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Rodney McAree has spoken of his pride after he was named manager of the year at the Northern Ireland Football League awards.
The Dungannon Swifts boss deservedly walked off with one of the top accolades at Saturday night’s ceremony.
He was honoured after guiding the Swifts to their first top half finish in 15 years, and next month’s Irish Cup final.
McAree took the award ahead of Linfield boss David Healy, Bangor’s Lee Feeney and Warrenpoint’s Gary Boyle.
He said: “It’s fantastic – there were 14 or so of us there and it capped off a very enjoyable night.
“It’s been an extremely enjoyable season – every part of it.
“There have been very few downs. Okay, we’ve had the odd poor result or odd blip, but overall it’s been a fantastic season.”
McAree feels the award – and Dungannon’s rapid progress over the last two seasons – vindicates his decision to return from Glentoran in 2023.
“People maybe questioned my ambition when I left Glentoran to come back to Dungannon but it’s a club that means an awful lot to me,” he added.
“It’s a club that maybe suffered for a few years. I felt I could help, and I wanted to try and help, but I also wanted to come back and try and achieve things.
“We’ve achieved a good bit of success in terms of moving forward and improving and getting better, but we also want to try and keep going and achieve more.”
FULL INTERVIEW IN TODAY’S TYRONE HERALD
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