Dungannon Swifts Chairman Mr. Joe McAree is pictured presenting first team squad players Jamie Douglas and Jamie Glackin with their respective Northern Ireland U19 & U17 Caps.
Congratulations to both of the boys on receiving their Caps. Hopefully we will be seeing a few more of them in the not too distant future.
Jamie Douglas pictured receiving his NI Cap from Joe McAree.
Jamie Glackin pictured receiving his NI Cap from Joe McAree.
After beating three Crues players, Matt Hazley passes the ball to Josh Cahoon to knock the Swifts into the lead. Crusaders 0-1 Dungannon Swifts.
It was another afternoon of capital punishment for Dungannon Swifts as Crusaders staged an impressive second half comeback at Seaview.
A double from Jordan Owens proved the difference as the Crues closed the gap at the top of the league to five points.
This result maintains Dungannon’s poor away record against Belfast opposition.
Some 15 months and 12 games have now passed since their last victory in the capital – a 2-0 win at Donegal Celtic in September 2011.
And it continues another unwanted sequence, with Swifts’ winless run stretching to 10 games.
Those facts aside, however, this was another encouraging performance from Dungannon.
They impressed in the first period and deservedly led through Josh Cahoon’s strike, his fifth in as many games and ninth of the campaign to date.
The turning point came 20 seconds after the restart when Owens’ volley drew Crusaders level.
It set the tone for a second half of dominance from the home side, and Owens secured the points when he slotted home from Josh Robinson’s cross.
Afterwards Dungannon boss Darren Murphy reflected on another performance packed with effort and commitment.
But he has been in Irish League football long enough to know it is a results business.
Two wins from 18 games is simply not good enough and has to change – starting against basement side Donegal Celtic this weekend.
Those are the type of games he will have targeted and which will ultimately determine Swifts’ fate, rather than the tougher tests against the likes of Crusaders.
Stephen Baxter’s side had lost just once in their last eight matches and were unbeaten at Seaview this season, so Murphy would not have expected to profit from the match.
Yet Dungannon were ahead after 21 minutes. Matt Hazley received possession, ghosting past several defenders before setting up Cahoon for a simple tap-in.
Neal Gawley celebrates with Swifts Goal Scorer, Josh Cahoon
It came during an impressive spell from Dungannon. Moments earlier a cross-shot from Hazley struck the top of the crossbar.
Crusaders had started the game on top with Timmy Adamson’s glancing header drawing an early save from Niall Morgan.
Soon afterwards the impressive Gary McCutcheon crossed towards Owens, but he sent a header wastefully wide from six yards.
Cahoon then broke the deadlock, but Crusaders continued to threaten.
McCutcheon’s angled drive was inches wide, Owens headed off target before Morgan made another good stop to thwart Robinson.
An entertaining half finished with Dungannon going close via an ambitious effort from Chris Lavery, which flashed narrowly over the crossbar.
Clearly unhappy with his side’s sloppy performance, Baxter headed straight down the tunnel at half-time.
But whatever he said during the interval had the desired effect, with Crusaders levelling 20 seconds after the restart.
And it was a goal of some style. A clearance dropped to Owens and he sent a volley crashing past a helpless Morgan from 12 yards.
Suddenly it was a different game with the Crues seizing the initiative.
David Rainey and Colin Coates saw efforts blocked while the ‘keeper made a magnificent one-handed save to claw Owens’ header away from goal.
Morgan’s efforts were keeping Dungannon in the match, and he made another fine block to prevent McCutcheon converting Rainey’s pass.
But there was nothing he could do about Owens’ 69th minute winner.
Robinson crossed from the right wing and Owens stretched out a leg to turn the ball past Morgan, completing an impressive Crues comeback.
