Negative Walker!

Picture the scene, there's 15 minutes remaining in the game and one of your strikers has just scored to give you a 2-0 lead. This striker has signalled that he has tweaked his hamstring and needs to be replaced. You have run the opposition ragged and your other striker has missed a sitter and a penalty, what do you do. A simple question and an easy answer, you take off the injured striker, bring on another striker or a speedy winger, which you just have to have kicking his heels on the bench. What does our manager do? He brings on a midfielder, leaves a lone striker up front and allows the other manager to throw a goal-scoring fullback, who everybody knows is lethal in the opposition box, up front and the rest as they say is history.
Let's be brutally honest here United should've had this game dead and buried before the Glens got their first goal. Darren Lockhart out-jumped everybody for a Mike Smith corner, but failed to find the target, a calamitous miss. Andy Smith took a pass from Nathan McConnell and failed to hit the target from 12 yards, yet another calamitous miss. Added to that was his penalty miss and his one-on-one with the keeper who was by this stage a virtual passenger, but still able to save Andy's weak shot. No in the end we got what we deserved out of this game, nothing.
Manager Roy Walker made only one change from his starting line-up of the previous week, Ormo in for Cushley, who failed a late fitness test, but he changed the system opting for a 4,4,2 with Mike Smith slotting into right midfield and Surgenor playing at right back. The linesman at the Fisherwick end had to be on his toes and he got a few right as the Glens were quite often in offside positions. The United defence weathered the early pressure from the league champions and then set about testing their stand-in keeper Taylor. United forced a couple of corners and the Glens defence was under some severe pressure but survived. Referee Alan Black was in a most lenient mood, warning two visiting players for bad tackles one especially bad on Mark Surgenor, but when United's Chris Ramsay made a clumsy challenge the referee produced an immediate yellow card. United didn't allow this biased refereeing to upset them and McConnell forced Taylor into a good save with a left-foot shot. The United defence had a let off when they allowed Gary Hamilton a free header from a Keith Gillespie cross, but fortunately he failed to find the target. Ormo and McConnell combined well down the left and Ormo's cross whistled across goal but no-one could apply the finishing touch.
United took a deserved lead in the 32nd minute when McConnell took a pass from Andy Smith before burying a left-foot shot in the top corner of the net. Referee Black saw fit to caution Nathan, allegedly for removing his shirt in celebration, I know it's in the rules, but please referee's, show a little bit of common sense, try to imagine the excitement of scoring a goal and give a little leeway. United had another let off just before halftime when Keith Gillespie was given loads of space and his attempted curling shot just shaved the post with Nelson scrambling. United spurned a good chance in stoppage time when Andy Smith allowed himself to be caught in possession when a pass to his strike partner would have been the better option.

United just like in last Saturday's match, started badly in the 2nd half and Archie who had played well in the first period had a 'stinker' in the 2nd. His first mistake came just 2 mins after the restart when under little pressure he completely messed up his attempted clearance but luckily he got it at the 2nd attempt. Here was an early warning which went unheeded and as Archie continued to under-perform as the match went on, but our manager took no action and in the end we paid a costly price for his indecision. But we weathered the early pressure and began to exert pressure on the Glens creaking back four with some great football. Ten minutes into the half Andy Smith missed a golden opportunity when after taking a pass from Nathan he completely missed the target from 12 yards. Five minutes later Ormo skipped into the penalty area only to be scythed down by Colin Nixon, surely a red card offence. Referee Black didn't even administer a caution, but he did give a penalty. Up stepped Andy Smith but his weak effort was easily saved by goalkeeper Taylor. Five minutes later Lockhart missed with a free header from Mike Smith's corner. Had we missed the boat I wondered as Archie miskicked once more at the other end, but cometh the hour cometh the man.
After a spell of pressure from the visitors Andy Smith and Mike Smith carried the ball out of defence and after exchanging a couple of passes Andy was sent away down the right and he drew a defender before squaring it into Nathan's path. The big striker neatly sidestepped the Glens goalie, before planting the ball in the net. The Glens keeper had to have treatment at this time and was thereafter a virtual passenger and unable to kick the ball. Almost immediately United manager Roy Walker took off Nathan but brought on Taggart in midfield, instead of reserve striker Paul McNeill who had been warming up, a strange move.
United held out for eight minutes as they allowed the visitors to dictate the play, twice making goal-line clearances but the Glens finally got a lifeline when Sub Andy Waterworth crashed the ball home following a corner kick. Two minutes later Andy Smith failed to score when one-on-one with the keeper, allowing the limping Taylor to save his weak shot. The fourth official showed 4 minutes of stoppage time but still our manager didn't act. He even waved the players back as they attempted to push forward, surrendering the midfield to the Glens. Colin Nixon scored two goals in the 91st and 94 minutes to give the Glens a victory in a game where they were outplayed and outclassed. But at the end of the day, it's goals that count and it's goals that win matches!

Nelson (6), M.Smith (7), Colligan (7), Surgenor (7), Ramsay (7), Archie (5), Anderson (6), Lockhart (7), A. Smith (5) McConnell (8)(Sub: Taggart 6), Ormo (7)

Man of the match: Nathan McConnell