Portadown Football Club is a professional,
Northern Irish
Northern Irish people is a demonym for all people born in Northern Ireland or people who are entitled to reside in Northern Ireland without any restriction on their period of residence. Most Northern Irish people either identify as Northern ...
football
Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...
club that plays in the
NIFL Premiership
The NIFL Premiership, known as the Danske Bank Premiership for sponsorship purposes, and colloquially as the Irish League or Irish Premiership, is a professional association football league which operates as the highest division of the Northe ...
.
The club was formed in 1887 as a junior team seeking to participate in the
Mid-Ulster Cup
The Mid-Ulster Cup is a senior football competition in Northern Ireland run by the Mid-Ulster Football Association (founded 2 April 1887). The competition has historically featured teams based in County Armagh, east County Tyrone, and west Count ...
, eventually joining the
Irish League with the support of other local clubs in 1924.
They are based in
Portadown
Portadown () is a town in County Armagh, Northern Ireland. The town sits on the River Bann in the north of the county, about southwest of Belfast. It is in the Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council area and had a population of a ...
in
County Armagh
County Armagh (, named after its county town, Armagh) is one of the six counties of Northern Ireland and one of the traditional thirty-two counties of Ireland. Adjoined to the southern shore of Lough Neagh, the county covers an area of and ha ...
and play their home matches at
Shamrock Park
Shamrock Park is a football (soccer), football stadium in Portadown, County Armagh, Northern Ireland. It is the home ground of Portadown F.C. Shamrock Park was previously used for stock-car racing, but this has since been discontinued. The stad ...
. The club's colours are red and white; their home are kit consists of red shirts, red shorts and red socks with white trim on all. The Badge shows a red apple inside it. Many believe this comes from the "orchard county" nickname to the area.
The club's main rivals are
Glenavon
Glenavon Football Club is a Northern Irish semi-professional football club that competes in the NIFL Premiership. Founded in 1889, the club hails from Lurgan and plays its home matches at Mourneview Park. Club colours are blue and white. Gar ...
, with their matches being known as the "Mid Ulster Derby". The club also has a strong rivalry with
Glentoran
Glentoran Football Club is a professional football club that plays in the NIFL Premiership. The club was founded in 1882.
History
Early history
In 1914, Glentoran won the Vienna Cup, becoming the first United Kingdom team to win a European t ...
.
History
Junior years (1886–1924)
In 1887, the Mid Ulster Football Association was established, and in
Portadown
Portadown () is a town in County Armagh, Northern Ireland. The town sits on the River Bann in the north of the county, about southwest of Belfast. It is in the Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council area and had a population of a ...
, a young group of men set about creating a football club to participate in the
Mid-Ulster Cup
The Mid-Ulster Cup is a senior football competition in Northern Ireland run by the Mid-Ulster Football Association (founded 2 April 1887). The competition has historically featured teams based in County Armagh, east County Tyrone, and west Count ...
. Early meetings were held in a dimly lit room in the Young Men's Institute in Edward Street in Portadown, where club secretary William Mullen would read the minutes by candlelight. Early matches were played at Tavanagh, Ripley's Field, Armagh Road and Old Shamrock Park which was located approximately where Clounagh Junior High School is now sited. Among the early names to turn out for ''The Ports'' were Val Wilson, who would later become High Sheriff for
County Armagh
County Armagh (, named after its county town, Armagh) is one of the six counties of Northern Ireland and one of the traditional thirty-two counties of Ireland. Adjoined to the southern shore of Lough Neagh, the county covers an area of and ha ...
; and Harry Bell, whose father owned brickworks on the Armagh Road.
The club won the Irish Junior Cup after defeating
Larne
Larne (, , the name of a Gaelic Ireland, Gaelic territory) is a town on the east coast of County Antrim, Northern Ireland, with a population of 18,755 at the United Kingdom census, 2011, 2011 Census. It is a major passenger and freight Roll-on/ro ...
at
Grosvenor Park on 18 March 1899. That same season, ''The Ports'' won their first ever cup double by winning the
Mid-Ulster Cup
The Mid-Ulster Cup is a senior football competition in Northern Ireland run by the Mid-Ulster Football Association (founded 2 April 1887). The competition has historically featured teams based in County Armagh, east County Tyrone, and west Count ...
for the first time. Portadown retained the trophy the following season and the following next five seasons before the outbreak of
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
.
The junior game was very strong in the town at the time and ''The Ports'' had to compete for talent with teams such as Edenderry Arrows, Greenview (from Edgarstown), Portadown Celtic and Parkmount. Portadown is the only one of those clubs that remains today. In 1916, the new Irish Intermediate League was formed and Portadown were selected as one of the inaugural clubs for the new competition. However, they were forced to withdraw due to the clubs large number of players who had gone off to fight in
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
.
With the return of the local men from the war, the clamour for senior football was growing. One man in particular was leading the bid for the club's senior status: William A. Mullen, the man responsible for coining the phrase "The Hub of the North" which is still popular today. It came from in the late Victorian days when Portadown's extensive rail network led to all parts of Ireland.
Many of the junior clubs in that area put aside their rivalries with ''The Ports'' to back the club's bid to join the
Irish League. This was in a time of expansionism in Irish Football with the league keen to take the game beyond the boundary of
Belfast
Belfast ( , ; from ga, Béal Feirste , meaning 'mouth of the sand-bank ford') is the capital and largest city of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan on the east coast. It is the 12th-largest city in the United Kingdo ...
. The only club who were in the league at the time were current rivals
Glenavon
Glenavon Football Club is a Northern Irish semi-professional football club that competes in the NIFL Premiership. Founded in 1889, the club hails from Lurgan and plays its home matches at Mourneview Park. Club colours are blue and white. Gar ...
. In 1923, the Irish League was expanded from six to ten clubs with the introduction of
Newry Town
Newry City Football Club was a Northern Irish association football, football club founded in 1918 and dissolved in 2012. It was based in Newry, County Down and played its home matches at The Showgrounds (Newry), the Showgrounds. Club colours we ...
,
Ards
Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) is a type of respiratory failure characterized by rapid onset of widespread inflammation in the lungs. Symptoms include shortness of breath (dyspnea), rapid breathing (tachypnea), and bluish skin color ...
and
Barn
A barn is an agricultural building usually on farms and used for various purposes. In North America, a barn refers to structures that house livestock, including cattle and horses, as well as equipment and fodder, and often grain.Allen G. ...
. Then finally, after several years of preparation, William Mullen together with Tom Dawson and his committee met the league chiefs in June 1924 and were able to present a strong case for joining the league. Their good work in winning friends and influencing people paid dividends and Portadown became a full member club of the Irish League together with the readmittance of
Belfast Celtic
Belfast Celtic Football Club was a football club. Founded in 1891 in Belfast, Northern Ireland, it was one of the most successful teams in Ireland until it withdrew permanently from the Irish League in 1949. The club left the league for polit ...
. The nucleus of the first teams to represent the club came from the local junior clubs who had supported the bid – names such as Nisbet, Dinnan, Carraher, Boyd, Cochrane and Hunter.
Early Irish League years (1924–1932)
In August 1924, Portadown played their first senior game; the opponents that day were
Glentoran
Glentoran Football Club is a professional football club that plays in the NIFL Premiership. The club was founded in 1882.
