Carrick Crusaders!

United make their first trip to Carrick, to play Carrick Rangers, for many a long year, but Carrick no longer play at Carrick, they play at Seaview, home of the hatchet men. Confused, yes we are too. It can only happen in the Irish league, simply tell the authorities that you're going to install a plastic pitch and it won't be ready to December, what December we're not quite sure. Now you'd think that a big professional set-up like the Irish league would have been insisting Carrick make a feasibility study and get the dates set in stone. As it turns out Carrick (due to a technicality), can't have a plastic pitch and will have to re-sow their grass pitch and they and the Irish league have committed a major balls-up which makes us a laughing stock in these British isles, needless to say this was all done in the name of progress.

Now we've got that off our chest let's concentrate on the match tomorrow, at a venue where United tend to come unstuck. The United manager will have to change his starting line-up of last Saturday, due to injuries to Aaron Boyd and Dick Vauls and we've heard on the grapevine keeper Wayne Drummond and defender Liam Watson are both doubtful. If these four are missing the manager will have a headache deciding on his line-up, normally big Denver would be a replacement for Watson, but his views about playing on unnatural surfaces is well documented, but needs must, or there's always Chris Rodgers. Sparky would be a stop-gap replacement but his budding partnership alongside Jenks in centre-midfield needs to be nurtured.

Elvis, who scored a hat-trick for United reserves on Thursday, in a 3-3 draw,away to Portadown , will probably earn a place on the bench, although we could do with him in our starting eleven. It's a toss-up whether it's Nelson or Kerr if Drummond don't make it. Jordan Baker needs a goal to get him started again and the match at Seaview could be the one, we need someone to take the weight of Cutch's shoulders. There's the versatile Tony Kane to consider, he could play alongside Cookie or maybe fill at leftback in a pinch. But whatever Roy decides to do, he better get his team up for it, the Rangers will be up for it and we got to match them stride for stride. So come Sky Blues, let's shag those travelling people!