Friday night football returns to Stangmore Park

FRIDAY night football returns to Stangmore Park this week as Dungannon aim to pick up their first points of the season against Coleraine.

All four of the Swifts’ September games are being played on Friday evenings – starting with the visit of the Bannsiders.

Dean Shiels believes his side are close to ending their losing run, after encouraging performances against Glentoran and, most recently, Cliftonville.

“We have improved in every game – there is no doubt about that,” he said.

“After the first four games, there has been lots and lots of improvement and I’m happy with where the group is, performance-wise.

“We need more points, there is no doubt about that, but we’ll get them.

“There’s lots and lots of positives to take out of (last Saturday) into the next game.”

Shiels pointed to a punishing opening run of games – they face five of last season’s top six in the early weeks – as a big reason for their lack of points.

After tomorrow night’s game against Coleraine, they travel to Inver Park to play Larne next Friday night.

He added: “We’ve had to play Glentoran, Cliftonville, Coleraine, Crusaders – it’s a very, very hard opening schedule for us.

“That is especially so when you haven’t got a settled team or you haven’t got the players at full fitness or where you want them to be.

“But I’ve taken a lot of heart from our last two games and we will be fine if we can show that same desire and attitude.”

Shiels felt Dungannon were unfortunate against Cliftonville, believing that key moments went against his side in last weekend’s 4-2 defeat.

James Knowles put them in front but the Reds turned it around, with Ronan Hale and Chris Gallagher giving them a 2-1 half-time lead.

Joe McCready equalised but Cliftonville retook the lead instantly through a Michael Ruddy own-goal, before Chris Curran made the game safe.

Shiels added: “Two of the goals are unlucky – one, probably two, are own-goals.

“We were always going to go for it. You get nothing by coming away with a 3-2 defeat – 3-2 or 4-2, it’s no odds to me.

“We will always try to go for it and that will be the attitude of the players.

“They didn’t want to come to Cliftonville and get beaten, so our attitude was that we may as well try and get something. We will be like that all season.”

Coleraine have won each of the sides’ last five meetings – including all three last season. One of those was a 5-0 win at Stangmore Park.

Oran Kearney’s side are second in the table after three wins from their opening four. Their sole defeat was a 3-1 home loss to Glenavon last Friday night.

Meanwhile, Dungannon defender Dylan King has joined Institute on loan until January. The 23-year-old returned towards the end of last season after nearly 15 months out with an anterior cruciate ligament injury.