Omar's moving finger writes.....

Isn’t Christmas a lovely time of the year, you take a trip to Coleraine and beat them in their own backyard, I tell you life doesn’t get much better than that. So now we have to continue, build on that result and hopefully in the process move up into that coveted fourth place in the table or with a wee bit of luck, even third place and certain Inter Toto qualification. But I’m getting ahead of myself here, aren’t I, first we have to start scoring a lot more goals and defending a ‘whole’ lot better as well. I was amazed to see the panic in the United defence at Coleraine on Boxing Day, when the home team, in desperation it must be said, threw everything but the ‘kitchen sink’ at United in the last 15 minutes. Players of the undoubted experience and composure of Gary Smyth, who has done it all in the Irish League, suddenly looked as nervous as ‘kittens’. United were indebted at this stage to three players, Gareth Scates for a goal-line clearance, Willie McFrederick for a superb save and the much ‘maligned’ Kieran Donaghy for keeping a cool head when all around him were losing theirs. United veteran Nigel Boyd was omitted from the starting line-up and in fact didn’t even make the bench, a bad mistake from the United management in my humble opinion. When it comes to derby games you need players on your team with real commitment to the cause and Boydie definitely comes into that category. He and another United legend, Mark Carlisle, were quite often the difference between winning and losing, in these passion filled games. Their ‘never say die’ attitude was as much responsible for United’s successes, as any skill exhibited by other less loyal United players. I can vividly remember one derby game a few years ago, don’t ask me the date I can’t remember that, when the biggest cheer came when former United legend Dessie Loughery, who had switched to Coleraine at the start of the season, had a goal disallowed. United fans were somewhat unkind to Dessie on that and on subsequent occasions, but we did take it as a personal blow, when he signed for the team we ‘love to hate’. Somehow I don’t think either Boydie or Marco would ever consider that as a possible option, at least I hope not. But I digress, come on Tommy, let’s get our wee team organised, get the defence sorted and then maybe, just maybe, we can start to score a few goals. Let me in closing just wish a ‘Happy New Year’ to all United fans and let’s hope we can put at least one trophy in the cabinet come the end of the season, come on United let’s ‘shag’ them bloody all!