Loughgall focusing on league survival rather than top six finish, says boss Dean Smith after win at the Coleraine Showgrounds

Smith's troops condemned Coleraine to a fourth straight Premiership defeat, meaning they are now only a point behind the Bannsiders who are sixth.

The race for a coveted top-six finish is now wide open as Carrick Rangers and Glenavon are also in contention to dislodge an out-of-sorts Coleraine.

A top-six finish would mark a fairy tale return to the top flight for Loughgall - but Smith stated his main goal is to remain in the Premiership for next season.

He said: "We can only concentrate on ourselves and it doesn't really matter what anyone does as long as we do our job.

"First and foremost, the league is our bread and butter.

"The first thing we want to do is try and stay in the league and anything after that is an added bonus."

The success at The Showgrounds was started by in-form Benji Magee who netted after 37 minutes, before Nathaniel Ferris added a brace following David McDaid's equaliser in the second-half.

It marks back-to-back Premiership victories for Smith’s men and he was full of praise for how his players reacted after conceding and for sticking to the game plan.

"I thought we were super today,” he added.

"I thought our players were fantastic to a man and stuck to our game plan.

"As you saw, we played on the counter attack and it really worked.

"Our defensive shape was super and I think it was a deserved three points.

"Benji has done that all year and he's cut in numerous times from the wing and scored goals.

"I thought today's was a really composed finish.

"The best thing you can do once you concede is to try and score and thankfully we were able to do that.

"That gave us a platform to go on and build on.

"Nathaniel dispatched his penalty well and I think from then on we ran out worthy winners.”

With the January transfer window set to open, it is expected that clubs will be interested in Magee who has scored 14 times in the Premiership this season.

However, Smith insists he is not concerned by those rumours and has plans to add to his panel at Lakeview Park.

He explained: "We would like to bring some in and like every club, you're looking to strengthen.

"We want to keep what we have and try to build on it.

"We will have a look and see what's about.

"I'm not really concerned about clubs being interested in our players as it means you're doing something right.”

Loughgall face Rosemount Rec in the Irish Cup next weekend and Smith acknowledged that he will not be taking the Northern Amateur Football League side lightly.

"We won't be taking them for granted and we've had them watched a couple of times,” he stressed.

"We know that they are a well organised team with some experienced players who have played Irish League football.

"We will give them the respect they deserve."