Lowest Ebb!

United reached their lowest ebb at Mourneview Park today when they were soundly beaten by the bottom team in the Carling Premiership, Glenavon. Sky Blue Sport in our preview for today's match couldn't see our manager continuing with his ploy of playing Vauls and Kane (or Woods) and omitting Sparky. Admittedly we urged him to make changes, but not include Gavin Taggart, but Roy knew best, he selected Kane and Vauls and worse still, he selected Gavin Taggart leaving Sparky on the bench. Now we had know way of knowing that Gavin was going to mess up big time, but we believe he is a liability and so he proved today. That was bad enough, but it was the way this United team capitulated that was so sad. Playing with ten men is difficult, but not impossible, with the right coaching we should been able to hold Glenavon with a man short, but we had no idea.

Baker and Boyd were missing through injury and Roy in his wisdom picked an ultra-defensive team, Kane, Vauls, Cookie, Rodgers, Archie, Gavin, Downey and only three attackers in Jenks, Ally and Cutch. We started off on the back foot and Gavin booked for a bad foul within four minutes. This should have been a warning to him and his team-mates that referee Smith was determined to stamp his authority on the game, unfortunately they didn't heed the warning. It was plain to see we had no outlet, when they did manage to get the ball up to Cutch, it came straight back down again. The home team forced three corners in quick succession, but the United defence held firm although they was a few scares. Then halfway through the half disaster struck, from a half cleared corner Gavin Taggart was rightly sent off for a horrendous tackle, which my opinion he didn't need to make, senseless in the extreme.

Worse was to follow from the resultant free kick as the United defence and keeper Drummond just stood flat-footed and let the ball bounce into the net. The United fans were stunned, they just couldn't believe it, it was like we were mugged, but the only difference was we had done the mugging. The United fans are to blame for this sending off and the subsequent goal, with their negative vibes emanating to the team. We needed cool heads and a change of personnel on the field, we got neither. Conor Downey, a player with experience was yellow carded for retaliating after he had been fouled and was lucky not to be sent off as he raised his arm, our fault again. We somehow survived to halftime and we were left to reflect on the suicidal nature of out team.

2nd half
Elvis replaced Vauls at halftime with Archie switching to leftback, but United couldn't get anything going forward. Cutch let his frustration show, talking himself into a booking as did Jenks minutes later. Our goal survived until 65th minute when Miskimmion broke the offside trap and placed the ball past the advancing Drummond and then 2 minutes later Rodgers brought down the same player in the box and Magee stroked the resultant penalty into the net. United made two late changes, with Ally and Downey going off to be replaced by Carson and Davidson, the latter making his debut. There was no further scoring and the disgruntled United fans gathered at social club end to shout abuse at manager Roy Walker. I was personally annoyed at this, the manager is blameless, sure it's all our fault, the manager is a fan, we hurt, he hurts and we are in the Irn Bru semi-final, what do you want for pete's sake, only believe! (I am joking).

Drummond (5), Kane (4), Vauls (6) (Sub: Elvis 4,), Cookie (5), Rodgers (5) Ally (5)(Sub: Carson 5,), Gavin (2), Downey (5)(Sub: Davidson 5,), Jenks (5), Archie (4), Cutch (5)

Man of the match: Dicky Vauls