Match Off!

United’s friendly with Bohemians at the Showgrounds tonight has been cancelled, as the pitch is unplayable. To our way of thinking this is not a bad thing, as the risk to the players was too great and it was a game we really didn’t need. The rest may give the management staff the chance to assess their tactics, which in our opinion needs a bit of attention. The United third string lost one nil to Oliver Plunkett at Taylors Avenue last night and with that defeat went the chance of silverware of any description for the United teams this season. So it’s back to the drawing board for the United management as they seek to bring some cheer to their frustrated fans. The United board have over the years, despite a few ‘blips’, always done the proper thing, paid off their debts and paid their players no matter what, but they must wonder if they have somehow got the wrong end of the stick. Take the case of our derby rivals the Coleraine Scum, they went deeply into debt, were wound up, but still survived, winning the Irish cup in the process. Maybe the United management will have to decide in the next couple of years whether being ‘good guys’ will get the job done, or whether they’ll have to throw caution to the wind and go for it. Hopefully big Tommy and the boys will deliver the goods next season, but first they need to finish no worse than fourth this term to guarantee Setanta cup qualification. That will leave them free to get a trophy on the United cabinet next season and when they win that first trophy, they’ll have reached their goal!