When I was given the opportunity to cover the match report for David Fasken, I was delighted for several reasons, including the fact that it would mean I would be watching the full 90 minutes as I generally miss the bulk of the opening period working on the Harlaw Park turnstiles!
Like most Locos fans I was unsure of what to expect on Saturday with our form thus far being a mixed bag. A narrow defeat to title challengers Cove in midweek followed a ruthless display at Mosset Park on the previous Saturday.
It was a day for either being under the cover of the Eddie Innes Main Stand or the Foxlane Terrace, however one group of Locos diehards stuck to their ritual of watching the game from behind the opposition goal. The Chuff-Chuffs braced the stormy conditions equipped with their black Locos ponchos, and as always provided the musical backdrop to our games.
The match started in a very disappointing fashion, with Locos conceding to Wick after only seven minutes, failing to play the whistle with the assistant flagging for offside in error, leaving Sam Mackay with a simple goal.
The home side then failed to clear their lines, allowing Mackay to complete his brace four minutes later.
A troubling statistic from the first half is that we never managed a single attempt upon the Wick goal, and in truth barely left our own half. I hoped, like in many of our fixtures this season when we have lost the first goal, that we would rally and get more into the contest.
The second period of play continued in the same manner as the first, with Wick firmly on top, however the eventual introduction of Joe McCabe, who has been in great form this term, and the skilled David Ross returning from injury, gave Locos fans some optimism, but Wick continued to dominate and control the game.
The winning margin could have been far greater but the visitors were understandably content to protect their early advantage. Academy have played far better in the Garioch with no reward. Martin Bavidge’s absence was a major factor in this game but so too was our inability to get forward quickly and in numbers. Twice in the second half we took 15 passes or more to cross the halfway line.
This was a disappointing result, leaving us in 10th place, however it is important to remember this is a very youthful group of Locos players who are always improving and despite the up and down nature of the season so far we can kick on and still finish well up the league, and enjoy success in the cups.