On the half hour Weir was again in the heart of the action
as he flashed a 20 yard dipping effort just over the top of goal.
A minute later Nairn managed to slid another through ball to
Duncanson who charged into the Academy box but Gray got down well to make a fine
block.
The final 10 minutes of the half was all Academy's. Weir combined
well with Craig Shearer but Shearer couldn't hit the target and fired his
attempt over the cross-bar.
Macadie then floated a great cross into the box right onto
the head of Sam Mackay but his header went straight onto the arms of Donaldson.
Shearer had a fine defensive tackle in the Academy box as
Steven Finn was about to pull the trigger, but Academy finished the half
strongly forcing two corners but they just couldn't convert the pressure into a
goal.
Half Time – Wick Academy 0 – Nairn County 1.
6 minutes into the second half Gary Manson teed up Macadie
but Macadie's right foot shot whistled just wide of the target.
Nairn by this stage were resorting to long balls up-field
and looked content to defend their lead, but on the 70th minute the
Academy support were on their feet when they thought Davie Allan had levelled the
scores, but his attempt had found the side-netting.
Nairn punted another long ball up field and it was held up
well by Gregg Main before David Watson joined the attack and the Academy
faithful sighed in relief as his shot cannoned back off the Academy cross-bar.
The ball fell into the box and in the resulting scramble to clear the danger
Genthins looked to have showed his studs as he charged in on Craig Shearer, and
referee Douglas Ross flashed him a yellow card.
Academy continued to press and Mackay fired a wicked cross
across the face of the Nairn goal but it was cleared for a corner kick.
In the next attack Academy won a free kick 20 yards from
goal. Macadie took it and the ball looked goal-bound but Donaldson somehow got
a hand to the ball and turned it over his cross-bar for a corner kick.
Macadie swung the resulting corner into the box and Nairn
failed to clear the danger and in the resulting melee Craig Shearer looked to
have got the last touch to bundle it over the line, game on!
1 – 1
In the closing stages of normal time both keepers did well
to keep the scores to one each. Michael Gray back pedalled on his line and
plucked the ball out of the air when it looked as if it was going to drop in
from a Duncanson deflected shot, and at the other end Davie Allan looked to
have struck a 25 yard winner but Duncanson was on hand to pull off another
great save to tip the ball over the cross-bar.
The final attack of normal time saw Grant Steven make a lung
bursting drive from his own half and he went all the way into the Nairn box but
couldn't connect properly with his shot and scuffed it into the welcoming arms
of keeper Duncanson.
Full Time – Wick Academy 1 – Nairn County 1
So into extra time and Mackay hit the Nairn bye-line and
fired the ball back across goal but there were no takers in a black and white
shirt to turn the ball home.
In the next attack Macadie crossed the ball to the feet of
Weir with his back to goal in the middle of the Nairn box. He managed to turn
and get a shot in but it went over the top of goal.
Nairn's winner came with 102 minutes played. Gethins slid a
perfect pass to substitute John Cameron. The Wick defence gave him half a yard
and he swivelled on the ball and side-footed home from 8 yards out.
1 – 2
The first period of extra time ended with Weir rising
highest for a crossed ball in the Nairn box but he couldn't direct his header on target.
Half Time Extra Time – Wick Academy 1 – Nairn County 2
With both sides running on fumes chances in the final period
of play were few and far between. Michael Steven made a great defensive block
to deflect a Duncanson shot for a corner, but Weir almost grabbed the equaliser
with only 2 minutes left to play. Macadie worked himself to the right hand edge
of the Nairn box and hammered the ball low across the face of goal. Weir got a
foot to it but it looked to have taken a bobble just as he struck it and from 5
yards out the ball smoked over the top of the empty target.
Full Time Extra Time – Wick Academy 1 – Nairn County 2
