WHAT THE MANAGER SAID: Niall Currie aware derby 'terrible on the eyes' but delight at end to four-game losing run

Here’s the verdict of Portadown manager Niall Currie:

PERFORMANCE...

"I'm sure that game was terrible on the eyes but sitting in situations like that you just what to see it out.

"First and foremost you want to get back to the basics we showed at the start of the season.

"Gary Thompson makes a huge difference towards that...I've said it many, many times - absolute warrior.

"He just gives you that extra bite, that extra competitiveness.

"We've missed him...simple as that.”

He added: "After losing to Glenavon on Tuesday (Mid-Ulster Senior Cup) I challenged the players.

"I don't think we've been working as hard, as a team, as we had whenever on our good run.

"At times on Tuesday we'd seen a few players jogging back into shape instead of sprinting back.

"I wanted to go with a workhorse attitude tonight.

"Regardless of anything, I knew tonight we'd be back into shape quickly.

"We still caused them problems but we wanted to get back to basics."

LOSING RUN...

"I look at those defeats...Ballymena we played very well, Glenavon you take a point out of it, Ards was really disappointing but the Glenavon cup game it was two poor goals.

"I wasn't overly concerned (about the run) but what I was concerned about was the manner of the goals we'd been conceding.

"We had a chat with the backline and told them just to defend from now on.

"No touches in the box...if it needs to go to Row Z then it goes to Row Z.

"Special mention to Aaron Traynor...he was outstanding (against Loughgall).

"We got really good reports from the under 20s about his attitude and performances.

"He has come in, having been left out of the squad for a month-and-a-half, straight into the team.

"It's important we can do that as well...he deserved his chance and he's earned that opportunity.

"He made one mistake before half-time but, overall, dealt with everything."

BALANCE...

"I thought our shape was really good tonight, we were again compact.

"When you lose a bit of flair you get doggedness and shape.

"It's a very fine balance.

"In a game like tonight I wanted compactness, shape out of possession and 'diggers'.

"Thankfully it worked."

DROPPING BACK OVER SECOND HALF...

"I think it naturally happens...you can hear me on the sideline shouting 'get us 10 yards higher'.

"But players in the last 15 or 20 minutes and Loughgall throwing people on then automatically it becomes a 'keep what we have' scenario.

"We've seen it through...it's one of those you dig in."

He added (on Loughgall’s injury-time equaliser ruled out): "I've watched the video back and 100 per cent they got the decision right...interfering with play.”

STEVEN McCULLOUGH...

"He's quality, a player I've admired for a very long time.

"I had Steven on loan at Ards as an 18-year-old...then he was a wee bit raw.

"But I've watched him at close lengths for a long, long time and the opportunity when we heard Stevie was maybe interested in moving on (from Ballymena) was one I was all over.

"It's not only his football ability...he's a great athlete and great character, a physical specimen.

"We have him for a few years after this and he's well worthy of a three-year deal.

"He's a top, top pro."

FUTURE...

"With Steven, McCartan (Shay), Gary (Thompson), McCarey (Aaron) we wanted to get that nucleus of a backbone of experience.

"I said to the senior players 'we need you', they have to help drive everyone on in a patch like this (four successive defeats).

"I told the players when we were winning there would be times like that where it's just about ‘go again’, ‘go again’, ‘go again’.

"I said ‘forget what's gone on in the past...we've an opportunity to be sitting sixth in the Irish League’ after all the criticism.

"I think we're in a decent place...15 points from 11 games is a big improvement.”