SUTTON UTD 5 DULWICH H 3

After extra time-score at 90 mins 3-3

report by Tony Dolbear

Sutton made hard work of reaching the second round of the Isthmian League Cup on Tuesday night, having the better of long periods of the game but failing to shake off the spirited challenge of their first division opponents. While playing some attractive football at times, Sutton were, despite scoring five goals, a little wasteful in their finishing and too uncertain at the back to be confident of victory until Rob Haworth finally put two goals between the teams in the last minute of extra time. Another blow to Danny Brooker's so far injury-ruined season saw him limp off early on after U's had started brightly, the fit again Jon Palmer and Paul Honey both going close from distance, but substitute Matt Gray had only been on two minutes when Dulwich defender Dave Richards glanced in a free kick to give the visitors the lead in just about their only attack of the half. Sutton were as dominant as at any stage in the game, but Chris Boothe wasted a clear chance, and Danny Arkwright headed a Jon Palmer against the outside of the post. The equaliser came, though, two minutes before the break when Gray battled well to put Haworth in on the right edge of the penalty area, and although challenged by a defender he managed to lift the ball over James Mercer and it trickled in before any Dulwich player could reach it. Three minutes after half time Sutton had turned things round completely, Gray finding enough space to whip in a fierce 20 yard shot that Mercer could only parry and Jon Palmer rattled in the rebound. Eddie Akuamoah should have added a third minutes later, but shot at the keeper when clear through, and it was a costly miss as Declan Perkins made his way through some weak defending and toe-poked the ball past Tommy Dunn. A minute late, though, U's were back in front with a goal that had the youth team's autograph plastered all over it. Gray, outstanding despite playing the full FA Youth Cup tie the night before, put Honey through on the right of the penalty area and when he crossed low it was Lewis Gonsalves arriving from the left back position to crack home a low first time right foot shot from 15 yards and open his account in only his second senior game. Again U's were well on top but couldn't kill the game off, Akuamoah crashing a volley against the bar after more good work by Gray, and Mercer brilliantly denying Haworth at close range from a low Honey cross. They almost paid for letting Dulwich off the hook when Danny Husband blazed wide after Luke Edghill and substitute Eben Allen had combined on the left, but failed to heed the warning and Allen, on after Lee Endersby had departed on a stretcher, held off Gonsalves to shoot past the advancing Dunn after a long free kick had been flicked on. It might have been worse, as with six minutes left Perkins went through a horribly square defence but this time Dunn's legs diverted the ball for a corner. U's had their own chance to avoid extra time when Jon Palmer shot just over after another link up between Gray and Honey, but instead had to wait until the 6th of the extra 30 minutes to regain the lead, Akuamoah volleying in to an empty net after Mercer dropped Jon Palmer's cross from the left. Even then Dulwich couldn't be shaken off, and Dunn made another good stop from Perkins, but U's managed to survive what was probably the visitors' most dominant spell during the second period of extra time, and then after Akuamoah had again struck wood, this time a thumping shot against the post following good work by Haworth, they finally rid their supporters of uncertainty. A period of keep-ball between Jon Palmer and Boothe ended with Palmer cutting in from the left and crossing for Haworth to glance his header inside the far post.

Sutton: Dunn, R Palmer, Gonsalves, Mison, Brooker(sub M Gray 17), Honey, J Palmer, Boothe, Arkwright, Haworth, Akuamoah. Subs n/u Fowler, Berry.

Dulwich: Mercer, Richards, Hannigan, Leach(sub Briggs 30), Ward, R Gray, Pacey(sub Quarm 113), Perkins, Husband, Edghill, Endersby(sub Allen 72).

