Portadown F.C.
Full name | Portadown Football Club | ||
---|---|---|---|
Nickname(s) | The "Ports" | ||
Founded | 1889 | ||
Ground | Shamrock Park, Portadown, Northern Ireland | ||
Capacity | 3,943 | ||
Chairman | Roy McMahon | ||
Manager | Ronnie McFall MBE | ||
League | NIFL Premiership | ||
2013β14 | 4th | ||
|
Portadown F.C is a semi-professional, Northern Irish football club which plays in the NIFL Premiership.
The club was founded in 1889 but not joining the Irish league until 1924. It is based in Portadown in County Armagh and plays its home games at Shamrock Park. Club colours are all red with White and their away kit is sky Blue.
Since 1986 the club's manager has been Ronnie McFall.
History
Portadown's first major trophy success came in the 1933β34 season when they won the Gold Cup under manager Tommy Sloan. Their first championship success came in the 1989β90 season when they were crowned Irish League champions for the first time in their history, having come close on numerous occasions in the past. The 'Ports' then went on to have a period of continued success winning the league title a further two times within five years, including a 'double', when the Irish Cup arrived at Shamrock Park along with the league championship in 1991. They beat their County Armagh rivals Glenavon 2β1 at Windsor Park in the Irish Cup Final, with Stevie Cowan scoring both goals to take the trophy to Shamrock Park for the first time.
On 30 April 2008, Portadown, who had been a senior football club in Northern Ireland since 1924, were relegated to the Championship as a result of the clubs final application form for the new IFA Premiership (due to replace the Irish Premier League for 2008β09) having been received 29 minutes late and thus not considered. The club unsuccessfully appealed its exclusion.[1] Due to the drop from Northern Ireland's top domestic football league, the IFA Premiership, Portadown were forced to take on intermediate status, due to the IFA Championship, which is Northern Ireland's second tier of football, being an intermediate league. In their first season in the Championship, the club won promotion straight back into senior football, beating their closest rivals Donegal Celtic 2β0 in the last (aind decisive) match of the season. Also after beating Newry City 1β0 at Mournview Park on 28 February 2009, Portadown became the first intermediate club to win the Irish League Cup. Scotsman Gary McCutcheon scored the winning goal.
Portadown qualified to play UEFA Europa League football in the 2010β11 season on account of being runners up in the 2009β10 Irish Cup to Linfield. They defeated the Latvian side Skonto Riga 2β1 on aggregate to advance to the second qualifying round. It was their first win in European cup competition since 1974. The second qualifying round 1st leg match was played at Shamrock Park on 15 July 2010 with Richard Lecky scoring the opening goal against the Azerbaijani side FK QarabaΔ, but two second half goals from the Azerbaijanis saw them take a 2β1 lead back home for the second leg on 22 July 2010. The 2nd leg in Azerbaijan ended 1β1 which was not enough for the Ports who were knocked out 3β2 on aggregate.On March 21, 2015 Portadown reached their first Irish Cup Final since 2010 by beating Ballymena 3-1 at The Oval to face Glentoran in 2 May 2015.
The Ronnie McFall era
Since 11 December 1986, the club's current manager has been Ronnie McFall. He signed another in five-year contract in 2009 and signed a one-year deal in August 2014. He was born and raised in Portadown and played left-back for the club during the 1960s and 1970s. He has also played for Dundee United of Scotland, and afterwards Ards and Glentoran where he began his managerial career. Ronnie McFall is the longest serving manager in European football surpassing Sir Alex Ferguson in 2013. Ronnie was also the reason there is proper referees assistants men are in Championship 1 and Championship 2.
Problems
Portadown's support are very rarely hostile but in the Iron-Bru league cup Quarter-Final Versus fierce rivals Glentoran a Fire work was thrown towards the Glentoran bench from the away end at the Oval injuring team members.The supporter was banned for life by the club.
In 1999 a social club outside the stadium was the scene of a violent incident in which members from the Loyalist Volunteer Force, some of whom were out on Christmas parole, were attacked by members of the rival Ulster Volunteer Force,[2] beginning a violent feud that resulted in multiple deaths.[2][3]
In 2007 there was an incident at The Oval when rival Portadown and Glentoran fans clashed in the streets outside the ground and missiles were thrown and cars damaged. The club management condemned the incident.[4] Portadown have signed up to the UEFA 10 point plan on racism. along with the eleven other NIFL Premiership clubs.
