April Fools!

United fans couldn't be blamed if they thought that manager Glenn Ferguson was playing an April fool's joke by his team selection yesterday. The Sky Blue Sport's team had expected a few changes, but not the wholesale changes made by our manager. In fact there were only two players from his starting line-up of last weeks in our panel of 16 players, Archie and Tony. I couldn't help feeling that we'd been short-changed somehow, but if we come out next week in our semi-final and blow the opposition away, all will be forgiven. Having already made plans to take in the game at the Mallards on Easter Saturday, the Sky Blue Sport's team are feeling kinda let down and the performance depressed us even further.

Still in the scheme of things a 2-1 defeat is not too bad and we seemed to have a perfectly good goal disallowed and were denied a cast iron penalty by referee McNabb, who was pretty awful to say the least. United with two players starting for the first time, Leroy Millar and Mark Kelly, after previously appearing as subs and Cal Loughran, making his debut, started brightly with Alan D pulling the strings. We had a near disaster with 6 minutes gone, when Swifts keeper Turker's clearance struck United striker Kelly full in the face and he went down like a sack of spuds. Turker, immediately went to the stricken player, Kelly and turned him over to the recovery position and his quick thinking saved Kelly from swallowing his tongue, well done Turker.

Kelly was able to continue after treatment, but he looked only a shadow of the player who had made a sensational debut when coming on as a sub against the Coleraine scum back in mid February. Liggie had missed a chance early on when the Swifts beat the offside trap, firing over but it was only a sighter I think. MM had our first chance, but his long range shot didn't trouble Turker in the Swifts goal. With 25 mins gone Cairns the United keeper pulled off a marvellous save with his foot to deny Harpur of the Swifts and Turker a minute  later, not to be outdone, denied Gavin with his legs to keep the scores even. Swifts took a deserved lead in 31 mins when Marky was caught out on United's right flank and nowhere near Swifts forward Hazley.

The danger seemed to be a averted when Hazley shot and missed the target, but Liggie was on hand at the far post to slide the ball into the net and give the Swifts the lead. Three mins later the visitors missed a gilt edged chance to increase their tally when Brolly fired over from close range. Keeper Cairns came to United's rescue when he kept out a Liggie shot with halftime approaching. I was surprised that the ref only added on 1 min of stoppage time, but we looked like a beaten team and maybe a change of personnel would make the difference, as well as a breather and more importantly, a change of tactics.

2nd half
We got our player change and surprisingly it was Alan D who went off to be replaced by Owen Kane, making his senior debut. This seemed to be like for like, but Kane seemed to relish the chance to prove himself. Now I mentioned the awful performance of the referee earlier and how he missed a blatant handball by a Swifts player in their box, beggars belief, the player actually punched the ball, no question of not being deliberate, but referee McNabb and his linesmen saw nothing. Disaster struck for United soon after when Ruddy was caught in a sandwich between a Swifts player and Leroy Millar deep in the United half. It was obvious that Ruddy was out for the count, but as Swifts were attacking the ref and lino were reluctant to stop play. When United averted the danger, Ruddy was able to get treatment, but he had to come off to be replaced by McCabe.

This substitution necessitated a change in tactics and United went into the more familiar 4,3,3 formation but it was all to no avail and Fergie took off MM and brought on the enigma that is Neal Lowry. Lowry was only on the pitch 5 mins when the visitors increased their lead. Cookie looked to have the situation well under control but his outstretched foot just failed to make contact with the ball, leaving Harpur through on goal and he beat Cairns with a thunderous shot into the net. United looked to have pulled a goal back almost immediately, when Kelly breasted the ball down and beat Turker from close range, only to have the linesman's flag raised for a handball against Kelly. Admittedly it was at the far end of the pitch, but it looked alright to me but it was disallowed.

The Swifts seemed content with their work and United enjoyed some freedom for the remainder of the match. Cal Loughran came close to scoring his first senior goal, when he got on the end of Millar's cross-shot, but Turker made a fine save. Then from fully 30 yards Cal's free-kick, stung the hands of the German stopper. Try as they might United couldn't get a goal back, not even with the news filtering through, that the Coleraine scum were losing at the Mallards. When the ref added on 4 mins of added time there didn't seem much hope that we were going to get something to cheer about. Deep in to this added time we scored, when Gawley took a corner with the outside of his right foot and Turker could only watch helplessly as the ball sailed into the net, to leave the final score 2-1 to the Swifts, not as bad as had feared  but not a confidence booster for next week either!


Cairns (7), Marky (6), Ruddy (6) (Sub: McCabe 5,), Cookie (5), Loughran (7), Gavin (6), Gawley (6), Millar (6), Alan D (6) (Sub: O. Kane 7,) MM (5) (Sub: Lowry 6,), Kelly (6)

Man of the match: Cal Loughran