A STRONG defensive effort has seen Oxley Vale-Attunga take home the 2019 Johnson Cup.
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The Mushies proved too-good for Tamworth FC in the tournament final, securing a 1-0 victory. Sides from across the region, including Inverell and Gunnedah, battled it out in a series of shortened matches.
However, it was a new-look Oxley Vale-Attunga side that claimed victory, going through the tournament undefeated.
As well as going through the Johnson Cup tournament undefeated, Oxley Vale-Attunga was also able to keep a clean sheet and not concede any goals throughout the day.
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New Mushies coach Mitchell O'Keefe told the Leader the Cup win was due to his side's defensive efforts.
"It was a really good day for us all around," O'Keefe said.
"Not dropping any of our games and being able to keep a clean sheet was really good.
"A lot of the credit for that has to go to our keeper Troy Keyte, who was fantastic today [Sunday]."
As well as taking home the day's top honour, the club also claimed the competition's prize money, which O'Keefe said would go to "a good cause".
"We decided to donate our prize money to the Westpac Rescue Helicopter Service," he said.
"It's a good cause and given what kind of club we are we thought it was the right thing to do."
With the Northern Inland Football season fast approaching, the annual Johnson Cup acted as a final hit out for the clubs ahead of round one.
"At the moment we are shaping up alright, despite missing a few players," O'Keefe said.
"We have three or four more players to come back into first grade and a few in reserve-grade as well.
"So our depth should be hopefully pretty good this year."
This season will mark O'Keefe's first as head coach of the Mushies, a role he said he was "really looking forward to."
"Today [Sunday] was my first time as a playing-coach," he said.
"It is great to get amongst it on the field but you do tend to miss a lot of things.
"So I do have to rely on a few people on the sideline that I trust deeply to give me their input.
"But all in all it was a great effort from the boys and I am super proud of them."