Niall Currie's delight at Philip Carson capture for Portadown

Portadown manager Niall Currie considers the capture of Philip Carson as a player who can bring 'a bit of everything' to the team.
Philip Carson during his Glentoran days. Pic by PressEye Ltd.Philip Carson during his Glentoran days. Pic by PressEye Ltd.
Philip Carson during his Glentoran days. Pic by PressEye Ltd.

The experienced Carson, who won a league title in 2009 at Glentoran, is recovering from an operation to repair cruciate damage but Currie hopes to see the player on show for the club’s under 20s before the end of the season.

“I signed Philip a few years ago at Ards and he suffered his cruciate damage in pre-season for us,” said Currie. “It has been a long process back for him but we are delighted to get Philip on board and he can certainly bring you a bit of everything.

“He can score goals, has the vision to hit a pass but can also break up play.

“Philip is recovering from his operation so on a rehab programme with the focus on building up the knee.

“He will work on a strength-and-conditioning programme and, eventually, come in to train with the firsts in line for playing next season.

“He has signed as a free agent so the plan is to get Philip out playing for the club before the end of the season in our Premiership Development League.

“He has a league winner’s medal to his name but still is hungry for success and the appeal of playing at a big club like Portadown was certainly a key reason for his decision to sign.”