by Portadown at The Oval. United started the 2015–16 in horrible form. Losing to promoted side Carrick Rangers losing 1–7 to Glenavon and being hammered by bitter rivals Coleraine. The Sky Blues form picked up, with them beating champions Crusaders 2–0 before beating Linfield in the County Antrim Shield final at Windsor Park. Ferguson was sacked in 2016 following a concerning slide in form that threatened the club's Premiership status. David Jeffrey era (2016–) Following the sacking, the club spoke to legendary former Linfield manager and player David Jeffrey who, going into the interview, had little interest in the job. He found himself very impressed by what the board had to say, though, and decided to take the job, bringing former assistant Brian McLaughlin to the Showgrounds. His debut as manager was a 1–1 draw with champions Crusaders and his team won a series of games before going on a losing run, failing to enter the Europa League Play-Offs following a 0–2 defeat to relegation-threatened Portadown. The following season, The Sky Blues had a relatively good season, spending a lot of time in the top six and they reached the League Cup final against Carrick Rangers after beating rivals Coleraine 3–0 after extra time. They won the league cup against carrick rangers following goals from Allan Jenkins and Conor McCloskey. The 2017/18 season was a relatively average season for the braid men as experienced players brought in to the team during the transfer window did not work out as planned for David Jeffrey and his staff, the club finished the season in sixth place and lost out on a Europa League spot to Cliftonilee in the NIFL play-off system. Following a squad revamp of nine players coming through the doors in the summer transfer window the club had a good season reaching the league cup final and finishing second in the league. Between October and December they had a 19-game unbeaten run. In June they defeated Faroese team NSI Runavik at the Showgrounds 2–0 and progressed to the next round after an away scoreless draw. In July they played in the UEFA Europa League qualifying rounds 2019 and were defeated by Malmö FF 7–0 away and 0–4 at the Showgrounds. European record Overview Matches UEFA ranking Players First team squad Out on loan Club staff Club officials and office bearers President: Norman McBurney Vice-presidents: Robert Cupples & David Blair Chairman: