Marsh(es) Pride!

United manager Tommy Wright is contemplating making at least 3 changes to his starting line-up. With Randal Reid back to full fitness the United manager is toying with the idea of linking him with Fitzy up front at the expense of top scorer Kevin Kelbie. He is also considering bringing in Aiden Watson and Stuart King, to replace Scatesy and Darren Murphy. Much as these changes are needed, we at ‘Sport feel that it’s our back four in general and both fullbacks in particular, that have let us down in a big way over the last couple of games. Surely a re-call for Nigel Boyd at leftback is a must and if there isn’t a suitable replacement for Aaron Callaghan in the reserves, Scatesy could fill in at the rightback position. Then we might see if that’s the reason why Gary Haveron and team Captain Albert Watson have been so poor over recent weeks. If that doesn’t cure it then the manager has a major headache and he will have to find replacements during the transfer window. Displays like that against Coleraine on Boxing Day and our previous fixture at Loughgall, cannot be tolerated and would surely lead to a termination of the manager’s contract in the long run. Two tough games loom on the horizon, away to Newry tomorrow and at home to league leaders Glentoran next Tuesday night. Nothing short of 4 points from these two fixtures will placate the Sky Blue fans, a win tomorrow would make it a somewhat easier task for Tuesday night, but at the end of the day avoiding defeat tomorrow is of tantamount importance. The players should be begging the fans for forgiveness after Monday’s capitulation, but a good result would be even better. So Tommy it’s over to you, it’s time to put up or shut up, we the fans will as always play our part, but we need something to cheer. Give us an early goal and we’ll cheer you all the way to the final whistle, in short, ‘let’s shag those border babes’!

Scrooge Time!

It’s time for a miserable Christmas, full points for the Sky Blues on Boxing Day and another year without a victory for the Coleraine ‘Scum’. Yes United need to take a leaf out of Scrooge’s book and give nothing to the team we ‘love to hate’, the ‘gasmen’ from the banks of the Bann. United manager Tommy Wright is under no illusions, the Sky Blue faithful can put up with many a thing, but a defeat or even a draw against our bankrupt rivals, would bring down our wrath upon him. On paper we should hold too many aces for them, but on paper we should’ve blown our last opponents, Loughgall, to kingdom come (wherever the hell that is). The United manager told Sky Blue Sport that he hopes to use the same starting eleven as in the Loughgall game, but hasn’t decided on the make-up of his bench as yet. Did this mean a recall to the panel for the fit again Boydie we asked, but the United manager remained tight-lipped. He did voice a concern about the 3 goals his back four leaked in their last game, but insisted he was happy enough with team to leave it unchanged. He remained non-committal on the prospects of signing players in the transfer window, saying he first needed to unload one or two players, as we were carrying a couple of passengers. So its all systems go for three points in what is, no matter what certain members of the media say, our most important game of the season. Admittedly league positions won’t change much, but the knock-on effect of a good United victory, will stand us in good stead for the rest of the season. So ‘come on Sky Blues, lets shag this bloody scum’!

P.S. Read an article in the B.B.C. television previews, that said Armagh’s Shea Campbell would be back in his favourite striking role and referred to him as an ex-Linfield star. We at ‘Sport have been wrecking our collective brains and cannot remember Shea starring for the Blues at anytime during his short spell there. But then again it just goes to prove that most of the stuff we read in the media is just pure fabrication. We suppose it’s that great Americanism, ‘never let the truth get in the way of a good story’ and our media certainly know all about that!

United's Goal(S)!

United manager Tommy Wright has been forced to make just the one change to his starting line-up for the away game at Lakeview Park, Loughgall, where the local team play. This means an instant recall for the suspended Kevin Kelbie, in place of the unfortunate Randal Reid, who was stretchered off last Saturday during the narrow one nil victory over Donegal Celtic, at Ballymena Showgrounds. Austen Friel will also get the nod to be on the bench, after scoring for the reserves in their defeat at Lisburn Distillery. United will be hoping to score their first championship goal at the County Armagh venue, as on their two previous league games they fell to one nil defeats. Another one nil victory for us, our third on the trot, would do very nicely, but we at ‘Sport feel it’s time United had a convincing win and where better to score a few goals than at Loughgall tomorrow. Not only would it give us the three points, it was also give us a real confidence boost ahead of the Boxing Day visit to Ballymena, of the Coleraine scum. Loughgall, despite their poor start to the league championship will be no pushover and only a thoroughly professional approach from the Sky Blues will see them win the day. Three points tomorrow would give us seven points in our last three away games and not 'six' as erroneously claimed in Sky Blue Sport last week. Sky Blue Sport’s Sammy Patterson has admitted this gaffe and can only plead ignorance in this instance. Let’s hope United are not rolling out excuses after tomorrow’s trip to the Orchard County. All of us at Sky Blue Sport will be there to cheer United to victory, ‘so come on United, let’s shag those apple pickers’!

Same Again!

United manager Tommy Wright has given a vote of confidence to the eleven players who battled to a first away win of the season (in fact the first away points of the season), last Friday night at Inver Park. That means no return to action for top scorer Kevin Kelbie, although the manger has said Kelbie will be on the bench. As for the remainder of the subs bench, its perm any two from three, of, Aiden Watson, Austen Friel and Stuarty King. In an exclusive interview with Sky Blue Sport, Bruce Balmer asked the manager if he was interested, as quoted in the media, in Glentoran’s Chris Morgan. Tommy said ‘ We’re always interested in quality players’, but added that he had so far not enquired about the former Linfield striker, who turned United down when he left Linfield to join their cross-town rivals. He also stated that he had held tentative talks with under-21 International Kevin Braniff, but he had since joined Portadown where he is reputedly receiving £700 a week, about three times the average Showgrounds wage. The United manager was also asked how he felt about the proposed new set-up of a ten or twelve team Premier league. ‘Anything that allows the game here to progress, in the long run will only benefit the sport’, he said, ‘But it’ll only work if the proper structures are in place’. A United official said there were no plans to make a special presentation, when west Belfast side Donegal Celtic pay their first historic visit to the Showgrounds tomorrow. He did add that an invitation had been extended to their chairman to attend the corporate dinner, which is being held prior to tomorrow’s game. Tomorrow also sees the return of former United ‘player of the year’, Kieran Donaghy and we’re sure United fans will give him a warm welcome. Let’s hope that Kieran and his new team-mates return home empty handed, as three points from this fixture are vital for the Sky Blues. ‘So come on United, let’s belt those Celts’!

Larning Time!

United manager Tommy Wright must make two enforced changes for tomorrow night’s County Antrim derby against Larne, kick-off 07-30 (we think). Striker Kevin Kelbie is serving a one match ban, while Boydie has picked up a hamstring injury. Randal Reid is expected to get the nod to partner Fitzy up front, while Craig McClean looks set for his first league game of the season, in place of Boydie. We also expect Darren Murphy to return in place of the ineffective Stuarty King, on the left side of midfield. The continued absence of Austen Friel, leads us to believe that he has been censored by the club for a breach of discipline, but we can get no official confirmation of this. The rest of the team should be on the usual lines, but we at ‘Sport will not be surprised if Lee Patrick returns to centre midfield, as United are starting to look like midgets in that department. A win tomorrow night is vital for United, not just for the three points on offer, but to try and kick start our season, anything else doesn’t bear contemplating. With only two more games after tomorrow night, before the big Boxing Day derby against Coleraine at Ballymena Showgrounds, it’s vital that the Sky Blues get a few results under their belts. So where better to start than at our near neighbours Larne, but it won’t be easy. Larne have just appointed a new manager, Paul Curran and teams invariably pull out all the stops for their new manager, so United will have to perform at their best. But at the end of the day if we can’t beat the Inver-men, then there's not much hope for us and Tommy Wright, will know what pressure really is. So come on Sky Blues, lets shag those Larners!

Winter Warmer!

United manager Tommy Wright says he’s left midfielder Darren Murphy to make the decision of whether he’s fit to play after suffering concussion last Saturday against Dungannon Swifts. The United manager feels the midfielder’s aggressive play was sadly missed in United’s loss at Stangmore Park last week. When asked about his own ‘aggressive’ display last Saturday, when he had to be restrained as he exchanged comments with a Dungannon official at the end of the game, the manager said some things were best left unsaid. He would not be drawn either on reports that diminutive striker Austen Friel was in danger of being suspended for a serious breach of club discipline. On his team selection for tomorrow he indicated that he was considering restoring Craig McClean to the leftback slot and moving the versatile Boydie into left midfield. He also said it was his intention to leave young striker Randal Reid on the bench, with Fitzy getting a start up front alongside Kevin Kelbie. Despite his clanger last week, Aiden Watson looks sure to retain his place in central midfield, but Lee Patrick is in contention to be his partner, instead of the out of form Scatesy. Aaron Callaghan has recovered from his ‘dead leg’ and is expected to take his place in defence, alongside Gary Haveron and team captain Albert Watson. Mark Picking, United’s best performer by far over the last month, is an automatic selection in right midfield, but the out of form Stuarty King may have to be content with a place on the bench at best. So hopefully its all systems go for three points against the Whites tomorrow, ‘so come on United, let’s shag those Lisburnians’!

Trying Times!

So what has big Tam in store for us for tomorrow we wonder, has the extra night’s training taught the players how to shoot from distance with no keeper in goals? This and many more questions will no doubt be answered come a quarter to five tomorrow, or if Dungannon by some miracle aren’t leading, five to five. Kevin Kelbie is reportedly restored to the panel after his automatic suspension, whether he starts or not is anybody’s guess. Will the manager give the thumbs up to his shaky back four, but then again what choice does he have, he has nobody else. Hopefully Stuarty King will be missing from the panel, unless Fitzy turns up with the wrong studs or some other stupid reason. We at ‘Sport expect Tommy to give a vote of confidence to last weeks starting eleven, but he could bring Kelbie in to partner Randal Reid, instead of the misfiring Austen Friel. The United manager was unavailable for comment today, but a spokesman said that there were no serious injury problems and the manager was hopeful of a positive result tomorrow. We at ‘Sport are not so sure, they say that hope springs eternal, but its getting increasingly harder to remain positive, after all the ‘dross’ we have witnessed this season so far. We are according to the ‘law of averages’ due a good result at Stangmore Park, but may have to settle for a share of the spoils tomorrow. But one thing’s for sure, the Sky Blue Sport team will be there in full force, so ‘come on United, let’s shag those Tyronians’!

Trigger Tommy!

Tommy Wright faces his nemesis tomorrow in the shape of former club Limavady United, knowing that nothing less than a victory will keep his side on course for a top four finish. With the C.I.S. cup and the County Antrim Shield long gone and nothing more than a distant memory the big Ballyclare man knows that only a victory will appease those baying for his head. Forget about all this talk about private funding for the managers salary, the men who sign the checks are getting restless and when that happens, ‘heads’ are going to roll. The United manager is set to ring the changes with Gary Haveron taking over in central defence from Gordon Simms, who may now be loaned out to some other club. While up front reserve striker Randal Reid, now free from suspension, will partner Austen Friel, in the enforced absence of top scorer, Kevin Kelbie. The rest of the team should be among the usual lines, although the United manager told ‘Sport that Craig McClean could come into the reckoning for the leftback slot. No matter what team takes the field tomorrow, one thing is certain, only three points will suffice if Tommy is to continue his aim of being at the helm in the immediate future. Anything beyond the immediate future is hard to contemplate at the moment, in fact it’s just a pipe dream. Maybe we’ll look back on this period in better times and say it wasn’t really as bad as it looked, but right now it looks pretty bad. But with three points in the bag, it’ll look a hell of a lot better we can tell you!

P.S. Omar’s column is missing this week due to circumstances beyond our control, but he has promised us that he will be back with a double edition next week, if only everybody was as reliable as Omer, oh what a world it would be!

Armagh Geddon!

In an attempt to get back to winning ways United manager Tommy Wright told Sky Blue Sport, that he’d be dropping Gary Haveron out of midfield. His place would be taken by Scatesy, who would partner Aiden Watson, while winger Mark Picking would be restored to wide on the right. In the absence of Paul Brown (broken foot), Austen Friel, who scored his first competitive goal for United in the 2-1 defeat at Portadown, would get the nod tomorrow. The United manager said he was loath to make full scale changes in spite of his team’s poor away form, as it was just a case of them not doing the simple things well. He told ‘Sport that he had considered using a sweeper system, but that would mean deploying Darren Murphy behind the defence and he didn’t want to lose the Portadown man’s combative midfield approach. He also said that the sweeper system was in his opinion a negative approach, but if things didn’t improve he may have to consider it. No doubt former United player Shea Campbell will be out to put one over on his old team-mates tomorrow, fresh from his hat-trick at Limavady last Saturday. So it’s vital that the home team are quick out of the blocks tomorrow as Armagh and Shea, will pounce on any hesitancy in the United ranks. The so called hard games are over, now its time to start gathering points, we can’t afford any more slip-ups, its win or bust from now on, so Sky Blues, ‘let’s shag those apple pickers’!

Crunch Time!

United manager Tommy Wright told Sky Blue Sport (in an exclusive interview), that it’d be a case of same again against Portadown this Saturday at Shamrock Park. When asked by us if he’d keep the same 14 as did the business against league champions Linfield, he refused to be drawn. The United manager had watched the reserves give Portadown’s second string a 5-2 hammering last night and was pleased that Stuarty King, Fitzy and Aiden Watson came through unscathed. The big Ballyclare man said he’d been proud of the display the lads put up against the league champions last Saturday, but said he had since stressed to the players that he required that sort of commitment every week. ‘If we give that sort of display every week, we’ll win more games than we lose and we’ll take a lot more points than we did last season’, he stressed. ‘Sport expects to see a couple of experienced players on the bench against the Ports, who have ‘hard man’ Mickey Collins fit once more. United must do what they’ve failed to do all season, take at worst a point from the fixture tomorrow. Our away form has been diabolical so far this season, but a clean sheet tomorrow would guarantee at least a point from our so called last tough game in the first half of the league championship. We at ‘Sport are well aware of our failings against the so called lesser teams and believe that we must approach every game as if our very lives depended on the outcome. With that attitude maybe we can at last become a force to be reckoned with, if not, then we are doomed to be a team of also-rans. So come on Sky Blues, let’s shag those Porta Downers!

Blue Murder!

They say a week’s a long time in politics, in football it’s a bloody eternity. This time last week we were looking forward to a hard match at Solitude, full of confidence after a good victory over the Crues. Now just 7 days later our confidence is as low as is possible, after a defeat last Saturday (when admittedly we were outclassed), followed by the humiliating defeat on Moday night at the hands of first division side Dundela. Tomorrow sees the visit of Linfield, not really the team you want to be meeting when your confidence has taken the battering ours has over the last 7 days. Our defence is at sixes and sevens, our midfield is decimated, while upfront Kevin Kelbie appears to be ploughing a lone furrow. United need to bounce back and do it quickly, as Linfield will exploit any slip-ups tomorrow. We honestly haven’t a clue what Tommy’s team will be for tomorrow, we can only surmise that he’ll go with the back four he had last week at Cliftonville, they’re not the best, but they’re the best we have. If Aiden Watson and Scatesy are both fit, we expect them to get the nod in central midfield, if not then its perm any two from, Lee Patrick, Dom Melly and Darren Murphy. If Aiden and Gareth aren’t fit we expect to see Stuarty King back on the left wing, otherwise he’ll get a place on the bench, with the other ex-Linfield winger Mark Picking on the right. That only leaves the choice of who to partner Kelbie upfront and we expect Paul Brown will get the nod ahead of Fitzy or Austen Friel. Having said that maybe the players have taken Tommy at his word and not returned as they don’t want to play for the club. Somehow we don’t think so and we expect to see a full complement out tomorrow. Lets hope they’re there to compete, otherwise we might just get a bit of a hiding tomorrow, hopefully that won’t materialise, but only time will tell!

Shield Relief!

Its County Antrim Shield time tomorrow night as United entertain Dundela in the first round at the Showgrounds. Nothing short of a convincing win will do if the Sky Blues are to repair some of the damage inflicted by Cliftonville at the weekend. Manager Tommy Wright was unavailable for comment today, but its thought that the team will be along the usual lines, although he intimated that some of the fringe players may get a start. Sky Blue Sport was keen to emphasis that Tommy’s predecessor was caught out two seasons ago when he fielded a half-strength team, but the manager said there was no danger of that happening. We at ‘Sport fervently hope so, as we are still in shock after the events at Solitude on Saturday. The United manager must decide whether he should tamper with the non-tackling United defence, or give them a chance to get their act together before the visit of Linfield on Saturday. Will he we wonder promote his favourite Stuarty King and will he have the ‘guts’ to rest the out of form Paul Brown? These are only two of the questions that’ll be answered at the end of tomorrow night’s game; let’s hope they’re the only ones.

