Tuesday 9th September 1997
Sutton rung the changes for the visit to 2nd division Bracknell Town for this first round
Guardian Insurance Cup tie at Larges Lane this evening. Rested from the side that overcame
Hendon on Sunday were Gwynne Berry, Paul Clark and Joff Vansittart, while Sean Daly, Steve
Watson and Matt Hanlan only made it to the substitutes bench. This enabled James Virgo to
return from injury at left back and Barry Laker, Warren Burton and Dominic Feltham to make
their first appearances in the starting line up this season in a competitive match.
However there was no hint of it being a scratch line up as Sutton took the game to
Bracknell right from the start and Dominic Joyce in the Bracknell goal had a fine game and
was the main reason for the scoreline remaining respectable. Andy Salako could have had a
hat-trick in the first fifteen minutes as first, he had a right foot drive pushed away by
Joyce and then a header from a corner which just cleared the bar and then, having made a
chance for himself by cutting in from the right hand side he blazed over with only the
keeper to beat. However despite all Sutton's dominance perhaps the closest we came to a
goal was at the other end when a defensive header, fortunately for Bracknell, struck the
back of one of their players and rebounded straight to Dave Prior who's left foot shot
shaved the post with Les Cleevely struggling to get across his goal. Dominic Feltham
almost got himself on the score sheet after 30 minutes when he met a Jimmy Dack cross with
a fine downward header which was beaten away by Joyce for another corner and then just
before half time Warren Burton probably had Sutton's best chance of the half when he found
himself clean through on the right side of the box but his shot was once again beaten away
by Joyce. Bracknell must have been the more relieved side to reach the half time break
with the game still goalless. Sutton continued to dominate after the break as first, a
Feltham header went just wide and then John Ugbah was very unlucky when another header,
this time from a corner, struck the crossbar having hit a Sutton player on the way there.
But finally after sixty-seven minutes the break through did come. Andy Salako made a good
run down the right and his cross found Jimmy Dack near the penalty spot and although
appearing to be surrounded by Bracknell defenders he twisted and turned and finally hit a
shot into the left hand corner of the net. Matt Hanlan was introduced for Warren Burton
with thirteen minutes to go and two minutes from time Sutton finally made the game safe
when Dominic Feltham found himself one on one with the Bracknell keeper and cleverly
rounded him before slotting the ball into the unguarded the net. Sutton now travel to
Cheshunt on Saturday in the first qualifying round of the F.A. Cup where they will be
hoping to carry on there fine run of recent form .