Breedon Highland League title-hopefuls Buckie Thistle drew 1-1 at home to Rothes to go nine points clear at the top of the division.
However, with rivals Brechin City again out of action, due to a waterlogged pitch at Keith, Graeme Stewart’s side will be left kicking themselves they didn’t take the opportunity to go 11 points clear and pile more pressure on the Hedgemen – who now have four games in hand on the Jags.
Kevin Main, who retired in the summer, was a surprise inclusion among the Buckie substitutes. Number one goalkeeper Balint Demus has been recalled by Cove Rangers, at least temporarily, so Lee Herbert was named in the starting line-up to face Rothes, with Main serving as back-up.
Captain Kevin Fraser was also named on the bench for Buckie as he continues his comeback from a groin injury.
In the opening minutes, Rothes’ Alan Pollock and the Jags’ Jack Murray both almost got their heads to tantalising crosses.
On 17 minutes, a short Buckie corner from the right allowed Max Barry to tee up Andy Macaskill inside the Rothes area. However, Macaskill scuffed his shot badly from 10 yards while aiming for the far corner, and it went out for a throw-in on the far side.
The home side had looked slightly uncertain in the early exchanges, almost letting Rothes in on a couple of occasions, but they had found an element of control by the 25th minute, when they almost took the lead in bizarre circumstances.
After a one-two between Max Barry and Macaskill on the edge of the Rothes box, what looked like an attempt to flick the ball over the Speysiders’ defence from the latter instead looped off his boot and came down on to Sean McCarthy’s crossbar.
On 30 minutes, Macaskill turned creator, as he slipped in Cohen Ramsay in space 18 yards from goal, but Ramsay’s curling effort was palmed round the right post by McCarthy. Murray was given space to connect well with a header from the corner, but sent the ball straight at the goalie.
Two minutes before the break, and after a period where the game slowed and was low on anything in the way of clear-cut chances, Macaskill and Barry again looked to create space with some quick interplay – but Barry’s attempt to curl the ball in from range was collected easily by McCarthy.
The league leaders came out with an intensity which had been lacking at points during the opening period and, on 56 minutes, had a great chance to take the lead.
Barry’s flick on the 18-yard line sent Murray through on the Rothes goal. But the big defender looked caught in two minds about whether to shoot from the left angle, or hang the ball up at the back post, and ended up lashing the ball left-footed high across the face of goal.
On 60 minutes, Scott Adams swivelled and shot from the edge of the box – but Rothes’ Greg Morrison got himself in front of the strike to deflect the ball behind, before Joe McCabe headed over.
Ross Jack’s visitors’ resistance to these Buckie efforts looked vital when Aidan Wilson fired home – following good work from Jack Thomson to outmuscle Hamish Munro – to make it 1-0 moments later.
But Buckie equalised immediately, with Josh Peters drilling home low from just inside the box.
There were hopeful shouts for a Buckie penalty on 64 minutes, when scorer Peters went down as he tried to go by Ben Johnstone, but referee Harry Bruce was unmoved.
They looked certain to take the lead on 69 minutes, though, with Murray playing in Marcus Goodall, who stepped past a defender, and – with only McCarthy to beat – fired straight at the keeper.
In the aftermath, Buckie were again demanding a penalty after three players, Goodall among them, collided in the area when the ball was delivered back in.
The score was then kept at 1-1 due to goal-saving challenges at both ends, first from Buckie’s Munro, and then Rothes’ Johnstone as he nicked the ball away from Macaskill as he prepared to fire at goal from 18 yards.
Rothes were looking a real threat on the break, and on 78 minutes, Wilson had a good opening to shoot from 20 yards, but dragged his effort wide of the right post.
On 81 minutes, after sub Sam Urquhart had sprinted to win the ball back for Buckie in midfield, Macaskill had a crack from outside the area, but it was off target.
Goodall went closer, sending a shot from out of the right just over the bar and on to the roof of the net.
The same player would then go down in the box under pressure from Michael Finnis, but penalty claims, this time more half-hearted, were again waved away.
In the closing moments, the game was going from end to end as both sides desperately chased the winner, with the best chance snuffed out when Macaskill was tackled at the point of shooting, and it ended all-square.
Rothes head to Turriff United in midweek, while Buckie’s next outing is another home clash, this time with Nairn County, on Saturday.
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