For a team who have suffered their fair share of bad luck, Dungannon Swifts aren’t half benefitting from some seriously good fortune recently.
A Chris Lavery strike secured another impressive three points and ended Coleraine’s unbeaten start to the season at Stangmore Park.
But it could so easily have been very different, with Shane Jennings striking the frame of the home goal with an otherwise textbook header in the final seconds.
Incredibly, it was the seventh time in as many league and cup matches this season in which the woodwork has come to Swifts’ rescue.
Leaving aside the League Cup tie at Larne, the other six incidents have been worth eight points to Darren Murphy’s side.
They ensured draws against Glenavon and Crusaders, and were the difference between one point and three against Warrenpoint, Ballinamallard and now Coleraine.
Jennings’ effort, which struck the left post in the 93rd minute, again underlined the fine margins which often decide Irish League games.
On another day, this drab, scrappy game could have produced a different outcome.
Coleraine had three good chances in a 15-minute spell during the second half, but each time the efforts went inches wide of the target.
But Lavery finally applied a clinical finish when he came off the bench to net the only goal of the afternoon in the 73rd minute.
This was a game which started slowly and never really got going.
Stephen Lowry tried his luck early on with a 30-yard drive which took an awkward bounce, but the effort was comfortably saved.
The visitors had another chance from a free-kick on the edge of the box, with Gary Browne’s curling effort going around the wall but also the right post.
A cross from Aaron Canning also drifted dangerously towards goal, forcing Gareth Buchanan to take evasive action and push the ball clear.
It was far from one-way traffic, however, with the clearest chances of the half falling to Dungannon.
A surging run from David McCullough produced an inviting ball across the box, but James Costello failed to connect while Stefan Lavery was shut out by a defender.
Jamie Douglas’s corner found Ryan Harpur and his header was pushed out to Dermot McCaffrey, but the defender lifted the ball over when well placed.
Then a superb cross from Cameron Grieve picked out Lavery in front of goal, but his glancing header was wide of the target.
The second half followed a similar frustrating pattern, albeit Coleraine did have three promising chances in a 15-minute period.
Jennings ghosted past McCaffrey to meet a Michael Hegarty pass, but dragged his shot narrowly off target.
It was a similar story when a throw found Lowry. He turned McCaffrey but also got too much angle on his strike, which rolled just beyond the far post.
The third effort fell to Jennings, who won possession in midfield, drove forward and hit a 25-yard drive just wide.
And those misses were punished when Swifts edged ahead with 17 minutes remaining.
Stephen Doyle released McCullough and, after his shot had been parried by the goalkeeper, Lavery fired home with a left-foot effort.
The goal might have drawn a reaction from Coleraine, but it was a relatively comfortable end to the game for Dungannon.
The only scare came from that Jennings header which hit the post with the goalkeeper beaten.
DGN SWIFTS: Buchanan, McKerr, McCaffrey, Copeland, Grieve, McCullough, Fitzpatrick, Harpur, Costello (C Lavery, 54), Douglas (Doyle, 72), S Lavery (Hutchinson, 90)
Subs not used: Glackin, Brennan
COLERAINE: Drummond, Beverland, Hegarty (Harkin, 79), Ogilby, Lowry, Browne, Carson (Moore, 79) Canning, Watt (Owens, 85), Jennings, Tommons
Subs not used: Bradley, McMullan
Referee: Mervyn Smyth (Belfast)