Wick Academy defeated Rothes FC 5-1 in a game which was delayed by an hour after the Speysiders’ team bus broke down on the trip north to Harmsworth Park.
Every goal came in the second half, and Marc Macgregor made sure that their travel woes were the least of the visitors’ worries with a hat-trick in the space of 13 minutes.
A closely contested first half kicked off at 4pm, during which both sides had opportunities to open scoring.
In the 26th minute, Wick attacker Steven Anderson volleyed his shot just off target.
Two minutes later, Rothes midfielder Craig Cormack saw his strike rebound off the post after the Scorries failed to effectively clear a corner.
Wick Academy took the lead only two minutes into the second half, when Marc Macgregor scored following a free kick into the Rothes box.
Macgregor netted again with 54 minutes gone, after a shot was deflected into his path and he volleyed the ball low into the net from just inside the box.
And the attacker scored his third with a perfectly placed strike from the edge of the box with 60 minutes played.
Rothes threatened to make a comeback when Bruce Milne scored in 72 minutes, but Wick put the game beyond doubt when Gordon McNab made it 4-1 in the 77th minute.
Ross Allan sealed victory for the Scorries by sending a free kick high into the net in the 84th minute.
