Steel and Sons Cup Final: East Belfast lift trophy after win over Sirocco Works

East Belfast came out on top in a local derby against neighbours Sirocco Works to lift the Toals Steel and Sons Cup with a 3-0 victory at Seaview.

The side were led to victory thanks to a brace from the lethal Stephen Cockroft and another from Danny McKee in a game which they dominated from start to finish.

It's East Belfast's first Steel and Sons Cup title since 1992 and their first trophy since they won the Border Cup back in 2015.

It took East Belfast all of five minutes to break the deadlock and it was that man Cockroft, taking a pass from former Glentoran man McKee on the right side of the box, cutting inside onto his left and curling it into the bottom corner.

McKee followed that up by testing Sirocco keeper Neil Shields with a stinging drive from the edge of the box, before Warren Pinkerton saw a curling effort go wide at the other end.

Carl McConville had a glorious chance to equalise for Sirocco, heading over Ross Orderly's corner, and he was made to pay when Cockroft grabbed his second only a few seconds later, set in behind by McKee and beating Shields with a low shot that the goalie should have better with.

Former Crusaders man Cockroft was running the show and he nearly set up Taylor Evans for a third just before the interval, the midfielder lashing the ball into the side netting after a beautiful diagonal pass.

With the two goal lead at half-time, East Belfast were content to manage the game to begin the second half, leaving Sirocco frustrated at their attempts to fight their way back into the game.

Cockroft, meanwhile, was not to be denied his assist, and it was his exquisite free-kick delivery that sealed the win for East Belfast just after the hour mark, McKee the man unmarked at the penalty spot to loop his header over Shields.

Kurtis Hanna passed up a brilliant chance to make the game interesting when he somehow missed the net from Orderly's free-kick, while at the other end Shields broke up a dangerous two-on-one chance for McKee and Keith Armstrong.

McKee was so close to grabbing his second with the final kick of the game when a cross found him in the box, but Shields produced a stunning one-handed stop to prevent the scoreline getting any worse.

SIROCCO WORKS: Shields, Jones, Fleming, Ritchie (Stewart, 35 mins), Bowers, Spiers, Orderly (Stitt, 73 mins), Hanna, S Dornan, Pinkerton (M Dornan, 64 mins), McConville.

Subs not used: Reid, Graham.

EAST BELFAST: Haggan, Rossborough, Roy, McCaughan, Finlay, McNaul, Evans (Wilson, 69 mins), Irwin (McBride, 86 mins), McKee, Armstrong, Cockroft (Kane, 74 mins).

Subs not used: Deane, Belshaw.

Goals: Cockroft (5', 27'), McKee (61')

Man of the Match: Stephen Cockroft (East Belfast)

Match Rating: 6/10

Referee: Jimmy Johnstone