'We need to progress to the next level' says Niall Currie as Portadown await injury update to goalkeeper
Niall Currie says he will assess an injury sustained to goalkeeper Aaron McCarey ahead of Saturday’s showdown at home to Cliftonville in the Sports Direct Premiership.
The custodian was forced off through injury in the dying minutes of Tuesday night’s loss at Glentoran and was replaced by Alex Moore between the sticks.
Currie’s men had taken the lead through Eamon Fyfe’s finish but the Glens responded to take the spoils through efforts from MJ Kamara and Pat Hoban’s second-half penalty.
In a busy schedule, the Ports now host Cliftonville at Shamrock Park and Currie says the medical department will do their due diligence on McCarey’s injury as to whether or not he will feature against his former club.
He told Ports TV: “It’s more impact on the shoulder and it’s not like him to come off.
"Chris (Loughran, Head of Medical) will give him a good evaluation as to what the situation is but it’s not like him to come off.
"Again, the pleasing point on Tuesday was having good options on our bench, but these options now need game time and getting up to pace.
“If we can get them guys up to pace quickly, and we still have Ryan Tulloch to come back very soon, that will only strengthen us again.
"As I say, it’s that time of year with plenty of games.”
Tuesday night marked the second time that the Ports have been edged out by the Glens and Currie remarked how good displays against fellow Premiership sides need to be rewarded into points on the board.
"We’ve got to progress to the next level in terms of when we put in a performance like Tuesday night and when we’re every bit as good as the opposition, we’ve got to get something out of a game like that,” he added.
"That’s twice we’ve came down here to The Oval and ended up with nothing.
"I’m sure Declan (Devine, Glentoran manager) would absolutely agree that there have been nothing between the teams.
"We’ve got to get the next level ourselves and make sure we get something out of games like that because the performance merited it.”
Cliftonville bounced back from their Boxing Day derby loss to Crusaders by playing out a goalless draw against league leaders Larne on Tuesday, with Jim Magilton’s men 6th in the table.