleased with reaction but Wick Academy have to settle for share of the points
Gary Manson felt Wick Academy should have taken all three points from Saturday's Highland League match against Forres Mechanics at Harmsworth Park.
The Scorries had to settle for a 1-1 draw, but the manager was pleased with the players' reaction following their 7-1 midweek hammering at the hands of Brora Rangers.
Saturday's match went ahead after a morning inspection. It was the third of four successive home fixtures for Academy and the playing surface has become increasingly heavy.
“It is quite difficult, it is quite bobbly, and both teams coped with it quite admirably," Manson said. "It was quite competitive but on the balance of chances I would have said we probably deserved to win.
“We had two goals disallowed for offside, we hit the post and we had a couple of other chances. We probably shaded it and are disappointed not to come away with three points.
“We started really well and played some good stuff at times on a tricky pitch. It's not easy but we created chances and looked the more dangerous of the two teams, I thought.”
Manson had demanded a big improvement after the Brora result.
“We had to see a reaction,” he said. “The second half on Wednesday night was dreadful, so I said to the boys we can't just settle for that as a team, as a squad.
“We had to go out there and put on a better performance and show the fans that we weren't just going to roll over and settle for what we did on Wednesday. I thought they did that.
"It was a highly competitive game that we probably shaded and we should be coming away with three points on the balance of chances.”
Academy went ahead on 21 minutes when Marc Macgregor threaded the ball through to Jack Henry, who took it in his stride and hammered it low past Forres keeper Stuart Knight.
Macgregor was taken off immediately with a recurrence of a hamstring problem and was replaced by Mark Munro.
Wick almost added a second when Cameron Montgomery showed great vision to pick out Jack Halliday, who went rampaging down the left before cutting the ball back into the box. Gordon MacNab got on the end of it but his effort crept just wide.
The Can-Cans produced a stunning equaliser after 32 minutes when Ryan MacLeman unleashed a rocket shot from about 30 yards which flew over James More and into the net.
Shaun Morrison was then played clean through but his shot was tipped over by More.
Forres almost snatched victory in stoppage time when Academy had a double let-off. More, the sponsors' man of the match, pulled off another fingertip save before Richard Macadie headed the ball off the line.
Highland League results: Brora Rangers 2, Strathspey Thistle 0; Buckie Thistle 5, Clachnacuddin 0; Deveronvale 1, Banks O' Dee 4; Formartine United 2, Rothes 1; Fraserburgh 2, Turriff United 3; Huntly 0, Brechin City 1; Inverurie Locos 2, Nairn County 1; Keith 0, Lossiemouth 2; Wick Academy 1, Forres Mechanics 1.
Fixtures – Saturday, March 4 – Highland League: Clachnacuddin v Keith; Huntly v Forres Mechanics; Rothes v Nairn County; Turriff United v Brora Rangers; Wick Academy v Fraserburgh. Highland League Cup, semi-finals: Buckie Thistle v Banks O' Dee; Inverurie Locos v Brechin City.
Wednesday, March 8 – Highland League: Brechin City v Fraserburgh; Brora Rangers v Lossiemouth; Keith v Wick Academy; Strathspey Thistle v Huntly; Turriff United v Rothes.