MACMILLAN HAT-TRICK AS BUCKIE ADVANCE

JAGS SET UP A DATE WITH FORMARTINE AS ATTACKER CRAIG HAMMERS HUNTLY

Buckie Thistle will host Formartine United in the quarter-final of the Aberdeenshire Cup after a Craig MacMillan hat-trick put paid to a spirited Huntly outfit.

Huntly pulled one back with 10 minutes to go through Ritchie Taylor but it was a case of too little too late.

Buckie started with Ian Murray up-front but midfielder Graeme Stewart failed a fitness test and his place went to Hamish Munro with Zander Sutherland dropping to the bench while Huntly brought in Mark Gray and Myles Brownhill.

Huntly came close in the third minute when Stuart Soane met a Myles Brownhill cross but his powerful header was brilliantly tipped over by Kevin Main.

At the other end a ferocious Andy Low 25 yard free kick cannoned back to the junction of the upright with Neil Hastie in the Huntly goal well beaten.

The game badly needed a goal and it came against the run of play two minutes from the break when Huntly fullback needlessly impeded MacMillan in the box and referee Michael McNab immediately pointed to the spot.  Reid was shown a yellow card before MacMillan himself stepped up to hammer the spot-kick low past Hastie.

The home men doubled their advantage in the 72nd minute with a brilliant piece of play by Murray who jinxed past Graham Stark and swung over an inch-perfect back-post cross for MacMillan to nod home his second goal of the night from six yards.

Huntly pulled one back in the 80th minute when Taylor headed in a Russell Guild flick from virtually on the goal-line.

In the final minute MacMillan completed his hat-trick when he ran to beat hastie with a crisp 10-yard shot.

Report by Dave Edwards, Press & Journal