Following a disappointing defeat to Newry City, the ‘Gers were keen to make amends with a result against Niall Currie’s bottom-of-the-table Ports.
A scrappy first half showed little to separate the teams, though.
After Josh Archer’s 25-yard volley was held by Ross Glendinning, the visitors' only real chance of scoring came through a penalty appeal when Reece Jordan went down to Kurtis Forsythe’s challenge in the box.
However, referee Declan Hassan spotted that the Carrick defender had got a touch on the ball and waved away the protests.
Aside from that, the Shamrock Park side didn’t look likely to hit the net, while the hosts came closest to breaking the deadlock when Ben Tilney’s strike from eighteen yards clipped the outside of the post.
Following the interval, Paddy McNally thought he had grabbed the opener when he got his head on the end of a Jordan corner-kick, but he was denied by Glendinning who gathered on the line.
Just minutes later, Rangers took the lead from a corner of their own.
Andy Mitchell’s delivery to the back post was side-footed towards the six-yard box by Reece Glendinning where Lloyd Anderson got the vital touch to open the scoring.
Then, in the 81st minute, another Mitchell delivery was headed into the bottom corner by Cameron Stewart to put the game to bed and add three more points to the board.
Carrick Rangers: Glendinning; Glendinning, Ervin, Stewart; Forsythe, Mitchell (Surgenor, 90), Anderson, Tilney; Cushley (Kalla, 88); McGuckin (McKiernan, 90), Gawne (Allen, 62).
Unused substitutes: Hogg, Buchanan-Rolleston, Gillen.
Portadown: Barr; Wilson (Mitchell, 70), Upton, McNally; Balde, Archer, Russell, Jordan (Beverland, 70); Teggart (Donnellan, 64); Moorhouse (Tantale, 70), Jenkins (Rutkowski, 46).
Unused substitutes: McKenna.
Referee: Declan Hassan
