IRISH LEAGUE: Currie's praise as Kilmartin shows hunger to help Portadown promotion bid

The Ports have secured the highly-experienced midfielder on a two-year deal following Kilmartin’s decision to reject an offer to remain at Glenavon - plus terms with a number of other top-flight teams.

That desire to play his part in Portadown’s promotion drive proved key for Currie and he considers the 34-year-old a “manager’s dream”.

“We talked to Andy and what really came across in the conversation was his desire to be a part of something and play regularly,” said Currie. “We tried to get across the bigger picture in terms of what we feel the club can do in the future and Andy was on board.

“He is a manager’s dream to be honest and excellent in terms of what we need from our midfield.

“Now with Andy, David McCullough and Luke Wilson we have three excellent players as part of our midfield options that give you energy and quality.

“The two-year offer was a big part of the appeal obviously for Andy but it says a lot about his desire that he came on board despite better one-year contracts from Premiership clubs.

“We explained to Andy our plans for the future in terms of the new Board of Directors and sponsorship backing, for example, so we are delighted to have him at the club.

“When we talk about the right characters, Andy fits the bill perfectly.

“He is in great physical shape, a real leader and can call on experience from some massive games.

“We also hope Andy’s arrival, given what he brings to the table, can open up opportunities with our other targets.”