History
Early history
In 1914, Glentoran won the Vienna Cup, becoming the first United Kingdom team to win a European t ...
. The first Irish League game played at
Shamrock Park
Shamrock Park is a football (soccer), football stadium in Portadown, County Armagh, Northern Ireland. It is the home ground of Portadown F.C. Shamrock Park was previously used for stock-car racing, but this has since been discontinued. The stad ...
was against the champions
Queens Island in a game that finished 0–0.
In that first season, Portadown finished fourth, two points behind Belfast Celtic with
Queens Island taking second place, behind champions Glentoran. Along the way, ''The Ports'' played some memorable matches, including a 4–3 victory over
Linfield at Shamrock Park and a 1–0 win against Belfast Celtic in the
City Cup
The City Cup was a rugby league competition involving Australian premiership teams. The post season tournament was a regular feature in the years 1912–1925. City Cups were also played in 1937, 1942 and 1959.
The inaugural city cup was contested ...
.
The 1925–26 season saw a continuation of their consolidation in the league with away victories at both Belfast Celtic and Linfield.
After only nine seasons in senior football Portadown lifted their first senior trophy, defeating Glentoran 1–0 at
Solitude
Solitude is a state of seclusion or isolation, meaning lack of socialisation. Effects can be either positive or negative, depending on the situation. Short-term solitude is often valued as a time when one may work, think, or rest without distu ...
in the
Gold Cup Final. Thousands of Factory workers took a half-day off work and travelled to
Belfast
Belfast ( , ; from ga, Béal Feirste , meaning 'mouth of the sand-bank ford') is the capital and largest city of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan on the east coast. It is the 12th-largest city in the United Kingdo ...
by train. Around 5,000 ''Ports'' fans were packed into Solitude to witness the victory. With only three minutes left and the scores level at 0–0, William Johnston scored the winning goal amid scenes of wild celebration for ''The Ports supporters.
As the team returned to town that night, they were met by thousands of people at the railway station and toured the town in an open top bus before stopping at St. Mark's Church for speeches. Chairman William Mullen led the speeches before igniting a terrific bonfire.
Tommy Sloan trophy winning era (1932–1938)
Tommy Sloan was appointed manager in 1932 and his and Portadown's first major trophy success came in the 1933–34 season when they won the
Gold Cup under Sloan's charge and won the same trophy again in the 1937–38 season before his resignation due to the coming war in 1938. He was replaced by Hugh Bullough, but would return to the club for a brief spell during
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
.
Postwar era (1945–1954)
Post-war, Portadown were in the shadow of Mid Ulster rivals Glenavon, who were undergoing their period of glory years in the 1950s that is yet to be repeated by ''The Lurgan Blues''.
Gibby McKenzie era (1958–1977)
In 1958, the club appointed Scottish manager Gibby McKenzie. The press described him as "the fast-talking Scot with the fanatical zeal for the game who eats sleeps and breathes football" after Harry Walker's short spell in charge. McKenzie very nearly clinched that first elusive league title in the 1960–61 season with Albert Mitchell missing a penalty that would have secured the league championship against Glentoran and in the 1961–62 season, where they finished second to Linfield in these seasons and finished third in the Irish League the following season. McKenzie left ''The Ports'' for good in 1977 after his second spell in charge of the club.
Bertie Neil era (1977–1979)
In 1977, the club appointed former
Bangor Bertie Neil, famed for the development of Northern Ireland legend and now
Sky Sports
Sky Sports is a group of British subscription sports channels operated by the satellite pay television company Sky Group (a division of Comcast), and is the dominant subscription television sports brand in the United Kingdom and Ireland. It ...
commentator
Gerry Armstrong. Neil's spell, although short, was considered successful, with another Gold Cup and an Irish Cup Final appearance in a 3–2 defeat to
Cliftonville
Cliftonville is a coastal area of the town of Margate, situated to the east of the main town, in the Thanet district of Kent, South East England, United Kingdom. It also contains the area known as Palm Bay.
The original Palm Bay estate was ...
. In 1979, the club announced that Neil had left the club "by mutual consent".
Terry Kingon era (1983–1986)
After Jon Flanagan's short spell in charge, the club appointed former player Terry Kingon. His team reached the
Ulster Cup
The Ulster Cup was an annual football competition held by the Irish Football League
Irish may refer to:
Common meanings
* Someone or something of, from, or related to:
** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Eu ...
final in 1985, defeating Linfield 3–1 in the semi-final at
The Oval
The Oval, currently known for sponsorship reasons as the Kia Oval, is an international cricket ground in Kennington, located in the borough of Lambeth, in south London. The Oval has been the home ground of Surrey County Cricket Club since ...
. But the serious injury in that match to star Scottish striker
Billy Paton (who had scored 28 goals the previous season for ''The Ports'') was a devastating blow.
Portadown held
Coleraine
Coleraine ( ; from ga, Cúil Rathain , 'nook of the ferns'Flanaghan, Deirdre & Laurence; ''Irish Place Names'', page 194. Gill & Macmillan, 2002. ) is a town and civil parish near the mouth of the River Bann in County Londonderry, Northern I ...
to a 0–0 draw during the 90 minutes but collapsed in extra-time, losing 5–0. Paton, who had started the game with pain-killing injections, broke down early on. Deprived of his scoring qualities for the rest of the season, Portadown struggled financially and this resulted in the sale of the training ground to meet creditors' demands. Kingon did his best with limited resources and one of the fascinating features of his season in charge at
Shamrock Park
Shamrock Park is a football (soccer), football stadium in Portadown, County Armagh, Northern Ireland. It is the home ground of Portadown F.C. Shamrock Park was previously used for stock-car racing, but this has since been discontinued. The stad ...
was the large number of drawn games involving Portadown. In fact, before he resigned in December 1986, Portadown had drawn 9 of the first 14 Irish League games, losing the other five.
Always approachable and available at all times to football reporters for interviews and team news, Kingon was always frank and honest in his post-match analysis. He left Portadown in a dignified manner ("by mutual consent", as the statement from the Board put it) and, as was typical of Kingon, in subsequent interviews he refused to blame anyone, instead accepting that he had found managerial responsibilities a lot more difficult and a lot less enjoyable than playing.
Ronnie McFall era (1986–2016)
From 11 December 1986 to 5 March 2016 the club's manager was
Ronnie McFall
Ronald Joseph McFall MBE (born 3 October 1947) is a former football player and former manager of NIFL Premiership sides Glentoran and Portadown. He was most notably manager of hometown club Portadown for 29 years from December 1986 until his ...
. He signed another in five-year contract in 2009 and signed a two-year deal in August 2014. McFall brought great success to the club, winning their elusive first ever league title in 1989 and league title wins in 1991, 1996 and in 2002; he also won three Irish Cups. He was born and raised in Portadown and played left-back for the club during the 1960s and 1970s. He has also played for
Dundee United
Dundee United Football Club is a Scottish professional football club based in the city of Dundee. The club name is usually abbreviated to Dundee United. Formed in 1909, originally as Dundee Hibernian, the club changed to the present name in 1 ...
of Scotland, and afterwards Ards and Glentoran, the latter where he began his managerial career. McFall was the longest serving manager in European football, surpassing
Sir Alex Ferguson
Sir Alexander Chapman Ferguson (born 31 December 1941) is a Scottish former football manager and player, best known for managing Manchester United from 1986 to 2013. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest football managers of all time ...
in 2013. McFall is one of the most successful managers in Irish league football. Following a run of poor results, McFall announced he would step down from his position as manager following a shocking 3–2 defeat to Lurgan Celtic in the Irish Cup quarter-final.
