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United boosted their hopes of surviving the drop from the Nationwide South with a deserved two-win victory at St. Albans. For the third straight game, John Rains named an unchanged starting line up. The U’s were the better side in the first half and eventually reached the break with a two goal lead, although it took half an hour to open the scoring and the margin perhaps should have been much wider at the interval. Scott Corbett was the first to fail to make the most of an opportunity, having excellently taken the ball on his chest on the edge of the area and beaten two defenders his attempted cross to Craig Watkins was claimed comfortably by the ‘keeper. Eddie Akuamoah spurned one of United’s clearest openings after seventeen minutes when Watkins charged down a defensive clearance and the ball spun to Akuamoah in the middle of the pitch with him clear of the defence. Unfortunately, by the time he reached the edge of the box, Akuamoah was under pressure from a defender and sliced his shot well wide of the left post. A Matt Gray free kick curled through the area and just wide a minute later and the U’s then hit the post when Nigel Brake and Chris Nurse combined in a flowing passing move to find Paul Honey just to the left of the penalty spot and he fired left-footed across goal but against the right upright. Sutton finally made their pressure count when Honey volleyed a high ball into the right of the area and a determined Corbett battled to win the ball before being bundled over by a group of defenders. Gray, as United fans have become accustomed this season, put away the spot kick, sending the ‘keeper the wrong way as he fired to the left side of the goal, 1-0. Moments later Lewis Gonsalves should easily have doubled the lead but swung and missed at a Gray corner from the left when he was unmarked inside the six yard box. But United did extend their advantage before half-time when Honey won the ball and passed to Akuamoah in a central position on the edge of the area. He took one touch before spreading the play left to Brake, who took advantage of the space he found himself in to drop a cross right into the path of Corbett at the near post and he headed home firmly through the ‘keeper’s despairing grasp, 2-0. In the closing seconds of the period the Saints almost reduced the deficit but a curling free kick from twenty-five yards scraped past the left angle. Half-time: U’s 2, St. Albans 0. With a two goal lead established at the halfway point, there was always a danger that Sutton would sit back and defend in the second half and for the first ten minutes it seemed that this was exactly what they were going to do as St. Albans applied the pressure - Ryan Palmer somehow deflected a shot destined for the back of the net over the bar and a shot from eighteen yards went slightly wide of the left post. Thankfully, though, the U’s recomposed themselves and could have added further to their lead in the middle fifteen minutes of the half. Watkins could have netted himself a brace but was first unlucky to see his excellent lob drop just the wrong side of the post and then shot disappointingly at the ‘keeper after cleverly flicking the ball over the last defender and bringing it under control with the side of his right boot. Gray could have settled the game with fifteen minutes remaining when Corbett won the ball on the left and passed to Akuamoah. Sutton’s number eleven found Gray on the right and he cut in past the last defender into the area but his low shot was held at the near post by the diving goalkeeper. But with twelve minutes left, St. Albans looked to be setting up a nervy finish for the U’s when they pulled a goal back through Lee Fieldwick, who appeared for United during this year’s pre-season friendlies. Phil Wilson could do nothing to stop Fieldwick’s volley which sped across goal from eighteen yards into the bottom right corner, 2-1. Sutton’s response to conceding was outstanding, though, and an anxious last ten minutes never materialised as the home side barely had another look at goal. United nearly re-established the two goal advantage only for Tony Quinton to head over from a Gray free kick and the task of holding on for the three points in the last five minutes became easier when Dean Hooper was sent off for a second bookable offence following a clumsy foul on Brake. Final score: U’s 2, St. Albans 1. F-t-L Facts:
Goals: Gray (30 pen), Corbett (45).
