Captain Marvel!

Ballymena United stretched their unbeaten run to eight games after this narrow but convincing victory today. United won by the odd goal in five, but both Loughgall goals could and should’ve been prevented. United showed two changes from the victorious side that crushed near neighbours Larne last Wednesday night in the County Antrim Shield semi-final. Albert Watson was missing with a broken nose, with Gordon Simms taking his place, while Gareth Scates was rested with new signing Gerald Rowe taking over the wide right position. As predicted in Sky Blue Sport, Rory Hamill and new signing Paul Brown were on the bench, alongside Englishman Phil Charnock. United were looking somewhat jaded and it was fully 15 minutes before they threatened the visitors goal, the inform Kevin Kelbie forcing visiting keeper Marc Robbins to push his fierce shot for a corner. From the resultant corner the keeper punched the ball to safety, under pressure from Kelbie and Gary Haveron. Little was seen of the visitors in attack, although they did expose United’s naïve marking on a couple of set-pieces. Surely this is something that the United coaching staff needs to work on with keeper Willie McFrederick, as it’s his task to organise his defence at set-pieces. After 27 minutes Kelbie once more got on the end of a Haveron pass and forced the visiting keeper to push his shot for a corner. When the cross came over it was partially cleared to Haveron on the edge of the ‘D’ and he attempted to play a one two with Sweeney but had his legs clipped from under him. The referee immediately gave the free kick, paced out the ‘10’ yards which looked more like ‘7’ and signalled for the kick to be taken. True to form, United Captain Gary Smyth bent his left foot shot round the wall and into the corner of the net to give the Sky Blues the lead. United had their tails up now and began stroking the ball about with a bit more confidence. Right winger Rowe was starting to find his feet and his pass was intercepted at the last moment by a visiting defender, when it looked destined for the alert Kelbie. United’s Gary Haveron was cautioned by referee Hugh Carville for what can best be described as an innocuous foul, as Loughgall attempted to get back into the game. United spurned two good chances to stretch their lead, courtesy of lapses by Loughgall keeper Marc Robinson. Firstly he raced off his line to intercept as Stuart King chased a through pass, but instead of doing the simple thing and ‘hoofing’ the ball into the stand, he tried to clear it upfield. The ball fell to United leftback Craig McClean, but with the keeper stranded he completely ‘fluffed’ his shot and the visitors defence cleared the danger. Five minutes later he once more cleared the ball to centre midfield where it fell to Rowe and his shot from 45 yards shaved the keeper’s left-hand post with him attempting to scramble back to goal. In between these two chances Loughgall were presented with a great chance when from a corner kick a free header failed to find the target. At the other end Vinny Sweeney received a through pass from Kelbie to leave him one on one with the keeper but shot over the bar from 25 yards. With the first half drawing to a close Gary Smyth was shepherding the ball into touch near his own by-line, but allowed a Loughgall forward to get between him and the ball and the player was then adjudged to have been fouled by Kieran Donaghy, who had gone to help his Captain clear the danger. From the resultant free the visitors had yet another free header which Willie McFrederick managed to keep out with his knees, but the rebound was hammered into the roof of the net to level the scores. This equaliser came so deep into stoppage time that United hadn’t even time to restart the game before referee Carville’s whistle sounded.

