Linfield Divers!

The only thing that worried me about this game, was the referee, I knew he wouldn't be fair, that's too much to ask, but I hoped he wouldn't be taken in with the Linfield players histrionics. But my worst fears were realised when Linfield players were 'diving' all round the place, feigning injuries and 'Dick head Crangle' fell for it every time. He ruined a perfectly balanced match with sending-off, of Tony Kane, but he looked over at the Linfield manager and produced the second yellow immediately. I didn't think Tony made any contact with the Linfield diver, the diver just made a 'meal of it', it was no more than a clumsy attempt to block the ball and should have brought no more than a stern talking to, but Crangle did as his master bade him.

All in all he booked four United players and two Linfield men and finally he booked one of those Linfield men for diving, in the 90 minute, too little too late. United manager, Spike, selected the same team as won at Dungannon on Tuesday and the only change was in the subs bench, with Ruddy replacing Lowry . United had the best of the early exchanges, with Captain Jenks and Darboy sending efforts wide and it looked positive from a United viewpoint. Archie, went on the overlap and from his cross Darboy shot for goal, only to see Tufney in the Linfield goal make a save. Tony tried a shot from distance but he was well over and then he found Darboy with a great ball, but the ball seemed to bobble on the wet grass and ran through to Tufney. The linesman at the Fisherwick started brightly flagging two Linfield players offside in the the first 15 mins, but he only flattered to deceive.

Despite two men being offside, he kept his flag down as Linfield mounted an attack and it was only the quick-thinking of Cookie who prevented a goal. Linfield, buoyed by this blatant cheating stepped up the pressure and Lowry almost gave them the lead when the United defence was wary about playing offside, but Frenchy got his angles right and the danger was averted. Tony was booked for a foul, with the Linfield player looking like a stretcher case, but it was only more histrionics. Sepp Blatter, the FIFA president wants players who feign injury to suffer a time penalty, but I believe that a yellow card is sufficient but the referees have to have the courage to administer one. On another Linfield attack, Cookie received an  elbow to his head  from a Linfield player but Crangle ignored it .Carvill of Linfield then flicked an effort onto the top of the net and United were under the cosh at this stage.

Linfield won a free kick and Frenchy made a save at his right post and then plucked the resultant corner out of the air. With halftime approaching United mounted an attack and when it inevitably broke down, the alert Cush robbed BJ Burns of Linfield and fed his Captain Jenks who shot for goal, the ball hit Tufney in his legs and bounced out to edge of the box to Ally, who cut inside on his weaker right-foot and blasted the ball into the net to the delight of the home stand. Linfield were shell-shocked and they could have been worse for straight from the centre they gave the ball away to JT, but he couldn't find the unmarked Darboy. The ref added on two mins and after being on the receiving end for a good  20 mins, it was the United players who went in at halftime feeling the better I think.

2nd half
The talking point at halftime was that United had got their noses in front but they had to be careful of the Linfield divers. There was obviously no talk in the United dressing-room of being careful, with what followed when the teams came out again, maybe its our manager in his naivety he thinks he's still at Linfield and all will be well. Linfield made one change at halftime, Carvill coming off to be replaced by Mulgrew and switching to a 4,4,2 formation. United didn't react to this change but the turning point of the match came 5 mins after the restart. Tony Kane made an attempt to block a Linfield player's header who went down holding his head although no contact was made. Referee Crangle gave the foul and then he saw the Linfield bench encroach onto the pitch, he produced the 2nd yellow card and Tony was sent off.

I was disappointed with Tony, he had been on a yellow card and he was walking a tightrope and he needed to be careful, but the ref gave in to the histrionics of the Linfield players and the Linfield bench. Could United hold out I wondered and would Fergie made any changes in personnel to get more tacklers on having Ruddy, Marky and Sparky on the bench, but please not Alan D, but he didn't, I think this was more naivety on his part. United weathered the Linfield storm and they managed an attack themselves and Darboy was clean through on the right when he was 'chopped down' by Linfield defender Haughey, a sending-off offence if I ever saw one, but Crangle only administered a yellow card. The United defence finally cracked when Waterworth beat Cookie on the touchline and his cross was headed in by Lowry leaving Frenchy no chance.

Still Fergie didn't make any changes, leaving us with two non-tacklers, Jenks and Thommo in midfield, surely we had to get defenders on I thought. Linfield took the lead when Sproule, who was a virtual passenger, took a  dive when he lost possession near the United box and Crangle gave a free-kick instead of booking the culprit. Gault's free-kick came back off the United-wall and it fell kindly for Mulgrew and he struck a ferocious shot through a ruck of players and it seemed to take a slight deflection on its way into the net. At last Fergie awoke from his slumbers and made changes, taking off goalscorer Ally and bringing on Ruddy and taking off Cookie and bringing on Marky, but still leaving two non-tacklers in midfield. Jimer showed Sky Blue fans just where his loyalties lay when he took out Alan Burns at the expense of a corner and he seemed to be genuinely injured, but due to the histrionics that had gone before, the United crowd weren't too sure.

A minute later Thommo was booked for a foul, not a bad foul and two mins later Ruddy was fouled as he tried to break out of defence, but no card this time, but what else is new. Haughey, who should have been enjoying an early bath, headed just over the bar and Burns had a shot saved by Frenchy. As United mounted an attack they won a free-kick near the halfway line and as a Linfield love child was trying to wast time, JT stuck out his foot to get the ball and was promptly booked by Crangle and the time-waster was allowed to get off. The free-kick came to nothing and when Linfield mounted a counter-attack Darboy was booked for impeding a Linfield player, no complaints from me on that one. Finally Spike brought on Sparky for Thommo and United started to get a foothold in the match. Jimer seems to possess a long-throw and this was put to good use in the closing stages of the game.

Waterworth was booked for a blatant dive near the halfway line, did Crangle think it was one of our players or did he think he think this will take the bad look off his abject performance. United did fashion one more chance in the 5 mins of added time, but despite Cush beating Tufney from close range, Ward cleared the danger and the match petered out to a United defeat. But it was a spirited performance from the 10 men and they were so unlucky not to get something out of the match, but the extra man made the difference. United must focus on their replay in the Irish cup against the Welders on Tuesday night, where they will be missing at least three players, Kane, JT and Gavin and set up another tussle with yesterday's opponents in the next round. It'll be tough against the Welders, but we are at home and surely we can't be that unlucky again to get a ref that is so blinkered to the fact there are two teams playing, could we?

Frenchy (7), Jimer (8), Archie (7), JT (8), Cookie (7) (Sub: Marky 7,), Kane (7), Thommo (7) (Sub: Sparky 7,), Jenks (7), Ally (8) (Sub: Ruddy 7,), Darboy (7), Cush (7)

Man of the match:  Ally