Away Glee!

United continued their impressive away form with this a 4-2 win at the Oval against a poor Glentoran side. The United manger rung the changes, picking big Denver to partner Liam Watson at the centre of his defence and moving Archie to leftback. Sparky partnered Jenks in midfield and there was a surprise recall of Elvis Costello up front. United didn't offer much of a threat in the first half, playing with one man up front and allowing the home team to build from the back. Archie was having a torrid time at leftback and was lucky to survive a penalty appeal when he appeared to up-end Glens winger O'Hanlon. Time and again the Glens winger teased and tormented Archie and it looked like only a matter of time before the home team took the lead.

United goalkeeper, Wayne Drummond, playing his third match, was equal to a shot from from Ward of Glentoran, tipping it over the bar for a corner. On a rare breakaway Elvis got in a shot, but Morris in the home goal pushed it out. From a Carson corner Archie failed to challenge Gallagher and despite United claims for offside, Howland standing on the goal-line poked home to give his team the lead, much to the consternation of Drummond and his co-defenders the goal was allowed to stand. That goal came in the 35th minute and I couldn't see how United would turn this round. They did manage to mount an attack before the interval, but Morris in the Glens goal, saved smartly from Jenks.

2nd Half

The second half started like the first, with the home team dictating the play and it seemed as though United were quite content to let them. Fifteen mins into the half that suddenly changed and after Jenks had had a shot blocked, he found his fellow Scot, Cutch and United's leading marksman hammered the ball into the net. Ten minutes later Cutch fed Elvis and the big striker shrugged off a challenge, cut in on the by-line before finding Cutch's head with an inch perfect pass and the wee striker headed United to 2-1 lead. Glens made a substitution then taking off Hamilton and bringing Waterworth (who is known to United fans as the keeper wrecker), as the home manager needed to change things. Liam Watson, who had been a tower of strength in the United defence, picked up an injury and had to be substituted and the United bench to my mind made a crucial error, bringing on Downey to replace him, necessitating Sparky to take over defensive his duties.

Surely it would have been better to have used any of the two defenders on the defence, Vauls and Rodgers and let Sparky continue in his midfield role. As it was we seemed to lose focus and Waterworth out-sprinted big Denver and slipped past Drummond to bring the sides level again in the 77th minute. Roy Walker had seen enough and he replaced Sparky with Rodgers, although I felt aggrieved for Sparky who had done nothing wrong. I thought we would try and hold out for a draw, but Cutch and Jenks had other ideas. There seemed little danger when Cutch was found on the left flank, but the wee man beat a couple of markers and found his fellow Scot Jenks and he gleefully headed home to nudge the Sky Blues (playing in their away strip of white), back in front.

That goal came in the 81st minute and 3 minutes later Cutch won a tussle for the ball against the Glens centre half and held his nerve to slot the ball past Glens keeper Elliot Morris to make it four and grab his hat-trick in the process. Despite a few scares and some near misses United held on gamely for the last 6 minutes of normal time and the added 2 mins, to record their 4th straight win away from home, in this topsy turvy season. On the plus side we've scored 20 goals this season in the league, 15 in away matches and only conceding 8, of the home form, I'll not mention that, some things are best left unsaid!

Drummond (7), Kane (7), Archie (6), Watson (8)(Sub: Downey 6,),Denver (7), Baker (6), Sparky (7)(Sub: Rodgers 7,), Jenks (8), Ally (7), Elvis (7), Cutch (8)

Man of the match: Gary McCutcheon (Cutch)

Turned Corner!

United showing only two changes from the team that disgraced themselves on Saturday, Sparky in for Jenks and Carson in for Smith, were still good enough to beat 2nd division Chimney Corner. The back four who coudn't come to grips with Coleraine, were rarely troubled against the Antrim team and three of them, Vauls, Watson and Kane were among the goals and I was singing their praises for I couldn't see any way our forwards were going to score. If you weren't at the match and you heard Cutch scored two goals, you might be forgiven for thinking he was on top form, nothing could be further from the truth. I personally thought Baker and Cutch couldn't be any worse than they were on Saturday, but they proved me wrong.

