Taylor is hopeful his side will ‘bounce back’ in derby

The referee dished out seven yellow cards and denied the home side a clear penalty in what Ports boss Taylor described as ‘unhelpful officiating’

The first half was an even affair with both sides cancelling each other out. As the first half fizzled out, a defensive mix up by Portstewart allowed Richard Thompson to hit home leaving the score 1-0 to the visitors at the break.

Portstewart were determined to get back on track and came out in a more determined fashion for the second spell. Lee Forgrave and Robert Donnell tested keeper O’Neill. But, a scramble in the box eleven minutes after the restart saw Thompson on target again. His low drive somehow filtered through a crowded goal mouth passed Madison. A minute later and Portstewart defender John Neill nodded in from a Peden corner. The big defender claiming his second goal in as many games making the score 2-1.

As Portstewart pressed, Ryan Doherty was unlucky as the visiting keeper somehow kept out his powerful shot, and Lee Forgrave was denied by the finger tips of O’Neill. In a controversial decision, Portstewart were denied a penalty when Moffatt up-ended Portstewart forward Turner inside the box. Both men were booked, and as Turner had already been handed a yellow card earlier in the tie, he was sent off. Portstewart continued to battle but the score remained 2-1 to the visitors.