Football can be a funny old game. It can also be very cruel.
Just ask any Dungannon Swifts supporter who was at the Oval on Saturday to see Andy Waterworth snatch this late, late victory for Glentoran.
On more than one occasion this season Dungannon have been the beneficiaries of a stoppage-time goal. This time they experienced the despair of conceding in the final seconds.
It was three minutes into added time when Waterworth fired home to steal the points.
The goal came while one of Swifts’ most influential players, central defender Emmet Friars, was off the pitch for enforced treatment to a head injury.
Adding to their frustration was an even later penalty appeal from Jamie Glackin which was ignored.
As tempers boiled over at the final whistle, Sean Friars – an unused substitute – was shown a red card after an angry exchange with the referee.
After the game, a clearly exasperated Darren Murphy communicated his displeasure to the referee’s assessor.
It had looked so promising for Dungannon when Josh Cahoon fired them into a second half lead.
But Glentoran equalised within five minutes when Richard Clarke’s header beat the goalkeeper a little too easily.
And in a frantic finale they snatched the points through Waterworth’s 50thclub goal.
The late drama was in stark contrast to a game which for long periods was a stale affair, notably the first half when neither goalkeeper was tested.
The best chance came for the Glens in the 33rd minute when a Stephen Carson corner wasn’t cleared, and a return shot from Clarke flashed inches wide of the back post.
Glentoran had gone close minutes earlier when a throw reached Jim O’Hanlon 25 yards out, but his rising strike carried too much power and fizzed over.
Later O’Hanlon fed David Howland, but his snap-shot was also fractionally off target.
At the other end Dungannon carried little threat. Their first effort came via former Glens player Neal Gawley but his low strike from distance was well wide.
Their only other attempt of note came when a long goal kick reached Cahoon, but a last-ditch interception denied him a shot on goal.
The natives’ mood was not helped when Dungannon took a shock 56thminute lead.
Gawley crossed, Jimmy Callacher failed to clear the danger, and the ball came to Cahoon whose powerful effort rocketed into the top corner.
Unfortunately for the visitors, that lead lasted merely five minutes.
A superb delivery from Carson was flicked on to Clarke inside the box. His header should have been comfortably blocked but it slipped through Niall Morgan’s hands, clearly crossing the line before the goalkeeper pushed the ball back out.
Dungannon nearly retook the lead when Matt Hazley drilled an angled shot wide while Cahoon fired over after taking a pass from Lavery and beating several defenders.
Home fans were on their feet screaming for a penalty when Emmet Friars appeared to block Stephen McAlorum’s shot with his arms, but the referee ignored their appeals.
Glentoran thought they had won it when a Waterworth effort rippled the goal – only to realise the ball had struck the outside of the net.
But with seconds remaining, he snatched the points.
A Sean Ward shot was deflected into the striker’s path and, with Friars off the field, Waterworth found the space needed to fire home.
GLENTORAN: Morris, R Clarke (McAlorum, 63), Magee, Ward, Howland (McGuigan, 63), Waterworth, Carson, M Clarke, Hill, Callacher, O’Hanlon (Murray, 79)
Subs not used: Nixon, Garrett
DGN SWIFTS: Morgan, Hazley, Gawley (S O’Neill, 80), Cahoon (C Lavery, 72), Grieve, S Lavery (Glackin, 87), R O’Neill, Topley, Brennan, Harpur, E Friars
Subs not used: Montgomery, S Friars
Referee: Alan Black (Antrim)
