This is a difficult game to sum up. Although the score line was ultimately emphatic, the outcome hung in the balance for 84 minutes. History didn' t exactly repeat itself: remember, two years ago, at this stage of the competition, on the same ground, Carloway defeated the Uist men 2-1 through early goals from Sguegg and Neal Bowman, Southend replying from a dubious penalty, when Ross Macrae was adjudged to have handled in the box. However, like then, conditions were excellent for a game of football, with a reasonably good attendance, and na Gormaich got down to business quickly. After an early couple of scares, the Blues' back four - Ross Macrae, Andrew Maciver, Billy Anderson (standing in for the injured Calum Moody), and Andrew V.P. - performed an extremely convincing impression of the Great Wall of China and repelled Southend' s few first-half attacks effortlessly. This allowed the midfield to control most of the first half and the chances came thick and fast. The pace and movement of Carloway caused the Uist side all sorts of problems and, up front, Chris Macleod and Gordon Craigie repeatedly lost their markers, with their twisting and turning and sudden bursts forward, à la Henry and Wiltord. Unfortunately, they didn' t take their chances like Thierry and Sylvan and Gordon was especially unlucky twice when clear through and also with a header right under the bar from a corner. Kenny Maclennan had a good effort very early and Squegg also went close twice with drives. However, the breakthrough just wouldn' t come.

In the second half, Carloway picked up immediately where they left off although the game started to go a bit flat and play drift a little as the opener continued to elude the Blues. However, there is nothing like a sudden unexpected event to refocus a team' s efforts. On 58 minutes Southend broke on the left, a low cross came over and the ball was knocked on to the inside of David Morrison' s right-hand post, then ran along the line, before Pongo got to it and booted it into the Oakleys'  front garden. Point taken! The Blues came back to life and shortly afterwards Kenny Dokus had a beautiful run in from the right, along the face of the Southend defence, beating man after man, before sending a glorious reverse pass through the line to Chris Macleod, who shrugged off his marker and crashed the ball high into the net. A collective sigh of relief sounded round Cnoc a' Choilich. Full marks to Southend, however, because they now, arguably, had their best period of the match, matching the Blues in midfield at last, but, unfortunately for them, never really looking that dangerous. Eventually, a goal rush settled matters: as Southend tired, Carloway hit four in six minutes, the four they really should have scored in the first half.  First, Kenny MacLennan, receiving the ball from a throw-in, moved in from the left before unleashing an absolute screamer from just outside the box high to the goalie' s top right corner. Even Lev Yashin wouldn' t have got near that one! In the next attack, Chris Macleod, coming in from roughly the same direction, kept it low and hard to the bottom right-hand corner. Moments later, Chris, who was unstoppable by this stage, battled to win the ball on the right of the box, then squared it across goal for Gordon Tago to convert with style, and in the final seconds, Chris tried to match Kenny' s effort earlier by scoring with a thunderbolt of his own from about 20 metres that the keeper, by now a gibbering wreck, might possibly have seen as it passed him.

Well, they got there in the end, and not one failure. Abair sgioba! Chris Macleod has to be my Man of the Match, but the back four - Ross ( continuing on from the great game he had against David Martin on Wednesday), Pongo, Billy, and Andrew - are creating the stability at the back that allows the rest of the side to move forward with confidence. Also, the pairing of two fast strikers for the tie really unsettled Southend. Even Jinky Macisaac recognised this, that na Gormaich' s fitness and speed were the key factors for victory, praising our young side, although he did think the final score-line flattered the Blues. Best for Southend was probably Donald Steele, who got really wired in - just the sort of player Roy Keane is looking for - although the other Steeles and Oudy Macisaac ( who still has the football in him if not the mobility) performed well. And next week we have it all over again, in the Coop Cup!