Dungannon Swifts boss Rodney McAree named Manager of Month for December
Dungannon Swifts manager Rodney McAree has been named the Northern Ireland Football Writers’ Association Manager of the Month for December, following a stellar run of form which saw his side collect 13 points from a possible 15.
The Swifts remained unbeaten throughout the month, notching up victories against Ballymena United, Portadown, Bangor and Glenavon.
The fine sequence of results sees Dungannon sitting comfortably in fifth place in the Irish Premiership, boasting a nine-point cushion over Bangor in seventh as they continue to cement their place in the league’s top half.
“It was nice to open up a little gap to seventh place,” McAree said. “Finishing in the top six last season was unbelievable and our challenge now, at this stage, has to be to go back-to-back.
“It’s not going to be easy, but we will just focus on each match.”
Last season, Dungannon Swifts made history by lifting the Irish Cup for the first time, and they will begin their defence of the trophy at home to Ards on Saturday. McAree added: “We’ll not be taking them lightly. We’ll be making sure we go all out for victory to get into the hat for the next round.”