Boss hails McLaughlin’s contribution

COLERAINE manager Rodney McAree was happy to see his players register a hard fought win against Dungannon Swifts at The Showgrounds…

The Bannsiders took a half-time lead as Darren McCauley converted his eighth goal of the season from the penalty spot, before the advantage was doubled five minutes after the break via James McLaughlin.

The visitors ensured there would be a nervy finish as Daniel Hughes brought the Swifts back into the game and they nearly grabbed a point as Seanan Clucas was denied on the goal mouth.

Speaking after the game, the boss was full of praise for his side’s resilience to see the game out.

“We are delighted to get a big three points,” he said.

“Whenever we went two-nil up, we were probably comfortable at that stage and could have strengthened our lead.

“I thought we done well up to that point, I thought we could have moved the ball quicker in the opposition’s half in the first 45 minutes and we were quick off the blocks after the break.

“Unfortunately after we were coasting, we put in two tackles and they both rebounded into Daniel Hughes’ path and he finishes well.

“It got Dungannon back into the game, it made it more difficult and they pushed more and more forward as you expected them to do as they are fighting for their lives.

“You have to give our players credit as they dug deep, threw themselves in front of everything and made a great block to run out with all three points.”

McAree was also delighted to see McLaughlin get on the scoresheet and believes the striker is one of the ‘most natural finishers’ that he has worked with.

“To be fair to James he has worked really hard for the last four or five weeks,” he added.

“He has put through the mill in recent weeks in terms of fitness. We have tested his hamstrings as much as we possibly can and he has got that little bit sharper.

“He got through an hour which is great and very important for us as that’s another body that we have available.

“He is one of the most natural goalscorers I’ve worked with and it’s great to see his name back on the score sheet.”

It marked the first time that McAree faced his former employers but he explains that the focus was simply getting all three points on the board.

“It was okay,” he continued.

“I didn’t think too much of it to be honest as we were all disappointed after the Glenavon match.

“It was irrelevant who our opposition was after that as we wanted a game to come about.

“I thought about Dungannon in terms of team selection and tactics, but it didn’t really hit me until I was driving up the road.

“I got myself out of the road, I didn’t speak to many people before the game and just focused on the game.”

With the January transfer window opening in little over a week, McAree insists he is looking to add to his panel as Jamie Glackin trained with his new team-mates for the first time.

“I am working hard at bringing players in this window,” he concluded.

“I have spoken to a few and identified a few potential targets.

“There will hopefully be bodies added to the club in January but it’s a difficult window to get what you want.

“I’ll sign players who I know will improve us and add to the quality we have here.

“You would love to go into the Irish Cup tie with two or three new bodies and you can start integrating them into the squad.

“Jamie Glackin has started training with us already and he has showed his qualities.

“We are still speaking to Darren McCauley about extending his deal and we are doing our best to make sure it gets over the line.”