Kirkton PS broke the nil-all deadlock at Beryl Humble Oval, Tenambit when Harry Skinner connected to a corner kick half way through the first half.

Skinner banged one through again before half-time and the upset looked inevitable.

Some desperate defence staved off an Iona comeback in the second half before Iona scored a late consolation with moments left in the match to end the game 2-1 down.

It is the first time in three years the Kirkton outfit have made it beyond the first round of the knockout.

Iona beat them in the first round of both the 2006 and 2007 competitions and then went on to win in 2007.

But this time the underdogs had some successful practice runs under their belt, which made all the difference according to Kirkton PS coach Louise Nichols.

“They flogged us 6-0 last year and in 2006, so it was sweet revenge,” she said.

“They knocked us out at the first round both times before so it was nice to get a couple of wins under our belt before we faced the State champions.

“Iona are a good side, they would have held their own anywhere else.”

Kirkton PS beat the Mitchell Island Primary School 5-0 and Stroud Road Primary School 7-1 in their qualifying matches and will now head to Sydney on October 24 to face three other State finalists.

Kirkton PS plays in the second division of the competition, for schools with less than 60 enrolled students.