Bangor v Dungannon Swifts
Clearer Water Irish Cup semi-final
Seaview, Saturday 29 March, 5.30pm
Tickets via Ticketmaster
It’s now less than 48 hours until the big game and excitement is building for both players and fans of Dungannon Swifts FC.
After the achievement of securing a top six finish in the league this month, the focus shifts to the Irish Cup and the prize of a place in the final to challenge for a first ever victory in the competition.
Manager Rodney McAree said the mood is good in the camp, despite a weakened team going down 3-0 to league champions Linfield on Monday in a game moved to facilitate its broadcast on Sky Sports.
“The result on Monday didn’t go our way. Yes, we made some changes but we still a had strong team on the pitch,” he said.
“The game was little bit disruptive because we lost our Tuesday training session as preparation for Saturday, but at this stage of season everyone knows their roles and responsibilities and we had a recovery session where the mood was very good.
“Everyone is looking forward to Saturday now and excited about the game.”
Bangor will present an unfamiliar challenge at Seaview, but no-one will be under any illusion about the danger the seasiders pose.
The team have dominated the Championship division this year and confirmed their threat with a stunning 3-1 victory over Glentoran to reach the semi-final.
“It’s going to be an extremely tough game. Bangor will provide a physical challenge, a direct challenge,” said Rodney.
“They have very good individuals but collectively they work extremely hard, they have lot of energy and experience.
“For anyone to think that we would be complacent going into this game would be ludicrous. You only have to look at the Glentoran game to understand what a great side they are.”
Cheering the boys on this Saturday will be a sizeable and very vocal Dungannon support, a feature of away games in particular as the club has enjoyed one of its best ever seasons.
And for Rodney, a lifelong Swifts fan as well as a former player and manager, it will be a very special feeling to lead the club in only its fourth Irish Cup semi-final.
The first, in 2007, saw a penalty shoot-out victory over Cliftonville before the agony of defeat on penalties in the final against Linfield. Rodney was one of the scorers in that 2-2 draw, as well as converting a penalty.
He was also manager in 2017 when Dungannon lost 1-0 to the same opponents at the semi-final stage, with the club again missing out by the same slim margin against Cliftonville two years ago.
“We feel the buzz in the town, we feel the support we’re getting,” he said.
“For me personally, I played in an Irish Cup final and it was a fantastic experience. We nearly got over the line and on another day we could maybe have won.
“We have lost in another couple of semi-finals but this is our next opportunity.
“As a player I always dreamt of playing in a final. Now as head coach, and particularly with my home town team that I’ve supported all my life, it would be a special experience to do that again.
“There is still a long way to go but this is group of players who are self-driven and who also want to drive each other on and we are all just looking forward to the game on Saturday.”
Road to the semi-final:
Quarter-final:
Carrick Rangers 1-3 Dungannon Swifts
Round 6:
Dungannon Swifts 2-1 Coleraine (AET)
Round 5:
Dungannon Swifts 5-0 Rathfriland Rangers
