Greens Too Strong for Gresley
Sutton United produced a stunning performance to sweep aside higher opposition Gresley Rovers in the Second Round of the FA Vase, delighting a bumper crowd of 1,225 at Coleshill Road Stadium.
Goals from Matt Bishop and a brace from Joe Gildea came in a dominant first half performance, before a second half own goal from Macauley Holmes secured a memorable victory for the Greens.
Sutton made a bright start and were rewarded in the 14th minute when Ollie Burgundy played a short corner to Gildea, whose flick-on found Bishop at the edge of the area, and the defender struck a thunderous drive through a crowded box and into the net to give Sutton the lead.
Gresley, currently 15th in the United Counties League Premier Division North, were happy to sit deep and look to hit Sutton on the counter. However, United were patient in possession and doubled their lead in the 25th minute after a confident build-up from the back. Captain Tom Massey split the defense with a neat through ball to Sam Jeeves, whose shot was saved by goalkeeper Bradley Catlow, but Gildea was quickest to react, tapping home the rebound at the back post.
Sam Jeeves, fresh off a hat-trick in his previous outing, was confident in front of goal and came close to adding his name to the scoresheet, seeing one powerful effort deflected wide, before striking the post from Aidan Mee’s teasing cross.
The home fans packed in the Railway End erupted again on 38 minutes when Gildea struck his second and Sutton’s third. It came after Tion Pearce did well to prevent Jude Ayetine an effort inside Sutton’s penalty box. Bishop then launched a clearance up field where Gildea outpaced his markers before coolly lifting a composed finish over Catlow for his 12th goal of the season.
Trailing by three at the break, Rovers introduced three substitutes at the start of the second half. One of them, William Mansfield, almost made an immediate impact, forcing a block on the line from the outstanding Lewis Hayden, who was later named Sutton’s man-of-the-match.
Nevertheless, just three minutes into the second half, Sutton put the tie beyond doubt. Mee delivered a dangerous low cross from the right, and in his attempt to clear, Holmes could only head the ball past his own goalkeeper to make it 4-0 to Sutton, whilst denying Gildea a hat-trick in the process!
To their credit, the visitors rallied late on, with Samuel Moore and Chris Acott both testing Sutton goalkeeper Greg Lewis, and their persistence was rewarded in the 74th minute when a long throw from Albert Lansdowne was flicked on by Holmes, allowing Mansfield to nod home at the back post.
Despite the late pressure, United remained firmly in control, seeing out the game to seal a superb win in front of their jubilant home supporters.
It was a day to remember both on and off the pitch for Sutton, with the club hosting a full day of activities – from the U9’s pre-match mini-games and U8’s half-time entertainment, to the U7 mascots leading the teams out. With the clubhouse buzzing and the stands packed, it was a perfect showcase of Sutton’s community spirit and ambition.
Next up for the Greens is a return to league action on Tuesday 11th November when they host Birmingham OJM under the lights, kicking off at 7.45pm.
Team: Sutton United
1. Greg Lewis
2. Aidan Mee
3. Joel Newman – 86’ Jonny Grigg
4. Matt Bishop
5. Tion Pearce
6. Lewis Wall
7. Ollie Burgundy – 87’ James Gallagher
8. Lewis Hayden
9. Joe Gildea – 63’ Oli Jeeves
10. Tom Massey – 73’ Dylan Green
11. Sam Jeeves – 63’ Harry Howard
Management/Assistants:
Richard Heath
Liam Burke
Aidan Jeynes
Marcus Davies
Evija Stauga
Derrick Culling
Team: Gresley Rovers
1. Bradley Catlow
2. Harrison Smith – 46’ William Mansfield
3. Chris Acott
4. Ashley Garner (c) – 72’ Gabe Webster
5. Macauley Holmes
6. Dylan Hunniford – 46’ Albert Lansdowne
7. Jude Ayetine – 46’ Jake Conkay
8. Louie Jarvis
9. Ryan King – 64’ Liam Kavanagh
10. Samuel Moore
11. Callum Martin
Management/Assistants:
Andy Gray
Pete Dunn
Connor Adams
Conrad Corralan
Jess Wainwright
Match Officials: Lewis Tomkins, Connor Brooks, Kevin Carroll
| Sutton United | Statistics | Gresley Rovers |
| 4 | Goals | 1 |
| 13 | Attempts | 7 |
| 9 | Attempts on Target | 5 |
| 77% | Possession | 23% |
| 5 | Corners | 2 |
| 9 | Fouls Committed | 10 |
| 2 | Yellow Cards | 3 |
| 0 | Red Cards | 0 |
| Lewis Hayden | Club Man of the Match |