The club in the 1989–90 season finally broke the famed "Gypsy Curse" at Shamrock Park when, after coming so close so many times in the past, the club finally won the Irish League, and in the final match there was a pitch invasion by ''Ports'' fans, who were acting in disbelief at what had just happened that they had finally done it after coming so painfully close so many times. The following season was without a doubt the best one in the club's history when in the 1990–91 season, the club dominated the Irish League, nearly defeating every team in the division. They retained the title that season and they beat bitter rivals Glenavon in the Irish cup final 2–1 to secure the club's first ever league and cup
double
A double is a look-alike or doppelgänger; one person or being that resembles another.
Double, The Double or Dubble may also refer to:
Film and television
* Double (filmmaking), someone who substitutes for the credited actor of a character
* Th ...
. The season after was a disappointing one as players from the first two titles who were in the prime of their careers at the time, had started to age and attendances were starting to fall.
In the 1993–94 season the club had partially recovered from this slump and were involved in a three-way battle for the title between themselves and Linfield and Glenavon. With a rejuvenated squad arguably not as good as the last one, ''The Ports'' took on Glenavon and the winners would secure the league title, however a draw at
Mourneview Park
Mourneview Park is a football stadium in Lurgan, County Armagh, Northern Ireland, and is the home ground of NIFL Premiership club Glenavon. The stadium holds 4,160 and was originally built in 1895. The 2008–09 Irish League Cup, 2010–11 Iris ...
would hand the title to Linfield. Glenavon raced into a two-goal lead against Portadown at
Mourneview Park
Mourneview Park is a football stadium in Lurgan, County Armagh, Northern Ireland, and is the home ground of NIFL Premiership club Glenavon. The stadium holds 4,160 and was originally built in 1895. The 2008–09 Irish League Cup, 2010–11 Iris ...
, and with Linfield drawing with Glentoran, ''The Lurgan Blues'' would have won their first league title in 34 years. However, Portadown scored two quick fire goals to level it at 2–2 and with Linfield beating ''The Glens'' – the
Belfast
Belfast ( , ; from ga, Béal Feirste , meaning 'mouth of the sand-bank ford') is the capital and largest city of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan on the east coast. It is the 12th-largest city in the United Kingdo ...
side were now champions. Everything at Mourneview had now turned in Portadown's favour, who were creating chance after chance with the Ports missing the chance to win the title themselves when Robert Casey missed an easy chance, with Linfield eventually being crowned champions. For the 1995–96 season, a new crest was introduced and ''The Ports'' won their third league title that season, with
Gary Haylock and
Sandy Fraser
Alexander G. Fraser (8 June 1937 – 13 June 2022), also known as A. G. Fraser and Sandy Fraser, was a noted British- American computer scientist.
Fraser received his B.Sc. degree in Aeronautical Engineering from Bristol University in 1958, ...
the instigators in the title winning team.
Transitional period (1996–2000)
After their title win, the club lost many of their aging star players to retirement and to other clubs, and McFall is fondly remembered signing
Notts County
Notts County Football Club is a professional association football club based in Nottingham, England. The team participate in the National League (division), National League, the fifth tier of the English football league system. Founded on the 2 ...
striker
Vinny Arkins and "Big Vin" famously talks about how McFall refused to let him walk away from talks until he signed the contract offered to him. A generation of players such as
Philip Major
Philip Major (born December 8, 1988) is a retired Canadian racing driver.
After karting and amateur racing, Major began professional racing in 2006 in Formula BMW USA. He returned in 2007 and finished 10th in points with a pole and a podium fin ...
and Kyle Neill coming through and a few signings helped McFall build another team to win yet another league title in 2002 and losing 2–1 to Linfield in the Irish Cup Final to prevent another league and cup double.
Thereafter, club success was quite poor, with cost-cutting measures coming in and many aging players retiring or moving to larger clubs. The club's last major trophy came in 2005 when the club took on
Larne
Larne (, , the name of a Gaelic Ireland, Gaelic territory) is a town on the east coast of County Antrim, Northern Ireland, with a population of 18,755 at the United Kingdom census, 2011, 2011 Census. It is a major passenger and freight Roll-on/ro ...
in the Irish Cup Final, with the
Inver Park
Inver Park is a football stadium in Larne, County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It is the home ground of Larne F.C. The land was acquired by Larne in 1918 and has been in continuous use as a stadium ever since. In 2010 the official capacity was set ...
side scoring early on before ''The Ports'' scored five goals to secure the Irish Cup.
Demotion (2008)
On 30 April 2008, Portadown, who had been a senior football club in Northern Ireland since 1924, were demoted to the
Championship
In sport, a championship is a competition in which the aim is to decide which individual or team is the champion.
Championship systems
Various forms of competition can be referred to by the term championship.
Title match system
In this system ...
as a result of the club's final application form for the new
IFA Premiership
The NIFL Premiership, known as the Danske Bank Premiership for sponsorship purposes, and colloquially as the Irish League or Irish Premiership, is a professional association football league which operates as the highest division of the Northe ...
(due to replace the Irish Premier League for 2008–09) having been received 29 minutes late and thus not considered. The club unsuccessfully appealed its exclusion. Due to the drop from Northern Ireland's top domestic football league, the
IFA Premiership
The NIFL Premiership, known as the Danske Bank Premiership for sponsorship purposes, and colloquially as the Irish League or Irish Premiership, is a professional association football league which operates as the highest division of the Northe ...
, Portadown took on intermediate status, due to the
IFA Championship
The Northern Ireland Football League Championship (known as the Lough 41 Championship for sponsorship reasons) is the second level of the Northern Ireland Football League, the national football league in Northern Ireland. Clubs in the Championshi ...
, which was Northern Ireland's second tier of football, being an intermediate league at the time. McFall described the time as "the toughest point of his managerial career" but kept several star players and in their first season in the Championship. The club won promotion straight back into senior football, defeating their closest rivals
Donegal Celtic
Donegal Celtic Football Club is an intermediate football club based in Belfast, Northern Ireland who currently play in the Ballymena & Provincial Football League. The club, founded in 1970, plays its home matches at Donegal Celtic Park. Club co ...
2–0 in the last (and decisive) match of the season. Also, after beating
Newry City
Newry (; ) is a city in Northern Ireland, divided by the Clanrye river in counties Armagh and Down, from Belfast and from Dublin. It had a population of 26,967 in 2011.
Newry was founded in 1144 alongside a Cistercian monastery, although ...
1–0 at
Mourneview Park
Mourneview Park is a football stadium in Lurgan, County Armagh, Northern Ireland, and is the home ground of NIFL Premiership club Glenavon. The stadium holds 4,160 and was originally built in 1895. The 2008–09 Irish League Cup, 2010–11 Iris ...
on 28 February 2009, Portadown became the first intermediate club to win the
Irish League Cup
The Northern Ireland Football League Cup (BetMcLean League Cup for sponsorship purposes), also known colloquially as the Irish League Cup, is a national football knock-out cup competition in Northern Ireland open to all member clubs of the Nort ...
with Scotsman
Gary McCutcheon
Gary McCutcheon (born Dumfries, 8 October 1978) is a Scottish professional footballer who retired in 2015. He is also Reserve Team Manager at Stranraer.
