UTC Yes, you can easily find objects by their sky co-ordinates. No, you do not need a GOTO function, you need quality optics. Newtonian of 114mm aperture would noticeably outperform the heavily marketed convenience 114mm Newtonians on star images and the planets.
More aperture is always useful.
If an equatorial mount is within your budget, then go for it. The less expensive equatorial mounts offered by Orion UK are either Taiwanese or Chinese hybrid versions of the higher quality Vixen Great Polaris mounts from Japan. They do not track quite as accurately nor are they as robust as the Vixen models, but they are quite adequate for a beginner, they will do the job. A single axis motor, drives right ascension, dual axis motors drive both right ascension and declination. Astrophotography usually requires dual axis drives.