Portadown went top of the Bluefin Sport Championship following this 3-1 over newly promoted Queens University at Shamrock Park on Saturday afternoon.
It was Queens who had the first chance of the game when Connor Mulholland picked up a long ball before running at the Portadown defence and getting a shot away from the edge of the Portadown box which Ports keeper Edwards parried with Jonah Mitchell mishitting the rebound allowing the Ports shotstopper to easily gather.
Portadown took the lead on 18 minutes when Stephen Teggart dispossessed Queens captain Matthew Hughes in midfield before finding Lee Bonis who unleashed a thunderbolt from all of 25 yards which found the left hand side of the Queens University net, a sublime strike from the in form striker.
Adam Salley almost extended Portadowns lead on 20 minutes when a great turn and ball over the top from Teggart set Salley free down the right who took a touch before firing a half volley across the face of goal and just past the Queens right hand post.
Queens had a chance to grab an equaliser on 36 minutes when Ports defender Paul Finnegan deflected a Jonah Mitchell cross into Benjamin Mulgrew’s path in the box however Mulgrew mishit his half volley slicing it well wide of the Ports left hand post.
Queens University were to find an equaliser ten minutes into the second half via a controversial penalty when the referee, much to the bemusement of players and supporters alike, ajudged that Paul Finnegan had pushed Connor Mulholland in the box and Jonah Mitchell stepped up to dispatch the penalty low into the bottom right hand corner just passed the fingertips of Bobby Edwards.
Portadown pressed for a goal to put them back in front and were almost rewarded when Bonis got on the end of a looping George Tipton cross from the left on 62 minutes however the Queens GK made a top save to claw the ball away when it look destined to find the back of the net. Bonis continued to hassle and hustle the Queens defence and again almost grabbed his second of the goal of the game when he dispossessed Queens defender Andrew Drylie just outside the box before seeing his shot across the face of goal finger tipped agonisingly wide of the left hand post by Doherty in the Queens goal.
Ports were to retake the lead on 70 minutes when George Tipton played a superb ball over the top to Marty Bradley down the Ports left who charged into the box before playing the ball across goal for substitute Callum Ferris to tap into an empty net to put the Ports 2-1 up and cap off a whirlwind three weeks for the eighteen year old which has seen Ferris score twice for Northern Ireland U18s as well as receive a Northern Ireland Under 21 call up.
Ports striker Bonis was still on a mission and determined to put the Ports out of a sight with a third and almost achieved it when he picked up a Tipton pass just inside the Queens half before going on a marauding run down the left which took him into the Queens box before seeing his pass across goal for Callum Ferris parried wide by the goalkeeper.
Man of the Match Bonis was not to be outdone though and got what he deserved when he grabbed his second goal and the Ports third in injury time when he picked up another defence splitting pass from Tipton to skip past the challenge of a Queens defender before cooly slotting home into the bottom right hand corner to secure all three points for the Ports and send them to the summit of the Bluefin Sport Championship.
Portadown: Edwards, Hall, Crane, Finnegan, Salley, McGrandles, Tipton, Wilson, McNally, Teggart, Bonis subsMcCallum (not used), Bradley (replaced McGrandles 63), Duke (not used), Carmichael (replaced Teggart 87), Ferris (replaced Salley 63)
Queen’s University: Doherty, Corry, Calvert, Drylie, Robinson, Bonnes, Mitchell, Mulgrew, Mulholland, McKenna, Hughes subsMcIlroy (replaced McKenna 78), O’Hare (replaced Hughes 78), Torrens (not used), Fox (not used), Young (replaced Mulholland 78)
Referee: Shane McGonigle
Match Sponsor – Stena Line
PSS Man of the Match as sponsored by Sure Recruitment NI – Lee Bonis
#WeArePortsTV Match Highlights
Portadown manager Matthew Tipton’s post match interview
Callum Ferris post match interview