PORTADOWN men's firsts slumped to a 4-1 reverse in Belfast on Saturday against Queen's.
Both teams entered the match keen to pick up points in the battle for sixth place and the early exchanges proved tense.
Portadown’s spell of short corners failed to result in an end product and Queen’s gained control as play progressed.
Garet
h Titler came close to breaking the deadlock but a last-gasp Queen’s tackle cut short his path to goal.
Three goals over the final 15 minutes of the first half provided Queen’s with a decisive advantage.
Matthew Gray forced the Queen’s goalkeeper into a fine save following a clever reverse-stick attempt.
David Winter then steered a shot just past the upright before the interval.
Portadown attacked with pride and purpose over the second half and it required another strong stop by the Queen’s goalkeeper to frustrate Gray.
A consolation eventually arrived in the closing stages as Gray added his name to the scoresheet thanks to a decisive finish.
Titler narrowly failed to connect to Winter’s drilled cross but the former confirmed his value to Portadown with some perfectly-timed tackles - along with Graeme Morrison - before Queen’s added number four.
ends
The full article contains 211 words and appears in Portadown Times newspaper.
