Portadown face a tough Premiership test away to Larne on Friday evening as they aim to bounce back from two straight defeats. The match at Inver Park kicks off at 7:45pm local time and sees the 11th-placed visitors take on a side sitting third in the table. Portadown sit 11th in the Premiership on 8 points after 13 games, with a record of two wins and two draws against nine losses.
Portadown's recent form has been inconsistent, with two wins, a draw and two losses in their last five league games. They have lost their last two matches, however, falling 1-2 at home to Linfield last Saturday and 0-2 to Cliftonville in the League Cup three days earlier. That run has left them on eight points from 13 games, a full 26 points behind league leaders Coleraine. Their overall season has seen them score 11 goals but concede 23, resulting in a goal difference of minus twelve.
Recent head-to-head
The last meeting between these sides in September ended in a 2-0 win for Larne. Portadown’s most recent starting lineup, from a fixture against Bangor last month, featured J. Barry in goal with a defence including D. Isamala, M. Carson, L. MacKinnon and L. Chapman.
Larne's mixed form
Larne have also shown patchy form, winning two and losing two of their last four matches across all competitions. They beat Bangor 2-1 away last Friday but lost 1-2 at home to Linfield earlier in the week. Their squad for a recent game included R. Ferguson, T. Cosgrove and D. Bent.
Portadown’s immediate focus is on stopping the slide. They have scored 11 goals this season but conceded 23, giving them a goal difference of minus twelve. Kennedy, who scored a penalty in the loss to Linfield, will be a key attacking threat. The full fixtures list shows this is a key part of the season for the club. The next assignment after Larne is yet to be confirmed. Their recent results include a 1-2 defeat to Linfield on Friday 23 October, a 0-2 loss to Cliftonville on Tuesday 20 October, a 2-1 win at Cliftonville on Saturday 17 October, a 0-0 draw with Glentoran on Friday 9 October, a 3-1 win over Limavady United on Saturday 3 October, and a 2-0 defeat at Ballymena United on Saturday 26 September.
