Final disappointment is driving me on in Portadown’s quest for Cup glory: Dougie Wilson

Dougie Wilson is enjoying life at Portadown

Niall Currie's Portadown are in the hunt for League and Cup glory

Portadown defender Dougie Wilson says Irish Cup Final heartache with Ballymena United can help him taste knockout glory with the mid-Ulster side.

The Ports have developed an impressive Cup reputation by lifting the Mid-Ulster Cup, reaching the BetMcLean Cup decider against Linfield and also progressing to the Quarter-Finals of the Irish Cup.

Cliftonville are the opponents at Shamrock Park on Friday night, however the prize Niall Currie and his men crave the most this season is promotion to the Premiership.

Wilson has fond memories of scoring against Larne in last year’s Irish Cup Semi-Final but the decider was a nightmare as Crusaders strolled to a 4-0 success. The 29-year-old, who scored the winner at Ballinamallard United on Saturday, will have to sit out the Reds game through suspension but he will have a major part to play as his side hunt for silverware on different fronts.

“I was injured for the first Final and played last year. I also scored in the Semi,” he recalls. “The two Finals were not great. It makes you more determined to have another go at it.

“Last year was a real sickener as Ballymena didn’t turn up and it left a sour taste in our mouths.

“The manager (David Jeffrey) left and a few others have moved on. Last year’s Final was a hard one to stomach because I don’t think we gave ourselves the best possible chance to win it.

“We reached the Final but didn’t give it a go, it felt like we froze and didn’t do ourselves justice. If you perform you can take positives out of that but that was missing. It’s something I can look back on to give me fuel going forward. The Cups are always about who performs