Buckie Manager Carrol unhappy over circumstances of penalty that was saved.

Nairn County finished the game with only eight men, but still held on to take a point after a brilliant display from goalkeeper Ally Ridgers.

Brian MacLeod was first to go after only six minutes, for deliberate handball, and seven minutes from time David Hind followed him up the tunnel having picked up a second yellow.  The same fate befell Craig Campbell four minutes later.

Buckie opened the scoring from a spot kick by MacMillan following MacLeod's early departure but Shaun Kerr levelled for the home side five minutes after the break.

Nairn manager Les Fridge said "If we had managed to keep 11 players on the park we would have won.

"For the early sending off the ball clearly struck Brian MacLeod on the hip.  The referee saw it differently and gave a penalty.

"David Hind was sent off when Buckie won a free kick and he wasn't even remonstrating, so I'm not quite sure about that one either.

"Even when we went down to 10 men I thought we had the better chances.  We had three one-on-ones and were knocking the ball about, but when we went down to nine and then eight we were always under pressure.  Ally Ridgers was tremendous and brought off a top-drawer penalty save."

Buckie Thistle manager Gregg Carrol said: "We should have won the game in the first half but when your players are looking for the refereee to make decisions to help you win the game it is a disgrace.  I am not happy with that or with them as they didn't work hard enough in the first half to win the game.

"We lost a sloppy goal just after half-time.  I don't blame Martin Charlesworth for missing a penalty kick.  I blame the rest of the players for not taking the responsibility. He is just back from injury and had just come off the bench and wasn't warmed up properly.

"Our midfield was poor.  We didn't work hard enough, especially in the first half."

In the sixth minute referee Bryan Braidwood was the only one in the ground to spot MacLeod's alleged handball and, as the former Clach defender headed for an early bath, the Highland League's leading scorer Craig MacMillan sent Ridgers the wrong way from the spot.

Thistle really should have added one or two more before the interval but poor finishing and inspired goalkeeping kept them at bay.

The large visiting support was stunned in the 50th minute when Campbell crossed to Kerr and he clipped the ball high past Darren Strong from six yards.

Both sides had chances to win the game late on, the best chance falling to Jags substitute Charlesworth from the penalty spot after Zander Sutherland was sent crashing to the deck by Willie Barron inside the box.  In the ensuing melee David Hind was sent packing for pushing Sutherland and when Charlesworth eventually took the penalty he hit it too close to Ridgers who held on brilliantly.

With only three minutes left Campbell was yellow carded and when he appeared to remonstrate with the referee he was shown a second yellow.

In the closing stages Buckie threw everything at the home side but they just could not find a way past inspired keeper Ridgers.

Report by Dave Edwards, Press & Journal