Niall Currie issues apology to Portadown supporters after heavy home Championship defeat to Newington

Darren Stuart’s hat-trick and Ruaidhri Donnelly’s fourth goal in three games since joining on loan from Glentoran in January ended the hosts 10-game unbeaten run and marked their first defeat of 2024 in any competition.

The loss leaves Currie’s men sitting third, seven points adrift of leaders Dundela, who also have a game in hand, and two behind second-placed Bangor while Institute are level on 49 points in fourth with 10 matches left to play.

Stuart’s first-half brace meant Portadown fell 2-0 behind for the third consecutive league game and unlike in previous outings against Annagh United and Ballyclare Comrades, they weren’t able to fight back and claim at least a draw.

Paul Hamilton’s side are now just three points adrift of sixth-placed H&W Welders as they chase a top-half finish and will take on the league’s bottom three – all at home – after Saturday’s trip to Institute.

"First things first, we'll apologise to our supporters tonight,” Currie told the club’s media channel. “Sometimes as a manager it's hard to fathom what you see.

"The preparation has been done, we've worked on shape and all these things, but ultimately tonight you see we were well short.

"Congratulations to Newington...they came here and, this is the most hurtful thing a manager can say, they were hungrier, had more enthusiasm, wanted it more and they'd more desire.

"I've been a manager a long time and that's what hurts the most that we were well off it. They won first ball, second ball and we were really loose.

"We started the game well and had two or three great chances in the first 10 or 15 minutes, and then the Achilles heel happens again...two shocking goals really.

"As I've said many times you can't keep going to the well because the well runs dry and it ran dry tonight. You can't keep giving teams two goal starts and expect to keep getting something out of matches.

"It's been coming and we have to huddle together and make sure we get our stuff together."

The Ports travel to Ballinamallard United, who are arguably the Championship’s in-form team having lost just one of the last six while no side has picked up more points than their 10 in the previous five league matches, and Currie says they’ll be working hard to rectify the issues which caused Tuesday’s heavy loss.

"It's very important we get together again and regroup,” he added. “It's a tough league but it has been such a rollercoaster of a season...one minute you're so high and the next you're on the floor, but it's important you have a balance and perspective - we're far from out of things.

"We understand that performance is nowhere near where it has to be and we'll work hard to rectify that.

"Players have to be strong as well. That's our first defeat in 10 matches and how you pick players up at this level is just part of the job and I'd like to think we'll have a fresh approach and our boys are mentally strong enough to show a bit of character.

"We all understand that everybody let the supporters down tonight and hopefully we see a lot more hunger and put this performance to bed."