Forres Mech 2
Wick Academy 1
League

Match Report

Academy will feel very hard done-by today coming away from Mosset Park with nothing to show for their hard work and endeavour in a game that they battled well in. The major taking point of the game centred around the mystifying decision by referee Douglas Ross not to send off the Forres keeper Stuart Knight when he came out of his box and blocked a Gary Weir lob with his hands. Knight looked resigned to walking off, but referee Ross only produced a yellow card for the offence, and Weir was also booked for his protests.

Davie Kirkwood stated after the game "I have not seen a decision like it in my 20 years of football".

Even the Forres camp were baffled by the decision. Charlie Rowley said "As regards the Stuart Knight handling incident, I am bemused by the Ref(Douglas Ross)'s decision. I'd be aggrieved if I was Wick manager".

Alan Bokas was the first of the two keepers to be called into action when in the 3rd minute he did well to tip a Kevin Duguid effort over the top of his cross-bar.

Forres opened the scoring with a quarter hour on the clock. Lee Fraser was fed into the left hand side of the area and he drove his shot across Bokas and into the corner of the net.

1 - 0

Academy responded in typical fashion by going straight up-field from the re-start. Weir slipped the ball to the feet of Cunningham and he got a shot on target by Knight made a good block.

With 23 minutes played the fire-works kicked off when Weir broke the off-side trap and marched towards goal. Knight came tearing off his line and met him face on 4 yards outside his box and as Weir tried a dink over his head Knight raised his hands and blocked the ball. Knight's body language said it all as he started to walk off, but referee Ross produced only a yellow card. Forres had no substitute keeper on the bench and were already starting to work out how they were going to juggle their pack, and must have thought it was Christmas as they witnessed the reprieve.

Academy went into the half time break only a goal down courtesy of the cross-bar as a Scott Moore drive smacked off the underside of it and Bokas collected the follow-up header from Lee Fraser.

Half Time 1 - 0

In the 53rd minute Academy again felt aggrieved as referee Ross awarded the home side a penalty kick. Simon Allan took it but Bokas made a fine save before the ball was thumped away for a throw-in. The throw-in was taken long and Neil Whyte managed to get his head to it and sent a looping header into the top right hand corner of the net.

2 - 0

So game over, not a chance! Within two minutes Academy puled a goal back. Weir found himself a half yard inside the Forres box and he fired a shot on target that Knight parried out, but Cunningham was the first to react and snap up the loose ball to fire home his 6th league goal of the season from close range.

2 - 1

Unfortunately the Scorries couldn't muster up another, indeed it was Forres who came closest to increasing their lead in the 78th minute when Lee Fraser somehow managed to barge his way through the Academy back-line but Bokas made a fine block with his feet.

Full time 2 - 1

Match report written by John Briskham