■ Jordan Brown pounces at the back post to give Edina Hibs an early lead

For a brief, fleeting 15 minutes or so in the first half, Edina Hibs looked a little shaky. Connor Daniels and James Lea combined down the left hand side with the latter causing all sorts of problems. Twice Lea broke free into the box but Giffnock couldn't finish. And on 8 minutes Kris Holmes crashed a 25 yard free kick off the bar but his team-mates couldn't convert the loose ball.

But after scoring a second on 29 minutes Edina never looked back. Time and time again they raided down both flanks. Andrew Mair on the left and Jordan Brown on the right. In the middle they had Ryan Henderson and Connor Welsh. Welsh had a quite brilliant game. Such vision for a young player with an array of passing abilities to match Paul Scholes. The chief tormentor of Giffnock.

There wasn't a weakness throughout and that may come to be Edina's biggest strength as the season goes on. They can switch the pack as often as they like and the replacements simply continue with things. Take Fraser Murray who arrived on the scene at half time and scored within 2 minutes of the restart with a sublime strike from the edge of the box. Take Max Landles who came on midway through the first half at right back and went on to have a magnificent game. Take Jonathan Court who took up position at front left and could have scored a second half double if it weren't for two late outstanding saves by Marc Watters.

In the second 35 minutes Giffnock were chasing shadows. The green machine came at them in waves. And every time they lost the ball it was quickly won back and dispatched cleverly forward or out wide. It was one of the best attacking performances I have seen in two years of watching games at this level.

The warning signs were there to see as early as 5 minutes when Edina took the lead. A Welsh pass up the left was swept across goal where it was met at the back post by the incoming Jordan Brown who slotted home from 2 yards.

Then came the Giffnock 15 minutes. Firstly Kris Holmes lofted a high looping free kick from 25 yards that Callum Speedie might just have got a touch to before it crashed back down off the bar.

Then came the  Daniels and Lea show down the left. On 15 minutes they combined with some excellent interplay which left James Lea clear in the left channel. he drove into the box before shooting across the face of the goal where it was turned around for a corner by the Edina goalkeeper.

Then on 20 minutes an even better chance when Lea again broke free on the left. This time he cut the ball back onto the penalty spot but the chance was blasted over by Craig Maitland and Edina's fragile lead remained intact.

Edina looked stretched but always threatening on the break and always foraging for scraps. It was in one of these that they doubled their lead. Michael McDonald lost the ball in his own half and defence was quickly transformed into attack by Edina as the ball was played out to Andrew Mair. He created space for himself on the left before sending in a cross/shot that floated into the top right hand corner of the Giffnock net to make it 2-0.

Edina Hibs then took over and the attacking waves began with more intensity. Connor Welsh and Ross Anderson played a wonderful 1-2 with each other that sent the latter flying down the left. He cut inside and unleashed a vicious shot that whistled inches over the bar.

Then a brilliant move down the right wing started by Max Landles at right back who sent Jordan Brown clear. His early cross was flicked goalwards by the head of George Hairs and only a point blank save by Marc Watters prevented the Edinburgh side going in 3-0 at the break.

Half Time 2-0

The second half was only two minutes old however before Edina Hibs scored that third goal. A brilliant snapshot by Fraser Murray flew into the corner of the net from the edge of the box.

Murray had a further chance on 45 minutes when he was slipped through the middle by George Hairs. He toe-poked the ball past the outrushing Giffnock goalkeeper but the ball trundled past the left hand post when it looked like a certain goal.

Giffnock were struggling to make any headway and were saved on at least five occasions by the referee's raised hand for offside with a player in green and white clear. Andrew Mair the keenest of the Edina forwards to beat the line.

The deepening overhead gloom continued to be brightened by the fast, flowing attacks of Edina Hibs and although this game was now over there was no let up in the speed of play. As it neared its end Jonathan Court became more prominent and had two great chances inside a minute to add to Hibs' lead. Firstly he broke free of  a challenge on the left before hitting a wonderful shot from outside the box that was equally brilliantly saved by Marc Watters. Then from the resultant corner the ball fell to the same player in the centre of the box but his hard hit shot from 8 yards was again brilliantly saved by Watters who was also quickest to react and pounce on the loose ball.

With three minutes remaining Edina Hibs scored a deserved fourth goal. Max Landles strode forward from his right back slot before playing the ball into the path of Ross Anderson. The wee Edina player hit a sweet left foot shot that fizzed into the bottom right hand corner of the net and ensured that Edina Hibs' name was placed firmly into the quarter final draw.

*Apologies for picture quality. Overheard conditions were not great.