Wick Academy manager Gary Manson is eager to make a strong return to Highland League action this weekend.
The Scorries make the trip to Huntly on Saturday, in their first league outing since their 2-1 victory over Deveronvale on November 5.
Wick were back in action on Saturday, when they were defeated 6-0 by Falkirk in a Scottish Cup tie.
With Wick sitting 12th in the league, Manson is determined to kick start a run of form.
Manson said: “Although our last league game was three weeks ago, we managed to get a good win against Deveronvale.
“We will be looking to build on that on Saturday.
“The Scottish Cup is over for another year now, so we just need to get back to league business and hopefully we can kick on.”
Encouragement to take despite heavy loss to Bairns
Wick welcomed a bumper four-figure crowd to Harmsworth Park for the visit of League One side Falkirk.
Although the Scorries held firm in the opening stages, the Bairns opened the scoring five minutes before half-time before going on to triumph comfortably after the break.
Despite the heavy scoreline, Manson took encouragement from the way his side competed against full-time opponents.
He added: “It’s been a while since we have had a crowd that size at Harmsworth Park. It was good to see that back again.
“I don’t think the fans can be disappointed with the effort the guys put in.
“They knew fine it was going to be difficult, and we were going to be up against it.
“Falkirk are a full-time team up near the top of League One, so it was never going to be a straightforward game for us.
“I think the fans would have gone home knowing we put in as good a shift as we possibly could.
“We didn’t hold anything back.
“Our boys will always put 100% effort in.
“It’s a tough surface that’s difficult to play football on, so nobody is going to play one-touch, nice football. You need to put maximum effort you can to get anything from the game.
“The boys will always do that. It was pleasing that the fitness levels were good against full-time opposition. I didn’t think we looked out of place on that front, but their quality told in the end.”
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