(H)Ard Task!

United go to Dixon Park Ballyclare to take on newly-promoted Ards in the Dankse premiership, tomorrow night, kick-off 19-45. We apologise for the pun in our title, in truth we couldn't resist it, we are less than sane. But readers of this column know that already, we attend the vast majority of matches when United are playing, never mind the opposition and not paying no never mind to what match is on the TV, so we must be mad, but we don't personally think so. As far as we know we haven't any injury worries but in an interview with the Ballymena Times reporter Stephen Alexander, Spike hinted that we could have some niggling injuries, hope you appreciate the 'plug' Stephen? If we have a clean bill of health we expect Spike to play the same starting line-up as last Saturday, in spite of the performance of Neal Lowry, who had to be substituted at halftime, he believes in picking the same team as won last time.

We had some fierce battles with Ards in the past and after 3 straight league defeats, they returned to winning ways in midweek and will want to build on that result and put one over on the Sky Blues, as they did many times in the past. But if we give a professional performance, as we have done in our last two premiership games, victory will surely be ours. We seem to have got the balance of the team right, Mario up front ably supported by Ally and hopefully Lowry. Thommo, Jenks and Alan D starting to gel in midfield and a back four of Tony, Marky, Johnny and Steely, ably backed by Dwayne in goals. But this is no time to rest on our laurels, we need the same conscious effort as we have shown in our last two matches tomorrow night, or we will end with egg on our faces. I'm sure the local Ballyclarians will welcome us with open arms as usual (joke), but we need to be prepared for that and use their negativity against us in our favour.

Ards have a least one player in their ranks who has played for United, diminutive striker Paul McDowell and although Paul didn't exactly set the Showgrounds alight with his goals when a Sky Blue, he will be need to be watched closely by Marky and Johnny. There were rumours that speedy winger, William Bingham, who was on United's books last season and played in the Shield final, had signed for the nomadic Ards, but he's not listed on their player panel on the official web-site of the Dankse Premiership. That's not to say that he isn't an Ards player and will feature against us tomorrow night, for we know only too well the shortcomings of the IFA, sorry we meant NIFL, different name but bunglers nonetheless. Hows does the old song go, 'for we only know, there's going to be a match and Ballymena United will be there' and we will be there at Dixon Park Ballyclare, so come on Sky Blues, lets shag those County Downers!