Soccer

Dungannon Swifts out to upset Linfield's apple cart - Rodney McAree

Dungannon Swifts manager Rodney McAree
Dungannon Swifts manager Rodney McAree Dungannon Swifts manager Rodney McAree

Tennent’s Irish Cup semi-finals: Dungannon Swifts v Linfield (today, 3pm, Mourneview Park); Coleraine v Glenavon (today, 5.15pm, Ballymena Showgrounds)

DUNGANNON Swifts manger Rodney McAree is hoping his charges can “upset the apple cart” in today’s Tennent’s Irish Cup semi-final against Linfield at Mourneview Park.

The Swifts travel to Lurgan very much the underdogs in comparison with a Linfield side who are unbeaten in 13 games in all competitions, but McAree says his squad are in with a good shout of upsetting the odds.

“We have everybody fit and available, which is a bit of a headache for myself,” said the Swifts boss following a training session on Thursday night.

“In my own head, I have a very clear idea of my starting 11, of what I want from the players and how I want to manage the game, but the problem comes when I have to pick numbers 12 to 16, especially for a big game like this.

“It’s going to be extremely difficult, Linfield are on a great run, I think it’s something like 13 games unbeaten, but we have to believe. Because it’s a cup tie, a one off game, we have it in us to upset the apple cart, but we know it’s going to be hard.”

That 13 game unbeaten run becomes all the more impressive when you consider that the Blues have drawn only a single game over that period, winning the rest as they push Crusaders all the way at the top of the Danske Bank Premiership. The run has included their route to today’s semi-final, beating Glentoran at the Oval and the Crues at Seaview along the way.

Dungannon’s form – Irish Cup progress notwithstanding – has been decidedly more patchy in recent weeks, but McAree has been buoyed by recent results, including last weekend’s league win at Portadown.

“We had a draw the other week at home to Cliftonville, which gave us heart,” he added.

“The week before that we put in a good performance against Glenavon, although we ended up losing the game, then the win against Portadown last weekend has given us a sense of momentum going into this game,” he added.

The last time Dungannon reached an Irish Cup final was in 2007, when they lost on penalties to the Blues. Linfield have won the competition another four times in the decade since and McAree believes the weight of expectation on David Healy and the team at Windsor Park may work in Dungannon’s favour.

“A club like ours isn’t expected to win trophies all that often,” he said.

“Our benchmark for success at the start of any season is survival and then we reassess things after that has been achieved. But Linfield are expected to win trophies. If they don’t, it hasn’t been a successful season.

“So that will give us the freedom to go and play football on Saturday and see where it takes us.”

Without a doubt, McAree will be hoping it takes them to their first Irish Cup final in a decade.

In today’s later kick-off, holders Glenavon will be aiming to make into their second final in succession, but will find the going tough against an in-form Coleraine outfit.

The Bannsiders will be returning to the scene of their 4-0 thumping of Ballymena at the quarter-final stage, while Glenavon humiliated mid-Ulster rivals Portadown 5-0 at Shamrock Park to make the last four.

Glenavon manager Gary Hamilton has said his Cup holders will be going into the game as underdogs, given Coleraine are unbeaten in 14 games in all competitions. In last weekend’s Danske Bank Premiership fixtures, Coleraine beat defending champions and league leaders Crusaders 1-0, while Glenavon went down to Ards on the same scoreline.

"Last year is gone. We won the Irish Cup and the trophy is in our cabinet, but we are not thinking about that," said Hamilton