GANNON BAWL RUN

Swifts put back in their box..

DUNGANNON SWIFTS were brought back down to Earth with a bump as Crusaders clipped their wings at Seaview yesterday.

The battle between the early season pace setters was a one-sided affair from the first minute, with Stephen Baxter’s leaders flexing their muscles to send the visitors packing.

It took just five minutes for Crues to assert their authority. A header from Billy Joe Burns found David Cushley, who played Philip Lowry in for a low shot across goal that beat Swifts keeper Sam Johnston a little too easily.

The home side were utterly dominant, and the next to try his luck was creative spark Cushley. Rory Hale’s pass found Paul Heatley breaking down the left and the forward’s clever cutback found his strike partner.

Taking a touch to set himself, Cushley’s shot across goal beat Johnston but not Ross

Redmond, with the alert left-back doing well to clear off the line. The Swifts were tidy enough in possession but lacked any sort of punch until teenager Oisin Smyth unlocked the door with a little bit of magic. The talented teenager played a beautifully disguised reverse pass into space for Kris Lowe but

Crues keeper Sean O’Neill was quickly off his line to smother the forward’s effort.

The visitors were then made to pay for that piece of impertinence as Crusaders made it 2-0 five minutes before the break. The lively Heatley slotted the ball down the left channel, Lowry cut back before delivering a cross to the far post and right-back Burns came steaming in to drill a shot into the bottom left corner.

On the restart, Dungannon came out and tried to make a fight of it but Smyth’s low free-kick didn’t unduly trouble O’Neill.

And the game was up before the hour mark as Crusaders capitalised on a couple of lucky rebounds.

The first broke to Cushley, who adroitly set Heatley in on goal. The striker failed to beat Johnston but

the ball fell kindly to Lowry, who rolled it into the net from 12 yards out.

Sub Jamie McGonigle then hooked a shot just over before Heatley thumped the ball into Johnston’s midriff as he sought the goal his afternoon’s work deserved. Johnston did well to win another one-on-one duel with the nippy Harry Robinson but Crusaders

were more than happy to settle for three goals, three points and another clean sheet as they opened up some daylight at the top of the table.