SWIFTS STAGE STUNNING FIGHT BACK

Dungannon Swifts staged a sensational last gasp revival to come from three goals down to salvage a point from Larne at Inver Park.

With Larne being presented with the champions flag prior to kick-off one could have been forgiven for thinking this first game of their title defence against the side that only survived the drop via the play-offs would be little more than a procession.

And it might have looked that way with half-an-hour on the clock when skipper Tomas Cosgrove fired Tiernan Lynch's side in front when he rose to meet Levi Ives' cross from the left to nod beyond Declan Dunne into the far corner.

Dungannon responded positively, however, and duly levelled just six minutes later through Joe Moore after he held off the attentions on Aaron Donnelly to send a low left-foot effort past Rohan Ferguson at the near post.

Larne regained the advantage early in the second half courtesy of Dylan Sloan's right-foot finish into the corner after being teed up by Cosgrove.

They then extended their lead to seemingly put the game beyond doubt deep with a quick fire double with just over ten minutes to go.

Andy Ryan added a third on 77 minutes after side footing home a Lee Bonis left-sided cross before the roles reversed for Bonis to run onto Ryan's through ball to lob the advancing Dunne.

Game over, surely?

However, the visitors clearly hadn't read the script. Substitute Ben Gallagher knocked home what appeared to be an 85th minute consolation with a thumping effort high into the net.

But, galvanised by this, Rodney McAree's side reduced the deficit to just one goal with around sixty seconds of normal time remaining when the appropriately named Tomas Galvin lifted the ball into the net after Ferguson had come off his line.

Then, remarkably, the Swifts secured a point in the most dramatic of circumstances five minutes into added time when Andrew Whiteside got the final touch from Moore's inswinging corner to stun the champions and send the visiting fans into ecstasy.

Larne: Ferguson, Want, Donnelly, Farquhar, Bonis, Ives, Thomson, Millar, Cosgrove, Sloan, Ryan subs Dowling, Kearns, O'Neill, Gordon, Westerndorf, Glynn, Smith

Dungannon Swifts: Dunne, McGee, Curry, Marron, Hegarty, Owens, Devine, Dillon, S. Scott, Moore, McGinty subs Ritchie, J. Scott, Knowles, Glenny, Gallagher, Whiteside, Galvin