'We weren’t good': Rodney McAree clear Dungannon Swifts have 'to improve and be better'

The Sky Blues went ahead at Stangmore Park through Igor Rutkowski after 24 minutes, but just moments later were reduced to 10 men as Scot Whiteside was given his marching orders.

Dungannon equalised on the stroke of half-time as Danny Wallace fired home, but the Swifts were unable to find a winner despite their numerical advantage.

Despite feeling his side still created enough opportunities to seal maximum points on an off day, McAree conceded Ballymena were worthy of a point in Co Tyrone.

"When it was 11 v 11, I thought we were atrocious,” McAree told the club’s media channel. “We started the game very poorly, couldn’t get going.

"Ballymena put us under a lot of pressure, looked in complete control, and then the sending off comes and it gives us a lifeline.

"We go in at half-time 1-1 through Danny reacting in the box...you’re playing against 10 men, it’s about doing things quickly, being patient and take your opportunities when they come along.

"Unfortunately we haven’t done that, we haven’t taken the opportunities we created.

"We weren’t good, there was too many below-par performances, and that has to improve and be better.

"We still created opportunities where we could have won the game, I think it might have been harsh on Ballymena if we had, to be honest.

"They dug in, fought for each other and stayed in the game well. We didn’t show that real hunger and desire to go and kill the game.

"I thought we were a bit lethargic, a bit off the pace of the game. We asked the players to go and press Ballymena but were slow in our reactions.

"We didn’t press them with any real urgency. In the second half, we have to move it quickly and be more patient, do things better.

"I thought Kris Lowe was excellent when he came on at half-time, we got a bit of joy out of Corey Smith on the left, but we have opportunities on another day we’ll score one of them.”