Matthew Tipton: Portadown moving in the right direction

Portadown manager Matthew Tipton wants more of the same following a winning response this week to a season's first defeat with two impressive wins.
Portadown manager Matthew Tipton.Portadown manager Matthew Tipton.
Portadown manager Matthew Tipton.

The Ports bounced back from losing to Dundela in the Bluefin Sport Premiership by firing home five goals without reply past Ballinamallard United on Saturday then claiming the senior scalp of Newry City AFC over a midweek BetMcLean League Cup tie.

The reward for that penalty shoot-out success over Newry is a quarter-final clash at Shamrock Park against Linfield but Tipton wants the gains to go beyond any one-off high-profile match.

“Internally, we will - and should - never be satisfied but beating Ballinamallard United in the league then getting the cup win over Newry can be seen as positive steps forward off the back of losing our first game,” said Tipton. “Beyond the results, we must look at the details within each game and we had not been happy with aspects leading up to that Dundela match.

“Despite staying unbeaten, we were waiting for it to click into place and the Dundela defeat allowed us to then reinforce the importance of following our instructions and training work into games.

“Talk is cheap ultimately and it only comes down to what the players do out on the pitch.

“But over the past two games we’ve seen us get closer to the shape, structure and tempo we feel the squad is capable of producing on a consistent basis.

“We believe, by doing things a certain way with this group of players, that approach offers the best chance of achieving our long-term goals as a club.”

The Richhill Reds Supporters’ Club bus for PSNI will leave the village square at 12.45 tomorrow (Saturday) ahead of the 3 o’clock start time.

Portadown’s Euro Electrix Mid-Ulster Senior Cup tie at Shamrock Park against Banbridge Town will kick off on Tuesday at 7.45.