Right, The 'keeper dives at Scott Corbett's header but it will slip through his grasp for the second. U’s v AFC Wimbledon, Surrey Senior Cup Semi-Final (05/04/05) United fell one step short of a third consecutive Surrey Senior Cup final, losing out one-nil to AFC Wimbledon at Gander Green Lane. Ryan Palmer was ineligible for the game so Craig Howard came into the back three. Scott Corbett was also missing and John Rains handed a start to Graham Tydeman in his place. Sutton started the tie playing the better football and looked particularly strong working the ball wide, where Matt Gray and Eddie Akuamoah both put in dangerous crosses in the opening minutes. Five minutes later another Gray cross was tapped away from Craig Watkins by the ‘keeper and although the ball fell to Akuamoah, he shot into the goalkeeper. The visitors always looked dangerous from set pieces and after a deflected shot looped narrowly over the United crossbar, the resulting corner caused chaos in the box as Phil Wilson failed to hold it but it was just scrambled away. Watkins could have given United the lead after half an hour but failed to connect properly with a free header on the penalty spot after Nigel Brake’s excellent cross from the left. Wimbledon would have been thankful to their ‘keeper for reaching the interval level as he pulled off two important saves in the final ten minutes. First Akuamoah released Watkins for a one on one opportunity but he shot into the ‘keeper’s diving body and the ball spun up and wide of the goal. Then, on the stroke of half time, Gray swung in a free kick from the right after a foul on Akuamoah and Tony Quinton planted a header inside the right post only for the ‘keeper to dive full length across his line to tip it around the upright. Half-time: U’s 0, AFC Wimbledon 0. Two minutes after the break and it was Wilson ‘keeping the scores level with a near identical save but diving in the opposite direction to palm away a firm header from a right wing cross. But Wilson’s save only kept the score level for a matter of minutes as Wimbledon made maximum use of their dangerous set-pieces when Anthony Howard rose at the back post to crash an unstoppable header past Wilson from a Rob Ursell free kick, 0-1. A minute later and it could have been two-nil but a clever passing move finished with the ball striking the right post and being scrambled away by the Sutton defence. Sutton tried desperately to find an equaliser and could have been level when Brake headed down into the ground from a right wing cross but the ball bounced up and over the bar. Moments later Gray’s curled free kick was cleared off the line. The U’s hopes of squaring the game were all but gone when injury forced the withdrawals of Akuamoah and Watkins, leaving Gray and Chris Nurse playing upfront for the final fifteen minutes. With United’s most creative output – Gray on the right wing – now gone they looked bereft of ideas for opening up the Wimbledon back line and resorted to hopeful long balls and the long throws of substitute Sammy Hewitt to get into the Dons’ area but lacked the height up front to make such tactics successful. Nurse had a shot blocked by the ‘keeper but Sutton rarely looked like scoring, even when the visitors were forced to play an outfield player in goal for the final five minutes, whilst Wimbledon remained a threat on the counter attack. Final score: U’s 0, AFC Wimbledon 1. F-t-L Facts:
U’s v Basingstoke Town (09/04/05) Sutton took a step close to safety from relegation by winning at home in the league for only the fourth time this season. Joff Vansittart returned from injury and replaced Eddie Akuamoah, who picked up a knock against AFC Wimbledon during the week. Richard Blackwell made his first league appearance at the back, in place of Tony Quinton. The return of Vansittart gave United a target man up front and nearly paid off instantly as he chested down Matt Gray’s long throw into the box and hooked a ball back towards the middle of the area. Paul Honey failed to connect with the cross but it fell nicely for Scott Corbett only for Sutton’s captain to shoot wide of the left post. After ten minutes Corbett had another opportunity to score but missed a simple chance to give United the lead. Chris Nurse spread the play beyond the defence onto the right wing and Gray beat the last defender to the ball before touching it past him and laying a pass across goal that seemed destined for Vansittart to side-foot home but Corbett rushed in and lifted the ball over the bar with his weaker foot. The combination of Vansittart and Watkins in attack with Corbett playing just behind them seemed to prove effective in creating chances but Sutton failed to finish. In a two minute spell the U’s could have scored twice more as first Watkins ran free down the left but failed to pick out Corbett or Vansittart with his cross when he should perhaps have shot at goal. Then, Vansittart brought the ball under control in the Basingstoke half and touched it to Corbett who flicked the ball through to Watkins but despite being beyond the defence, a bad second touch allowed the ball to roll through to the ‘keeper. United were unlucky not to win a penalty when Gray was elbowed in the face in the area but neither the referee nor the nearest assistant saw the offence and play was allowed to continue. Basingstoke had a good spell during the middle of the half but failed to capitalise on two counter-attacking chances, both times failing to hit the target with the goal seemingly at their mercy. Later in the half they were denied by Phil Wilson who made a diving save before grabbing the rebound. Watkins remained Sutton’s most likely to score and having shot high and wide he eventually gave the U’s a well-deserved lead by hitting the back of the net three minutes before half time - Watkins brushed off his marker on the left of the area before lifting the ball over the ‘keeper and inside his near post. At the break: U’s 1, Basingstoke 0. The U’s continued into the second half as the better side but the failure to finish their chances always threatened to come back to haunt them. Watkins couldn’t quite bring the ball under control inside the area and was forced wide by the defence and twice Gray crossed into the box but Vansittart and Corbett were both prevented from scoring by the ‘keeper. Corbett should have given Sutton a two goal lead when Honey played a ball over the top of the defence but from an unmarked position on the penalty spot he shot comfortably over the goal. Sutton had the majority of the possession but the visitors caused a couple of late scares and could well have claimed a share of the spoils when a right wing cross was volleyed wide at the near post with five minutes remaining. And in the final minute another cross from the right was met at the near post but the striker slid it past the upright as United held on for a valuable three points. Full-time: U’s 1, Basingstoke 0. F-t-L Facts:
Goal: Watkins (42).
