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Southend lifted the first silverware of the Arran football season last Saturday.
They beat Shiskine 2-1 at Sandbraes Park on a hot and sunny afternoon to win the Arran Haulage Cup.
The game was much tighter than last year’s 10-goal thriller which saw Shiskine beating Southend 6-4.
The Southend team on Saturday was a particularly youthful mix ably led by veteran striker Neilie McKechnie.
Five minutes before the break Neilie was in the right place at the right time to cooly roll the ball past Colin Muir from close range to open the scoring.
Shiskine’s hard luck was compounded on the stroke of half time when Euan Evans doubled Southend’s lead. In the second half Shiskine continued to press and brought several crucial saves from Southend keeper Craig Black.
The experience of the Shiskine team was beginning to show with such stalwarts as Alan Johnston, Stevie Crawford and Aki Currie testing the younger legs of the Southend boys. Adi Adamson came on as a late substitute for Shiskine and bagged a goal near the end to make it a nervous last few minutes for Southend.
They hung on, spurred by Jamie Picken’s vocal encouragement from central defence.
The league season starts this Saturday with Northend at home to Shiskine at 6pm and Brodick playing Southend at Shiskine, also at 6pm.
