Ports pick up first league win

The Ports boss knew they would be in for another tough game. "We all realise how difficult a place this is to come, and any team that comes down here and gets anything has done well," he said.

The first half failed to produce much in the way of silky football in the hot conditions with two evenly matched teams cancelling each other out. A Josh Ukek rifling drive was well saved by Ross Glendinning in a half of few chances. Reflecting on the first half performance Currie said, "It wasn't a game for the purist, we did try to get it down a wee bit, then I said at half time, we have to do something different. The long grass made it difficult for us to get the ball down and play our usual game."

Portadown came out in the second period upping the tempo, but frustratingly could not make the breakthrough. McGuicken for Carrick and McCullough for Portadown had the best of the chances, but both keepers were on their toes to keep the score line blank. The longer the game went on it looked like it was heading for stalemate.

The breakthrough did come on 69 minutes. Niall Currie had changed things up going 3-5-2, see that Eamon Fyfe was struggling out wide, Currie pushed him up top. A long ball from Steven McCullough found Fyfe on the wrong side of Forsythe down the left hand side. Fyfe strongly fought of the challenge if Forsythe and cutting into the box he coolly slide the ball past the advancing keeper.

Both sides made a number of changes in the strength sapping conditions and with Carrick pushing for the equaliser Aaron McCarey in the visitors goal pulled off several top drawer saves. With five minutes added time having come and gone McCarey calmly pounced on the ball to finally kill of the Carrick advances.

The final whistle signalled scences of celebration from the travelling support, as the Ports secured their first win against the home side since April 2016. It was a hard fought win and one appreciated by the Ports fans, as Currie was quick to point out. "Our supporters, if they see you are not fully committed, not giving your all, they will let you know. As long as the supporters see the players rinsing their shirts out at the end of the game, win, lose or draw, they will back them."

Carrick: Glendinning, Forsythe, Surgenor, McGuicken(Crowe), Maciulaitis(Stewart), McCullough, Buchanan-Rolleston, Cherry, Heatley, Glendinning(Andrews), Gibson. Unused subs, McCauley, Kalla, Graham, Given

Portadown; McCarey, Altintop, MacKinnon, L Wilson(Mullan), Chapman, McCullough, Fyfe, Ukek(Wylie), Obhakhan(Mayes), McCartan, Thompson(McCawl). Unused subs, Ray, Redman, Henderson