Baker headed one golden opportunity against the bar and when he was clean through on another occasion, you could see was looking for somebody to pass it to, not what you want to see from a striker. Cutch didn't have clear shot on goal till about an hour had elapsed and then drove straight at the Corner keeper. But it was his passing or to more precise the lack of it that noticeable, the number of chances he had to set something up or set somebody up and then muffed his chances are too numerous to keep track of. United got off to a dream start on 3 mins when Ally and Vauls combined down the left flank and Vauls cross-cum-shot appeared to elude the visiting keeper and crept in at the far post or was there a deflection, I'm not sure, but Vauls got the credit. He tried to repeat the process another 3 times but was out of luck.

After 20 mins Ally found Cutch with a short corner and I feared the worst, but Cutch's misplaced shot was headed in at the back post by Liam Watson. Rory Carson, one of the United changes got injured and had to be replaced with Eamon Murray and as usual it took us 5 minutes to get the sub on, so unprofessional. After a few mishaps Murray found his feet and he should of scored, but he missed the target from 20 yards. Worse was to follow this time from local lad Sparky, who somehow lifted the ball over the bar when unmarked at the edge of the six-yard box. The Corner team was allowing United to play and they stroked ball along the back four, but when the forwards got hold of it it just broke down.

2nd Half
Big Denver came on at halftime to replace Vauls with Archie moving to leftback and I immediately thought Walker was protecting his lead. As well as Cutch and Baker, Conor Downey was not at his best and the rumour doing the rounds about him not attending training appears to be true, he looks decidedly unfit. When our manager took Downey off and brought on Cookie Munster it seemed like a defensive move, but actually the big defender was comfortable in midfield and he made us tick. In the 56 minute, Cookie found Sparky with a delightful pass in the box and the Broughshane man found the net for United's 3rd. A minute later Tony Kane looked up and seeing the keeper off his line he coolly chipped him from fully 30 yards. Kane and the revitalised Murray were a thorn in the flesh of the visiting defence with neat passing movements. Cookie should been on the score-sheet himself but somehow missed the target from a few yards out from a rare pass from Cutch.

Cutch, who seemed to be out of touch got United's fifth goal in 74 minute, he dribbled the ball along the six-yard box before finding the net with a left foot shot and six minutes later he scored from a penalty given for handball to make it six. Toy Kane, who was in the running for my 'man of the match, blotted his copybook with an 'over the top' challenge on fullback McVicker and was rightly booked and he could've been sent off, it was that bad. On 88 minutes, Eamon Murray looked like getting the goal he so richly deserved but when through on goal, the Corner keeper saved with his knees and Murray's subsequent follow-up was inadvertently turned into his own net by defender Ryles. Four minutes later referee Weatherall blew the final whistle, were through to the next round I thought. We turned the Corner, but we've another corner to turn and that might prove a little more difficult than this walk in the park!

Drummond (7), Kane (6), Vauls (6)(Sub: Denver 6,), Watson (6), Archie (6), Carson (5),(Sub: Murray 7,), Downey (4)(Sub: Cookie 7,), Sparky (6) Ally (6), Baker (4), Cutch (6)

Man of the match: Eamon Murray

Our Fault!

United manager Roy Walker, writing in today's programme laid the blame for United's poor home form at the feet of United's long suffering supporters. I used to marvel years ago at Manchester United's Roy Keane, who would berate his team-mates for not trying hard enough, therefore deflecting criticism for his own poor form. So I and the United fans tried show positivity today, but it was blooming hard I can tell you and done no good. In fact on today's showing we should've booed them from start to finish and we would've been within our rights, they were that bad. I was amazed by Roy's team selection, picking the 'fat and slow' Conor Downey, ahead of lithe and speedy Sparky. I could tell Conor Downey has put on about stone from our first match of season, so why can't Roy. The answer is Roy only sees what he wants to see and Downey is one of his men.

