ROUND-UP River shock champs

Cooney’s double secures Shaun Kelly Memorial Cup

THE DSMFL signed off at the end of another long season with plenty of drama in the final week of play-off and cup games.

On Saturday, Riverside CSC defied the odds with a masterclass in hard graft and self belief when they won the Shaun Kelly Memorial Cup — the league’s premier knockout competition — beating Hilltown Hotspurs 2-1 in the final.

In a tight encounter, Paul Cooney gave Riverside the lead with 20 minutes played with a first-time volley catching the keeper wrong-footed.

Hilltown, as one would expect for Premier Champions, were out to make a clean sweep of all the league trophies available to them and soon got back in it through Sam Crozier’s close-range effort following a terrific cross from the right.

Both teams had chances before the break but it wasn’t until the last five minutes that Cooney struck again, catching a cross with a sidefooted volley that took a deflection off a defender to burst the net.

With the game played at a frantic pace, when the final whistle did come there wasn’t much left in the Riverside CSC players’ legs, having defended their lead resolutely.

Hilltown showed their class at the end also, staying to watch the presentation and applauding the efforts of the River players, who were picking up their first trophy since promotion to the Premier League.