Half Paced!

The gulf between the top and bottom of the Irish league was never better illustrated than today at the Showgrounds. Portadown, joint-leaders, with the I.F.A. (Linfield), were streets ahead of United in every sense the word. The United defence was breeched at will with their fast flowing football and incisive passing, if the referee hadn't taken pity on us and shown a red card to defender Gartland for tripping Cutch, we could've taken a real beating. As it was the 4-2 in the visitors favour flattered us, it really wasn't that close. United manager Roy Walker rang the changes, dropping Elvis and Archie to the bench, restoring Sparky to midfield, Watson and Vauls to defence, but still insisting on playing a half-fit Conor Downey, Chris Rodgers meanwhile was nowhere to be seen.

The number of times Downey got caught in possession in this match are too numerous to mention, let's just say it was too many. I thought that part of the preparation for match days was to have teams watched, but on this showing this policy seems to have gone out the window, like the lack of fitness. Big Denver has a heart like a lion, but let's face it he far from pacey and he was caught time and time again by the slick moving Braniff. It only took the Ports 7 minutes to open their account from a corner kick, defender Gartland scoring with a free header. United spurned a great chance to get level, when Vauls and Ally combined down the left flank and the fullback's cross found Sparky unmarked, but he headed straight at Miskelly. We were soon to pay for this benevolence when the visitors increased their lead in the 26 minute when Tony Kane was beaten down the right flank and Braniff had the simplest tasks of striking the ball into the net.

This goal seemed to spur United and 3 minutes later they reduced the arrears, when Ally volleyed home after good work by Kane. Cutch was getting repeatedly caught offside, but I was thinking sooner or later he's going to be given the benefit of the doubt and so in the 37th minute it duly happened. As the birthday boy, belying all of his 33 years, burst into the Ports box, the last man Gartland whipped his legs from under him, a cast iron penalty. Not only was it a penalty, but Gartland as the last man was rightly sent off, Cutch took the penalty himself notching his 14th goal of the season to bring the sides level. United seemed to lose their way after this and the visitors finished the half in the ascendency, even with 10 men. The score remained the same at halftime and I was confident Roy would replace Downey, surely he could see he was struggling.

2nd Half
There's an old saying that goes 'there's no-one blinder that those that will not see', I'm afraid Roy Walker falls into this category. United took the field for the second half with no changes and then two minutes after the restart United were left with a mountain to climb. A cross came in from the right, Braniff rose unchallenged to head it and Mackle burst through our slip-shod defence to give the Ports the lead. I know people will tell me that's my pessimism showing through but I knew in my 'heart of hearts' that we were not coming back from this. We had no idea of how to break the Ports defence down and even though we made changes, taking off Downey and Kane and bringing on Aaron Boyd and Curtis Woods it made little or no difference. Jordan baker had a chance to draw us level when he was found at in the six-yard box, but he tried to volley it, instead just making contact and he ballooned the ball wide.

The Ports looked the more likely to score and Drummond made a smart save from Tipton as the striker mesmerised Watson on the goal-line. Then Aaron Boyd perpetrated the 'miss of the match' when from a short corner Woods cross found his head, but with the goal at his mercy he headed wide. Sparky then found Ally with a good pass and Cutch beat Ports Ramsay to the through ball and from his shot Miskelly fingertips just helped the ball onto the crossbar and away for a corner. The final nail in United's coffin came when Big Denver, who had already been cautioned, was adjudged to pull Tipton back and he became the second player to be sent off, with his second yellow card. From the resultant free-kick the United defence looked on as Braniff scored with a diving header to make the score 4-2 for the visitors and the rout was complete.

Drummond (6), Kane (5)(Sub: Woods 5,), Vauls (5), Watson (5), Denver (4) Downey (4)(Sub: Boyd 5,), Jenks (6), Sparky (6), Ally (7), Baker (5), Cutch (8)

Man of the match: Cutch