The Swifts fell short when losing 3-2 to Coleraine at the weekend
Rodney McAree insists his Dungannon Swifts team will be ready for the second bite at the cherry as they chase a return to Europe.
Having sampled continental action last summer after winning the Irish Cup, the Swifts fell short when losing this year’s final 3-2 to Coleraine at the weekend.
But despite that shattering disappointment, McAree says his tight-knit squad will respond in the right manner as they plot an alternative route back into the UEFA Conference League – starting tonight against Carrick Rangers.
When asked how the Swifts players will be able to pick themselves up after emptying the tank in a classic Cup final, the 51-year-old said: “You just have to do it. There’s no other way.
“You can respond one or two ways, and you either pick yourself up or you don’t.
“And I have complete faith in the changing room.
“Swifts changing-rooms, all over the years, have been extremely tight, barring maybe three or four years.
“We have a tight set of players within the dressing room, and I’ll back them to go and respond because we’re like family.
“We want to fight for each other, and we have to do that. We have no alternative.
“We can either turn up on the night or throw the towel in, but we have an opportunity of getting European football, and that starts on Wednesday night.
“We know that’s going to be a difficult game because Carrick finished the season very, very strongly.
“They’ve got good players also, but it’s another opportunity for us.
“We knew that finishing in the top six and being in the Irish Cup final, we were going to have at least two opportunities.
“So we’ve got to take the second one now.”
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