Chicken Lickin!

United manager Tommy Wright looks set to say 'same again' to the 14 players who truimphed over Crusaders last week. Midfielder Darren Murphy picked up a leg injury but is expected to be passed fit, as the Sky Blues strive for their first away points of the season. Fringe player Andy Rosbotham has been told he can move to a first division club and when he finds one United will cancel his registration. When quizzed by Sky Blue Sport on his reason for releasing Rosbotham, the United manager said he had ample cover for left wing/midfield, with young reserve player David Cushley and the fit again Stuarty King, who are both added to tomorrow's panel. Big Tam wouldn't comment on whether other players will be heading out the Showgrounds door, but we at 'Sport wondered if the out of favour Dom Melly might be beating a retreat fairly soon also. Stuarty King has made an amazing recovery from his broken wrist sustained in a pre-season friendly. In fact his recovery has been so swift that the 'Sport's team are wondering if he really is 'Superman'. Maybe if he is (Superman), he can use his x-ray vision to find out why his teammates are leaking so many first-half goals and why despite playing so well they're usually trailing at halftime. Hopefully the Sky Blues will stop the rot tomorrow and hopefully, it won't be another boring scoreless draw, it'll be tough, but we think United can pull off a victory. Here's hoping there's a good turnout of fans tomorrow and here's hoping for that victory, 'come on United, let's shag those Chickens'!
P.S. Our last sentence sounds like a fowl suggestion, so we apologise if anybody takes us literally, what we mean is 'let's stuff those chickens'!
P.P.S. That still sounds a bit fowl too, here's our final quote, 'let's go to Solitude and come home with all three points'! After that we can all go to K.F.C. if we want or is it K. & F.C.!

Crunch Time!

The Crusaders ‘juggernaut’ rolls into town tomorrow for a fixture which they are expected to win. They have swept almost all before them this season, only one defeat in nine games and they’re scoring goals for fun. But hopefully the Sky Blue crew will have other ideas, we are after all unbeaten at home this season, admittedly it’s only four games, but it’s a start. Team selection shouldn’t pose any great problems for the United manager, as with Gordon Simms facing an automatic one match ban, for his sending off last Saturday, the fit again Gary Haveron will prove an able deputy. In fact the only selection issue facing the United manager might be the make-up of the subs bench, with four or five players vying for the three places. Despite the United scorers drawing a blank last week at the Oval, we at ‘Sport expect them to get back on the scoring trail tomorrow and with the Crues committed to an attacking policy, a high scoring game could be in prospect. A four/three win for the Sky Blues would do very nicely and on the tighter Showgrounds pitch it will be no place for anything but real men. The Crues aren’t called the ‘hatchet men’ after all for nothing and United have one or two players who like nothing more than a ‘rough and tumble’ game. We expect fireworks, we expect commitment, but most importantly, we expect a victory. So ‘come on Sky Blues, let’s tame those tigers’, in short, ‘let’s shag those love children’!

Townie Tamers!

For our second Carnegie Irish Premier league game, United travel to the protestant heartland of East Belfast, to take on the 'Townies' of Glentoran. To say that this ground (official name the Oval), is a 'grip', is to make a vast understatement, but there are worse grounds around, though thankfully not many. United go into the game with no known injury worries and in fact Gary Haveron is reportedly poised for a return. The United manager is rightly concerned about his central defensive pairing and we at 'Sport fear that it's only a matter of time before team Captain Albert Watson gets the chop. Albert has struggled all season and we can only hope that its the burden of the Captaincy which is affecting the Whitehead youngsters form. Will big Tam be bold enough to change the back four for tomorrow's game or will he merely have Gary Haveron on the bench. One option open to him is to go with three at the back, Haveron, Albert and Simms, which means leaving out one from Boydie, Darren Murphy, Scatesy, Picking, Callaghan and Aiden Watson, its assumed that Kevin Kelbie and Paul Brown will get the nod up front. In fact the manager will have a big decision to make as to who occupies the subs bench as Fitzy is fit again and it'll be a toss up between him, Austen Friel, Lee Patrick and Andy Rosbotham for who fills the two spots up for grabs. A bit of change from two weeks ago when we had just 13 fit players. But no matter who gets the 'nod' for tomorrows game, one thing is for certain, they'll have to give 110 % effort if United are to come away from East Belfast with a result. So come on Sky Blues, let's shag those Townies!
P.S. Omar's moving finger, has returned and please remember to check out his weekly columm every Thursday. His first diatribe was published last night and is a hard hitting article on our dear friends, the Coleraine Scum and their great escape from prosecution after their bankruptency. Always remember, there's only one real United web site, east or west, 'Sport is the best!

Blue Bombers!

This is it, the start of the Carnegie Premier League, there’s no more time for ‘farting about’, its time to deliver the goods. Glenavon come to the Showgrounds tomorrow fresh from their first victory of the season and what a victory that was, beating last year’s invincibles, the Linfield Blues. The task for the Sky Blues is simple, put enough goals past the Lurgan Blues and then they’ll be no way back for them. To say we at ‘Sport were disappointed with a draw last week, was to make a gross understatement, but at least our two strikers got on the scoresheet, which was some consolation. We at ‘Sport believe that three goals tomorrow will win the points for us, but we really have to tighten things up at the back, giving away silly goals is just not on. The news on the injury front is not good we’re sorry to say, with only Aiden Watson passed fit, but he along with new signing Colm McCullagh should be in the 14 players selected for tomorrow. United manager Tommy Wright will have to decide whether to go with the versatile Dom Melly, or the one-dimensional Andrew Rosbotham along with last weeks starting eleven. It will be hard on either player but we can’t honestly see him dropping Lee Patrick or Austin Friel in order to accommodate both fringe players. Rightly or wrongly (or should we say ‘Wrightly’), the manager will stick with the two ex-Limavady men that he brought to the Ballymena in the close season. So it’s all systems go for three points tomorrow, but given our record for poor starts over the last few seasons, you never can be really sure. But let’s be positive, let’s send Glenavon home with a dose of the blues, in short, let’s ‘shag’ those Lurgan men!

Limavady Laughs!

As we go into our last C.I.S. cup fixture, a meaningless game at home to Limavady United, it appears we are struggling for fit players. Both Craig McClean and Boydie are missing and now Gary Haveron is out also, which leaves us with virtually no cover on the left-hand side. Aiden Watson is still short of match fitness and won’t be risked in this meaningless fixture. This leaves the home team with only the ‘bare bones’ and it’s likely that some reserve players will be called up for the senior panel. This is of course not a meaningless game for our opponents, who still have a chance to qualify if they can win by two clear goals and Portadown lose away to Crusaders. It would be somewhat ironic if Limavady did make through to the next phase wouldn’t it, given all the ‘baggage’ between the two clubs. We at ‘Sport said before our first home game, that only an emphatic win would convince us that United were the finished article, that of course didn’t materialise. Anything less than that tomorrow and we think United fans will start voting with their feet. So lads it’s time to get your collective fingers out, lets win tomorrow and lets do it with a bit to spare, ‘Lets shag those Roesiders’!

Heir Apparent!

David Healy was the King who reigned over Spain on Wednesday night at Windsor Park. United require a King tomorrow and who better to fill the bill than King ´Kevin´ Kelbie. Only a win will do for United against the ´Hatchet men´ and therefore the strikers must deliver the goods if United are to progress to the C.I.S. cup knockout stages. We at ´Sport have been unable to ascertain if Aarron Callaghan, free from under-21 duty and the fit again Craig McClean will get a start or if Tommy will stick with the men who did the job against the Ports. One thing must surely be patently obvious to the United manager by now and that is, Albert Watson needs to be relieved of the Captaincy. The young Whitehead-man will hopefully be a United Captain of the future, but now is not the time. Another thing that must be obvious to the manager is the need to keep Boydie at the club. His display against Portadown was excellent and what he lacks in pace, he makes up for in guile. So as far as we are concerned it´s a case of ´same again´for the starting line-up and hopefully it´ll be the same again for the result. Come on Sky Blues let´s shag those townies!

