Backward Step!

It was hard to figure out United manager Roy Walker's tactics today, with the team defending deep and allowing their opponents to dictate the pace of the game. Near as I can figure he tried to create the conditions we encounter in away matches, at home, the verdict, a backward step. United supporters were scathing in their remarks at the end of the match, but at the end of the day we stole a point. Dungannon should have beat at least 3 or 4, we had no answer to their quick attacking play, in the first half Archie and Tony Kane were taken to the cleaners, by Stefan Lavery and Joe McCreadie. We were pinned in our half for most of first period, because we were defending so deep and still Dungannon were able to carve holes in our defence.

The manager made two changes to his starting line-up as of last Saturday, Downey for Sparky and Rodgers for Watson. Watson was rumoured to have flu symptoms all week but along with Sparky he was on the bench. Three times in the first half keeper Wayne Drummond rescued us when the Swifts looked liked to score, but when the visitors won a penalty for a foul, we had depend on the benevolence of a former player, Mike Ward, when he screwed his spot-kick wide. I thought that this would be the 'wake-up call for United and we strung together a couple of attacks and Jenks missed a free header which would have given us an undeserved lead. A minute before Kane found Elvis in the box and he had laid the ball to Baker who blasted over the bar. But after these five minutes of urgency we went back into our shell and continued to let the visitors dictate the pace of the match.

It was no good looking at our bench for inspiration, for there was none to be had and I realised they were the tactics they were deploying. Conor Downey, nowhere near fitness, was a liability in midfield, where 9 times out of 10 he gave away possession. Every time the defence tried to clear the ball it was being driven back in again cause we were lying too deep and the Swifts defence just launched big high balls which we struggled to deal with. The visitors did have the ball in the net near halftime, but United were lucky to see the linesman flag go up and the strike was ruled out. When the 4th official signalled one minute of additional time I foolishly I thought to myself Roy must make changes here, surely he'll see that his tactics are not working, I was wrong.

2nd Half
United did make one change at halftime, taking off Rodgers and bringing on Watson, if this was due to injury or not I can't tell, but the tactics remained the same. Three minutes into the half United got a goal they scarcely deserved when a Costello shot from a corner, which seemed to going wide was steered into the net by Cutch. Surely this would change things I thought but no it didn't and United just continued to defend deep. At last Downey came off and Sparky came on, but we had been playing at half pace throughout and it was hard to lift it. The visitors took off a defender and brought on an attacker and still the tactics didn't change. In a last throw of the dice Elvis made way for Boyd and maybe I thought we can do it.

Referee Crangle warned Lavery after a late tackle on Archie and then when he got involved in an 'off the ball', he warned him again, surely he should booked him in the first instance and the second wouldn't have happened. With 10 minutes to go Archie and Lavery were in a race for the ball and Archie seemed to get there and clear his lines, but referee Crangle who was 30 yards from the incident penalised the United man for a foul on the edge of box. Up stepped Dermot McCaffrey to curl a left shot in at the far post to give the visitors a share of the spoils. Should young Drummond been able to save this shot, surely he had to trust the United wall to do it's job, but he had kept United in the match in the first half and I was not going to judge him too harshly. United 'huffed and puffed' pretending to go for the clincher, but it wasn't to be, it was just too little, too late and the match in a one all draw!

Drummond (7), Kane (5), Archie (5), Rodgers (6)(Sub: Watson 6,),Denver (6) Baker (4), Downey (4)(Sub: Sparky 5,), Jenks (6), Ally (5), Elvis (5)(Boyd 6,), Cutch (5)

Man of the match: Wayne Drummond