Backward Step!

Here we are once again, yet another season has slipped past and we have achieved sweet nothing. This time last season we were feeling fairly optimistic, I think. Losing to Linfield in the County Antrim Shield, although disappointing, wasn’t considered a complete disaster and a top six finish in the league, was a good foundation to build on. Alas it was yet another ‘false dawn’ and there have been many, many of them during my time as a Sky Blue supporter. I was personally hoping for a top four finish in the league this season, a convincing run in the Irish cup (what we had was bloody ridiculous, let’s face it) and picking up at least one of the two minor trophies, Shield or C.I.S. cup. To be fair the writing was on the wall fairly early, failure to qualify for the C.I.S. knockout stages and our humiliating departure from the Shield at the first hurdle, were good indications that we would struggle once more. We struggled early on in the league also, when we admittedly had a tough start, but then we ‘capitulated’ against the ‘Scum’ on Boxing Day, before an even worse display away to Glenavon in the New Year. Sandwiched in between these two clangers we had probably our best result for a few years when we deservedly beat Glentoran, but it only epitomised our inconsistent form. The subsequent ‘farcical’ Irish Cup quarter final has been already well chronicled and even though we have a chance of finishing in the top half of the league with a win this Saturday, the season has been disappointing. One footnote, which has somehow gladdened my own heart, is the news that former United player Oran Kearney faces an 8 month lay off due to a knee injury. I honestly believe that the old saying bears true, ‘you reap what you sow’ and this has been borne true in Oran’s case. Remember this is the player that Kenny Shiels convinced United officials was a good signing despite his well documented history of injuries. United took a chance on Oran and he repaid them by leaving after one season as a professional and signing for Linfield. That would have been insulting and injurious enough to Sky Blue fans, but on his first game back at the Showgrounds, Oran ‘took a dive’ in the United box winning his new team a penalty when they were hardly in the game. Then this season in the Irish cup replay he rugby tackled Aiden Watson in the penalty box and cost United the chance of retaking the lead in the game. Oran obviously feels he owes us nothing and I am now almost ‘gloating’ at his predicament, the old saying about the ‘hare running long’ has borne true once more!