CRUSADERS: O’Neill, McKeown, Magowan, Coates, Adamson (Rainey, 27), Robinson, McCutcheon, McMaster, Watson, McClean, Owens
Subs not used: McBride, Leeman, Snoddy, Dillon
DGN SWIFTS: Morgan, R O’Neill (S O’Neill, 75), Grieve, Brennan, E Friars, Harper, C Lavery, Cahoon, Fitzpatrick, Hazley (McMinn, 60), Gawley (S Lavery, 75)
Subs not used: Montgomery, Glackin
Referee: Andrew Davey (Bangor)
Joshua Cahoon beats the Portadown Keeper David Miskelly, only for the oncoming Ross Redman to deny him,
He may not have been the most high-profile signing of the summer, but Josh Cahoon is rapidly making his mark on the Danske Bank Premiership.
The young striker scored for the fourth successive match as Dungannon Swifts claimed a highly-credible point at Mid-Ulster rivals Portadown.
A former Linfield reserve player, Cahoon spent last season in the relative obscurity of the IFA Championship before his switch to Stangmore Park.
And it hasn’t taken long for the 21-year-old to adapt to the demands of top level football, scoring eight times in 13 appearances so far this term.
Cahoon underlined his fast-growing reputation with another crucial goal on Saturday as Dungannon collected a much-merited point against the Ports.
These sides have served up some classic games down the years and, while this didn’t produce the goal tally of previous meetings, it was no less entertaining.
Dungannon edged ahead through Cahoon’s early strike, but a controversial penalty saw Portadown draw level soon afterwards.
The visitors dominated the second half with Cahoon, Cameron Grieve, Matt Hazley and Johnny Topley all coming close to snatching a winner.
Undoubtedly Ronnie McFall will be the more relieved of the two managers, with his players fortunate to escape a one-sided match with a point.
And while it is another game without a win for Dungannon – their ninth in a row – on the basis of this performance that wait will end soon.
They made a great start when Cahoon opened the scoring in the 16th minute.
It followed good approach play from Chris Lavery, with Hazley allowing his pull-back to reach Cahoon who slotted home with a side-foot finish.
But Portadown have scored in every home game this season, so it was little surprise when they equalised just eight minutes later.
Niall Morgan was harshly ruled to have brought down Ross Redman as he chased a Neil McCafferty pass, resulting in a penalty being awarded.
If the decision was unconvincing, Darren Murray’s spot kick was anything but, with the striker powering his effort beyond the goalkeeper’s reach.
That aside, Morgan seemed back to his best after some shaky performances in recent matches.
A good early block to deny McCafferty was the perfect confidence booster, while he also kept his focus to hold Kevin Braniff’s powerful strike later in the half.
But his best save came eight minutes from the break. Braniff took a pass from Murray and burst into the box, with Morgan saving impressively with his feet.
Dungannon seized control of the game in the second half.
David Miskelly made the first of several important saves when he stretched out a glove to push Grieve’s effort away from the top corner.
Then Cahoon directed Emmet Friars’ pass into the path of Hazley, but his low drive was blocked by the Ports ‘keeper.
An ambitious 30-yard volley from Cahoon went narrowly wide while Topley powered a header just over after escaping his marker at a corner.
Dungannon were twice denied by goal-line interventions from Redman.
He blocked Friars’ header before making a match-saving tackle after Cahoon had rounded the goalkeeper and seemed certain to convert.
Kevin Braniff prevents Emmet Friars from gaining any height in the box for what was the Swifts last chance of the game.
Portadown’s best period came late in the game. Braniff tested Morgan with a free-kick while Redman sent another set-piece crashing into the wall.
But it was home supporters who were more relieved to hear the final whistle – and not just because of the plummeting temperatures.
PORTADOWN: Miskelly, Mackle (Lecky, 85), Redman, O’Hara, Murray, Braniff, Mouncey (McNeill, 67), Casement, Gartland, McCafferty, Patton (Tomelty, 54)
Subs not used: McArdle, Burns,
DGN SWIFTS: Morgan, R O’Neill, Grieve, E Friars, Brennan, Gawley (S Lavery, 65), Topley, Harpur, C Lavery, Hazley (Glackin, 74), Cahoon
Subs not used: S O’Neill, Montgomery, Fitzpatrick
Referee: Raymond Crangle (Belfast)
Joshua Cahoon celebrates putting the Swifts into the lead.