Blue Attack!

After the euphoria of a ‘Blue Moon’ derby match with Manchester City, United return on Thursday to the ‘bread and butter’ of the C.I.S. cup. Portadown are the visitors to the old Showgrounds tomorrow night and for the home team it’s quite simple, nothing but a win will do. Having said that it’s not going to be simple for United to succeed where they have failed miserably in the last couple of seasons, by getting a victory over the Ports. United manager Tommy Wright has been quoted as saying that ‘we all can learn something’ from last night’s fixture. The one thing that he must surely have learned is that his defensive starting line-up should be the one that served him so well last night. Gordon Simms and Gary Haveron were a magnificent central defensive formation, ably backed up on the flanks by Albert Watson and Boydie. The rest of the team should consist of Kevin Kelbie, Austin Friel, Aiden Watson, Darren Murphy and two others from, Patrick, Picking, Rosbotham, Scates and Melly. If they can muster half as much enthusiasm tomorrow night as they did last night, there’s no reason why they can’t get the win they need and then anything will be possible. So let’s come out fighting tomorrow night lads, as Corporal Jones used to say in ‘Dad’s Army’, ‘they don’t like it up ‘em’, so let’s put it up ‘em, in short let’s shag those ‘love children’!

Darren Dilemma!

Will he, won’t he? That is the question uppermost in our minds tonight as we look forward with anticipation to our trip to Limavady for tomorrow night’s game. Will United manager Tommy Wright give Darren Murphy an instant debut or put him on the bench, as his wont, normally. Murphy, who has built a reputation as a hard tackling midfield dynamo, has just signed a two year deal with the Sky Blues. Maybe if we had, had someone of ‘his ilk’ last Saturday we could have came away from Shamrock Park with a more pleasing result. But, as they say, ‘that’s all water under the bridge’ and if United can treat their next four games as ‘do or die’ matches, they can still qualify for the C.I.S. cup knockout stages. We must say that it seems strange that our manager is ‘reportedly’ keen to sign a left-sided midfielder, when he has one of the best on his books, namely Nigel Boyd. In fact it’s been reported that Nigel will be allowed to go out on loan to other clubs now that Darren Murphy has been signed. Surely big ‘Tam’ wouldn’t be that silly, just imagine the scenario, the Sky Blues are playing their last home league game where a point will guarantee entry into the Setanta cup, when up pops the on-loan Nigel Boyd to give the visiting team victory. It’s really too stupid to contemplate isn’t it? Well we at ‘Sport, hope it is. So Tommy your aim must be true tomorrow night, a United victory to set us up for a good time next Tuesday night, when the ‘Manchester’ Sky Blues, come to town, so, ‘let’s shag, those Roesiders’!

Fitz Attack!

After the poor showing by United last week, we at ‘Sport believe it’s time for the United management to be bold. In short we would like to see big Tam and the boys opt for a 3, 4, 3 formation, rather than the favoured 4, 4, 2 which we usually play. With Paul Brown missing through suspension, the United manager could give both the fit again Fitzy and new signing Austin Friel a run up front alongside Kevin Kelbie. This would pave the way for a midfield of, Melly, Aiden Watson, Lee Patrick and Craig McClean and a defensive three of Callaghan, Albert Watson and Gary Haveron. After losing our way somewhat last week at home to Crusaders, it’s time to take the game to Portadown and see if we can unsettle them, if not we will at least have tried. As the old saying goes, ‘It’s much better to have tried and lost, than not to have tried at all'. So come on Sky Blues, let’s get into those ‘boys from the county Armagh’, and let’s take those Portadowners!

Crue Cutting!

Here we go! Here we go! Here we go! Such a simple song, but it means so much, to so many people. As we embark on yet another Sky Blue campaign, we wonder if our search for the ‘holy grail’, a trophy (any trophy), will be successful this season, or will it be yet another disappointment. Let’s face it, United, who had been impressive in our three friendlies against Scottish opposition, let themselves down badly in their next three games, with defeats against Ballyclare and Bangor, while our 3-1 win against local Intermediate side, Raceview Rangers, was less then impressive. But as they say, ‘hope springs eternal’ and we fervently hope that these were just minor ‘blimps’ and not signs of anything more sinister. After manager Wright’s raid on his former club, bringing in Lee Patrick, Aaron Callaghan and Austin Friel, we will be looking for a vast improvement on last season. So there’s no better place to start than with tomorrow’s game at home to the newly promoted, Crusaders. Admittedly the ‘hatchet men’, will be no pushover, but if United are to be a team to be reckoned with this season, nothing less than a convincing win will suffice tomorrow. So no pressure on you from the start Tommy, it’s quite simple, the time for talking is over, it’s time to stand up and be counted. Let’s send those so called ‘Tigers’ home with their tails between their legs, in short, ‘let’s shag those townie love children’!

Right Now!

Tonight sees the first real test for Tommy Wright’s new team, when the Sky Blues host Motherwell in the Nigel Boyd testimonial. Hopefully there will be a big crowd at the Showgrounds to show their appreciation for United’s long-serving left back, who still has a lot to offer United, but has already given his all for his home team. Tonight also sees the launch or is it the re-launch of United’s official web site, w.w.w.ballymenaunitedfc.com. This baby has in our humble opinion been too long in the womb, its birth has been promised on many occasions, but it’s taken an inordinate time to be born, let’s hope the wait has been worthwhile. We, Sky Blue Sport, the one and only non/stop United web site, would like to take this opportunity to wish Tommy and ‘his boys’, all the best for the new season. We would like to emphasis the sentence, ‘Tommy and his boys’ as only, Albert Watson (team Captain), Gareth Scates, Darren Fitzgerald and Dominic Melly remain from the Kenny Shiels first team panel. That means the nucleus of the squad are all Big Tam’s signings (we have deliberately refused to mention Rory Hamill here as we don’t regard him as a committed United player). Therefore as far as this season is concerned we reserve the right (pardon our pun), to be super/critical of United and their manager from now on, in short Tommy, the ‘honeymoon is over’!

Wrong Wright!

It’s been a while since our last update and to tell the truth there’s really no good reason for this, we’re actually just being lazy. There has been some new signings made by manager Wright, but really they’ve been far too predictable. Three ex-Limavady United players signed, for crying out loud, now what does that tell you? It tells us that our management team couldn’t spot a new prospect, if they came up and bit them. The signing of Mark Picking is really amazing too, the last thing we needed was yet another wide player, who is not renowned as a goal scorer. If we had signed a midfielder with an eye for goals, even if he was a winger, then it would’ve been understandable. But no, we sign yet another ‘fringe’ player from Linfield and we already have one of those and he hasn’t ‘set the world alight’, has he? Some ‘King of Kings’ he turned out to be. Added to this is the fact that we’ve released Kieran Donaghy, who prior to this season had been our best player by far. We’ve also just found out that Big Tam’s great prospect, assistant manager Jim Grattan’s boy, has not re-signed for the club and has joined Carrick Rangers, yet another prospect slips through the United net. We still have no recognised right-back, no reliable goalkeeper, no centre-midfield cover and to make matters worse, Rory Hamill is still on the ‘books’ and who can blame him, after all our board were silly enough to agree his ‘outrageous’ terms and he knows a good ‘meal ticket’ when he sees one. Forget about Tommy Wright’s media spin about Rory taking a pay- cut last season, it really didn’t happen, he took a cut in wages, but still got paid the same wage, we cannot say more without incriminating our source, but believe us, it’s true. Manager Wright also promised us some better pre-season fixtures this season, so we’re just wondering if the schedule announced in the local papers this week is a misprint. The game against Motherwell on Tuesday July 18th is a vast improvement, but games against Chimney Corner, Ballyclare Comrades and Raceview Rangers don’t exactly set the pulses racing. We at ‘Sport actually enjoyed our wee trip to Donegal last pre-season and had hoped it would be an annual affair, but alas our hopes have been dashed. Are we being too hard on the United manager, as he has failed to deliver the ‘goods’ on the friendlies? Or is this just a sign of how our season is going to unfold once again, lots of promises, but no end result? Hopefully our fears are unfounded and we will get that elusive trophy in the sideboard, but it’s going to be tough, thank God we’ve still got Kevin Kelbie, without him it wouldn’t look good!

Good News!

