Strike Force!

United go into this County Antrim Shield semi-final full of confidence in their ability to deliver the goods, true we had a bit of a stutter on Saturday, not being able to prevail against the 10 men of the Lards, but we've been very consistent in cup games and haven't lost any since Spike has taken over the reins. We were denied a semi-final appearance in the Irish cup last year due to a bureaucratic error, but we are here on merit this time and we mean business. Fans have been crying out for us to sign a striker for nearly a year now but Spike has resisted the temptation to sign somebody just to calm the fears of the doubters. There's no getting away with it, Gary McCuthcheon had scored 15 goals at this stage last year, but we were conceding goals at an average of two goals a game and we've stopped that thankfully. But the pleasing thing is all the forwards have contributed to scoring goals this term and the midfielders as well.

In short we are a better balanced team this season and Big Wes deserves some credit for the way he has turned Dwayne Nelson into a fine keeper. Dwayne was always a good keeper, but he tended to make at least one mistake every game and if he got away with that, he couldn't be blamed for the shortcomings of his defence. But this year he has made three mistakes in 15 appearances and if he continues on in that vein, we have the makings a very solid defensive unit. Johnny Taylor who had to come off injured on Saturday, looks doubtful for tomorrow night's match, but Cookie should be available to take over have served his one game suspension on Saturday. There's a lot debate on at the minute among United supporters of who should replace Sparky, who's serving a one game ban due to his sending-off on Saturday. There's support for Alan D and Michael Ruddy, but in the opinion of the 'Sport team, Neil Lowry gets our vote.

If Spike selects Alan D, it means Gavin will have to do double the work covering Thommo and Alan and if he selects Michael Ruddy, we will be a tad negative. Lowry meanwhile gives you a presence going forward and a tackler when there's defending to be done. With his height he can take some of the pressure off Cush and Jamie when the ball's in the air and can add his pace to our attack when the opportunity presents itself. One man who needs to have a good game is our leading scorer Ally, in too many games this season he has been a virtual spectator and he needs to get more involved in the play if we are to prevail. We have the players to be a force, but we need to harness them and be a 'strike force'. A twenty goal striker would be a bonus, but we can't afford one and they're as scarce as hens teeth, so we must get on with it. It's not going to be an easy game, semi-finals never are, but we must believe in our strength and skill to carry us through, come on United, let's shag those Suffolk ewes, the final beckons!