Players Currie favour with Ports boss
Portadown manager Niall Currie demanded a reaction from his players after the dismal performance at Coleraine, and he was delighted with how they responded against Carrick Rangers on Saturday evening. Tactically this was a game in which Stephen Baxter’s side came to Shamrock Park intent on frustrating Portadown and hitting them on the break.
The home side made two changes to the starting line-up with Teelan and Wylie coming in for Mayse and Minzamba. The Ports had an early shout for a penalty in the sixth minute when Crowe stubbled in the box and the on rushing Obhakhan fell over him when he would have been clear through on goal, but referee Clarke was having none of it. Ninety seconds later a ball across the box from Teelan found Ukek racing in at the back post, but he couldn’t steer it on target.At the other end of the park a long free kick from McCullough found Boyle and he should have done better when he blasted wildly over when well-placed just six yards out.Portadown came close to opening the scoring in the twenty-fifth minute. McCullough’s free kick was blocked by the wall, and as it broke to Isamala he scooped the ball to Obhakhan six yards out. Obhakhan’s shot rebounded down off the bar and as it bounced out Ahu’s follow up was headed against the crossbar and just over the top. TV pictures seemed to indicate that the ball had crossed the line.The second period was a frustrating affair with the well organised Carrick side sitting in deep and hitting the Ports on the break. Portadown had another shout for a penalty on seventy-nine minutes when Chapman got the wrong side of his marker and appeared to be brought down in the box. The referee waived play on and as the ball was knocked goalwards it was somehow prevented from being bundled across the.The only goal of the game came on eighty-three minutes when McCartan’s shot was spilled by the keeper and Ukek rushed in, to fire home from a tight angle. Two minutes from time Ukek stung McInytre’s fingers with a shot from 25 yards. It was all Portadown in the closing stages as Carrick’s hit and run tactics backfired on them.Danny Gibson had a couple of breakaway opportunities but McCarey in the Portadown goal stood tall to nullify the danger and secure his eleventh clean sheet of the season.With two games remaining before the split, Portadown are well placed but Niall Currie has called upon his players to finish the season properly, “For a newly promoted club to be sitting where we are is unbelievable, but I would like to keep everybody calm. I asked the players for a reaction today and we got a reaction. That was a fantastic performance from every single player, even the changes we made and the subs that came on all had an impact” Portadown; McCarey, Chapman, Altintop, Isamala, McCullough, Ukek, McCartan, Wylie(Minzamba), Thompson, Obhakhan(Mayse), Teelan(Fyfe). Unused Subs: Williamson, McElroy, Mayse, Traynor, MinzambaCarrick Rangers; McIntyre, Forsythe, McCullough(Watson), Clucas, Gibson, O’Brien, O’Malley, Boyle, Maciulaitis(Hastings), Crowe, Cherry(O’Reilly) Unused Subs: Mather, Cushley, Buchanan-Rolleston, Forbe