Brora Rangers 1-5 Buckie Thistle

Buckie Thistle produced a scintillating display at Dudgeon Park to dismantle Brora and move within two points of the top four in the Highland League table.

Four goals in the opening 31 minutes put the game beyond their hosts, with the excellent Lyall Keir putting the icing on the cake with a late fifth.

New loan signing from Aberdeen Tom Ritchie made his debut in goal for The Jags, while Darryl McHardy returned from injury in place of Hamish Munro.

Dale Wood pulled up injured in the warm up, with his place in the starting line-up taken by Jack MacIver.

Buckie threatened early on with a superb corner from the left from MacIver that Logan Ross flapped at, but no one was there to take advantage.

The visitors took the lead on 10 minutes, Josh Peters laying the ball off for Jack MacIver to blast a deflected shot dipping beyond Ross from 20 yards.

MacIver then had another good effort beaten away by Ross from the left of the penalty area on 15 minutes.

Joe McCabe made it two on 21 minutes. Andy MacAskill’s free kick was headed up in the air by Williamson, and McCabe latched onto it to loop a back header into the far corner of the net.

The Jags were in full flow now, Max Barry bringing the away fans to their feet with a tremendous piece of skill to surge through midfield and sell his man an outrageous dummy.

In the 28th minute, after some pinball in the penalty area, MacIver set up Keir and he slotted the ball low beyond Ross from 16 yards to put Jags three up.

Three minutes later McCabe was fouled in the box at a corner and Jack Murray slotted the spot kick into the bottom right corner.

McHardy almost added a fifth shortly after, heading wide at the near post from a corner after his initial header was well tipped over by Ross.

Debutant Ritchie got down superbly to hold a low cross from Tom Kelly after he got in behind the Jags defence on the right flank, but it remained 4-0 to the visitors at the break.

MacAskill came close to making it five on 56 minutes, meeting a great cross from MacIver on the volley only to be denied by a fine stop from Ross, then producing another good save from the Brora number one from the rebound.

The Jags were forced into a double change on the hour mark, McHardy and Sam Morrison both going off injured to be replaced by Ryan Fyffe and Cohen Ramsay.

Peters then missed a golden chance to make it five, sliding in to poke the ball just wide from MacIver’s low cross after a great team move.

Keir rifled a good strike just over the crossbar from 22 yards with 15 minutes remaining, with MacAskill then replaced by Marcus Goodall.

Manager Graeme Stewart made his final changes in the 82nd minute, Liam Harvey and Lewis Mackinnon coming on for Josh Peters and Joe McCabe.

Ritchie made a good save to tip over a powerful Williamson header from a corner on 84 minutes, but Jordan Macrae did pull one back four minutes from time, heading home from close range after the initial headed effort came back off the crossbar.

Liam Harvey was then put through by another superb MacIver pass, but his first time low effort edged just wide of the far post.

MacIver had a great run forward in injury time but his strike was blocked behind for a corner, before Keir made it five in injury time with an easy low finish across the keeper from Barry’s excellent back heel.

A great performance sets The Jags up for another huge clash at champions Brechin on Saturday, before Fraserburgh come calling next midweek.

Buckie Thistle: T. Ritchie; J. McCabe (L. Mackinnon 82), S. Morrison (R. Fyffe 60), D. McHardy (C. Ramsay 60), J. Murray; S. Pugh (c), M. Barry; J. MacIver, A. MacAskill (M. Goodall 75), L. Keir; J. Peters (L. Harvey 82). Subs not used: S. Knight, E. Storrier, H. Munro, D. Wood.

Scorers: J. MacIver (10), J. McCabe (21), L. Keir (28, 90+3), J. Murray (31 pen)