Northampton Town Under 18s won 3-1 at home to Milton Keynes Dons in the penultimate fixture of their EFL Youth Alliance League South East season on Saturday.
Captain Richie Bailey scored a brace and Peter Abimbola scored his second in as many matches to secure a deserved victory.
Lead Youth Development Phase Coach Shane Goddard made four changes to the team that drew 1-1 with Luton Town.
Courtney Lashley, Dylan Hill, Miguel Ngwa and Kai O'Keefe replaced Josh Flanagan, Ethan Lack, Kieran Watkins-Robinson and Jack Connor in the line-up.
The game started at a fast pace, with both sides creating numerous opportunities in the first 10 minutes.
The Cobblers made a breakthrough after 12 minutes when Abimbola beat the diving goalkeeper with a low shot for his fourth of the campaign.
The Dons responded a few minutes later, but Lashley was in the right place at the right time to make a headed clearance off the line from a close-range effort.
Around the half-an-hour mark, Hill, Tommy Curry and O’Keefe all hit the cross bar for the hosts.
The visitors were also denied by the woodwork, as a long-range shot was tipped on to the bar by Charlie Woods.
With five minutes remaining in the first half, Bailey doubled his side’s lead when he headed home at the back post from Ngwa’s cross.
However, the Dons pulled a goal back straight from kick-off as a low ball in was dispatched from 12 yards.
The second half was more even than the first, and Woods was forced into action multiple times.
Despite this, it was the Cobblers who managed to score an important third with a quarter-of-an-hour to go.
Max Dyche nodded down Curry’s cross, and Bailey was on hand to fire into the bottom corner from 10 yards for his third of the season.
The youth team remain in fifth place after their win. They host ninth-placed Stevenage in the final match of their campaign next weekend.
Starting XI - Woods (GK); Bailey (C), Tomlinson, Dyche, Lashley; Hill (sub Scott, 60), Cross (sub Lack, 83), Abimbola; Ngwa (sub Connor, 60), O'Keefe, Curry. Unused subs - Dadge (GK), Watkins-Robinson.
Goals - Abimbola (1-0, 12), Bailey (2-0, 38), Bailey (3-1, 75).
Yellow cards - Cross, Hill.