Irish Premiership: Dungannon Swifts 3-3 Glenavon

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Dungannon Swifts and Glenavon share the spoils in a six-goal thriller at Stangmore Park.

Dungannon and Glenavon took a point apiece from Friday's Mid-Ulster derby.

Dungannon had led 2-0 after William Murphy turned in a throw for an own goal and Richard Copeland headed in.

Defender Murphy scored at the right end on the hour and soon afterwards Guy Bates scrambled in an equaliser and Mark Patton made it 3-2 to Glenavon.

David Rainey hit the bar as Glenavon went close to a fourth and Darren Boyce levelled with a penalty after Shane McCabe had fouled Ryan Harpur.

"If David's header had gone in, I think we would have gone on to win it but, if someone had offered us a draw at half-time, we would have taken it," said Glenavon player-manager Gary Hamilton.

"We have a lot of fighting spirit at the club now, and the players are playing for very little money.

"They are here because they want to play for the club and they want to play football."

Things had looked bleak for Glenavon when they conceded two goals from long Gareth McKeown throw-ins.

Murphy turned the ball into his own net in the 14th minute and then Copeland was allowed a free header for 2-0.

After Murphy and bates had squared the entertaining contest, Glenavon looked the more likely winners.

Patton had a shot hit a post but he found the net with a fine lob after Hamilton, on as a substitute, played it through.

Swifts grabbed the draw with Harpur's penalty and manager Darren Murphy was happy enough with that.

"We have a young group of players and they could have crumbled after conceding three goals in 21 minutes," he said.

"But they regrouped and got their equaliser and over the whole 90 minutes I think a draw was a fair result."

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