Dungannon Swifts boss Rodney McAree: We must up our game to meet rising demands

Dungannon Swifts manager Rodney McAree wants his side to show heart and spirit against Newry City

Conor Mitchell kept a clean sheet on his first start for Dungannon Swifts against Glentoran

Dungannon Swifts' Adam Glenny plays the ball out under pressure from Glentoran striker Jay Donnelly

Dungannon Swifts boss Rodney McAree admits his team must learn to meet the expectation levels that are now hovering over Stangmore Park.

The Co Tyrone club may still be languishing in 10th-place in the Sports Direct Premiership table, having pocketed merely six points from their opening eight fixtures, but they have matched up to some of the League’s ‘big guns’ along the way.

Their latest point came last Saturday when they held title-chasing Glentoran to a scoreless draw at The BetMcLean Oval. But that wasn’t a one-off result, because they also shared the spoils with Coleraine and Larne, while they just lost by the odd goal in five to David Healy’s Linfield.

On the flip side, the Swifts have lost to newly-promoted Loughgall and Carrick Rangers – teams that McAree believes were in the ‘beatable’ category.

With a trip to Gary Boyle’s Newry City looming on Friday night, McAree believes if his boys are ‘on it’, they can add to their points tally.

“We must make sure the level of performances we put in against Glentoran, we put the same level of performance in against Newry City,” warns McAree.

“It just can’t be the case of us turning up for the big games, like Glentoran, Coleraine, Linfield and Larne. We must turn up every week with the same effort, the same attitude and the same desire.

“You need that to get results in this League... it’s a results-driven business.

“Personally, I go into every game thinking we can get a result. But I also