Honours even in Highland League opener
Academy stage plucky comeback for a draw
Wick Academy.....3........Clachnacuddin.....3 (ht. 2-3)
WICK showed their tenacity by twice coming from behind in a goals-galore game that provided the fans on both sides with plenty entertainment in the season’s opening match at Harmsworth Park, on Saturday.
But the glass was only half empty, so far as the managers were concerned...two points dropped as opposed to three gained.
Clach got off to a flier, hitting the Scorries with a rapid, one-two. Allan Pollock netted both goals in the first five minutes, for a dream start. Academy didn’t take that lying down and responded in the 14th minute through a Gary Weir header, taking the homsters back into the game.
The achievement was short-lived, however for a minute later, the Lilywhites restored their lead with an excellent Brian McLeod 15-yarder. Wick’s Michael Steven reduced the deficit just before the break with a glancing header and Weir levelled things in the ding-dong affair, with a close-range effort in the 61st minute.
Both sides pushed for a winner but had to content themselves with a share of the spoils, on the whistle.
Wick's new manager, Davie Kirkwood, said that the Scorries had totally dominated the second half and could have score five or six goals. He put the blame for points lost on three individual errors.
Clach boss, Iain Polworth admitted he would have settled for a draw before the game got underway, but would have been pardoned for expecting a win as play developed.
He described Wick’s second goal as ‘crucial’.
