SUTTON UNITED 1 KINGSTONIAN 1
Report by Tony Dolbear
For the third game in a row there was nothing to split Sutton and Kingstonian at Gander Green Lane on Saturday, and the result was another draw to go with the two that the sides fought out in April. Kingstonian will point to two clear chances that fell to their former Sutton midfielder Phil Wingfield inside the last five minutes that would have given them victory, but against that Sutton should probably have scored more than once in a 15 minute first half spell that saw them well on top and it was hard to feel that either side had done quite enough to deserve maximum points. It took a while for the game to develop any pattern, and it was 20 minutes before either side had a clear sight of goal. Then Danny Bolt swung in a corner from the left and Danny Hodges, left completely unmarked at the far post, headed wastefully over. Three minutes later Kingstonian threatened for the first time as Tim Sills cracked in a low free kick that Andy Pape failed to hold, but Greg Ball hit the rebound in to the side netting. Sutton were on top until half time, though, and it took a good save from Lance Key to keep out one Bolt effort and an even better one to turn over Matt Fowler's fierce left foot shot after the lively striker had cut in from the right. The resulting corner provided the breakthrough, though, as Bolt's flag kick found its way back to him, and his second cross was headed down by Hodges and volleyed in by Lewis Gonsalves, claiming his first Ryman League goal. Sutton's celebrations were tinged with concern, however, as Hodges landed awkwardly in setting up the goal and limped off to have a scan amid fears of ligament damage. Within a minute of his departure U's should have been two up as Bolt conjured up a cross out of nothing from the left and Mark Watson lost his markers superbly only to direct his header wide of the post. As it was, Kingstonian had the boost of the equaliser on the stroke of half time as Ball fired in a fine cross from the right and Wingfield climbed highest to head in from six yards out. K's almost capitalised on this early in the second half, but Tim Sills misdirected one header from a corner that should have hit the target, and when Ball met a Liam Collins cross with a firm header that was on target it was straight at Pape. Key had to make a much less straightforward save when Watson laid the ball back in to Bolt's path, and the shot was held on the goal-line by a keeper who at first appeared to be going the wrong way. Neither side could take firm control, though, and the draw looked the likeliest result from some way before time. K's could have snatched it, though, when a long free kick carried over the defence and left Wingfield clear, but he blazed wildly over and could do no better moments later when he cut across the face of the penalty area but again failed to keep his shot down.
Sutton: Pape, Beale, Hollands, Palmer, Hodges(Timothy 34), Bailey, Bolt, Corbett, Fowler, Watson, Gonsalves. Subs n/u Honey, Gray, Dunn
Kingstonian: Key, Alimi, Thurgood, Lewington, Flitter, Hustwick(Pinnock 55), Collins(Ocquaye 72), J Sills, T Sills, Ball, Wingfield. Subs n/u A Jones, M Jones, Leacock
Referee: M O'Keefe Attendance 821