He began his career at Kilmarnock where he had spells on loan at Stenhousemuir and Clydeba ...
scoring the winning goal.
Top-flight return (2009–10)
Portadown qualified to play
UEFA Europa League
The UEFA Europa League (abbreviated as UEL, or sometimes, UEFA EL), formerly the UEFA Cup, is an annual football club competition organised since 1971 by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) for eligible European football clubs. It ...
football in the 2010–11 season on account of being runners-up in the
2009–10 Irish Cup
The 2009–10 Irish Cup was the 130th edition of Northern Ireland's premier football knock-out cup competition. The competition began on 19 September 2009 with the first Round and ended on 8 May 2010 with the final.
Crusaders were the defending ...
to Linfield. They famously defeated professional side and Latvian champions
Skonto 2–1 on aggregate to advance to the second qualifying round. It was their first win in European competition since 1974. The second qualifying round first leg match was played at Shamrock Park on 15 July 2010, with Richard Lecky scoring the opening goal against Azerbaijani champions
FK Qarabağ FK or fk may refer to:
In arts and entertainment:
* Flyer Killer, fictional automated robots in the ''Terminator'' film franchise.
* Fox Kids, a former American children's television programming block.
* Funky Kong, a video game character.
Place: ...
, but two second-half goals from
Afran Ismayilov
Afran Ismayilov ( az, Əfran İsmayılov, born on 8 October 1988) is an Azerbaijani professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Azerbaijan Premier League side Kapaz.
Early years
Ismayilov was born in Baku, Azerbaijan, started playin ...
saw the away side take a 2–1 lead back home for the second leg on 22 July. The second leg in
Baku
Baku (, ; az, Bakı ) is the capital and largest city of Azerbaijan, as well as the largest city on the Caspian Sea and of the Caucasus region. Baku is located below sea level, which makes it the lowest lying national capital in the world a ...
ended 1–1 with ''The Ports'' taking the lead through a free-kick from
Kevin Braniff
Kevin Robert Braniff (born 4 March 1983) is a Northern Irish association football player who currently is playing for St James Swifts. He has been capped by Northern Ireland.
Career
Club career
He started his career with Millwall. Although h ...
. Despite an effort against the Azerbaijani champions, it was not enough for ''The Ports'' to progress to the next round and they were eliminated 3–2 on aggregate.
The 2011–12 season saw ''The Ports'' recover and mount a title challenge that was largely spearheaded by Welsh striker
Matthew Tipton
Matthew John Tipton (born 29 June 1980) is a Welsh football manager and former professional player. He is currently the manager of NIFL Championship side Ards
Club career
Tipton started his career at Oldham Athletic moving up through the Youth ...
, with themselves and Linfield the runaway leaders in the race. However, ''The Ports challenge began to fade following an injury to Tipton, and Linfield finished comfortably as champions.
The 2012–13 season saw Matthew Tipton sign for champions Linfield and Portadown sent a strong message to rivals when it was announced they had beaten strong competition from ''The Blues'' for
Shamrock Rovers
Shamrock Rovers Football Club ( ga, Cumann Peile Ruagairí na Seamróige) is an Irish association football club based in Tallaght, South Dublin. The club's senior team competes in the League of Ireland Premier Division and it is the most su ...
striker
Gary Twigg
Gary Twigg (born 19 March 1984) is a Scottish former association footballer who played as a forward.
Career Derby County
Twigg began his career in 2000 with English club Derby County, having graduated through the youth system. He made his de ...
, who scored on his debut, although ''The Ports'' could only muster a seventh-place finish.
The 2013–14 season was a largely frustrating one of what might have been, with Gary Twigg playing a valuable part and scoring regularly, along with in-form young striker Darren Murray and some of
Kevin Braniff
Kevin Robert Braniff (born 4 March 1983) is a Northern Irish association football player who currently is playing for St James Swifts. He has been capped by Northern Ireland.
Career
Club career
He started his career with Millwall. Although h ...
's moments of sheer class displayed at times and the skill of Peter McMahon. The club showed form at times capable of winning the league by beating rivals Glenavon comfortably and notably beating Ballinamallard United 11–0. However, poor results against teams lower in the table meant they finished only fourth, and a falling-out between striker Kevin Braniff and Ronnie McFall resulted in the former leaving the club and moving to Australian side
Port Melbourne
Port Melbourne is an inner-city suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, south-west of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the Cities of Melbourne and Port Phillip local government areas. Port Melbourne recorded a populatio ...
.
In the 2014–15 season, ''The Ports'' signed Linfield playmaker
Robert Garrett
Robert S. Garrett (May 24, 1875 – April 25, 1961) was an American athlete, as well as investment banker and philanthropist in Baltimore, Maryland and financier of several important archeological excavations. Garrett was the first modern Ol ...
, ''Blues'' captain
Michael Gault
Michael Gault (born 15 April 1983) is a Northern Irish football former player who is currently manager of Linfield F.C. Swifts. He previously managed Ballymacash Rangers from 2019-20. Club career
Born in Lisburn, Gault began his senior career ...
and reliable ''Blues'' striker Mark McAilaster. This had meant a lot was expected of the club to challenge for the title and they started the season with an impressive 3–0 win over
Warren Feeney
Warren James Feeney (born 17 January 1981) is a football manager and former Northern Ireland international footballer, who is currently manager of Welling United.
In making his debut for the Northern Ireland national team, he became the third ...
's Linfield and several wins over Glenavon and eventual champions
Crusaders
The Crusades were a series of religious wars initiated, supported, and sometimes directed by the Latin Church in the medieval period. The best known of these Crusades are those to the Holy Land in the period between 1095 and 1291 that were in ...
They also showed the capability of being champions when in a match against basement side
Institute
An institute is an organisational body created for a certain purpose. They are often research organisations (research institutes) created to do research on specific topics, or can also be a professional body.
In some countries, institutes can ...
; with the match leveled at 1–1 in the dying minutes,
Michael Gault
Michael Gault (born 15 April 1983) is a Northern Irish football former player who is currently manager of Linfield F.C. Swifts. He previously managed Ballymacash Rangers from 2019-20. Club career
Born in Lisburn, Gault began his senior career ...
scored a late, long distance effort to secure the three points. However, a shock 2–1 defeat away to
Warrenpoint Town saw ''The Ports'' miss out on the chance to go seven points clear in the NIFL Premiership, and the club lost 3–2 to Linfield, with Ross Redman missing a penalty in the final minute of the match. This saw ''The Ports'' fall away in the league, but in the Irish Cup quarter-final, they took on Linfield once again at Shamrock Park. Portadown were 3–0 up after about 30 minutes. They went on to win the match 3–2.
