Kilrea United win the Afternoon Cup

KILREA United defeated Magherafelt Sky Blues 4-3 in an absolute thriller at the Coleraine Showgrounds on Saturday evening to add the Afternoon Cup to their list of achievements this season.

A week on from lifting the Edwin May Matt Morrison Cup, Vinny McKenna's side just about got over the line against spirited opponents who finished the game with eight men.

Kilrea themselves had a man sent off in the opening stages but despite the four red cards this was never a dirty game.

Tony McCloskey gave United an early lead but the lead changed hands on numerous occasions to keep the large crowd on the edge of their seats throughout the 90 minutes.

Conor McKenna and Gary Deighan ensured the sides were level at 3-3 with just seconds remaining before Denver Johnston powered a header past the Sky Blues keeper from a corner to seal the win for the Kilrea side.

The win sparked wild scenes of celebrations among players, management and supporters as the cup was presented to the winning captain at the conclusion of a dramatic evening.

Full report and more photos in Tuesday morning's Chronicle newspaper...