Wright Panic!

Ballymena have now played nine games, six C.I.S. cup games and three Premier league games. They have so far only managed to score seven goals, while conceding ten. After six C.I.S. cup games and three league games, two of the league games away from home last season, they had also conceded ten goals, but had scored thirteen and therein lie most of our problems. When the team is playing you cannot see where the goals are going to come from, there is no obvious threat to the opposition and as a result our defence is under extreme pressure. So it was at the Showgrounds yesterday, when manager Wright, in what looked like a desperate gamble picked a four, three, three formation. With Gary Haveron somehow still holding down a midfield role, alongside Aiden Watson and Gareth Scates, we were left with Hamill, Kelbie and McDowell up front, but with no obvious means of supply. Manager Wright made one more change, dropping the out of form Simms and bringing in Albert Watson as a replacement. United playing with the wind at their backs in the first half were absolutely at sea, with no cohesion in midfield and no idea up front. I can’t for the life of me remember the ‘reds’ goalkeeper having a save worthy of the name to make in the first period. Cliftonville were the livelier of the two teams but missed a glorious chance when their number ten headed over the bar from six yards with McFrederick as usual ‘rooted’ to his line. Ten minutes before halftime we witnessed yet another of those refereeing inconsistencies which are so prevalent in the Irish league. Cliftonville player Gary Kennedy took exception to a tackle by United’s Albert Watson and then exacted revenge with a very late and very ‘brutal’ tackle. This should have brought the ‘mandatory’ red card, but referee Carville merely cautioned the player. Albert, somewhat foolishly in my opinion, carried on after extensive treatment, but he was limping badly and unable to contribute much during the rest of the half. With halftime approaching Gary Haveron was caught in possession and former United player John ‘O spread the ball to the left wing. Kieran Donaghy failed to close the winger down and his cross was headed clear by Gary Smyth. The ball fell to the Reds number seven who promptly despatched it into the United net (I hope Gareth Scates, who missed a sitter from a similar position last week at Newry was watching), to put his team one up. United to their credit tried to hit back but I still couldn’t see where a goal was coming from and despite the promptings of Aiden Watson we reached halftime one nil down.

As I expected Albert didn’t come out for the second half and we were caught cold two minutes into the half. Gordon Simms for some reason known only to him tried to go out and close a Reds midfielder down, leaving Gary Smyth exposed at the back. John ‘O provided a cross into the box after ghosting past McFrederick and despite a goal-line clearance from Donaghy, former Whites hitman Mark Holland fired home from close range to make it two nil. Surely now I thought manger Wright will see this formation isn’t working and change things, but I was wrong. Our three strikers (and I use this word fairly loosely), tended to over elaborate when in possession, with fancy back heels and flicks which invariably meant loss of possession. With twenty minutes left Tommy Wright at last awakened from his slumbers and brought on young Andy Rosbotham in place of McDowell. This must be the first time the United fans have applauded the introduction of a midfielder for a striker, when the team were trailing two nil. We still continued to ‘flatter to deceive’, but did force a couple of corners. Few of these were delivered correctly, but from one Gary Smyth missed a glorious chance to show his forwards up when from a ‘free header’ his effort went over the bar, a bad miss. With ten minutes remaining manager Wright played his last ‘card’ bringing on Vinny Sweeney, but for some reason known only to him, took off yet another striker, Kevin Kelby. Surely this was a backward move, wouldn’t it have been more positive to have taken off either of the two ineffective midfielders, Scates or Haveron, although in all fairness Kelbie has yet to impress me personally. Sweeney, whom the United manager brought with him from Limavady made little or no difference and in fact ‘seemed’ to pull out of a couple of fifty-fifty challenges, not what I want to see when my side’s chasing a game. Gary Smyth ‘missed’ with another ‘free’ header, when it looked easier to score and then as if not to be outdone, Gordon Simms missed a ‘sitter’ as well. Could we in the end lay the blame for this defeat on our defence?  Cliftonville’s first goal came from Gary Smyth’s clearance and their second when Gordon Simms got caught out of position and if ‘they’ had taken their ‘clear cut’ chances, we’d have won three two. But I think not, the blame has to lie with our manger’s insistence in playing Gary Haveron in midfield, where his performances have been nothing more than ordinary at best and leaving us with a goalkeeper who won’t come off his line because he didn’t like Goosey’s attitude. Big Tam, the honeymoon’s over, it’s time to prove that you’re a manager, not yet another ‘flash in the pan’. I could give a list here but it would take up a lot of space and we all know who they are, Kenny, Nigel and Alan to name but three. Thankfully we have two weeks to get over this setback, but we’re gonna need it, aren’t we?

McFrederick          5          Aiden Watson          7`     MoM:   Aiden Watson     

Donaghy          5          Hamill               5

McClean          6          Kelbie               5

Haveron          5          McDowell          5     Referee:  H. Carville     3

Albert Watson          7          Sub: Simms          5

Smyth                6          Sub: Rosbotham     5

Scates               5          Sub: Sweeney          5