Portadown took on
Ballymena United
Ballymena United Football Club is a semi-professional football club from Northern Ireland. Based in Ballymena, County Antrim, the team competes in the NIFL Premiership and plays home matches at the Ballymena Showgrounds which is owned by the Mi ...
in the Irish Cup semi-final at The Oval. Portadown sealed their place in the final by winning 3–1. With the Kop Stand at
Windsor Park
Windsor Park is a football stadium in Belfast, Northern Ireland. It is the home ground of Linfield F.C. who own the land the stadium is built on, while the Irish Football Association own and operate the stadium and pay Linfield an annual rent ...
collapsing, the final was forced to be moved to The Oval, where they would take on Glentoran. In the league, Portadown played Glenavon at
Mourneview Park
Mourneview Park is a football stadium in Lurgan, County Armagh, Northern Ireland, and is the home ground of NIFL Premiership club Glenavon. The stadium holds 4,160 and was originally built in 1895. The 2008–09 Irish League Cup, 2010–11 Iris ...
with the winner being guaranteed third place and a lucrative UEFA Europa League qualifying round spot. Glenavon raced into a two-goal lead before James Singleton was sent off for clashing with
Ken Oman. Portadown had levelled it 2–2 through Peter McMahon and Gary Twigg goals, before
Eoin Bradley
Eoin Bradley (commonly known by his nickname Skinner; born 31 December 1983) is a Gaelic footballer and association footballer. He plays the former for the Glenullin club and, previously, for the Derry county team. With Glenullin he won a Derry ...
was hauled down by Ross Redman and a last-minute penalty was dispatched by Andy McGory. Portadown were strong favourites going into the final, but the final failed to live up to expectations, with virtually nothing happening in the first half. In the second half,
David Scullion scored to give ''The Glens'' the lead after a controversial refereeing decision had denied Portadown a penalty just before what proved to be the only goal.
2015–16 season
The club suffered greatly financially from the result in the final meaning that they could sign no one in the summer of 2015. However, they started the season by beating the champions Crusaders 2–1 and
Warrenpoint Town by the same scoreline three days later. Results declined rapidly thereafter, and the fans began to pressure the board to consider McFall's position as manager. The manager and staff were barracked by the support, and during a 3–1 defeat to Crusaders at Shamrock Park, supporters protested with a banner asking for the sacking of the manager, which was removed by the chairman, who argued with supporters. After the game assistant manager Kieran Harding, accusing Portadown fans protesting as being "...not real supporters," called them "Imposters".
In January the club signed former Linfield midfielder Philip Lowry in the hope that fortunes would improve. Lowry created a reasonable impact, scoring from outside the box in a win over
Coleraine
Coleraine ( ; from ga, Cúil Rathain , 'nook of the ferns'Flanaghan, Deirdre & Laurence; ''Irish Place Names'', page 194. Gill & Macmillan, 2002. ) is a town and civil parish near the mouth of the River Bann in County Londonderry, Northern I ...
in the Irish Cup, and again in a 2–1 win over Linfield. Things were slowly improving until Portadown were beaten 4–1 by rivals
Glenavon
Glenavon Football Club is a Northern Irish semi-professional football club that competes in the NIFL Premiership. Founded in 1889, the club hails from Lurgan and plays its home matches at Mourneview Park. Club colours are blue and white. Gar ...
at
Mourneview Park
Mourneview Park is a football stadium in Lurgan, County Armagh, Northern Ireland, and is the home ground of NIFL Premiership club Glenavon. The stadium holds 4,160 and was originally built in 1895. The 2008–09 Irish League Cup, 2010–11 Iris ...
.
The club took on
NIFL Championship 1
The Northern Ireland Football League Championship (known as the Lough 41 Championship for sponsorship reasons) is the second level of the Northern Ireland Football League, the national association football, football league in Northern Ireland. Cl ...
side
Lurgan Celtic
Lurgan Celtic Football Club is a Northern Irish intermediate football club based in Lurgan, County Armagh, that currently plays in the Mid-Ulster Football League Junior Division 3. The club was founded, 1903 & re-formed in 1970 who plays in a st ...
in the Irish Cup Quarter Final, with the Lurgan side scoring twice in quick succession to go into a 2–0 lead at halftime. Portadown piled on the pressure in the second half to level the score at 2–2 with goals from Marcio Soares and Sean Mackle, before conceding a penalty in the closing minutes which Lurgan Celtic defender Raymond Fitzpatrick converted to send the Lurgan side through to their first-ever Irish Cup Semi Final against
Linfield. The result that afternoon marked
Ronnie McFall
Ronald Joseph McFall MBE (born 3 October 1947) is a former football player and former manager of NIFL Premiership sides Glentoran and Portadown. He was most notably manager of hometown club Portadown for 29 years from December 1986 until his ...
's last game as Portadown boss. He resigned following the defeat. The following day, it was announced former defender
Pat McGibbon
Patrick Colm McGibbon (born 6 September 1973) is a Northern Irish association football, football manager and former professional footballer.
As a player, he was a Defender (association football)#Centre back, centre-back. He notablty played in t ...
, who had come in earlier that season as the club's physiotherapist, would take over as interim manager until the end of the season, with club legend
Vinny Arkins coming on board as his assistant coach. Despite only winning once in ten games as caretaker manager, McGibbon was appointed as manager on a two-year contract and helped the club successfully avoid relegation. They finished the season ninth in the league.
2016–17 season
Before the start of 2016–17 season, the club was fined £10,000 which was halved on appeal to £5,000 and received a one-year ban on signing professional contracts until June 2017 for not declaring extra payments made to striker Gary Twigg for performing coaching work over the summer. The club also received a 12-point deduction in the league for 2016–17 season for an administrative error made in relation to the contract of exiled midfielder Peter McMahon, who later left the club in July 2016.
Despite starting the season with a major disadvantage, McGibbons side produced victories over
Carrick Rangers
Carrick Rangers Football Club is a semi-professional Northern Irish football club playing in NIFL Premiership. The club, founded in 1939, hails from Carrickfergus, County Antrim and plays its home matches at
Taylors Avenue which is known as ...
and
Ballinamallard United
Ballinamallard United Football Club is a semi-professional Northern Irish football club playing in the NIFL Championship. The club, re-formed in 1975 after being dormant since the 1960s, hails from Ballinamallard, near Enniskillen, County Ferma ...
and were narrowly beaten by many of the teams higher up in the table. However, after a series of poor results in October 2016, Pat McGibbon resigned as manager.
Both Arkins and long serving coach Trevor Williamson remained at the club with Arkins taking over as caretaker manager. Arkins took charge for the match against
Coleraine
Coleraine ( ; from ga, Cúil Rathain , 'nook of the ferns'Flanaghan, Deirdre & Laurence; ''Irish Place Names'', page 194. Gill & Macmillan, 2002. ) is a town and civil parish near the mouth of the River Bann in County Londonderry, Northern I ...
at Shamrock Park, where they lost 1–0.
Arkins won his first official match in charge as interim manager in a 2–1 win against
Ballinamallard United
Ballinamallard United Football Club is a semi-professional Northern Irish football club playing in the NIFL Championship. The club, re-formed in 1975 after being dormant since the 1960s, hails from Ballinamallard, near Enniskillen, County Ferma ...
with goals from Stephen Hughes and a penalty from
Niall Henderson
Niall Henderson (born 7 February 1988) is a Northern Irish footballer who plays for NIFL Championship side Annagh United.
Career
Henderson is from Craigavon, County Armagh. He grew up in Lurgan and played snooker as a child, going on to represe ...
