Meet the footballer who makes 17-hour round trips to play for Inverness club
Luke Mackay says travelling from the Western Isles every weekend to play for Inverness Athletic in the North Caledonian League is plain sailing.
The 24-year-old from Ballantrushal in Lewis makes at least a 17-hour round trip, which includes travelling by ferry between Stornoway and Ullapool, every Saturday for the chance to play football during the winter.
The plant operator’s dedication is paying off for Athletic this season, including last weekend when he scored a hat-trick in the 4-1 victory over Invergordon in the Football Times Cup semi final.
Putting in the miles and hours is paying off for both the club and him personally as they are looking for success this season as the club aims to win an NCL trophy for the first time.
Making the long trip by land and sea means waking up early in the morning and also having to gamble with sea conditions if he is able to get home the same night.
But Mackay says it is always a risk he is willing to take and is grateful to have the chance to play during the winter months and not being confined to amateur football in the summer.
He said: “I play summer football in the Lewis and Harris League for Westside. But I was getting fed up of not playing football between September and March. I was bored of just doing pre-season during the winter and doing the same every year.”
“When I heard there was a North Caledonian League, I spoke to Dominic Macaulay from Eriskay, who is a good pal of mine, who also plays for the club.
“He was out for college and I asked the question about the possibility of playing in the league. I said I would be up to go for some trial matches at Athletic.
“I got on well and scored on my debut and ever since then I have been back and forth on the ferry every Saturday.
“If I do it in a day, I will leave my house at 5am, jump on a ferry to Ullapool and then drive to Inverness where I am there at around 10.30am. I play the game, travel back to Ullapool at 6pm for the ferry and that is me at home at 10.30pm.
“I always keep an eye on the forecast as the ferries can chop and change. If I can get a flight to Stornoway, I will. But they usually do a freight ferry run on a Friday night at 10pm which I sometimes use and get into Inverness 3am in the morning.
“I get a few hours sleep and then do the game. When I play the likes of Orkney, Fort William and Thurso, I will stay overnight in Inverness and travel home Sunday.
“Once you get into the routine it is fine.”
Inverness Athletic reached the final of the Football Times Cup when they defeated Invergordon 4-1 in extra time. The game was level at 1-1 when Mackay came on as a substitute and scored a hat-trick in extra time to book their place in the final.
Athletic are also having a good season in the NCL as they are in third place, nine points off leaders Halkirk United, but have three games in hand.
Inverness Athletic have never won a trophy since joining the NCL, but Mackay says there is real confidence this season they can lift a trophy for the first time.
He said: “Our manager Stuart Ross and the team have taken in good experienced boys. They know how to play football and have experience, it is good everyone gets along and it is a strong squad this season.
“We have struggled with squad depth in the last couple of seasons, but this season everybody appears to be committed.
“That is the main plan to challenge for the league, it would be good to stay in contention with Halkirk United. At the moment, it looks to be between Halkirk, Invergordon and us.
“In the last few years, Loch Ness and Invergordon ran away with the title race, so it is good to make it competitive.”
Mackay says despite the long commute every weekend, he is enjoying every minute and says he hopes to continue making the same journey for years to come.
He said: “I just want to play football and keep scoring, that is all what I want to do. It is a hobby and I just love the game and could play every day if I could.
“I am happy with Inverness Athletic and enjoying the weekly commute. They are a good squad of boys.”