Niall Currie praises Portadown 'great character' who has 'grabbed his opportunity'
Niall Currie has praised “great character” Eamon Fyfe for seizing his opportunity to lead the line for Portadown.
Versatile Fyfe has been deployed in an array of positions this season – including goalkeeper when he was forced between the sticks following Aaron McCarey’s dismissal against Coleraine last month – but has been a constant in Currie’s starting line-up.
The 27-year-old brought his Premiership goal tally for the campaign to six by netting in last weekend’s 1-1 draw with Bangor – only three players have registered more in the top-flight than Fyfe this term.
Former Coleraine attacker Fyfe has netted at important times, scoring a winner during August’s triumph over Crusaders while also striking in a 2-1 win against Cliftonville.
Fyfe’s form has helped Currie’s side deal with the absence of Ahu Obhakhan, who scored nine league goals last term, and Josh Ukek – the winger returned last weekend following a near three-month injury lay-off.
As Currie has highlighted, Fyfe offers far more than just attacking output to a team looking to climb the Premiership table ahead of Saturday’s trip to Carrick Rangers.
"Our number nine...he leads the line really well and produced a really good finish against Bangor,” he said. "Work-rate, energy, a brain, linking up with other guys.
"Whenever you have one up front it's very important that they are workhorses as well. Unfortunately, some don't think that, they think ‘I'll be in the box whenever the ball comes in’, but we need a hard-working guy who is going to shut down channels and work hard for us.
"Eamon's been brilliant right through everything...we've played Eamon wide on the right, wide on the left, number 10, number eight – even goalkeeper as well!
"He's grabbed his opportunity up top and he's been brilliant. Against Bangor, the first opportunity he misses and then he scores a brilliant goal – that's what you're getting with Eamon...he's a great lad, great character, great work ethic.
"He'll do me for sure. Because of that work ethic, he doesn't let the head drop and he ignores the chance he misses and just keeps going and doesn't let those things affect him. That's why he'll just keep on making those runs."
Portadown have came through the other side of a brutal fixture schedule which included facing the Irish League’s four full-time teams across consecutive matches, picking up a win over Linfield before losing out to Coleraine, Glentoran and Larne.
Over their next six league games, the Shamrock Park outfit will take on five sides currently occupying bottom-half positions and Currie has called on his squad to pick up crucial points and improve their position.
"We've got a lot of them big boys, the top four, out of the road now and we can look ahead,” he added. "This is up to us now to pick up the points we should.
"We should have had three points against Bangor, which changes the look of everything, but it was a good, hearty performance."