PORTS FIGHT BACK TO EARN DRAW
Portadown twice fought back from falling behind to earn a share of the spoils with Crusaders at Shamrock Park.
Portadown came close to opening the scoring inside the first five minutes when Adam McCallum rattled the crossbar while Sam Warde and Ben Guy were denied on the follow up by keeper Gerard Doherty.
With a quarter-of-an-hour gone Crues midfielder Ben Kennedy sent an effort goalbound but it took a deflection off a team-mate before going wide while, at the other end, Lee Bonis just failed to find the target with a half volley.
Crusaders moved in front on 25 minutes through Declan Caddell. He slotted into the left corner after a Jordan Owens header wasn't cleared allowing Caddell to beat Jacob Carney with a low shot.
The Ports levelled six minutes from the break, however, when McCallum went one better after reacting quickest to the loose ball after Stephen Teggart's effort had cannoned back off an upright.
But the Crues regained the advantage early in the second courtesy of Paul Heatley's strike in off the post after he outpaced Barney McKeown on the counter attack.
Matt Tipton's side thought they had levelled on a couple of occasions around the hour mark.
A corner from Ben Tilney was touched onto an upright by Kevin Healy before the ball was cleared while, moments after that Crues keeper Doherty did well to palm away a McCallum effort from under the crossbar.
Heatley might have extended Crusaders' lead midway through the second half but his near post strike was well dealt with by Carney.
However, with only a minute left on the clock, the Ports did grab their equaliser through Lee Bonis after he headed home from close range following Tilney's cross from the left.
Portadown: Carney, Hall, McCallum, Finnegan, McKeown, Bonis, Guy, Teggart, Warde, Healy, Tilney subs Buchanan (not used), Lavery (not used), Tipton (not used), Salley (replaced McKeown 77), Murray (not used), Conaty (replaced Guy 88), Kerr (not used)
Crusaders: Doherty, Hegarty, Wilson, Lowry, Kennedy, Caddell, Forsythe, Lecky, Owens, Brown, Heatley subs O'Neill (not used), Weir (replaced Lecky 46), McGonigle (replaced Kennedy 69), Cushley (not used), O'Rourke (not used), Ruddy (not used), McGinley (not used)
Substitution 
Substitution 
