Irish Cup: “Once you taste success, you want more” – Dungannon coach Rodney Macari

After leading Dungannon to their first ever Irish Cup win last season, as well as a top-six finish in league and European football, Swifts boss Rodney Macari does not give the impression of a man happy to rest on his laurels.

Stangmore’s 4-3 penalty shootout win over Cliftonville in the decider at Windsor Park last May sparked huge celebrations among everyone associated with the County Tyrone side.

Now the Dungannon boss is eyeing the prospect of retaining the cup as his side prepare to begin their cup defense at home to Championship side Ards on Saturday.

“It’s exciting, it’s strange times for Dungannon Swifts to be involved as cup holders,” McCarry said.

He added: “We are looking forward to it. It will be a difficult match, a difficult match, but we believe that we are capable of winning it, and we want to advance and we want to try to start dreaming again.”

He added: “We will accept the challenge. Winning the title last year was incredible and wonderful, but we want to try to do it again.”

“Once you taste that level of success, you want to taste it a lot more than we have done in the past. We won the League Cup in 2018 and when I achieved that, the next thing I wanted to win was the Irish Cup.”