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