FULL POST-MATCH REACTION: Dungannon Swifts manager Rodney McAree after their 4-0 Premiership defeat to Glenavon

It was a day to forget for Dungannon Swifts as they fell to a heavy 4-0 defeat against Glenavon at Mourneview Park while the County Tyrone outfit also had Gael Bigirimana sent off and missed a second-half penalty. Here’s what manager Rodney McAree told the BBC after the game...
By Johnny Morton
Published 9th Mar 2024, 18:23 BST
Dungannon Swifts manager Rodney McAree. PIC: Alan Weir/Pacemaker PressDungannon Swifts manager Rodney McAree. PIC: Alan Weir/Pacemaker Press
Dungannon Swifts manager Rodney McAree. PIC: Alan Weir/Pacemaker Press

On the game

"It was very disappointing – I don’t think we ever got going.

"The first couple of goals that we conceded are schoolboy errors...you can’t allow it to bounce and if it does you’ve to take control or somebody takes responsibility and we haven’t done that.

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"I don’t think Glenavon created a whole pile more than that in the first-half. We had an opportunity to make it 2-1 but we were poor and certainly didn’t deserve anything from the game.

"I can’t really put my finger on it because it’s a huge contrast to other performances we’ve put in this season.”

On contrast from beating Cliftonville last time out to losing 4-0 and conceding two early goals

"At 2-0 you’re still in the game. I thought we showed a little bit of a response at the start of the second-half, but then we conceded another poor couple of goals from our point of view.

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"I thought Glenavon were good in the second-half especially and when we go down to 10-men it makes it a little bit more difficult...it’s a challenge we don’t have to make at 4-0.

"We have to take our medicine and get on with it.”

On missing penalty and red card giving a feeling nothing was going Dungannon’s way

"I don’t think we deserved anything to go our way – we have to make our own luck at times.

"We get a penalty kick and whenever it’s hit it was probably reflective of our performance because it was lacklustre too.

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"Ben (Gallagher) doesn’t go out to miss them on purpose, he was confident enough to take it and unfortunately for him the goalkeeper has guessed the right way and saved it.”

On Glentoran next

"We have to get back to what we were doing a couple of weeks ago. Hopefully it’s a one-off performance because we know we can do a hell of a lot better.

"Hopefully we get back to our better ways. It’ll be a big game (against Glentoran) – hopefully there’s a big crowd at it. We just have to get back to the basics, to working hard and doing what we’re good at.”

Related topics:GlenavonPremiershipBBC