After a meeting of the management committee tonight, we are delighted to announce that Darren Murphy has accepted the position of First Team Manager at the Club. The appointment of an assistant will be announced in due course.
We wish Darren all the best as Manager of Dungannon Swifts Football Club.
It is with deep regret that we have to announce that Rodney McAree has resigned from his position of Joint Head Coach with immediate effect due to personal reasons.
We would like to thank Rodney for all the service he has given to the club. Thank you Rodney and all the best.
Tickets can be obtained from any committee member or from the clubhouse this week. Clubhouse open Monday- Thursday: 7pm-11pm, Friday 4pm. Saturday 11am. Please support this event which will be a fantastic night of entertainment.
Dungannon Swifts v Ballymena United fixture which was originally scheduled for Saturday 3rd November 2012, will now take place on Friday 2nd November at Stangmore Park. Kick off will commence at 7.45pm.
It has been almost five years since Dungannon Swifts last beat Cliftonville, but the wait for that elusive victory will drag on a little bit longer.
The latest setback came in North Belfast at the weekend as two goals from Liam Boyce helped the Reds return to the top of the table with this emphatic win.
Sometimes the final score doesn’t tell the full story of a match, but this was not one of those days.
Cliftonville outplayed Dungannon from start to finish and, with a bit more accuracy in front of goal, could have won by an even greater margin.
For Darren Murphy and Rodney McAree it was a hugely frustrating and disappointing afternoon, just a week after a terrific draw against Linfield.
The only player to emerge with any credit is goalkeeper Niall Morgan, who made several crucial saves to prevent this defeat turning into a rout.
Otherwise it was a jaded, lethargic performance which was never going to be good enough against an impressive, enterprising Cliftonville side.
Once Boyce scored the Reds’ second just before half-time, adding to Joe Gormley’s early strike, there appeared no way back for Dungannon.
Boyce made it 3-0 with a superb solo effort before Martin Donnelly added a fourth.
The goal of the game came from a Dungannon player, Stephen O’Neill, but it was no more than a consolation with their fate already sealed.
So Swifts’ winless run against Cliftonville now stands at a depressing 15 matches, stretching all the way back to early 2008.
It was always going to be a tall order to break that sequence on Saturday, and especially when Gormley gave the home side an early lead.
Some impressive interplay saw George McMullan feed Ciaran Caldwell and, although the goalkeeper got a touch to his strike, Gormley was free to tap home at the back post.
It followed a bright start from the Reds. Inside the first minute Morgan had to make a smart double-save to thwart Boyce and Gormley in quick succession.
Dungannon’s first foray forward came via Michael McKerr, who broke down the right wing before supplying a low cross which rebounded off the outside of the post.
Their best chance came when a back pass from Jamie McGovern fell short, but the ‘keeper was quickly off his line to prevent McKerr taking advantage.
That aside, Cliftonville’s front two continued to threaten the visitors’ goal.
A clever pass from midfield sent Gormley through but Morgan blocked with his feet, then Boyce headed wide from Jody Lynch’s corner.
It seemed only a matter of time before they scored again, and it came in the 41st minute.
Just like the opening goal, it followed some neat passing. Caldwell found Gormley, and he unselfishly squared for Boyce to convert.
Late in the half Gormley outmuscled Johnny Montgomery, only to shoot narrowly wide.
Unfortunately for Dungannon, the second half followed a similar pattern. Lynch and Gormley went close before Morgan made a brilliant fingertip save to direct Barry Holland’s header over.
However, he was helpless to prevent Cliftonville’s third. An error from Adam McMinn allowed Boyce through, and he skipped past two defenders before firing home.
Dungannon substitute Sean Friars drew a save from the ‘keeper, before Donnelly completed the rout when he converted George McMullan’s cross.
The only positive for Swifts, apart from the final whistle, was O’Neill’s goal. He took a touch before firing home on the half-volley, but it mattered little.
