Irish Premiership: Portadown 5-3 Glentoran

Gary Twigg and Darren Murray were both on target twice as Portadown defeated Glentoran 5-3 in Monday's rearranged mid-table Irish Premiership game.

Robert Garrett scored the Ports' other goal while Curtis Allen grabbed a double for the Glens and Marcus Kane also found the net for the visitors.

The Glens, who had won their previous two fixtures, led 2-1 after 15 minutes.

Portadown move to within three points of their sixth-placed opponents and are now unbeaten in four league matches.

The hosts were keen to return to action after their scheduled match at Warrenpoint Town on 5 December fell victim to the weather and then this game had to be postponed on Saturday.

The Glens had triumphed when the clubs met in the Irish Cup final in May and the Oval outfit also emerged 1-0 victors in a league meeting between the sides at the Oval in September.

Goals galore at Shamrock Park

Twigg opened the scoring by sliding in to convert from close range after meeting Chris Casement's cross from the right in the fourth minute.

Kane levelled six minutes later with a shot which deflected off Tim Mouncey, before looping over the head of helpless home goalkeeper David Miskelly.

Jonathan Smith knocked the ball down for Allen to nudge the Glens ahead by firing into the bottom right-hand corner from eight yards out on 15 minutes.

Murray restored parity after 26 when he took advantage of Niall Henderson's short back-pass by coolly lobbing the ball over Elliott Morris in the Glentoran goal.

In the 38th minute, Garrett ensured that his side went into the half-time interval in front with a low right-foot shot from 20 yards.

The goal-scoring continued unabated as Murray extended the Ports' lead by firing a low drive underneath Morris five minutes after the break.

Allen then netted his second with a backpost header two minutes later after a long throw-in had been flicked on inside the box.

Twigg rifled the ball into the roof of the net from 12 yards to complete the scoring in the 72nd and provide further evidence that Ronnie McFall's side appear to have put their early-season woes behind them.

What they said

Portadown assistant manager Kieran Harding: "That was a super performance from our players. We defended well, scored some quality goals and we are delighted to have picked up the three points.

"The conditions were very physically demanding for both teams but the Glens couldn't handle our two frontmen and they put their chances away very well."

Glentoran manager Alan Kernaghan: "I was pleased with the effort we put in but we were not at our best today.

"We started the game very well and dominated the play for the first 20 minutes but when Fra McCaffrey went off injured, we kind of stopped playing and made a couple of mistakes which cost us goals.

"The players did well to make a game of it in very trying conditions."