It’s been a tough month for the Portadown family this December which has been full of ups and downs.

I think we gave our all this month and really started gaining some momentum after giving Cliftonville a tough time at Shamrock, we then had a crucial clash against Warrenpoint where we absolutely had to deliver – we went there, kept a clean sheet and got 3 points and what an amazing feeling it was! We were full of confidence going into the derby, a game all of us were really excited to play in.

While others were really going above and beyond to enjoy their festive season my team mates were sacrificing many enjoyable moments to be prepared for the game against Glenavon. They were sensibly enjoying the Christmas period while staying away from alcohol and other distractions that might throw them off their game, including an early morning training session on Boxing Day. I was also training with my goalkeeper coach Simon Hunter everyday leading up to the game except for Christmas Day. The team was very focused leading into a very important match to all of us.

I think we started off really well, despite what people have been saying. I thought the first 15-20 minutes we were fantastic and completely on top of Glenavon but unfortunately it didn’t last. I thought the goal was decent play from our rivals but I really think we should be tracking runners. Second half we came out and we were just not good enough at all and honestly never looked like scoring, which is obviously unacceptable against a team with 9 men on the pitch. To walk off the pitch with our own fans booing us was absolutely heart breaking for every single one of us, we all were really excited about the game and to think that it ended like that is really painful. Having said that I think it’s fair to say I can’t blame them, our performance simply wasn’t good enough as we let down the people of Portadown and the pain we felt after losing is the same pain that they feel so it’s completely understandable for them to be upset.

This month I did a bit more exploring on my off day. I went to visit Antrim Castle Gardens with my Husky and learnt more about the rich history Northern Ireland has to offer as well as the incredible scenery, truly impressive gardens and the moat around them adds the cherry on top. My dog also enjoyed the dog play areas so all and all a nice place to unwind and forget about the pressures of football for a day.