Referring Decisions!

No, our headline is not a misprint, it just sums up perfectly the contribution of referee Mark Courtenay today. In fact, maybe the correct headline should be ‘deferring’, as the Dungannon official seemed to wait until he got the nod from an unseen accomplice before making any decisions. United lined out as forecast in Sky Blue Sport, with Stuarty King and Aiden Watson, coming in for the suspended duo, Melaugh and Scates. United set out their stall early, attacking the league leaders from the outset as if to prove they had not come to defend. The linesman at the Spion Kop end of the ground, which United were defending, was wearing his Linfield scarf as he continually ignored blatant offsides and the cheating antics of Mark ‘the diver’ Dickson. Dickson needed little invitation to fall over and both referee and linesman aided and abetted him in his task. United with former Linfield players King and Picking raiding up both flanks tortured the Linfield back four during the early stages of the game. United’s Simon Kelly was harshly booked by the referee when he legitimately took the ball off Linfield’s Peter Thompson, but then again that’s not allowed, is it? United’s domination of the home team was succinctly demonstrated when, Paul Brown, Kevin Kelbie and Mark Picking, found themselves all attacking the same ball in the Linfield penalty area and messing up in the process. Linfield’s strong-arm tactics almost paid the ultimate dividend when Picking was hauled down on the edge of the Linfield box, no yellow card from the referee on this occasion (surprise! surprise!), and Stuarty King’s free kick smacked off the post for a goalkick. United were finally subjected to some pressure from the home team in the last 10 minutes of the half. Albert Watson and Thompson went down in an ugly heap, but the referee rightly allowed play to continue. United were guilty here of not clearing their lines and the home team tried to force the initiative. United were indebted to keeper Murphy who was on hand to turn a shot over the bar from a suspiciously looking offside Mark Dickson, Murphy’s first real save of the game. United survived the resultant corner, but were struggling to get into the game at this stage. Six minutes from the break, a through ball was played to home midfielder McAreevy but he stumbled on the ball and United’s Aaron Callaghan hooked the ball for a corner. McAreevy actually went down in sections and incredulously referee Mark Courtenay awarded a penalty. The United players and fans were stunned, but after all we were in Windsor Park, we had dominated the first half and that couldn’t be allowed to continue, now could it? United keeper Paul Murphy dived when if he had stood his ground the spot kick would’ve hit him and Linfield went one up in the game. As United attempted to get back in the game, Picking was viciously hacked down by McShane and referee Courtenay, after checking with whomever was pulling his strings (you’ll notice here I didn’t say the fat controller here, I never mentioned his name), duly flourished the yellow card. The home team managed to hold out until halftime and United trotted off at the interval wondering how they were a goal down after dominating the first half.

The second half was almost a carbon copy of the first with United attacking down both flanks and I can’t honestly remember keeper Paul Murphy having to make a save worthy of the name. Linfield were allowed to get away with foul play perfectly exemplified when their central defender rose in the centre-circle and caught the ball like an Australian rules player calling for a ‘mark’. Surely this must bring a caution I thought, but no referee Courtenay thought otherwise. United Captain Albert Watson perpetrated the ‘miss of the match’, when he failed to get his head to a Stuart King corner on the edge of the six-yard box. United manager Tommy Wright, obviously happy with a one nil defeat, took off striker Paul Brown with Fitzy taking his place. To me this was a wasted substitution as it just surrendered the aerial route to the home team. Fitzy was though involved in one of the most bizarre incidents I’ve ever seen at an Irish league game. Chasing a ball into the box he hit it goalwards and it hit a defender enroute before crossing the by-line, the linesman’s decision, unsurprisingly I might add, a goalkick to the home team. Aaron Callaghan was blatantly pulled back by a home player as he cut inside, but referee Courtenay waved play on when it was clear the United man had no real advantage. Linfield midfielder McAreevy added insult to injury a few minutes later, by rolling histrionically when tackled by United’s Aiden Watson, earning the United man a caution from duped referee Courtenay. The Linfield man who appeared to be so badly injured a stretcher would be required, got up unaided and couldn’t hide his grin from the United fans. The United manager took off Lee Patrick with 5 minutes remaining obviously intent on giving young Stephen Lowery a taste of the action. The fourth official held up the board showing 4 minutes of stoppage time and this was to work against the Sky Blues. Two minutes had elapsed when Murphy’s weak goalkick ricocheted off a Linfield player and came back towards the United goal. Not for the first time in his United career Murphy stayed stranded on his goal-line and Peter Thompson was allowed to chase the ball down before squaring for substitute Adamson to rifle the ball past the stranded keeper, to give the home team a flattering score of two nil. That was the end for United, with nothing to show for their spirited performance but I think they showed their full-time opponents that they are in for a real game in two weeks time when they meet in the Irish cup in Ballymena. As the United fans were singing, ‘full-timers, you’re having a laugh’ I made my way out of stadium.

Murphy 6 Patrick 6 MoM: Aid Watson

Callaghan 5 Brown 7

McClean 6 Kelbie 7

Aid Watson 8 King 7 Referee: M. Courtenay 1

Alb Watson 7 1^st Sub: Fitzy 6

Kelly 8 2^nd Sub: Lowery 6

Picking 7