United came out early for the second period, never a good sign in my book, as I think it makes a team look nervous. They did seem to be a bit more anxious to get on with it and gave an example right from the kick-off. Winger Rowe chased Gary Haveron’s deep pass and as he and the visitor’s leftback collided as the ball went into touch, the referee somehow concluded that it was a foul, yet how could it be as they were both just chasing the ball. United kept probing away although it was hard to see where the breakthrough was going to come from and manager Wright was urging his subs to get ‘warmed’ up. Fourteen minutes into the half United won a corner and as the ball came over Gary Haveron challenged for it and the ball broke to United Captain Gary Smyth who volleyed the ball into the net from 15 yards, a real ‘classy’ goal from a real ‘classy’ player. United were really up for it now and Rowe was beginning to find his feet, linking well down the right with Donaghy and Kelbie. From one such move United’s top scorer Sweeney failed to find the target when Kelbie set the ball on his head with a left foot cross from the right wing, a bad miss to say the least. The United manager was forced to make his first change here with Aiden Watson limping off to be replaced by Phil Charnock. Gerald Rowe became the second United player to be booked for a late challenge and then Kevin Kelbie ‘foolishly’ got himself booked when after losing possession he recklessly fouled a visiting player, when there was nothing to be gained with the tackle. With 12 minutes remaining and the visitors pushing up, Rowe picked up the ball just inside his own half and found Kelbie with a perfect pass. The ‘Flying’ Scotsman sped goalwards with the visiting keeper hastily retreating. As he neared the penalty box Kelbie shot and the keeper managed to block it, but Kelbie swept the rebound into the net to extend United’s lead to 3-1. Tommy Wright brought on Hamill and Paul Brown for Kelbie and Rowe with ten minutes left on the clock. Brown almost had a dream debut when he got on the end of a deep Hamill cross only to find the side-netting. With the game deep into injury time Willie McFrederick dropped an easy catch and allowed the visitors a gift consolation goal. This was the United keeper’s only real lapse today, but it could be costly with Stuart Addis waiting in the wings. The referee brought the game to a halt almost immediately much to the relief of the Sky Blue faithful who were beginning to think they were going to snatch a draw from the jaws of victory. The two Loughgall goals not only came from defensive errors today, they also came right at the end of both halves and this shows a distinct lack of professionalism in my mind. As the old saying goes ‘it ain’t over, till the fat lady sings’!

McFrederick 6 Aiden Watson 7 Mom: Smyth

Donaghy 7 Sweeney 6

McClean 7 Kelbie 8

Haveron 7 King 6 Referee: H. Carville 3

Simms 7 1st Sub: Charnock 7

Smyth 8 2nd Sub: Hamill 7

Rowe 7 3rd Sub: Brown 7

Killer Kelbie!

Kevin Kelbie, much maligned by ourselves among others when signed by United manager Tommy Wright just before the August deadline, silenced his critics last night at Inver Park, with an almost flawless exhibition of goalscoring excellence. United with the same starting line-up as last Saturday, began in a positive frame of mind and after winning the toss elected to play up the Inver Park slope in the first period. United brought both wingers, Scates and King into the game quite early and sought to expose the Larne defence. United and their fans thought they had taken the lead after twenty minutes, when after a good run Aiden Watson ‘squared’ the ball for Vinny Sweeney to blast it into the net. The celebrations were however short lived as the linesman signalled that Sweeney was offside. I’d really love to see this action once more, as I personally thought Sweeney (who has a habit of getting caught offside I must admit), was at worst level with Aiden, when the pass was made. Five minutes later Stuart King used his pace to good effect, before setting up Kelbie, whose shot was clearly handed by a Larne defender, but referee Davey Malcolm or t t (tiny testes), as he is more commonly known didn’t want to know.
Little was seen of Larne as an attacking force as United tended to break up most of their attacks in midfield, but they came close when a reflex header just shaved the United post, with McFrederick scrambling across his goal. Stuart King and Craig McClean combined well down the left flank and when young Craig put over the ‘perfect’ cross, United’s top scorer Vinny Sweeney headed wide when it looked easier to score. On the stroke of halftime, Kevin Kelbie, timing his run to perfection, ran onto an Aiden Watson pass only to be called back by a late flag from the linesman. This was another poor decision, as Kevin was well onside when the ball was played, but was punished for having too much pace by a linesman who couldn’t keep up with the game.

