Keith beat Buckie Thistle 3-1 on penalties to progress to the semi-final of the GPH Builders Merchants Highland League Cup.
An absorbing quarter-final tie at Kynoch Park finished 0-0 and in the shoot-out Maroons goalkeeper Craig Reid was the hero, saving two penalties to help his side through.
The draw for the semi-final will take place at GPH in Inverurie next Friday at 3pm.
Early efforts
It was the home side who had the first effort at goal with Lewis Coull’s third minute free-kick from the edge of the area gathered at the second attempt by Thistle goalkeeper Stuart Knight.
The visitors’ first decent attempt was on 11 minutes when Jack Murray rifled narrowly over the crossbar from 30 yards.
At the other end Keith winger Gavin Elphinstone beat Darryl McHardy on the right flank and his tempting cross almost broke for Michael Ironside, but Dale Wood cleared for a corner which came to nothing.
Just after the quarter hour mark, a Kieran Yeats corner broke for Coull, but he defender fired over.
The conditions were such at Kynoch Park that referee Robert Mackinnon stopped the game after 25 minutes to give the players a water break.
As the half hour mark approached Andrew MacAskill weaved his way in from the right flank, but the Buckie’s midfielder’s effort from 20 yards fizzed narrowly off target.
In the 35th minute the Jags almost gifted Keith the lead when Wood’s pass back bobbled beyond Knight but wide of the target. From Yeats’ corner which followed Coull couldn’t get the required purchase on his header.
As half-time approached Thistle threatened again, however, Ryan Fyffe’s shot on the stretched flashed wide.
In first half stoppage time Josh Peters’ cross from the left was parried by Maroons goalkeeper Craig Reid before his defenders managed to crowd out MacAskill and then Jack Murray fired straight at Reid.
Who can get the opener?
In the early stages of the second period Peters sent a snap-shot off target and fired over from 25 yards in quick succession.
Jack MacIver was next to have a go, but Reid was behind his well-struck drive from long range.
Buckie enjoyed the bulk of possession after the restart, but Keith almost had a great opening on 64 minutes.
Ironside and Michael Taylor were left two versus one against Jack Murray, but Ironside’s pass to release his team-mate wasn’t the best and Taylor shot was eventually blocked.
Clear-cut chances were at a premium: Elphinstone dragged a shot well wide from a promising position for Keith, then at the other end Barry did well to wriggle free on the left side of the area but couldn’t hit the target.
With quarter of an hour left Darryl McHardy brought down a MacIver cross but his shot was wayward and didn’t trouble Reid.
On 80 minutes MacAskill’s cross from the right came through to McHardy at the back post, but his close range header was superbly blocked by Reid.
Soon after McHardy had a header held by the home custodian from a MacAskill corner, then MacAskill’s low shot from 18 yards was repelled by Reid.
As the Jags tried to crank up the pressure Murray’s header from another MacAskill corner in the 85th minute landed on the roof of the net, then MacIver shot straight at Reid from just inside the box.
In the 89th minute McHardy had another effort, but his curling shot was straight at Reid, who also held a Murray header in stoppage time.
In the 95th minute McHardy did finally score from a MacAskill ball in behind, but he was flagged offside.
Shoot-out drama
Penalties were needed to split the sides, Peters hit the left post with the Jags’ first, but Elphistone was denied by Knight.
Murray and Liam Cheyne both scored, then MacAskill’s attempt was saved by Reid, Coull scored and then Reid pulled off more heroics down to his right to deny Pugh.
That left Liam Duncan to send Knight the wrong way and win the shoot-out for Keith 3-1.
