report by Tony Dolbear
Sutton fell to a third defeat in the space of the week on Saturday when they went down by the only goal to the better of two poor sides in a low quality encounter. For a long period of the game the only redeeming feature for Sutton supporters suffering a dearth of action at their end was that the game had 0-0 draw written all over it, but the home side carried sufficient threat in the second half to deserve the decisive goal just inside the last quarter of the game. Sutton can point in mitigation to an injury list that acquired four new names during the week, with Mark Watson, Nick Bailey, Matt Ottley and Graham Brett all sidelined, Bailey likely to miss the next month after breaking a bone in his foot against Hendon. Watson was probably the most missed, though, his recurring hamstring problem depriving U's of any serious physical presence up front against a strong defence. Matt Fowler occasionally threatened, and when Danny Bolt had the ball there was just the chance that something might develop, but the final pass too often went astray and Bolt faded sufficiently to be substituted 18 minutes from time. In the first half Basingstoke were no better, with only a 25 yard shot from Neville Stamp threatening Andy Pape, who beat it away. Just before the break, though, they should have gone ahead when an unmarked Craig McAllister headed wide from a left wing cross. McAllister and Alex Ewin both went close with volleys early in the second half as Basingstoke began to pose slightly more threat, and defender Steve Hemmings will have been disappointed not to react quicker to Max Rooke's mis-hit shot in front of goal. Much of the afternoon's excitement, though, came in a four minute spell midway through the half, beginning when Fowler headed over at the far post from Bolt's cross. Basingstoke retaliated immediately as McAllister again wasted a good chance, miscuing wide from a right wing cross, but two minutes later Matt Hanlan had the ball in the net after Scott Corbett had put him through, only to be denied by the tightest of offside decisions. Again Basingstoke took the game straight down the other end, and this time the move was decisive. Neville Roach, always a threat in the second half, broke free on the right and crossed low, and when a stretching Ryan Palmer failed to cut out the danger McAllister was left with a chance that this time he just could not miss. Rarely did it look as though U's would reply, with the introduction of Sam Hewitt for his competitive debut providing the best route to an equaliser due to his prodigious throw in. Matt Gray, a former youth team colleague of Hewitt's, anticipated one but found no-one able to convert his flick on. Gray also sent a snap volley over the bar right at the end, but by then it could have been 2-0 as a quick counter attack saw Efan Elad burst through on the left and fire in a shot that Pape did well to keep out.
Basingstoke: Tarr, Dickens, Stamp, Elad, Hemmings, Allaway, Rooke, Gibbens, McAllister, Roach, Ewin. subs n/u Ray, Mills, Graham, Frost, Foster.
Sutton: Pape, Timothy(Gray 78), Hollands, Palmer, Beale, Honey, Bolt(Hewitt 72), Corbett, Fowler, Hanlan, Gonsalves. Subs n/u Howard.
Referee: T Curtis Attendance 367

U's reserves gained a measure of revenge for their seniors' defeat on Saturday by beating Basingstoke's second string 3-0 at Gander Green Lane with goals from Glenn Boosey and Chad Heuston(2). They were due to make the most of the first team postponement by playing a home game against Crawley on Tuesday and they then visit Hendon on Saturday. There was disappointment for the youth team, though, who were unable to repeat last season's FA Youth Cup exploits and went out 2-0 at Cambridge City in last week's first round tie.