SUTTON UNITED 2 V HENDON 1 Sunday 7th September 1997 The U's returned to the top of the table after a hard fought victory on Sunday afternoon in a game that got better as a spectacle the longer it went on. Sutton started with the same line-up that began at Harrow on Tuesday night, the only change being on the substitutes bench where Barry Laker came in for Dave Patullo. In a tense fist half there were very few clear cut chances Sutton finding it very hard to break down a well organised Hendon defence that at times held a line only a few yards inside there own half and it was they who had the two most notable strikes of the half, Les Cleevely getting down smartly to his right to push away a low drive from John Richardson and a fierce free kick from Matthew Howard from just outside the box that only just cleared the crossbar. Sutton for all their possession hardly forcing ex U's keeper Gary McCann into any worthwhile saves. Hendon came out strongly at the beginning of the second half as well and only three minutes after the break seemed to take control of the game when what seemed a speculative effort from Freddie Hyatt somehow found its way into the top corner of Cleevely's goal when at one stage he seemed to have it covered. At that point it was hard to see Sutton getting back into the game but come back they did and Joff Vansittart and Mathew Hanlan began to cause problems up front and it was from a run by Hanlan that Hendon conceded a free kick ten yards outside their own box which led to Sutton's equaliser. It seemed too far out for a strike on goal but the ball was rolled sideways to David Everitt who hit a thunderous left foot shot which McCann could only parry and there was Matt Hanlan to stoop low to head in the rebound. The tempo of the game was now raised several notches and two Hendon players were booked for challenges , John Richarsdson for an elbow in the face of Steve Watson and Steve Bateman for a poor challenge in the back of Matt Hanlan who indeed went down just a few minutes later in an off the ball incident when again Bateman was the only player nearby but the referee and his assistant failed to see if their was any infringement. Jimmy Dack was substituted after a clash of heads left him looking decidedly groggy, John Ugbah the replacement. Sutton had now taken the game by the scruff of the neck and after a succession of corners got the winner that all their effort deserved, Jimmy Dack floating the ball in from the right, the Hendon defence for once failing to clear their lines and Paul Clark bravely headed the ball on for Joff Vansittart to turn just inside the six yard box and fire the ball into the net for his eighth league goal of the season. The game now flowed from end to end and both sides had chances but referee Styles eventually put an end to proceedings after some four minutes of injury time giving Sutton their fifth victory of the season. The Sutton line - up was :- Cleevely, Brooker, Everitt, Berry, Daly, Clark, Dack, (Ugbah) Watson, Vansittart, Hanlan and Salako the unused substitutes were Laker and Feltham . The emphasis now turns away from the league program as Sutton take on Bracknell on Tuesday in the Guardian Insurance Cup followed by a trip to Cheshunt on Saturday in the first qualifying round of the F.A. cup. Details of travel to both games were in the Hendon programme