F.A Umbro Trophy Quarter Final

Sutton United 1 Rushden & Diamonds 1

ATT 1586

Sutton played extremely well to hold on to a draw against the conference title chasers. It took ten minutes for the first serious challenge on either goal as Sutton didn't clear properly and the ball fell to Brady who fired his shot low to the keeper's left and Howells had to save with his feet but the rebound found it's way to the Rushden no 6 but he could only manage to blast over . Sutton United surprised everyone by taking the lead on twelve minutes when a bad backpass found it's way to Nko Ekoku who took the ball into the area and squared the ball across the face of goal to Sammy Winston who tapped the ball into the unguarded net. The lead didn't last for long when on the thirteenth minute when Howells punched a corner clear, the punch held up in the air for Paul Underwood to head back in the area for Rodwell to back head into the net for the equaliser. Sutton kept on pressuring the Rushden goal and in the twentieth minute Aiden Newhouse knocked the ball down to Nko Ekoku who stuck a long range effort toward goal but the keeper did well to push the shot out for a corner. Near the end of the half Sutton tried again to gain the lead again when Sammy Winston ran into the area and released a shot which the keeper again pushed out for a corner but Sutton couldn't make any thing from their corners. Rushden weren't the side that demolished Sutton earlier in the season ,as Sutton ,for most of the game they held the Rushden forward line leaving them with only half chances .

For most of the second half Sutton had the better of the possession with Rushden unable to clear the ball for long periods of the game. In the fiftieth minute Rushden had a rare second half chance when a shot from De Souza went only just over . The best play of the game came in the fifty third minute when Nko's cross field ball fell to Skelly, who passed it to Winston who ran to the line before cutting back in to the area and released a shot which just went inches wide. In the fifty seventh minute Dack played the ball to Harlow who played the ball over the top of the defence to Danny Brooker who crossed it to Winston whose glancing header toward goal was cleared for a corner by the defender .The corner was headed over by Laker. In the sixtieth minute Hampshire tried a long range shot which scraped the bar and went out for a goal kick. Both teams defended well and took any chances they had very well. Sutton deserve praise for their performance which was very close to making Rushden look like a normal side.

Man of the Match NKO EKOKU

Elation Holding the leagues best team to a draw and staying in the trophy.

Deflation Not putting our possession to better use.

Sutton United 1 Howells 2 Brooker 3 Skelly 4 Riley 5 Laker 6 Harlow 7 Dack 8 Hartford 9 Winston

10 Newhouse 11 Ekoku

Rushden 1 Turley 2 Wooding 3 Cramman 4 Hampshire 5 Rodwell 6 Warburton 7 Butterworth

8 De Sousa 9 Lowe 10 Collins 11 Underwood