Portadown has had its fair share of quality imports from Scotland over the years.

Stevie Cowan, Sandy Fraser, Gary Peebles and Gary McCutcheon are just some of the people who are still talked about in Shamrock Park to this day, and now there’s a new name in town hoping to follow in the footsteps of his fellow countrymen.

Jack Duncan may not have been aware of the club’s Scottish connection before he moved to the Irish League last month, but he is now aware of it. The tall centre-back, who came through Hibs’ academy, is hoping he too can make a significant contribution for the Ports.

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“I’ve noticed their love for Scottish players since I arrived,” said Duncan. “I’ve been welcomed with open arms and I can only thank the fans for that so far. We’ve played in Stranraer and the fans have been brilliant. I’ve really enjoyed it so far and I hope I can carry the Scottish name forward at the club.”

The Ports kick off their season today with their first Sunday game of the season. Although it is a new development here in the Irish League, Duncan is used to playing on Sundays.

“The first game of the season is always a bit exciting,” he said. “I wasn’t really aware of the situation with Sunday games here, it’s pretty regular in Scotland. I’m looking forward to getting started. Hopefully we can get off to a good start and go home with three points.”

“The start of every season is exciting, especially now that this season is upon us. I’ve settled in with the boys and the standard is really good. After promotion you try to establish yourself in the league. We’ve got a really good group of boys so we’ll see what happens.”

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