The Championship side pushed their Premiership hopes all the way and might have taken the lead after 11 minutes when a 20-yard Darren McNamee effort was pushed out by David Miskelly who then did the same to thwart Barry Bloomer's follow up from the rebound.

And Miskelly denied McNamee again ten minutes from the interval when he held his flicked header from a Ryan Murray free-kick.

Portadown came close not long after the break when Gary McCutcheon shaved an upright from a Sean Mackle delivery while, on 62 minutes, Miskelly saved the Ports again with a superb stop from a Bloomer effort.

However, the tide turned with 13 minutes remaining when substitute Johnny Topley got on the end of a Keith O'Hara cross to send a looping header over Rangers 'keeper Ciaran Stitt to seal victory for Ronnie McFall's side.