'They've been around a lot' - Experience extra edge to traditional Irish League youth roots in Dungannon Swifts rise
Dungannon Swifts’ success – and survival – down the decades is a story built on the celebrated youth production line but one man so central to that ethos now highlights added experience crucial to the current evolution.
Second-half goals from Kealan Dillon and former youth player Sean McAllister rewarded Dungannon Swifts for an assured response to Harry Wilson’s first-half Cliftonville red card on Saturday in the Premiership victory by 2-0 at Solitude.
Paul Doyle arrived at the Swifts off a respected League of Ireland career and played a key part in the opening goal by winning back possession, driving upfield and finding 32-year-old Dillon with the latter slotting home.
McAllister’s drive found a path past 16-year-old substitute goalkeeper Matthew Belshaw to cement the points against 10-man Cliftonville, with Wilson sent off following a challenge on Gael Bigirimana. Belshaw was introduced for the injured Peter Morrison.
Robinson, who enjoys a long-standing link to that famed youth programme alongside his role as first-team assistant manager to Rodney McAree, feels the present squad set-up offers an exciting balance.
"Paul is the person who can go and press things and nick it...I think he had one in the first half and he's very, very good at that,” said Robinson. "And his timing of the pass for Kealan was superb and Kealan is technically very good.
"We were quite happy to see Kealan on the end of it and it was a good calm finish...I thought he was very good today.
“When you've the experience like Danny Wallace and ‘Bigi’ (Bigirimana) and Barney (McKeown) and Kealan and Paul...those guys have been around, they've been around a lot.
"We've a good squad and in the past if we'd have lost four players out of our starting XI we'd have struggled massively.
"But competition for places...it's been a good position to be in.”
Robinson accepted Wilson’s dismissal on 40 minutes as “a turning point”.
“Obviously it's a turning point in the game...I think the teams were evenly-matched first half,” said Robinson. "But sometimes you can make life difficult for yourself playing against 10 men...we tried to make the pitch as big as we could and, hopefully, keep the ball.
"And through being patient I think we're hoping that we'd get an opening.
"We're delighted with three points at a hard place to come to for anybody.
"And the league's so tough that every three points is so hard.
“There are many times before, with and without 10 men, on the other side of the fence...you can give all the instructions you want but, at the end of the day, it's up to the players to carry that out.
"Maybe a wee bit sloppy in the first five or 10 minutes (second half) and Rory Hale gets in one opportunity.
"But I thought after that, when we scored the goal, we controlled the game right to the end."