TAKE away the 'feel good' factor, and some might say Bermuda's demolition of Montserrat in the first qualifying round of the World Cup really did nothing to advance local football.

A 20-0 two-leg aggregate victory is about as lopsided as it can get and while there remains the argument that these days 'there are no easy matches' on the international stage, it's doubtful that World Cup football can get any easier than this.

With that in mind, coach Kenny Thompson won't be reading too much into the final outcome.

But as he rightly pointed out, Bermuda had no control over the draw. That we came up against a side ranked dead last in the FIFA family of 204 countries was simply good fortune.

The players still had a job to do, and in the final analysis it has to be said they did it exceptionally well.

Having swamped their opponents 13-0 in the first leg, it would have been tempting to take the foot off the pedal and ease through the second leg without breaking sweat.

But they didn't. They gave it their all and came out 7-0 winners against a team that really weren't as bad as might have been reflected by that first leg debacle.

Stepping out for what was the first international match ever staged in Montserrat ? an island where the devastation of homes and businesses and constant disruption to daily life caused by volcanic eruptions over the past seven years has had a profound effect on every one of the remaining 4,500 residents (not mention those who were forced to flee) ? the host side played with pride, commitment and a passion that hadn't been evident three weeks earlier.

Despite raining in another seven goals, Bermuda's players knew they had been in a game and emerged with plenty of bumps and bruises to show for it.

What will have pleased Thompson is the pride, commitment and passion shown by his own players on a day when they could have just gone through the motions.

And he might have also drawn satisfaction from the raised level of confidence which such superiority breeds in all players.

Of Sunday's seven goals, at least four were absolute pearls ? rasping shots from outside the box that under different match conditions certain players might not even have attempted.

On top of that was probably one of the most bizarre goals scored anywhere at international level ? a back heel flick by Khano Smith that caused a wave of embarrassing laughter as the ball somehow wove a path through the defence and into the corner of the net. Not, perhaps, the kind of shot Khano would normally attempt.

But confidence can be a devastating weapon and Bermuda's players used it to full effect, learning things about their own game of which they might not have been previously aware.

On another positive note, team spirit and discipline, both on and off the field, was exemplary.

As Montserrat's players became frustrated, their tackles became all the more dangerous, resulting in an inevitable sending off.

But there was rarely a sign of retaliation ? those in the blue and white maintaining a level of discipline that will certainly be required when Bermuda enter the cauldron of hostility that can be expected in San Salvador later this year.

Nobody's about to get carried away with this first World Cup result.

Yet the signs are encouraging.

In a relatively short time, Thompson has moulded a senior squad that might be as talented as any we've seen in the last two decades.

Importantly, it's a relatively young squad with an apparent willingness to learn and plenty of untapped potential.

Add Shaun Goater to the mix, bring back exciting young Notre Dame defender Kevin Richards, and there's no reason to believe that this World Cup road has to end in El Salvador.

We've beaten bigger countries in the past and while the odds are stacked against us, nobody should believe we can't do it again.

WHAT on earth was the point of taking the Carifta Games controversy to the Sports Ministry's Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) council?

Their four-point ruling told us absolutely nothing we didn't already know.

They've missed the point entirely.

All they've succeeded in doing is taking the issue from the realms of the ridiculous to the absurd.

Yes, we know Bermuda Track and Field Association are complying with their own rules.

And, yes, we we know Mid-Island Striders and every other athlete overlooked for selection by the BTFA have not complied with the governing body's guidelines.

Those aren't the issues.

Central to this whole dispute are the BTFA's own warped policies, their ridiculous rules and regulations, their insistence that athletes must join a national programme at a specific time, their insistence that club athletes must train with the national coach and their blatant discrimination.

Those are the issues the ADR should have been addressing.

As we've said on numerous occasions before, the BTFA are NOT following any guidelines laid down by the IAAF ? there's nothing in the IAAF rules that suggest that athletes can only compete for their country unless they enrol in the governing body's programme ? or following an example set by other Caribbean countries.

Every country that arrives in Bermuda for the Games will bring with them their best possible team ? selected from trials open to all athletes, regardless of with whom they trained.

On the other hand, Bermuda, as hosts, will field a team void of many of its best athletes.

That's the bottom line.

It's incomprehensible. It amounts to a national scandal.

If the ADR are comfortable with that, and the BTFA feel vindicated, so be it.

But we'll see how the rest of the country feels when the Games begin.