Davitt Delivers!

United kicked off their Crest County Antrim Shield quest in fine style tonight with an 8-0 demolition of juniors Orangefield Old Boys. The result was never really in doubt when United scored twice inside a minute, through Randal Reid and Davitt Walsh. With 8 mins on the clock Reid burst onto a through ball and pulled it onto his left foot before rifling United into the lead and a minute later debut boy, Davitt Walsh opened his scoring account when he got on the end of a Stuart King cross when the visiting defence was breached once more. The United manager had made 6 changes to his starting line-up, with only keeper Paul Murphy, defenders Gary Haveron and Craig McClean as well as Mark Picking and Stuarty King holding their place. Thomas Wray and Albert Watson came into defence, with Lee Patrick and Gavin Melaugh slotting into central defence, while up front it was Randal Reid and Davitt Walsh, with Fitzy, Stephen Lowry and David Cushley on the bench. United tended to over-elaborate a bit much and so failed to add to their 2 goal lead. No one was more guilty of this than winger Stuarty King, but on the stroke of halftime United central defender Gary Haveron went on a mazy run from his own half, before finding Stuarty with a through ball and he rounded the keeper before scoring from a tight angle. A minute later United made it 4 when Mark Picking scored with a fine solo effort.

Stephen Lowry replaced Picking at halftime and it didn't take United long to get back to scoring when Davitt Walsh notched his second goal of the night getting a touch to a King inswinging corner. Five minutes later Lee Patrick got his first goal of the season when he drove forcefully through the visitors defence to give the keeper no chance and give United a 6-0 lead. Walsh completed an impressive hat-trick 3 mins later when he flicked a free kick into the Orangefield net. United manager Tommy Wright took off Randal Reid at this juncture with the 'out of form' Fitzy taking his place. Fitzy was somewhat unlucky to see the visiting keeper make a good stop from his goalbound shot two mins after coming on and 8 mins later drove the ball straight at the keeper, when a score looked on. United made their 3rd substitution when Craig McClean made way for David Cushley. United appeared to be content at this stage and allowed their opponents to get a grip in midfield and Albert Watson picked up a caution when he stopped an Orangefield attacker as he threatened our goal. Despite the resultant free kick being on target Murphy dealt competently with it. United stepped up a gear in the last 10 minutes and deep into stoppage Fitzy finally got on the score sheet, when after rounding the keeper he scored from a tight angle, with a crisp left-foot shot. The referee almost immediately brought proceedings to a halt and the upshot was that United had progressed to the quarter-finals of the Shield!

Murphy 7 Melaugh 6 MoM: Patrick

Wray 6 Reid 6

McClean 6 Walsh 7

Haveron 7 King 6 Referee: Colin Burns

Alb Watson 6 1st Sub: Lowry 6

Patrick 7 2nd Sub: Fitzy 7

Picking 7 3rd Sub: Cushley 6

Poor Lookout!

I've been racking my brain for something positive to say about last night's 'shambolic' display by the Sky Blues, but so far I have been completely baffled. Admittedly we weren't outplayed by a Dungannon team minus Scullion and Hamill, who have both moved to Glentoran, but we never looked like scoring ourselves. Except for the bookings handed out by referee Burns, 4 United players cautioned for the second game running, we had little to offer in terms of football skills. Did both managers make a pact that the game would be one of defenders and goalkeepers hitting long balls in the hope of something coming off them? That was how the match was played for the most part, although when the visitors did get the ball at their feet, strikers McAllister and Campbell gave Kelly and Haveron in the United defence a torrid time. United's one change from the team that started at Lurgan the previous week, was the inclusion of Stuart King for the suspended Albert Watson. What a 'coup' that was for the United manager, to say that King was inept would have been an insult to the English language, he just was in fact nothing short of a liability. This was surely a game in which new signing Thomas Wray should've started, whether this necessitated Callaghan moving to centre-half, or Wray playing there himself is immaterial, but surely he was an automatic choice against his former team. The highlight of a boring first half was a super save from United keeper Paul Murphy at the expense of a corner, when Campbell at the 3rd attempt finally got a ball on target from a free kick. United's attack was non-existent with Paul Brown failing to test former United keeper Dwayne Nelson from close range after a Picking cross, their best effort.

