Keighley Cougars 32 Workington Town 12: Triumphant Keighley seal instant return to second tier

But the former Wakefield Trinity Wildcats star, 35, was as influential as ever on the field yesterday, earning the man-of-the-match award as his kicking and leadership destroyed Workington Town in the Championship One play-off final.

On-loan Leeds Rhinos centre Jake Normington scored two tries, while there were monumental efforts from Australian prop Brendan Rawlins and veteran second-row Will Cartledge as Cougars, relegated last year, won an immediate return to the second tier.

Ecstatic Demetriou said: “This is just as special as anything I did in Super League.

“I knew what it meant for everyone here at Keighley and I’m so proud of the players. They were awesome.

“As for next year, I’m not sure yet. It will depend on the type of players I can get and how my body feels, but I can’t keep pumping painkillers in for ever.

“I’ve got three beautiful kids to think of and if I can focus on coaching I’ll probably retire.”

Keighley, who finished second behind champions Swinton Lions, had endured a longer route to Warrington having lost 19-10 against Workington a fortnight earlier.

That meant they had to beat Rochdale Hornets last week to set up yesterday’s finale where they did not make the same errors again against the disappointing Cumbrians. Demetriou revealed they had pinpointed thwarting Workington scrum-half Darren Holt, who had masterminded that shock play-off loss at Cougar Park, as crucial to their chances.

“We needed to get to Holty,” he said. “He kicked us to death the last two times we played. I nominated a couple of players and thought if we got him they didn’t have a plan B. That’s what happened – we took him out and they didn’t have any answers.”

Subsequently, Keighley, fielding 12 members of the squad who saw them win promotion here two years ago, were 22-0 up by half-time.

Workington were made to pay for a series of missed chances when trailing just 4-0 early on to Danny Lawton’s opening try.

Jason Mossop and Karl Ostrum both made searing breaks but each failed to successfully find their support while Demetriou intercepted close to his own line and Dave Armistead wasted another opportunity.

Keighley, after that spell of uncertainty, ruthlessly responded with three tries in 12 minutes.

Workington never got to grips with the intelligent kicking game of both Demetriou and Jy-Mel Coleman while some of their line defence was feeble.

After they made a hash of another well-weighted grubber, captain James Feather scrambled over from dummy half and, when a Demetriou kick forced another drop-out, Rawlins rumbled through some weak efforts for another.

Next up was Ollie Pursglove, the strong-running second-row needing only to walk in after some clever handling down the blindside from Gavin Duffy, the Workington rearguard disappearing once more.

Their opponents did not score until the 64th minute when Scott Kaighan finally crossed, Neil Frazer adding another late on, but Normington struck either side, Lawton finishing with four goals, to prove Cougars’ superiority.

Keighley Cougars: Haythornthwaite; Lawton, Sagar, Normington, Duffy; Demetriou, Coleman; Benjafield, Feather, Law, Cartledge, Pursglove, Jones. Substitutes: Wray, Shickell, Rawlins, Smith.

Workington: Carter; Miller, Mossop, Low, Frazer; Holt, Kaighan; Coward, Olstrum, Armistead, Whitehead, McKenna, Stack. Substitutes: Bainbridge, McGoff, Clough, Robinson.

Referee: T Roby (Preston).