. It was followed up with a 3–1 win over Ards with goals from
Robert Garrett
Robert S. Garrett (May 24, 1875 – April 25, 1961) was an American athlete, as well as investment banker and philanthropist in Baltimore, Maryland and financier of several important archeological excavations. Garrett was the first modern Ol ...
, Stephen Hughes and Brendan Shannon scoring his first goal for the club from the penalty spot. However, it was later found that the club had fielded midfielder
Robert Garrett
Robert S. Garrett (May 24, 1875 – April 25, 1961) was an American athlete, as well as investment banker and philanthropist in Baltimore, Maryland and financier of several important archeological excavations. Garrett was the first modern Ol ...
, who was supposed to be serving a one-game ban with Ards officials informing the club that they believed that Garrett was suspended.
Ards
Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) is a type of respiratory failure characterized by rapid onset of widespread inflammation in the lungs. Symptoms include shortness of breath (dyspnea), rapid breathing (tachypnea), and bluish skin color ...
were subsequently awarded a 3–0 win with the Ports being fined £500. Arkins left the club following a 0–5 defeat to
Linfield at an extremely foggy
Shamrock Park
Shamrock Park is a football (soccer), football stadium in Portadown, County Armagh, Northern Ireland. It is the home ground of Portadown F.C. Shamrock Park was previously used for stock-car racing, but this has since been discontinued. The stad ...
. On 5 December 2016, Portadown-born Niall Currie was appointed as manager after successfully agreeing his release from
Ards
Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) is a type of respiratory failure characterized by rapid onset of widespread inflammation in the lungs. Symptoms include shortness of breath (dyspnea), rapid breathing (tachypnea), and bluish skin color ...
with him and his loyal assistant Jay Willis joining the club. Upon his first match against
Cliftonville
Cliftonville is a coastal area of the town of Margate, situated to the east of the main town, in the Thanet district of Kent, South East England, United Kingdom. It also contains the area known as Palm Bay.
The original Palm Bay estate was ...
at
Solitude
Solitude is a state of seclusion or isolation, meaning lack of socialisation. Effects can be either positive or negative, depending on the situation. Short-term solitude is often valued as a time when one may work, think, or rest without distu ...
, they were defeated 1–0 with a goal from Levi Ives the decider. Prior to the match, it was announced that longtime goalkeeper
David Miskelly would be retiring immediately due to a shoulder injury sustained the previous season after serving 12 years and making over 400 appearances with the club.
Curries first win as Portadown manager came in a 2–0 win over
Dungannon Swifts
Dungannon Swifts Football Club is a Northern Irish, semi-professional football club playing in the NIFL Premiership. The club, founded in 1949, has risen from the Mid-Ulster league to the top tier in Northern Ireland since its election to the ...
at
Shamrock Park
Shamrock Park is a football (soccer), football stadium in Portadown, County Armagh, Northern Ireland. It is the home ground of Portadown F.C. Shamrock Park was previously used for stock-car racing, but this has since been discontinued. The stad ...
. The Ports approached the annual Boxing Day derby with rivals
Glenavon
Glenavon Football Club is a Northern Irish semi-professional football club that competes in the NIFL Premiership. Founded in 1889, the club hails from Lurgan and plays its home matches at Mourneview Park. Club colours are blue and white. Gar ...
not being in great form with the Ports racing into a surprise two-goal lead with goals from Mark Carson and Aaron Haire. However, the Lurgan Blues had seemingly grabbed a point with them pulling a goal back within the last ten minutes and Sykes scoring a long distance free kick in the dying seconds of the game amid wild scenes of celebration from the
Glenavon
Glenavon Football Club is a Northern Irish semi-professional football club that competes in the NIFL Premiership. Founded in 1889, the club hails from Lurgan and plays its home matches at Mourneview Park. Club colours are blue and white. Gar ...
supporters. Portadown's luck had finally changed, however, with it later being found that
Glenavon
Glenavon Football Club is a Northern Irish semi-professional football club that competes in the NIFL Premiership. Founded in 1889, the club hails from Lurgan and plays its home matches at Mourneview Park. Club colours are blue and white. Gar ...
had fielded defender
David Elebert
David Elebert (born 21 March 1986 in Dublin) is an Irish former professional football player who is a coach at NIFL Premiership Ards
His uncle Shaun played for Shamrock Rovers and Longford Town in the early 1990s and won the Football Associ ...
, who was due to serve a suspension through yellow cards picked up in reserve league fixtures with the Lurgan side, receiving a fine, and the Ports being awarded a 3–0 win and a valuable 3 three points.
The club earned a 1–1 draw with title chasing Linfield at
Windsor Park
Windsor Park is a football stadium in Belfast, Northern Ireland. It is the home ground of Linfield F.C. who own the land the stadium is built on, while the Irish Football Association own and operate the stadium and pay Linfield an annual rent ...
. This was followed up with another credible 1–1 draw with champions Crusaders. The club went into a game against relegation rivals
Carrick Rangers
Carrick Rangers Football Club is a semi-professional Northern Irish football club playing in NIFL Premiership. The club, founded in 1939, hails from Carrickfergus, County Antrim and plays its home matches at
Taylors Avenue which is known as ...
with the knowledge that a defeat would all but condemn them to relegation to which they lost the game 3–2.''The Ports relegation was officially confirmed following a 3–2 defeat to Ards on Easter Tuesday fixture.
Championship spell 2017–20
The summer following Portadown's relegation saw significant changes in the playing line up. The club opened their Championship campaign with a 3–0 win over
Larne
Larne (, , the name of a Gaelic Ireland, Gaelic territory) is a town on the east coast of County Antrim, Northern Ireland, with a population of 18,755 at the United Kingdom census, 2011, 2011 Census. It is a major passenger and freight Roll-on/ro ...
and a 2–1 win over
Limavady United
Limavady United Football Club is an intermediate, Northern Irish football club playing in the NIFL Premier Intermediate League. The club comes from Limavady, County Londonderry, and plays home matches at the Showgrounds. Club colours are royal ...
at
Shamrock Park
Shamrock Park is a football (soccer), football stadium in Portadown, County Armagh, Northern Ireland. It is the home ground of Portadown F.C. Shamrock Park was previously used for stock-car racing, but this has since been discontinued. The stad ...
before dropping their first points in a 1–1 draw away to
PSNI
The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI; ga, Seirbhís Póilíneachta Thuaisceart Éireann; Ulster-Scots: ')
is the police force that serves Northern Ireland. It is the successor to the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) after it was reform ...
. The following fixture was the first defeat for the Ports in the Championship, losing 2–1 at home to
Institute
An institute is an organisational body created for a certain purpose. They are often research organisations (research institutes) created to do research on specific topics, or can also be a professional body.
In some countries, institutes can ...
, the game served as a very sobering realisation for all Ports fans present that day of the Championships difficulty with the away side comfortably taking the three points against a much more fancied Ports side. The response that followed was a resounding 4–1 win away to Newry City. However the response was short lived and saw four consecutive league defeats to
Dergview,
Knockbreda,
H&W Welders and
Ballyclare Comrades
Ballyclare Comrades Football Club is a semi-professional, Northern Irish football club playing in the NIFL Championship. The club hails from Ballyclare, County Antrim and plays its home matches at Dixon Park. Club colours are red and white. The ...
with mounting pressure on Ports boss Niall Currie who had built a team who very quickly had not lived up to expectations. A 3–0 win over
Loughgall
Loughgall ( ; ) is a small village, townland (of 131 acres) and civil parish in County Armagh, Northern Ireland. It is in the historic baronies of Armagh and Oneilland West. It had a population of 282 people (116 households) in the 2011 Census. ...
served to paper over the cracks for a Saturday, before a 1–4 home defeat to
Newry
Newry (; ) is a city in Northern Ireland, divided by the Clanrye river in counties Armagh and Down, from Belfast and from Dublin. It had a population of 26,967 in 2011.