The draw specialists of the Irish League served up yet another stalemate as Coleraine battled back for a share of the points at Stangmore Park.
Between them these sides have drawn 15 of their league games this season, so it was perhaps unsurprising that Saturday’s encounter failed to produce a winner.
But the result, if somewhat predictable, was nonetheless fair with neither team doing enough to merit three points.
Dungannon had led through Josh Cahoon’s 30th minute goal, his seventh of the campaign.
But the Bannsiders came storming back after the break, with Curtis Allen coming off the bench to equalise midway through the second half.
So far this season Dungannon have lost six times – the same number as Linfield and Portadown. The key difference, however, is the amount of draws in that period.
Eight of Swifts’ 16 games have ended in stalemate and, had they turned just a few of those results into wins, the table would look a lot healthier.
Overall, however, Murphy will be satisfied by another committed, hard-working performance against a Coleraine side beginning to re-emerge as a force in local football.
This was a clash between two sides struggling for form.
Although Coleraine began the day in third place, they had claimed just one victory in six games since beating Dungannon – themselves without a win in seven – in late September.
And both teams’ struggles were reflected in a lacklustre first half which produced few chances.
Neither goalkeeper had been seriously troubled prior to Cahoon breaking the deadlock.
The goal came in the 30th minute following a mistake by Lee Colligan. Neal Gawley stole possession and pulled the ball back to Cahoon, who side-footed home from 12 yards.
A foul on Matt Hazley on the edge of the box handed Swifts an opportunity to stretch that lead, but although Gawley’s free-kick was on target, it lacked the power to beat the ‘keeper.
At the other end it was a relatively comfortable half for Niall Morgan, albeit he did pull off one superb block to thwart Ciaran Clarke.
The second period got off to a more promising start with chances at either end.
Dungannon threatened when Cahoon snatched possession in the box from Colligan, but his cross narrowly evaded the onrushing Chris Lavery.
Coleraine then went close as Aaron Canning’s delivery reached Clarke, but his angled effort clipped the post and went behind.
Back at the other end, Hazley touched the ball on for Lavery but the ‘keeper got a touch to help direct his low effort away from danger.
Coleraine boss Oran Kearney made some big calls, axing Darren Boyce from the squad and dropping top scorer Allen to the bench.
The latter finally entered the action just before the hour – and quickly made his point.
Picking up the ball on the edge of the box, Allen turned and unleashed a left-foot strike which found the bottom corner, despite Morgan getting a touch to the shot.
Just like the previous weekend at Glentoran, it was a goal the Dungannon ‘keeper will be hugely disappointed to concede.
As the clock ticked on and the rain poured down, both teams pushed for a winner.
Ryan Harpur’s cross found Stefan Lavery at the back post, but his effort was deflected wide. Emmet Friars powered over a header from the resulting corner.
Morgan then redeemed his earlier error with an important block to deny Coleraine.
Cameron Grieve in action for the Swifts
After fisting Ruairi Harkin’s free-kick clear of danger, the ‘keeper charged out to close down Stuart McMullan as he was about to unleash a shot.
Dungannon, however, nearly snatched it in the final seconds. A pass from Ryan O’Neill found Chris Lavery in space, but he was denied by a crucial tackle.
DGN SWIFTS: Morgan, R O’Neill, Brennan, E Friars, Grieve, Harpur, Hazley (Fitzpatrick, 69), C Lavery, Cahoon (S O’Neill, 79), Topley, Gawley (S Lavery, 48)
Subs not used: PJ Lavery, Glackin
COLERAINE: Doherty, Beverland, Hegarty (Boyd, 59), Lowry, Harkin, McIlmoyle, Canning, Jennings (Allen, 59), Clarke (Bradley, 59), Colligan, McMullan
Subs not used: Gillan, Owens
Referee: Mark Courtney (Dungannon)