CRUES HOLD ON FOR THE WIN
Crusaders defeated Portadown by the odd goal in five at Seaview despite a spirited finish from the visitors.
The Crues needed just two minutes to move in front after Stewart Nixon did well down the right before crossing for Harry Franklin to tap home at the back post.
Portadown twice came close to levelling through Ryan Mayse before, on the half-hour mark, Josh Ukek did equalise after being played through by Tabu Rabby Minzamba to sweep the ball into the top left corner.
And Ukek turned provider to tee Mayse up to come close again just before the break only for the ball to finish just past the left post.
However the home side regained the lead on 56 minutes courtesy of skipper Jordan Forsythe's header from Jarlath O'Rourke's right-sided corner.
Then, on 69 minutes, Harry Jewitt-White added a third with a bundled finish from another Nixon delivery from the right.
The visitors pushed hard to salvage something from the game in the closing stages and did pull one back in stoppage time after Lee Chapman scrambled the ball home but it wasn't enough to deny Declan Caddell's side the win.
Crusaders: Tuffey, Jewitt-White, Blaney, Forsythe, O’Rourke, Larmour, Smith, O’Connor, Clarke, Nixon, Franklin subs Brown, Callacher, Williamson, Owens, Barr, Bond, Downey
Portadown: McCarey, Altintop, MacKinnon, Chapman, Mayse, McCullough, Ukek, Teelan, Minzamba, McCartan, Thompson subs Williamson, Wilson, McElroy, Fyfe, Wylie, Traynor, Obhakhan