He may have been wearing new boots but Darren Boyce showed he has lost none of his old scoring touch by grabbing the winner against Ards.
The striker was sporting a change of footwear and it seemed to prove a lucky omen as Dungannon’s strong start to the season continued.
In truth Boyce’s strike owed as much to poor goalkeeping as good forward play, with his effort slipping past Graeme McKibben far too easily.
Not that it concerned Swifts boss Darren Murphy, who was quick to point out that Irish League football is sometimes about grinding out wins.
His side have played better and lost – an example coming at Portadown a week earlier when they dominated for 60 minutes but got nothing.
For Ards it was another defeat –their seventh in eight games – keeping them rooted to the foot of the league table.
Already it is looking like a season of struggle for the newly-promoted team.
The winning goal aside, they did suffer some terrible luck on Saturday, including a strong penalty claim in the final minute which wasn’t given.
There was also an incident where Dungannon goalkeeper Gareth Buchanan was lucky to stay on the pitch after appearing to handle outside his area.
Indeed, apart from the goal there was little between the sides in a game lacking chances and attacking quality.
The winning goal came from the best move of the first half.
Fra Brennan played the ball down the right flank for Boyce, he cut inside and drilled a low shot which beat the goalkeeper all too easily.
It followed a bright start by Dungannon, with Ryan Harpur drawing the first save from a free-kick which McKibben did well to push wide.
Then a Jamie Douglas corner found David McCullough at the back post, but the accuracy of the delivery was not matched by the accuracy of the header, which flashed wide.
Boyce’s 16th minute strike should have been the catalyst for Dungannon to stamp their authority on the game, but it never materialised.
A free-kick from Douglas was on target but easily saved by the goalkeeper while Stefan Lavery’s ambitious overhead kick landed wide.
Ards’ best chance fell to William Faulkner, arguably their best player of the half, with his 25-yard shot narrowly clearing the crossbar.
The main moment of controversy came when Ards forward Paul McDowell – a substitute for the injured Ryan Moffatt – chased a pass forward. Buchanan came out to intercept and appeared to handle outside his area, however, it went unnoticed by the referee.
The second half was a similarly lacklustre affair, with most of the chances falling for the visitors.
David Gibson headed over from Ben Roy’s corner while Andy Mitchell’s 25-yard strike was safely collected by Buchanan.
Another Roy delivery found Andy Hunter, but his header was straight at the ‘keeper.
Dungannon had a rare chance when Terry Fitzpatrick teed up Lavery, who turned well but lifted his shot over the crossbar.
They also had penalty appeals turned down after a visiting defender appeared to handle in the box.
Ards too had cause for complaint when Mitchell looked to have been fouled in the area by Brennan – again nothing was given.
But they so nearly snatched a point in stoppage time. Roy’s cross found McDowell free in the box, with his header flashing narrowly wide of the target.
DGN SWIFTS: Buchanan, McKerr, Brennan, McCaffrey, Mulgrew, McCullough (Hutchinson, 70), Harpur, Fitzpatrick, Douglas (C Lavery, 53), Boyce, S Lavery
Subs not used: Doyle, Costello, Copeland
ARDS: McKibben, Hall, Gibson, Hunter, K McDowell (Roy, 51), Faulkner (Dougan, 66), Smyth, Davidson, Moffatt (P McDowell, 28), McMillan, Mitchell
Subs not used: Henderson, Spence
Referee: Keith Kennedy (Lisburn)