JOHN MACLEOD: A cup final derby to savour - if only the Hebridean rain would let up Click here to visit the Scotland home page for the latest news and sport By John Macleod Published: 15:59 EDT, 21 August 2024 | Updated: 15:59 EDT, 21 August 2024 e-mail View comments It has rained for most of today. For most of August. And, indeed, for most of 2024.
But, stoutly clad, this Friday evening I throw caution to the winds and do something I have not done in many years – attend a local football match. It’s Harris versus Westside, the final of the Co-op Cup – the coveted Lewis and Harris League trophy – and I am not sure who to support. My mother is from the West Side of Lewis, and I have deep roots there – but I lived in Harris for 12 memorable years and hold that high heart of the Hebrides in deep affection.
In the event, my mind is made up for me. By the time I reach Stornoway’s Goathill Park – the rain is now light and vertical – Westside fans, radiant in blue, have taken command of the only covered stand and I am stuck with the massed Harris support on the terraces. The Western Isles, although scenic, are often dogged by poor weather And there are a ton of Harris children, many very small, in red and black scarves, under red and black toories, waving little red and black flags and, in some engaging instances, even in red and black face paint.
And oozing hunger: Harris haven’t laid their mitts on football silverware since 2011. There are lads of voting age who c.