Newry was founded in 1144 alongside a Cistercian monastery, althoug ...
drew heavy criticism from the home support who made their feelings well known throughout the game and at full time.
At this point the club, who had expected winning the league and promotion as a certainty was languishing closer to the bottom of the league than the top with the thoughts of potentially another relegation entering the minds of many. The winter period however saw a slightly better improvement with the Ports picking up 15 points from the next eight games which included remarkably a 1–1 draw and a 6–0 win over
Lurgan Celtic
Lurgan Celtic Football Club is a Northern Irish intermediate football club based in Lurgan, County Armagh, that currently plays in the Mid-Ulster Football League Junior Division 3. The club was founded, 1903 & re-formed in 1970 who plays in a st ...
and a 7–0 win over
Dergview having lost to the Castlederg side earlier in the season. Furthermore, the Boxing Day fixture saw a 4–1 win away to
Loughgall
Loughgall ( ; ) is a small village, townland (of 131 acres) and civil parish in County Armagh, Northern Ireland. It is in the historic baronies of Armagh and Oneilland West. It had a population of 282 people (116 households) in the 2011 Census. ...
which featured a hat trick from Gary Warwick with a sublime third goal sealing a great day for the Belfast man. The January period saw the Ports sitting in 6th place with the split looming and picking up 5 points from 3 games to secure a top six with a late equaliser against Larne (Sitting in 7th) scored by Chris Lavery sealing it. Furthermore, however The Ports lost out in the
Irish Cup
The Irish Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly referred to as the Irish Cup (currently known as the Samuel Gelston's Whiskey Irish Cup for sponsorship purposes) is the primary football knock-out cup competition in Northern Ireland. Ina ...
in extra time to league rivals to
Ballyclare Comrades
Ballyclare Comrades Football Club is a semi-professional, Northern Irish football club playing in the NIFL Championship. The club hails from Ballyclare, County Antrim and plays its home matches at Dixon Park. Club colours are red and white. The ...
from a late.
What followed was a run of fixtures that was of huge importance which started with a 2–1 win over
Loughgall
Loughgall ( ; ) is a small village, townland (of 131 acres) and civil parish in County Armagh, Northern Ireland. It is in the historic baronies of Armagh and Oneilland West. It had a population of 282 people (116 households) in the 2011 Census. ...
with many thinking that the team had hit form at just the right time, and provided consistent results in the "next nine cup finals" a play off position would almost certainly materialise. The positivity was quickly eroded however following a 1–0 defeat away to
Ballyclare Comrades
Ballyclare Comrades Football Club is a semi-professional, Northern Irish football club playing in the NIFL Championship. The club hails from Ballyclare, County Antrim and plays its home matches at Dixon Park. Club colours are red and white. The ...
in the first of nine crucial fixtures and what was the 4th defeat that season to Ballyclare. The following fixture saw a 0–0 draw with the Welders in a game where the Ports, with so much riding on every game created virtually nothing worth noting the whole day. The game saw the end of Niall Curries tenure as Portadown manager who was relieved of his duties following the result. In February 2018 it was confirmed that Portadown had made an approach and had been successful in appointing ex striker and
Warrenpoint Town boss
Matthew Tipton
Matthew John Tipton (born 29 June 1980) is a Welsh football manager and former professional player. He is currently the manager of NIFL Championship side Ards
Club career
Tipton started his career at Oldham Athletic moving up through the Youth ...
with
David Miskelly joining as his assistant.
In Tiptons first game in charge the Ports secured a 1–1 draw with league leaders
Institute
An institute is an organisational body created for a certain purpose. They are often research organisations (research institutes) created to do research on specific topics, or can also be a professional body.
In some countries, institutes can ...
and 4 consecutive wins followed against
Loughgall
Loughgall ( ; ) is a small village, townland (of 131 acres) and civil parish in County Armagh, Northern Ireland. It is in the historic baronies of Armagh and Oneilland West. It had a population of 282 people (116 households) in the 2011 Census. ...
,
Newry City
Newry (; ) is a city in Northern Ireland, divided by the Clanrye river in counties Armagh and Down, from Belfast and from Dublin. It had a population of 26,967 in 2011.
Newry was founded in 1144 alongside a Cistercian monastery, although ...
and
Harland and Wolff Welders with anticipation building that a play off spot would have been very much possible. The team were positioned in 4th place needing 3rd to secure a play off place. A huge game away to
Newry City
Newry (; ) is a city in Northern Ireland, divided by the Clanrye river in counties Armagh and Down, from Belfast and from Dublin. It had a population of 26,967 in 2011.
Newry was founded in 1144 alongside a Cistercian monastery, although ...
followed with three points for the men in red securing a pre play off spot against Newry. The game ultimately ended 0–0 with a red card for
Jamie Douglas and the visitors ultimately coming up short.
The following season, Tipton would seek to shape the Portadown squad to his liking, making a total of 16 signings notably
Kevin Braniff
Kevin Robert Braniff (born 4 March 1983) is a Northern Irish association football player who currently is playing for St James Swifts. He has been capped by Northern Ireland.
Career
Club career
He started his career with Millwall. Although h ...
and
Johnny Flynn
John Patrick Vivian Flynn (born 14 March 1983) is a British actor and singer-songwriter. He has starred as Dylan Witter in the Channel 4 and Netflix television sitcom '' Lovesick'', and portrayed David Bowie in the film '' Stardust''.
Flynn i ...
on free transfers from
Ballymena United
Ballymena United Football Club is a semi-professional football club from Northern Ireland. Based in Ballymena, County Antrim, the team competes in the NIFL Premiership and plays home matches at the Ballymena Showgrounds which is owned by the Mi ...
, former players Darren Murray and Sean Mackle returned to the club from
Crusaders
The Crusades were a series of religious wars initiated, supported, and sometimes directed by the Latin Church in the medieval period. The best known of these Crusades are those to the Holy Land in the period between 1095 and 1291 that were in ...
and
Warrenpoint Town respectively. hat particular season the Ports were challenged in a big way by
Larne F.C.
Larne Football Club is a professional Northern Irish football club based in Larne, County Antrim that play in the NIFL Premiership.
History
The club was founded in 1889 and plays its home matches at Inver Park. The club's colours are red and w ...