The second half was just as boring as the first, with the predictable subs for United, Stephen Lowry for the inept Stuart King and Randall Reid for the mis-firing Fitzy. Dungannon however brought on a sub, who scored the only goal of the game to give his team all 3 points, don't ask me his name as Davey King still hasn't figured out how to work the loudspeaker at the Warden Street venue, it did sound like Matat Ruanada, but I couldn't swear to it. The closest United came was when a mis-hit shot from Scates almost beat Nelson but he recovered well to save easily. With 3 minutes left Wright took off Craig McClean and brought on Lee Patrick but even with 3 minutes of stoppage time we all knew it was a lost cause and so it proved. Now United, who are bottom of the group on goal difference, have a huge mountain to climb to ensure qualification, or else another potential trophy will slip through their grasp. Firstly though we need to put in in a good performance against Orangefield Old Boys on Tuesday night and maybe that will give us something to build on, but with this team, you never know!


Murphy 7 Aid Watson 5 MoM: P. Murphy

Callaghan 5 Brown 6

McClean 5 Fitzy 5

Haveron 6 King 4 Referee: R. Burns 4

Kelly 6 1st Sub: Lowry 5

Scates 5 2nd Sub: Reid 5

Picking 6 3rd Sub: Patrick 5
C

Scating Freely!

United manager Tommy Wright made three changes to his starting line-up from last Saturday, dropping King and Melaugh, with Gary Haveron and Mark Picking coming in while last weeks scorer, Fitzy, replaced the injured Kevin Kelbie. United, despite a good start found themselves a goal down after only 5 minutes, with the home team’s first real attack. Home midfielder, Eamon McCann, eluded United’s Aiden Watson in midfield and was allowed to scythe through the United defence before finding former Larne player Colm Kearney. Kearney then slipped the ball to Lewis Hamlin and he gave Murphy no chance from close range. The home team were rampant for a couple of minutes after this and young winger Ormond Okunaiya gave United left back Craig McClean a torrid time with his dribbling skills. United did finally manage to get a grip in midfield and almost equalised when a deep cross from Gary Haveron over the head of former United keeper Willie McFrederick fell to Paul Brown but his header only found the side net much to the chagrin of United’s fans. But United weren’t to be denied for long and with Garth Scates pulling the strings in midfield they got back on terms. Gary Haveron, wide on the left, laid the ball back to McClean and his deep cross fell to winger Picking who hammered the ball into the net to level the scores. That goal came in the 15^th minute and United fans were ‘cock a hoop’ and 2 minutes later they were delirious, when Garth Scates popped up on the left of the penalty box to hammer a crisp left foot shot past McFrederick to give his team a 2-1 lead. United had their tails up at this stage, but the home team were still dangerous on the break, aided and abetted by some strange decisions from referee Arnie Hunter. He harshly cautioned Aiden Watson for an innocuous foul on winger Okunaiya, one of four bookings for United players, while he allowed the Glenavon players to get off with loads of suspect tackles. Fitzy missed a glorious chance to put the game beyond doubt in the 25^th minute when he drove the ball straight at McFrederick when 'one on one' with the keeper. Despite creating a few more openings United couldn’t add to their tally and halftime was reached with them leading 2-1.

United continued where they left off in the first half by squandering half a dozen good openings, the worst of which was by Fitzy when he again failed to beat McFrederick from close range. Glenavon were looking a bit dangerous on the break and Hamlin almost got on the end of a long clearance, after slipping past United Captain, Albert Watson, but Murphy luckily got there first. Mark Picking beat McFrederick with a sharp shot but was unlucky to see his effort rebound off the post with Fitzy screwing the rebound wide, while at the other end Murphy made a good save from a pile driver from Hamlin, at the expense of a corner. With 20 minutes left manager Wright took off Fitzy and brought on Randall Reid, a straight striker for a striker, a bold move maybe or a foolish one. Fifteen minutes from the end, Hamlin out-sprinted Watson once more before taking a ‘blatant dive’ with referee Hunter falling for his ruse. Luckily for United he adjudged that the offence was committed outside the box, but he administered the red card to the United Captain, a harsh decision in my book, but not unexpected given the referee’s bias throughout the game. Luckily for United Hamlin drove the free kick straight at the United wall and the ball was cleared upfield. The United manager reacted to this sending off by first taking off big Paul Brown, with Thomas Wray taking his place and 2 minutes later bringing on Lee Patrick for Mark Picking. United were under a bit of pressure at this stage but Aaron Callaghan, who had moved to central defence and Simon Kelly both excelled during the final 15 minutes and kept Glenavon at bay. Their cause was helped somewhat when Garth Scates popped up once again, this time getting on the end of a Lee Patrick cross, to hammer the ball into the net for his second goal and United’s third. This goal clinched a ‘man of the match’ performance from the Killyleagh man and sealed the victory for the Sky Blues and it sets us up very nicely for the visit of Dungannon Swifts and ‘She’ Campbell on Thursday night, I personally can hardly wait!

