COLERAINE maintained their good run of form as two early goals was enough to seal victory against Dungannon Swifts at The Showgrounds…
Coleraine made one change for the fixture as Lee Lynch replaced the suspended Josh Carson and they made a quick fire start by taking the lead inside three minutes. A shot from Dean Jarvis would prove too hot to handle and Matthew Shevlin was on hand to convert the rebound from close range.
The Swifts would threaten through Gerardo Bruna’s long-range free-kick which had to be saved by Gareth Deane, whilst at the other end, Dunne would be called into action to tip away Lyndon Kane’s effort from the edge of the box.
Dungannon would miss another big chance on ten minutes as a flick-on by Marc Walsh released Joe McCready inside the box but the former Coleraine ace blazed over the bar with the goal at his mercy. That wastefulness would be punished less than sixty seconds later as Coleraine doubled their lead as Conor McDermott notched his first goal for the club with a delightful left foot effort.
On 13 minutes, Coleraine would go close to making it 3-0 as a long ball by McDermott picked out the advancing Shevlin but the striker failed to make it 15 goals for the season as his lob went over the bar. Dean Shiels’ men would rue their luck in front of goal yet again as McCready this time released Walsh who fired over from an inviting position.
After a flurry of chances, the game started to settle down with Conor McKendry having a goal bound effort deflected wide, before Mayowa Animasahun was in the right place at the right time to clear the ball off the line after Shevlin found space inside the area.
The visitors needed a strong start to the second-half and they created an opening on 55 minutes as the ball presented itself to McCready at the edge of the area but his effort failed to test Deane.
The Bannsiders would go through on goal numerous times but the lack of a final pass or composure denied a match clinching third goal. However, a matter of inches is what denied Shevlin a second as he just missed a vital flick onto Lynch’s fizzing cross.
From the resulting phase of play, the Swifts would also rue a matter of inches as Ben Gallagher’s driven effort took a wicked deflection off Lyndon Kane, and just when it looked like the ball would go over the head of Deane, luckily it struck the top of the crossbar.
On 79 minutes, the Stripes thought they had a third goal to celebrate as Evan McLaughlin picked out the run of Lynch on the right-hand side and his cross was finished by Michael McCrudden. Just when the striker went to celebrate, he would be denied for being offside by the linesman.
A professional performance by Oran Kearney’s men who make it seven clean sheets from their last eight fixtures in all competitions.
COLERAINE: Deane, Kane, D. Jarvis, A. Jarvis (Lowry ’67 mins), McKendry (E. McLaughlin ’67 mins), Farren, O’Donnell, Lynch, O’Mahony, McDermott, Shevlin (McCrudden ’77 mins).
Subs Not Used: Gallagher (GK), Mullan, Brown, J. McLaughlin.
DUNGANNON SWIFTS: Dunne, J. Scott, Marron, McCready (Gallagher ’71 mins), O’Connor (Cushnie ’64 mins), Campbell, Walsh (Smith ’71 mins), McGee, Animasahun (Lynch ’86 mins), S. Scott, Bruna.
Subs Not Used: Groogan (GK), McGinty, Ruddy.
Referee: Raymond Crangle