Kevin didn’t allow the incident before halftime to faze him and sent United fans into raptures two minutes after the restart. Taking a pass from Kieran Donaghy he controlled the ball, swivelled and fired into the corner of the net from twenty yards, with the Larne goalkeeper rooted to the spot. United retreated into their shell a wee bit after this goal and allowed Larne to dictate the pace of the game for the next seven minutes or so. Ten minutes into the second period, Albert Watson’s free kick from just over the halfway line was headed across goal by Gary Haveron and the alert Kelbie steered the ball into the net to put United two up. United were content after this to allow Larne to come at them and try to hit them on the break. This ploy looked to have paid dividends when Sweeney got on the end of a Kelbie pass, to make it three nil, only to have the goal chalked off for yet another doubtful offside. Larne should’ve pulled a goal back, when they failed to find the target with a free header from a corner kick. As Larne stepped up the pressure, United captain Gary Smyth was cautioned for a heavy challenge. Kevin Kelbie missed a glorious chance to complete his hat-trick, when he ran onto a Sweeney pass, but shot weakly and the Larne keeper made a good save low to his right. With ten minutes to go United manager Tommy Wright (or as the Sky Blue Crew like to say, ‘Tommy Wright! Wright! Wright! Wright!), took off Scatesy with Gerald Rowe taking his place on the right side of midfield. Rowe made one or two good runs, but still looks short of match fitness and may need a full game before we can access his true potential. Three minutes later the United manager took off Sweeney and King, bringing on Charnock and Rory Hamill. United defender Albert Watson received a nasty blow on his nose, as he attempted to clear a Larne attack. Fortunately enough he was able to continue after treatment, but hurt his nose again soon after, but like the true ‘soldier’ he is, he played on. Larne sub Kenny Wilson hacked Gary Haveron down as the United man powered his way out of defence, but somehow only got ‘chided’ by the referee, instead of being shown the yellow card. United sub Gerard Rowe was then ‘harshly’ booked as he late tackled a Larne player, but it was just a late tackle, not a vicious one like Wilson’s. Larne last chance came when a Dickson header was brilliantly clutched by McFrederick. With the game deep in stoppage time, Kelbie beat three Larne defenders down the left, before firing home his and United’s third goal and therefore ensure United’s first final since 1989. One minute later the referee brought the game to an end and the United fans cheered their heroes off the pitch. A great win and a great display by Kelbie, but now it’s back to basics at home to Loughgall on Saturday. But let’s savour this victory first and let’s hope it’s the first of many semi-final wins for the wee Sky Blues!

McFrederick 7 Aiden Watson 7 MoM: Kelbie

Donaghy 7 Sweeney 7

McClean 7 Kelbie 8

Haveron 7 King 7 Referee: D. Malcolm 5

Albert Watson 7 1st Sub: Rowe 6

Smyth 7 2nd Sub: Charnock 6

Scates 7 3rd Sub: Hamill 6

Lucky Blues!

When Ballymena played Cliftonville in the corresponding league game at the Showgrounds, they were definitely second best as the Reds ran out deserved winners by two goals to nil. In today’s game a good start was vital and they got off to a dream start, when Gareth Scates got on the end of Kevin Kelbie’s left wing cross, to hammer the ball into the net after 50 seconds. But true to form United sunk back into their shell and allowed the home team to get back into the game. Cliftonville didn’t have to be asked a second time and mounted a series of attacks on the United goal. It seemed only a matter of time before the ‘United wall’ was breached, but when it came it was down to United defensive errors. First United keeper Willie McFrederick turned a shot for a corner, that was drifting well wide of his right hand post. United of late don’t guard the right hand post at corners and this was to prove their undoing once more. Former Ards striker Kennedy drove in a waist high corner, Vinny Sweeney attempted to clear it, completely miskicked and it bounced of McFrederick into the net. That goal came after 10 minutes and Cliftonville were denied five minutes later by the worst refereeing decision I have seen in many a day. Cliftonville forward Scannel chased a through ball, which United keeper McFrederick called for, but was late in going for it and swept the legs from the Reds striker, a blatant penalty. Referee Mark Courtenay to the astonishment of almost everybody in the ground, cautioned the Reds striker for ‘diving’, a grave miscarriage of justice I must say. United for once took advantage of this good fortune and stepped up the pressure on the home team. United won a free kick on the edge of the ‘D’ and Gary Smyth forced Clintonville’s keeper Paul Straney to make a save. United’s pressure was eventually rewarded when Kevin Kelbie poked the ball home after a pass from Gary Haveron after 30 minutes, to give United the lead once more. United didn’t shrink back this time and carried the game to their opponents and Scates put in a couple of good crosses, which went abegging. On the stroke of halftime Cliftonville won a free kick on the edge of United’s box. From the resultant kick the ball struck the outside of the post and rebounded to safety.

