Dungannon Swifts chief Rodney McAree warns his side need to stop conceding soft goals as they welcome Glenavon to Stangmore Park

After an eye-catching start to the campaign, McAree's men have lost out to Glentoran, Coleraine and Cliftonville in recent weeks.

However, the Co Tyrone side still remain in the top six and they go in search of a return to winning ways as they entertain Glenavon at Stangmore Park this afternoon.

Only Coleraine, Cliftonville and Linfield have scored more goals than the Swifts this season, but McAree stated the importance of keeping their own backdoor shut after recent results.

"People are going to talk about the bubble being burst but we're still sitting in the top six," he said. "We have to get back at it as quickly as we can and we have to grind out a result.

"We have to stop conceding goals. I think we conceded 10 goals in our first 13 games and we've now conceded 11 in our last three.

"We can't keep conceding goals in the manner we are and I think out of the last 11, I don't think there's one real good one scored against us.

"That's a wee bit of a concern but we have to get back on the training pitch to address it and correct it as quickly as possible."

The Swifts were beaten 4-1 by Cliftonville last weekend and McAree said his side made things too easy for the Reds, although he was left bemused by some officiating decisions.

He remarked: "We were definitely second best in the first half. I thought Cliftonville moved us about in the first half and we allowed them to – they deserved to go into half-time in front.

"I was hoping we’d get in at 2-1 because it’s still a contest and then we have a penalty kick given against us after we had a strong penalty appeal down the other end with Andrew Mitchell, which wasn’t a penalty in the view of the officials.

"Then we get a penalty given against us...I’m being told it was a reckless challenge by our goalkeeper but we’ve watched it back on video – from a goalkeeper’s point of view, what’s he supposed to do?"