Championship

A HUGE NIGHT BRINGS BIG CHANGES

02 Apr 2024
football
© Paul Harvey

A huge night in the Playr-Fit Championship brought a change of leadership at the top as Portadown moved into pole position with four games remaining.

The Ports travelled to face fellow promotion hopefuls Bangor and left Clandeboye Park with all three points.

Scoreless at the break, Portadown found a way through a minute into the second half when Eamon Fyfe capitalised on a Reece Neale slip to fire beyond Taylor.

Wilson then doubled their advantage just before the hour after reacting quickest to a rebound in the area to find the net.

And Fyfe bundled the ball over the line with a minute to go to complete the scoring and double his tally for the evening.

Dundela, leaders going into the evening, went down by one goal at home to Annagh United.

The visitors got off to a storming start, and duly moved in front after nine minutes when Jack Evans found the net from six yards after Callum Ferris had pulled the ball back.

And they almost doubled their advantage moments after that when Evans turned provider for Stephen Murray to fire against the crossbar.

Annagh came close to adding a second with around a quarter-of-an-hour remaining after Evans was played through by Ferris but home keeper Lewis Hunter produced a great save to turn the ball behind for a corner.

With time running out, the Duns laid siege to the Annagh goal, with keeper Joel Little doing well to deny Andy Hall, and then a Jordan Jenkins effort moments later followed by a goalmouth scramble when somehow the ball stayed out.

Institute and HW Welders battled to an equal share of the four goals scored at the Brandywell.

The Welders moved in front as early as the fourth minute after Matthew Ferguson nodded on a cross from the right for Joshua Kee to tap home from six yards.

'Stute levelled before the break, however, when Shane Boyle got on the end of a corner to fire into the roof of the net.

The home side might have seized the advantage just after the hour after Liam Mullan played Mikhail Kennedy through only for his effort to come crashing back off the bar.

The Welders moved back in front, however, on 73 minutes when substitute David Parkhouse knocked the ball home from six yards after an initial effort had come back off an upright.

However 'Stute grabbed a share of the spoils when Daniel Lafferty found the net with less than ten minutes remaining.

Meanwhile, in Section B, Finlay McMullan hit a late equaliser on his debut to earn Newington a point away to Dergview, who had gone in front through Joel Gibson in the first half.

Earlier that afternoon Knockbreda swept to a two-goal home defeat of Ballinamallard United.

'Breda moved in front on 51 minutes after Marcus Murphy got his head to Cormac Lawlor's cross to direct the ball past keeper Jamie Ray.

Then, just after the hour, Caleb Crawford slotted home after Ray pushed a corner out into his path.