Back Wednesday!

 Blaney (5), Tony (5), Steeky (5), Paddy Mac (4) (Sub: Matty, 30mins,7,), Kyley (4), Faulkner (4), Jenks (4), Hanley (4) (Sub: Ferguson 77 mins, 4,), O. Kane (4), (Sub; Thommo, 46 mins, 4,), Tippers (4), Cush (6)

Man of the match: Matty (Shevlin),

Referee: Dim, (3).

There is a date in the Calendar that's known as Ash Wednesday, I think its the day after Pancake Tuesday, which signals the start of Lent. In last night's game at the Showgrounds, the United team disintegrated in ashes, against a Glenavon team who scored at will. New keeper, Alan Blaney, who I honestly never rated when he was at United in Roy Walker's reign, had a stinker in the first 20 minutes. He wasn't alone in having a stinker, it would be hard to pick a United player who was better than mediocre in this spell.

Barely 2 mins was on the clock, when the visitors won a corner on the right and from Neil's in-swinging corner, the United defence stood still and Blaney stayed on his line and allowed Marshall to shoot home to give Glenavon an easy lead. Ten mins later the dose was repeated, from the opposite side, as Andy Hall delivered another in-swinger straight to the unmarked Elbert, who gleefully planted a header beyond the reach of Blaney, to make the score 2-0 to the visitors.

Little was seen of United as an attacking force, but when they did mount an attack, they found the visitors defence in an uncompromising mood. They fouled at will, backed up by referee, Tim, 'nice but dim,' Marshall, hereafter called, Dim. The number of times Glenavon players came 'over the top' when Tippers was trying to hold the ball, is too numerous to mention and Dim, never threatened a yellow card to nip this foul play in the bud.

Disaster struck for United after 20 minutes, when after Kyley slipped, Paddy Mac, dithered and lost possession to Bradley and he fed Braniff, looking suspiciously offside, but no flag. He ran through unchecked and gave Blaney no chance with a rising shot. But I can't understand why there was no cover, when kyley slipped, but its not surprising when Fergie, in his wisdom, picked an attacking midfield.

Was Gavin injured, or not available, or was he dropped, he didn't even make the panel, a dreadful omission, if he was indeed fit. All in all, Spike, made four changes from his starting line-up from Saturday's defeat at Windsor. Out went the suspended, Jimer and the injured JT, as well as Thommo and Gawley. Those taking their place were Jenks, Owen Kane, Paddy Mac and Faulkner and they didn't perform to a man.

I was really disappointed in Owen Kane and Faulkner, having heard so much about them, they were like 'fish out of water', they contributed nothing, virtual passengers. Just before the half hour mark, Glenavon won another corner and the United defence went asleep again and Bradley beat Blaney from close range to give his team an unassailable lead, 4-0. At last Fergie awoke from his slumbers and made a substitution.

He took off Paddy Mac and brought on young Matty Shevlin, which necessitated Jenks moving back to partner Kyley in central defence. Surely he had to bolster our defence, instead of taking a defender off, but he had only one defender on his bench, Mike Ruddy, so I suppose he had little option. Elbert should have made it five, when he headed against the bar with the goal gaping. Dim, finally woke up and booked the said Elbert, who reached out pushed Cush, when the United man sped past him.

i thought it should have been a red card, as Dim called the player to him, who ignored him, adding dissent to his foul play, but Dim let him away with it, nothing new there. United managed to hold out to halftime, despite Andy Hall coming close, as his shot just skimmed the bar. I foolishly thought Spike, had to see the error of his ways and get a defender on to bolster our defence in attempt to keep the score down, I'm actually living in 'cloud cuckoo land' I think.

2nd half
Spike's master stroke, was to take Owen Kane off and bring on the slowest man in the Premier league, Thommo and the visitors continued to attack at will. Hanley became the first player of United to be booked, for a clumsy tackle in midfield as United continued to be second best. United got a glimmer of hope, just a glimmer, when young Matty latched onto a pass from Cush, looking suspiciously offside and nutmegged keeper Tuffey, to make the scoreline,4-1 to the visitors.

He almost repeated the dose, two mins later, when cutting in from the right and driving the ball into the six-yard box, the visitors managed to clear it, but there seemed to be a handball, but Dim saw nothing. Tony became the second United player to be booked for a foul when a visitors player made a meal of a simple case of impeding (if it was a foul), near the 4th official. In contrast with a rugby tackle from a Glenavon player on Cush, in the first-half, that brought no card.

From a United attack, Tippers was manhandled to the ground in front of the 4th official, the linesman and Dim, but nothing was given and Hall picked up the loose ball and ran unchecked for 65 yards and slotted the ball, home to give his side a 5-1 lead. Spike and his coaches, were livid with the Linesman and Dim, but after all's said and done, we stopped expecting a foul as Glenavon played on and scored. Bradley got number six as Jenks, dithered and dallied, what was he thinking of, I honestly don't know.

Fergie's, great move after this, was to bring on his son Matthew, for Hanley, but in truth he could have brought anybody off, except Shevlin and Cush, we were that poor. Young Ferguson, with his first touch lost the ball and then gave away a foul trying to win it back. Luckily for him this didn't lead to a goal, but a minute later it was seven, when Bradley got a free header from a cross from from sub, Mark Patton.

It could have been worse, as the visitors hit the woodwork for the third time and player-manager, Gary Hamilton, missed with a free header when it looked easier to score. Luckily for United, Dim only added on 2 mins to the ninety and they managed to see out the game without conceding any more. Something needs to be done and done quickly with a derby game with the scum coming up this Saturday, a victory for the visitors, however unthinkable, will surely trigger calls for our board to act, sooner rather than later and redress this dreadful situation!