DUNGANNON SWIFTS V GLENAVON, A LOOK AHEAD 1f5f

On Friday 17th January 2025 Glenavon faces Dungannon Swifts at Stangmore Park. 1g6929

Dungannon is having an outstanding campaign. It is currently second in the Sports Direct Premiership table with an impressive 12 wins and three draws from 24 matches. The Swifts defeated Crusaders 5-1 at Seaview last Saturday. Its previous result was a 5-0 victory against Rathriland Rangers in the Clearer Water Irish Cup 5th round.

Glenavon assistant manager Colin Coates is full of iration for Rodney McAree and his players. “They have been excellent all season and have made Stangmore Park a fortress,” he said. “They deserve all the plaudits they have received.”

Nonetheless, the one-time centre half is not overawed at the prospect of the trip to East Tyrone. “We have watched them and know about their strengths and weaknesses,” he continued. “It is important to do all that, but our primary focus is on what we bring to the table. We have been playing well. If we continue to do that, I am confident that we can pick up more points.”

Coates is delighted with the team’s form, both defensively and offensively. “We have been very good at the back. We are coughing up very few chances and look solid,” he added. “Going forward we are moving the ball well, offering a threat and scoring goals. It has been very encouraging.”

He was pleased with the display in the midweek 2-0 success against Dundela. “It was a very professional performance,” he said. “There was no complacency, The players were determined to get through to the next round. The ing was generally good, and the work rate was excellent.”

That said, Colin itted that there was some room for improvement. “Perhaps we were, at times, a bit anxious,” he continued. “We might have shown more composure in the final third and maybe held onto the ball rather than trying to thread a that wasn’t there. But that is knit picking. Dundela offered virtually no threat, and we thoroughly deserved the win.”

He was delighted to see some players currently on the fringe of the first team getting an opportunity to shine. “It was great to be able to get Isaac Baird, Sean Carlin and Harry Lynch onto the pitch,” he added. “All three have been impressive in training and could potentially play important roles for us going forward.”

On the injury front, Coates reported that Calum Birney is still struggling. More positively, Mark Haughey is training again. “Apart from Calum and Mark, there are no major issues but some of the lads are carrying bumps and bruises from Tuesday night,” added the former Northern Ireland international defender. “We will be in touch with a few of them on Friday morning and make a final decision on their fitness later in the day.”

In September Glenavon drew 1-1 with DungannonSwifts at Mourneview Park. The Swifts won 2-0 when the clubs met at Stangmore Park two months later.

Glenavon v Dungannon Swifts, Last Season
Date	Result
09/09/23	Dungannon Swifts 3 Glenavon 1
04/11/23	Glenavon 1 Dungannon Swifts 0
09/03/24	Glenavon 4 Dungannon Swifts 0
20/04/24	Dungannon Swifts 2 Glenavon 0

Other Glenavon teams in action:

(Free ission to all games)

• Monday 20th January 2025 – Glenavon Reserves v Ballymena United Reserves, Mourneview Park, 1945 k.o.
• Friday 17th January 2025 – Cliftonville U-18s v Glenavon U-18s, Solitude, 2000 k.o.
• Saturday 18th January 2025 – Top of the Hill Celtic U-15s v Glenavon U-15s, U-15 Cup Quarter final, Waterside Shared Centre, 1030 k.o.