Coronavirus ‘floored’ Portadown boss Matthew Tipton

Portadown manager Matthew Tipton will return to football this weekend following a fight with coronavirus which left him ‘floored’.
Portadown manager Matthew Tipton.Portadown manager Matthew Tipton.
Portadown manager Matthew Tipton.

Northern Ireland Football League officials cancelled last week’s scheduled Danske Bank Premiership fixture against Glentoran in line with its ‘Covid Case Policy’ but Tipton’s Ports are set to get back out on Saturday at Cliftonville.

The period of recovery and self-isolation triggered by Public Health Agency guidance has been a testing time for Tipton and his club.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Alongside the personal sense of relief felt by Tipton at his progress towards full strength, the Portadown manager has emphasised the need for sustained vigilance to help restrict the spread of the pandemic.

“There is no better way to put it than to say having coronavirus left me floored,” said Tipton. “I’m healthy and active but was completely wiped out so, having had first-hand knowledge of what it can do to someone, I would stress again to anyone the importance of following the health advice.

“There is such a wide range of symptoms and it obviously affects people who have tested positive in different ways - but my biggest concern is how easily it can spread and how people cannot take anything for granted so should be extremely cautious.

“It left me with a total lack of energy, I’m someone always on the go, especially when it comes to football.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“During lockdown earlier in the year I tried to maximise the situation and utilise the extra time.

“But after testing positive and falling ill I simply could not show any interest in football for days.

“I had no choice, I was out of breath talking on the phone after a few minutes and you just want to lie down due to exhaustion but that does not offer any relief.

“I was told to force myself to sit up to help the airwaves as otherwise it feels like someone is sitting on your chest.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“I’ve lost weight as it felt uncomfortable trying to eat after a few mouthfuls.”

Portadown were scheduled to return to training this week ahead of Saturday’s Solitude test against Cliftonville.

“I only started thinking about football at the weekend and then turned my thoughts a bit towards Cliftonville at the start of this week,” said Tipton. “It’s obviously disrupted our preparations but the hope is we get a bounce from being back together at training that will get us through Saturday’s match.

“Thinking back to the 4-1 loss to Carrick in our last game (November 10) and it makes sense now how so many seemed lethargic.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“But that does not mean we are going into Cliftonville looking for excuses, my approach has been to stay positive and treat this enforced break as a chance for a clean slate so we should go back in on Saturday with full focus.”

Comment Guidelines

National World encourages reader discussion on our stories. User feedback, insights and back-and-forth exchanges add a rich layer of context to reporting. Please review our Community Guidelines before commenting.