Huntly put their 10-0 midweek Highland League thrashing by Formartine behind them by holding Buckie Thistle to a goalless draw at Christie Park.
It was only the second clean sheet for the Black and Golds in league matches this season, with assistant manager Mark Gray claiming they could have taken more than a point from the fixture but for poor finishing.
Gray said: “We created a number of chances but were not clinical enough in the last third and that’s something we need to correct. We had some half chances in the second half, Marek Madle had a good one on the turn and Pawel Nowacki had one past the post but the most clear cut came from Craig Dorrat when he opted to take it on his left foot instead of his right and it was a real sitter.”
There was an early let-off for the visitors after only nine minutes when Buckie goalkeeper Kevin Main let a pass back trickle by him before the ball struck off his near post – Huntly claims the ball had crossed the line had merit but were turned down by the officials.
A timely interception from Huntly defender Michael Hart denied Lewis MacKinnon and at the start of the second half Buckie’s Darren Wood headed over from a Shaun Carrol corner while Huntly’s Pawel Nowacki drilled wide of the post minutes later.
Buckie’s Liam Baxter went down inside the penalty area under a challenge from Grant Campbell and with the former Brora player expecting a penalty he was cautioned for simulation by referee Craig Sim.
Baxter would only last 15 minutes on the park when he was shown his second yellow card following a late challenge on Grant Campbell and was reported for comments made to the official on leaving the pitch.
Buckie have now failed to win in their last four league matches and manager Gary Hake said: “In the first half we were poor. Huntly were the better team, there was more urgency about them.
“We had a few words at half-time and looked better.”