THERE was no room for sentiment at Crabtree Park as long-time Wick servant John Suter led a wasteful YM to a comfortable victory over his struggling old team.
Suter spent 23 years at Wick, both as a player and manager, and how the former striker must have wanted, to pull on his boots, in front of the clubhouse that he helped build, and show his team how to put the ball away. He netted a staggering 600 goals in his time at the club.
We did have a lot of chances to score," admitted Suter, who was named as number-seven in the match-day programme. "We were not very clinical but four goals away from home is good enough."
Nick Flint is showing an improvement in form following a lengthy goal drought after his ten-goal contribution in the 22-1 drubbing of Littlehampton in October. His two excellent goals made it four front his last three games. "He took his goals well but he wasted other chances. He's a frustrating player but I'd rather have him than not have him'" said
Surer, who is still a vice president at Wick.
But there were a number of good performances from the visitors — Mart Dttffleld capped a busy game with a neat second, half finish, fellow mid-fielder Joel O'Hara netted a collector's item with his right foot and Mark Francis provided three assists.
Wick managed two late goals but the scoreline was a little flattering to the hosts who were always in with a shout as YM continued to squander good openings.
On a grey afternoon, YM's Phil Fitzgerald had the game's first chance when he wrapped his right foot around a volley from the edge of the box that was well gathered by Ben Counsel.
The Wick cheerleaders, "The Wicketts", were trooping around the ground singing "YMCA, you're gonna lose today," but Paul Channan nearly forced the young pom-pom shaking girls into a rethink when he put an effort over the bar from Mark Francis' flick-on.
Fitzgerald was getting forward whenever possible and a deflected shot, off Adam Stallard, had Counsel scrambling across' his sodden goalmouth to smother the loose ball.
It was the visitors who were making all the running and YM skipper Mart Duffield nearly made Counsell pay for a poor clearance but his overhit lob drifted into the trees behind the goal as the Wick keeper struggled to get hack.
However, it was Wick's lively striker Paul Morby who came closest to breaking the deadlock, hitting the outside of the post when clean through after riding Scott Langridge's challenge.
"The first five minutes were bad for us because we were dominant and could have scored two," mused Suter "We then took our foot off the pedal
and that led to them having that chance to score. That was a good chance, they could have been one up.
flint responded with some typically fancy footwork but he pulled his shot wide of the far post after he had left three Wick players in his wake after a slick turn.
The rain, which had reared its head before kick. off, came back in full force midway through the half and most of the 10 spectators headed off towards the small, cramped but dry stand opposite the dugouts.
Puddles turned into small ponds and the mud turned to sludge yet the Wick pitch, which used to be a donkey field until it was bought by the club for £240 in 1972, held up well despite the heavy rain.
Both sets of players were relishing the greasy surface, particularly Fitzgerald, Langridge and O'Harn, who took great delight in dumping their opponents in the mud at every available opportunity.
YM's pristine white shirts were gradually turning an ugly shade of brown as the tackles flew in but Counsell kept his head to tip over Eitzgerald's corner that was curlingin.
The half was drifting towards a goalless finish until flint capitalised on some slack defending in the 42nd minute 'to give YM a deserved lead. Francis's through ball should have been dealt with hut rolled under the last defender's foot to Flint who took his time, cut inside and then unleashed a fearsome drive into the far corner from the edge of the box.
The second half began at a frantic pace with YM keeper Jason Dumbrill, a virtual spectator during the first period, saving low before Duffleld broke down the line and squared the ball to Dean Carden
who forced Counsell to save by his feet.
The weather was improving and so was the football. In the 58th minute, Francis shot straight at Counsell from a tight angle after flint had laid the ball through to his strike partner.
Duffield put YM 2-0 up four minutes later, cutting inside a defender before coolly slotting home from just inside the box after Francis had rolled the ball square to the skipper rather than shooting himself.
Dumbrill, whose wife Emma gave birth to their first child Joshua - last week showed no ill-effects of any late night nappy changing, blocking Tom Gomez's shot as Wick tried to find a way back into the game.
Gomez's miss was minutes later eclipsed by Mark Price, Wick's mouthy and annoying forward, who cleared the bar from six yards as the goal lay at his mercy.
The hosts were left to rue those missed chances, when O'Hara swept home substitute Paul Young's square ball with his right foot for goal number three.
Price made up for his earlier miss by heading a corner past the diving Dumbrill to give Wick a small glimmer of hope.
But Flint closed the door on the hosts, casually lobbing Counsell after Francis' through ball had played him through the middle of the sieve-like Wick defence.
It was game over, but there was still time for the goal of the game as Stallard curled an unstoppable free-kick over the three-man wall and into the top-corner.
Match Report