By George, what a win!
Ben George scored his first goal for the club as Sutton United claimed a hard-fought victory away at AFC Bridgnorth in MFL Division One.
George thundered home a rebound to give United a pivotal lead in the 69th minute in a closely contested match, before Leyton Hines marked his return to the squad with a well-taken second to ensure United returned home with an important three points.
The result secures Suttons place in the play-offs, with the Greens currently sitting third in the table and just three league games remaining.
It proved to be a game of two halves for United, who battled uphill and against the high winds in a demanding first half where the hosts proved tough to break down. Bridgnorth created the better opportunities in the first half, as Sutton goalkeeper Greg Lewis produced two excellent saves late in the half, to keep the scores level at the break.
It was in the 38th minute when Charlie Clarke set up Mitch Evans inside the penalty area, only for Lewis to stand tall and deny the Bridgnorth captain with a superb reflex stop.
Moments later, Evans won the ball at the edge of Sutton’s penalty area and drove a low effort towards goal, but Lewis was again equal to it, diving sharply to push the shot behind.
The Greens saw little joy going forward in the first half, with Harry Manton coming closest with a shot from the edge of the penalty area that was deflected over.
It was Bridgnorth who continued to threaten, with Evans volleying over from twenty yards and Tom Nicklin dragging a long-range effort wide, but Sutton defended strongly and held firm to reach half time level on terms.
Sutton added pace and energy with their substitutions in the second half, and it wasn’t long before they began to create more opportunities in front of goal. Red Simmons nearly opened the scoring early in the half with a swerving effort from distance that drifted just wide, whilst Matt Bishop came close with a near-post header that ended up in the side netting.
The breakthrough finally arrived in the 69th minute when Ryan Nesbitt’s strike from the right was well saved by Jack Breckell, before George reacted quickest, beating his marker to fire home the rebound from six yards to give Sutton the lead.
United made sure of the win ten minutes from time, with some quick thinking from Hines. A long goal kick from Lewis was headed back towards Breckell by a Bridgnorth defender, but Hines anticipated the situation brilliantly, nipping ahead of the goalkeeper to flick the ball into an empty net.
This was a disciplined performance from Sutton, who defended with resilience to secure another valuable clean sheet, whilst proving patient in attack to make the most of their opportunities in front of goal.
The game marked the first in a busy Easter schedule, with Sutton returning home to face Chelmsley Town in a local derby on Monday 6th April, kick off 3pm.
Team: AFC Bridgnorth
1. Jack Breckell
2. De-Quarnai Williams
3. Billy Moore
4. Harvey Evans
5. George Hartill
6. Rio Bill
7. Kosh Sappleton
8. Mitch Evans (c)
9. Charlie Clarke
10. Mason Heather – 74’ Tyler Jones
11. Tom Nicklin
Unused Sub: Nick Turton, Max Morris, Del Hutchings
Management/Assistants:
Jack Griffiths, Lee Blake
Nick Turton, Arjun Seakhon
Team: Sutton United
1. Greg Lewis
2. Aidan Mee
3. Harry Manton – 50’ Leyton Hines
4. Matt Bishop
5. Lewis Wall
6. Ben George
7. Red Simmons
8. Lewis Hayden – 82’ Jay Clement
9. Joe Gildea – 65’ Oli Jeeves
10. Tom Massey – 74’ Sam Jeeves
11. Ryan Nesbit
Unused Sub: Jake Lamb
Management/Assistants:
Neil Tooth, Phil Male
Carlos De Azevedo, Aidan Jeynes
Derrick Culling
Match Officials: Joey Malone, Jordan Brueton, Adam Athersmith
| AFC Bridgnorth | Statistics | Sutton United |
| 0 | Goals | 2 |
| 7 | Attempts | 9 |
| 5 | Attempts on Target | 4 |
| 45% | Possession | 55% |
| 6 | Corners | 5 |
| 3 | Fouls Committed | 9 |
| 0 | Yellow Cards | 2 |
| 0 | Red Cards | 0 |
| Kosheen Sappleton | Opp Man of the Match | |
| Club Man of the Match | Oli Jeeves |