Although characterised as “a player’s manager”, Niall Currie is drawing on both raw data and raw emotion following promotion back to the senior stage for Portadown.

Currie’s career in the Irish League dug-out has been built, from the outside perspective, on the bond between boss and player.

Although Currie attributes team spirit as key to early-season Sports Direct Premiership progress, he is also aware of the numbers game backing up a points tally of 12 from eight games before playing host to on-song Ballymena United today at Shamrock Park.

"They're good players and good players make the right decisions more of the time, in my experience,” said Currie after watching his side secure three points with a three-goal victory at Seaview last Saturday over Crusaders. "But to get good players and things working you have to get them working.

placeholder image — Portadown's Ahu Obhakhan (left) and Josh Ukek have been key to a recent run of fine form. (Photo by INPHO/Stephen Hamilton)

"The biggest satisfaction I'll get is when I look at the GPS stats from all those boys and the subs and I can guarantee they'll be right up there.

"We've targets for all the players, there's a league table for the top five GPS numbers in terms of sprints and who covers the most ground, stuff like that.

"So they've a wee challenge going on...Gary Thompson covers the most ground, Shay McCartan had done the most sprints.

"We've a wee bit of banter with it all...Davy (Douglas, first-team analyst) will post them all up in a WhatsApp group.

"It's about keeping smiles on faces and staying humble.

"We've a really good bunch of lads."

Currie celebrated one show of unity as the perfect example of the collective strength behind success to date.

"We'd five or six guys not even stripped out today and they came here (to Seaview),” said Currie. "They didn't have to, we told them to just go and post us their runs.

"But they came here and we got Davy (Douglas) to go and give them a good work-out before the game and then they all stayed.

"Ross Redman went in and done the warm-up with all the players after...so we've a real good spirit about us at the minute.

"Whenever you hit that run (of bad results) then you'll see what you're made of but, at this present moment, I think there's actually a couple of games we deserved more out of."

Although team before self stands at the core of Ports progress, Currie had special mention for some individual performances after goals from Ryan Mayse, Ahu Obhakhan and Lewis MacKinnon against the Crues.

"When you've Shay running around the football pitch closing people down we're in a better place,” said the Ports boss. "But we're seeing some magic from him as well, just wee sparks...he's only going to get better.

"We've a good threat too...Josh (Ukek) is a clever player, quick and strong, we've 'Maysey' (Ryan Mayse) and Eamon (Fyfe), Jamie McDonagh's to come back as well.

"We have Ben Wylie who can play in a '10', Shay as well. "Big Ahu (Obhakhan)...Paul McElroy's now back.

"So we're well-stocked in the last third of the pitch.”