LINFIELD EDGE PAST SWIFTS AT STANGMORE
Linfield kicked their campaign off with a win but were made work all the way by Dungannon Swifts at Stangmore Park.
Scoreless for most of the first half, the deadlock was finally broken on 42 minutes when Chris McKee ran onto a perfectly weighted Joel Cooper cross to nod past Declan Dunne.
The Swifts levelled just moments later, however, through Kealan Dillon courtesy of an excellent free-kick into the top corner from around 25 yards.
Linfield regained the advantage early in the second half after Cooper reacted quickest to the rebound after his initial effort had been saved.
Kirk Millar added a third seven minutes from time with a sweeping finish into the top corner from the edge of the box but Ben Gallagher pulled one back for the home side right at the end of normal time to set up a tense finish.
Dungannon Swifts: Dunne, McGee, J. Scott, Curry, Marron, Hegarty, Dillon, S. Scott, Gallagher, Moore, Whiteside subs Morgan, Owens, Glenny, McGinty, Lusty, Harpur, Galvin
Linfield: Johns, Finlayson, Shields, Scott, Millar, McClean, Cooper, Hall, Clarke, McKee, Mulgrew subs Walsh, McBrien, Fitzpatrick, Robertson, McKay, Archer, McStravick
Substitution 
Substitution 
