Swifts end up on losing side

Swifts end up on losing side

Stranmillis 3

RATHFRILAND Swifts were back in league action on Saturday past and after a close encounter came out on the wrong end of a 3-2 scoreline.

On a narrow pitch the first half was quite scrappy with both sides not getting into a flowing football rhythm.

Stranmillis took the lead on the 20 minute mark when they broke down the left hand side and a good interchange allowed them to progress and poke the ball powerfully into the net.

Lee Mackin went close with a long range shot while Chris Frazer and Kyle Heslip also had half chances with David Hollingsworth also going close to grabbing an equaliser.

Disaster struck for Rathfriland when they went 2-0 down after Stranmillis headed home from a corner kick. Rathfriland made changes at half time and within 15 minutes the restructure had Rathfriland pulling the game level at 2-2. Firstly a great long throw by Lee McDowell was headed into the net by Lee Mackin while a second came after a neat move down the right finished with Chris Frazer firing a low shot into the bottom corner.

Rathfriland looked likely to go on and win it but within minutes a clear offside breakaway goal was amazingly allowed to stand to make it 3-2 to the home side.

From this point on the Swifts peppered the home goal with attack after attack with Rathfriland having two offside goals disallowed. Joe Toal, Alan Murray, Lee Mackin and Chris Frazer all went close as the visitors kept pushing the home side into their own half but in the end the game finished 3-2 to Stranmillis. Overall this was a scrappy first half performance but a great second half with Rathfriland coming away wondering just how they did not take anything from the game. TEAM: Anthony Cunningham, Ryan Monaghan, Gavin Duffy, Alan Murray, William Morrison, David Gilmore, Chris Frazer, Lee Mackin, Kyle Heslip, David Hollingsworth, Keith Megaw.

Subs: Joe Toal, Lee McDowell.

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