Club History

Portadown were founded towards the latter part of the 1880’s and won their first trophies, the Irish Junior Cup and the Mid-Ulster Cup in 1899.

They retained the Mid-Ulster Cup the following year and added it to the trophy cabinet on several more occasions before achieving their goal of senior football in 1924.  In their first season they finished a very creditable fourth place. Throughout the 1920’s and 30’s they made steady progress and in 1933-34 picked up their first senior trophy, the Gold Cup. They won it again in 1937-38 and the following season added the City Cup to their list of successes.

Had it not been for World War Two, Portadown would have won the Irish League Championship half a century before they finally did.

Portadown have a long tradition of signing Scottish Players, dating back to their earliest days in senior football. In 1948, they appointed Scotsman Tommy Lipton as manager and he put together the famous Portadown “Scottish Team”. Ten of the first team in that side were Scottish.

The 1950’s were not very successful, with a solitary Gold Cup triumph in 1953. In 1957 another Scot, Gibby Mackenzie, took charge at Shamrock Park, and performances improved drastically.

However, “The Title” still remained illusive, with Portadown finishing joint top in 1960-61 and 1961-62. On both occasions they lost a playoff against Linfield. Gibby Mackenzie left for South Africa and the clubs fortunes dived again. However in the late sixties he was persuaded to return to the club and he won the Gold Cup in 1971, Carlsberg Cup in 1973 adding the Texaco All-Ireland Cup in 1974. With victory in the 1979 Gold Cup there would be no more success for ten long seasons.

The turning point came in December 1986 with the appointment of Ronnie McFall as manager. McFall had played for Portadown on two previous occasions, sandwiched between spells at Dundee United and Ards. He left the club to play for and eventually manage Glentoran. Just over three years after taking the reigns, McFall guided Portadown to the long awaited Irish League Championship victory. The following season he went one better winning the double and adding the Ulster Cup and Budweiser Cup in an historic four trophy season. Numerous Cup Victories and two more League Titles have been added to Ronnie McFalls impressive CV, making him the most successful manager in the history of Portadown FC.

In January 2008, Ronnie McFall was awarded the MBE for services to sport in recognition of his contribution to football in Northern Ireland over a period of 40 years as both player and manager.
 
The Greats
 
Throughout the years many great players have worn the red shirt. In the 1930’s Davy Cochrane was transferred to Leeds United after many fine displays as a teenager. Coming into the club during this period were Charlie Coull from Glasgow Celtic and Hugh Bulloch from New Brighton. Bulloch would go on to severe the club as trainer and manager. Tommy Sloan, the clubs first manager was a member of the famous Cardiff City team that took the FA Cup out of England in 1927.

The forties saw many of the excellent Scots signings in the form of Alex McSpadyen, Tommy Louden and Jimmy Dykes. 

In the fifties Scots were again to the fore in the form of “Waggy” Ross, Billy Punton etc. Whilst in the sixties local such as Billy Cush, Ronnie McFall, Brian Morrrison, Eamon Gorman, and Jim Conway left their mark on the club.

During the 1970’s Trevor Anderson went to Manchester United, whilst young talent such as Jim Cleary and Gary Blackledge wooed the fans.

Portadown have a long history of signing top class marksmen and at the end of the eighties and early nineties it was a case of “Double Scotch” with the legendary duo of “King” Stevie Cowan and Sandy Fraser.

Many Southern Irish players have left their mark at Shamrock Park including the cultured Martin Russell and all time top goal scorer Vinny Arkins.
 
Europe
 
Portadown FC first played in European competition in 1962 when they met OFK Belgrade in the Cup Winners Cup. Since then they have been regular qualifiers but only once have they made it through the first round. That was in 1974 when they defeated Valur from Iceland, before going out to Partizan Belgrade. Current Manager Ronnie McFall scored in that first round victory against Valur.