SUTTON UNITED 7-0 EARLSWOOD TOWN: THE MOWDOG'S INDEPENDENT MATCH REPORT...

 Penetrative Sutton Make Industrious Earlswood Suffer…

Sutton United 7-0 Earlswood Town

The Mowdog’s thoughts… 

Credit must go to Sutton United, a club which has ambitions, highlighted by the near completion of a new stadium in Coleshill Road, Sutton Coldfield, which boasts an artificial pitch, floodlights, new changing facilities and a smart clubhouse. I was privileged to see this first league match played at their new ground, featuring seven goals by an incisive United crew against a really hardworking Town outfit, which missed a few chances itself to make the final scoreline a little less cruel. 

A gloomy day of weather meant that the floodlights were active from the start and this made filming with an ordinary hand-held bridge camera rather more difficult than usual because when moving the camera, the focus tends to alter sometimes in such poor lighting conditions. Indeed, it happened when Sutton’s Leighton Hines opened the scoring, for the lens was too late to focus quickly enough to catch his goal. That really irritated me…

The goal two clip is slightly out of focus too but at least it is discernible… So, apologies to both Hines and Jon Grigg, who rapped in that second goal.

SMART...

The danger caused to the Earls by Joe Delaney and Joe Gildea was profound, although the influence of skipper Josh Duggan cannot be underestimated, alongside the relaxed playmaker that is Yousef Semlali. It was a shame that the vibrant Tom Massey was hurt during the encounter, for he, along with Delaney and Gildea have looked extremely threatening on the two occasions I have seen Sutton play this term.

However, the Earls did not let the regular concession of goals destroy their commitment to the contest and on occasions, they forced home defenders Matt Bishop, Brad Gregory and Lewis James to work hard on a cold, December afternoon.  

PALE-BLUE WAGSTAFF...

I was surprised that home goalminder Reiss Wagstaff was allowed to wear an all pale-blue kit for it very much clashed with the wardrobe worn by Earlswood. However, the referee seemed happy enough with the situation and the game went ahead.

Earlswood’s offensive efforts…   

Central striker Tom Kinsey was admirable in his efforts, keenly contesting every passed and flighted ball but he was unable to find the net. His best shot, following a pass by the speedy and often tricky Archie Spittle-McGuire, struck the base of the right post before the break. Skipper Mikey Bridges, a player I know well, nearly benefited from a poor Massey back-pass but he was denied by a fine James tackle. Bridges shot well off target on another occasion and saw an attempt blocked during the second period.

THE TOSS...

Wagstaff fisted clear a John Palmer free-kick before half-time but after the recess, replacement Harry Street had a shot deflected following a fine move involving Spittle-McGuire and of course Kinsey. During half two, Wagstaff, well off his line, fumbled the ball away to the 18 yard line but even though Street’s resulting shot was on target, good cover by Gregory saw the ball headed clear. 

Another substitute, Matt Pemberton headed too high and then curled a shot wide as time crept on, then finally James Wright’s shot flew straight to Wagstaff.  

The seven Sutton goals…

CELEBRATING...

Delaney’s low centre from the left was turned in by the irrepressible and lurking Hines from close range, before a Delaney interception and feed to Gildea saw the tall forward lay a sideways pass to the right, where Grigg ran onto the ball and cracked a 19 yard effort past Earls’ ‘keeper Dan Farr and into the bottom left corner of the net. Goal three, before half-time, came on the counter-attack, following a Town set-piece. Gildea broke towards the halfway-line and exchanged passes with the galloping Delaney, whose assist was struck first-time and low into that left corner of the net again by Gildea, leaving Farr far and away helpless.  

Four goals went in during the second period, the first of which was a near post header by Gildea, powered down past Farr at the left stick, from Semlali’s left-flank flag-kick. Delaney netted goal five when he took Gildea’s pass and shot low from 19 yards but Farr could only fumble the ball over his goal-line as he fell. Delaney had just smashed a superb effort from inside-left against the left upright from 20 yards and so to see this effort roll in abjectly might have amused him. Delaney also netted goal six, cashing in on another counter attack and receiving an assist from Semlali, before beating Farr low from 15 yards.

The final goal owed much Hines’ strong run on the right but he must have agonised as his low cross shot was just touched by Farr’s outstretched right glove onto the left stick, from whence it bounced into goal off substitute Andy Matthews from about 10 centimetres out.

CELEBRATING AGAIN...

More efforts at goal by the hosts…

Gildea’s early free-kick from downtown had been turned round his left stick by Farr and later on, he slid in to attack Matthews’ pass but the brave Farr slid too and the ball bounced away off the gloveman’s legs. Gildea also nodded a Delaney corner over the target before being replaced.

GILDEA'S FREE-KICK WOULD BE SAVED...

Duggan shot wide, then from Delaney’s centre Grigg had a low drive partially saved by Farr but it took a goal-line clearance from Wright on that occasion to deny the wingback another goal. He also whipped in a volley from Duggan’s assist but Farr held on tightly to that attempt.

Matthews was denied by good defending from lively Town midfielder Tom Millard, before the Sutton forward had a late angled drive parried by Farr, before shooting wildly too high in the closing moments from 14 yards out, when fellow replacement Pete Bannister’s pass found him unmarked. 

HINES IS PICKED UP AFTER HIS GOAL SEVEN ASSIST...

A Delaney shot was deflected off target, Hines saw an 18 yard effort collected by Farr, Semlali’s lob from way downtown was inaccurate and substitute Jordan Hall hoisted two very late shots from 20 yards, the first rising too high, the second drifting well wide.

The final words…  

LOOKS LIKE A SCENE FROM A WAXWORK MUSEUM...

The two lists of goal chances above prove Sutton’s authority over the match but Earlswood looked no mugs and one could see why they had been lying fourth in the league standings before the game. Subsequently though, their beleaguered full-backs Reece Rawlings and Wright, midfielder Leadun Dunleavy and central stopper Tom Reynolds were largely unable to contain their hosts’ attackers, or in truth offer Farr better cover. 

BUTTOCK MALFUNCTION...

The only caution was offered to home replacement Matt Hurrell but sadly for Town’s Joe Tobin, a guy I recall from his previous clubs, he pulled up early and he was the one replaced by Street.

So, a lot of goals on the day, a decent new stadium with more improvements on the way and a kind welcome from the Sutton officials.

DUGGAN TAKES THE CONGRATULATIONS...

It was cold, though…

TEAMS:

SUTTON UNITED:

REISS WAGSTAFF, JON GRIGG, BRAD GREGORY, MATT BISHOP, LEWIS JAMES, JOSH DUGGAN (CAPT), TOM MASSEY, YOUSEF SEMLALI, JOE GILDEA, LEIGHTON HINES, JOE DELANEY.

SUBS:

KAINE DONALD, MATT HURRELL, JORDAN HALL, PETE BANNISTER, ANDY MATTHEWS.

EARLSWOOD TOWN:

DAN FARR, REECE RAWLINGS, JAMES WRIGHT, LEADUN DUNLEAVY, TOM REYNOLDS, JOHN PALMER, TOM MILLARD, MIKEY BRIDGES (CAPT), TOM KINSEY, ARCHIE SPITTLE-MCGUIRE, JOE TOBIN.

SUBS:

ASH WEEKS, MATT PEMBERTON, HARRY STREET.