Ferguson double delight for Whites

Glenn Ferguson scored twice as Distillery gained revenge for their 6-0 hammering on their last visit to Portadown in the league.

Ferguson's double came in the last ten minutes of the game and sealed a great night as Wright's men moved to within three points of Institute who lost at home to Crusaders.

The game was slow to get going but the Ports had the first real effort on goal on 13 minutes when Kevin Braniff saw his brilliant free kick tipped over the bar by keeper Phil Matthews. The Distillery number one was alert again to deal with the corner as the home side pressed for the opener.

The Whites responded with a neat move at the other end and Peter McCann was closed down just when he was about to shoot for goal.

Gary Thompson kept up the good work going close on a couple of occasions before the visitors made the breakthrough five minutes from the break. Thompson and Ferguson linked to set up Gary Browne whose snapshot lacked pace but it crept past David Miskelly in the home goal.

The Ports pressed hard to get back into the game and it was all square on 62 minutes when Richard Leckey was allowed to meet a cross from Braniff and his header flew past a stranded Matthews who had came out to deal with the cross.

There was a lucky escape for Distillery soon after when the normally reliable Braniff missed from a great position.

With ten minutes left the visitors produced the best move of the night as Thompson raced clear and when his cross fell to Ferguson there was only going to be one outcome and the Whites were ahead again.

As Portadown went all out for a point they were caught cold at the back and Ferguson added his second and Distillery's third from close range.

Next up for the Whites is a home match against Crusaders on Saturday.