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