Six minutes was on the clock when the United defence failed to deal with a long throw-in (not for the first time in the last 3 seasons) and they stood idly by and let Curtis Allen pick his spot. We bounced back almost immediately, when Archie of all people good his head to Ally Teggart's corner kick. That was as good as it got for United and we were giving a football lesson from the Coleraine scum. The United defence committed another defensive clanger on 21 minutes, when Tony Kane instead of booting the ball into touch, tried to hit across his own box, hit his own man with the ball, the ball fell to kindly to a scum player who set up Leon Knight to give his team a 2-1 lead. Somehow we survived to halftime without losing any more goals, but in my heart of hearts, I knew we had only delayed the inevitable.

2nd Half
United were being over-ran in midfield but Roy was reluctant to change and he when he did finally act, I got the impression he was trying to keep the score down, rather try to get something going forward. This was epitomised by taking off Mike Smith and replacing him with Gavin Taggart, a real negative move. The scum increased their lead, not with a penalty as UTV, BBC and Carling Premiership are inferring, but with Curtis Allen getting a deflection on a shot from some other scum player. Next Walker took off Downey bringing on Eamon Murray, but it was too little too late. Débutante keeper Wayne Drummond, had made two brilliant stops when the United back four went to sleep, but he even couldn't stop Knight notching the scum's fourth goal on 66 mins.

Roy reaction was to take Dick Vauls off, as if he was responsible for the terrible holes in our defence and bring on big Denver and Archie moved to leftback. If this was supposed to plug the gaps, it didn't and in fact they just got greater and greater. We actually carved out a chance in the 80 minute, but when clean through, Gavin Taggart, could only lift his shot over the bar. Drummond made another two stops from Scullion but the former Glens man completed the rout in the 88th minute to make the score 5-1, a dismal result for a dismal day. Although United were booed off the field I didn't see anyone calling for Roy Walker's head and I think it's a sad reflection on how low we have sunk, we think that's our lot now!

Drummond (6), Kane (4), Vauls (4)(Sub: Denver 5,), Watson (4), Archie (5), Baker (4), Jenks (4), Downey (4)(Sub: Murray 5,), Ally (5), Smith (5)(Taggart 4,), Cutch (4)

Man of the match: Wayne Drummond

I.F.A. Triumphant!

Linfield are the I.F.A., Linfield are the I.F.A., so goes the supporters chant and it was never better illustrated than at the Showgrounds today. When the teams took the field after the halftime interval referee Hunter (or Linfield's 12th man), had a word with the 'fat baldy controller' and assured him the result was surely his. He made sure he fulfilled his promise giving a decision, which is best dubious and at the worst downright cheating. Archie Stewart went for a tackle in the box, the ball got caught between his legs and the referee gave an indirect free to the I.F.A., which they duly scored, job done. I have followed football for nigh on fifty years and every time I've seen this incident on the football field, it's resulted in a bounce ball, referee Hunter (or as I call him cheat), chose to go against the rules of the game.

It's was obvious from the start we were not going to get a level playing field, as Linfield were allowed to take the free-kicks and throw-ins from wherever they pleased and the referee or linesmen couldn't care less. As expected United manager Roy Walker gave débuts to his two most recent signings, Liam Watson and Dick Vauls, Tony Kane returned at rightback and Ross Black moved up to wide midfield. Gavin Taggart retained his place alongside Jenks and Sparky made a welcome return to midfield. Disaster struck for United prior to the kick-off, when joint top scorer Jordan Baker got injured in the warm-up and had to be replaced by Elvis, to partner Cutch, leaving United with only four subs to pick from. I think it was fair to say that United had the better of the early exchanges for the champions kept playing the 'long ball' and their fans showed their disgust for this fare with lowest travelling crowd I've seen for this fixture, 1160 souls.

