Academy were playing the better football at this stage and they launched another
attack. Gunn chipped the ball over the top of the Thurso defence and Macadie
managed to latch onto the end of hit but he fired his shot straight at Gray.
Thurso had their first real attempt on target with 19
minutes played. Monkman played in Jamie MacKenzie and he got his shot on target
but Bokas managed to beat it out.
Thurso began to settle into the game and launched another
attack up-field. This time MacDougal swung a perfect cross into the middle of
the Academy box and Bokas did well to stretch to the ball and pinch it off the
head of Monkman.
The play started to open up and Academy were next to
threaten. Good link up play between Manson and Cunningham who squared the ball
for Weir in the box but he couldn't keep his over-head kick down and it sailed
over the cross-bar.
At the other end Martin Sutherland made a good run up the
wing breaking Academy tackles before crossing to Monkman but he directed his
header straight at Bokas.
Academy broke the dead-lock with 28 minutes played. Macadie slid the ball down the right flank for
Cunningham to chase. He gathered the ball and cut inside his defender before
driving the ball across goal for Weir to slide in and send it over the line.
0 – 1
Bad news however for the Harmsworth faithful 2 minutes later
when live-wire David Allan looked to have pulled a ham-string and he was
replaced by Bryan McKiddie.
Academy doubled their lead seconds after making the
substitution. Shearer slid the pass through the middle of the Vikings defence
for Cunningham who sipped over two tackles and fired home past an out-stretched
Gray.
0 – 2
So 2 up and almost half-time, but the Vikings pulled
themselves straight back into the game. They won a corner on the right which
lead to a scramble in the Academy box before Andrew Bremner made contact with
the ball and poked it home.
1 – 2
Half Time 1 – 2
6 minutes into the re-start Academy pressed the Thurso
defence and Manson won the ball, played a neat one-two with Macadie and he
rifled a shot on target that Gray looked to get finger tips to sending it round
the post.
At the other end Alan Farquhar made a great defensive tackle
in the box timing his challenge to perfection and clearing the ball from the
feet of Monkman.
End to end stuff now as Thurso started to really settle on
the ball. Wann broke up-field and squared to Nichol but the ex-Academy striker
shot high of target.
In the next attack the Thurso defence cleared a long ball
out of defence which fell to Martin Gunn on the volley 25 yards from goal but
he held his head in his hands as his thunder-bolt shot flew just wide of Gray's
right hand post.
Substitute MacKiddie was next in of the act when he picked
the ball up in the middle of the Thurso box but the ball got caught up under
his feet and he scuffed his shot straight into the arms of Gray.
Thurso sensed they could still take something out of the
game and were having a real go by this stage. Manson broke up a Thurso attack
on the left wing but conceded a free-kick in the process. MacDougal fired the free-kick into the Academy
box Mark Nichol managed to get a swing
at it and it seemed to take a deflection and looped high into the air and over
the top of a back-pedalling Bokas and into the net to give the Vikings a well
deserver equaliser.
2 – 2
In the last action of the half MacDougal put his lacers through a 35 yard shot that skipped off the wet surface in front of Bokas but the Academy keeped did well to get his body behind it and gather it safely.
Full Time 2 – 2
With no
extra time in the competition it went straight to penalty kicks.
The tale of the spot kicks went as follows:
1. Thurso – James Murray – Bokas saved.
2. Wick – Gary Weir – Scored.
3. Thurso – Mark Nichol – Scored.
4. Wick – Martin Gunn – missed – shot wide of target.
5. Thurso – Wayne Monkman – Scored.
6. Wick – Bryan McKiddie – Scored.
7. Thurso – Andrew Bremner – Scored.
8. Wick – Gary Manson – Scored.
9. Thurso – Blair MacIntosh – Scored.
10. Wick – Richard Macadie – Scored.
So 4 – 4 and sudden death.
11. Thurso – Jamie MacKenzie – Missed – shot high over the net.
12. Wick – Alan Farquhar – Scored – to win the game for Academy.
Score after penalties – Thurso 4 – Academy 5
The win sets up up an incredible fourth successive
North of Scotland Cup semi final clash with Inverness CT. We have lost all
three of our previous semis with ICT so are hoping for a change in fortune this
time around.
The tie is scheduled to be played in Inverness on the 24th or 25th of August.
Pictures from the game can be viewed in the WAFC photo gallery.
