Limavady United suffer late heartbreak as Swifts snatch stoppage-time winner

Limavady United were left heartbroken after conceding a stoppage-time winner as Dungannon Swifts ended their eight-match winless run with a dramatic 3-2 victory at Stangmore Park.

The Roesiders looked on course for a valuable away point after battling back to equalise through an unfortunate own goal from Cahal McGinty in the 84th minute.

However, there was one final twist in the contest as Sean McAllister rose to head home in the 91st minute, denying Paul Owens' side a share of the spoils.

Both sides struck the woodwork during an entertaining opening half, with Limavady coming closest to breaking the deadlock when John Butcher found himself unmarked in the penalty area, only to see his looping header crash against the crossbar after eight minutes.

Dungannon responded with Paul Doyle also hitting the woodwork with a superb curling effort, while Junior Uzokwe was denied a certain goal by Kieran Farren's remarkable overhead clearance off the line.

The visitors eventually got their reward six minutes into the second half when Ruairi Boorman combined with Philip Lowry before delivering towards Butcher, who fired a low effort through a crowd of players and into the bottom corner to give the Roesiders the lead.

Dungannon manager Rodney McAree responded with a triple substitution after 57 minutes, and two of those introductions would prove decisive.

The hosts found their equaliser in the 71st minute when Adam Glenny delivered from the left and substitute Andrew Mitchell produced a clever flick to guide the ball beyond Martin Gallagher and into the far corner.

The turnaround was completed seven minutes later when fellow substitute Kealan Dillon collected a deflected ball on the edge of the area before curling a low finish into the bottom-left corner.

Limavady refused to surrender, however, and were back on level terms in the 84th minute when Daniel Lafferty's corner was inadvertently powered into his own net by Dungannon defender Cahal McGinty.

With the contest seemingly heading for a draw, the Swifts applied one final spell of pressure and won a corner after Gael Bigirimana's effort was deflected behind.

There was still time for one final twist as Dillon delivered from the left and McAllister rose at the near post to power a header across goal and into the far corner in the first minute of stoppage time, sparking celebrations among the home support.

The result brings Dungannon's eight-match league winless run to an end, with the Swifts moving four points clear of Limavady, who will be left to reflect on a hugely frustrating afternoon after coming so close to taking something from their trip to Stangmore Park.

Limavady United manager Paul Owens said: “We started the game really well and had a couple of good chances. John (Butcher) hit the crossbar as well. The big encouraging thing at half-time was that we were still 0-0.

“In the second half we were really comfortable, and I did think we had a good opportunity of holding on to our lead. But to then concede two goals, go again and get the equaliser, it's obviously devastating at the end.

“Two goals away from home at a really hard place to come is a positive. John Butcher got his first goal in the Premiership, so we're delighted for him.

“There's no shouting and roaring in there. We know how much effort the players put in, and they're absolutely devastated. It's a really harsh lesson.”

The Roesiders return to action on Friday evening against Cliftonville FC at the Limavady Showgrounds. The Reds were triumphant over League Champions Larne on Friday evening after a 4-2 finish at Solitude.

Limavady were the winners in their first meeting back in September thanks to a Jamie McGonigle goal in the first half that allowed the Roesiders to secure all three points.

LIMAVADY: Gallagher, Farren, T. Boorman, Jarvis, P. Lowry, Duffy, Tosh, R. Boorman, (Butcher 51’), Lafferty, Wilson

SUBS Not Used: Browne, Riley, O’Donnell, Mullan

DUNGANNON: Dunne, McGinty, Kelly, Smith, S. Scott, Alves, Glenny, Doyle, Wallace, Uzokwe, (McAllister 90+1’)

SUBS Not Used: Henderson, Scott, Glackin,

Referee: Niall Devlin