Niall Currie praises 'sensational' Shay McCartan for setting up 'special day' after victory over Premiership champions Larne
Even before a sensational strike from inside his own half secured Portadown’s late victory over defending Premiership champions Larne, Niall Currie felt “main man” Shay McCartan was star of the show at Shamrock Park and praised his all-round performance which laid the foundations for their stunning victory.
The hosts fell behind in the first half as Conor McKendry’s wicked shot deflected off the post and in via goalkeeper Aaron McCarey, but Eamon Fyfe’s powerful back-post header followed by McCartan’s ‘Goal of the Season’ contender completed a remarkable comeback.
Having collected the ball roughly 10 yards inside his own half, former Glentoran ace McCartan spotted Rohan Ferguson off his line and produced an audacious 88th minute lob to seal three points with a first Premiership goal since joining this summer.
While the 30-year-old rightfully stole the headlines with his unforgettable strike, Currie feels he also deserves credit for work carried out off the ball which helped Portadown celebrate “a special day”.
"We've had quite a few deep chats and I know the expectations were high on Shay when he came here - everybody was expecting a lot of goals and assists from Shay like a few years ago at Ballymena,” Currie told the club’s media channel. “He hasn't let this club down off the ball this season and that was the criticism he had at Glentoran.
"On the ball, that's what he's about today and he looked like the main man. That's what I want from him - I want him playing with confidence.
"We moved him a bit deeper because we felt Ahu (Obhakhan) had been a bit isolated in the last few games and we wanted third-man runs from Eamon, which we got all day. Shay was sensational in the eight and we know he can play in a 10.
"I don't know if anybody got our bench, but if you see our bench everybody is sitting like this (in disbelief). He's a special player.
"We would be detracting away from everybody else if we didn't talk about the whole team today. Shay has got a wondergoal...the shift he put in off the ball was fantastic.
"Every good thing going forward today was through him...I just thought he was sensational. It was a great all-round performance wrapped up with a sensational goal. Our three guys in midfield were unbelievable and they were well-backed up.
"It was all about the team today. It's a special day for the club to beat the league champions."
Portadown were without established centre-back pairing Baris Altintop, who is on loan from opponents Larne, and Lewis MacKinnon, but Dougie Wilson and Luke Wilson stepped in with distinction.
"I think if you asked our supporters they’d probably say Baris and Lewis have been our two best performers,” he added. “Those two are top drawer and the two boys today were fantastic.
"That’s what every manager wants – I want problems and decisions to make. That’s what having a good squad is all about and they’ve certainly given me good problems for next week.”
Defeat continues what has been a difficult Premiership campaign for the Inver Reds, who were beaten 4-1 by Shamrock Rovers in the UEFA Conference League on Thursday, with this a third league loss of the season – more than in the entirety of last term.