Buckie Thistle edged out Fraserburgh on penalties to reach the semi-finals of the Highland League Cup.
After 120 minutes at Victoria Park the sides couldn’t be separated with Lee Herbert’s save from Kieran Simpson decisive in the shoot-out as the nine other penalties were converted.
In a frenetic opening period the first decent chance fell to Fraserburgh after 10 minutes.
Ryan Cowie’s searching ball down the left flank put Paul Campbell in behind, but the striker’s angled shot was straight at Jags goalkeeper Lee Herbert.
At the other end Scott Adams’ effort from Sam Urquhart’s cutback was hacked clear by Willie West.
West was required again moments later to turn away another tempting cross from the left side by Urquhart.
Buckie keeper Herbert made a crucial intervention shortly before the half hour mark when clearing with his feet after a free-kick from opposite number Paul Leask bounced right through towards goal.
The closest either side came in the first half was in the 35th minute.
Cowie’s corner on the right was worked back out to him and from Cowie’s second delivery Paul Campbell’s glancing header hit the base of the left post and bounced into Herbert’s hands.
Buckie responded with a Kyle Macleod header from Andrew MacAskill’s corner cleared off the line and then keeper Leask did well to turn away a cross-cum-shot from Jack Murray that was dropping into the net.
Both defences performed well in a compelling first period to limit clear-cut opportunities.
The second half started at a ferocious tempo as both sides looked to make the decisive breakthrough.
The Broch threatened four minutes after the restart with Paul Campbell testing Herbert with a header from a Ross Willox cross.
Following that chance Buckie enjoyed a good spell with Adams’ speculative effort from 25 yards dropping just wide.
On 56 minutes Joe McCabe’s cross from the right was headed across goal by Murray and Macleod’s acrobatic attempt was blocked at close quarters.
Murray was next to try his luck with a free-kick from the right side which drifted beyond the far post.
Fraserburgh showed promise again in the 65th minute when Cowie and Scott Barbour took a quick free-kick.
The latter eventually laid the ball off to Owen Cairns and his shot from 15 yards fizzed narrowly wide.
With 11 minutes left the visitors had a strong penalty shout turned down by referee Filippo Mazzoni when Barbour went down under Hamish Munro’s challenge, but despite both sides’ best efforts extra time was required.
In 100th minute Buckie took the lead when substitute Callum Murray raced in behind and finished from the edge of the area.
But Fraserburgh levelled two minutes later when Cowie’s free-kick from the left was forced home by West, before Buckie triumphed in the shoot-out.
