Crunch Time!

United manager Tommy Wright told Sky Blue Sport (in an exclusive interview), that it’d be a case of same again against Portadown this Saturday at Shamrock Park. When asked by us if he’d keep the same 14 as did the business against league champions Linfield, he refused to be drawn. The United manager had watched the reserves give Portadown’s second string a 5-2 hammering last night and was pleased that Stuarty King, Fitzy and Aiden Watson came through unscathed. The big Ballyclare man said he’d been proud of the display the lads put up against the league champions last Saturday, but said he had since stressed to the players that he required that sort of commitment every week. ‘If we give that sort of display every week, we’ll win more games than we lose and we’ll take a lot more points than we did last season’, he stressed. ‘Sport expects to see a couple of experienced players on the bench against the Ports, who have ‘hard man’ Mickey Collins fit once more. United must do what they’ve failed to do all season, take at worst a point from the fixture tomorrow. Our away form has been diabolical so far this season, but a clean sheet tomorrow would guarantee at least a point from our so called last tough game in the first half of the league championship. We at ‘Sport are well aware of our failings against the so called lesser teams and believe that we must approach every game as if our very lives depended on the outcome. With that attitude maybe we can at last become a force to be reckoned with, if not, then we are doomed to be a team of also-rans. So come on Sky Blues, let’s shag those Porta Downers!

Blue Murder!

They say a week’s a long time in politics, in football it’s a bloody eternity. This time last week we were looking forward to a hard match at Solitude, full of confidence after a good victory over the Crues. Now just 7 days later our confidence is as low as is possible, after a defeat last Saturday (when admittedly we were outclassed), followed by the humiliating defeat on Moday night at the hands of first division side Dundela. Tomorrow sees the visit of Linfield, not really the team you want to be meeting when your confidence has taken the battering ours has over the last 7 days. Our defence is at sixes and sevens, our midfield is decimated, while upfront Kevin Kelbie appears to be ploughing a lone furrow. United need to bounce back and do it quickly, as Linfield will exploit any slip-ups tomorrow. We honestly haven’t a clue what Tommy’s team will be for tomorrow, we can only surmise that he’ll go with the back four he had last week at Cliftonville, they’re not the best, but they’re the best we have. If Aiden Watson and Scatesy are both fit, we expect them to get the nod in central midfield, if not then its perm any two from, Lee Patrick, Dom Melly and Darren Murphy. If Aiden and Gareth aren’t fit we expect to see Stuarty King back on the left wing, otherwise he’ll get a place on the bench, with the other ex-Linfield winger Mark Picking on the right. That only leaves the choice of who to partner Kelbie upfront and we expect Paul Brown will get the nod ahead of Fitzy or Austen Friel. Having said that maybe the players have taken Tommy at his word and not returned as they don’t want to play for the club. Somehow we don’t think so and we expect to see a full complement out tomorrow. Lets hope they’re there to compete, otherwise we might just get a bit of a hiding tomorrow, hopefully that won’t materialise, but only time will tell!

Shield Relief!

Its County Antrim Shield time tomorrow night as United entertain Dundela in the first round at the Showgrounds. Nothing short of a convincing win will do if the Sky Blues are to repair some of the damage inflicted by Cliftonville at the weekend. Manager Tommy Wright was unavailable for comment today, but its thought that the team will be along the usual lines, although he intimated that some of the fringe players may get a start. Sky Blue Sport was keen to emphasis that Tommy’s predecessor was caught out two seasons ago when he fielded a half-strength team, but the manager said there was no danger of that happening. We at ‘Sport fervently hope so, as we are still in shock after the events at Solitude on Saturday. The United manager must decide whether he should tamper with the non-tackling United defence, or give them a chance to get their act together before the visit of Linfield on Saturday. Will he we wonder promote his favourite Stuarty King and will he have the ‘guts’ to rest the out of form Paul Brown? These are only two of the questions that’ll be answered at the end of tomorrow night’s game; let’s hope they’re the only ones.

Chicken Lickin!

United manager Tommy Wright looks set to say 'same again' to the 14 players who truimphed over Crusaders last week. Midfielder Darren Murphy picked up a leg injury but is expected to be passed fit, as the Sky Blues strive for their first away points of the season. Fringe player Andy Rosbotham has been told he can move to a first division club and when he finds one United will cancel his registration. When quizzed by Sky Blue Sport on his reason for releasing Rosbotham, the United manager said he had ample cover for left wing/midfield, with young reserve player David Cushley and the fit again Stuarty King, who are both added to tomorrow's panel. Big Tam wouldn't comment on whether other players will be heading out the Showgrounds door, but we at 'Sport wondered if the out of favour Dom Melly might be beating a retreat fairly soon also. Stuarty King has made an amazing recovery from his broken wrist sustained in a pre-season friendly. In fact his recovery has been so swift that the 'Sport's team are wondering if he really is 'Superman'. Maybe if he is (Superman), he can use his x-ray vision to find out why his teammates are leaking so many first-half goals and why despite playing so well they're usually trailing at halftime. Hopefully the Sky Blues will stop the rot tomorrow and hopefully, it won't be another boring scoreless draw, it'll be tough, but we think United can pull off a victory. Here's hoping there's a good turnout of fans tomorrow and here's hoping for that victory, 'come on United, let's shag those Chickens'!
P.S. Our last sentence sounds like a fowl suggestion, so we apologise if anybody takes us literally, what we mean is 'let's stuff those chickens'!
P.P.S. That still sounds a bit fowl too, here's our final quote, 'let's go to Solitude and come home with all three points'! After that we can all go to K.F.C. if we want or is it K. & F.C.!

Crunch Time!

The Crusaders ‘juggernaut’ rolls into town tomorrow for a fixture which they are expected to win. They have swept almost all before them this season, only one defeat in nine games and they’re scoring goals for fun. But hopefully the Sky Blue crew will have other ideas, we are after all unbeaten at home this season, admittedly it’s only four games, but it’s a start. Team selection shouldn’t pose any great problems for the United manager, as with Gordon Simms facing an automatic one match ban, for his sending off last Saturday, the fit again Gary Haveron will prove an able deputy. In fact the only selection issue facing the United manager might be the make-up of the subs bench, with four or five players vying for the three places. Despite the United scorers drawing a blank last week at the Oval, we at ‘Sport expect them to get back on the scoring trail tomorrow and with the Crues committed to an attacking policy, a high scoring game could be in prospect. A four/three win for the Sky Blues would do very nicely and on the tighter Showgrounds pitch it will be no place for anything but real men. The Crues aren’t called the ‘hatchet men’ after all for nothing and United have one or two players who like nothing more than a ‘rough and tumble’ game. We expect fireworks, we expect commitment, but most importantly, we expect a victory. So ‘come on Sky Blues, let’s tame those tigers’, in short, ‘let’s shag those love children’!