Bitter Sweet!

The injury struck Sky Blues suffered yet another body blow today when stand-in Captain Stuarty King suffered a broken ankle in the Boxing Day derby against the Coleraine scum. Stuarty bravely waved away the stretcher and hobbled off but was unable to shake off the injury and was replaced by Ryan Deans, with Kevin Kelby taking over as Captain. That happened in the first 15 minutes and before the half hour had elapsed, David Cushley was stretchered off to be replaced by Liam Mullan, but it is thought that he isn't as serious as at first feared and may be available for United's next match, away to Linfield on New Year's Day. United had taken the field with an unchanged starting line-up and got off to a disastrous start when Antrim referee Alan Black adjudged Gavin McDonnell had handled the ball in the area and awarded the visitors a penalty after only two minutes. This looked like a clear case of 'ball to hand' but there was little protest from the United defenders. Justice however was done when United keeper Alan Blayney saved defender Kyle McVey's weak spot kick. Referee Black appeared to be in a 'give the home team nothing' mood as he time and again punished them for innocuous offences while letting the scum away with bare-faced foul play. Never was this better illustrated than when he punished Cushley for a late challenge, where no contact was made and 2 minutes later in the exact same spot allowed scum Captain Tommy 'the poisoned dwarf' McCallion, to get away with a stomp on Cushley after the ball had gone. But if the referee was poor he was brilliant compared to the linesman at the Fisherwick end of the ground who missed at least 6 off-side decisions before giving one that was dubious to say the least. United's best efforts in the first half were a long distance shot from Cushley and a chance for Wardy when played in by his strike-partner Kelbie, but his first touch let him down. At the other end United's back 5 of Aiden Watson, Lee Colligan, Tommy Wray, Gavin McDonnell and the ever improving Archie Stewart gave the scum strikers barely a sniff at goal and they were ably backed up by penalty hero Alan Blayney. Referee Black allowed scum striker Davey Patton to get off without a caution, when he blatantly sunk his knee into Gavin McDonnell's back. Despite what seemed like five minutes of stoppage time for the two injuries to the Cush and King and a another minute for McDonnell there was only 3 minutes of added time.


United were attacking their favourite goals, the Fisherwick end in the 2nd period and began the half in a much livelier fashion. Still it was hard to see where the breakthrough was going to come from and it looked like it would take something special to break the deadlock. The visitors almost found that when only a saving header from Lee Colligan denied them 10 minutes into the half. The linesman at the Fisherwick end was so vigilant in the 2nd period that he was flagging the home team offside when they clearly weren't. United should've taken the lead on the hour mark, when Gavin Melaugh, coming back to his top form, sent Kelbie away with a good ball over the top. The United talisman seemed to hesitate when he reached the box, but when he went to shoot he had his legs clipped from under him, but referee Black waved away United's claims for a penalty. Five minutes later the dose was repeated and this time it was Wardy who burst through the sluggish Coleraine defence, only to mess up just inside the box. All looked lost before fate took a hand and 'fate' used an unlikely source on this occasion. 'Big Fat' Davey O'Hare, who has long been the butt of Sky Blue fans jokes, attempted to clear the ball, but could only watch in disbelief as the ball ricocheted off one of his own players and past him into the net. The large contingent of United fans, the best 'home' support of the season, were on their feet to jeer the scum keeper and cheer the goal, while the 'tub O lard' could scarcely believe his luck. Five minutes later United sealed the points when Kelbie beat at least 5 men in a mazy dribble inside the box, before rolling the ball into the net. About a minute later the scum were reduced to 10 men when substitute Gibson blatantly elbowed United's Aiden Watson and immediately drew a red card from referee Black. Then we had the third biggest cheer of the day when the linesman at the Fisherwick end tripped over his own feet and had to get attention from the United Physio. Substitute Liam Mullan made way for young James McVeigh no doubt to give the young guy a taste of first team action as United will need to call on all their resources as injuries start to mount up. United were in the ascendency now, but were content to play out time and ran out deserved winners, their fifth win in a row, but more importantly a victory over the scum from the 'dirty old town' of Coleraine!


Blayney 8 Melaugh 8 MoM: Blayney

Aid Watson 8 Ward 8

Colligan 8 Kelbie 8

Wray 8 Cushley 8 Referee: A. Black 3

Gav McDonnell 8 1st Sub: Deans 8

Stewart 8 2nd Sub: Mullan 8

King 7 3rd Sub: McVeigh 7