Wick Academy players 'can hold their heads high' after midweek loss at Inverurie
Wick Academy are preparing to hit the road for the last in a sequence of four long away trips in 11 days as they take on Deveronvale at Princess Royal Park in their penultimate Highland League fixture of the 2022/23 campaign.
Manager Gary Manson will have more options at his disposal than he did on Wednesday night when the Scorries were beaten 4-0 by Inverurie Locos. That came four days after Academy achieved their biggest winning margin in the league this season with a morale-boosting 3-0 success at Turriff, a result that lifted them out of second-bottom place.
Saturday's encounter in Banff will be Wick's ninth game in 29 days.
The under-strength Scorries competed well for long spells at Inverurie where conditions became atrocious in the second half.
Locos led by a single goal at the break, courtesy of Lloyd Robertson just before the half-hour mark.
Jonny Smith doubled their advantage early in the second period with a close-range header, and Jay Halliday added a third before Robertson rounded off the scoring with his second of the night.
“In the first half we gave as good as we got," Manson said. "We lost a goal from a corner and that was about the only clear-cut chance they really had.
“We had three or four good opportunities for getting a strike on target. The first half was very even, I thought, and defences came out on top.
“In the second half the conditions were wild – someone just turned on the wind machine and the rain and it wasn't great for playing or watching.
“It was always going to be a difficult second half. Our average age must have been quite high with myself, Alan Farquhar, Gary Weir and Richard Macadie all playing. Jack Halliday started and he's not played a lot recently.
“They had a full bench and were utilising that to their maximum.
“I said to the guys they can hold their heads up high – 4-0 flattered Inverurie. Two of their goals were individual mistakes from ourselves.
“Having to travel down there in extremely short numbers on a Wednesday night, we gave a really good account of ourselves. The boys can be proud of what they gave.”
Orkney duo Toby Macleod and Jamie Flett will be back for the Deveronvale trip, along with Joe Anderson whose recent two-match suspension was followed by a three-week college stint in the Glasgow area.
"That's him done now so he'll be available," Manson said. "That will add to our options and numbers.
“We'll be a bit stronger on Saturday.”
Under-18s Lewis Gill and Scott Durrand made their Academy debuts from the bench at Harlaw Park.
Saturday's result at Turriff was Academy's fifth clean sheet this season in all competitions, two more than in the whole of the 2021/22 campaign.
The Scorries' last game of the season is at home to Lossiemouth on Saturday, April 22.
Highland League results from Wednesday: Brechin City 5, Fraserburgh 0; Brora Rangers 1, Lossiemouth 0; Inverurie Locos 4, Wick Academy 0; Strathspey Thistle 0, Keith 1.
Fixtures – Saturday, April 15: Banks O' Dee v Strathspey Thistle; Brora Rangers v Huntly; Buckie Thistle v Formartine United; Clachnacuddin v Brechin City; Deveronvale v Wick Academy; Fraserburgh v Forres Mechanics; Keith v Inverurie Locos; Lossiemouth v Rothes; Turriff United v Nairn County.
Wednesday, April 19: Keith v Brechin City; Rothes v Huntly.
Saturday, April 22: Brora Rangers v Rothes; Buckie Thistle v Brechin City; Deveronvale v Nairn County; Formartine United v Inverurie Locos; Fraserburgh v Strathspey Thistle; Keith v Banks O' Dee; Turriff United v Clachnacuddin; Wick Academy v Lossiemouth.