Good news, that is a strange headline, for in fact we have no news, but the old adage says that ‘no news is good news’. In this case nothing could be further from the truth, as despite all the ‘noises’ made at the Seven Towers supporter’s club dinner about the club moving in the ‘Wright’ direction, the truth is that the club is still going backwards. Last year we reached the Irish cup semi-final and finished 8th in the league, this year, with the manager given a fairly free hand, we are still 8th in the league (even a win tomorrow at Institute may still keep us in 8th) and reached the County Antrim Shield final. Reaching any final is an achievement for us, but the County Antrim is, in all fairness, really a ‘second rate’ competition and we thought our feat last year in reaching the cup semi, was a much greater achievement. The reason we have no ‘news’ can be laid squarely at the door of ‘one individual (we were going to say man, but we think individual is a much truer representation of them), who we will refer to in future as, hm. Now hm is ‘wracked’ with jealousy as he (we cannot in all honesty call him a web master), has promised much over the years and delivered practically, ‘sweet F. A.’. Hm complained that we, Sky Blue Sport, had in effect a ‘mole’ within the club, a complete and utter fabrication. But the knock-on effect is that decent United supporters are now afraid to bid us the time of day in case hm sees them talking to us and in turn implicates them. Let us state here categorically, we at ‘Sport would love to see six or seven good United web sites in operation, competition after all keeps us all sharp, so we have no axe to grind with anybody. But what we detest is ‘people’ (we use this word in its loosest form), wracked with jealousy, who just can’t see ‘green cheese’, to coin a phrase. So hm, get off your fat ass and get your act together, empty promises won’t cut the mustard, as the old saying goes, ‘You can fool some of the people, all of the time, all of the people, some of the time, But you can’t fool all of the people, all of the time’! Hm, you are fooling nobody, it’s ‘high’ time for you to shut up or put up and it’s also time for you to let those who can ‘do’, get on with it. As for tomorrows team news here we go with our guesses, McFrederick back in goal, Addis though better at cross balls is a poor shot stopper. Kieran Donaghy at right back, Albert back in the centre, Randal Reid given at least a place on the bench. Really we don’t have a clue, but then neither it seems does our management team, so who knows what sort of team we’ll have tomorrow. We will endeavour to keep true United fans informed of any developments during the close season, so for the last time this season let’s say, ‘Let’s shag those Stutonians’ (there’s a new word for you), good luck United, we think, you’ll probably need it!

Gary Gone!

Did Big Gary Smyth play his last game for United when the Sky Blues lost to Lisburn Distillery three weeks ago? That is the question on the lips of United fans as our team Captain is once again absent tomorrow. We at ‘Sport are wondering what Big Tam will do to shore up the ‘leaky’ Sky Blue defence. Surely he must rest Willie McFrederick as we have now reached the point of no return, where nothing short of four victories will see us wrestle fourth place from the clutch of clubs now chasing it. Tommy must surely also recognise that Gary Haveron will never be a midfielder and in the continued absence of Smyth should select the Larne man in defence alongside another Larne man, Gordon Simms. This would be a bit hard on yet another East Antrim stalwart, Albert Watson, but he could be accommodated at rightback, where Kieran Donaghy has been poor to say the least. Richard Rowe is another who must get a start and then it’ll be a toss-up for the central midfield roles between, Sweeney, Scates and Aiden Watson. Stuarty King will no doubt retain his left wing position, with Craig McClean occupying the leftback slot. That only leaves the strike force to be sorted and again we believe it’s perm any two from the three of Kelbie, Hamill and the fit again Paul Brown. Hamill has been showing the form of late that made him one of the most feared players in the league and for this reason we believe Tommy will start with Hamill and the speedy Kelbie upfront, leaving Brown to warm the bench with the veteran Boydie and whoever loses out in centre-midfield. If the team bears absolutely no resemblance to what we have said here we won’t be at all surprised, as at the end of the day we’re trying to second guess the United manager. So here we go with the ‘Big Stick’ and the ‘carrot’, if you fail to beat the Coleraine ‘scum’ tomorrow, we will jeer you off the pitch, but if you win, you’ll all be heroes. It’s as simple as that, its win or bust tomorrow, so come on ‘let’s shag those Bannsiders’!

Beautiful Dreamers!

As we approach our ‘fourth’ cup final, what are the chances of a victory we ask ourselves? Surprisingly, yes surprisingly, pretty good in our opinion. Let’s face it, Portadown without the backings of M.M.K., are a pretty ordinary lot and they’re missing a couple of players for tomorrow’s game also. Okay we hear you say, ‘one of them’s Jamie Marks and he was less than impressive as a Sky Blue. But there’s a subtle difference now, Jamie has realised if he don’t play, he don’t get paid and believe us, that makes a big difference. But enough about the Ports, what about the underperforming Sky Blues. United manager, Tommy, Wright! Wright! Wright!, says in this weeks Ballymena Times,  that we must get behind the team and then and only then we can go on and clinch a fourth spot in the league. Tommy, in our opinion (the one and only United web site still functioning or has there been another ‘rising’?), is putting the cart before the horse. Let’s get back to winning ways Tommy and then you’ll see the real Sky Blue support. We have suffered long and hard, through thick and thin (mostly thin), but we’re still here and ‘mugs’ that we are, we’ll probably still be here next season. So now it’s over to you big Tam, give us a good result tomorrow and we’ll cheer you all the way to the finishing line! Team news is, we don’t have a clue, but let’s try and guess anyway. United are trying a new formation tomorrow, Gary Smyth if fit, will partner Albert Watson and Kieran Donaghy in a back three, then it’ll be Scatesy, Haveron, Sweeney and Stuarty King in midfield, with the United talisman Rory Hamill playing behind a front two of Kevin Kelbie and Paul Brown. If this is the team for tomorrow, please contact Bruce Balmer and he will give the winning lottery numbers for the next five weeks. That’s is how fanciful this forecast is, but as usual all we gotta say is, ‘let’s shag those Apple Pickers!’

Ballyskeagh Affray!

What will Big Tam do tomorrow we wonder, will he actually give a late fitness test to Paul Brown and Craig McClean, as reported in tonight’s Belfast Telegraph, or will he bring in Kevin Kelbie who was out due to suspension last week and continue with Boydie at left back, no matter what the outcome. One man who seems certain to retain his place is last week’s two goal hero, Rory Hamill. Yes he could and probably should’ve had an easy hat-trick, but at the end of the day his two goals last week kept United in the hunt for a top four finish. Dungannon Swifts got back to winning ways tonight with a 2-1 victory over Armagh City and a win tomorrow for United is almost vital. We have been saying that for the last three League previews, but now we are getting near to the desperation stakes! We estimate that United require 14 points over the next six games to stand any chance of reaching the top four or better. A defeat tomorrow or even a draw would turn that into a mammoth task, in fact a nigh impossible one. So would the ‘real’ United please stand up and be counted, otherwise this season will have been for nothing. Nice to see that our manager has acted early and extended the contracts of Kelbie, McClean and Albert Watson with a view to next season already. But let’s not lose sight of this season just yet, a win tomorrow against the team who put us out of this season’s Irish cup, would go a long way to making this season a success story. So come on Sky Blues, ‘let’s shag those Lisburner’s’, we’re behind you all the way!

Roe Wreckers!

Its cup final number two for Ballymena United tomorrow, as they face the daunting trip to Limavady to play Paul Kee’s rejuvenated United. After the abysmal showing against bottom club Ards last Saturday it’s important for the Sky Blues to get back to winning ways. To say it won’t be easy is to make a gross understatement, never mind the baggage about Tommy Wright’s leaving of Limavady, Ballymena’s record against the Roesiders is anything but impressive. As if that wasn’t enough, Limavady’s skipper, Lee Patrick, was on Ballymena’s books during Kenny Shiels’s spell at the Showgrounds. The influential skipper scored twice when Limavady visited Ballymena and will be out to emphasis that it was no fluke tomorrow. But if and we emphasis the word ‘if’, United want to be a real force in the Irish Premier league, three points tomorrow are almost vital. By our figuring, seven points are needed from the next three games, Limavady away tomorrow, Lisburn Distillery away next week and then Portadown at home two weeks later. The United manager will we think (let’s face it we’re only guessing here), start with two ex-Limavady players up front, namely Sweeney and Brown. With Aiden Watson rumoured to be fit once more, big Tam must decide whether to risk him in midfield or stick with Scates and Haveron. We at ‘Sport would advocate a starting line-up of last Saturday’s finishing eleven, with Rory Hamill getting the nod in a five man midfield. Hamill who has flattered to deceive since his move from Coleraine needs to start delivering the goods. We know he has the talent, but it’s time for him to start doing the business. We’re going to need every player giving his all over the next two months and where better to start than at Limavady tomorrow. Come on United, ‘let’s shag’ those Roesiders!

