PORTS THROUGH TO CUP FINAL SHOWDOWN
Ryan Mayse was the spot-kick hero as Portadown edged past derby rivals Glenavon at Mourneview Park to reach the BetMcLean Cup final.
Despite a brisk start to the game it took more than a quarter-of-an-hour for the first real effort of note when Glenavon's Danny Wallace leapt highest to meet a James Doona free-kick only to send his header curling past the right post.
The deadlock was broken just before the half-hour mark. Portadown striker Zach Barr burst into the box only to be brought down by keeper Mark Byrne and, from the subsequent spot-kick, Ryan Mayse confidently tucked the ball away.
Glenavon might have levelled through Gavin Hodgins twice in the latter part of the half, his first effort a header superbly kept out by Aaron Hogg before another similar effort not long after drifted wide.
The Ports might have doubled their lead early in the second half when Mayse laid the ball off for Eamon Fyfe across the box but he could only fire wide from point blank range.
Moments later Glenavon came within a whisker of grabbing the equaliser when Jack Malone unleashed a superb strike from around 20 yards only for the ball to come crashing back off the left post.
Niall Currie's almost that second insurance goal late in the game after Kenny Kane went one-on-one with Byrne only for the Glenavon keeper to make the save before David Toure cleared the danger.
Glenavon: Byrne, Birney, Toure, Snoddy, Malone, Hodgins, Campbell, Quinn, Baird, Wallace, Doona subs Gracey, Kerr, Teggart, Prendergast, Clarke, Garrett, Lotefa
Portadown: Hogg, D. Wilson, L. Wilson, Chapman, McCawl, Mayse, Russell, Fyfe, Traynor, Barr, Thompson subs Buchanan, Coyle, Redman, Kane, Montgomery, Williamson, McKay
Substitution 
Substitution 
