Ostrich Glenn!

Glenn decided to dig his head in the sand yet again and I don't think he learned anything from last weeks trouncing at Solitude. Admittedly we are terribly short on fit bodies at the moment, but going with a midfield with no tacklers in it, is complete madness against any team, but especially against a team in the top four. Glenn made five changes, one enforced by the dismissal of Cookie last week, I don't know whether Dwayne was injured or he was just dropped, but Addis came in for him. Marky took over from Cookie, Thommo for Ruddy. Spike's son Matthew for Sparky and Ally for Darboy.

This meant Captain Jenks playing up front with Tippers and in my mind invited Linfield to attack at will, which they did. We had a minutes silence for former IFA/Linfield secretary (no pretence in our league, the two are as one, but that's another story), who died this past week. We started brightly and Ally showed some promise by skipping down the left wing and crossing for Jenks to head over the bar with barely 3 mins on the clock. Then it was JT's turn but his effort didn't trouble the keeper either a minute later, blasting the ball well over the bar.

Little was seen of the IFA at this stage and United spurned another chance with 7 mins gone, when a back heel by Tippers saw a Jenks shot blocked. United were made to pay heavily for this benevolence in front of goal, when Linfield took the lead almost immediately. It lookrd like a hopeful punt up-field, but JT waited on it and his Linfield counterpart nipped in and sent Waterworth through on the left. Marky had a chance to thwart this attack, but he was beaten easily and former scum player (and ex-United player), Lowry, was on hand to slot the ball home.

A minute later it was 2-0, with the United defence at sixes and sevens, Morrow of Linfield was left with the easy task of slotting the ball home. Surely Fergie had to see the error of his ways and getting Sparky on, or at least drop Jenks back to defence, but we continued with the same vein.. A dangerous cross from the left wing, was calmly headed back by JT to his keeper, Addis.  United managed to break away but Thommo's shot from the edge of box was powder puff. Then we forced two corners in succession, but nothing came off either of them.

Then in a bizarre incident, ref Ross Dunlop, gave a free-kick to Linfield, when it seemed to be United's Steeky who was fouled. United had a let-off on 18 mins when, Waterworth scored with a header, but the linesman had his flag up for offside. Ross Dunlop must have given the Lino a good ticking off, for later with Waterworth standing a good ten yards off-side, he was reluctant to flag, but eventually his conscience got the better of him and he stuck the flag up. The ref decided he would have to book somebody and he surprised me by booking Haughey of Linfield for a foul on Tippers.

From the free-kick taken by the Barber, Gawley, Jenks headed wide, another chance gone begging. A minute later JT picked up a yellow card and I think it was his first foul, if indeed it was a foul.  United were struggling to clear their lines and Waterworth could only strike the side-netting, what a let-off for United. After a few niggly fouls, the ref talked to several IFA players, I don't know what he said, but after that they were no niggly fouls, just hard tackles and the IFA got the benefit of the doubt, well I say doubt, but their wasn't any doubt in ref Ross's mind.

Then United got a lifeline with a goal for their Captain, when he was found by a lob from Tippers and Jenks kept his cool and calmly lifted ball over the advancing Glendenning in the IFA goal, to make the 2-1 to the IFA. Then we had the incident when Waterworth was miles offside and the lino took so long to flag him, no Xmas box from the IFA board for him.  Addis,  who had made a hash of a back-pass, came to United rescue when he tipped a point blank shot over the bar and then from the resultant corner managed to punch it, but it was a weak punch and we scrambled it away.

The IFA extended their lead in the 37 mins when Waterworth, looking suspiciously off-side,no flag from the lino this time, calmly stroked the ball past Addis to make the score 3-1 in the IFA favour. United were under the cosh for the remainder of the half and we survived mainly due to good luck and the IFA's bad finishing. Steeky, came to our rescue with a goal-line clearance as we looked likely to concede another goal. Thommo cleared another one and it was backs to the wall as we couldn't take a chance on the lino, who at that stage was giving the IFA all that he could.

The ref added one minute of added time and I was hoping that we could hold out to halftime and then Fergie would deliver his master-stroke, some hope. But surely he had to make changes, for we were getting swamped, if he didn't want to sacrifice a striker, he had to take take the ineffectual Ally off and bring Sparky on to get some bite in midfield.

2nd half
We took the field with no changes and the IFA seemed to be content with their 2 goal lead and retreated into their shell somewhat. I expected to see United bombard the IFA goal as they were attacking their favourite goals, but the first two chances fell to Spike's, son, with a shot over the bar an overhead-kick which didn't trouble the keeper. We won a free-kick when the Barber was fouled, but we didn't take advantage of it. The IFA had their first attack but a shot clipped the top of the bar with the United defence looking on.

Tippers fed Tony down the right-wing, but his hard and low cross found no United player on hand. Then ref  Dunlop decided to ignore the rules, when a IFA player clutched the ball between his legs and punished United for a foul, when it should been the other way. Fergie made his first change taking off his son and bringing on Sparky but I thought that this was too little too late and young Matthew wasn't the worst player in a Sky Blue jersey. Tippers was adjudged to foul, when he was fouled himslef, but no use protesting to Dunlop.

Linfied player-manager, Feeney, was allowed to run up and down the touch-line warming up, instead of the back of the goals as should be, but the 4th official went to have a word with him but decided against it and he was allowed to get away with it. Spike made his second sub with Ally being replaced Darboy, surely we would see an all-out attack now. A free-kick by Gawley was cleared for a corner and from this corner, Thommo was manhandled to the ground and the ref awarded United a penalty and no booking for the culprit, surprise, surprise.

In the absence of Ally, Tippers got the job but his weak effort was easily saved by Glendenning. But the IFA players had encroached and the ref made Tippers take it again, much to the annoyance of Feeney and his players. Tippers this time rifled the ball into the net to make the score 3-2 and leave us a glimmer of hope. This awoke the IFA from their slumbers and Addis came to United's rescue tipping the ball over for a corner. Just after he had been booked for a clumsy foul, Thommo was replaced by Owen Kane.Addis  then made a hash of another back-pass, a lucky let-off again.

The IFA started to fritter away time and there was not much United could do about that and the ref ignored it. We saw the biased nature of the referee when Feeney went in hard on Steeky, no card and then Waterworth didn't retreat for the free-kick, no card again. About a minute later Waterworth fouled Gawley in midfield and also escaped a booking, but what did I expect. From a corner taken by Gawley, Owen Kane shot  wide from the edge of the box, must hit the target from this distance.  Despite two or three long-throws, United couldn't find the leveller that they so desired.

When we won a free-kick in the 2nd minute of added time, the Barber took the free and was unlucky to see Glendenning punch the ball for a corner, a three point save if I ever did see one. From the resultant corner a IFA player was on hand to head clear and Darboy ballooned the the ball over the bar and United had missed their chance. The ref finally blew the whistle and United not for the first time had come up short, but after last weeks humiliation, it was a good response and the crowd appreciated it, but I think the manager must rethink his tactics or it will be a long hard winter!


Addis (6), Tony (6), Steeky (7), Marky (5), JT (6), Gawley (7), Thommo (5) (Sub: O. Kane 6), Ferguson (6) (Sub: Darboy 5,), Ally (5) (Sub: Sparky 6), Tippers (7), Jenks (7)

Man of the match: Steeky