Skipper Sonny Hilton scored straight from a corner again as Fulham under 23s clinched promotion and the Premier League 2 Second Division title with a hard-fought victory over Aston Villa at Motspur Park tonight.

Steve Wigley’s side have utterly dominated the division this season with a series of outstanding performances but their big night threatened to fall flat with an enterprising Villa side revelling in their role as party poopers. Mark Delaney’s charges popped the ball around with real intent in the early stages and took the lead when Josh Feeney fired home his first Villa goal after Charlie Robinson’s challenge on the lively Tristan Ableen-Goodridge carried the ball into the centre back’s path.

Fulham had enjoyed plenty of chances prior to going behind with Jay Stansfield, playing in the hole behind Kieron Bowie, almost audaciously chipping goalkeeper Oliwier Zych from distance and then seeing a drive scrambled off the line after the keeper had presented possession to Bowie. The hosts levelled matters six minutes before half-time when sixteen year-old Luke Harris continued his sensational scoring form by ghosting into space at the far post to head home Hilton’s corner.

Both sides pressed for a winner in a very entertaining second half. Wigley had picked an adventurous starting eleven with Ollie O’Neill, returning after a lengthy injury lay-off, deployed in a playmaking role in central midfield, but Villa were far from shutting up shop – searching for a winner themselves to boost their play-off hopes. Adrion Pajaziti slammed a shot into the legs of a Villa defender before a Bowie crash whizzed right across the face of goal and Harris hammered a strike straight at Zynch.

Fulham’s pressure paid off in the final twenty minutes as Hilton repeated his feat of scoring straight from a corner as he did recently at Stoke. He whipped a dangerous inswinger towards the goalkeeper, who fumbled it into the net under pressure, to give the young Whites a precious lead. The visitors continued to throw numbers forward in an attempt to force an equaliser, but it was Fulham who came the closest to scoring again as Ziyech thwarted Stansfield after Bowie had cut a ball back from the byline.

Wigley’s impressive youngsters soaked up a prolonged period of visiting pressure in more than five minutes of stoppage time to claim the title with five games left of an incredible season, which is the latest indication of the progress made at academy level at Motspur Park. With so many talented youngsters at their disposal, the future looks particularly bright for Fulham.

FULHAM UNDER 23s (4-2-3-1): Borto; D’Auria-Henry, Larkeche, C. Robinson, Odutayo; Pajaziti, O’Neill (Sanderson 90); Hilton, Stansfield, Harris; Bowie. Subs (not used): J. Schwarzer, Ameyaw, Bowat.

BOOKED: O’Neill.

GOALS: Harris (39), Hilton (72).

ASTON VILLA UNDER 23s (4-3-3-): Zych; Barber, Munroe (Ealing 45), Appiah (Smith 83), Feeney; Jay-Hart, Lindley, Reddin; Goodridge (Swinkels 59), Afoka, Young. Subs (not used): Wright.

BOOKED: Ealing.

GOAL: Feeney (26).

REFEREE: A. Ajibola.