Portadown are back at Shamrock Park tomorrow evening when we welcome Glenavon for the first Mid Ulster derby of the season, kick off 5:30pm
The last time the two sides met was in April 2025 at Shamrock Park with the game ending in a 1-1 stalemate, Ahu Obhakhan had given Portadown the lead before a Harry Murphy header pegged Niall Currie’s men back. In total Portadown and Glenavon met 5 times last season, with Glenavon picking up three victories, Portadown the one win and then the afore mentioned draw. Ports striker Ahu Obhakhan enjoyed a rich vein of form in those derby games, scoring all of Portadown’s goals (4) over the five meetings.
Glenavon come into the game off the back of 9 league defeats and are still waiting on their first Premiership points of 2025/26, they failed to score a league goal in September while away from home, they’ve scored just once and conceded 9 in 5 games – facts and figures which has seen Paddy McLaughlin lose his job as manager. Glenavon will be under the stewardship of senior players David McDaid and Niall Quinn tomorrow while the Glenavon hierarchy search for the next man to take the reigns at Mourneview Park. Incidentally Paddy McLaughlin made his bow as Glenavon manager against Portadown at Shamrock Park back in November 2024, a game the Ports won 1-0. Tomorrow will see Niall Currie come up against a fourth different Glenavon manager in the dugout since he returned as Ports boss for a second spell in October 2022.
The Ports are unbeaten in their last 4 home league games against Glenavon (W2, D2), however have lost 4 of their 5 home games this season conceding 12 — a total it took Niall Currie’s men 12 games to reach last season.
6 of the last 12 league meetings at Shamrock Park have ended in draws, but Portadown have only failed to score once in their last 21 home league games against Glenavon – that game in a 1-0 defeat to 9 men Glenavon in December 2021.
According to the NIFL Stat Zone website (NIFL STATZONE: 3-4 OCTOBER 2025 | NI Football League) James Teelan’s winner against Cliftonville last week was our third injury-time goal of the season and 10th since the start of last season, the most in the league. We’ve scored 45% of our league goals since promotion in the final 15 minutes plus stoppage time, while defensively 62% of the goals Portadown have conceded this season have come between the 38th and 67th minutes.
Portadown will be without the suspended Ben Wylie while Francely Lomboto serves the third and final game of his suspension following his red card against Coleraine in August.
On the game Portadown manager, Niall Currie commented
We look forward to hosting our neighbours from Lurgan tomorrow.
I think it’s fair to say we’re all surprised to see how their season has started after a big summer of recruitment and the top players that they signed, but we all know it counts for nothing in regards to what happens against us as these games are blood and thunder and I expect no different tomorrow.
We’re on the back a great performance, Josh Ukek and Shay McCartan are edging closer to availability while Rabbi Minzamba has trained this week so we’re starting to see a light at the end of the tunnel after a difficult time with missing key players thankfully.
Bottom line is we have to back our levels from last week up and as I always say, we focus on ourselves knowing if we’re on it we have always a chance to win football games.
Referee | Louise Thompson
Tickets | PFC TICKETS – Portadown Football Club
Last Five | Head to Head
1 April 2025 | Portadown 1 (Obhakhan) Glenavon 1 (Murphy)
26 December 2024 | Glenavon 2 (Campbell, Quinn) Portadown 0
23 November 2024 | Portadown 1 (Obhakhan) Glenavon 0
8 October 2024 | Glenavon 2 (Atherton, O’Connor) Portadown 1 (Obhakhan)
5 October 2024 | Glenavon 2 (Malone, McDaid) Portadown 1 (Obhakhan)
Last Five | Shamrock Park
1 April 2025 | Portadown 1 (Obhakhan) Glenavon 1 (Murphy)
23 November 2024 | Portadown 1 (Obhakhan) Glenavon 0
18 February 2023 | Portadown 3 (Teggart, O’Sullivan 2) Glenavon 1 (Wallace)
30 September 2022 – Portadown 1 (Conaty) Glenavon 1 (Haughey)
27 December 2021 – Portadown 0 Glenavon 1 (Campbell)