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