Portadown Manager Currie Praises Team’s Character After Derby Victory

Portadown manager Niall Currie commended his team’s resilience following their 1-0 triumph over Glenavon in Saturday’s Irish Premiership derby, held at Shamrock Park. The victory extends Portadown’s unbeaten run in the league to five matches. Ahu Obhakhan netted the decisive goal just six minutes into the intensely contested match between the two mid Ulster rivals. Currie shared his thoughts with BBC Sport NI, stating, “I thought we didn’t get off to the best of starts. I thought we were a wee bit sluggish out of the gates but the goal calmed us down.” He continued, remarking on the nature of the game and his team’s performance: “It was an evenly matched game. I thought both sides showed great endeavour. We were a wee bit off it today, we weren’t at our very best, but what we had in abundance was character and we had strong guys who went into the trenches for us today. We had loads of desire and enthusiasm but we could have done with a bit more quality to our play.” Currie also expressed satisfaction with goalkeeper Aaron McCarey’s display, whose crucial saves were instrumental in thwarting the offensive efforts of the Lurgan Blues. Praising McCarey, Currie added, “Aaron McCarey is the best in the league in my opinion. Whenever you need to dig in and you need big saves he’s the guy for it. He’s a wonderful leader in the changing room as well and a real character.”