Unite didn’t come out for the second half and the ‘writing was on the wall’ so to speak from the outset. In the end Cliftonville won a dubious penalty when Albert Watson was adjudged to have pushed a Reds forward in the box, 7 minutes into the half. Reds midfielder Austin Friel made no mistake from the spot kick, sending the United keeper the wrong way. The rest of the game was a ‘dour’ struggle for the United back four, who were all under severe pressure from the slick moving home forwards. The United defence had a let-off when a Scannel shot rebounded from the far post back into the grateful arms of United keeper McFrederick. With 13 minutes to go the United manager brought on new signing Gerald Rowe at the expense of striker Vinny Sweeney. The former Shelbourne player showed some nice touches, but we’ll have to see more of him in order to make a judgement. Stuart King missed a glorious chance to give United an undeserved win, when he blasted the ball over from 15 yards, after a pass from the otherwise disappointing Aiden Watson. The United manager brought on Englishman Phil Charnock in place of Scatesy, one of our better players on the day, but he made little or no difference as far as I could see. United had a couple of late chances with free kicks, but couldn’t find the vital breakthrough and in fact  had to defend a dangerous home free kick deep into injury time. In the end I believe we ‘stole’ a point and hopefully we’re not setting a trend here, with our second draw in succession. Luckily from our point of view none of the teams disputing third to sixth place with us could manage a win either and we actually moved up into joint fourth. But it was nerve racking and United will have to show a vast improvement if they are to advance to the final of the County Antrim Shield, when they travel to Inver Park next Wednesday, a ‘vast’ improvement indeed!

McFrederick               5     Aiden Watson          5     MoM:   Kelbie

Donaghy               6     Sweeney          6

McClean               5     Kelbie               7

Haveron               6     King               5     Referee:     M. Courtenay          3     

Albert Watson               5     1st Sub: Rowe          6

Smyth                    6     2nd Sub: Charnock     5

Scates                    7

Aiden Delivers!

The much feared potential ‘banana skin’ of Kilmore Rec was seen off quite easily in the end by United, who were fairly clinical, though it still wasn’t the stroll it maybe should’ve been. United manager Tommy Wright stuck with the same fourteen players, who did battle with Newry City the previous week. Phil Charnock, who has been signed until the end of the season under the same terms, no play no pay, was due to play for the reserves at Newry, but the game was called off at the last minute, while Rory Hamill, still plagued by his mystery injury, was not risked and Boydie, who seems to have become the ‘forgotten’ man, was also omitted from the fourteen. Surely the versatile Boydie, who can play either defence or midfield, deserves a place on the bench, but the manager obviously doesn’t think so. United should’ve been two goals ahead in the first two minutes, first Vinny Sweeney failed to find the target from inside the box, after a flick on by Kelbie, when it looked easier to score and then a minute later Gareth Scates fired wide also. But United weren’t to be denied for long and after a good run and cross by Kelbie, Aiden Watson opened the scoring, heading into the net after his initial shot came off the Kilmore keeper. We all waited for the floodgates to open, but as is usual it didn’t happen and there were a few anxious moments, for the home supporters, as Kilmore were allowed a foothold in the game. Albert Watson, who has been turning in excellent performances of late, had a first half he’ll want to forget, as his timing and marking were non-existent and Kieran Donaghy was also badly off form. Kilmore tried their best, but failed to put the United goal under the ultimate pressure, although there was a couple of close shaves. United for their part, despite forcing several corners, couldn’t add to their total. It looked like it was going to stay at one goal to nil, but finally United did manage to string half a dozen passes together and Scates fired home from the edge of the box to give United a barely deserved two goal lead after 40 minutes. At halftime, despite the ‘unprofessional announcements’, which have become a feature at the Showgrounds lately, we were told that a ‘real’ United hero, the ‘Ballymena Boy’ himself, Norman Clarke was at the match. What a pity he wasn’t 30 years younger I thought, Norman also must have ‘cringed’ at the sight of the man at present holding his number 11 shirt, Stuarty King, who was a virtual passenger in the first half.

