Nil-nil at half-time in many ways
seemed like a win with an excellent first-half performance from the Academy
team under a lot of pressure from the home side who were determined to break
through and over-take Academy in the league table.
Half-Time – Turriff United 0 – Wick
Academy 0
Turriff made a change at the start
of the second half with Nikolas Wozniak coming on for Robert Allan and he was
soon involved in the action as within a couple of minutes Danny McCarthy did
well to stick out his left foot and block his shot that looked goal-bound.
Turriff continued to be on top for
long spells during this time they won four corners but they were dealt with by
the Academy defence, Aiden Reid in particular frequently jumped above the rest
to head the ball clear.
After 69 minutes Allen MacKenzie
sent in a swerving left foot shot and McCarthy dived down low to his right to
hold the ball at the base of the post.
The break-through came on 70
minutes. The ball was crossed from the Turriff right by MacKenzie and it rolled
across the goal-mouth among a crowd of players and it reached David Ross at the
back stick and after a scramble the ball went in just inside the post. A rather
scrappy goal but they all count. There was some doubt as to who got the last
touch with a possible hint it an own-goal, but Ross claimed it.
1 – 0
Academy were under the cosh for
spell after that and survived a shot that rebounded off the post and then
another one that rattled off the cross-bar.
Academy however were not finished
and they broke forward on 85 minutes, Weir attacking up the inside left
channel. He was fouled just outside the box. James Pickles fired in the free-kick
but the Turriff wall did its job and the ball was deflected away to the left.
Academy recovered it and Weir attacked again, this time on the right and he cut
in but fired his shot high from a narrow angle.
Up the other end the home side had
a close range effort from Wozniak was somehow scrambled over the cross-bar by
McCarthy.
Into stoppage time and Academy
almost grabbed an equalizer, Anderson was sent clear through the middle and
fired in a great shot that looked as if it would sneak inside the post but Main
pulled off a spectacular save diving to his left.
So no goals, no points but a
performance that Academy can be proud of given the circumstances and on a
different day one or two of their chances might have gone in and the result may
have be different.
Full-Time – Turriff United 1 – Wick
Academy 0
