Portadown star feels Niall Currie 'deserves more credit than what he's getting' after masterminding successful Premiership return

Currie has won a plethora of Championship titles with the likes of Loughgall and Ards while also guiding Carrick Rangers back into Northern Ireland’s top-flight – a feat he achieved once again last season when the Ports celebrated second-tier success.

They’re enjoying a tremendous return, currently sitting fourth in the table – just three points adrift of second-placed Cliftonville ahead of this weekend’s trip to Coleraine – and have already won more matches (eight) and collected more points (28) than the club managed in the entirety of their last Premiership campaign in 2022/23.

Currie has been at the heart of that, compiling a squad packed full of Irish League talent alongside unearthing some hidden gems in the likes of Ahu Obhakhan and winger Josh Ukek, who have both signed new long-term deals at Portadown.

"He's been massive for us and I think he deserves more credit than what he's getting,” said Fyfe. “Squad building is massive in his role and I think he has done that expertly, especially this year.

"What he has brought in, we've got strength all over the pitch. We were down to probably the bare bones last weekend but you see with the squad we have that we can bring quality players in, switch positions around and we didn't look off the mark against Linfield outside of that five minute blip.

"He's great, a great motivator and does a great job at keeping the squad together. If you're on the bench, you always want to impress and try to kick on.

"The challenge for places is another reason why we're doing so well because if you have an off day then there's someone ready to pick up your place."

There’s an evident gap in quality of teams at the top-end of the Premiership compared to the Championship, but with Loughgall’s impressive return last term combined with Portadown’s rapid start this time around, the gulf between the rest and best in Northern Ireland’s second-tier has arguably closed.

"I don't doubt there's a gap between the top three or four clubs and the bottom three or four, but Portadown have signed well and we've brought in experienced players,” added Fyfe. “We had a few experienced players last season too.

"It's not a massive jump into the Premiership but the squad in itself and what the club have done has strengthened us and given us a stepping stone to go into the Premiership which was necessary. Bangor have really stepped up to the mark this year and are really flying through the league."

Fyfe admits Portadown are currently exceeding their own pre-season expectations but he isn’t getting carried away with current form as only six points separates the Ports and ninth-placed Larne in an unpredictable league.

"We've come a long way from the start of the season and I don't think anybody would have expected us to pick up the points that we have,” he said. “We'd have bitten your hand off if you'd said halfway through the season we'd be sitting on 28 points.

"It's a weird one because it doesn't mean too much - you could rise or fall quickly in this league so you can't be too focused on that at the moment."