Hi °C | Lo °C Portadown extended their lead in the battle for second place with an important 1-0 victory over Crusaders at Seaview.
The Ports won courtesy of a first half goal from the impressive Neil McCafferty.
Ronnie McFall's side were comfortably the better side in the first half, but the Crues got their act together in the second half and had a number of chances to level the score, but Tuda Murphy and the Portadown defence held firm.
McCafferty gave Portadown the lead in the 17th minute with a fine curled effort from 16 yards. McCafferty whipped in a marvellous corner from the left side which Brian Gartland headed against the post. An alert McCafferty reacted first to the rebound, arrive from the left flank to whip the ball into the far corner from just inside the box.
Crusaders looked weary in the first half, with Portadown controlling the midfield. Sean Mackle forced Sean O'Neill into a good save with a low drive from inside the box on the half hour mark.
As time wore on Crusaders came more into the game, as Declan Caddell and Chris Morrow started to impose themselves. Their first big chance arrived on the hour from a corner when Timmy Adamson's effort was cleared off the line by Matthew Brown, before Tuda Murphy saved Chris Morrow's follow-up effort.
Substitute Jordan Owens missed a good chance in the 73rd minute when he got on the end of a cut back from Chris Morrow, but Owens turned his eight-yard effort past the post.
Crusaders continued to push for an equaliser but the side from north Belfast were unable to conjure up a goal.
CRUSADERS: O'Neill, McCann (Snoddy 82), McKeown, Coates, McBride, McMaster (Halliday 88), Caddell, Morrow, Hazeley (Owens 67), Rainey, Adamson. Subs: Harris, Johnston.
PORTADOWN: Murphy, Burns (Acheson 22), Gartland, Breen, O'Hara, Mackle, McCaffrey, Clarke, Brown, Lecky, Tipton. Subs: Shortt, McKinney, Gilmore, Woolsey.
Referee: Raymond Hetherington (Dungannon).
