Buckie Thistle make it 22 Highland League wins in a row with a 2-0 success at Forres Mechanics

Forres Mechanics 0 Buckie Thistle 2

Buckie Thistle clocked up their 22nd Highland League win in a row but still trail leaders Fraserburgh with three games to go.

Jags kept up their sensational sequence of victories with a 2-0 success at Forres Mechanics.

Meanwhile Broch overcame the scare of going behind to Strathspey Thistle by hitting back for a 4-2 success in Grantown.

Jags overcame an early fright themselves at Mosset Park when Forres’ on-loan ICT youngster Ben Barron fired a low drive off the post with a minute on the clock.

Thomas Brady then fired over from distance as Mechanics continued to press, but their fire was extinguished when Buckie opened the scoring with their first telling attack.

Andy MacAskill was afforded space to curl in a drive from 25 yards which Stuart Knight parried low to his right but Kyle MacLeod pounced for his fourth goal in three games on the rebound - five minutes on the clock.

MacAskill wasn’t far away from a second from distance and with Jags tails up, Forres were looking to survive a spell of pressure.

A flurry of setpieces endangered the home goal but Jack Murray saw an effort blocked while Lewis Mackinnon’s free kick lacked the power to beat Knight.

Kevin Main in the Buckie goal was only called upon after half an hour to comfortably deal with Paul Brindle’s attempted lob.

Just as Forres looked to have survived further damage until half time, a moment of controversy put them on the back foot.

MacAskill’s free kick from the right was missed by Murray and Sam Morrison but Mackinnon was lurking in the six-yard box to slide in and score, looking suspiciously offside in the process.

Forres assistant Steven MacLean was yellow carded for his protests, a real hammer blow to the Cans on the break.

A further setback arrived for Forres early in the second half when skipper Martin Groat was forced off injured to be replaced by Cammy Hoath.

Forres gave as good as they got after the break against a Jags side not at their best.

Lee Fraser should have buried a back post header from a Kane Davies cross on 64 minutes but knocked it over the target.

Then the same two combined on 77 minutes to put Fraser in on the left side of the box and his firm strike drew a touch from keeper Main to turn the ball onto the post and back into the Buckie number one’s arms.

Three minutes later Davies was given a clean sight of goal by some slack Jags defending but his snapshot was superbly saved by Main with his legs.

Main also blocked a Brindle effort late on as Forres refused to give in.

Not a classic Buckie performance by any stretch of the imagination but the winning run keeps running into Saturday’s home game against Strathspey Thistle - while Fraserburgh visit Rothes.

Forres: Knight; Grant, R.Fraser, G.Fraser, Brady; Johnston, Groat (Hoath 54), Davies (Morrison 81), Barron (Macphee 81), Brindle; L.Fraser.

Subs: Paterson, Loveland.

Buckie: Main; Morrison, Murray, Mackinnon, McLauchlan; Pugh, MacAskill, Barry; MacLeod, Goodall (Cowie 64), Urquhart (Adams 77).

Subs: Munro, Wood, Fraser, Herbert.

Ref: K.Buchanan