The Swifts fell to defeat at Seaview on Tuesday night after three goals followed Declan Dunne’s game-changing dismissal mid-way through the second half.
Rodney McAree had made three changes from his team which started in the 1-0 loss to Linfield on Saturday. Kris Lowe, Leo Alves and Gaël Bigirimana, who returned to captaincy, replaced Shea Gordon, Kealan Dillon and Paul Doyle.
The game began in lively fashion, with both teams looking to create chances and get an early goal.
Crusaders created the first big opportunity. Owen Wardell made a dashing run down the right wing after receiving the ball from Shea Callister in goal, and after cutting in, his shot hit the side netting.
Just minutes later, Declan Dunne was called into action for the first time. Wardell made another run down the right, getting past Tiernan Kelly on this his 50th Dungannon Swifts appearance, and his cross ricocheted off a blue shirt to Dunlop, whose shot was saved well by the feet of the big goalkeeper.
The Swifts kept possession well in the early stages and had two similar chances as a reward. Both Barney McKeown and Sean McAllister created space on the right, but their shots were blocked by the Crusaders defence.
The home side saw a shot go just wide after a short pass from a corner, but three openings for the visitors followed.
First, a nice ball from McKeown was flicked on to John Scott by Junior, and his cross just went over the bar. A Leo Alves corner was then punched away by the Crusaders goalkeeper, and a long ball in from Kris Lowe was inches away from meeting the head of Junior and instead drifted out for a goal kick.
The second half started the way the first ended with a flurry of chances and attacking football.
Crusaders started with a couple of corners, but the Swifts had a glorious opportunity to go one goal up on 48 minutes. Leo Alves’ inch-perfect delivery reached an open Gaël Bigirimana, but he couldn’t keep his header from six yards under the crossbar.
The Crusaders goalkeeper made a great save soon after. Barney McKeown’s interception ended up at Alves’ feet, and his shot from distance was saved in the bottom corner. Minutes later, he had another shot which dragged past the post.
The big turning point came in the 65th minute. A ball over the top saw Dunne come out of his box, but the contact made with Owen Wardell after connecting with the ball was deemed a sending off and the Swifts were down to ten men in controversial style.
The opening goal came with 15 minutes to go. The Crues played a short corner and the resulting cross found captain Robbie Weir, who headed towards the far post and into the net.
Gaël Bigirimana took a free kick earned by Junior, but his effort went just past the top corner.
Crusaders then doubled their lead. Elliot Dunlop’s cross met Scott Rough at the back post, and he scored Crusaders’ second header and goal of the night.
After a series of half chances by both teams, Crusaders added to their goal tally with the last kick of the game. A number of defensive errors left substitute Lloyd Anderson with just McKeown to beat and the ball hit the empty net to end the game.
Afterwards, Rodney McAree said: “I thought in the first half we could have been better. We were a little bit wasteful in possession. We had a lot of ball, Crusaders started very lively, broke a few times and looked dangerous, but we got to grips with that and I thought we were comfortable in terms of we had plenty of ball, but we were wasteful in the first half and we addressed that at half-time and we changed our shape slightly at half-time. We encouraged the players to be a little bit braver, a little bit more patient, concentrate a little bit more on and get the basics right first and foremost. We put a little bit more width in our team at the start of the second half and everything that we asked them to do, they went out and they delivered, and were fantastic. I can’t fault their effort, can’t fault their desire, the commitment.
“They’re hurting in there. They’re a great bunch, and the sending off comes at a time whenever we’re well in control of the game. It’s a diagonal ball and if our goalkeeper doesn’t do what he’s has done, we point the finger at Decky in terms of not doing his job. Decky has come as a sweeper and identified a danger and he swept up. He hasn’t collided with anybody, hasn’t touched anybody and has kicked it out for a throw in, but the referee deemed it as a as a foul and Decky ends up getting sent off and the game changes massively in that.
“The one thing that disappointed me after that was that you try to be you try to be very very compact, very tight in terms of your 4-4-1 as we played at that stage and don’t get played through, don’t get broke down, and we did that, but we conceded from two set pieces. Whenever you’re down a man, if we can free somebody else up so that everybody in the opposition is being picked up, everybody has their role, everybody has a responsibility, and unfortunately Robbie Weir breaks free for the first one and scores and and the big lad Rough scores the second. We’re not strong enough for it either and that’s disappointing. The third goal is an absolute calamity of ours, it’s not good. It happens, but it’s not good, and to concede the first two from set pieces is disappointing too.”
Up next for the Swifts is a return to Stangmore Park on Saturday where they will face Ballymena United at 15:00.
Crusaders: Callister (GK) Forsythe, Rough, Weir (C), Jewitt-White, Dunlop, Doherty (Anderson 72’), Wardell, Reid (Maguire 75’), McKay, Barr.
Unused Substitutes: Brown (GK), Blayney, Bond, Mulholland, Beattie.
Dungannon Swifts: Dunne (GK), J. Scott (Dillon 84’), McKeown, Kelly (Gordon 79’), Alves (Henderson (GK) 68’), Lowe, Glackin (Smith 79’), Wallace, Bigirimana (C), Junior (Mitchell 84’), McAllister.
Unused Substitutes: McGinty, Glenny.
