West Ham United Academy Director Terry Westley said he was delighted with the team's grit and determination after deservedly beating Jong PSV 2-1 in the Premier League International Cup at the Boleyn Ground.
Despite going behind after just two minutes, the Dev Squad rallied with excellent goals from Kieran Bywater and Kieran Sadlier.
Speaking after the impressive win, Westley said: "I'm delighted for the boys and the academy staff. It's been a tough time and we haven't won many games. So to win a high profile game and against a well-respected team is fantastic.
"We got off to a bad start again by conceding so early on and I feared the worst, but we showed some real grit and determination on Wednesday. At the same time we had some good moments, particularly our second goal. I thought we manoeuvred the ball well, it was a great cross and a good finish. So I'm really delighted for the players and delighted for the staff because it was a big win."
While the Dev Squad have put in good performances throughout the season, they have found turning good performances into points a tricky task as they had only won once so far.
"Today we got some reward for the grit we showed. I said that to them in the dressing room it's a massive, steep learning curve.
"Our centre halves today were 15 and 17, one is still at school the other is a first year scholar. Whereas their No6, Stijn Schaars, is a full international, he's played over 300 league games at the top level and he's moved for big transfer fees. To come against players like that, and come out on top is brilliant.
"You learn so much in such a short space of time. How to defend a lead, how to keep the ball, how to kill time. Squeezing up the pitch even though you're exhausted.
"Across the team I thought we did very well. We had Matty Fanimo playing at left back who hasn't played there yet this season. You had probably the best player on the pitch in Seb Lletget as centre forward who took the ball and gave us a breather and allowed us to get up the pitch. I could go right across the team because there was some fantastic performances."
Another positive was 15-year-old defender Reece Oxford, who led out the team as captain. Speaking about Oxford, Westley said: "It's not a gimmick. People might say that you've done that because you want him to sign. But I think he's a leader of people. He's not captain of England U17s for nothing.
"He's captain on merit and I thought he did excellently tonight. He was delighted to get his team across the line with a win. He represents the club whenever he plays and we are trying to accelerate his learning curve. He's still learning but it's a great start for him."
Another player who had a fantastic game was Kieran Sadlier, the pacey winger capped a great performance with a terrific match winning goal.
"Kieran Sadlier has just come back from international duty on Tuesday. Lewis Page was injured in training so we were a bit short. So it was a fantastic performance. He took his goal well but also his overall performance was excellent, his tracking back and he also had several other opportunities.
"Kieran Bywater has been excellent ever since I arrived. He's played in a number of positions this season and he's shown he can get goals wherever he plays. His work ethic is second to none, he really did put in a shift."
The Development Squad's next game is against Millwall in the FA Youth Cup on Tuesday 25 November 2014 at Rush Green. Please note this match will be held behind closed doors.