Paper Tigers!

The unbeaten Crues came to town, strutting their stuff and left like 'paper tigers', when United lowered their colours and inflicted their first defeat in all competitions since August 17. It was only fitting that United should be the team to spoil the hatchet men's record, for it was after a defeat by United at Seaview on August 17, that the team from Tigers Bay went on unbeaten run of 24 games. Whereas on Tuesday night United suffered at the hands of an incompetent referee (Colin Burns), they were indebted to a competent one (Mervyn Smyth),  yesterday, who allowed an advantage for a foul on Ally, which led to United's goal.

That it was only one goal is down to benevolent finishing by United as they missed the target about six times in the match, I can only recall Crues missing two chances and one them fell to the poisoned dwarf, but he headed wide. United made only one change from their line-up on Tuesday night, Cookie Munster coming in for Marky McCullagh. The first real opening fell to the hatchet men, when McCutcheon fired a free wide, unlike on Tuesday night when he set up Crues 2nd goal when his free came off the crossbar and Caddell headed in. This was was high and wide, no doubt he didn't like the 'real' grass, too much give in it for a wee dwarf.

With 15 mins gone, Morrow tried his luck with a free-kick, but the ball hit the side-netting but I think Dwayne had it covered. Then it was United's turn with a free kick, but Tony K shot was too high with O'Neill scrambling, a chance lost. Thommo tested Ogers, with a snap, shot which the keeper gathered at the second attempt. Ogers is a nickname for O'Neill but considering his antics at the end of the game on Tuesday, I think Ogre is a better name for him and I'm going to call that in future. Cush fired a chance wide and the paltry crowd of Crues supporters called him a wanker, they would soon regret those words.  Coates played a ball back to Ogre with his thigh and the ref nearly blew for an infringement, but it was no back-pass as long as the ball is hit above the knee, Sammy Patterson informed me.

From a loose punch by Ogre, Captain Jenks should have done better, but his curler went wide but United's best chance fell to Cookie, when Archie crossed and Jenks nodded down, but Cookie's volley was saved by Ogre who recovered to thwart the inrushing Sparky and Cush. Gavin was booked by the referee when the dwarf made a meal of  a simple foul and he didn't have to receive treatment, when he saw Gavin booked he got up right away, bluffer, I have no time for them in my book. United continued to play football and it looked a lost cause as Ally took on three Crues platers on the touchline and despite being fouled in the process, the ref allowed advantage and he found Thommo in space.

Thommo lined up a shot, but it was off-target and the impressive Cush spun and delivered a shot which beat the Ogre all ends up to give United the lead and score his 11th goal of this season in the process. That goal came in the 43rd minute and United were in front and they were to stay in front in the rest of the match. Despite two added mins of time Crues had no fresh ideas of how to break down this solid United rearguard where Archie was in commanding form and looking to break at every opportunity. Crues for their part just kept hoofing the ball up to Owens and Caddell but they well marshalled by JT and Cookie and the only concern for United was Tony K, instead of clearing the ball, he gave it away with a slack passes, but we survived to halftime.

2nd half
The Crues upped the pace in the second half, but United had a plan and they stuck to it manfully. They allowed the Crues to have space in their own half while getting their tackles in when the ball was hoofed up to the Crues forwards. Crues created an opening ten mins into the 2nd period, when McMaster found the dwarf in space, but his header was wide, heading was never his strong point. Dwayne seemed to injure himself as he stretched for a high ball and he received extensive treatment and thereafter struggled to kick the ball, so much so in  the latter stages of the match, the goal-kicks were taken by Tony K. In this spell of cat and mouse Gavin and Sparky showed their worth to the team by getting in tackles and hitting probing balls up to their forwards.

But United were getting nothing going up front and Spike decided to change this by bringing on Neal Lowry for Thommo and moving Jenks back to midfield. This was the kick-start we needed and Lowry's pace was soon evident when he went past McClean (one of three former United players in the Crues line-up) and angled a cross which just eluded the United forwards. Moments later, he set Cush away down the left and with Coates in attendance Cush beat Ogre with a crisp left-foot  shot only to miss the target by a foot or so, maybe Ogre got his angles right for once. Then with 10 mins of normal time remaining, Neal sped along the right, (I think McClean was away for his dinner) and delivered a cross which Cush of all people dragged wide with the goal and Ogre, at his mercy.

Some of United's players were struggling to keep up with two matches in four days and with 5 mins remaining Sparky went off to be replaced by Alan D and I for one was not actually delighted to see Alan D come on, the  better ploy in my opinion would have been Mike Ruddy, but I'm not the manager. Cush was knackered having run the whole day and he was replaced at the stroke of 90 mins with Mario. The ref added 4 mins of stoppage time and Davy King informed us that the scum were losing 2-0 and we couldn't make top six, but it'll come I think. There was an incident involving Mario and the Crues defence, when the ball seemed to go for a corner, the lino flagged for a corner and them changed his mind and awarded a goal-kick, Mario couldn't believe it and neither could I.

United forced another a corner on the left but they wasted it by trying to run down the clock, I haven't time for those tactics either. Despite the ref adding on more time, United held out to record a merited victory and move up a place in the league in the process, 7th now. The Crues had taken the dwarf off in 85 mins and he came off to a chorus off boos and I was one of those doing the booing. Someone on the forum said the other night we weren't showing the dwarf the respect he deserved, But in my humble opinion, we didn't 'sack' Cutch, he chose to go and now in my book he is a turncoat and I have no time for him, just as I have no time for Nathan Hanley, and Gibbo, these players decided for themselves and as far as I'm concerned, they have burned their bridges for all time!

Dwayne (8), Tony K (7), Archie (8), Cookie (8), JT (8), Gavin (8), Sparky (8) (Sub: Alan D 7,), Thommo (8) (Sub: Lowry 8,), Ally (8), Jenks (8), Cush (8) (Sub: Mario 7,)

Man of the match: Gavin Taggart