Sure King!

Back to action for the Sky Blues when they entertain Ards tomorrow at the Showgrounds, our first game at home since the cup replay loss to Lisburn Distillery. It’s also our first and only league game at home this month and in our opinion the fixture planners must consider this next season. We had a similar scenario last season, but it wasn’t as obvious as we were involved in the Irish cup and so had the odd home game. But we digress, United must get back on the winning trail tomorrow, although it won’t be easy as the Ards players will be out to prove it was all the ‘manager’s fault’ and that’s why they’re rooted to the bottom of the table. As contrary to rumours, we have no inside track to the manager’s thinking, we can only guess as to his line-up for tomorrow’s game. One name sure to be in the starting line-up will be our hero of 15 days ago, Stuarty King. But will the manager give Kevin Kelbie a rest as he is unavailable for next week’s match away to Limavady United, as he is serving a one match ban. Would he be wiser to start with Sweeney and Brown as his front two, or maybe give Rory Hamill the chance to claim a rare starting place? It’s anybody’s guess but hopefully big Tam will make the ‘right’ decision, he usually does anyway. Would he we wonder be bold enough to ‘rest’ Willie McFrederick, who had a couple of real ‘howlers’ at Stangmore Park and promote back-up keeper Stuart Addis in his place? Popular opinion says no, it seems Tommy thinks Willie is the man for the job and if anybody would know it’s surely him. So we at ‘Sport expect a practically unchanged team tomorrow, but in reality we really don’t have a clue. But we do expect United to roll up their sleeves and go get the three points tomorrow which will move them up into fourth place after Dungannon Swifts draw with Linfield tonight. So come on Sky Blues, let’s shag those County Downers, you owe us at least that much!

Match Off!

United’s friendly with Bohemians at the Showgrounds tonight has been cancelled, as the pitch is unplayable. To our way of thinking this is not a bad thing, as the risk to the players was too great and it was a game we really didn’t need. The rest may give the management staff the chance to assess their tactics, which in our opinion needs a bit of attention. The United third string lost one nil to Oliver Plunkett at Taylors Avenue last night and with that defeat went the chance of silverware of any description for the United teams this season. So it’s back to the drawing board for the United management as they seek to bring some cheer to their frustrated fans. The United board have over the years, despite a few ‘blips’, always done the proper thing, paid off their debts and paid their players no matter what, but they must wonder if they have somehow got the wrong end of the stick. Take the case of our derby rivals the Coleraine Scum, they went deeply into debt, were wound up, but still survived, winning the Irish cup in the process. Maybe the United management will have to decide in the next couple of years whether being ‘good guys’ will get the job done, or whether they’ll have to throw caution to the wind and go for it. Hopefully big Tommy and the boys will deliver the goods next season, but first they need to finish no worse than fourth this term to guarantee Setanta cup qualification. That will leave them free to get a trophy on the United cabinet next season and when they win that first trophy, they’ll have reached their goal!

Screw Drivers!

United take on Bohemians in a friendly tomorrow night at the Showgrounds, kick-off, 07-30. A member of the Sky Blue team believes this match to be totally unnecessary and thinks that United would be better to work on their set-pieces, which are to say the least disappointing. Now that we have the players, tall and forceful, surely we should be able to score more goals from corners and free kicks. At the start of the season we ‘were’ scoring more as Andy Rosbotham’s delivery was excellent and maybe we need to try some other players out at taking the kicks to see if we can up our goalscoring ratio. There’s also the chance that United players could pick up unwanted injuries and we’ll need all our players as we approach our remaining 8 league games. These are potentially 8 cup finals and if we are to qualify for money spinning competitions, Setanta cup and either Inter Toto or E.U.F.A. cups, we need to approach them in such a manner. No-one should look upon our next game against Ards as a push over, they’ve just parted company with their manager and in our experience the players will be out to prove that it was his entire fault. United should bear in mind what happened when Limavady parted company with their then manager Eddie Seydak, the man in charge before Tommy Wright, they came to us and beat us out of sight. So United will need a professional approach for that game and then away to the aforementioned Limavady the following week. Yes there are a few interesting games coming up, to be sure and hopefully United will be up for them. United’s third string have a Youth cup semi-final tonight at Taylors Avenue Carrickfergus. We’d urge any United fans, thinking of taking in the game to come well ‘happed’ up, as Taylors Avenue is a coul hole at the best of times and tonight it will be even couler. Hopefully the wee Sky Blues will progress to the final, we unfortunately will not have a match report from either tonight or tomorrow night’s game as Bruce Balmer is not available. So come on Sky Blues let’s plug those ‘Plunketts’ and blast those Bohemians, we know you can do it!

Tyrone Tamers!

It’s a return to the weekly guessing game when we try to ‘guess’ and we emphasis the word ‘guess’, United manager Tommy Wright’s team. It’s come upon us a day early this week as the match has been brought forward at Dungannon Swift’s request as they have a Setanta cup match with Portadown on Monday night. We assume that the United manager will most definitely go for the eleven that started at Windsor last Saturday, even though they lost by the odd goal in five. We also assume he’ll go with the same bench as it offers him versatility, but who knows maybe there could be two or three people missing that we know nothing about. We did check with the ‘wise man from the East’, but as usual he told us sweet F. A. (sweet fanny Addams to the unlearned). This of course is nothing new, as contrary to suggestions from another source, he knows less about the club than we do and gleans most of his information from us in fact. So what about our chances tomorrow night we hear you ask. Let us say categorically that first and foremost we need at least a point tomorrow night. A win would be great, but a point would keep the Swifts within striking distance and after that our fate is in our own hands. A defeat tomorrow although not the end of our climb up the table would in our opinion be a serious setback and one where we would be depending on results elsewhere, rather than our own efforts. So with that in mind we at ‘Sport hope United for once don’t throw caution to the wind, but keep it tight at the back and who knows with a little bit of luck maybe, just maybe, we can take the three points on offer. As the old saying goes ‘if we hadn’t been getting bad luck recently, we’d be getting no luck at all’. So ‘Lady Luck’ we believe it’s our turn now, so if you’re kind to us and we get a decent referee (do they exist?), maybe, just maybe, we can ‘shag’ those Tyrone Love children!

United Effort!

Sky Blue Sport would like to say categorically that we have no ‘special’ friend on the United board, if we did we probably could get things completely right (or should we say Wright). Strange as it may seem we actually only make informed guesses, last Tuesday we struck it lucky and got the starting eleven correct and only missed out by one for the subs bench. So here we go with our assumptions for tomorrow’s game at Windsor Park, if we get them right, believe us or not, it will be a complete and utter fluke. This message is intended for any individuals who have an inferiority complex, we know we are the ‘best’ United site and your ‘jealous’ ramblings only go to prove it! But we digress; Paul Brown will definitely start tomorrow against Linfield. We have no inside information about this piece of news, but anyone who witnessed his performance against Distillery on Wednesday night, knows that a half fit Brown is over and above any current striker on United’s books. Our next prediction is that Scates will start in place of Charnock and again this is based solely on his performance when he came on as a substitute on Wednesday. We heard a ‘jackanory’ (story) today, that Rowe might get a start, but feel this would be hard on top scorer Vinny Sweeney, but as we don’t have an inside track, we just don’t have a clue. The remainder of the team we expect will be on the usual lines, but for all we know there could be wholesale changes. The only thing we know for sure is that United will be at Windsor tomorrow and the whole Sky Blue Sport team will be there and hopefully we’ll help cheer United to victory. Come on lads, let’s shag these bloody townies!

Rory Return!

