Two Vilians!

Our manager Spike, selected the same team as of last Saturday's game against Dungannon, the only change was on the bench where Tony Kane replaced Harris. I was amazed to see Mike Ruddy on the bench, the last I heard he was going for an xray, to determine whether had a broken bone in his foot, so it must have been a false alarm. Did we win the toss, or did the hosts elect to kick-off, anyway I thought we played into Glenavon's hand in attacking the home end in the first half. playing right to left as the bulk of the huge United support looked at it.

As a supporter, who's gone to many a match at Mourneview, it always fascinates me that the hosts like to play the first half attacking the away end and then in the second half attacking the end where the die-hards Glenavon fans are congregated ( I have never understood this fascination with supporters watching a a game behind the goals, talk about a jaundiced view). Whether the United Captain thinks it doesn't matter which end we play from or he's just following orders, is a matter for conjecture, but in my mind the hosts got the slight advantage of the breeze in the early stages.

Just five were on the clock when Glenavon won a corner on the right and Kyle Neil's in-swinger was headed home by Chris Lindsay at the near post. A lot people blame our keeper, Dwayne, but I'd need to see on replay, to apportion the blame, in my opinion it was just well worked set-piece, that came off. United had a chance to get back on level terms almost immediately, when Cush brought a marvellous save from Blayney in the hosts goal. It was obvious to me that referee Hetherington  (Heth) had forgotten his cards, when he let some questionable tackles go unpunished.

United's Gavin, Taggart got away with one where he led with his head, but the hosts were busy in that department too. In a tussle for the ball in midfield, United's defender, Cookie was left writhing on the ground but no foul was given, but despite being in obvious discomfort, he was able to continue after treatment. Cush won a free kick out on the right, but the normally reliable Gawley didn't deliver a good free-kick and he had his worst game of the season so far. Cush in a bit of skill, beat his marker with chip over him, but he tried a dink over Blayney which just missed the goal.

The lino at our end missed a blatant hand-ball by Bradley, that would have been a decent hand-pass in the code where Bradley started his career. From a Dwayne kick-out, Cush had another chance, but he should have shot early, instead of trying to control the ball on the lively pitch and another chance went begging. Twelve mins before halftime, Jenks found Gawley, but he was adjudged offside, another incident I'd like to see on replay. Cush missed another chance to level matters up when a Gavin header found him, but he went for power and missed the target completely.

I feel I must say a word about the Heth's insistence of us taking free-kick and throw-ins s from the proper place and letting the hosts take them as they saw fit. In one incident, the hosts won a throw-in, midway between our penalty box and the halfway line and Heth and the Lino, allowed McKeown  to take the throw-in level with our penalty box, stealing a good fifteen yards or more. Then near halftime, from a free kicks he moved the ball back for a Glenavon free-kick to be taken from the proper place and when he turned his back the player moved it forward again, needless to say, he took no action.

With five mins to go to halftime, Cush set up Gavin on the edge of box, but he shot over, I think he should've found the target, the only negative in a 'man of match' display, from the United midfielder. From a Gawley corner, the ref, Heth, blew for some infringement, but for the life me I didn't see what. United had claims for a penalty turned down in injury time when, when Cush skipped by Blaney, but the ref saw nothing untoward in Blarney's challenge and blew for halftime with the scoreline 1-0 in the hosts favour. It was obvious to me we had three passengers on our team, our two wide men, Ally and Gawley and Tippers didn't look at all fit to me.

2nd half
The lino at our side of ground, seemed have woken up, maybe the halftime cuppa awoke from his slumber and he flagged Cush offside within in a minute of the restart. But he continued to miss blatant handballs, but maybe they were hand passes, maybe that's allowed in County Armagh. United won a free-kick near the 'd', but Cush's shot bounced off the Glenavon wall, surely we have to work on these half-chances.  Cush missed the target again, from a lovely pass by Tippers, as he blasted over, he really should have had possession of the match ball by this stage, I reckon this was his fifth chance and he hadn't hit the target once.

