Eight good reasons why Academy is celebrating
Kirkwood consoles decimated Fort William
WICK ACADEMY manager Davie Kirkwood was magnanimous in his post-match comments about vanquished Ft William.
He said of the Claggan Park side, currently the whipping boys of the Highland League, who were beaten by a landslide eight goals to one, away to Wick, on Saturday: “No doubt they will be disheartened by such a heavy defeat by they should be as they played some good football and I’m sure they will go on and do well.”
The encouraging words might ring hollow, though, when you consider that basement side Fort have conceded a devastating 30 goals with the new season only weeks old.
Academy were 4-1 up at half time and went on to double their total by the time the final whistle sounded, scoring almost at will, to equal their best ground tallly.
Academy move into double figures-10th place- in the league table, a point behind Turriff United, two points behind Keith and Locos and lag only three points behind Rothes, Huntly, Lossie and Deveronvale-keeping in touch with the usual suspects but seven points behind leaders and champions, Buckie.
If there was a Men of the Match Day award, then the honour would have to go to Academy’s valiant ground staff who toiled on the rain-soaked Harmsworth Park to make the pitch to make it playable. They were so confident of succeeding that club chairman Colin Stewart gave the Fort “head-north, game-on” assurance as his squad toiled.
The Scorries will doubtless be guarding against reading to much into their most decisive win of the season to date, given that the Fort were by no means the toughest cookie in the Highland League to crack. But it will give them that feel-good factor ahead of their crucial Scottish Cup qualifying encounter with Borders side Coldstream at Harmsworth Park, on Saturday.
Hopefully, they will exorcise their Breechin City demons and capitalise on their home advantage.
The Scorries let a 4-2 lead slip through their fingers in the final fifthteenth minute of last season's
cup qualifier, giving the Division 2 side a 4-4, lifeline replay, which they made the most of, at home.