Referee: M Basten Attendance 205

KIDDERMINSTER H YTH 3 SUTTON UTD YTH 1

Sutton's FA Youth Cup adventure ended on Monday when they encountered a Kidderminster side that was out of the blocks quickly and were 2-0 up inside 13 minutes. Missing the injured Sam Hewitt and Glenn Boosey, U's had already had two narrow escapes when in the 7th minute a home striker took advantage of U's defence backing off and hit a shot that bounced past Smith in to the net, and six minutes later the left of the defence was opened up again and a low cross was stabbed in. To their credit Sutton replied immediately, with Matt Gray's fine run ending with a cross that fell for Terry Gardner, whose mis-hit shot wrongfooted the keeper, but for much of the rest of the half U's were on the defensive and did well to reach the break without any further damage. Hopes that they could make the most of that were dashed just three minutes after the restart, though, when Dean Hamlin diverted a fierce cross in to his own net, and although their heads never dropped Sutton were always going to struggle to come from two goals behind. Paul Smith made a couple of fine saves and Nick Bailey had to head a shot off the line, but U's did at least finish on a positive note as Gray's shot was cleared off the line at the other end. The defeat ended a run that has seen U's as comfortably the outstanding non league side in the competition-they reached the third round with two victories over Football League opposition and without a home draw in the entire competition while Yeovil, the only other non-league side to reach the third round, played Football League opponents for the first time at that stage, losing 2-0 at home to Swindon on Tuesday.

Sutton: Smith, Hamlin, Gundlach, Fontana, Drew, Marshall, Bailey, Tydeman, Gardner(Bridgeman), Gray, Burridge(Imms).

SUTTON UTD YTH 2 WHYTELEAFE YTH 1

With one eye on the Kidderminster game Sutton struggled last Wednesday to overcome opposition against whom they had won 6-0 just a week earlier. Whyteleafe led at half time following a 28th minute corner, with Sam Hewitt, Terry Gardner and Charlie Imms all missing chances for the equaliser, and it wasn't until the visitors had been reduced to ten men for a kick at Ken Gundlach that U's finally turned things round. The dismissed player had hardly left the pitch when Nick Bailey burst through on the right to fire past the keeper, and with three minutes left Gundlach did well to volley Luke Fontana's free kick across goal and Terry Gardner netted the winner.

Sutton: Smith, Gilbert, Gundlach, Fontana, Broad(Marshall), Hewitt(Gray), Bailey, Richardson, Gardner, Imms, Boosey(Burridge).

Sutton visit Croydon in the Southern Youth League on Monday.

CRAWLEY T RES 4 SUTTON UTD RES 2

Sutton's hold on the Suburban League Cup looked tight when they led Crawley 2-0 with half an hour to go on Saturday, but the Sussex side, who ran Sutton close last season in league and cup and have stormed away in the Southern Division this time round, eventually ended their hopes of retaining the trophy. Crawley had the better of things before half time and U's were grateful to returning keeper Jamie Ribolla for several good saves, while the home side also hit the bar, saw Nick Williams clear off the line and had a goal disallowed for offside. The second half was a different matter, though, as substitute Danny Hastick, replacing debutant Gavin Williams at half time, was brought down and Barry Seal converted the penalty, the home keeper damaging his hand in trying to save and an outfield player having to take over in goal. More good work by Hastick set Aaron Smith up for a second in the 61st minute, and a minute later Chad Heuston missed a chance that would surely have put Crawley out of the game, but they replied with a deflected free kick and then piled on the pressure looking for the equaliser that came in the last minute from a ball played over the top of U's defence. Worse followed early in extra time as Francis Vines, the former Sutton striker now in charge of Crawley's reserves, converted a rebound after Ribolla had parried a shot, and with a Darren Beale free kick providing U's only threat in extra time a break away attack a minute from the end finally settled things.

Sutton: Ribolla, Seal, Dray, Williams(Hastick), Beale, Howard, Heuston(Loucas), Smith, Morris, J Palmer, Delandro.

U's have a home Suburban League game against Berkhamsted on Saturday(3 pm), and are then away to Whyteleafe on Tuesday. Meanwhile they will face AFC Guildford in the 3rd round of the Surrey Premier Cup, the tie due to be played at Sutton in the first half of January.