Portadown lost 1-0 to Larne in the Premiership on Friday, with K. O'Hara's late strike sealing a third consecutive defeat for the struggling side. The result leaves Portadown 11th in the table, having taken only eight points from their opening 13 matches.
O'Hara, a second-half substitute, found the net in the 82nd minute to break a stubborn deadlock. Portadown had kept the hosts at bay for much of the contest, but the late goal proved decisive.
The match was a physical affair from the start. Portadown's Thompson received a yellow card in the 18th minute, followed quickly by Larne's McKendry. Carson was also booked for Portadown before the break. Managerial changes came early, with Portadown forced into a first-half substitution when Flanagan replaced the cautioned Thompson after 28 minutes.
Larne made a flurry of changes midway through the second half, one of which introduced O'Hara. The move paid off as he scored the game's only goal just over ten minutes later. Portadown's final change saw Chapman make way for Falls with six minutes remaining.
League position and form
This latest loss extends a difficult run for Portadown, whose recent form reads three losses, one draw, and one win from their last five outings. They have now conceded 23 goals this season while scoring only 11, leaving them with a goal difference of minus twelve. The gap to league leaders Coleraine stands at a daunting 26 points. Their next challenge is a home fixture against Ballymena United on Saturday, 7 November. Ballymena, currently sixth, won the previous meeting 2-0 in September. Portadown will be looking to their fixtures schedule for a chance to halt this slide and climb from the lower reaches of the standings.
The club must now regroup ahead of that key Shamrock Park encounter in eight days' time. Attendance at Inver Park was reported at 1,847. The match officials, led by referee Ian McNabb, issued a total of five yellow cards throughout the contest.
