SUTTON UTD 2 WESTFIELD 0

Report by Tony Dolbear

Given that four of the ties completed in the 4th round of the Surrey Senior Cup prior to Tuesday had been won by the lower ranked team, Sutton will have been relieved to negotiate their game on Tuesday against the only Combined Counties League remaining in the competition. To be fair to Sutton there was rarely even a hint that they would go the way of Kingstonian, Whyteleafe and Carshalton, put out by Walton, Epsom and Chertsey respectively, but they were still made to work hard by a Westfield side that closed down quickly and frustrated U's attacks. It didn't make for a great game, but two good goals, one in each half, were enough to earn U's a quarter final place. In a first half played largely in the Westfield half most of U's threat came down the left through Phil Wingfield, who sent one cross just beyond Eddie Akuamoah and then stung the hands of goalkeeper Mike Brawley with a snap shot that was only beaten away with difficulty. Wingfield also curled a free kick just wide, while Rob Haworth hit a post, so with Sutton's only scare having been a 20th minute goalmouth scramble which they cleared it was a deserved relief when they finally broke through seven minutes before half time. A low pass through the centre of the defence found Haworth bursting through, and the striker, who has now scored in six of U's last seven games, beat off one challenge before powering a shot past Brawley. Disappointingly for the spectators the goal wasn't the signal for Sutton to stamp their authority on the game and the second half was largely forgettable. The main Sutton threat switched from left to right, and before his departure Matt Gray put in three good crosses that deserved a more profitable response, but they were the exception rather than the rule as too many passes and crosses failed to find their intended target. Mike Mison, pushed in to midfield to cover for the suspended Scott Corbett, headed just wide from a Wingfield cross, but then with twelve minutes left any doubts were finally dispelled when Paul Honey did well to rescue a move that had broken down, and Akuamoah picked the ball up midway inside the Westfield half, easily avoided two challenges, and drove a low shot past Brawley from the edge of the area. U's then took the opportunity to give Nick Bailey his first taste of senior football, and within two minutes he had combined with Mison to set Haworth up for a shot which was well saved. When Ian Cable's dissent earned a booking and immediately put the pressure back on Westfield as U's were awarded an indirect free kick 20 yards out, Brawley made another good save as he went full stretch to turn away Dave Timothy's effort.

Sutton: Dunn, R Palmer, Gonsalves, Mison, Timothy, Honey(Bailey 82), Wingfield, Hammonds, Gray(Fowler 69), Haworth, Akuamoah. Subs n/u Howard, John.

Westfield: Brawley, Bailey, Mardle, Cassidy(Flynn 53), Cable, Ludlow, Finn, Parsons(Rivett 72), Chilton, M Mercer(P Mercer 64), Grimshaw. Sub n/u Cheesman

Referee: M John Attendance 161