With 15 mins gone in the second period, Fergie acted, withdrawing a disappointed Ally and bringing on Darboy with Cush moving to the left wing. From a Gawley corner on the right, Blayney was equal to it. plucking it out of the air. Then Steeky and Cush won a free-kick but nothing came of it, but from another Gawley corner on the left this time United had the ball in the net, but ref Heth allowed that it was an illegal handball, by Cookie, proving once and for all, that only the hosts were allowed to hand the ball. willy nilly. Cookie, protested his innocence but just for good measure, he was yellow carded, by Heth.

With 20 mins gone in the second period Gavin got booked for a reckless challenge on a Glenavon player and the ref immediately reached for the yellow card, he, Heth, was in the swing of things now. Two mins later Heth and the Lino were blinded by the floodlights and didn't see a blatant hand-ball in the Glenavon penalty area or merely ruled as a legitimate hand pass. Darboy missed a good chance to level thing up, but he shot at Blayney who clutched the ball, yet another chance gone begging.

Then referee Heth took a hand when in a rare attack, McKeown of Glenavon shot harmlessly wide, but ref Heth astounded everybody in the ground by awarding the hosts a corner. How did he come up with that decision I thought, did he get a inkling from his lino that there was doubt, or is he just blind, I haven't seen a worse decision since Leslie Irwin hung up his whistle. From the resultant corner, Dwayne was impeded, but Heth saw no evil and allowed play to continue and Marshall of Glenavon, headed home at the second attempt, to make the 2-o in the hosts favour, but by then we should have been out of sight.

Lindsay got away with a lunge tackle on Darboy, not even booked and it started a ruckus with McCabe of the hosts throwing a punch and he and Captain Jenks were sent off and the guilty party, Lindsay, got off Scot free. With 20 mins to go Cush fashioned an opening and tried to nutmeg, Blayney, but his weakly hit shot was easy meat for the former United keeper. Then Marky overlapped and messed up his cross, at last Spike acted and took him and Gawley off and brought on Sparky and Kaner, I can't help thinking that they needed to be on earlier, especially Kaner.

As luck would have, Kaner messed up on the right, but I consoled myself  by saying he's rusty and this is his first senior  match of the season, he had played against Newington on Monday night, but this match was different. How Heth and the lino missed another handball by the host's beggars belief, they must have ruled it a hand pass and they gave a corner, the mind boggles. From the Kaner's corner , our best corner of the night, Sparky got in a free header but didn't find the target, yet another chance gone begging.

The hosts were wasting time ,willy nilly and despite the ref telling Braniff to get a move on when he was subbed, he took no further action when he dandered off. Gavin nearly become our hero but, but Blayney touched his fierce shot over the bar. With five mins remaining, we did get one goal back and who else but Cush, got it and reduced the leeway, lifting the ball over Blayney. Could we find the equaliser, I wondered and justify our almost total domination over Glenavon.

We were almost in all-out attack mode and the ref astounded us by only added four mins of stoppage time, despite the hosts wasting time at every opportunity. Darboy fed Tippers but he couldn't find the target and when a Darboy shot was deflected for a throw-in, Heth found some infringement, in the Glenavon six-yard box and awarded the hosts a free kick. Maybe we had too many men, in the six-yard box, or is ythat a different game I was thinking of.

The ref finally blew his whistle and we were left with a bitter taste in our mouth, we felt we had been cheated by an incompetent referee, but we had enough chances and possession to win the game and the chief culprit was our talisman, Cush. The referee and the Lino on our side, were two villains in the piece, but in the end we had nobody to blame but ourselves.. I stayed (unlike the cup final), to applaud our players off, they had given their all and I appreciated that. The next match sees us entertain newly promoted, 'Stute, on Tuesday night, it will be interesting to see how we approach that game, COSB!

Dwayne (6), Marky (6) (Sub: Kaner 7), Steeky (7), Cookie (7), JT (8), Gawley (5) (Sub: Sparky 7,), Gavin (8), Jenks (6), Ally (5) (Sub: Darboy 6,),  Tippers (6), Cush (7)

Man of the match: Gavin