SWIFTS HIT FOUR TO CLIMB OFF BOTTOM

Dungannon Swifts stormed to victory over Newry City at Stangmore Park to climb off the foot of the table.

Matthew Lusty might have opened the scoring for the Swifts after just three minutes after combining with Leo Alves only to send his left-foot effort over the top.

But he went one better soon after, making no mistake with a finish past keeper Tom Murphy after being found in space by Cahal McGinty.

The visitors responded positively and might have levelled when Adam Salley fired wide from just inside the area while Daniel Hughes volley past an upright soon after.

Lusty could have doubled Dungannon's lead a little later but could only fire into the side netting with the goal at his mercy.

However, the Swifts did extend their advantage just before the half-hour mark. Murphy did well to push Kealan Dillon's free-kick onto the crossbar but Tomas Galvin was quickest to react to the loose ball to head home from point blank range.

Then, on 35 minutes, Galvin added a third to double his tally with a left-foot volley beyond Murphy following Alves' knock down inside the box.

Newry thrown a lifeline just before the break, however, after Hughes sent over a low cross from wide on the left for Dean Curry and Salley to reach at the far post, with the final touch appearing to come off Salley.

That goal seemed to give Newry a much needed boost, and a number of occasions after the break they came close to pulling another one back in particular when Salley couldn't get a strong enough connection from point blank range whilst he could only look on as another effort was parried away by Conor Mitchell.

But the game was put to bed with just over 20 minutes remaining when substitute Ethan Devine swivelled to send a low effort into the corner of the net to restore Dungannon's three-goal cushion.

Dungannon Swifts: Mitchell, Curry, Marron, Dillon, S. Scott, Glenny, McGinty, Lusty, Alves, Bigirimana, Galvin subs Dunne, J. Scott, Knowles, Devine, Gallagher, Maguire, Hutchinson

Newry City: Murphy, N. Healy, McGivern, McKeown, Carroll, Hughes, Salley, Moan, Forde, Mooney, Poynton subs Maguire, J. McGovern, O'Connor, B. Healy, Newell, Owens, P. McGovern