New Wick Academy goalkeeper Graeme Williamson wants to grasp his Highland League chance with two hands.
Williamson has long been on the radar of the Caithness club and has deputised on three occasions as a trialist when they have been short of a goalkeeper.
With Sean McCarthy’s departure to Rothes this summer, Wick boss Gary Manson called on Williamson – a regular with Wick Groats in the amateur leagues and most recently with Golspie Sutherland in the North Caledonian League.
The 30-year-old electrician played twice in 2007 as a trialist and once in 2015, before making his first start as a signed player in the 3-2 defeat to Buckie Thistle last Saturday.
He said: “I was delighted when Gary gave me a shout to come back training. I’ve helped them out a couple of times and trained with them on and off over the past 10 years.
Thank you for your support today, it is very much appreciated. Fantastic to see football being played again at Harmsworth Park with fans present.
— Wick Academy FC (@WickAcademyFC) November 28, 2020
“A lot of the time, playing for North Caledonian teams, there’s no specific goalkeeper training, whereas Wick have that. I’ve done that and they’ve given me a shout if they needed helping out.
“It’s good for myself as I want to prove to myself I can play at this level. Knowing a few of the boys has helped me settle in and I’ve played with a couple of the newer boys as well.
“It’s definitely a step up. You can tell Gary puts a lot of time and effort into it – he’s very dedicated and hopefully we can get some results for him.”
Fans were welcomed back to Harmsworth Park last weekend for the Buckie game and a capacity crowd is expected tomorrow, with Wick making their shortest away trip of the season for the north derby at Brora Rangers.
Williamson added: “It’s a massive game, being against Brora, and hopefully we can acquit ourselves well and get a result.
“It makes a huge difference to have fans coming in. It’s always better to play in front of a decent crowd. I think we sold out all our tickets last weekend, which is a good turnout from the Wick fans.”
Wick are one of the clubs most impacted by the regulations preventing players having showers after games, given the long distances they have to travel for away games.
Their final four away games of the season are at Formartine, Turriff, Inverurie and Fort William – significant journeys from the far north of Scotland.
Williamson added: “It’s not ideal but I think the boys are just happy to get the chance to play a game of football. We’ll just have to deal with it as best we can.
“There’s not ideal circumstances all round just now, but I’m just happy to be able to play.”