Just Desserts!

What a pathetic display we witnessed by United against Donegal Celtic on Easter Tuesday. It was so poor it was hard to believe that it was the same team as the one which beat Larne the previous Saturday. So many players were below form that I wondered if they’d been eating too many Easter eggs. It was evident from the start of the match that the Sky Blues had no stomach for a fight as it was ten minutes into the game before they mounted an attack. They even took the lead completely against the run of play after 13 minutes, when Garth Scates made a good tackle just inside the D.C. half, sprinted up the left wing and crossed for Fitzy to head past the stranded home keeper. That was as good as it got for the visitors during the first period and they were indebted to keeper Paul Murphy and extreme luck, to go in at halftime one nil ahead. I was convinced that the United manager would change things around at halftime as we were getting swamped in midfield, where Mark Picking and Aiden Watson were totally ineffective.

Alas I was disappointed as we took the field with the same personnel and system as in the first period. I knew it was only a matter of time before the home team got a goal and 12 minutes into the second half they finally did and the United centre-backs were shrugged aside during the build-up to the goal. Referee Steven Weatherall, seemed determined to give the home team the benefit of any doubt when making decisions, but suddenly gave United two free kicks in a row. From the second of these Gary Haveron of all people drove a left foot shot into the net via a post to put the visitors two one ahead again after 64 minutes. The United manager had been about to make a substitution, but declined after that goal was scored, another big mistake. Four minutes later the home team were level when United’s central defence crumbled once more and left Murphy badly exposed. The United manager finally acted, but to my utter surprise he took off Aiden Watson and brought on Darren Murphy, but worse still, he kept the same system, suicide if I ever saw it. United survived a couple of scares but kept plugging away and young Cushley seemed to find some form and we were starting to play a wee bit. Stephen Lowry came on for the ineffective Mark Picking and I started to wonder if we could salvage something from the game. Darren Murphy intercepted a through ball just inside his own half and with plenty of time to clear he instead played the ball towards leftback Craig McClean. McClean failed to reach it and it rolled over the touchline for a throw to the home team. The rest of the move was just a blur to me as the home team were allowed to take the throw, exchange 3 passes and fire their team in front with the United defence looking on. Manager Wright took off Fitzy and brought on Paul Brown as we now had to chase the game. Kevin Kelbie, the hero against Larne, missed two sitters in the last five minutes. Firstly he nipped between centre-half and keeper but sent his header feebly into the keeper’s arms, when all he had to do was head it over him as the keeper was 15 yards off his line. Then after a Scates free kick fell to him with the goal at his mercy, he somehow drove his shot wide. In all fairness though I have to say it would have been an injustice if we had taken anything from that game, for once I have to admit we got what we deserved, nothing.

P. Murphy 7 Aid Watson 5 MoM: P. Murphy

Callaghan 5 Fitzy 6

McClean 5 Kelbie 5

Scates 6 Cushley 6 Referee: S. Weatherall 4

Kelly 5 1^st Sub: D. Murphy 5

Haveron 5 2^nd Sub: Lowry 5

Picking 5 3^rd Sub: Brown 5