Rinsed Out!

Was this the ‘real’ Ballymena team who turned up for today’s game at Ballyskeagh, the home of Lisburn Distillery? Hopefully not, because if they turn in an insipid performance like this next Saturday then they’ll be out of the Irish cup for another season. With 2 changes from last Saturday’s starting line-up, Boydie dropped in favour of McClean and Gareth McConaghie taking over from Aaron Callaghan, who was on duty with the under-21s. United got off to the worst possible start when Paul Brown limped off after barely 2 minutes with a foot injury with Fitzy taking his place. United went behind after barely 8 minutes, when young Gareth McConaghie, allowed an innocuous cross to bounce and Andy Waterworth (once coveted by the Sky Blues), seized on the missed clearance and drilled the home team into the lead. Fitzy missed a glorious chance to bring the teams level when he beat the Whites keeper in a race for the ball but was unable to find the target from a difficult angle. Then at the other end Murphy made a good save after some heavy pressure from the home side. Half an hour into the game disaster struck once more for the Sky Blues, when McConaghie appeared to go over on his ankle and had to be substituted, with Aiden Watson coming on in centre midfield. This in turn meant that Scates moved to rightback and Lowry onto the wing. Four minutes from halftime the visitors were thrown a lifeline, when after the ball appeared to come off a United attacker last the referee awarded the visitors a corner. As the ball was driven in by Lowry the home keeper just waved at it and then it fell to Kevin Kelbie at the far post and he drove a shot past the stranded keeper. United managed to hold out until halftime and in fact had probably there best period in the game at this stage.

Three minutes into the second period Paul Murphy handed the home team the points on a plate, when he allowed a 35 yard punt from Darren Armour to go through his legs into the net. The fact that this setback didn’t rouse United from their slumbers, only serves to emphasis how poor they were. The closest they came to scoring was in fact a long range shot from Fitzy with which he failed to trouble the home keeper. Young Lowry made way for Mark Picking with 15 minutes left, but it was too little too late in my opinion. The Whites got their insurance goal with 12 minutes remaining, when Waterworth forced the ball home from 10 yards out with the United defence at sixes and sevens. After the ‘Lord Mayors show last week we certainly ended up with the ‘Donkey and cart’ at Ballyskeagh today. Needless to say a vast improvement will be required if United are to progress to the semi-final of the cup at the expense of Linfield next Saturday!

P. Murphy 5 Haveron 5 MoM: Kelly

McConaghie 5 Brown 5

McClean 5 Kelbie 7

Scates 6 King 5 Referee: M. Courtenay 4

Alb Watson 6 1^st Sub: Fitzy 5

Kelly 8 2^nd Sub: Aid Watson 6

Lowry 6 3^rd Sub: Picking 6