Niall Currie: Bringing hometown club Portadown to BetMcLean Cup final is right up there with anything I've ever achieved

Ryan Mayse’s first-half penalty after Zach Barr had been brought down by goalkeeper Mark Byrne is all that separated the two teams at Mourneview Park with the Ports becoming just the third non-Premiership team in competition history to reach a final.

Currie was also responsible for the last time it happened, successfully guiding Ards to a date with Cliftonville in 2016, while Portadown won the League Cup as a Championship outfit in 2009 when they defeated Newry City.

Being from the town and a supporter of the club makes this moment even sweeter for Currie, who ranked it as one of the best achievements of his career.

"I'm top of the world at the minute,” he said. “It's all a bit surreal but when I finish my career this is something I'll look back proudly on.

"I'll be able to say I took Portadown to a senior cup final and I'll have that in my memories. Football is all about memories and I have a lot of great ones over my career.

"Doing this with my hometown club and bringing them to Windsor Park against a huge favourite in Linfield is right up there with everything I've done, including the leagues and cups I've won and the promotions I’ve had. This is a special night for the club and for the town.

“The fans were unbelievable. That brought me back to when I was a kid myself and seeing that stand full and the bounces of them. It's a wonderful night for the club and it will live long in my memory."

It has been a magical run to the final for Portadown, who have defeated top-flight opposition in Crusaders, Loughgall and Glenavon ahead of a clash with the defending champions at Windsor Park on March 10.

"I'm immensely proud of the players,” he added. “When you think of (Eoghan) McCawl coming after one training session, Kenny Kane had one training session, Gary Thompson is playing on one knee and you can see how good he is. Oh how I wish I had him in his prime - well he is still in his prime!

"I asked the players to believe in themselves tonight and to not have any regrets. Football isn't about looking at your bank account at the end of your career but it's about making memories and those boys will remember that night for a long, long time, as will I.

"We only have the small matter of Linfield at Windsor Park now! Nobody expected us to be here and it has been a wonderful experience the whole lot of it.

"For any Championship side to get to a senior final is a marvellous achievement. All praise goes to the players.

"We went back to the team that got us here and I know a lot of our new boys have been getting plaudits over the past couple of games, but that was basically the team that ran out of legs for me just before Christmas. They looked fresher because we were able to give them the rest and rehab that they needed."