Easter Present!

The Easter Bunny didn’t leave any Easter eggs at Ballymena yesterday, but United had probably their easiest victory of the season over one of the poorest Larne sides I’ve seen for some considerable time. The United manager made two enforced changes to his starting line-up, with Albert Watson and Stuart King both failing fitness tests, Fitzy was drafted in alongside Kevin Kelbie upfront and 17 year-old David Cushley took King’s place on the left wing. With confirmation this week in the local paper that top scorer Kevin Kelbie intends to return to Scotland at the end of the season, was this then his farewell to United fans as he scored a rare hat-trick. Kevin has said that he’d still be available if United were to fly him in, but this could prove a tad expensive and United might be better going for a local based striker instead. Yesterday was as I said a stroll for United and they should’ve scored a bag of goals, but had to settle for three, all scored by Kelbie. The first came after 12 minutes when Gareth Scates made a run forward offering Mark Picking an option for a short corner kick. Picking refused that choice sending the ball into the penalty box instead. The corner was cleared over Scates’s head and he hooked it back into the penalty box for Kelbie to run onto before guiding a downward header past the stranded Keenan in the Larne goal to give the home team a one nil lead. The remainder of the half was almost totally dominated by the Sky Blues but they failed to add to their tally. Young Cushley cut inside and drew a good save from Keenan with a crisp shot. Then from a another Picking corner Haveron, Captain for the day in Albert Watson’s absence, headed over. Kelbie then spurned a great chance when he deftly flicked the ball over a Larne defender, before shooting straight at the Larne keeper instead of either passing to the unmarked Fitzy or picking his spot more carefully. Kennan then made an instinctive save from an Aiden Watson shot after Fitzy delivered an inch perfect pass into the box. Larne, despite forcing several corners, failed to trouble the United rearguard, in which Simon Kelly was outstanding, but they did have one anxious moment when Colm Kearney drove a shot just wide of the target. Referee Halliday blew his whistle for halftime with United leading by the solitary goal.

The second half was even more one-sided than the first with United attacking their favourite goals at the Fisherwick end of the ground. The catalogue of misses were almost too numerous, but suffice to say Fitzy, Cushley and Kelbie were the main culprits and Keenan kept a good goal as well. United winger Mark Picking had a great second half and it was he who set up Kelbie after 65 minutes for the goal that finished Larne off. The ex-Linfield winger skipped past his marker before picking (pardon my pun), out Kelbie with a glorious pass and he hammered the ball into the net for his and United’s second goal. Shortly afterward Kevin blotted his copybook so to speak when he feinted to tackle keeper Keenan as he tried to clear the ball and referee Halliday saw fit to caution him, which made the ref look as foolish as Kelbie. Five minutes later the referee waved play on as Scates was brutally hacked down, but when United lost the ball he didn’t call play back. Scates complained bitterly to the official, but all to no avail. Two minutes later Scates took his own revenge with a robust challenge and the referee couldn’t get his card out quick enough to caution the United man. Larne came close to scoring from the resultant free kick but Kelbie blew them away with a third goal, when after a corner had been partially cleared he drove the ball into the net with his weaker right foot after 75 minutes to complete his hat-trick. Manager Wright took off Cushley and the biggest cheer of the day almost was when he replaced him with Nigel Boyd. Two minutes later he took off Scates and brought on Lowry and United continued to dominate proceedings. Boydie almost snatched a fourth for United but the ball just eluded him at the far post, what a cheer that would have been. The United manager then took off goal hero Kelbie with Randal Reid getting 5 minutes of action. Aaron Callaghan had his usual overlapping run where he fails to deliver a cross and the match drew to its conclusion without United adding to their total. As I said an easy victory, but I can’t help but think it’s too little too late from United’s perspective!

P. Murphy 7 Aid Watson 8 MoM: Kelbie

Callaghan 6 Fitzy 7

McClean 6 Kelbie 8

Scates 7 Cushley 7 Referee: K. Burnside 3

Kelly 8 1^st Sub: Boydie 7

Haveron 6 2^nd Sub: Lowry 6

Picking 8 3^rd Sub: Reid 6