EARLY GOAL ENOUGH FOR PORTS
Portadown moved into the top half of the table with a Saturday evening defeat of Loughgall at Shamrock Park.
What proved to be the only goal of the game arrived as early as the third minute when Steven McCullough stepped up to blast home a free-kick from outside the area into the top corner of the net.
McCullough might have doubled his tally not long after that after receiving the ball from Eamon Fyfe only for Loughgall keeper Nathan Gartside to make the save.
The Villagers could have levelled later in the first half but Caolan McAleer could only fire the wrong side of the post after intercepting a poor Aaron Traynor backpass.
Shay McCartan almost added to Portadown's advantage right at the break but was denied by another strong stop from Gartside with the keeper again denying the Ports early in the second half to deal with a McCullough near post effort.
And he was called into action again to stop another McCartan attempt as Niall Currie's side looked to kill the game off.
Loughgall did have the ball in the net in stoppage time when Conor McCloskey turned home a Luke Cartwright throw-in only for the 'goal' to be ruled out by the officials.
Portadown: McCarey, Altintop, MacKinnon, L. Wilson, Chapman, McCullough, Fyfe, Traynor, Obhakhan, McCartan, Thompson subs Ray, D. Wilson, McElroy, Mayse, Wylie, Riley, Mullan
Loughgall: Gartside, Rea, Murdock, Hoey, McAleer, Gibson, Cartwright, Balde, Francis, Boyd, Towe subs Turker, Waide, Ferris, Norton, Kerr, Harvey, McCloskey
Substitution 
Substitution 