The second half got off to a bad start for the visitors, when their left back, in attempting to make a clearance near his own goal-line, fell awkwardly and had to be helped off the pitch. United without ever playing to their full potential kept a tighter grip on the game in the second period and Vinny Sweeney almost increased their lead. The big striker just won a race for the ball with the Kilmore keeper and his high chip bounced off the post to safety. After 58 minutes United manager Tommy Wright, took off goalscorer Gareth Scates and brought on Dominic Melly. This had an almost instantaneous effect, when Melly sped down the wing and swung over the first decent cross of the day. United’s top scorer Vinny Sweeney was blatantly pushed as he waited on the cross, but the ball fell to Gary Haveron, who blasted the ball into the net. Haveron, who still looks as out of place in midfield, as Gareth Scates does on the wing, was obviously delighted with his strike and it eased United towards the next round of the ‘blue riband’ trophy. The United manager brought on his other two subs almost immediately, first Sweeney made way for Paul McDowell and then the ineffective King was replaced by Andy Rosbotham. Kilmore got a bit more possession after this, forcing several corners, but Willie McFrederick, in the United goal, was at his most commanding and kept the visitors at bay. Kieran Donaghy improved a bit in the second period, but Craig McClean seemed to suffer from the ineffective ‘bug’ that had affected Donaghy and Albert Watson in the first period and it gave United a few anxious moments as Kilmore attacked their left flank. Kevin Kelbie proved, if proof were needed that United dearly miss the much sought after ‘target man’ as he headed over on at least two occasions, one from an inch perfect Rosbotham corner, which any decent striker would’ve buried. The only player apart from keeper McFrederick, who could put his hand on his heart and say I’ve given this game 100% commitment was midfielder Aiden Watson. He had easily his best game as a ‘Sky Blue’ and it was fitting that he should score United’s fourth goal, with a crisp shot from the edge of the box. United ‘missed’ a few more chances but held out for a victory, which puts them into the next round, a trip away to Lisburn Distillery, not the draw we would’ve wanted, but not an impossible task. But we’ll need to improve greatly on this showing if we are to reach the Irish cup final, or indeed to progress to the next round. The United manager needs to step up his quest for a striker and his former player Paul Brown would fit the bill perfectly, the only stumbling block being the transfer fee demanded by his present club Sligo Rovers. So if any Sky Blue fan has five grand kicking about in their attic, I’m sure United treasurer, Noel Millar, would be delighted to take it off your hands, ah well, we live in hope!


McFrederick          8          Aiden Watson               8     MoM : Aiden Watson

Donaghy          6          Sweeney               7

McClean          5          Kelbie                    6

Haveron          7          King                    5     Referee:     A. Black     5     

Albert Watson          5          1st Sub: Melly               7

Smyth               6          2nd Sub: McDowell          6

Scates               7          3rd Sub: Rosbotham          6                                     

Lucky United!

