Portadown welcome Crusaders this evening to Shamrock Park for a Sports Direct Premiership fixture, 7:45pm kick off.
The last time the two sides met was in January 2025 at Seaview, with the Crues running out 3-2 winners thanks to goals from Harry Franklin, Jordan Forsythe and Harry Jewitt-White – Josh Ukek and Lee Chapman were the Portadown goal scorers. The last time the two sides met at Shamrock Park was in December 2024 with Niall Currie’s men picking up all three points in a 1-0 win thanks to a Steven McCullough goal.
In total Portadown and Crusaders met on three occasions in the Sports Direct Premiership last season with Portadown winning 3-0 at Seaview in September 2024 with goals from Ryan Mayse, Ahu Obhakhan and Lewis MacKinnon and 1-0 at Shamrock Park in December 2024 with Steven McCullough on the scoresheet, Crusaders would pick up the three points in the final Premiership fixture of the season between the two sides with a 3-2 win at Seaview in January 2025.
Crusaders finished fifth in the Sports Direct Premiership last season and have been very active in the summer transfer window with Scotland being their main source for players, with six of their ten new recruits being from across the Irish Sea. In have came Adam Brooks (Queen of the South), Fraser Bryden (Ayr United), Musa Dibaga (Inverness Caledonian Thistle), Elliott Dunlop (Airdrieonians), Evan Easton (Sheffield United – loan), Kurtis Forsythe (Carrick Rangers), Brendan Hamilton (Aberdeen), Odhran McCart (Ards), Kieran McKechnie (Arbroath) and Finlay Thorndike (Glentoran). Declan Caddell’s men have two defeats (Carrick Rangers & Glentoran) and a win over Bangor in their opening three Premiership games of 2025/26.
At Shamrock Park, Crusaders have a strong recent record, losing just once in their last nine league visits. That sole defeat came in the most recent meeting, Portadown’s first home league win over Crusaders since 2015.
Prior to that loss, Crusaders were unbeaten in eight league visits to Portadown, winning five and drawing three, and scoring in every match.
Referee | Evan Boyce
Tickets for the game are available via PFC TICKETS – Portadown Football Club
Last Five | Head to Head
25 January 2025 | Crusaders 3 (Franklin, Forsythe, Jewitt-White) Portadown 2 (Ukek, Chapman)
21 December 2024 | Portadown 1 (McCullough) Crusaders 0
21 September 2024 | Crusaders 0 Portadown 3 (Mayse, Obhakhan, MacKinnon)
7 November 2023 | Portadown 2 (Kane, Fyfe) Crusaders 1 (M.Kennedy)
18 March 2023 Portadown 2 (McElroy, O’Sullivan) Crusaders 2 (Clarke, Lowry)
Last Five | Shamrock Park:
21 December 2024 | Portadown 1 (McCullough) Crusaders 0
7 November 2023 | Portadown 2 (Kane, Fyfe) Crusaders 1 (M.Kennedy)
18 March 2023 Portadown 2 (McElroy, O’Sullivan) Crusaders 2 (Clarke, Lowry)
25 January 2022 | Portadown 0 Crusaders 1 (B.Kennedy)
30 March 2021 | Portadown 1 (Salley) Crusaders 2 (Wilson, Owens)