Dartmouth AFC U16s 1,
Stoke Gabriel U16s 3
Dartmouth welcomed title-chasing Stoke Gabriel to Longcross looking to continue their rich vein of form and make it four wins on the bounce.
A win for the visitors would see them go top of the table in what was their last game of the season.
The opening quarter of an hour was very even, with both teams going close to scoring.
For the home side Connor Elliott was presented with a sight at goal following some trickery down the right wing from Cameron Webb.
Tom Matthews then had a shot from the edge of the box well gathered by the Stoke 'keeper and Webb's excellent bicycle kick was brilliantly pushed round the post from a super free-kick from Charlie Blair.
At the other end, Darts 'keeper Aaron Morrison had to be alert following a couple of corners from the visitors. He was eventually beaten in the 19th minute by a low drive from 20 yards out, when a striker was able to turn his marker far too easily and score.
The lead was doubled 10 minutes later when the impressive striker turned Darts defender Archie Irvine and fired past the advancing Morrison.
The half-time team talk must surely have worked because Dartmouth came out a totally different side after the break, taking the game to the visitors and competing strongly all over the park.
The central midfield trio of Solley Metchette, Kieran Doyle and skipper Liam Wadeson finally gained the upper hand and began to provide some chances for the strikers.
In the 21st minute of the second half their efforts were rewarded as they grabbed a goal back to really rock Stoke.
Wadeson drove at the heart of the defence and slipped a pass to Webb, who in turn flicked the ball over the top of the defence for Matthews to chase.
The big striker's presence caused the last defender to slip, allowing him to coolly tuck his shot underneath the 'keeper and into the net to reduce the deficit.
It was game on now and the host's tails were up for the first time in the match, causing panic in the Stoke camp.
Brad Williams was in the thick of things, setting up chances galore for his team and when he slipped a delightful through ball to Elliott, the striker stayed on his feet following a strong challenge inside the box and struck a fierce shot at goal.
The 'keeper did well to palm the ball away and Matthews followed up with a shot from the rebound, which was again blocked, this time by a defender.
For all their efforts Dartmouth were undone with six minutes to go as a long clearance was pounced on by a Stoke striker, who outpaced the Darts defence before curling his shot around Morrison and into the far corner for 3-1.
It was harsh on the home side, who looked like salvaging something from the match.
The final whistle meant victory for Stoke, who moved above Dartmouth's next opponents Newton Town to go to the top of the league.
This Sunday's match at Longcross is the final game of the season for both Dartmouth and Newton Town, where a win for the visitors would crown them as champions.
A victory for the young Darts, or indeed a draw, would see Stoke Gabriel take the title in what has been a closely run championship between all three of the top sides.
Dartmouth's season, in what will be their last campaign together before moving on to men's football, has been a brilliant one and they are guaranteed a third place finish in the table regardless of the outcome of their final match.