THIS cup tie against lower league opposition was never going to be taken lightly by Tweeddale after last season’s near slip up against Kelso.

With that in mind, a strong side was sent out to tackle the Border Amateur C division side. With Marcus and Barry Thomson both unavailable, Finlay Moffat and Craig Collin came back into the side.

Both sides like attractive football and that was evident in the opening exchanges. Tweeddale’s extra quality from competing in Divsion A, two leagues above their opponents, just gave them the edge though and they always looked the most likely.

When the opening goal did come, it was in large part down to a goalkeeping error. Tweedmouth’s keeper seemed in two minds when the ball came back to him off a defender. Under pressure from Craig Collin, his hashed clearance landed at the feet of Blair Meikle. Meikle drove into the box, beating a defender and rounding the keeper which allowed him to tee up Grant Wilson for a tap in.

The second came soon after under similar circumstances. Wilson picked up the ball in the same area as Meikle had for the first. In almost identical fashion, he took it round the keeper and squared for Ruaraidh McNaughton who was left with a simple finish.

Tweeddale were now in the driving seat but Tweedmouth did strike the bar on two separate occasions to indicate they were still a threat in this match. While they were dominant, there were occasions when Tweeddale gave up possession too easily in the final third, allowing their opponents to counter attack.

The lead was made more comfortable when Grant Wilson notched his second. His well hit shot from the left edge of the box made it through a ruck of bodies and the goalkeeper, who again failed to cover himself in glory.

The start of the second half saw Tweeddale grab two quick goals to put the game well and truly beyond Tweedmouth.

Firstly, Grant Wilson did well to hold off a defender in the box and lay off for Blair Meikle. Meikle’s left foot strike found the top corner to extend the lead.

Wilson was also the provider for the fifth goal. He broke into the box on the right hand side and took the ball to the byline before crossing to the back post. Craig Collin just managed to beat the defender to the ball and squeeze it home.

That made it three assists for Grant Wilson which must be some sort of record. After seeing him pass the ball in front of goal three times in one match, some spectators were also heard to remark that a UFO had been seen in the distance and a group of flying pigs also seen just above the trees.

With that goal, Tweeddale were now comfortable. They should have added more but became a bit sloppy in the final third.

They used the opportunity to give all five subs a run out. Marty Cunningham, Ross Grenshields, Chris Cassidy, Tiff Robertson and Richard Sykes replaced Finlay Moffat, Ruaraidh McNaughton, Grant Wilson, Nick Rogers and Moray Macleod throughout the second half.

The subs seemed to upset Tweeddale’s flow although they did still manage to create more chances, Chris Cassidy and Collin both going close on a couple of occasions.

Tweedmouth were unlucky not to get on the scoresheet themselves. They created a few promising openings only to be denied by some last ditch defending, and good goalkeeping by Ryan Bertram. Nevertheless, they played some good stuff in spells, suggesting that their league position may be a false one.

Tweeddale: Bertram, F.Moffat (Cunningham), B.Moffat, R.Moffat, Macleod (Sykes), McNaughton (Greenshields), Rogers (Robertson), R.Meikle, B.Meikle, Collin & Wilson (Cassidy).