His saves helped ensure Buckie Thistle still have a shot at Breedon Highland League glory and Kevin Main hasn’t given up hope of bowing out with his third championship medal.
The Jags goalkeeper is to retire at the end of the season and after helping the Victoria Park side win the title in 2010 and 2011 the 40-year-old could make it a hat-trick.
Buckie need to beat Clachnacuddin at Grant Street Park today and require Forres Mechanics to defeat Fraserburgh.
Main played his part in keeping Thistle’s hopes alive by making a couple of superb saves against Wick Academy on Wednesday.
The Scorries were leading 1-0 and a second goal would have surely have secured victory and ended Buckie’s challenge.
But after Main’s heroics Jack Murray netted a 95th minute equaliser to take the title race to the last day.
Main said: “It’s my job to keep the ball out of the net, that’s what I’m there for.
“We left ourselves open to the counter-attack, but I’ve trained for 20 plus years to make those saves.
“Unfortunately the one mistake we did make Wick scored from.
“Possibly we might look at those saves as being important – but we need a bit of luck and maybe our luck’s run out.
“We need to win and Fraserburgh need to get beat, but anything can happen so we can only try our best and see what happens.
“Fair play to Fraserburgh, everyone has spoken about our run (23 successive wins in the league), but look at theirs.
“They’ve lost twice and drawn twice so if they win it with the amount of points they’ve got then fair play to them they deserve it.”
Jags need some luck
Main appreciates Buckie will require some good fortune to win the title, but he says he won’t be interested in events at Bellslea while the Jags are taking on Clach.
If Buckie don’t win the league and thus don’t go forward into the pyramid play-offs this afternoon’s game will be Main’s last.
He added: “Title-winning sides don’t come along very often, I’ve been lucky enough to be in two.
“To be in a third one I’d be very lucky and it would be brilliant, but we can only hope.
“I’m not really that bothered about the score in Fraserburgh’s game.
“We’ve just got to be professional and worry about ourselves and see what happens.”
Clach won’t roll over
However, Clach boss Jordan MacDonald is determined to make things as difficult as possible for Buckie.
He said: “The records are phenomenal from Fraserburgh and Buckie.
“We know what we are going to be up against. But they will know they are in for a game when they come here, because if we play like we did in the second half (of Wednesday’s 3-3 draw with Forres) we give anyone a game.
“If we play like we did in the first half, Buckie will blow us away.
“We know their threats and what they are good at. It is going to be a tough afternoon, but we believe we can give them a tough afternoon.
“It’s up to us to try and force our game on to them and see where it takes us.”
News from around the Highland League
Elsewhere, third-placed Brechin are buoyed by Michael Cruickshank Kieran Inglis and Seth Patrick signing new contracts ahead of their trip to Lossiemouth, with Ryan Farquhar, Oliver Kelly and Lewis Mcandrew back in contention for the Coasters.
Rothes (sixth) could move to within three points of Formartine United in fifth if they win at North Lodge Park.
Strathspey Thistle and Inverurie Locos conclude their campaigns at Seafield Park and Deveronvale tackle Fort William at Princess Royal Park.
