MANAGER'S VIEW: 'Important trait' cause for Dungannon optimism despite derby blues
Dungannon Swifts suffered a single-goal setback at Shamrock Park as Baris Altintop settled affairs off a second-half header for Portadown.
Here’s the verdict of Dungannon Swifts manager Rodney McAree:
OVERALL PERFORMANCE...
"If you had a look at the goals we have conceded over the past few weeks, performance-wise we were alright.
"We fought, dug in, battled, showed good character, showed good endeavour.
"We conceded from a set-piece, which breaks your heart...we have to do better and that's cost us three points.
"But, as I say, whenever we've conceded the goals that we have (21 in seven league games over 2026 and 12 inside eight days over three fixtures), I've seen huge improvements.
"I've seen togetherness and that's important."
TACTICAL SHIFT…
"We changed our shape tonight because we wanted to try something different, to give the lads a different focus...99 per cent of the game it worked.
"We've conceded too many goals this season, so whenever you're looking at trying to improve and trying to find that five, 10 per cent, you have to look at that area of the pitch.
"I didn't overly feel as if we were under too much pressure.
"Fyfe (Eamon) has an opportunity at the beginning of the second half, Ukek (Josh) an opportunity at the start of the first half (for Portadown).
"For me, it was a battling performance from both teams...very little quality on the ball in terms of possession and football but the pitch is never going to allow that.
"I told Gael Bigirimana before the match he wasn't playing as a sweeper...he was playing as a three at the back!
"He was a centre-half when coming through. "But he reads the game and I thought it was important for us to have somebody there who can organise, who can talk, who can direct and communicate.
"Talking within the game is an important trait, it's a quality and a lot of players in the Irish League haven't got that quality of communicating properly.
"I think he communicates, he directs around him and I thought that was going to be important for us."
FINAL-THIRD FRUSTRATION...
"We didn't encourage them to play football tonight...we encouraged them to get the ball forward quickly.
"But I didn't think we got hold of it well enough whenever we did play forward quickly, it was coming back too quick.
"On the flip side of that, we haven't done enough in the final third, we haven't asked enough questions.
"Whenever we got into wide areas or good areas, our delivery into the box was poor and we didn't get enough strikes off, particularly in the second half.
"Cahal (McGinty) should score and he has another effort later on as well, a volley blocked just outside the six-yard box.
"We created half-chances, Cahal should score his header in the first half and he's disappointed that he didn't...on another day he does."