Good Guys!l

Something I personally have been marvelling at all season is our disciplinary record, which is as good as any in the league, from my point of view. Here we are with almost eight months of the season elapsed and we haven’t had a player suspended so far. That of course will all change when we meet Ards in our next home league game on Saturday 11th March, when by a strange quirk of fate, former Ards player of the year, Aiden Watson, will become the first United player to serve a ban this season. This also by a strange quirk of fate will allow the young midfielder another week to recover from his broken foot, it’s an ill wind that doesn’t blow some good, isn’t it? It’s highly unlikely that Aiden will be the only United player to have been banned this season, but even so I believe it’s something of which we should be really proud. Too many teams in the Irish league have the ‘win at all costs’ attitude displayed so vividly by unbeaten league leaders Linfield last Saturday. United had two players, King and Kelbie booked in that game, while the league leaders were allowed to get away with countless fouls and time-wasting tactics by probably the most incompetent referee in the league. Well maybe I’m exaggerating here, there’s still Michael Ross around, isn’t there? Some of the bookings our players have picked up this season have been pretty ludicrous and in the case of Kelbie at times, acts of ‘stupidity’.  This was not the case I must say in Kelbie’s defence last Saturday, when all he did was challenge for the ball, but when Noel Baillie went down yelling the referee was fooled yet again. Baillie of course is quite famous or better still, infamous, as far as United are concerned, as a few years ago he went down screaming in a tackle with former United striker Glenn Hunter, when no contact was made, the referee on that occasion fell for the ruse also. Stuarty King was unfortunate also as he challenged Linfield defender Winky (or is it Wanker) Murphy, who also went down like a ton of bricks. Surely as this incident happened early in the game the referee should have used some common sense and merely warned the United man as to his future conduct. Of course he is from Dungannon and common sense as we know is rather scarce in those parts. If United can escape the referee’s wrath over the next nine games they will have an enviable record, but if this comes at the expense of finishing fourth or better in the league, then I’m afraid, it won’t be worth it!