Rodney McAree looking Dungannon Swifts to rise to Glentoran challenge after positive results

​The County Tyrone outfit followed up their BetMcLean Cup quarter-final victory over Newry City by beating Coleraine 3-2 at the Showgrounds last weekend with Matthew Lusty bringing his league goal tally for the season to nine by bagging a brace, including a late winner.

That helped the Swifts open up a six-point gap on the league’s bottom two in the race for Premiership survival and they’ve now won three of their last five league encounters.

Glentoran, who McAree managed for the second-half of last season before returning to Dungannon this summer, are unbeaten in three and the Swifts boss wants his side to rise to the challenge.

"It's a tough one,” he told the club’s media channel. “Glentoran are one of the biggest clubs in the country with a lot of good players who I know quite well, but it's one that we can look forward to.

"People maybe didn't expect us to get three points against Coleraine and it gives us a little bit of momentum going into that one.

"We had a good cup win against Newry, a good win away to Coleraine and we get one of the so-called 'Big Two' coming to us on Saturday, so let's challenge ourselves and see if we can get anything there.

"It's nice to challenge yourself and that'll be the same against Glentoran.

"All of the games for us are challenges and none are going to be easy.”