Loughgall boss Darren Murphy confirms midfield ace to sign pre-contract agreement with Portadown

It means that Towe, who is out of contract at the end of the season at the Villagers, will join forces with Niall Currie’s at the start of the new campaign unless the two clubs agree a fee this month.

Towe, who is adaptable at playing at full-back or in the middle of the pitch, has had plenty of admirers since making his breakthrough at Lakeview Park.

However, it appears that he will now be a Portadown player at some point in the foreseeable future.

“Adam informed me on Sunday that he is going to sign a pre-contract agreement with Portadown on Monday,” Murphy stated.

“That’s football and it’s been that way since the Bosman ruling first came into effect, so nobody has done anything wrong.

"We offered Adam a new contract but he wants to play Premiership football and I understand where he’s coming from.

"I know that if he stays here until the end of the season, he will give us 100%.

"Whether Adam moves to Portadown this month or at the end of the season, we will naturally wish him all the best.”

Loughgall return to action on Tuesday as they attempt to play Knockbreda in a fifth-round Irish Cup tie at the third time of asking.

The previous two games have been postponed due to weather issues – with the winner facing Institute at home in the next round of the showpiece competition.

"Playing against Knockbreda is going to be a tough task,” Murphy added.

"They had a good 4-0 win against Banbridge at the weekend and I know Colin McIlwrath (Knockbreda manager) from his time at Linfield.

"Colin would have extensive knowledge of young players around Belfast and he has a young squad at his disposal but he’s prepared to give them a taste of senior football.

"He has recently lost his top goalscorer to Ballymacash Rangers but I’m sure he will be telling his players to come and impress against Championship opposition.

“Cup football is cup football...nothing can be taken for granted and we have to be at our best.

"I’ll be picking the strongest team available to me.”