report by Tony Dolbear

Two down after half an hour and with neither of their first choice strikers on the pitch, Sutton battled back to a fine victory at Barkingside against a team unbeaten in their previous five league games. Mark Watson was ruled out before the start with a back injury, but rather than be dispirited by the retirement of Matt Fowler midway through the first half with a hamstring injury, the youthful combination of Matt Gray and Nick Bailey merely saw it as a chance to revive what had been a prolific partnership at youth team level, and scored three of the four goals that gave U's victory. U's were also without Lewis Gonsalves, whose knee injury forced him to miss a game for the first time since his debut in November 2001, but this was offset by the return of Danny Hodges, a useful figure to have at the back on a hard and uneven pitch when the ball was likely to spend much of its time in the air. The conditions didn't prevent it being an exciting game, though, with the goal action confined to a half hour spell either side of half time. Gray soon showed that he intended to make the most of a rare start in attack, hitting the foot of the post after just 10 minutes with a well controlled shot from the left, but things started to go wrong for U's in the 22nd minute when Hodges tripped Mervyn Abraham and Glen Poole converted the penalty. Poole should have scored again shortly afterwards, but did add a second just before the half hour when he beat Danny Brooker to a long through ball and neatly slipped a shot past Tom Dunn. At that point U's were down to ten men as Fowler received treatment, and Dean Hamlin's introduction to the first team sparked a reshuffle that saw Brooker in central defence, Scott Corbett in midfield and Bailey pushed up alongside Gray. As Abraham and Alex Fiddes missed good chances to extend Ford's lead U's seemed to be clinging to the ropes, but four minutes before half time their revival started as Danny Bolt thumped in a free kick from just outside the right corner of the penalty area that went straight through goalkeeper Phil Wilson. Ford immediately restored their two goal advantage when Alex Fiddes raced on to Abraham's well judged pass and lifted the ball over Dunn, but crucially Sutton replied before half time, Bailey sliding in at the far post to convert a Bolt free kick that Wilson should probably have claimed. That was the last action of the first half, and the first of the second saw Bailey become the fourth Sutton player in to double figures in the league this season, again bundling the ball in from close range after Gray's low cross shot had beaten Wilson. The force with them, Sutton took the lead for the first time seven minutes later when a long free kick saw a misunderstanding between Wilson and Jeff Woolsey, and Gray's refusal to give up the chase was rewarded as he got his foot between the two opponents and nudged the ball in to the empty net. Further goals at either end looked likely at that stage, but Sutton defended much better in the second half than they had in the first. Hamlin emerged from his debut with great credit, and almost created a goal with a long throw that was flicked on by Hodges and headed just wide by Gray. Only an Abraham volley deflected just wide threatened a Ford equaliser, and not even another enforced change as Paul Honey went off with a back injury knocked U's out of their stride. Substitute Craig Brown showed some delightful touches in his twenty minutes, and pulled one shot only just wide after a good run. Ford's frustration produced a booking for Ben Lewis when he body-checked Bolt, but once in front U's had preserved their lead superbly, and they deserved the points.

Ford: P Wilson, D Collis, R Halle(sub D Perkins 82), B Lewis, J Woolsey, A Fiddes, S Cooper(sub R Watson 72), C Edwards, J O'Sullivan, G Poole, M Abraham. Subs n/u C Perkins, A McLeod, A Rafis. Goals: Poole(22 pen, 29), Fiddes(43). Booked: Lewis(77-foul)

Sutton: T Dunn, M Gray, S Corbett, R Palmer, D Brooker, N Bailey, D Bolt, P Honey(sub C Brown 69), M Fowler(sub D Hamlin 30), D Hodges, E Akuamoah. Goals: Bolt(41), Bailey(45,46), Gray(53).

Referee: M O'Keefe Attendance: 140