After the eight-game winning run which shot them to the top of the table, the Braidmen have now suffered successive losses against Coleraine, Crusaders and the Ports.

Ervin described his side's evening as an "absolute disaster" as second-half goals from Josh Ukek, Ryan Mayse and Eamon Fyfe earned Portadown a victory that the Ballymena boss acknowledged was "thoroughly deserved".

"We were poor from start to finish. Extremely disappointed because we collapsed after the first goal. That’s probably the most disappointing thing," said Ervin.

"I’m absolutely gutted for the fans who’ve come out again tonight in numbers and we’ve let them down a bucket full."

After being hailed for their performances during the winning run, Ervin insisted the Ballymena players must now "be brave enough to accept the criticism as well".

"We can’t get too down. We need to respond. We need everybody up and at it," added Ervin.

"The naivety in the defending for our goals was really, really stupid. I’m disappointed in the manner that we’ve conceded. Portadown controlled it from start to finish tonight."