Revenge will be on the minds of Portadown players when they travel to the Oval to face Glentoran for Saturday’s Sports Direct Premiership tie, but manager Niall Currie is taking nothing for granted.
The last time the sides met was back in August at Shamrock Park, when the Glens ran out 2-1 winners thanks to a 90th-minute deflected strike from Niall McGinn that broke Reds’ hearts.
However, since then they have stabilised themselves in the division after being promoted from the Championship last year and sit in a respectable seventh position after 15 games.
They may be four places below Saturday’s opponents, but with only three points separating ninth from third, everything is still up for grabs, with everybody seemingly beatable.
So, is boss Currie confident of collecting all three points in the east of the city?
“I don’t think you ever go to the Oval full of confidence,” he said.
“But we are going knowing that if we are right and we are at our very best we know we can win.”
Last time out the Ports relied on yet another late Shay McCartan strike at home to rescue a 1-1 draw with Carrick Rangers.
However, they have only lost once in their last five games and look like they may have done enough to avoid being sucked into the end-of-season relegation dogfight.
Captain Gary Thompson is hoping for another large following from Reds fans as they make the journey east to play Declan Devine’s men.
“Glentoran are a top side that are used to being up at the top end of the table,” the former Crusaders’ player said.
“But we will go there with hope.
“Look at the crowd we took last week (Ballymena), it was massive and all the boys in the changing room were commenting on how special that was and hopefully we can do the same on Saturday.
“When we get that support it really makes you feel special to be a part of Portadown.”
Glentoran are struggling with some inconsistency of their own with two defeats in their last five games, however last week’s crushing 3-0 win over lowly Glenavon in Lurgan will give fans some renewed hope.
The Glens also advanced to the final of the Co Antrim Shield in midweek for the second successive season, seeing off Ballymena United 2-0 at the Oval, with goals from Jordan Jenkins and Dylan Connolly; and will be using those wins as motivation against a side with some familiar faces.
There are no fewer than eight former Glens players in the current Portadown squad.
In addition to Aaron McCarey and Shay McCartan, who departed the Bet McLean Oval at the end of last season, the Ports also signed Stephen McCullough from Ballymena United and Jamie McDonagh from Cliftonville.
Already at the club were Ross Redman, Eoghan McCawl, Lee Chapman and Jack Henderson.
It is eleven years since Portadown claimed a win at the Oval, but they may not get a better chance than this weekend to repeat the dose and leave with all three points.