Our U17s produced a thrilling comeback victory away to Piltown on Sunday afternoon, making it back-to-back impressive performances after last week’s dramatic 2-2 draw against Villa, where the lads had led 2-0 before being pegged back late on.

This time, however, the lads showed huge character and determination to make sure all three points came home.

The game started at a frantic pace with both sides looking dangerous early on. We settled well and began moving the ball confidently, with plenty of energy in midfield and attacking intent from the opening whistle. Piltown, though, proved dangerous on the counter and the home side eventually took the lead, leaving us with work to do.

Despite the setback, we never dropped our heads and continued to push forward with purpose. We created several good openings and were rewarded on 33 minutes when Max O’Rourke found the net to bring us level. It was a deserved equaliser after sustained pressure and gave us renewed belief heading towards half time.

The second half exploded into life with both teams going toe-to-toe in an entertaining contest. Piltown regained the lead shortly after the restart, but once again we responded brilliantly. Piltown struck during a hectic spell, but we continued to attack with real intensity.

David Magaleas levelled the game at 2-2 with a crucial finish midway through the second half, sparking celebrations from the lads and setting up a grandstand finish.

The lads sensed there was a winner there for the taking and continued to pile forward. Our persistence paid off on 69 minutes when Ezra Iwere grabbed the decisive goal to complete an excellent comeback and secure a great away victory.

There were strong performances all over the pitch, with the squad showing tremendous resilience, teamwork and attacking quality throughout. The substitutes also made a big impact, helping us maintain our tempo during a demanding second half.

After the disappointment of surrendering a two-goal lead against Villa last week, this was the perfect response from the lads — showing maturity, belief and character to see out a thrilling 3-2 win away from home.