Niall Morgan not here for long stay says Kris Lindsay

Dungannon Swifts manager Kris Lindsay doesn't expect goalkeeper Niall Morgan to stay at Stangmore Park for long.
Dungannon manager Kris Lindsay Mandatory Credit ©INPHO/Jonathan PorterDungannon manager Kris Lindsay Mandatory Credit ©INPHO/Jonathan Porter
Dungannon manager Kris Lindsay Mandatory Credit ©INPHO/Jonathan Porter

On Saturday, Tyrone GAA star Morgan helped Dungannon to a vital 2-2 draw with Ards in Bangor, that lifted the Swifts off the bottom of the table.

Morgan was once considered to be one of the most promising goalkeepers in the Irish League, but opted to leave Stangmore Park to focus on his GAA career with Tyrone in 2013.

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Morgan returned last week to dig his old soccer club out of a hole, but new manager Lindsay does not expect him to stick around.

“It’s a temporary situation. Alex Moore is on loan from Linfield so couldn’t play last week and with Stuart Addis injured, Niall agreed to come in and help us out for the Blues game.

“He has agreed to hang around for a little longer but he will return to Tyrone when his GAA commitments kick-in.

“However, we have a quality goalkeeper in Alex Moore so I’m not concerned.”

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Lindsay, is however concerned by the fact he has managed to win a league fixture since replacing Coleraine-bound Rodney McAree as manager in September.

“There’s a little bit of frustration there because that win hasn’t arrived yet but each week you can see signs of improvement, but there’s no point in going home each Saturday with nothing but a hard-luck story.

“We need to win games and put points on the board. We are in the middle of a wee spell where we play the teams around us in the league and we need to take advantage of that.

“We are at home to Institute next week, and that’s not a vital game. To survive, you need to win your home games against the teams around you.”

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On Saturday, the Swifts had to settle for a 2-2 draw against 10-man Ards.

The Red & Blues took the lead in the eighth minute when Jonny Frazer first won and then converted a penalty.

The Swifts drew level three minutes before the break when Corey McMullan nodded home a Mark Patton cross. Kyle Cherry then gave Ards the lead in 51st minute, only to collect his second yellow card eight minutes later. That proved to be the turning point in the game, with Ally Teggart equalising with 11 minutes left on the clock.

Ards manager Colin Nixon Nixon said, “In the first half, we were on top but failed to take advantage. We should have been two or three up and we ended up paying the price for that.

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“But I can’t fault my players. They played well for the first hour and then fought for their lives when we only had 10 men.”

Ards: Johnston; Kerr, Byers, Taylor, McClean; Cherry, J. Kelly; Frazer, Mitchell (69 Nelson), D. McAllister; M. Kelly

Subs Not Used: Mooney, Boyd, McAleenan, McLellan, Strain,

Dungannon Swifts: Morgan; Lowe, Dykes, Hegarty, O’Rourke (69 Burke); McElroy, Hutchinson, McMullan, Teggart; Lafferty, Campbell (38 Patton)

Subs Not Used: Moore, Armstrong, Soares, Smyth, Hallissey

Ref: Evan Boyce