Illawarra Premier League grand final 2023: the key moments

The scores were level at half-time but Matthew Floro came out of the blocks firing in the second and put his side ahead.

Cringila threw the kitchen sink at their opponents but Franc Pierro's team held strong.

Read more: Coniston end 22-year Illawarra Premier League grand final drought

Here are the key moments that decided the game:

Cringila could have taken the lead early in the contest after about five consecutive shots.

There was a mix of saves from Kaydin Harrison and blocks from the Coniston defence, but the main thing for Franc Pierro's team is that the ball stayed out of the goal.

Coniston had a number of chances to take the lead as the first half wore on. Tobias Norval first had a chance saved by Nikola Ristevski on the stretch before Christopher Arditti found some space in the box and put his shot just wide.

Read more: Fernhill complete redemption arc beating Shellharbour in grand final

Cono' continued to push hard and Sam Matthews forced another spectacular save from Ristevski and from there, Matthew Floro couldn't convert from the follow-up.

In the opening stages of the second half, Floro sent the crowd wild.

He received the ball down the line and went one-on-one with Jonah Kalmanidis. He beat his defender and smashed the ball into the roof of the net.

He got a yellow card in the celebrations due to taking his shirt off but he did not care as he made it 1-0 after 48 minutes.

Floro was clearly in the mood. The striker hit the crossbar just moments later.

The Lions had to come out of the blocks with the game ticking dow.

There were nervy moments for Coniston. Michael Mendes had a free kick blocked and then shortly after hit the apex of the goal as Cringila desperately attempted to equalise.

Read more: The best photos from Fernhill's District League grand final victory

Coniston ended their title drought and the players, coaches and crowd went wild.

A 1-0 win against rivals Cringila, it doesn't get any better.

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