SUTTON UTD 2 BILLERICAY T 2

By Tony Dolbear

Sutton extended their unbeaten league and cup run to eight games on Saturday, and it's a sign of their recent form that little more than a month ago a 2-2 draw at home to Billericay would have been regarded as a good result but in the event they will have been slightly disappointed not to have recorded a 4th consecutive league victory. Billericay's recent league form has not been good, but they started Saturday's game brightly with Joe Baker and Steve Darlington threatening a busy afternoon for U's defence. Against the run of play, though, Sutton should have gone ahead in the 10th minute when a superb right wing move saw Matt Gray released by Rob Haworth's flick, and when Gray crossed low it seemed that Phil Wingfield had to score at the far post but he managed somehow to put the ball wide. Worse followed within a minute when Jeff Woolsey controlled a right wing corner before volleying Billericay in front, but Wingfield made amends five minutes later, climbing above the defence, and Haworth, to meet Dave Timothy's fine cross with a firm downward header inside goalkeeper Adam Hart's left hand post. From then until half time Sutton were the better side, occasionally putting together a move of real quality, but the game suffered from a surfeit of free kicks and Haworth, Scott Corbett and the visitors' Martin Carthy were booked. Gray could have done better when he escaped the defence but failed to make proper contact with Wingfield's free kick, and Steve Dickinson was relieved to see the ball land on, not in the net when he put his head to a left wing cross. Four minutes before half time, though, Haworth headed down Wingfield's right wing corner and Mike Mison, trying to make something of the chance with his back to goal, was rather unnecessarily brought down giving Haworth the chance to show for the second Saturday running that he can confidently assume penalty taking duties following Chris Boothe's departure. Probably the key moment of the game came five minutes in to the second half, when at another Wingfield corner Billericay inexplicably allowed Mison a free header eight yards out. Contact was good, but what seemed a certain goal was averted as the ball struck Andy Tomlinson on the goal-line and rebounded to safety. Had that gone in Sutton would have expected to go on and win, possibly comfortably, but as it was Billericay fought back well, and after Lee Williams had fired a shot just wide and Baker miscued after beating Mison for the only time all afternoon, they equalised when Darlington did well on the left before cutting the ball back across goal from the by-line, and Sasha Opinel arrived on the right corner of the penalty area to fire home through a crowd of players. After that it was anyone's game, but there were few moments when either side could say they came close. Carthy headed wide from a free kick when he would have expected at least to hit the target, and Tommy Dunn did well to turn aside a Darlington shot, while Hart's most anxious moment, apart from a few backpasses that he seemed none too keen on, came when Wingfield's low 20 yard shot squirmed from his grasp but he managed to pounce on the ball just as substitute Matt Fowler closed in on the rebound.

Sutton: Dunn, R Palmer, Gonsalves, Mison, Timothy, Honey, Wingfield, Corbett, Gray, Haworth, Akuamoah(sub Fowler 74). Subs n/u Brown, J Palmer.

Billericay: Hart, Morris, Opinel, Woolsey, Moore, Carthy, Baker, Williams, Darlington(Wallace 78), Tomlinson, Dickinson. Subs n/u Jordan, Savidge.

Referee; T Ingram Attendance: 570