The I.F.A. bring usually the biggest crowds at the Showgrounds, but this was paltry, roll on the home match with the Glens is all I can say. The cheat set out his stall early on, when the I.F.A. wanted to take a dubious free-kick from the wrong place United Tony Kane collided with an I.F.A. player and got booked (he was lucky, the cheat sent him off last time for going for the ball., but that's another story). Contrast this to when I.F.A. player McAllister elbowed Liam Watson (a sending offence), the cheat didn't take any action. I been saying in my column that we don't do the basics, don't mark throw-ins and don't defend set-pieces well. Well we're getting better at set-pieces, there was only one dicey situation today, when I.F.A. Gault got a free header, but missed the target.

Dwayne Nelson made a smart save from a Garret free-kick and at the other end no United player could get on the end of Ross Black cross. United were playing all right but then disaster struck, they failed to deal with a through ball and the ball fell invitingly to Carvill on the edge of box and he scored a beauty in the top corner beating Nelson all ends up. United didn't let their heads drop and Jenks had bad luck on two occasions, first when he picked up a loose ball and shot goalwards with keeper Blaney scrambling, but just missing the post and then on the stroke of halftime, he met a Ross Black corner with his head, only to have headed off the line, although it looked like the defender was behind the goal-line, but you never going to get decision like that against the I.F.A.

2nd Half
United were under the cosh it's true to say for most of this half, but they did have breakaways, but didn't make the most of them. The linesman at the Farm Lodge end flagged for I.F.A. Patterson being offside, but got a telling off from the cheat and decided to keep his flag down from then on. This should resulted in a goal for the I.F.A. when Carvill, at least 3 yards offside, got a free run-in to the United goal but his shot bounced off the post. Roy Walker decided to make a change and it was obvious to me who he should taken off, Elvis or Gavin Taggart, but surprised me by taking off Ross Black and bringing on Mike Smith 2. In a rare United attack Sparky made his way into the opposition box, where he was blatantly obstructed, but the cheat waved play on.

The United manager then took Taggart off, replacing him with Eamon Murray, but it was the I.F.A. who still looked the more dangerous. They should've scored when Rory Patterson found himself in the box, but his thunderbolt shot just crashed off the bar. Was our luck in, could we get back into the game, could we somehow carve the I.F.A. defence open. Due to injury to Dick Vauls, Denver had come on, with Archie moving to leftback, but we were still well in the game and we were starting to believe that we could get something out of it. The the 'fat baldly controller' played his trump card and the cheat gave an indirect free-kick. Before the kick could be taken Dwayne Nelson rushed from his goal to make sure the kick was taken from the right place and the cheat promptly booked the United player. All you can do as a player in that situation is to hit hard and low and Garret of the I.F.A. did that and hit off Denver and into the net.

The fat baldy controller gave the cheat the thumbs up sign and that I thought was that. I must admit I felt numb I couldn't take in what I just witnessed, it was the second time in less than 24 hours I was struck dumb, the first time was when Steve Davis struck that a disastrous back-pass against Serbia, but this time was different, this time I knew we had been cheated and there's not a damn thing we can do about it. I felt sorry for the whole team, but especially Archie, who had done nothing wrong and Denver who had got the last touch. But we weren't finished yet and when Archie overlapped and sent a cross to far post, Jenks got on the end to send a looping header which eluded Blaney and Cutch, a mile offside, headed the ball into the net. Could we rescue a point I wondered, but I knew the answer immediately I posed the question, we don't have the players hungry enough to do what needs to done, in short we have no team ethos, we have no get and go!

Nelson (7), Kane (7), Vauls (7)(Sub: Denver,7) , Watson (8), Archie (7), Sparky (7), Jenks (8), Gavin (6)(Sub: Eamon 6,), Black (6)(Sub: Smith 6, , Elvis (5), Cutch (7)

Man of the match: Alan Jenkins