PICTURES: Henry double for Wick Academy as manager hails 'really good performance'
Wick Academy boss Gary Manson praised his players' game management after they secured a 3-1 Highland League victory over Clachnacuddin at Grant Street Park on Saturday.
The damage was done in the first half, with a double by midfielder Jack Henry either side of Jamie Flett's first goal for the Scorries. James Anderson got a late consolation for Clach.
It was only the second away win of the season for Academy and it lifted them to 12th in the table.
Manson said: "I think they maybe started slightly better than us in the first five or 10 minutes. But after that we just dominated the whole game, I felt.
"I don't think they really tested our goalkeeper [James More] much at all.
"We got three good goals in the first half and I said to them at half-time, we don't need to go chasing more goals in the second half – we just need to keep our shape, keep our discipline and our defensive duties, and just see the game out.
"They managed the game really well in the second half.
"Yes, Clach scored a goal, but I think that was their only chance in the whole game, really. It was a really good performance."
Henry opened the scoring on 14 minutes when he took advantage of a short back-pass and won a fifty-fifty challenge with keeper Martin Mackinnon before slotting the ball into the net.
Six minutes later Flett doubled Academy's lead with the aid of a clever assist from Gordon MacNab. The Orcadian forward had his initial shot saved but followed up to score.
Henry added Wick's third after 44 minutes when he ran onto the ball just inside the penalty area box and placed it in the bottom corner.
Anderson pulled one back for the Lilywhites with 81 minutes gone.
After the recent home defeat to Buckie Thistle, Manson said he wanted to see more of a threat from his team in the final third – and he got the response he was looking for on Saturday.
"Yes, we got beaten 1-0 at home by Buckie, but I wasn't too disappointed with the actual performance," he said.
"I thought we did not too bad. We weren't far off it and Buckie are top of the league, they're quite a strong side.
"So I wasn't too disappointed with the overall performance. It was maybe the lack of creativity, the lack of inventiveness in the final third – and we definitely got that against Clach.
"We scored three goals but we probably could have had at least another two, looking at the chances.
"To control most of the game and score three goals, away from home against a team that had a really good result the previous week [a 4-2 win against Inverurie Locos], is really pleasing."
Buckie returned to the top of the league on Saturday with a 3-1 win against much-improved Nairn County.
Nairn edged ahead through a Ross Tokely penalty but Max Barry levelled midway through the first half. Joe McCabe fired Buckie ahead before the hour mark and Josh Peters sealed the points.
The result took the Jags to the top by two points, although Brechin – whose home clash with Fraserburgh was postponed – have two games in hand.
Brora Rangers thrashed Forres Mechanics 8-0 at Mosset Park.
Tony Dingwall, Andy Macrae and Max Ewan had the Cattachs three up by half-time. Gregor MacDonald added two and Macrae netted his second, with Martin Maclean and Jordan MacRae also on target.
Lossiemouth left it late before defeating bottom side Strathspey 3-1 in Grantown.
After a goalless first half, Liam Archibald fired the Coasters ahead before Alan Kerr's strike looked to have secured a point for the Jags.
But Fraser Forbes struck for Lossie with a couple of minutes remaining and there was still time for Ross Archibald to add another.
Second-half strikes by Kieran Adams and Aidan Combe gave Formartine United a 2-0 victory over Huntly.
Garry Wood hit a hat-trick for managerless Inverurie Locos as they beat Deveronvale 4-0. Lloyd Robertson got the other.
Magnus Watson and Hamish Macleod scored for Banks O' Dee as they beat Turriff United 2-0.
Highland League results from Saturday: Banks O' Dee 2, Turriff United 0; Clachnacuddin 1, Wick Academy 3; Formartine United 2. Huntly 0; Forres Mechanics 0, Brora Rangers 8; Inverurie Locos 4, Deveronvale 0; Nairn County 1, Buckie Thistle 3; Strathspey Thistle 1, Lossiemouth 3.
Fixtures for Saturday, January 21: Brora Rangers v Formartine United; Buckie Thistle v Inverurie Locos; Clachnacuddin v Banks O' Dee; Deveronvale v Huntly; Fraserburgh v Nairn County; Keith v Forres Mechanics; Lossiemouth v Brechin City; Turriff United v Rothes; Wick Academy v Strathspey Thistle.
