Just Enough!

In the first two knock-out matches this season, United have been less than impressive, winning on penalties against Ballymoney United in the league cup and last night in narrowly defeating DC in their first match in our defence of the County Antrim Shield. Is that going to be the way we approach any knock-out matches, just doing enough to win, if you ask me I think that's a recipe for disaster and we'll be found out soon by a team capable of taking their chances. DC had chances last night, but couldn't take any of them, we had more chances, clear-cut chances, but only took one. Our manager Spike resisted the temptation to make wholesale changes to his starting line-up, only resting Thommo, Johnny, Liggie and the injured Ruddy. Taking their place was, Dolan, Captain Jenks, Cookie Munster and Steely McBride. Only four changes from our starting eleven last Saturday and all them vastly experienced, I honestly thought they'd be too much for DC, but I was miles from the truth.

We were slow and lethargic, our passing was a disgrace, talk about misplaced and about 8 players in our line-up were virtual passengers. Only three that I could have said played like anything near their potential, were the reliable Dwayne, Marky and Cookie, but they got no backing from the rest of the team. Archie was having a nightmare and he couldn't pass water as the saying goes and as for Captain Jenks, Conor Downey had him for breakfast. Ally had a stinker but only Jenks knows how he missed a sitter, from Ally's driven cross, but I thought Ally should've shot himself. Dolan up front was the target man, but he was beaten in the air 90% of the time and MM showed he hasn't got much to offer either. The Cush was not at his best and seems to be struggling in his new midfield role and getting involved in things he has no need to get involved in. Tony Kane, has been turning in great performances this season, but he was a passenger last night and tried to do too much instead of clearing the ball.

Much was said in the forums when Spike signed the Crues reserve leftback, Stephen McBride, on a pre-contract nearing the end of last season. The Sky Blue Sport's crew were sceptical about this signing, our argument was, 'if he can't displace, former United player Craig McClean, he's not for us', on last night showing, our fears were vindicated. He has a bad habit of cutting inside and teams soon get wise to this and as result he loses possession quite a lot of the time and in dangerous positions and expects somebody else to clear his mess. Once last night when we under a spell of pressure, he had a chance to clear the ball and find touch near the halfway line, but he chose to play the ball back to Cookie and he managed to get the ball out for a throw-in, but a throw-in near our goal-line, therefore putting us under pressure that we could of done rightly without. I was always coached to get the ball clear if you could and find touch near the halfway line, instead of playing the team into trouble.

Just when Archie had made another horlicks of a pass and I was shouting to Spike to get him off (I was nervously looking for Alfie over my shoulder as well), he picked up the ball and delivered it to the far post where Cush scored with a header off the underside of the crossbar. Surely we would go on then and score 3 or 4 goals I thought, but nothing could be further from the truth, we retreated back into our shells and invited DC to come at us. I was truly glad we were playing DC, for despite carving out several chances, Dwayne was only called on once in the first half to make a save. Our goal had come in the 36th minute and Cush was tripped as he tried to move into the box moments later, but referee Ross Dunlop didn't give the foul. There was another incident earlier when the ball had gone out for a corner, when MM on the ground had his head jerked, but the ref merely talked to both players, I allowed that it was MM's fault for letting his head be there in the first place. When the halftime whistle sounded I thought Fergie will tear strips off the players and bring on two subs at least, but I was so wrong, for he didn't do anything to change the way we were playing.

2nd half
During halftime the subs were going about their gyrations and and Alan D tried about 4 shots at an open goal, but didn't find the target once, worrying or what. United took the field with the same eleven players and DC were starting to believe they had a chance but United spurned a good chance to put the match beyond them when MM found himself in space but his cross shot didn't trouble the DC keeper. Cush was replaced by Alan D with 60 mins gone, but it was still DC who looked the more livelier and Dwayne was forced to make a save from a Downey shot. The United defence didn't learn from this lapse and from a corner Devine's diving header just missed the target with United's defence nowhere to be seen. Liggie replaced MM on 72 mins and Cookie got injured shortly after and had to come off with Gavin taking his place and Archie moving to central defence. DC continued to press and Dwayne make a good save at the expense of a corner from Warwick's shot.

Ally missed a sitter and was later booked when he needlessly kicked the ball away after he had been blown up for offside, McGurk in the DC goal make a couple of good stops from Liggie, the first when he had been released by Captain Jenks and the second a point-blank effort from an Ally cross, a magnificent stop. Liggie could have turned provider when he broke through but failed to find Alan D who was unmarked, another chance gone begging. When Conor Downey was subbed with 6 mins to, go the home crowd was generous in their applause for the ex-player but when the final whistle sounded they were not so generous in their applause to the home team and rightly so in my book. On the plus side we had negotiated the 'banana skin', although we were unconvincing, but thanks to our goalkeeper we had kept another clean sheet, two in a row, but sterner tests are on the horizon and I think we need to up our game if we are to progress much farther in this competition never mind the league cup in a fortnight's time, but what do I know!

Dwayne (8), Tony (5), Steely (5), Marky (7), Cookie (7)(Sub: Gavin 6,), Cush (7)(Sub: Alan D 6,), Archie (6), Jenks (5), MM (5)(Sub: Liggie (6), Mario (5), Ally (5)

Man of the match: Dwayne (again)!