World War I. With the return of the local men from the war, the clamour for senior football was growing. One man in particular was leading the bid for the club's senior status: William A. Mullen, the man responsible for coining the phrase "The Hub of the North" which is still popular today. It came from in the late Victorian days when Portadown's extensive rail network led to all parts of Ireland. Many of the junior clubs in that area put aside their rivalries with The Ports to back the club's bid to join the Irish League. This was in a time of expansionism in Irish Football with the league keen to take the game beyond the boundary of Belfast. The only club who were in the league at the time were current rivals Glenavon. In 1923, the Irish League was expanded from six to ten clubs with the introduction of Newry Town, Ards and Barn. Then finally, after several years of preparation, William Mullen together with Tom Dawson and his committee met the league chiefs in June 1924 and were able to present a strong case for joining the league. Their good work in winning friends and influencing people paid dividends and Portadown became a full member club of the Irish League together with the readmittance of Belfast Celtic. The nucleus of the first teams to represent the club came from the local junior clubs who had supported the bid – names such as Nisbet, Dinnan, Carraher, Boyd, Cochrane and Hunter. Early Irish League years (1924–1932) In August 1924, Portadown played their first senior game; the opponents that day were Glentoran. The first Irish League game played at Shamrock Park was against the champions Queens Island in a game that finished 0–0. In that first season, Portadown finished fourth, two points behind Belfast Celtic with Queens Island taking second place, behind champions Glentoran. Along the way, The Ports played some memorable matches, including a 4–3 victory over Linfield at Shamrock Park and a 1–0 win against Belfast Celtic in the City Cup. The 1925–26 season saw a continuation of their consolidation in the league with away victories at both Belfast Celtic and Linfield. After only nine seasons in senior football Portadown lifted their first senior trophy, defeating Glentoran 1–0 at Solitude in the Gold Cup Final. Thousands of Factory workers took a half-day off work and travelled to Belfast