Ronnie McFall and Matthew Tipton parallels for Portadown’s Trevor Williamson

Now - in the aftermath of financial problems, points deductions and relegation that put the very existence of his hometown club at risk - Williamson views future challenges with a sense of excitement.

With a return to the Irish League’s top table now a reality after three years of casting an envious eye on a rapidly-changing senior landscape, he draws parallels between the squad shaped by current manager Matthew Tipton and those of Ronnie McFall, the man Williamson counts as “the greatest”.

“I certainly see similarities between those early days under Ronnie and how Matthew has done things since he came back as manager, ” said Williamson. “They both share that drive, with a clear plan and professional approach across all aspects.

“Those brilliant teams assembled by Ronnie had to be built first and Matthew is doing it the same way.

“What really jumps out as a massive shared part of Ronnie’s early time and this current group is the amount of character across the changing room.

“We have so many leaders within the squad and a shared ambition, working together to maximise the talent of the group overall.

“That has been evident under Matthew when you think back to those late winning goals or fightback wins and the bond is brilliant.

“I was part of the squads as a player when Portadown first won the Irish League in 1990 and then the following season’s double-winning group.

“People think of Ronnie as a big-spending manager but when he first arrived it was about building up the club under a limited budget and investing in youth was a massive part of his plans.

“This squad has, overall, grown together and arrives back in the top flight with the benefit of the past few years’ experiences.

“It was the same when I first came into the senior squad at Portadown as a young player - you had a group of big characters, not always best friends with each other but determined to achieve a common goal.

“That helped us back then get over the line in so many difficult situations and I see it again with this group.

“I still consider Ronnie McFall the greatest manager across my time in the Irish League for what he achieved at Portadown.”

Williamson has shared in the cheers and tears, the trophy highs and crippling lows.

“I’ve been so lucky as a Portadown supporter, in my lifetime I’ve seen us crowned Irish League champions four times, ” he said. “But I’ve also seen the club on its knees.

“The club hit rock bottom and had to climb up from that lowest point.

“When I think back on that period I think it was a case at times of some losing their way, often acting with what they felt were the best intentions.

“But people stood by the club despite what was such a bleak future and now we come back with a group of players who, no matter what else, pull on that Portadown shirt with pride and always show that fight for each other.

“We have had some wonderful talents on paper in the past that, for a number of reasons, simply did not achieve what was expected.

“But over the past few years the one major driving force has been the sense of pride back in the football club.

“At the Ports we have had to regroup and rebuild from some massive blows...we come back a very different club.

“Even the relationships developed with other teams in the area has been a massive improvement and that leads to a far greater sense of goodwill towards the town’s senior club.

“And the players have really bought into that sense of everyone working as one, not just those who have come up from the youth sides but even signings with no previous link to Portadown before joining.

“We are all under no illusions about the challenges to come but that is the what all the hard work has been about - to have Portadown back competing at the top level.

“The backing of the fans is something every club wants to call on but there have been so many examples of supporters making such a difference and, in turn, the players feeding off that positivity.

“A lot of credit must go to so many people for so much hard work in so many different areas.”

Williamson’s path to the Ports first-team squad as both player and coach featured initial steps at youth level, experiences which shaped his long-term commitment to the value of internal development - crucially, a vision shared by Tipton.

“I came back to the club in the early 2000s to help out with the under 18s and reserves then everything built from that point, ” said Williamson. “That was my route to the first team as well as a player when I was playing Boys’ Brigade football and then Ronnie McFall put in place a structure at Portadown of the thirds and reserves along with people like Barry McCullough and Ronnie Love.

“And to this day we have people across the youth set-up with a real connection to the club as past players or just fans.

“They understand what it means to everyone to be a Portadown player and that gets ingrained in the boys working towards first-team appearances.

“Even during those difficult times, I and so many others had a belief we could rebuild and the youth set-up was a big part of how we would get back on track.

“Working with the development of the young players has been a big part of my focus since coming back.

“And Matthew has challenged the youth players at the club to grab the opportunity once given the chance.

“In Luke Wilson and Lee Bonis, for example, we have players who symbolise so much of what is positive about the club.

“Both developed within the Portadown youth ranks and Luke was made captain under Matthew as a teenager, with Lee recently earning international recognition for Northern Ireland under 21s.

“We have had some really, really difficult times at Portadown on and off the field over the past number of years.

“But the relationship between the fans, players, management and club officials is superb now.

“People stood up when it counted during times of adversity and refused to quit no matter how tough everything looked.

“Now we are back in top-flight football ready to continue that hard work as a club again very much united.”