Portadown in Europe
Season | Competition | Round | Opponent | Home | Away | Agg |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1962β63 | Cup Winners Cup | R1 | OFK Belgrade | 3β2 | 1β5 | 4β7 |
1974β75 | UEFA Cup | R1 | Valur | 2β1 | 0β0 | 2β1 |
R2 | Partizan Belgrade | 1β1 | 0β5 | 1β6 | ||
1990β91 | European Cup | R1 | F.C. Porto | 1β8 | 0β5 | 1β13 |
1991β92 | European Cup | R1 | Red Star Belgrade | 0β4 | 0β4 | 0β8 |
1992β93 | UEFA Cup | R1 | Standard LiΓ¨ge | 0β0 | 0β5 | 0β5 |
1994β95 | UEFA Cup | PR | Ε K Slovan Bratislava | 0β2 | 0β3 | 0β5 |
1996β97 | UEFA Cup | PR | FK Vojvodina | 0β1 | 1β4 | 1β5 |
1999β00 | UEFA Cup | QR | CSKA Sofia | 0β3 | 0β5 | 0β8 |
2002β03 | UEFA Champions League | QR1 | FC Belshina Bobruisk | 0β0 | 2β3 | 2β3 |
2003β04 | UEFA Cup | QR | MalmΓΆ FF | 0β2 | 0β4 | 0β6 |
2004β05 | UEFA Cup | QR1 | FK Ε½algiris Vilnius | 2β2 | 0β2 | 2β4 |
2005β06 | UEFA Cup | QR1 | Viking FK | 1β2 | 0β1 | 1β3 |
2006β07 | UEFA Cup | QR1 | FBK Kaunas | 1β3 | 0β1 | 1β4 |
2010β11 | UEFA Europa League | QR1 | Skonto Riga | 1β1 | 1β0 | 2β1 |
QR2 | QarabaΔ FK | 1β2 | 1β1 | 2β3 | ||
2012β13 | UEFA Europa League | QR1 | FK ShkΓ«ndija | 2-1 | 0-0 | 2β1 |
QR2 | NK Slaven Belupo | 2-4 | 6-0 | 2β10 |
By competition
Competition | P | W | D | L | GF | GA |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
European Cup / UEFA Champions League | 6 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 3 | 24 |
UEFA Cup Winners' Cup | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 7 |
UEFA Cup / UEFA Europa League | 28 | 3 | 7 | 18 | 16 | 62 |
Total | 36 | 4 | 8 | 24 | 23 | 93 |
Last updated on 26 July 2012
Honours
Senior honours
- Irish League: 4
- Irish Cup: 3
- Irish League Cup: 2
- Gold Cup: 6
- 1933β34, 1937β38, 1952β53, 1971β72, 1978β79, 1992β93
- Ulster Cup: 2
- 1990β91, 1995β96
- Floodlit Cup: 3
- 1990β91, 1992β93, 1994β95
- Texaco (All-Ireland) Cup: 1
- 1973β74
- Tyler Cup: 1
- 1977β78
- Mid-Ulster Cup: 21
- 1898β99, 1899β00, 1902β03, 1905β06, 1907β08, 1909β10, 1931β32, 1933β34, 1960β61β , 1962β63β , 1964β65β , 1969β70β , 1980β81, 1981β82, 1982β83, 1992β93, 1993β94, 1994β95, 1997β98, 2001β02, 2002β03
- Charity Shield: 1
- 1999
- Royal Mail Community Action Cup: 2
- 2003-2004 2004-2005
- Ivan Marshall Cup:1
- 2004-2005
β Won by Portadown Reserves
Intermediate honours
- IFA Championship: 1
- George Wilson Cup: 1
- 1996β97β
- Bob Radcliffe Cup: 2
- 1982β83β , 1983β84β
β Won by Portadown Reserves
Junior honours
- Irish Junior Cup: 1
- 1898β99
- Harry Cavan Youth Cup:2
- 1992-1993
- 2013-2014
Current squad
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
|
|
Rivals
Portadown's biggest rivals would be Glentoran and Glenavon their other rivals include Ballymena and Linfield and Also share a rivalry with Dungannon Swifts.
References
- β "Portadown out of Premier League". BBC News. 13 May 2008. Retrieved 2010-05-22.
- β 2.0 2.1 "What bloody sparked the UVF/LVF feud; AS LOYALIST PARAMILITARY GROUPS". Sunday Mirror. 17 December 2000. Retrieved 2011-02-24.
- β David McKittrick (11 January 2000). "Fatal gun attack may signal fresh loyalist infighting". The Independent.
- β Stuart McKinley (12 February 2007). "Violence discredits real fans say Ports and Glens". Belfast Telegraph. Retrieved 2011-02-24.
External links
|
|
|