Murphy 7 Aid Watson 7 MoM: Scates

Callaghan 7 Brown 7

McClean 6 Fitzy 6

Haveron 7 Scates 8 Referee: A. Hunter 3

Alb Watson 6 1^st Sub: Reid 7

Kelly 7 2^nd Sub: Wray 7

Picking 7 3^rd Sub: Patrick 7

Nothing Gained!

Ballymena travelled to Windsor Park today to take on the Carnegie Premier League champions in their first competitive game of the season. If this game were to be used as a 'yardstick' to gauge or progress since last season, then I'm afraid it would dampen our enthusiasm in a very big way. United, for some inexplicable reason seemed to want to make a game of it, when surely the sensible thing to do was endeavour to get a result and avoid a heavy defeat at all cost. Time and time again United's leftback Craig McClean was left with two men to mark while Stuart King was employed in a mainly attacking role. United it must be said did take the game to the champions for a short time and exerted a little pressure by playing the ball behind the home defenders. Garth Scates almost gave United a shock lead but home keeper Alan Manus turned his effort from close range over the bar. But it was obvious that when the home team stepped up a gear the Sky Blues were badly outclassed. Linfield finally broke the deadlock after 25 mins and it was a goal the United defence will have nightmares about I'm sure. From a corner on the right the ball was partially cleared by the United defence but when the ball was returned to the box it struck Kris Lindsay on the shin and deflected past United keeper Murphy. This was a ball that should've been cleared in the first place but wasn't dealt with effectively by the United defenders. As United tried to get back on terms Linfield fullback McShane brutally bodychecked Stuart King, but referee Davey Malcolm played the advantage as United had possession, but when it came to nothing he didn't call play back and give the original foul. Then as if to add insult to injury when play stopped he merely reprimanded McShane for the foul rather than flourishing the mandatory yellow card. From a needlessly conceded corner the home team doubled their lead after 37 mins and again the United defence stood and watched as it happened. The ball fell to home striker Thompson and he scored from close range with the United defence idly standing by. Thankfully halftime was reached without any further scoring.

Referee Malcolm didn't come out for the secondhalf and his replacement Adrian McCourt set about stamping his authority on the game immediately. Firstly he booked United defender Simon Kelly for a mistimed lunge but then completely ignored an 'over the top' challenge from Paul McAreavy. He then astounded the whole of the meagre attendance at Windsor by booking Aiden O'Kane of Linfield for an alleged dive. United manager Wright took off the disappointing Gavin Melaugh and Kevin Kelbie, with Mark Picking and Fitzy taking their place. Then 5 mins later he took off Aiden Watson with Lee Patrick replacing him. United's worst fears were realised at this time when Linfield 'pensioner' Glenn Ferguson came on as a substitute. He was barely on the field 10 mins, when looking suspiciously offside, he brushed off an attempted tackle from U-21 International Aaron Callaghan, before rounding keeper Murphy to score his teams 3rd goal. United struck back immediately from the kick-off with a sweet move. The ball was played through for Picking on the right and Fitzy met his pass to give keeper Manus no chance from close range. United should've had another goal back when home defender Douglas blatantly handled the ball, no penalty given and then in the same move Paul Brown was upended. The United players stared at the referee in disbelief, while the home team took advantage of the situation and caught the United defence flatfooted and young Craig McClean inadvertently turned the ball into his own net when a low cross was driven into the six-yard box. United's misery was complete after 85 minutes when the Blues added a fifth from a free kick, while the United defence looked on. Referee McCourt thankfully stopped the game 2 mins early to save United any further punishment. After this poor display some United fans were booing the team off, but it is only the first game and hopefully they can turn it round in the next couple of games, but somehow I'm not convinced!


Murphy 6 Aid Watson 5 MoM: P. Brown

Callaghan 5 Brown 6

McClean 6 Kelbie 5

Scates 5 King 5 Referees: D. Malcolm 2, A. McCourt 1,

Alb Watson 6 1st Sub: Picking 6

Jones 5 2nd Sub: Fitzy 6

Melaugh 5 3rd Sub: Patrick 5