CLIFTONVILLE: Devlin, McGovern, R Scannell, Johnston (Knowles, 70), Holland, Caldwell (Garrett, 79), McMullan, Smyth, Gormley, Lynch (Donnelly, 63), Boyce
Subs not used: O’Carroll, Cosgrove
DGN SWIFTS: Morgan, R O’Neill, McMinn, Montgomery (Cahoon, 70), E Friars, McKerr, Harpur, Hutchinson, C Lavery (S Friars, 67), S O’Neill, Gawley (Topley, 70)
Subs not used: Brennan, Murphy
Referee: Tim Marshall (Irvinestown)
He may be a boyhood Linfield supporter but Joshua Cahoon left the Blues cursing their luck after snatching a late equaliser for Dungannon Swifts.
The young striker scored four minutes into stoppage time as the champions were held on a dramatic afternoon at Stangmore Park.
It maintained Cahoon’s remarkable record of coming off the bench to rescue Dungannon with a late goal, but none will have been as special as this.
Cahoon previously played with Linfield’s reserves and still has an affection for the club, but he showed no mercy when presented with the chance.
This is a point which will be much more valued by Dungannon than Linfield.
Leading through David Armstrong’s stunning strike, the Blues dominated the match and were seconds from claiming their fifth league win.
But they paid a high price for missed chances with Cahoon’s equaliser.
It was only part of the story of a dramatic finish, however, with the game exploding into controversy in the final seconds.
First Billy-Joe Burns was shown a straight red card for an off-the-ball incident then, on the final whistle, both teams became embroiled in an on-pitch fracas.
Later Terry Fitzpatrick and Armstrong were sent off for their part in the ugly scenes. Whether that is the end of the matter remains to be seen.
Both managers had other concerns on their mind and were keen to play down the controversy.
Darren Murphy preferred to focus on a rousing response from Dungannon at the end of a week which saw him threaten to step aside as head coach.
For Linfield boss David Jeffrey it was another frustrating afternoon, and he was left shaking his head on the sidelines after Cahoon’s equaliser.
His side have made a patchy start to the new campaign, including a dismal home loss to Ballinamallard last weekend, but they were ahead after 12 minutes on Saturday.
It may have come from an unlikely source but Armstrong showed all the technique of a forward as his 20-yard effort rocketed into the top corner.
Although a great strike, Dungannon will be disappointed that he wasn’t closed down sooner.
That set the tempo for a first half dominated by the Blues, who ironically were playing in their red and white away strip.
Stefan Lavery crosses the ball into the box
Armstrong went close again when he was picked out by Niall Quinn’s free-kick. His header had the goalkeeper worried but flashed inches over the crossbar.
The dangerous Peter Thompson also showed signs of his threat. An attempted chip over Niall Morgan landed wide while a turn and shot flashed off target.
Linfield’s dominance continued in the early stages of the second half.
Another inviting free-kick from Quinn was headed on for Burns, but the goalkeeper stretched out a glove to palm his header away. From the corner, Armstrong drilled a low shot wide.
Later a missed header allowed Burns in but his strike was blocked by the ‘keeper’s legs. The ball reached Damian Curran but Morgan did brilliantly to get a hand to his deflected effort.
It took an hour for Dungannon to draw Alan Blayney into action. Stefan Lavery outpaced his marker but his low shot lacked the power to trouble him.
But in a rousing finale from the home side, Ryan O’Neill worked the ‘keeper with a 20-yard strike while a long-range Chris Lavery drive also drew an impressive stop.
Burns then saw red for lashing out at Adam McMinn, yet it seemed the Blues would hold on – until Cahoon’s dramatic equaliser.
Emmet Friars’ ball forward wasn’t properly cleared, with the striker perfectly placed on the edge of the box to fire home.
DGN SWIFTS:Morgan, R O’Neill, Montgomery, McMinn, E Friars, Harpur (Fitzpatrick, 46), Hutchinson, S Lavery, S Friars (C Lavery, 46), S O’Neill (Cahoon, 80), McKerr
Subs not used: Topley, Brennan.
LINFIELD: Blaney, Armstrong, Murphy, Henderson, Curran (Fordyce, 82), Thompson, Burns, Garrett (Mulgrew, 71), Ervin, McCaul (Carvill, 71), Quinn.
Subs not used: Hanley, Browne.
Referee: Arnold Hunter (Maguiresbridge).
