IRISH PREMIER LEAGUE Ards 1-3 Cliftonville Dungannon Swifts 0-0 Crusaders Larne 2-3 Portadown

Goal machine Vinny Arkins struck five minutes from time with the winner to send the Ports two points ahead of Linfield and Glentoran.

Portadown had taken an early lead through defender John Convery's close-range effort but Larne hit back with Marty Rodgers and Mark Dickson scoring.

However, late goals from Wesley Boyle and Arkins secured Portadown's win.

To make matters worse for Larne, they had veteran defender Stephen Small sent-off near the end for a stamping offence on Arkins.

It was a disappointing end for Jimmy McGeough's men after they had led for much of the contest.

They responded well to Convery's flicked eighth minute opener, scored after Cullen Feeney had won a Kyle Neill corner.

Larne's equaliser on 20 minutes was a beauty, Marty Rodgers collecting a Convery clearance and switching on to his left foot to beat keeper David Miskelly from all over 30 yards.

Five minutes from time Dickson was one-on-one with Miskelly and kept his head to shot Larne in front.

That is the way it remained until the 78th minute when Ports new boy Paddy Quinn, on as a substitute, found Boyle who fired in to square it at 2-2.

On 85 minutes Arkins pounced for the winner, his shot from just inside the box finding the net despite an attempted goal-line clearance.