Hol(e)y Defence!

United manager Tommy Wright keeps insisting that the Sky Blues defence is as good as almost any in the league, the ‘fallacy’ of that statement was never better illustrated than at Lakeview Park today. United had failed to score on their two previous championship visits to the County Armagh venue and they broke that duck today alright, but conceded three goals themselves in the process. Nobody in United’s back four can claim immunity from an inept display of slip-shod defending that was at times embarrassing. Having said that, the chances that were passed up by the United forwards, beggar’s belief. With just four minutes on the clock, Mark Picking put over a perfect cross and the unmarked Fitzy failed to find the target with a free header, a glaring miss. Two minutes later United Captain Albert Watson missed with a free header from 2 yards out. Then as so often happens, Loughgall scored with their first foray into United territory. United defender Aaron Callaghan was left trailing in a player’s wake and when his cross came over the United defence stood and watched as the home number 9 stroked the ball into the net. That goal came after 9 minutes and 7 minutes later it was 2, when the visitors failed to clear their lines from a corner and the ball was swept home once again. United did manage to pull a goal back after 26 minutes when Picking once more found Fitzy with a cross and the striker first shot straight at the home keeper, but as the ball came back to him he drove the rebound into the net. United then missed two sitters as the home defence wilted under pressure, firstly Kevin Kelbie screwed a left foot shot wide from the edge of the six-yard box after 30 minutes and 5 minutes later Darren Murphy did likewise in almost identical fashion. Lee Patrick missed with a free header as the Sky Blues pummelled the home defence and Kelbie shot hurriedly when well placed. United finally got back on level terms just before halftime when Fitzy once more hammered the ball goalwards and Mark Picking forced the ball over the line at the far post.

Five minutes into the second half the United defence went asleep again and Loughgall took the lead once more. Gary Haveron, who had a day he’ll want to forget, failed to hammer the ball over the touch-line and in fact only did the work for a Loughgall forward and when his cross came over the home striker headed past the stranded Paul Murphy, with Albert Watson in no-mans land. United laid siege to the home goal after this setback but looked destined not to find the vital breakthrough. After 65 minutes manager Tommy Wright took off Scatesy and brought on Stuarty King and this proved to be an inspired substitution as the former Linfield player got on the end of a Fitzy cross and bundled the ball into the net. United had their ‘tails up’ now and with winger Mark Picking in exhilarating form carried the game to their opponents. With 15 minutes remaining United made another substitution, taking off a below par Darren Murphy and bringing on Aiden Watson. Gary Haveron compounded his poor form with a free kick that failed to trouble the keeper and then drove yet another into the home defensive wall. United continued to press for the winner and King just failed to get to another Picking cross. With 10 minutes left, manager Wright then committed what in my mind was the biggest ‘gaffe’ of the day, taking off my ‘man of the match’, Mark Picking and bringing on Austen Friel. He changed the formation to go to three at the front, but he could have taken off either Kevin Kelbie, who was not at his best, or the tiring Lee Patrick, as Picking can play either up front or in midfield. United did have one final chance when Kelbie drove a shot over the bar with the goal gaping. Then keeper Paul Murphy was caught miles off his line, but luckily the attempted chip over his head fell well short. But the keeper committed an even worse mistake when he completely miskicked a clearance but luckily for him Albert Watson cleared the danger. So a draw against the poorest team in the league was all that United had to show for their trip to the Orchard County. Finally to sum up, if our management team can’t sort out our defensive frailties’, it’ll be a long hard slog from now to the end of the season.

P. Murphy 5 Patrick 5 MoM: Picking

Callaghan 5 Fitzy 7

McClean 5 Kelbie 5

Scates 5 D. Murphy 5 Referee: S. Weatherall 4

Alb Watson 5 1^st Sub: King 6

Haveron 4 2^nd Sub: Aid Watson 5

Picking 8 3^rd Sub: Friel 5