'They couldn't get the blood stopped': Rodney McAree praises Dungannon Swifts mentality after overcoming obstacles
Dungannon Swifts boss Rodney McAree praised the “massive amount of character” shown by his squad to recover from Irish Cup final heartbreak – and loss of key players – to move a step closer to European football with a 3-1 play-off victory over Carrick Rangers.
The Swifts came within touching distance of retaining their Irish Cup crown on Saturday, ultimately losing out 3-2 against Coleraine in a decider at Windsor Park, but had to rebound immediately.
McAree’s men entered their opening Premiership play-off fixture having lost seven consecutive league matches but goals from Leo Alves, Caolan Marron and Kealan Dillon secured progression to a semi-final showdown with Cliftonville on Saturday.
Carrick were reduced to 10 men when goalkeeper Nathan Gartside was shown a straight red card – Stephen Baxter’s side briefly drew level through Luke McCullough before Dungannon scored twice.
Swifts captain Gael Bigirimana lost his race to be fit for Wednesday’s fixture while Dungannon were dealt a further blow after only 10 minutes when Danny Wallace was forced off.
"We thought Bigi was ok, we tested him and thought he was going to be ok, but unfortunately in the warm-up he just felt too sore,” said McAree. “He wasn't going to last so we had to take him off his feet as quickly as possible and we're trying hard to get him back for Saturday - whether that's possible, we'll wait and see.
"When you lose Danny Wallace, I don't think there's any malice in the jump by Adam Lecky, it's a stray arm which has caught Danny.
"It was a case of they couldn't get the blood stopped from the cut at the top of his nose, he couldn't stay on the pitch.
"The cut bled for about 35 minutes by the time they got it stopped. It was a big loss.
"Kealan Dillon wasn't starting but to bring him back in made sense. Paul Doyle was exceptional in the deeper role in midfield, and Peter Maguire, who thinks he has food poisoning, came off the bench and put in a very good performance.”
Dungannon celebrated maiden Irish Cup glory last term and were attempting to become just the seventh club to successfully defend their crown.
That triumph secured the club’s European return for a first time since 2008 last summer – a feat worth €525,000 in prize money – and their dream of playing on the continental stage once again remains alive.
If Dungannon defeat Cliftonville this weekend, they’ll face a final play-off clash against Linfield with the winner booking a spot in Conference League qualifying.
McAree praised the mentality of his squad after putting extreme disappointment behind them quickly.
"A massive amount of character was shown coming off the Irish Cup final,” he added. “A lot of hurt, a lot of disappointment within the dressing room, so I think the players deserve immense credit for showing character and desire to get back on the winning track.
"I thought they worked extremely hard, the substitutes that came on did exceptionally well, it was a fantastic performance. That's the response we wanted from everybody.”