Match Summary
Dungannon Swifts secured their first home win of the new Premiership season with a 2-0 triumph over Bangor. The victory followed a thunderbolt from Sean McAllister and a late penalty by Andrew Mitchell. The win marks the club’s second consecutive league victory, building on a win at Portadown the previous weekend. Bangor, meanwhile, remain without a win in the current campaign.
Manager’s Assessment
After the match, manager Rodney McAree spoke about the team’s performance. He said, “I thought in the first half at times we were decent, we played some good stuff, we created good opportunities, albeit shots from the edge of the box. I thought we got in round the back at times…our decision-making could have been a little bit better, we could have asked more questions of the opposition.” McAree added that the clean sheet was a highlight: “Decky (Dunne, goalkeeper) hasn’t had many saves to make, so overall I’m happy.”
McAree also praised Sean McAllister’s contribution. “Yeah, I thought the one he hit just before that went over the upright was in all the way. Sean’s grown in confidence, he’s enjoying it, he’s got a smile on his face,” he said. “His strike’s a great strike, to beat Gareth Deane from where he beat him from, it has to be a good strike. We’re delighted with Sean.”
Player Focus and Transfer Talk
McAree admitted that he is “still worried about losing him” referring to McAllister. “Anytime I see a phone number coming up which I think is potentially Sean, I ignore it! You’re always conscious of all your best players, you always feel as if you could lose them at a late stage of a window,” he explained. He noted that “there has been interest in Sean, but there hasn’t been any this week, thankfully.”
He reflected on McAllister’s return from a thigh injury: “When Sean came back to us, when he trained with us the season before he signed, he was coming off the back of a very bad thigh injury. We had to build up a lot of faith and trust for him for playing.” McAree added that McAllister has scored twice in three games, “it’s a great start for Sean.”
Squad Update
McAree also addressed the situation of Kris Lowe, who was substituted in the first half. “He just felt a tightness in his hamstring, so it was a case of taking him off. He’s had problems with hamstrings and calves over the last few years, so whenever he felt that initial tightness, we thought the best thing to do is take him off,” he said. “Hopefully it’s not too bad - if it’s two weeks, that’ll be hopefully the height of it.”
