Portadown manager Niall Currie praises Cathair Friel after "perfect striker's performance" sets up Premiership showdown with Dungannon Swifts

​All eyes will be on Stangmore Park this weekend with only two points separating Ports and Swifts in the battle for Danske Bank Premiership survival.

Newry City, who are five points clear of 11th place and a relegation play-off, could still yet be dragged into the fight with two games to go.

Portadown’s resurgence has been nothing short of remarkable with the Shamrock Park outfit winning five of their last nine league matches to drag themselves back from what looked an impossible position.

Only five teams have picked up more points over the past 10 games than Currie’s men following Saturday’s triumph at home against Carrick, with January loan signing Friel scoring either side of Josh Archer’s first-half strike.

"Carrick have bullied us the last couple of games we played against them and we simply asked the players to put their chests out, go toe to toe with them and don't get bullied,” Currie told WeArePortsTV.

"I thought we should have been three up (going into half-time) and when you go into the second-half and that goal from Carrick comes it's all backs to the walls, panic, stress and blood pressure!

"The third goal was the icing on the cake.

"It was a wonderful finish and just really topped off a brilliant performance he (Friel) had for us.

"He covered every blade of grass, ran channels, closed people down, won headers, held the ball up - it was the perfect striker's performance and full credit to him.

"We're now in a situation where, hand on heart, if you had told me it was sort of in our hands I would have said 'yeah dead on, whatever' but we're in that situation now.

"The players have been unbelievable to get us to that situation and we're now two points behind them going there. We have to win. All credit goes to the players.

"It opens everything up and it's a very interesting situation come next week.

"We have to approach that game very simply - play the game, not the occasion.

"Hopefully we go down there with a wonderful support behind us and put in a real good performance."