HAT-TRICK FOR LAVERY AS BLUES SWEEP PAST PORTS
Shayne Lavery helped himself to the match ball after his hat-trick ensured Linfield swept to victory over Portadown at Windsor Park.
Lavery opened the scoring for the Blues after a quarter-of-an-hour with a header past Jacob Carney from ten yards after Jordan Stewart had done well to create space and then deliver the cross from the left.
Mark Stafford might have added a second on 33 minutes only for his diving header from Kirk Millar's corner to strike the crossbar.
But, with a couple of minutes of the first half remaining, Lavery doubled his tally with a looping shot into the top corner after receiving the ball out on the left.
Lavery came close to his hat-trick nine minutes into the second half after beating Kevin Healy to the ball but his subsequent shot was well saved by Carney.
The Ports might have pulled one back not long after that through Stephen Murray but his curled effort from distance shaved an upright before dropping wide.
Play then switched immediately to the other end. Joel Cooper found Millar out on the right and his cross was met by Stewart only for his effort to strike the crossbar.
However, it was 3-0 on the hour with Lavery duly bagging his hat-trick. His initial shot was saved by Carney, Cooper's follow up was cleared off the line by Greg Hall before Lavery eventually tucked the ball away.
Linfield: Johns, Stafford, Larkin, Stewart, Millar, Lavery, Nasseri, Clarke, Fallon, Mulgrew, Cooper subs Moore (not used), Callacher (not used), Waterworth (replaced Lavery 66), Manzinga (replaced Stewart 66), McClean (not used), Pepper (not used), Quinn (replaced Millar 73)
Portadown: Carney, Hall, Finnegan, McKeown, Bonis, Guy, Conaty, Kerr, Warde, Healy, Tilney subs Buchanan (not used), Lavery (not used), Tipton (replaced Warde 67), Salley (not used), Murray (replaced Bonis 49), Croskery (replaced Guy 73), Murphy (not used)
Substitution 
Substitution 
