Dearham pulled off a surprise, but thoroughly deserved 3-0 victory over all conquering Northside at Workington’s Borough Park.
It meant that Dearham were the first winners of the Albert Murphy Trophy for the ex-Workington League sides who compete in the new West Cumberland Sunday League.
Albert, a stalwart of amateur football in the county from player and referee to administrator, was there to hand the trophy over to Dearham skipper James Langstaff.
Jamie Moore, the manager of Northside, who have made a habit of winning all the Workington Sunday League trophies on offer in recent years, was very complimentary to his side’s conquerors.
He said: “Dearham fully deserved to win the trophy. Congratulations to Richard Manchester and the Dearham lads, they were brilliant.
“They are definitely a team on the rise with youth on their side that played with no fear.
“We go again next Wednesday in a league game at Moresby Rangers and that can’t come soon enough. I wish it was tonight.
“It will be a very hard game because on their day they are very good. In fact I would go as far as to say they are the best footballing side we have played who can keep the ball for long spells.”
Northside finished the game with nine men but Moore was not making than an excuse.
Tommy Whitehead was given a straight red at 2-0 midway through the second-half and he was followed 10 minutes later by Jamie Glover after he was shown a second yellow. By that time it was 3-0.
Danny Dryden (2) and Jack Brown scored the goals for Dearham who led 1-0 at half-time.
Brown had opened the scoring when he raced onto a Danny Manchester through ball and skipped round the keeper before slotting home.
Dryden completed a second-half double to give Dearham their deserved victory.
Delighted manager Richard Manchester said: “It was an emotional night because the lads played really well against the best team in the competition.
“They have won everything in recent years and I take my hat off to Jamie and his team.
“We have a side in which only four of them are over the age of 22 and I hope that we can start to emulate what Northside have done over the next few years.”
