Portadown F.C.
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| Full name | Portadown Football Club | |||
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| Nickname(s) | The "Ports" | |||
| Founded | 1924 | |||
| Ground | Shamrock Park | |||
| Chairman | Roy McMahon | |||
| Manager | Ronnie McFall | |||
| League | IFA Premiership | |||
| 2008/2009 | 1st, IFA Championship | |||
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Portadown is a Northern Irish football club which plays in the IFA Premiership.
The club was founded in the late 1880's and joined the Irish League in 1924. It hails from Portadown in County Armagh and plays its home games at Shamrock Park. Club colours are all red .
Their current manager is Ronnie McFall, who has been with the club as manager for 23 years now, having joined on Thursday December 11, 1986. He recently signed another five-year contract which will boost his term as manager to 28 years. He was born and brought up in Portadown and played left-back for the club during the1960's and 1970s, in between he played for Dundee United[citation needed] of Scotland and afterwards [Ards FC.|Ards][citation needed] and Glentoran. He had his first managerial stint at Glentoran.
Portadown's first major trophy success came in the 1933/34 when they won the Gold Cup under manager Tommy Sloan. Their first championship success came in 1989/1990 season when they were crowned Irish League champions for the first time in their history, having come close on numerous occasions in the past. The 'Ports' then went on to have what many would regard as the club's golden age, winning the league title a further two times within five years, including a 'double', when the Irish Cup arrived at Shamrock Park along with the league championship in 1991. They beat their great County Armagh rivals Glenavon 2-1 at Windsor Park in the Irish Cup Final, with Stevie Cowan scoring both goals to take the trophy to Shamrock Park for the first time ever.
On 30 April 2008, Portadown, who had enjoyed senior status since 1924, was relegated to the Championship as a result of its final application form for the new IFA Premiership (due to replace the Irish Premier League for 2008-09) having been received late and thus not considered. The club unsuccessfully appealed its exclusion. [1] Due to the drop from Northern Ireland's top domestic football league, the IFA Premiership, Portadown were forced to take on intermediate status, due to the IFA Championship, which is Northern Ireland's second tier of football, being an intermediate league. In its first season in the Championship, however, the club won promotion straight back into senior football, beating their closest rivals Donegal Celtic 2-0 in the last (and decisive) match of the season. DC went on to play Dungannon Swifts in a two-match play-off, which the Swifts won and remained in the Premier League, with Celtic have to stay put in the lower echelons. [2]Also after beating Newry City 1-0 at Mournview Park on 28 February 2009, Portadown became the first intermediate club to win the CIS Insurance league cup in Northern Ireland. Scotsman Gary McCutcheon scored the winning goal.
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[edit] Future ground developments
Plans are in place to improve the state of Portadown's ground, Shamrock Park in a bid to attract more people to Irish League matches. This is part of a wider drive to push for a more professional set-up in Northern Irish football, along the lines of that which recently took place in Australia with the A-League.
Funding has been granted and two new all-seater stands have been constructed, as well as new several UEFA-approved floodlights being erected.
[edit] Honours
[edit] Senior honours
- Irish League: 4
- 1989/90, 1990/91, 1995/96, 2001/02
- Irish Cup: 3
- 1990/91, 1998/99, 2004/05
- Irish Football League Cup: 2
- 1995/96, 2008/09
- Gold Cup: 6
- 1933/34, 1937/38, 1952/53, 1971/72, 1978/79, 1992/93
- Ulster Cup: 2
- 1990/91, 1995/96
- Floodlit Cup: 3
- 1990/91, 1992/93, 1994/95
- Texaco (All-Ireland) Cup: 1
- 1973/74
- Tyler Cup: 1
- 1977/78
- Mid Ulster: 17
- 1898/99, 1899/00, 1902/03, 1905/06, 1907/08, 1909/10, 1931/32, 1933/34, 1980/81, 1981/82, 1982/83, 1992/93, 1993/94, 1994/95, 1997/98, 2001/02, 2002/03
[edit] Intermediate honours
- IFA Championship: 1
- 2008/09
- George Wilson Cup: 1
- 1996/97†
- Mid-Ulster Cup: 4
- 1960/61†, 1962/63†, 1964/65†, 1969/70†
- Bob Radcliffe Cup: 2
- 1982/83†, 1983/84†
† Won by Portadown Reserves
[edit] Junior honours
- Irish Junior Cup: 1
- 1898/9
[edit] Notable former players
- Vinny Arkins
- Dave Clements
- Stevie Cowan
- Brendan Devenney
- Sandy Fraser
- Gary Hamilton
- Garry Haylock
- Mickey Keenan
- Philip Major
- John McClelland
- Pat McGibbon
- Kevin Pressman
- Allan Smart
- Brian Strain
- Peter Kennedy
- Wilbur Cush
- Alfie Stewart
[edit] Current squad
- As of 11 May 2009.
[edit] References
[edit] External links
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Portadown Football Club
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