Daylight Robbery!

I don't want to pour cold water on what was a great victory for the Sky Blues against the Crues at sunny Seaview, but we stole the points. But in saying that, the Crues missed a hatful of chances and United got a bit of luck, when a Shane Dolan effort took a deflection, wrong-footing former United keeper Sean O'Neil in the Crues goal to level the scores. Manager Glenn Ferguson made two changes from his starting line-up of last Saturday, McCullagh and Cush for Archie and Liggie. United were defending the goal at the Railway end of the ground in the first half but they struggled to come to terms with a resolute Crues defensive unit. The Crues on the other hand carved out some chances, but Dwayne and his defence dealt capably with anything they threw at us in the first half.

We rode our luck when a free-kick missed everybody as it flashed across our goalmouth and then Timmy Adamson got his head a cross but it missed the target. How Timmy Adamson did not get sent off for a vicious foul on McBride beggars belief, he only got a yellow. Disaster struck for United when Cush picked up a nasty injury and had to go off with Dolan taking his place. Hateley had a chance when Kane slipped on the false surface and Dwayne judged rightly that his shot was going wide. United carved out a chance when Thommo found Ally on the right but his cross, was cut out by King at the expense of a corner. Referee Andy Hunter drew the wrath of the Sky Blue faithful when he booked Taylor for a foul and Alan D for dissension but ignored a vicious foul by Eamon McAllister on Alan D moments later.

Justice seemed to have been done moments later when referee Hunter went down with what appeared to be cramp, but alas he was alright after the physio administrated the magic sponge. The referee added the requisite one minute and we held out to halftime, with Dwayne stopping Morrows effort as the seconds of the half ticked away and we went in at the break level pegging. We heard the good news that our old friends down the A26 (Coleraine scum), were losing 1-0 and it gave us something to be happy about and Omar's 67 minutes on first score was still a possibility, I told him he was dreaming, but he said you never know.

2nd half

In the 2nd half we started brightly but it was the Crues who took the lead on 55 mins through that man Adamson, when he got on the end of a through ball from McAllister and beat the advancing Dwayne to give the Crues the lead. The Ballymena goal lived a charmed life from this moment forward as the Crues carved out numerous chances and were denied by various methods including a great save by Dwayne and the crossbar. Archie had to come on to replace McCullagh and he was soon involved in the action and he stuck at the task and put last Saturday's defensive lapses behind him. In a Crues attack their former player Stephen McBride, now a Sky Blue, was felled when the ball struck his head and after treatment had to change his top, I assume it was bloody.

McAllister almost increased his team's lead when his shot struck the crossbar and we were under the cosh at this stage it has to be said. McAllister escaped another booking with a blatant dive in the box and Adamson kicked the ball away when play had been halted, but referee Hunter was unimpressed. The United fans were encouraging referee Hunter to take some action when O'Neill was time-wasting, but he ignored our protests. Neil Lowry, back from his trial at Scottish Premier club Hibs, looked jaded and it came as no surprise when he was replaced with 15 mins to go with Liggie. Exactly two mins after coming on, Liggie found Dolan in space and his goalbound shot was partially blocked by Crues defender Robinson, but trickled over the line anyway to make the score 1-1.

The United fans ecstatic and Crues weren't wasting any time now, but they had shot their bolt and a draw looked the likely outcome. In a frantic spell of Crues pressure Dwayne made a great save from Hately and McBride completed the clearance. Then as it so often happens in this game we all love so fiercely, with full-time approaching, United got a breakaway and clinched the points. There seemed little danger when Alan D got the ball about 25 yards from our own goal but he spotted Liggie down the right and he picked him out with a superb pass. Liggie was onto the ball in a flash, cut in to the edge of the box and unleashed a powerful right-foot shot which beat O'Neill all end up, needless to say the United fans were delirious, the Crues fans dejected.

I personally was especially pleased for Neil Hanley (ex-Sky Blue), had come on 2 mins earlier as a Crues sub and the dejected look on his face brought a smile to mine. The referee saw fit to add 4 mins of stoppage time, but it was party time for the Sky Blues faithful and we weren't going to be deflated by no last dash fightback from the Crues, who looked a beaten team. Finally the referee blew his whistle and we were on our feet applauding and singing the old songs and was all down to super-sub Liggie. He had only been on the pitch for the last 15 mins but what impact he had made, setting up one goal and scoring another, you can't ask for any better, bring on the Dungannon!

Dwayne (8), Kane (7), McBride (7), Taylor (8), McCullagh (7)(Sub: Archie 7,), Alan D (7), Jenks (6), Thommo (8), Ally (7), Cush (6)(Sub: Dolan 7), Lowry (6)(Sub: Liggie 8,)

Man of the match: Gary Thompson