Right, Craig Watkins runs in on goal before beating the 'keeper. U’s v Hornchurch (16/04/05) Sutton slid back towards the relegation zone after three second half Hornchurch goals ended an unbeaten away record that stretched back to 4th December. With Tony Quinton still missing, Sam Hewitt earned a start in the back three, replacing Richard Blackwell. Otherwise the team was unchanged from last weekend’s home win over Basingstoke. United shaded the first half but the ‘keeper’s were rarely troubled as both sides struggled to carve out any clear cut openings. Craig Watkins was first to try his luck but fired over after fifteen minutes when Hewitt’s long throw dropped to him on the edge of the area. Another Hewitt throw minutes later was headed by Scott Corbett to Matt Gray and he slid it inside to Paul Honey whose Zidane-esque turn took him into the area and won a corner. Ryan Palmer fired Gray’s dead ball goalwards but it deflected back out to Gray and his cross eluded the ‘keeper only to clear the jump of Watkins at the back post. Hornchurch could only muster two dangerous-looking twenty-five yard drives in the first half but neither hit the target. The U’s played their best football of the match just before the interval but after Corbett had burst past two defenders and into the right of the area his excellent low cross shot across the area as no forwards had kept pace with him. With virtually the last kick of the half, United brought the first save of the game but Chris Nurse’s well-struck shot was held by the goalie just beneath the bar. Half-time: U’s 0, Hornchurch 0. Within fifteen seconds of the restart, though, the home side had the lead as Sutton’s defence conspired to fail to deal with a long pass and the ball somehow found its way to Chris Stowe to poke past Wilson, 0-1. United’s chances of taking any points from the game began to look slim only ten minutes later as the Urchins doubled the lead. A left-wing corner was only half-cleared to the edge of the eighteen yard box and when the ball was drilled back towards goal, Stowe was in the right place to turn the ball high into the roof of the net, 0-2. Lewis Gonsalves nearly gave Sutton a glimmer of hope with a little over twenty minutes remaining but his header from a Gray corner cannoned back off the crossbar. Joff Vansittart then had a penalty appeal turned down after being shoved to the floor inside the area. Wilson pulled off a great save to deny Hornchurch with five minutes left, turning a one-on-one chance wide of the post with a one-handed block but was to blame for the Hornchurch third four minutes later when Nana Badu tackled him outside the area and walked the ball towards goal before stroking it into the empty net. Final score: U’s 0, Hornchurch 3. F-t-L Facts:
Right, Whammo! Chris Nurse slides in on the Hornchurch number 10. U’s v Bishop’s Stortford (19/04/05) United are still desperately scrapping for the points that will see them safe from relegation after a narrow defeat at Bishop’s Stortford. With Matt Gray and Chris Nurse suspended, John Rains was forced into a number of changes and elected to start with Joff Vansittart in the back three, Graham Tydeman at right wing back, Eddie Akuamoah in midfield and Jermaine Hunter up front. Sutton’s players appeared to be struggling to adapt to the positions they were playing in early on but did manage to create a couple of half chances as Vansittart headed wide from a free kick and Hunter shot past the ‘keeper but across the face of goal from a tight angle after Paul Honey had played him in. Phil Wilson was busy in the U’s goal and had already denied Stortford three times when they took the lead in the twenty-second minute. Wilson reached for a deep corner from the left but could only get one hand on it and push it towards Steve Parmenter, who looped a header into the goal from ten yards, 0-1. The U’s should have been level before the half-hour when Craig Watkins got beyond the last defender and cut in from the left of the area towards the centre but shot into the ‘keeper’s legs. Watkins was then first to the rebound and laid it back to Hunter but with a crowd of defenders in front of him he could only shoot into the ‘keeper. Hunter was putting on one of his best displays in an amber and chocolate