Action Mental Health NIFL Charity Shield
Linfield 0-0 Dungannon Swifts
(Dungannon Swifts win 5-3 on penalties)
Dungannon Swifts followed up their Irish Cup victory last season with the first piece of silverware this term, as they defeated Linfield 5-3 on penalty kicks after a low-key stalemate in the Charity Shield at Windsor Park.
Leon Boyd scored the winning spot-kick after a game of few chances, which was heavily disrupted by wholesale substitutes in the second half, something that may lead the NIFL to introduce restricted subs in next year’s game.
In front of a healthy mid-summer crowd, it was perhaps no surprise that the game began at a pedestrian pace, with both teams only recently back into pre-season and with one eye on upcoming European fixtures.
In fact, the game was 25 minutes old before the first chance arrived and it went the way of the reigning league champions.
After a corner was cleared by the Dungannon defence it was passed right to Blues’ winger Kirk Millar.
His enticing cross was met by defender Ben Hall, who nodded wide when he should have done better.
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Five minutes later, it was Matthew Fitzpatrick’s turn to go close. Charlie Allen picked the former Antrim man out in the box, but he blazed over from 12 yards.
The Swifts almost stole the opener in the five minutes before the break. First, debutant Peter Maguire headed wide from a Kealan Dillon corner. Then, minutes later, it was Tomas Galvin who should have done better with his header from close range after another superb cross from Dillon.
If the opening period had a rusty feeling to proceedings the second half was a completely dis-jointed affair thanks to a raft of substitutes being used by both sides as almost entire new line-ups were introduced by the time the hour mark was reached.
Linfield’s Sam Roscoe almost found his own net after a misjudged back-pass to goalkeeper David Walsh. Thankfully for Roscoe, the ball ran wide of his own goal and the game went straight to penalty kicks.
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Linfield Johns, East, Millar, Allen, Hall, Archer, Mulgrew (C), McGee, Fitzpatrick, Morrison, Orr
Subs Walsh, Roscoe, Whiteside, Shields, Offord, McKee, Brown, McCullough, Annett, McKay
Dungannon Swifts Dunne, P. Maguire, Marron, Galvin, Dillon, Glenny, Kelly, T. Maguire, Smith, Wallace, Bigirimana (C)
Subs Henderson. Glass, S. Scott, J. Scott, King, Boyd, Alves, McGinty, McAleese, McAllister