, who were now subject to significant investment and were favourites to win the
NIFL Championship
The Northern Ireland Football League Championship (known as the Lough 41 Championship for sponsorship reasons) is the second level of the Northern Ireland Football League, the national football league in Northern Ireland. Clubs in the Championshi ...
in 2019. The first ten games of the season would see the Ports notch up 5 wins, 4 draws and 1 defeat in what was a fairly respectable return from the opening part of the season that saw them score 19 points out of a possible 30. As the season progressed, they often failed to pick up points away from home that saw them ultimately finish in third place behind
Larne
Larne (, , the name of a Gaelic Ireland, Gaelic territory) is a town on the east coast of County Antrim, Northern Ireland, with a population of 18,755 at the United Kingdom census, 2011, 2011 Census. It is a major passenger and freight Roll-on/ro ...
and
Carrick Rangers
Carrick Rangers Football Club is a semi-professional Northern Irish football club playing in NIFL Premiership. The club, founded in 1939, hails from Carrickfergus, County Antrim and plays its home matches at
Taylors Avenue which is known as ...
with the latter overcoming the men in red in a promotion playoff which the Gers won 2–0.
Average attendance
European record
By competition
Last updated on 22 July 2018
Current squad
(Note some players in which are listed are youth team players with first team appearances)
Out on Loan
Team captains
* Jimmy Dykes, 1947–1948
* Charles Maxwell, 1948–1950
* Tommy Andrews, 1950–1952
* Jimmy Mulvaney, 1952–1953
* Bobby Wishart, 1953–1954
* Ray Barr, 1954–1955
* Freddie Gorman, 1955–1956
* George Casement, 1956–1960
*
Wilbur Cush
Wilbur may refer to:
Places in the United States
* Wilbur, Indiana, an unincorporated town
* Wilbur, Trenton, New Jersey, a neighborhood in the city of Trenton
* Wilbur, Oregon, an unincorporated community
* Wilbur, Washington, a small farming t ...
, 1960-1966
* Jim Conway, 1960–1969
* Bill Hainey, 1969-1970
* Sammy Lunn, 1970–1971
* Jackie Hutton, 1971–1973
* Terry Kingon, 1973–1976
* John Keatley, 1976–1977
* Sammy Lunn, 1977–1978
* Ian Donegan, 1978–1979
* Jim Cleary, 1979–1980
* Jim Smyth, 1980–1982
* Ronnie Cromie, 1982–1983
* Dessie Edgar, 1983–1985
* John McKee, 1985–1986
* Frankie Parks, 1986–1987
* Tom Connell, 1987–1989
* Brian Strain, 1989–2000
*
Vinny Arkins, 2000–2006
* John Convery, 2006–2010
* Keith O’Hara, 2010–2017
*
Niall Henderson
Niall Henderson (born 7 February 1988) is a Northern Irish footballer who plays for NIFL Championship side Annagh United.
Career
Henderson is from Craigavon, County Armagh. He grew up in Lurgan and played snooker as a child, going on to represe ...
, 2017–2018
* Luke Wilson, 2018–2020
* Patrick McNally, 2020-
Non-playing staff
Managerial history
Honours
Senior honours
*
Irish League: 4
**
1989–90,
1990–91,
1995–96,
2001–02
*
Irish Cup
The Irish Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly referred to as the Irish Cup (currently known as the Samuel Gelston's Whiskey Irish Cup for sponsorship purposes) is the primary football knock-out cup competition in Northern Ireland. Ina ...
: 3
**
1990–91,
1998–99 (Awarded Final didn't take place),
2004–05
*
Irish League Cup
The Northern Ireland Football League Cup (BetMcLean League Cup for sponsorship purposes), also known colloquially as the Irish League Cup, is a national football knock-out cup competition in Northern Ireland open to all member clubs of the Nort ...
: 2
**
1995–96,
2008–09
*
Charity Shield: 1
**1999
*
NIFL Championship
The Northern Ireland Football League Championship (known as the Lough 41 Championship for sponsorship reasons) is the second level of the Northern Ireland Football League, the national football league in Northern Ireland. Clubs in the Championshi ...
: 1
**
2019–20†
*
Mid-Ulster Cup
The Mid-Ulster Cup is a senior football competition in Northern Ireland run by the Mid-Ulster Football Association (founded 2 April 1887). The competition has historically featured teams based in County Armagh, east County Tyrone, and west Count ...
: 22
**1898–99, 1899–00, 1902–03, 1903–04,1905–06, 1907–08, 1909–10, 1931–32, 1933–34, 1960–61†, 1962–63†, 1964–65†, 1969–70†, 1980–81, 1981–82, 1982–83, 1992–93, 1993–94, 1994–95, 1997–98, 2001–02, 2002–03
† Portadown were an intermediate side when they won the IFA Championship in 2009. From 2016 the league was awarded senior status, therefore their win in 2020 should be described as a senior honour.Glenavon own them.
Intermediate honours
*
IFA Championship
The Northern Ireland Football League Championship (known as the Lough 41 Championship for sponsorship reasons) is the second level of the Northern Ireland Football League, the national football league in Northern Ireland. Clubs in the Championshi ...
: 1
**
2008–09
*
George Wilson Cup
The George Wilson Memorial Cup is a competition open to the reserve football teams of member clubs of the NIFL Premiership. Initially it was open to all members of the B Division, both "attached and unattached" (i.e. reserve sides and independen ...
: 1
**1996–97†
*
Bob Radcliffe Cup The Bob Radcliffe Memorial Cup is an intermediate football competition in Northern Ireland run by the Mid-Ulster Football Association. It was introduced in 1978. The competition culminates in the final which has traditionally been played on Boxing ...
: 2
**1982–83†, 1983–84
† Won by Portadown Reserves
Junior honours
*Irish Junior Cup: 1
**1898–99
*Harry Cavan Youth Cup: 3
**1979–80, 1991–92, 2013–14
*Mid-Ulster Youth Cup: 3
**2015–16, 2019–20, 2021–22
*NIFL Championship Development League South: 2
**2017–18, 2018–19
Defunct competitions
*
Gold Cup: 6
**1933–34, 1937–38, 1952–53, 1971–72, 1978–79, 1992–93
*
Ulster Cup
The Ulster Cup was an annual football competition held by the Irish Football League
Irish may refer to:
Common meanings
* Someone or something of, from, or related to:
** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Eu ...
: 3
**1990–91, 1995–96, 2004–05
*
Floodlit Cup: 3
**1990–91, 1992–93, 1994–95
*
Carlsberg Cup Carlsberg may refer to:
Places
* Carlsberg (district), a district in Copenhagen, Denmark
** Carlsberg station, its train station
* Carlsberg, Germany, a municipality in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany
* Carlsberg Fjord, Greenland Other uses
* Carlsbe ...
: 1
**1972–73
*
Texaco Cup
The Texaco Cup, officially known as the International League Board Competition, was an association football competition started in 1970, involving sides from England, Scotland, and Ireland that had not qualified for European competitions.
It wa ...
: 1
**1973–74
*
City Cup
The City Cup was a rugby league competition involving Australian premiership teams. The post season tournament was a regular feature in the years 1912–1925. City Cups were also played in 1937, 1942 and 1959.
The inaugural city cup was contested ...
: 1
**1938–39
Friendly honours
*Royal Mail Community Action Cup: 2
**2003–04, 2004–05
*George Richardson Memorial Cup: 2
**2018–2019, 2019–2020
*Ivan Marshall Cup: 1
**2004–05
Hall of Fame
References
External links
Portadown FC website*
ttps://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/irish/ BBC Sport – Irish FootballNI Football Daily Website
{{Authority control
Association football clubs established in 1887
Association football clubs in Northern Ireland
NIFL Championship clubs
Association football clubs in County Armagh