Price-less late winner
Andrew Delaney3 Dec 2023 –
Sam Price scored an injury time winner for Sutton United as they came from behind to beat Wolverhampton Sporting in an exciting encounter at Coleshill Road.
Sutton were on top for much of the match after Joe Gildea put them ahead in the 21st minute. Then an improved second half from the visitors saw Jack Arnold score from two set pieces to give his team the lead. Sutton pulled level three minutes from time with another Gildea strike, before Sam Price tucked away a dramatic 94th minute winner.
Sutton made four changes to their starting line-up with debuts for left back Alex O’Keefe and winger Shevron Channer. Will Jones returned in defence and Kyle Hayden made his first starting line-up.
United produced a dominant first half and looked very dangerous going forward. Tion Pearce-Copeland hit the crossbar in the 12th minute and soon after Kyle Hayden’s effort from the edge of the box had the Wolves keeper, Samuel Cooksey, diving to push behind.
Sutton took the lead in the 21st minute when Hayden’s delivery into the box was touched down by Tom Massey before leading striker Gildea took over to fire across goal into the bottom corner of the net.
Sutton continued to apply pressure and after O’Keefe pounced to win the ball off Fortune Sibanda on the edge of the Wolves box, Tom Cullen was unlucky not to score with a shot that skimmed wide of the far post.
A clever through pass from Massey in the 27th minute found Hayden in the box, but in the end his angle was too tight, and Cooksey tipped his effort over the crossbar.
Cooksey was in action again soon after with a great block to deny Channer on the left, and just before the break, Massey’s shot from the edge of the box dipped just wide of the target.
The traffic had been all one way in the first half and Wolverhampton had to wait until the 43rd minute for their first shot at goal, when Arnold found himself in space twenty yards from goal and his effort whizzed wide of the post.
The visitors must have felt relieved to be going into the break only one goal down and they came out with purpose in the second half. United began to concede several free kicks and it wasn’t long before Wolves grabbed their chance to equalise in the 69th minute when Harvey Dangerfield headed on their free kick for Arnold to finish from the left with a superb strike.
Wolverhampton then took the lead in the 75th minute with a fantastic free kick that Arnold curled over the wall and into the top corner of the net.
Sutton pulled level in the 87th minute when Sam Price’s early cross was scooped into the net at the near post by Gildea for his second of the match.
With the clock ticking down, Byrne tipped over a long range shot from Wolves substitute Yannick Gomes and then he punched away the resulting corner kick that set Sutton on the counterattack: Massey charged up field, before Gildea threaded a perfect pass for Price to find the winning goal for United.
Next Saturday sees Sutton travel to Chelmsley Town for their MFL 1 League fixture.
Team: Sutton United
1. Connor Byrne
2. Jonny Grigg
3. Alex O’Keefe
4. Tion Pearce-Copeland 72’ Lewis James
5. Will Jones
6. Kye Billingham-Belle – 81’ James Stretton
7. Kyle Hayden – 60’ Sam Price
8. Tom Cullen – 85’ Mark Moore
9. Joe Gildea
10. Tom Massey (c)
11. Shevron Channer
Subs Unused: Sef Semlali
Management/Assistants:
Richard Heath, Liam Burke
Matt Gough, Chris Bratt-Rose
Amelia Small, Derek Culling
Team: Wolverhampton Sporting Community
1. Samuel Cooksey
2. Ryan Kimberley – 51’ Yannick Gomes
3. Mitchell Tomlinson (c)
4. Luke Georgiou
5. Matthew Gritton
6. Sam Baxter
7. Harvey Dangerfield
8. Thomas Embrey – 84’ Jamarley Rouse
9. Leslie Omorodion
10. Jack Arnold
11. Fortune Sibanda – 45’ Joshua Baloucoune
Subs Unused: Levi Simms, Kariem Hussein
Management/Assistants:
Mark Swann, Chris Cullins
Josh Bilan, Ant Fellow
Match Officials: Jack Rose, Zacharia Kasapi Phillip, Steven White
| Sutton United | Statistics | Wolverhampton |
| 3 | Goals | 2 |
| 17 | Attempts | 7 |
| 8 | Attempts on Target | 4 |
| 64% | Possession | 37% |
| 7 | Corners | 3 |
| 14 | Fouls Committed | 6 |
| 1 | Yellow Cards | 1 |
| 0 | Red Cards | 0 |
| Player | Appearances | Goals | Assists | Opp MOTM |
| Joe Gildea | 21 | 19 | 7 | 6 |
| Sam Price | 16 | 4 | 4 | 0 |
| Leyton Hines | 5 | 4 | 1 | 1 |
| Thomas Cullen | 9 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Tom Massey | 21 | 2 | 6 | 1 |
| Sef Semlali | 19 | 2 | 3 | 1 |
| Kieran McConville | 14 | 2 | 3 | 0 |
| Matt Bishop | 13 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| Jon Grigg | 22 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
| Joe Delaney | 3 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| Shane Smith | 8 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Brad Gregory | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Lewan Tobin | 13 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Jake Murrell | 12 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Ethan Hanks | 11 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Ryan Delport | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Kaine Donald | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Will Buchanan | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Kye Billingham-Belle | 22 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Lewis James | 19 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Reiss Wagstaff | 18 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| Mark Moore | 16 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Tion Pearce-Copeland | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Will Jones | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Harrison Coe | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Connor Byrne | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Kyle Hayden | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Remi Bell | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Sam Simmonds | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Alex O’Keefe | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Daniel Cooper | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Louis Malin | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Matt Hurrell | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Matt Lewis | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Shakeer Abdelkhalek | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Shevron Channer | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 42 | 36 |