Stuart Delmonte heaped praise on his Republic of Flixton heroes after they secured a stunning 3-2 victory over Sierra Stars in the Manchester FA Sunday Amateur Cup.
Trailing by a single goal at the break against the Manchester Amateur Sunday League side, Republic hit back through Leor Sidle to take the game into extra-time.
Rob Jacobs looked to have won it for the MJSL side deep into extra-time, only for Sierra to level and leave the teams facing a penalty shoot-out.
But with just seconds remaining, James Rosenberg lashed home a dramatic winner to put Republic into the hat for the next round.
“It was just a fantastic win against one of the top amateur sides,” said Delmonte.
“It was a great, great performance in Republic’s first game playing against a non-Jewish side.
“I must say that our effort and fitness in extra-time was incredible and really surprised me because the lads looked so fit.
“It was probably one of the toughest games we’ve had and it’s just great to win.”
Republic have enjoyed a successful start under new managers Delmonte and Tony Rosenberg and currently sit top of the MJSL.
And Delmonte is pleased with the progress being made by his side since his arrival over the summer.
“We’ve had a decent start but we’ve got some very big games coming up,” he said.
“We don’t have a league game for a few weeks now but we’ve got the second round of this cup and the big Peter Morrison Trophy game against Leeds Maccabi 1st.
“That will be a huge game and although they’ll be odds on to win, we’ve got some very good players.”
To get more from Life, click here to sign up for our free Life newsletter.