Huntly cruised past Keith at Kynoch Park to leapfrog Deveronvale and Strathspey Thistle into 13th place in the Highland League table.
On another day, Huntly centre forward David Booth, the man of the match, could have had a hat-trick but he saw one effort come back off the upright and another headed off the line.
Booth said: “I think I was unfortunate with the one that came off the inside of the post but I am making no excuses for the one cleared off the line, I should really have finished that one.
“The main thing was to get a win and we have managed to do that. The three goals we scored in the first half virtually ended the game as a contest, when they started the game well and I was a bit worried as we had a game on Wednesday night and we had a few heavy legs. But we took control after that and the game was more or less over at 3-0 at half-time.”
The Maroons were still without influential central defender Michael Dunn, who has a knee injury, while Huntly dropped forward James Duguid to the bench with former Keith favourite Dean Donaldson taking his place up top.
In the first minute Keith had a half-chance but Stuart Massie couldn’t get much pace on the ball and Fraser Hobday in the Huntly goal gathered with ease.
The visitors took the lead in the fifth minute. Booth’s long cross-field ball eluded Keith defender Bruce Milne and found Craig Dorrat on the left. He cut in and drove the ball low past Daniel Bell from 10 yards.
Five minutes later the Maroons should have been level but Craig Cormack’s well-struck point-blank effort was brilliantly parried by Hobday.
On the quarter-hour mark Huntly doubled their advantage when John Urquhart’s corner kick picked out the unmarked Mark Lawson, and the centre half headed home from three yards out.
In the 21st minute Keith had loud claims for a penalty kick turned down when the ball struck John Urquhart on the area around the chest and the shoulder blade but referee Dan McFarlane turned down Keith’s protests.
Huntly continued to press and their endeavour was rewarded in the 33rd minute when Dean Donaldson gathered the ball 30 yards out, strode forward and unleashed a great shot which, although Bell got a hand to the ball, hurtled past him into the back of the net from 22 yards, Huntly’s third shot on target producing their third goal.
Seven minutes after the break Bell distinguished himself when he turned a net-bound Neal Allan effort round the post for a fruitless corner kick.
Huntly almost made it 4-0 in the 55th minute but Booth’s grounder came back off the inside of the post into goalkeeper Bell’s grateful hands.
Booth’s luck was out again in the 66th minute when his net-bound header was cleared off the line by Keith’s Ryan Stewart. Shortly after Hobday in the Huntly goal did well to turn a crisp 20-yarder from Keith substitute Richard Henderson around the post. Alex Thoirs added a fourth for Huntly in the 61st minute. With eight minutes left Booth got the reward for all his efforts when he sprinted clear and beat Bell with a 12-yard angled drive into the far corner of the net.
In the last minute Keith grabbed a consolation when Stewart headed home.
Keith forward Kris Duncan said: “We started the game well but the first goal was always going to be crucial and, unfortunately, they got it. We now need to put this defeat behind us and look forward to the game against Strathspey Thistle on Wednesday night.”