Northampton Town's youth team travelled to Stevenage on Saturday in the EFL Youth Alliance Merit Division.
The Cobblers won the game 2-1 with Michael Harding and Ethan Johnston, fresh from signing a professional contract this week, scoring the goals as Jon Brady's team got their Merit League campaign off to a winning start.
"It was a tough game on a difficult pitch but we showed glimpses of quality and a lot of resilience," said under 18s coach Brady.
"It was our first competitive game in quite a while and it's pleasing to get our Merit League 1 campaign off to a good start with what was a very young side.
"We had a lot of first years in the side and that again really demonstrates the player pathway we have at the football club."