The one thing which has eluded Ballymena United this season, was a League draw, but from the moment Newry had what looked like a perfectly good goal disallowed, for what I just don’t know, this game had draw written all over it. United manager Tommy Wright made two changes to his starting line-up, with Kevin Kelbie getting the nod up front with Paul McDowell dropping down to the subs bench and Captain Gary Smyth returning in central defence, at the expense of Gordon Simms, who didn’t even make the final fourteen. United looked sluggish from the start and were relieved to see a Willis shot shave the post for a goalkick, with McFrederick scrambling across his goals. Midway through the half a Newry corner was headed into his own net by United midfielder Gary Haveron. Referee Frankie Hiles immediately pointed to the centre circle awarding the goal, but an alert linesman attracted the referee’s attention and the goal was chalked off. I have to honestly say I think this was a miscarriage of justice and I could see no reason for this goal to be disallowed. United almost added insult to injury by taking the lead when a Kelbie shot ricocheted off the post, with former United keeper Goosey Robinson, well beaten. Newry continued to press the United rearguard, but with Albert Watson in top form they held firm. Gareth Scates was harshly booked when Gerry Flynn drove a free kick against the United man who was moving back the desired ten yards. Surely the rules demand that a referee warn a player before cautioning him for not retreating, but Frankie ignored this facet of the rules. Little was seen of Stuart King in the first half, but he almost gave United an undeserved halftime lead, when after leaving two defenders in his wake, his ferocious shot hit the side netting with Goosey scrambling across his goal-line.

United to their credit upped the pace a wee bit in the second half, but were unable to unlock the resolute Newry defence. Despite forcing several corners, they couldn’t find the crucial breakthrough, something that has plagued them all season. Vinny Sweeney was guilty of not forcing the keeper to make a save, when his left wing shot flashed past the keeper’s right post. From one United corner the ball was partially cleared and when it was returned Gary Smyth found himself wide on the right wing position. Gary cut in on goal but blasted his weak shot straight at Goosey, who saved easily. Surely the ball from Gary should’ve been hard and low, but then none of our forwards would’ve got on the end of it anyway. Gary Smyth seemed to tire as the match progressed and Albert Watson, saved Gary’s blushes with a couple of good tackles. Newry had a player stretchered off midway through the half, for what appeared to be a knee injury, but it didn’t look too serious as it wasn’t strapped up. With 15 minutes remaining Gareth Scates was replaced by Dominic Melly, but as far as I could see this had little or no impact. Then ten minutes from time, in a last ditch attempt, the United manager brought on Paul McDowell for the out of sorts Vinny Sweeney, but apart from one weak shot, he made little or no impact. Referee Hiles cautioned Aiden Watson for an innocuous foul, yet another harsh decision from the Coleraine whistler. Despite the efforts of both sets of players the match petered out to a no-score draw and United slipped back to fifth place and it was about all they deserved to put it mildly. They’ll need a big improvement for next week when Kilmore Rec are the visitors for the first proper round of the Irish cup, if not they may be facing more embarrassment and that would never do, now would it?

McFrederick          7          Aiden Watson          7     MoM:  Albert Watson

Donaghy          7          Sweeney          6     

McClean          7          Kelbie               6

Haveron          6          King               5     Referee:     F. Hiles      3

Albert Watson          8          1st Sub: Melly          5

Smyth               7          2nd Sub: McDowell     5

Scates               5                           

Ragged Reds!

