'We needed to take our chances when they were presented to us,' says frustrated Dungannon Swifts chief Rodney McAree after teenager Noah Stewart wins game for Ballymena United at the death

Both teams would create chances in an entertaining fixture at Stangmore Park but substitute Noah Stewart was the man to break the deadlock as his 87th minute effort settled affairs in county Tyrone.

The goal came after a cross by Alexander Gawne was touched forward by Fraser Taylor on a plate for Stewart who was in the right place at the right time to convert from close range.

It marks Jim Ervin's second Premiership victory as Sky Blues boss as they are now within a point of Newry City, Glenavon and the Swifts.

"It definitely wasn't the result we were looking for," McAree told Dungannon Swifts TV.

"It's a frustrating day, I don't think it's through the lack of effort, individually we need to do a little bit better defensively and in the opposition's 18-yard box.

"Games are decided by what happens in each 18-yard box and we haven't done enough to force the ball in the net and get the goal that we needed.

"I thought we probably deserved to score, we certainly created enough opportunities but whenever we get chances in this league, we have to make sure we are taking a percentage of them."

The Swifts would miss a first half penalty through Kealan Dillon and saw chance after chance being spurned either through poor finishing or the goalkeeping exploits of visiting stopper Sean O’Neill.

The Sky Blues would also hit the crossbar themselves as Steven McCullough was within a lick of paint of opening the scoring.

"I think I said at half-time, the score could have been about 7-3,” McAree said.

"Ballymena had good opportunities in the first half as well, which we invited onto us.

"We certainly created enough opportunities in the first half to have us leading going into half-time which is frustrating.

"We wanted to continue what we had been doing in the first half into the second and I felt we didn't do that.

"We allowed the game that maybe suited the opposition more so than ourselves.”