David Jeffrey’s return to management has not gone according to plan.
After a summer of significant change at Shamrock Park, Portadown entered the new campaign with a heavily rebuilt squad and plenty of work to do.
Eight league games into the season, however, the Ports have just one point.
And when the Mid Ulster Cup is added to the equation, they have now played nine competitive matches without a victory.
So, what has gone wrong?
𝗔 𝗗𝗜𝗙𝗙𝗜𝗖𝗨𝗟𝗧 𝗦𝗧𝗔𝗥𝗧
Portadown’s league campaign began with a narrow 1-0 defeat away to Carrick Rangers.
That was followed by another 1-0 loss at home to Dungannon Swifts before a dramatic 3-2 defeat to Crusaders.
The results against Coleraine and Cliftonville then produced two more difficult nights, with the Ports losing 3-0 and 3-1 respectively.
By the time Larne arrived at Shamrock Park, Portadown were still searching for their first point.
The champions eventually won 2-0 despite playing with ten men for more than an hour.
Then came the breakthrough.
A 1-1 draw with Linfield on Tuesday finally gave Portadown their first point of the season, with Ben Kennedy’s late penalty cancelling out Kyle McClean’s opener.
But Saturday’s 3-1 defeat to Bangor means the wait for a first league victory continues.
𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗠𝗜𝗗–𝗨𝗟𝗦𝗧𝗘𝗥 𝗖𝗨𝗣
The league results only tell part of the story.
Portadown were also eliminated from the Mid Ulster Cup in August after losing 4-2 to Glenavon at Shamrock Park.
That means their complete competitive record currently reads:
P9 | W0 | D1 | L8
They have scored seven goals and conceded 21 across those nine matches.
For a club that had hoped to make a positive step forward in the Premiership, those numbers underline just how difficult the opening month and a bit have been.
𝗔 𝗡𝗘𝗪 𝗦𝗤𝗨𝗔𝗗 𝗡𝗘𝗘𝗗𝗦 𝗧𝗜𝗠𝗘
There is also context behind the results.
Portadown underwent a major rebuild during the summer, with a large number of new faces arriving at Shamrock Park.
Players such as Rhys Breen, Mikey Hewitt, Matty Carson, Sean O’Mahoney, Conor Falls, Dominic Dos Santos Martins, Liam Jessop, Jamie Barry, Oisin Gamble, Finn Flanagan and Ben Kennedy were brought in.
That represents a significant amount of change.
Building a cohesive team from so many new pieces was always likely to take time, particularly against established Premiership sides.
There have been glimpses of encouragement.
Portadown pushed Crusaders close in a 3-2 defeat, competed against Larne despite the numerical disadvantage and finally earned their first point against Linfield.
But ultimately, performances have to start producing results.
𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗘𝗠𝗕𝗔𝗥𝗚𝗢 𝗖𝗢𝗠𝗣𝗟𝗜𝗖𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡
Perhaps the biggest complication is that Portadown cannot simply respond to their problems by going back into the transfer market.
The club are currently operating under a transfer embargo, restricting their ability to add further players.
That is particularly significant for a squad that has already undergone such a major rebuild.
If injuries, suspensions or weaknesses become apparent, Jeffrey has fewer options available to him than a manager at another club might have.
The timing could hardly be more difficult.
𝗪𝗛𝗔𝗧 𝗖𝗢𝗠𝗘𝗦 𝗡𝗘𝗫𝗧?
The encouraging aspect for Portadown is that there is still a huge amount of football to play.
Their first point has arrived, and the performance against Linfield demonstrated that they can compete with stronger opposition.
But the league table does not wait.
Portadown currently sit bottom of the Premiership, and the gap between avoiding an immediate relegation battle and becoming firmly entrenched in it could grow quickly.
The next few weeks therefore become hugely important.
David Jeffrey needs his new-look squad to find consistency, turn competitive performances into points and build confidence.
The transfer embargo makes that task more difficult.
For now, Portadown’s challenge is simple: find a way to win without being able to add to the squad.
After nine competitive games without a victory, the pressure is beginning to build.
