SUTTON UNITED 4   HEYBRIDGE SWIFTS 1

By David Parker

Sat Oct 27 2001

Sutton will be pleased that they won in such style with never producing any fantastic play. In some parts of the game Heybridge looked like they could hold on for the draw.

Never side really had a decent chance until the closing stages of the first half when Ryan Palmers cross wasn't claimed by the keeper and was headed into the empty net by Danny Arkwright for Suttons first of the game, unfortunately this was the only good chance of the first half.

Inside the first five-minute of the second half Parker's free kick pulled a good save from Martini forcing a corner which was blasted over the bar. Minutes later Parker picked up the ball from midfield and ran thru the defence with out being challenged and was able to slide the ball under Martini. With ten minutes gone Mison picked up the ball and ran to the edge of the Heybridge area and played a good one two with Fowler before running around the keeper and being sent to the ground by the desperate goalie. The keeper jumped up and screamed abuse at the united player and had to be pulled away but only got a booking for both incidents. Boothe stepped up to take the penalty and smashed the ball into the roof of the net. With fifteen minutes to play John Palmers free kick crept over the line after Haworth headed the kick on. In injury time United claimed a fourth when Palmer's cross looked to be sliced over and wide of the goal but Haworth headed back across the face of the goal allowing Jay Murray to head home with the keeper already beaten,

United will now hope to carry good league form into the away trip to Hendon next Saturday for the F.A Trophy

SUTTON UTD 4 HEYBRIDGE SWIFTS 1

Sutton continued their recent improvement in the Ryman League on Saturday when they cruised to victory against a Heybridge side that began the game propping up the Premier Division table and rarely looked like finishing it in any other way. It took U's a while to get in to their stride, but once they did they created enough chances to have won by a wider margin, and only briefly early in the second half did Heybridge threaten to ruin the home fans' afternoon. After a featureless first half hour Sutton began to find the openings and visiting keeper Kingsley Banks, whose afternoon was decidedly mixed, had to make two good saves in less than a minute. He blocked Jon Palmer's volley with his feet at close range, and then turned aside a Matt Fowler shot to spare his blushes after a dreadful clearance had gone straight to U's fit again striker. Visiting defender Colin Wall, who will want to forget the afternoon as quickly as possible, then wasted a glorious chance to give Heybridge the lead when he headed over from a free kick, but then three minutes before the interval Banks' fortunes took a downward turn as he came for, but failed to get anywhere near, a free kick from the right and Danny Arkwright nodded in to the empty net. Heybridge came out after the break to have their best spell, and Chuck Martini made a fine save from Simon Parker's free kick but last season's joint leading scorer in the division wasn't to be denied and showed his quality three minutes later with an incisive run and firm low shot in to the corner of Martini's net. The Essex side's hopes quickly receded, though, as Mike Mison put Parker's effort in the shade, collecting Martini's throw-out midway inside his own half and running at, then through, the visitors' defence. A one-two with Fowler left him with just Banks to beat, but a 'goal of the season' contender was thwarted as Banks brought Mison down as he went round him. With an empty net beckoning, quite how Banks escaped with only a yellow card was a mystery, but Chris Boothe ensured that justice was otherwise done with a crisply struck penalty high in to the net. Referee Mike McGregor, who had a poor afternoon aside from that decision, then booked Wall and Rob Haworth for an off the ball incident, but U's now had control and should have put the game beyond reach. Some good build up play wasn't matched by the finish, and although Boothe was unlucky when his 18 yard shot came back off the foot of the post, Haworth disappointingly hit the side netting when Fowler was well placed for a pull-back, and Fowler himself fluffed an attempted chip over Banks after a lovely interchange with Boothe. With Fowler and Eddie Akuamoah also blazing good chances too high U's were in danger of being pegged back again as Parker always looked lively on the break, but then Wall did the job for them, turning Jon Palmer's free kick in to his own net under pressure only from one of his team mates. That secured the points, and U's achieved the margin of victory they deserved two minutes from the end when Haworth headed back Ryan Palmer's deep cross to leave substitute Jay Murray with a simple close range header in to the empty net.

Sutton: Martini. R Palmer, J Palmer, Mison, Arkwright, Honey, Berry, Boothe, Fowler(Murray 79), Haworth, Akuamoah. Subs n/u Dunne, Williams.

Heybridge: Banks, Cranfield, Baillie, Haydon(Santer 88), Wall, Pollard, Streetley(Budge 77), Parker, Down, Caton, Leeke(Roberts 63).

Referee: M McGregor Attendance 494

Report by Tony Dolbear

PLYMOUTH ARGYLE YTH 0 SUTTON UTD YTH 1

Sutton's youth team produced their own piece of FA Cup giantkilling last Wednesday when they made the long trip to Plymouth and returned with a famous 1-0 win to go through to the second round of the FA Youth Cup. A goal eight minutes after half time by Glenn Boosey proved the difference between the teams, as Sutton overcame a difficult first twenty minutes to end up as deserved winners. In that early spell U's had to defend well and Paul Smith made one good save, but it was Sutton who came closest to scoring when the Plymouth keeper tipped Tony Bridgeman's header on to the post and claimed the rebound. Although Smith had to be at his best again just before half time, Bridgeman went close again when he headed Luke Fontana's free kick just wide, and after soaking up more pressure early in the second half U's broke through when Nick Bailey set Boosey up for a low shot in to the far corner of the net. From that point U's were the better side, and Bridgeman had two more opportunities to add a second while Bailey was unlucky with a 35 yard lob that the keeper just managed to tip over the bar. The home side had no way through a fine performance by U's defence, and despite plenty of possession failed to fashion any clear chances as U's held on to earn a second round trip to Cardiff which was scheduled for this Thursday, 1 November, at Ninian Park.

Sutton: Smith, Fontana, Marshall, Scannell, Drew, Hewitt, Bailey, Tydeman, Bridgeman(Gilbert), Imms(Gardner), Boosey(Gundlach).