A classic this was not, a ‘battle’ it definitely was, the fact that two Larne players decided to ‘literally’ battle, only added to the controversy. Things got off to a bad start, United fans contrary to reports in one Ballymena local paper, were to be admitted to the ground via the riverside turnstiles. This was a case of organised confusion, with United fans, myself included arriving at the wrong entrance and receiving conflicting instructions as to how to get to their own ‘segregated’ terracing or grandstand. This ‘segregation’ was of course a complete shambles, as the only toilets were located close to the home fans entrance and necessitated United fans passing through ‘hostile areas’ in order to answer the call of nature. No doubt this confusion was a contributing factor in the kick-off being delayed by ten minutes, or was it just to get the Larne fans out of the bars? The match played on an even worse surface than Coleraine’s and that’s saying something, was never going to about anything but which team had the stomach to win. United were forced to make two changes from last Friday night’s starting eleven, with Aiden Watson coming in for Phil Charnock and Paul McDowell starting in place of Rory Hamill. With Gary Smyth still absent, Kieran Donaghy retained the Captain’s armband and Gordon Simms started against his hometown club. United started brightly and Stuart King had a shot blocked after 10 minutes when he picked up a pass from Vinny Sweeney. Paul McDowell showed his class with a neat turn and shot which Larne keeper Keegan, saved at the second attempt. That was in the 20th minute and five minutes later the game was turned on its head, when McDowell was wrestled to a standstill by central defender McDonagh, as he bore down on the Larne goal. Referee Steven Weatherall had no hesitation in flourishing the automatic red card and Larne were reduced to ten men. The resultant free kick was taken by Scatesy but his weak if well placed shot, was easily dealt with by the home keeper. Willie McFrederick distinguished himself with a good save during a rare Larne attack, blocking a goalbound effort with his knees. United kept probing at the home defence and King had yet another shot blocked after 35 minutes. United were thwarted by a combination of poor final passes, an efficient offside trap and some resolute Larne defending. United had won the toss and decided to play up the slope in the first half and to their credit they ran their socks off up the famous Inver Park slope. They got their just reward after 41 minutes when leading scorer Vinny Sweeney notched his eleventh goal of the season. Taking a pass from strike partner McDowell the big man burst into the penalty box, drew the Larne keeper and then swerved to his right before hammering the ball into the net, with his right foot. This was no more than United deserved but they had a lucky escape two minutes later when Simms miskicked, but luckily recovered before an opposing forward could take advantage.

Five minutes into the second half Sweeney burst through on goal, but was cleaned by a Larne defender, as clear cut a penalty as I’ve ever seen, but referee Weatherall astounded everybody by waving play on. Two minutes later Sweeney should’ve put the game beyond doubt, when he nipped between a defender and the goalkeeper, but somehow screwed his shot wide, when it looked easier to score. This was almost to prove a costly miss, as Larne stepped up the pace and began to take the game to United and our defence looked decidedly ‘jittery’ under pressure. Still it was hard to see where Larne were going to conjure up a goal from, but as usual ‘Lady luck’ played a big part in things. A Larne forward drove a shot straight at Craig McClean, hitting his arm in the process and referee Weatherall astounded United players and fans by pointing to the penalty spot. Craig McClean was beside himself with anger, but his arguments were in vain and the decision stood. Ace penalty taker Mark Dickson stroked the ball into the net, when McFrederick committed himself to diving to his left. Suddenly United were in a battle and things were not going for them and referee Weatherall seemed to give any 50/50 decisions to the home team. United fans were calling for a couple of changes as Stuarty King and McDowell didn’t seem to have anything left. United seemed reluctant to build any moves and kept thumping long hopeful balls into the Larne area, with no reward. With 15 minutes left the United manager made a double substitution bringing on Kevin Kelbie and Dominic Melly for McDowell and Scates. Still United couldn’t find the breakthrough, but then it came from an unlikely source. Craig McClean hoisted a hopeful ball into the goalmouth and the hesitant Larne defence failed to deal with it properly and as it came to Dominic Melly he hammered it into the net to give United all three points. Larne to their credit continued to attack the United goal, but when a throw in went against them midfielder Quigley decided to have a go at Aiden Watson, but the referee merely ticked him off. Two minutes later Quigley head-butted the United midfielder and received a mandatory red card and Larne finished the game with nine players. In the end it was a victory we just about deserved, not a pretty thing, but a victory just the same!

McFrederick 7 Aiden Watson 6 MoM: Sweeney

Donaghy 7 Sweeney 8

McClean 6 McDowell 7

Haveron 6 King 6 Referee: S. Weatherall 3

Albert Watson 7 1st Sub: Kelbie 6

Simms 6 2nd Sub: Melly 7

Scates 6