Niall Currie confident there's 'nothing but great things ahead' for new Portadown signing

The 22-year-old made 12 Premiership appearances after arriving at Shamrock Park in January and the Ports have now agreed an undisclosed fee with League of Ireland outfit Bohemians to secure Isamala’s services longer term.

Isamala has also previously gained senior experience at Wexford and was reportedly on the cusp of a move to Blackpool in 2023 before Mick McCarthy’s managerial departure halted the transfer.

He further strengthens a Portadown defence which includes the likes of Baris Altintop and Lewis MacKinnon, and boss Currie believes the future is bright for Isamala.

"We’re delighted to get the big man on board with us, he has made a huge impact since the moment he arrived and at such a young age has nothing but great things ahead of him,” said Currie. “A big thank you to Pat Fenlon and Bohemians, our own Shane Dolan who played a huge role and lastly to our board.

"There was huge interest in Divin and we have convinced him we can give him a platform to develop a great career ahead, all our staff are in total agreement that we have acquired another huge asset to our club.

“We look forward to enjoying Divin for the next few seasons, welcome to our club.”

Isamala admits Currie’s ambitious plans for Portadown was a big factor behind opting to commit his future to the County Armagh outfit.

"I’m really delighted to sign with this big club after enjoying my time here last season,” he said. “The players and the staff were very welcoming and I can’t wait to get going again.

“When I spoke with the gaffer and Shane about the future plans with me I couldn’t say no.”

A further Portadown statement read: “We would like to put on record our thanks to Jimmy Dignam and Pat Fenlon at Bohemians for their professionalism during our negotiations in relation to the transfer of Divin to Portadown Football Club.”