United manager Tommy Wright looks set to change his starting line-up for tomorrow night’s Irish cup replay at home to Lisburn Distillery, kick 07-45. Midfielder Aiden Watson remains doubtful with a foot injury and we expect Englishman Phil Charnock to replace him. But the United manager has intimated that he will be giving a start to midfielder Rory Hamill, probably at the expense of Gareth Scates. It’s not known if Scates will get a place on the bench or not, but we at ‘Sport would urge the manager to put the veteran Boydie and new signing Paul Brown on the bench. These two men will give the manager the best option for change, if change is needed. United must surely take their chances tomorrow night as without dismissing first division Bangor, the winners of this tie have been given an almost certain ‘pass’ to the semi-final. After tonight’s replays it looks on paper as if, Linfield, Larne and either United or Distillery are almost certain semi-finalists. The other game between Portadown and Glentoran, who have just appointed former United player Paul Millar as their new manager, looks a bit too close to call, but form would probably point to the Ports, maybe after a replay. But first things first, let’s take care of the Whites tomorrow night and then and only then we can look forward to entering the lion’s den this Saturday, when we taken on the unbeaten Linfield at Windsor park. A win tomorrow night is a must, not only to get us into the next round of the cup, but also in order to give the boys confidence for their next two league games which could have a vital bearing on our season. Sky Blue fans can play their part tomorrow night by getting behind the team right from the start. We have a great away support but our home support is so quiet at times that we almost have to check to see that they’re alive. We think the roof of the new stand is fairly secure, so there’s no danger of raising it, but let’s give it our best shot. Come on United fans, shout your ‘bloody’ heads off and cheer the ‘wee’ Sky Blues to victory!

White Washers!

The Ballymena team for tomorrow’s Irish cup match away to Lisburn Distillery is a case of ifs and buts. If Gary Haveron has not recovered from injury, Phil Charnock will take his place, but if Haveron is fit he will probably get the nod. But United’s failure to put away the chances, three clear cut ones last Tuesday night, could mean a place in the starting line-up for new signing Paul Brown. The former Limavady and Sligo striker must surely get some sort of a run out tomorrow, in view of the two tough games which follow tomorrow’s cup match. Distillery for their part will be no pushover tomorrow either, as evidenced by their victory last week at Portadown and it looks like a real ‘humdinger’ is in store for the fans. United have suffered quite a number of cup defeats at New Grovesnor over the years, including an infamous one back in ’82, which caused the then manager Alan Campbell to resign, citing foul mouthed comments from disgruntled Sky Blue fans. No such scenario should ensue tomorrow, but a second defeat in a row would be hard to swallow and would not be ideal preparation for a trip to Windsor next Saturday. We at ‘Sport favour a draw tomorrow and a replay at the Showgrounds next week and hopefully a victory to boot. Then and only then can we consider the two mouth-watering away fixtures against Linfield and Dungannon Swifts respectively. So come on Sky Blues, let’s shag those (Lambeg) drummers tomorrow!

Bouncing Blues!

‘If you Cannae do the bouncy you’re Coleraine’, so goes the song of the Sky Blue faithful and tomorrow night at Seaview the Sky Blues are gonna ‘bounce’ the Linfield Blues. Linfield manager, Davey ‘the bald Eagle’ Jeffrey, is quoted as saying on Teletext that it’ll be a tight game, but we at ‘Sport know him and his team think we are a pushover. They’ve been talking all season about a clean sweep of all trophies, which of course is ridiculous when we consider that last year they only claimed one domestic trophy the County Antrim Shield and Jeffrey’s head was only saved by the winning of the Setanta cup. What short memories these people have, but this is of course to our advantage. We want them full of confidence cause when we knock the ‘stuffing’ out of them they’ll fall like a ‘ton of bricks’. We can turn them over tomorrow night with a team effort and we at ‘Sport know we will turn them over. Manager Tommy Wright in an exclusive interview told Sky Blue Sport that he had a panel of 19 fit players to choose from. He also told us that the thing he values most is loyalty and as a result he will be sticking with the 14 players who were selected for last Saturday’s game. That means no place for new signing Paul Brown, the veteran Boydie, Andy Rosbotham, Gordon Simms, or young striker Randall Reid. He has no plans to try and stop the Linfield goal machines of Thompson and the veteran Ferguson and all he asks is that we have a good strong referee, who’s not afraid to make the big decisions. Is there such a man refereeing in the league at present we wonder? Let’s hope for our sake and for the sake of the game the County Antrim F.A. have found one. The majority of Linfield supporters are from the Donegal Road area of Belfast, which is in their local parlance is called the ‘village’, so let’s go ‘shag those villagers’, we are the boys to do it!  

Legend Marco!

United have the chance tomorrow to stretch their unbeaten run to nine games, when they entertain Armagh City. A win or a draw would mean United going into Tuesday night’s County Antrim Shield final with the possibility of racking up a ten match unbeaten run. Manager Tommy Wright has told his players to banish all thoughts of Tuesday’s final from their mind and to be fully focused against Armagh tomorrow. Armagh’s tails will be up after their great victory over the Glens last Saturday, which ‘heralded’ the end of manager Roy Coyle and they will be a tough nut to crack. Adding a little more spice to the game will be the appearance of former United legend, Mark Carlisle. ‘Marco’ as he is familiarly known by his legions of United fans has been out with an injury recently but hopefully will be able to play some part in tomorrow’s game, no matter whether he plays or not he’ll surely get a warm welcome from Sky Blue fans. Marco it must be stressed never wished to leave ‘his’ beloved United and it was somehow ironic that after surviving half a dozen managers, he was forced out by the man who says he values loyalty above all else. That man has now moved on and we at ‘Sport think that his treatment of our hero, Marco, was a prime example of him having lost the plot. But that’s all water under the bridge now and tomorrow we hope Marco and his team leave the Showgrounds pointless. It’s hard to envisage what the United line-up will be, but we can’t help thinking that the United manager will want to give new signing Paul Brown at least 45 minutes tomorrow and so have him primed for at least a place on the bench next Tuesday. As we have no reports to the contrary we think Albert Watson will still be missing, which means Simmsy and Smickers holding down the central defensive roles tomorrow again. It’ll be hard luck on Whitehead man Albert if he misses out on our County Antrim Shield winning team, but as such is life. Gerald Rowe will probably get the nod on the right wing which is a bit hard on Scatesy, who seems to have found his scoring touch again. Aiden Watson will return if fit, but we expect Phil Charnock to get a game either for Watson or at the expense of Gary Haveron. This leaves the United ‘talisman’ Rory Hamill, who looked sharp when he came on as a sub last week, fighting for a place on the bench. But who knows what the United manager has in mind, we could be completely off the mark (or Marco), if you’ll pardon our pun. All we know is the games there to be won and we have the team to do it, so let’s go get three points and then and only then, we’ll think about Tuesday night!

Nose Blow!

Ballymena United manager Tommy Wright, told Sky Blue Sport that he would love to say same again when it comes to picking his team for tomorrow’s game at home to Loughgall. Unfortunately the big Ballyclare man thinks he may be without one of his defensive heroes, Albert Watson. The Whitehead youngster picked up a nasty injury to his nose during the closing stages of Wednesday night’s victory against Larne and he may have to sit out tomorrow’s match. If he does the manager envisages Gary Haveron dropping into defence and the fit again Phil Charnock slotting into midfield alongside Aiden Watson. The rest of the team according to the manager virtually picks itself, which means no place for new signing Paul Brown or Rory Hamill. In fact the United team could have a subs bench the envy of every other Irish league manager, namely, Brown, Hamill and new signing Gerald Rowe. With Stuart King starting to repay the United supremo’s faith over the last few games and Scatesy settling into his wing berth also, it’s hard to see where Rowe is going to get a game. No doubt his chance will come as United after the next two home games face the possibility of four games on the trot away from the Showgrounds. The next scheduled league game after next Saturday 4th February at home to Armagh City, is on Saturday 11th March at home to Ards. Maybe one or two of United’s ‘homers’ will have to consider attending an away game if they want to see their heroes in action before then. But tomorrow the United manager will try to instil in his team the need for consistency and the need to get back to winning ways in the league, after two successive draws. So three points in the bag tomorrow is a must and if we play with 100% commitment surely it’s a banker bet. Come on United, let’s ‘shag’ those apple pickers!  

Shiel(d)s Shagging!

