Three goals in 18 first half minutes helped Fraserburgh on their way to a comfortable 5-0 win over Wick Academy at Bellslea.
The win keeps Broch a point clear of Buckie at the top, with just four games remaining of a pulsating title race.
Fraserburgh manager Mark Cowie was delighted to record another clean sheet.
He said: “I thought we controlled the game, but the longer it went on, you noticed how hard a game they’ve had on Wednesday night.
“We took the game to Wick and got the early goals. In the second half I think it was just a case of getting through it.
“Our quality dropped for a 20-minute spell, but we’ve scored five goals and that’s six clean sheets in a row. Bryan Hay and Kieran Simpson were immense at the back.”
On an impressive first half from Ryan Sargent, Cowie added: “We’ve had Ryan around the first team for a couple of years now and I’ve always known there’s something there, it’s just getting it out of him consistently.
“He’s shown over the last five or six games why we’ve got him in there. He’s a very talented lad, as is Logan Watt.”
Kieran Simpson put the home side ahead in the 15th minute, rising highest to meet Lewis Duncan’s cross from the right to power a header in off the crossbar from six yards.
Logan Watt made it two just three minutes later, rifling a volley beyond Graeme Williamson from 15 yards after Scott Barbour and Sean Butcher had shots blocked.
Williamson then made a great save from Barbour’s half volley in the 32nd minute, but a minute later Butcher slammed home from close range after Williamson tipped Sargent’s header onto the crossbar.
Number four came with ten minutes to go, sub Paul Campbell picking out Butcher in space and he slammed the ball low into the net from 18 yards.
Campbell completed the scoring late on by firing home a lovely flick from Barbour from eight yards.
Wick boss Gary Manson bemoaned his side’s poor first half display.
He said: “In the first half we were bullied all over the park and conceded chance after chance.
“I said to them at half time that it can go one of two ways, you need to show a bit more fight and conviction in both boxes.
“To be fair to them they did that, and the second half I felt was a lot more even.
“Coming here with the bare bones is difficult against a good team who are top of the league for a reason.”
Inverurie Locos 2-0 Fort William
Playing their penultimate home game of the season, Inverurie Locos laboured to an unconvincing home win against Fort William.
The 2-0 defeat was made worse for Fort when the sides closest to them in the Breedon Highland League – Turriff United and Strathspey Thistle – both won, leaving the Claggan Park men 13 points adrift.
From a home perspective Locos boss Richard Hastings was far from satisfied with the performance but accepted the final outcome.
He said: “We didn’t do enough right in the first half, there were chances there for Fort William due to what appeared to be our lack of desire.
“I had to say it as it was at the break because it simply wasn’t good enough going by the standards we’ve set.
“It’s really frustrating as a manager to see that drop but we had more intent in the second half.
“I’m always as realistic as I can be, we got a win and clean sheet which we haven’t had in a long time but once again we’ve had to rely on set pieces.
“A sign of a good team is one that creates chances in open play. Granted we did create chances but only after we got our noses in front.”
Home goalkeeper Andy Reid made a great double save from Yves Zama early on while right on half time Abdullah Ahmed should have scored when right in on goal but he hit the crossbar.
Locos also struck woodwork in the 72nd minute through Robert Ward.
Two minutes later they finally went ahead when a free kick on the left from Callum Dingwall was knocked home at the back post by Ryan Broadhurst.
Soon after, a sublime left foot curling free kick from Neil McLean was met by Kieran Shanks who powered home a downward header to complete the scoring.
Fort boss Shadab Iftikhar was far from downbeat after the final whistle.
He said: “I thought we were the better team.
“We played brilliantly and how we came away with no points is unbelievable.
“We created lots of chances and controlled the game but just couldn’t get the goals.
“The scores from elsewhere don’t deflate us, after a performance like that we look forward to our game at Keith on Wednesday.”
Keith 0-0 Huntly
As expected this was always going to be a closely fought affair between the two local rivals close together in the league table and so it turned out with a goalless draw.
Although there were several goalscoring opportunities at both ends neither side could quite get the finishing touch.
Keith manager Craig Ewen said: “The game was a very fiercely competitive local derby. We played quite well in the first half and arguably could have been ahead at half-time, but Huntly probably shaded the second half.
“Over the piece a draw was right, there wasn’t that bit of individual quality to unlock the door.”
The best goalscoring chances in the first half came when Brodie Allan fired inches wide for Huntly and Przemyslaw Nawrocki did likewise at the other end for the Maroons.
James Brownie saw his shot blocked by Keith Robertshaw two minutes from half-time.
Huntly appeared to gain the upper hand in the second period without finding the back of the net.
A superb last ditch tackle from Rhys Thomas thwarted Andrew Hunter in the 63rd minute, whilst at the other end a Brownie header was cleared off the line by Alexander Thoirs. With five minutes remaining a superb save by Keith’s Balint Demus saw him tip over a Fergus Alberts effort heading for the roof of the net.
Huntly manager Allan Hale said: “Quality-wise it was probably one of the worst games I’ve been involved in.
“The surface and the dry weather maybe didn’t allow that to happen.
“I didn’t think there was much between the teams, but if anything we had the more clear-cut chances. A point is probably a fair reward at the end of the day.”
