Tuesday, August 21, 2007

Dungannon 0 Linfield 1... and Tommy Stewart

CIS Group stage, 19th August 2007

Mannus, Douglas, O’Kane, Murphy, Lindsay, Mulgrew (Mouncey 60), Curran (McCann 78), Gault, McAreavey, Stewart, Ferguson (Thompson 55)

Scorer: Stewart (63)

Apparently a comfortable enough win, with good performances from Curran and Douglas just failing to edge out Michael Gault as Man of the Match.

Tommy Stewart got the winner after getting a rare start at his favoured position up front, but his performance has been much-criticised on ILF.

I've said it before and I'll say it again: some fans should give him a break, as well as a chance. He stands accused of being brushed off the ball too easily, of not getting stuck in enough and of being too scared for the IL. But it's what he could offer to the team that excites me. He's big, fast, has bags of skill, can run at and terrorise defences, and certainly knows how to score goals, as his Setanta efforts against the Glens showed.

I am very much in the camp that believes the lad should be given a fair crack of the whip in his favourite position, an extended run up front. He's not been given that, but DJ finally seems to be showing signs of dropping Spike and giving the others a chance, and rotating, though perhaps too much.

Anyway, this exile will get an extended chance to see his heroes live in the flesh, starting from this Friday away at Glenavon. I predict an edgy 2-1 Blues win, Thompo and Dicko to get the goals. Expect plenty of match reports, photos and videos to come...

No comments: