Frustration on the road for Sutton
Sutton United suffered back-to-back away defeats as promotion chasing Leicester St Andrews scored a goal in each half to claim the win and remain third in the MFL 1 league table.
Sutton made five changes from their midweek game, with Greg Lewis returning in goal and starts for Reiss Hick, Sam Jeeves, Harry Howard and Joe Gildea.
It was a frustrating day for Sutton as they failed to make the most of their opportunities. The Greens had a strong first half, creating all the early chances to score. Tom Massey was strong in the centre and when he fed Oli Jeeves in the 5th minute, the striker came close with a low shot from the edge of the penalty box that swept across the goalkeeper but wide of the post.
Moments later, Gildea’s half volley from outside the box skimmed over the cross bar and then Hayden Froggatt’s long-range effort was gathered by Leicester goalkeeper Luke McAdam.
The goal for the home side came against the run of play with Luke Crossley showing why he is Leicester’s top goal scorer, as he cut inside to squeeze the ball in at the near post in the 16th minute.
Sutton continued to press forward in search of an equaliser, and Froggatt was unlucky with a header that scooped over the cross bar.
The second half was closely contested with a lot of competitive football in the middle of the pitch but there were very few clear-cut opportunities in front of goal. Substitute Andy Melville had two chances for Leicester early in the half, the first saw Lewis save at his near post off a close-range effort and shortly after, Melville’s header from a corner kick was well held by the Sutton goalkeeper.
For the rest of the half neither goalkeeper had much to do as both teams defended well against any counterattacks and the best chances now came from set pieces. For Sutton, Gildea’s 25-yard strike had McAdam diving to push behind his post, before a second opportunity struck the Leicester wall.
It was Leicester St Andrews who scored their second from a set piece, as substitute Liam Canavan headed home in the 85th minute to seal the win for the hosts.
Sutton must now look ahead to their last home game of the season when they host AFC Bridgnorth on Saturday 12th April, 3pm kick off.
Team: Leicester St Andrews
1. Luke McAdam
2. Damien McCrory – 60’ Liam Canavan
4. Justin Peace
5. Marco Henry
6. Jake Warren – 56’ Archie Wood
7. Corey Bucalossi – 75’ Gus Gentleman
8. Tom Hill (c)
9. Josh Crossley
10. Greg Mills – 52’ Andy Melville
11. Jorrin John – 75’ Sam Carroll
15. Jamie Hood
Management/Assistants:
Ross Perkins
Shaun Barber
Brett Wells
Keira Calot
Team: Sutton United
1. Greg Lewis
2. Tion Pearce
3. Harry Manton – 78’ Abdul Touaiti
4. Matt Bishop
5. Reiss Hick
6. Sam Jeeves
7. Tom Massey
8. Harry Howard – 60’ Sef Semlali
9. Oli Jeeves – 63’ Leyton Hines
10. Joe Gildea
11. Hayden Froggatt – 63’ Josh Rudge
Sub unused: Sam Simmonds
Management/Assistants:
Richard Heath
Liam Burke
Adam Watson
Amelia Small
Match Officials: Josh Warren, Mark Chester, Steven Chappell