Big Test!

United face a big test tomorrow against Warrenpoint Town, if they are to maintain their quest for a top six berth in the Dankse Bank Premier league, with only three games to go until we meet Glenavon in that do or die last game before the split. Win tomorrow and everything is possible, but lose or draw for the second week running and it becomes elusive, to say the least. The one fact in our favour, if you can call it a favour, is that Glenavon have 3 matches in hand, they still have their Irish cup match to play and their three matches including one against us and only 5 weeks to do it.

If they don't win their Irish cup match away to Ballinmallard and it finishes in a draw, that could lead to another 3 games to be played before 22 March, a tall order for any team, never mind a team of part-time Irish league players. So you see there's still a lot of matches to play, but we need to focus on our own fixtures and the rest of them will only be important if we slip up. We at 'Sport believe our fate lies in our own hands, three points tomorrow are vital, if we get them, all things are possible. The Point are fighting to avoid being pulled into the relegation dogfight or play-off spot and they have some games in hand too, but we know from painful experience, that games in hand don't equate to points on the board.

Thommo, so pivotal in the good things that we do, starts the first game of a two match suspension tomorrow  and we'll be looking for someone to step up to the plate and take his vital role in out team. We at 'Sport are in complete agreement that it should be Sparky, but as Omar referred to his column last night, Spike seems to favour Alan D. The Sports team only worry about Alan D's inclusion tomorrow, that if he did have a good game against the Point, Spike may well stick with him the rest of this season and we fear that Alan D only flatters to deceive and we'll need ball winners tomorrow and Alan doesn't come into that category.

Then there's the dilemma of the strikers he selects, Darboy was rested because of that ridiculous agreement with the scum manager, but MM came in and scored and new boy, Mark Kelly, showed what we've been missing for so long, a real live striker to challenge in the air and put himself about and he looks good in this role, it will be interesting to see, how Spike resolves this dilemma. Surely JT has to return in central defence for we are going to need him for the hard matches down the line, against the Crues, Glens and Glenavon. But who makes way for him is anybody's guess. We'll stick our neck out and go for , Cookie and McBride, but it could be anybody, so come on Sky Blues, lets send them home pointless!