Wick Academy 2; Fraserburgh 2.


The visitors were camped up in the Wick half for the first five or six minutes but the first serious threat on goal then came at the other end.

Gary Weir was tripped 25 yards from goal by Ryan Christie and Gary Farquhar's well struck drive from the free kick dipped over the wall and flashed a foot wide of Paul Leask's right hand post.

Within five minutes Wick took the lead.

Shaun Sinclair steered the ball low through the middle for Craig Shearer to run unchallenged into the box and from 15 yards stroke it into the bottom corner of the net to Leask's right.



Three minutes later Fraserburgh could count themselves unlucky.

Graham Johnston and Robert Morrice combined in a good move on the left and when a headed clearance fell to Johnston 20 yards in front of goal he was fouled by Alex Lamb.

Johnston tapped the free kick a yard to his right for Michael Stephen, who unleashed a swerving drive high to keeper James More's left which rebounded off the junction of crossbar and upright. The ball flew to and for across the face of the Wick goal until Gary Manson kicked away a looping header from the left from Stephen.

In the 23rd minute Richard Macadie and Weir set up a chance for David Cowie whose 20 yard drive skimmed the crossbar. Leask then kicked the ball away from Macadie as the Wick midfielder ran on to a pass from Farquhar.

Weir slipped the ball in from the left for Macadie who shot wide and on the half hour a drive from Farquhar was deflected and spun out near the flag on the Wick right for a corner. As Stewart Ross attacked the ball at the near post he was tackled by Christie.

When Shearer dashed down the left to launch another raid for Wick, Christie sent him sprawling with a late tackle and was booked. Manson's free kick reached Shearer 10 yards from goal but the Wick midfielder hooked it just over the bar.

In the 33rd minute Johnston seized on a misunderstanding in the Wick defence but from 15 yards lobbed the ball just wide of More's left hand post.

Russell McBride was booked for barging into Weir five yards inside the Broch half.

Clearing the free kick Fraserburgh worked the ball up the right via Marc Dickson and Morrice and then inside to Jamie Ralph who switched it quickly to Stephen on the left. This promising move came to nothing when Stephen lobbed the ball up into the Wick goalmouth towards four or five tartan shirts but the flag went up for offside.

Weir took a knock just before the break but recovered after treatment and helped Cowie to win a corner down on the Wick right.

The Broch started the second half in determined mood and subjected the Wick defence to sustained pressure. Morrice ran clear and cut in from the left only to fire the ball in to the side netting. When the Wick defence failed to clear the ball very far from a corner Stephen aimed a 15 yard shot to the bottom corner but More dived full length to his right to save. Ross had been a stalwart at the heart of the home defence and stopped Dickson on the 18 yard line when a pass came in from Morrice.

Ten minutes into the half Academy at last broke forward with Farquhar and Martin Gunn giving Manson the chance to attack on the left. His cross was cleared but Farquhar soon sent the ball up to Weir who dodged past his marker in the box and chipped the ball to Leask's left only for it to clip the outside of the post.

When Morrice cut in from the left More dashed to the 18 yard line to challenge the Broch striker and the ball broke to Stephen who lofted it wide of the unguarded net. Gunn scrambled the ball away from Morrice after a 25 yard Johnston free kick had hit the wall and Sinclair then stopped Morrice only 10 yards from goal.

Near the hour mark the Fraserburgh defence was almost caught out when a long ball from Farquhar bounced in the area and Macadie almost netted a header from 8 yards but Leask dashed back to slap it round the post. Soon afterwards a volley on the turn by Gunn flashed past the upright.

At the bottom end a fierce shot from Stephen was touched on to his post by More and substitute Allan Hale was flagged offside as he went for the rebound.

The action was now end to end and Cowie went close with an effort from the 18 yard line.

In the 70th minute the ball was kicked away from Christie who tumbled in the Wick box and when play had switched to the top end he was still complaining. The assistant referee flagged to gain referee Jason Hasson's attention and Christie was shown the yellow card and then the red and, still clearly angry at the perceived injustice, he was shepherded away inside by physio Bruce Buchan.

Spurred on by the incident Fraserburgh attacked immediately and a 25 yard drive from Russell McBride was brilliantly saved by More pushing the ball round the base of his left hand post for a corner. This was fired to the back post where a header was deflected into the side net. Stephen took the resultant corner on the left and Derek Milne ran in to power a header into the net from six yards.

The ten men had equalised.

Now Wick were galvanised into action. Weir wriggled into space 15 yards in front of goal but dragged his shot wide. Then Cowie made a good run up the right and pushed a short pass to the corner of the box for Weir. The stocky Wick striker tried to force his way between Willie West and Bryan Hay and was rewarded with a penalty kick.

Broch manager Charlie Duncan, watching the game from behind the barrier, was clearly not pleased and remonstrated with Mr Hasson, who came over and warned him to move away. The delay did not upset Weir too much and he slotted the spot kick into bottom corner of the net as Leask dived to his right and possibly made the slightest touch.

Academy enjoyed their lead for barely 90 seconds. McBride hoisted the ball high into the Wick area where the bounce deceived keeper More and Johnston raced on to impede More's second attempt to grab the ball nodding it into the net from a couple of yards.

Wick had one last chance to win the game but Leask saved at point blank range from Macadie and Cowie was flagged offside as he pursued the rebound.

Considering the near misses for both teams amid the drama and controversy, a draw was probably a fair result, but a single point is a scant reward for the Broch team's efforts.

Wick Academy: More, Sinclair, Manson, Lamb, Ross, C Shearer, Gunn, Farquhar (Cunningham 76), Weir, Macadie, Cowie (McKiddie 88). Unused subs: MacLeod, G Shearer, Stewart.

Fraserburgh: Leask, Milne, McBride, Dickson (Hale 62), Ralph, Christie, Hay, West, Morrice, Johnston, Stephen. Unused subs: Beagrie, Marchi, Noble, Dickinson.
Referee: J Hasson.