'It's as simple as that' - Niall Currie makes key point as Portadown attempt to finish Irish League run same way they started

Home success over defending champions Linfield was followed up by back-to-back defeats against the current Premiership leaders Coleraine and second-place Glentoran.

Now Currie’s Ports – sitting just above the relegation zone – make the trip to third-place Larne to complete the sequence against full-time opposition.

A 2-1 loss last Friday to Glentoran left Currie frustrated at failure to turn endeavour into end product as Portadown battled back to equalise only to concede a decisive second.

"We'll have to learn how to manage games...it's as simple as that,” said Currie on the official club social media platforms. “There were two or three games this season where we deserved to come away from games with something and we haven't got it.

"It's a wonderful performance (against Glentoran) but, unfortunately, you don't get anything.

"You know it's going to be a really difficult night to get anything out of the game (away to Glentoran) but, in hindsight, now after you've watched what's gone on, you're actually asking yourself how you didn't get anything.

"We give them a hell of a game...we've got to manage things and make sure in future that we start picking points up that we deserve.

"I said to the players (after Glentoran) we've been done by a couple of bad mistakes where we've just switched off.

"I think that's on us...the two goals are too easy for Glentoran to score.

"We've worked our socks off to create a great goal, a wonderful goal from open play.

"I just think when you get yourself back in the game, we're in the ascendancy, we're on the front foot...then it's a loopy ball into our box and the guy's heading it in from four or five yards out.

"I'm really, really frustrated, I have to say that, but I'm extremely proud of the players.

"I'm not going to criticise any of the players...we're sitting with a really, really good bunch of boys and I'm not going to criticise them.”

Currie points to the Larne trip as “another really difficult one” against a side with recent back-to-back Irish League titles in the trophy room and history-making European progress.

“It's another big one, it's another really difficult one,” said the Ports boss. “I'm a great believer you keep putting in the performances, you'll get something out of things.

"We're in a really difficult run with these four games, to be honest, but I think in all three games so far against Linfield, Coleraine and Glentoran we've been very, very good.

"I'm not downbeat about anything...I'm frustrated because the players deserve something.

"We'll go to Larne and we'll try and implement our game plan, see if we can have one body maybe even back.

"If we put that kind of performance in (away to Glentoran) against Larne we’ve a chance.”