shirt and nearly tied the game up before the break when he latched onto a Tydeman long ball that had been headed down by Watkins and held off the challenge of a defence before firing left-footed from twenty yards. A deflection off a defender’s boot span the ball a yard wide of the left post, though. Half-time: U’s 0, Bishop’s Stortford 1. United continued to create chances after the interval. Watkins’s pace caused a particular headache for the Stortford back line – on one occasion he steamed across the pitch to keep the ball in right on the left touchline and then crossed expertly to the back post where Hunter was waiting but the ‘keeper pulled off an excellent save, tipping the ball around the post. But United’s defensive frailties cost them dearly as Vansittart was stripped of possession in the right back area and it was laid back to Alex Martin, who curled a shot from 20 yards into the far corner, 0-2. Steve Douglas was introduced for Watkins and within a minute the fresh legs had paid off as Douglas won a corner on the left. Scott Corbett’s corner was met in the middle by Ryan Palmer, who outjumped the ‘keeper to head towards the goal line where Vansittart turned the ball in from a yard out, 1-2 (74 mins). No sooner were Sutton back in the game, though, than Stortford had added a third, capitalising on a quick throw to play Paul Hakim in with acres of space to poke it past Wilson, 1-3. Corbett headed off the line to prevent a Stortford fourth and was then instrumental in United’s second, crossing low from the right to Hunter, who brought the ball under control, twisted past three defenders and shot over the ‘keeper into the roof of the net for his first goal as U’s player, 2-3 (87 mins). The U’s stormed forward, desperately searching for an equaliser and Honey fired well over from 20 yards before Vansittart almost scored a spectacular goal deep into injury time when he volleyed from 30 yards over the ‘keeper but it dropped just over the crossbar. Full-time: U’s 2, Bishop’s Stortford 3. F-t-L Facts:
Goals: Vansittart (74), Hunter (87). U’s v Welling (23/04/05) Sutton earned the points they needed to secure safety from relegation when Joff Vansittart headed home the only goal of the game with three minutes remaining. Scott Corbett’s corner from the left was met by Jermaine Hunter eight yards out, whose header left the goalkeeper stranded and Vansittart was in the right place to head the ball across the line. There had been very little in build-up to the dramatic finish. Neither side did very much in a lacklustre first half. Sutton barely managed a shot at goal – indeed their best chances were courtesy of some poor Welling defending. An outrageous back pass after fifteen minutes forced their ‘keeper to have to chest down and he finally volleyed it clear just before Hunter closed him down. A quarter of an hour later the goalkeeper caught a routine cross but seemed to step back behind the line with the ball in his grasp. The referee and his assistant ruled that the ball had remained in front of the goal-line. Welling had the better opportunities but saw one chance from a tight angle cleared off the line before a great save from Andy Iga, diving to his left to palm the ball over the bar just before half time. At the break: U’s 0, Welling 0. John Rains introduced Steve Douglas for Graham Tydeman at the start of the second half, dropping Craig Watkins into the right wing back role as Douglas went up front. And Douglas was involved almost immediately, combining well with Eddie Akuamoah to get the ball to Hunter, who drilled it across goal but agonisingly a yard ahead of the run of Watkins. Hunter nearly created a scoring chance when he battled to win the ball on the left and crossed low towards the near post but there was nobody on hand to convert the rebound when the ‘keeper fumbled. After such a quiet game both sides looked to be heading for a point before Vansittart pounced from two yards out to send United’s fans wild. A minute later, Welling were reduced to ten men when a defender was sent off for a foul on Douglas when he was the last man and, with the man advantage, Sutton were able to play out the final minutes to secure an important victory. Full-time: U’s 1, Welling 0. F-t-L Facts:
Goal: Vansittart (87).
