Shield Glory!

There's only one way to describe tomorrow's final of the County Antrim Shield, a must win game for the Sky Blues. Having lost to tomorrow nights opponents Linfield, at the National Stadium on Saturday (which still resembles a building site), United must be forthright tomorrow night and win at all costs, for it is victory or nothing!

Our manager, as usual blamed his players for the defeat in extra-time, but at least he made one vital point that we at 'Sport have been preaching to anybody that will listen, 'we let too many crosses come in' and that's where we are punished. Linfield's two goals on Saturday came from crosses that we let in, end of story.

At the other end we got some crosses in ourselves, but we didn't make Linfield pay as much as we paid, only scoring one goal. With JT's, reckless challenge late on, our manager is left with a selection headache. Does he restore Paddy Mac, left out of late or bring new signing, Loughran in, if legible, or move the versatile Jenks, back to defence.

We at 'Sport think he has to go with an all-out attack, that means starting young Matty and Tippers, if fit or Darhen, its time our forwards stood up to the plate, they have been shirking for too long. If Tippers, is not fully fit, then surely he could play 45 mins and Darhen, take over at halftime or vice-versa.

But Fergie, will make up his own mind, he always does. He tried to hold Linfield on Saturday and it worked for the first-half, but when they scored, we had to attack them and they were hanging on, but we couldn't take advantage of the situation. Tomorrow night we need some different plan of action and something to rock the Linfield team back on their heels.

Cush, had a quiet game by his standards, but if he turns on the style tomorrow night we could be in for a treat, what a 'swan-song' that be for our talisman, whose leaving us at the end of season to get on the Crues gravy train and who could blame him, not us. But we think he would like to leave with fond memories and what better stage to do it than the National Stadium!

So its all systems go for a victory, nothing else will do. Whatever players Spike and his cohorts select will have the honour of winning the 'bin lid' for the second time in four seasons. Its not a major trophy it has to be said, but it is one that players like to win and we like to see them win it, so come Sky Blues, let's win it and light up the National Stadium in the process!