By a huge quirk of fate, the man who promised United fans that he was here for the long term when he got the managers job and would be setting his stall out to win trophies, now stands between the Sky Blues and their first final since their Irish cup win way back in 1989. Yes ‘King’ Kenny Shiels, who held the reins at the Showgrounds for five long barren years, is now the manager of Larne, who once again stand between United and a trophy final. Who can forget the bitter disappointment of last seasons Irish cup semi-final defeat, in a match dominated by the Sky Blues, when Larne won thanks to a dubious penalty given by Larne referee Adrian McCourt and converted by Mark Dickson? United fans will shout their heads off tomorrow night, of that we can be sure, so hopefully the United team will play their hearts out. Linfield the ‘unbeatable’, await the winners of this County Antrim derby and hopefully United can qualify to lower the mighty Blues in the Shield final. United manager Tommy Wright has intimated that Willie McFrederick, despite a couple of ‘gaffes’ on Saturday, will retain the keepers jersey. Rory Hamill made a successful comeback with the reserves last Saturday and looks set to claim at least a place on the bench, at the expense of Gerald Rowe who won’t travel up for this game. The rest of the team are expected to be on the usual lines, but the manager is undecided about giving new signing Paul Brown at least a place on the bench, it would be a bold move in our opinion, but could also be a real coup. No matter what Big Tam does tomorrow night, let’s hope he gets it right, the alternative, is unthinkable!

Rowed Ashore!

So big Tam has signed yet another striker, in former Shelbourne player Gerald Rowe, who had a spell with the Crues a few years ago. The 21 year-old striker/winger we understand, has joined United until the end of the season, but it’s not evident if he will go straight into tomorrow’s panel, or if he’ll need a few reserve games first. The United manager is faced with the happy dilemma of who to leave out of tomorrow’s starting eleven, with a clean bill of health for almost everyone. A rumour is circulating that Rory Hamill has been told he either plays or moves to another club, but a United spokesman would not confirm this statement. If the ex-Coleraine player is still absent, then this will we feel be Kevin Kelbie’s last chance to cement a first team place. The Scottish striker’s goals have dried up after his two in two matches against the two Glens, of Glentoran and Glenavon. In fact he missed a couple of chances last week that looked easier to score than miss. United make the trip to Solitude tomorrow full of confidence, with a five match unbeaten run, playing a Reds team who have faltered badly of late. This is a real ‘six pointer’ for the Sky Blues, as a win would see us open up a five point gap on our opponents and give us a wee confidence boost for our trip to Inver next Wednesday. But we’re getting ahead of ourselves here, tomorrow is the most important game, let’s go pick up the three points and then and only then, we can think about our next match!

Paul Brown!

Ballymena United have signed former Limavady United striker Paul Brown, on a two and a half year contract. Sky Blue Sport have found out that a transfer fee was involved, but it’s not clear if this was financed by the club’s own fund, ‘Sky Blue Direct’ or if the money came from another source. Things have got to a serious situation to make the club break its golden rule, ‘no transfer fees’, which has been in place for a number of years now. But anybody who follows United knows they have been crying out for a striker/target-man for the last couple of seasons and finally, hopefully, they’ve acquired one. United manager Tommy Wright admitted that he had inquired about Glentoran and ex-Institute striker, Stephen Parkhouse, but was unable to agree terms with Glentoran. So having missed out on Parkhouse, who has now moved to Limavady, the manager says he’s delighted to have signed his former player, Paul Brown. Alas this will probably mean the end of the road for back-up central defender Gordon Simms and reserve striker Paul McDowell, as the wage bill needs to be trimmed. Striker Rory Hamill who, let’s face it, has ‘flattered’ to deceive since his signing, may also be adjudged surplus to requirements, especially as he is rumoured to be suffering from a ‘mystery’ injury. United can ill afford to have a man receiving the wages Hamill is purported to be getting, £300 plus a week, kicking his heels in the stand. It’s not that long ago that another United man, Jamie Marks, was carrying a ‘mystery’ injury, he was transferred to mid-Ulster club Portadown, and suddenly his injury cleared up, could that’ll be the cure for Rory too? Sky Blue Sport, the number ‘one’ United web site, will endeavour to keep United fans up to date with any future developments, remember the old ‘adage’, East or West, ‘Sport is the Best!

First Blood!

This could be the start of something big, or on the other hand it could be a catastrophe, both sides of the coin are possible. But we still must be the favourites for tomorrow’s game at home to Kilmore Rec. For a start the current United manager has no delusions about always trying to play attractive football. His attitude is get the ball up the field, get stuck in and get the ball into the opponents net, after it’s over we can look back and say we played some nice football, if we did (which is highly unlikely), but more importantly we can look back and say we did a professional job. The only thing that matters is being in the draw tomorrow night on Saturday Sportsound at 17-05. With that in mind we at ‘Sport expect the United manager to start with what in his opinion, is his best eleven players. That means no place for Boydie or Gordon Simms in defence, Gary Smyth and Craig McClean will start alongside the two regulars, Albert Watson and Kieran Donaghy, with Willie McFrederick keeping the goalkeepers jersey. Midfield will be Scatesy, Aiden Watson, Phil Charnock and Tommy’s favourite son, Stuarty King. Up front we expect to see Vinny Sweeney and Rory Hamill, if the latter is fully fit and if not, then we think Kevin Kelbie will get the nod alongside Sweeney. That only leaves the bench and we think it’ll be perm any three from, Paul McDowell, Andy Rosbotham, Gary Haveron, Boydie and Simmsy. Sky Blue fans can play their part tomorrow by creating an atmosphere, sadly lacking recently. Last Saturday it was depressing to find our fans out-sung by 45 Newry city fans, let’s not have a repeat tomorrow, as Kilmore will bring quite a few ‘vociferous’ fans with them. We also hope their players don’t resort to their disgraceful behaviour as they did on their last visit. Let’s hope for a good clean game, a good home result and hopefully a home draw in the next round!  

Marsh Mallowed!

As the old saying goes, ‘no news is good news’ and despite putting out a few ‘feelers’, we have no news concerning the make-up of United’s possible starting eleven tomorrow. We wouldn’t be totally surprised to hear it’s a case of same again, as the manager may feel that Rory Hamill needs at least another week off, to try and shake off his hamstring injury. As for Gary Smyth we cannot even ascertain if he is injured or if he and big Tam have just had a disagreement and he is being rested. We at ‘Sport are of the opinion that Paul McDowell deserves another start, as he was fairly impressive last week at Larne and the more games he gets, the more his confidence will grow. Dominic Melly, in our opinion should also get the nod over Scatesy for the wide right position, as he is more of a winger and can score goals as well. It was hard to see where United were going to conjure up the winner from last Monday, until Melly popped up in the right place at the right time. Maybe in fact big Tam will start with Melly and Kelbie, instead of McDowell and Scates, but we can only guess. Whoever gets the ‘nod’ for tomorrow had better realise one thing, this is probably our most crucial game of the season so far. It’s all most the proverbial ‘six pointer’, as a win would see us open up a bit of a cushion between Newry and ourselves and consolidate fourth place for us, with our next league game being the visit to Cliftonville in two weeks time. Sandwiched in between is the potential ‘banana skin’, the Irish cup game with Kilmore Rec and we’ll cross that bridge when we come to it. Now it’s over to you United, let’s continue with our wee run tomorrow, let’s make it four wins out of four, ‘let’s shag those men from the marshes’, it is, well within your grasp!

Inver Rumble!

It’s not known at the moment how many fit players United have for tomorrow afternoon’s game against our dear neighbours Larne at Inver Park, kick-off 3pm. Rory Hamill must be considered a major doubt as he ‘tweaked’ his hamstring against Institute on Friday night. Manager Wright may just give the nod to Paul McDowell, who gave a good account of himself when he replaced Hamill for the second half last week. Kevin Kelbie will hopefully be fit enough to be named as a sub, while Captain Gary Smyth should return in central defence. Aiden Watson however will surely only get a place on the bench, with Haveron and Scates retaining the central midfield slots. Stuarty King will definitely play on one wing and the United supremo must decide whether Dominic Melly or Andrew Rosbotham, gets the other wide berth. The rest of the team should be on the usual lines, with Kieran Donaghy notching up his one hundredth and first appearance (101), for the Sky Blues. This is going to be a hard fought game tomorrow, with former United manager Kenny Shiels coming up against us for the first time, since his sacking in the summer. There will even be a bit of added spice, as this is the first of two visits by United in the next three weeks, the other game being the County Antrim Shield semi-final on Wednesday January 23rd. So a win tomorrow is vital, not only for league points, but to act as a confidence booster for the return visit. Let’s hope for a sizable turnout of Sky Blue supporters, similar to that which made the trek to Coleraine, come on United, ‘let’s shag those Harbour rats!’