Crucial week for Dungannon Swifts

It’s a massive week for Dungannon Swifts in their bid to avoid finishing bottom of  the Danske Bank Premiership.

The Tyrone side travels to Portadown tomorrow (Tuesday) evening before visiting fellow strugglers Carrick Rangers on Friday.

Swifts are currently bottom with just 15 points, one behind Carrick and six adrift of the Ports, who do have a game in hand.

Despite the fact that there is no relegation this season, owing to the fact that the NIFL Championship failed to get off the ground, the struggling sides, namely Swifts, Portadown and Carrick Rangers, have all talked up their desire not to finish the campaign propping up the rest.

Following Saturday’s 2-0 defeat to Glentoran, Dungannon have now got just eight games to achieve that goal.

While on paper a trip to Shamrock Park doesn’t appear quite as daunting as a visit to the Oval, Swifts coach Terry Fitzpatrick insists there is no such thing as an easy game.

“There are no easy games in the Irish League, I have been playing in the Irish League a long time and you can have expectations of going here and there but there are no easy games, it’s as simple as that,” he said.

“It’s going to be a tough battle. Again if we don’t do the dirty side we won’t get anything from it.”

Dungannon have twice played Portadown this season at Stangmore Park and on both occasions Matthew Tipton’s charges came out on top.

FULL STORY IN TODAY’S TYRONE HERALD