Right, Jermaine Hunter chests the ball down to Steve Douglas. U’s v Weymouth (26/04/05) With safety guaranteed, United turned in a disappointing performance against Weymouth and were beaten by three goals. Matt Gray returned at right wing back at the expense of Graham Tydeman following his suspension but there were no other changes to the starting eleven from the team that won against Welling on Saturday. Sutton started the best in terms of possession but still found themselves a goal down after only eight minutes. With little apparent danger, the U’s defence backed off of Darren Wheeler and the Weymouth forward curled a shot to the bottom left corner from twenty yards past an unsighted Andy Iga, 0-1. United went close when Gray fired over from the edge of the box from a Scott Corbett corner before Weymouth added a second, again against the run of play with twenty three minutes played. Sutton’s defence lost possession on the right and the ball in to the middle of the area found Vill Powell in space to guide a low header into the right side of the goal, 0-2. Chris Nurse came on for the injured Corbett and made a difference in the midfield, making some important challenges and passing the ball around well. On the half hour, he combined well with Paul Honey and Eddie Akuamoah to release Gray down the right but Gray’s brilliant low drive into the centre was wasted when there were no U’s players there to put the chance away. John Rains introduced Steve Douglas for Nigel Brake at the interval, dropping Akuamoah to left wing back. Three minutes into the period, Douglas spread the play wide to Jermaine Hunter who tricked his way past a defender with a clever step-over but shot along the floor at the ‘keeper from 12 yards. Nurse continued his impressive performance into the second half and was unlucky not to reduce the deficit when a defender hooked a ball high into the air in the visitors’ area but his well-executed volley rattled the top of the right post and went behind for a goal kick. Moments later Nurse’s run past two defenders and cross into the box went unpunished when, for the second time in the match, no Sutton players had taken up useful positions in the area. Craig Watkins missed United’s best opportunity of the game when he broke clear on the left but the ‘keeper spread himself well at Watkins’s feet to block the shot with his chest. Sam Hewitt replaced the injured Joff Vansittart with five minutes left and his long-throws almost made an impact when Gray brought the ball under control in the area but when he was clattered from behind the referee chose not to give an obvious penalty. In the final minute, Weymouth scored again to make the scoreline even more flattering when a deep cross from the left wing was slid home at the back post by Charlie McDonlad. Final score: U’s 0, Weymouth 3. F-t-L Facts:
U’s v Cambridge City (30/04/05) Sutton ended the 2004/05 season on a high note with a deserved one-nil victory at Cambridge City. With Scott Corbett, Nigel Brake and Jermaine Hunter all out injured, JR was forced to ring the changes for the U’s, handing starts to Steve Douglas, Chris Nurse and Tony Quinton. After an early chance for Cambridge that saw Andy Iga parry away a fierce shot from the right of the area, Sutton settled down and dominated the opening half. With six minutes gone a foul on Douglas earned a free kick on the right. A quick touch allowed Matt Gray to take the ball forward and he hit a low shot that bounced awkwardly for the ‘keeper, who just managed to turn it around the post. United continued to play some good football and, with the exception of the odd stray pass, it ranked up there as some of the best the U’s fans have seen this season. Douglas was proving a handful for their defence and following another foul on him, a delightfully curled free kick from Gray swerved through the area and only a yard wide of the back post. A minute later, and still within the opening fifteen minutes, Nurse chipped a pass over the top of the defence for Douglas to chase but despite getting there first, the youngster skewed his shot six yards wide from just outside the area. Nurse then went close himself, chesting down on the edge of the box before striking a volley that cleared the bar by a couple of yards. Halfway through the period Gray released Craig Watkins down the right wing and he brought the ball onto his left foot before crossing into the middle. The chance to score seemed to have disappeared as the cross curled behind Joff Vansittart but Eddie Akuamoah got his foot ahead of a defender at the back post to poke the ball back across goal, only for it to glance off the outside of the upright. A similar pass from Gray sent Watkins free down the right again moments later but this time Watkins had the pace to streak clear of the defence and hammer a shot high towards the near post but the Cambridge ‘keeper was equal to it and palmed it behind for a corner. Cambridge came back into the match towards the interval but were once again denied by Iga. Half-time: U’s 0, Cambridge 0. The hosts were more dangerous in the second half and had a succession of chances, including one opportunity when Matt Robinson capitalised on a long kick out by the ‘keeper to head the ball over Iga but the ball dropped wide of the right post. Vansittart almost broke the deadlock when he headed down Watkins's cross to himself but he could only volley weakly at the goalkeeper. Almost straight afterwards a foul on Douglas gave Gray another opportunity to curl a free kick in from the left but as the ‘keeper and defence prepared for a cross to the back of the area, Gray shot towards the near side only for the ball to strike the post and go behind. With only ten minutes to go, Sutton finally made a chance count as Gray’s long throw from the right was spilled by the ‘keeper under a challenge from Vansittart and Watkins pounced to hook the ball into the net from six yards, 1-0. As he ran away in celebration, Watkins launched into a cartwheel followed by a backflip, much to the delight of the travelling fans. The U’s were unlucky not to double the lead five minutes later when Vansittart chased a Watkins knock down and shot forcefully past the ‘keeper from twelve yards only for the referee to decide that the defender who tripped over on the edge of the box had been fouled by Vansittart. Cambridge nearly drew level right at the dead when Iga failed to hold a low shot but Ryan Palmer was on hand to blast the ball clear. Final score: U’s 1, Cambridge 0. F-t-L Facts:
Goal: Watkins (80).
Right, Celebrating in style. Click here for more photos from the game. |
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