As Niall Currie stood shivering on the Shamrock Park touchline, his mind was far from what he might be doing next summer – even though the sound of ‘we’re all going on a European tour’ echoed from the stand.
Steven McCullough’s 58th-minute strike secured a 1-0 win over Crusaders that fired the Ports into second place in the Sports Direct Premiership, and while that has fans dreaming of Conference League next July, Currie insists all his team is doing is ‘making hay while the sun shines’.
Portadown haven’t been in such a lofty position in the League table for a decade, so it’s little wonder supporters are getting excited.
Currie’s mind, however, remains focused on the pre-season target that the Ports have still to hit, even though they have now lost just once in the last eight League games and only Linfield are in front of them.
“Shush,” said Currie as he reacted to his team being second in the table.
“If someone had said we’d be second in the League at Christmas, I’d have told them they were away with fairies and I’d have been trying to get them someone to speak to.
“We’re just the backing crew behind the players. Our boys have invested themselves in everything we are doing, they trust us and we trust them.
“The bottom line is that it’s one game at a time because it changes very, very quickly and I’ve seen it change very, very quickly.
“Earlier on in the season, we lost three or four games in a row and the ‘Currie out’ brigade was out again, so I am well aware of what happens.
“But you make hay while the sun shines, and at the minute, everybody is in a great place, we are all enjoying ourselves and there are smiles everywhere around the place – and long may it continue.”
Those smiles might well have been wiped off the face had Crusaders taken even one of a number of chances they created.
Four times the Crues were denied by the woodwork, and the fine lines in football were the difference between a first win in four games and a third straight defeat in a week for Declan Caddell’s team.
Kieran Offord was first to hit a post as Jordan Forsythe’s long throw ins caused problems for Portadown.
Forsythe himself then clipped the outside of a post with a free-kick and twice early in the second-half Jordan Stewart was frustrated by the woodwork.
Stewart hit the bar when he looked sure to score after another of Forsythe’s throw-in deliveries, and then with Portadown goalkeeper Aaron McCarey well beaten, his sweet curling effort came back off the far post after Offord had carved out the chance.
The frustration at those missed efforts was compounded when McCullough hit the match-winning goal just a few minutes later.
Jonny Tuffey initially made a great save to keep out a Ryan Mayse shot that looked destined for the net and he then got down low to push away Eamon Fyfe’s effort from the resulting corner.
From the second corner, the ball was headed out to McCullough and, after controlling the ball with his stronger left foot, he found the bottom corner with his right.
“We’re not envisaging ourselves sitting in this position come the end of the season. You have to be real about the situation as well,” said Currie.
“We want to do the very best we can. First and foremost, we want to get to that target that we have in the changing room that nobody knows about that we feel will keep this club in the League next year, and after that, let’s see.”
As well as the close calls when denied by the woodwork, Caddell was annoyed by a marginal decision in the build-up to Portadown’s goal that ultimately proved costly to the Crues.
“I thought we shaded it as the better team, had the better opportunities, hit the woodwork four times and conceded a soft goal to lose the game,” said Caddell.
“The two from Jordan Stewart in the second-half, for me, he probably should have converted, should have scored, so that’s frustrating.
“In the lead up to the goal, Jarlath O’Rourke was fouled in the middle of the pitch, it’s a blatant foul, the referee waves play on, the resulting shot leads to a corner and we concede from the corner.
“You talk about fine lines and that’s fine lines, that’s decisions in a match that go against you and ultimately costs you points.”
Portadown: McCarey 7, Chapman 8, MacKinnon 7, Altintop 7, McCullough 8, Thompson 7, Wylie 7, Mayse 7, Fyfe 7, Ukek 7 (McElroy, 68 mins, 6), Obhakhan 7.
Subs not used: Ray, Wilson, Henderson, Traynor, Riley, Mullan.
Crusaders: Tuffey 7, Larmour 7, Callacher 7, Blaney 7, Clarke 6 (Donnelly, 88 mins, 6), Lowry 7, Forsythe 7, Jewitt-White 6 (Owens, 77 mins, 6), O’Rourke 5, Stewart 8, Offord 6.
Subs not used: Kerr, Smith, Vance, Downey.
Referee: Christopher Morrison