23/9/97
Isthmian League Premier Division Sutton returned to the top of the Isthmian league after
Dagenham and Redbridge had led it for 24 hours with a solid if unspectacular performance
against a spirited Gravesend side who had their moments in the game but never really
looked as if they could win once Sutton had taken the lead just before half time. Sutton
went into the game with an unchanged line up from Saturday's fine win at Enfield and could
have scored in the first minute had David Everitt kept down a shot after good work by Matt
Hanlan and the same combination worked well in the eighteenth minute the ball flashing
across the goal to Danny Brooker who drove in a low shot that was well saved at his feet
by goalkeeper Paul Sansome. However despite having the majority of the possession Sutton
didn't have it all there own way and were grateful to Gwynne Berry for a goal line
clearance after a scramble in the Sutton penalty area and from the resulting corner
player/manager Steve Lovell should have done better with a free header from inside the six
yard box that cleared the bar. But finally after forty minutes Sutton took the lead. Some
good interplay between Jimmy Dack and David Everitt resulted in a cross being blocked and
from the subsequent corner the ball was headed off the line but Paul Clark was on hand to
score for the second consecutive game and before half time it could have been three as
first, an Everitt cross was met by Steve Watson on the half volley but he couldn't keep
his shot down and then Joff Vansittart was guilty of a bad miss when he stabbed a left
foot shot wide of an empty net. Sutton could have paid dearly for those missed chances but
in the 59th minute they seemed to have made the game safe. Andy Salako won a free kick on
the right hand side of the box after a mazy run and Jimmy Dack stroked the free kick over
the wall and into the top right hand corner of the net. Gwynne Berry was booked for a foul
in the 67th minute and 13 minutes later it looked like we might be in for a difficult last
ten minutes when Sutton failed to clear several crosses into the box and eventually Steve
Lovell was on hand to guide one into the net with the Sutton players appealing in vain for
offside. But within a minute Sutton had restored their two goal advantage when after good
work down the right by Andy Salako, who had a good second half, the ball fell to Joff
Vansittart who fired a low right foot shot into the corner of the net for his tenth goal
of the season. The emphasis now turns to the F.A. Cup with Sutton having a tough tie away
at Welling United of the Vauxhall Conference on Saturday Kick off 3pm