Dunn Over!

Few Ballymena fans will be sorry if Dungannon Swifts end up playing their games in the first division next season. United's record against the Swifts this season makes depressing reading, played 4, lost 4, by far the worst record against any other team in the league. United manager Roy Walker, made 3 unforced changes to his starting line-up, out went Albert Watson, Nathan McConnell and Ryan Deans, with Mark Picking, Aaron Stewart and Gary Haveron taking their place. Tommy Wray missed the game with a recurrence of flu and Paul Muir's knee injury kept him out. On the plus side Kevin Kelbie returned from injury and David Cushley after his one game suspension. United got off to the worst possible start when the Swifts scored after just 2 minutes. This goal was typical of United's slip shod defending which has been such a feature this season. A high ball was hoisted into the penalty area and it was a question of whether any of United's defenders were going to challenge for the ball. Unsurprisingly they didn't and Conor Forker said thanks very much and knocked the ball past Alan Blayney via a post. United to their credit didn't allow this setback to affect them and came within a whisker of levelling the scores. Aiden Watson, who hasn't scored this season, found himself in front of goal, swivelled and fired a glorious right-foot shot which crashed off the crossbar with Swifts keeper Alvin Rouse rooted to the spot. This was just typical of our luck this season and as if to prove the point Dungannon went into a 2 goal lead almost immediately. Swifts striker Timmy Adamson, found himself in acres of space wide on the right before rifling a thunderous shot which once more crashed off the post leaving Blayney helpless, a really marvellous goal. United got a lifeline 2 minutes later when David Cushley curled a right foot shot into the net to reduce the deficit to 2-1. Nineteen minutes on the clock and 3 goals, we hardly had time to draw breath. Cushley, who was finding acres of space on the left forced the save of the season from Rouse when from an seemingly impossible angle his left foot shot was tipped over the bar, a truly wonderful save from the Swift's keeper. It got even better for United when after a spell of sustained pressure Lee Colligan fired past Rouse to level the scores and send United's travelling supporters wild with delight. I must give a pat on the back to United's long suffering fans who, despite our defensive frailties still turn out in their numbers, a credit to the 'high' country. Referee Jim McFadden then became the villain of the piece, leaving United fans wondering if he was exacting revenge after his altercation with United's management last Saturday. Firstly he rightly waved play on when a home player took a blatant dive in the penalty box and then to the consternation of United fans and players alike, he changed his decision after consulting his linesman and gave the home side a penalty which they duly scored. He then demonstrated his completely biased refereeing when after having allowed the home team to get away with kicking the ball away when he had blew for an infringement,including one player actually scoring, which carries an automatic booking, he cautioned Kevin Kelbie for a similar offence. David Cushley spurned a great chance to level the scores when he shot over the bar with the goal at his mercy, a costly miss. Just as it looked as if the teams would go in with the home team 3-2 ahead at halftime, up popped the 'ghost man', Darren Murphy, to fire his team to a 2 goal lead. Murphy, is the ghost man, as he told former United manager Tommy Wright, that he was retiring from football because of his damaged knee and he was going to manage Dungannon's reserve team, since then he's hardly missed a match for the Swifts, he epitomises the 'honesty' of footballers and the miraculous healing powers of the local water.

United made two changes at halftime with Albert Watson and Gavin Melaugh replacing United's central defensive pairing of Stewart and McDonnell, with Gary Haveron dropping back alongside Watson in defence. United had more of the play in the 2nd period, their defence was no steadier than in the first half, but somehow they managed to concede no further goals. This was mainly due to bad finishing by the home team as United continued to give their forwards the freedom of the park. Typical of this 'devil may care' attitude was when from a Swifts corner two of their player were left completely unmarked, not a United player within ten yards of them and they still contrived to miss the target. Referee McFadden had got the half off to a typical start when after Mike Ward had been deliberately tripped, he allowed play to continue and when the United man stumbled into a home player he gave the foul against him, nothing new there. He continued in this vein cautioning Albert Watson after Adamson took a blatant dive, nothing new there either. The referee once more demonstrated his biased nature, when after rightly penalising Gary Haveron for a blatant push, two minutes later he allowed the same offence to go unpunished when a Dungannon defender pushed Mike Ward out of his way. . With 20 minutes remaining in a last throw of the dice, Mark Picking made way for Neal Teggart. Kevin Kelbie spurned a great chance to reduce the deficit when his feeble shot was blocked on the line and Cushley's follow up was saved by Rouse's legs. United got a lifeline after 70 minutes when Teggart notched his 11th goal of the season when he got on the end of a Cushley cross. Were we in for a grandstand finish we wondered, the answer of course was no. Probably the most frustrating thing about following the Sky Blues is when they need to take the game by the 'scruff of the neck', they seemingly can't be bothered. This was demonstrated when late in the game we seemed unwilling or unable to get the ball past the first defender even though the home team were fighting a rear-guard battle. In fact if someone had just arrived at the game and not known the score, they might have deduced that we were in the lead as we seemed content to play out time. During the 3 minutes of added time, home keeper Rouse was blatantly time wasting, aided and abetted by the referee who actually made him take a free kick twice, as they say a leopard never changes it's spots!


Blayney 7 Aid Watson 7 MoM: Cushley

Smith 6 Ward 5

Colligan 7 Kelbie 5

McDonnell 5 Cushley 8 Referee: J. McFadden 0

Stewart 5 1st Sub: Alb Watson 6

Haveron 6 2nd Sub: Melaugh 6

Picking 5 3rd Sub: Teggart 7