13.01.24 vs Cradley Town

Clean sheet at Cradley

Andrew Delaney14 Jan –


Sutton United extended their unbeaten run to eight matches as they played out an entertaining goalless draw against second in the table Cradley Town.

In the first goalless draw of the season for both sides, Sutton were probably the happier, with a hard-earned, yet well-deserved point on the road against a very strong Cradley side. United had Will Jones back from suspension as Kye Billingham-Belle and Sam Price returned to the starting line-up.

In a tight first half there were chances created for both sides, with Sutton’s first sight at goal coming in the fourth minute, when a Cradley clearance fell kindly to Joe Gildea in the box, but his shot went straight into the hands of the keeper.

The home side hit the woodwork with a header from a corner kick before Sutton’s Tom Massey tested the Cradley keeper Nana Frimpong, with a twenty-yard volley that was pushed over the crossbar.

Sutton’s keeper Connor Byrne then pulled off a fantastic save to deny Chris Bladen from six yards and shortly after, Cradley’s Casey Collins missed the target with a great chance from inside the box.

United’s midfielders worked incredibly hard and when Jones crafted an effort from the edge of the box in the 31st minute, Frimpong did well to smother the ball marginally ahead of Gildea, running in at the back post.

Just before half time, the Hammers had a golden chance to take the lead with a break down the left side, and when Byrne blocked their first effort at goal, Bladen then dragged the rebound wide of the far post.

There were fewer clear-cut chances for either side in a closely contested second half. The home side moved the ball well but United were defensively solid, with a particularly strong performance from right back Jon Grigg, who kept Cradley’s impressive winger Joshua Marsden at bay, whilst making some crucial challenges inside the Sutton penalty box.

United get a rest next weekend and travel to Shawbury United on Saturday 27th January.

Team: Cradley Town
1. Nana Frimpong
2. Harry Edwards
3. Declan Bibb
4. Jamie Underhill
5. Daniel Hadley
6. Darren Whitley (c)
7. Casey Collins – 60’ Sam Banner
8. Brad Ward
9. Chris Bladen – 67’ Kane Harrold
10. Jordan Crump – 51’ Cameron Milne
11. Joshua Marsden

Management/Assistants:
Aaron Morris
Andrew Thompson
Luke Messer
Matt Clark
Lee Slater
Albert Gould

Team: Sutton United
1. Connor Byrne
2. Jon Grigg
3. Alex O’Keefe – 72’ Jake Murrell
4. Mark Moore
5. Tion Pearce-Copeland
6. Kye Billingham-Belle
7. Sam Price – 63’ Kyle Hayden
8. Will Jones – 79’ Sef Semlali
9. Joe Gildea
10. Tom Massey (c)
11. Joe Delaney – 79’ Ben Friel

Management/Assistants:
Liam Burke
Richard Heath
Ryan Lugg
Amelia Small

Match Officials: Matthew Perry, Simon Lane, Joshua Cattell

Cradley TownStatisticsSutton United
0Goals0
11Attempts8
4Attempts on Target4
60%Possession40%
4Corners2
17Fouls Committed9
1Yellow Cards0
0Red Cards0
Opposition MOTMTion Pearce-Copeland
PlayerAppearancesGoalsAssistsOpp MOTM
Joe Gildea2726810
Sam Price20761
Leyton Hines5411
Tom Massey28382
Sef Semlali26331
Tom Cullen14311
Kieran McConville15230
Matt Bishop18211
Jon Grigg28130
Joe Delaney8121
Shane Smith8110
Kye Billingham-Belle29100
Brad Gregory5100
Alex O’Keefe8120
Lewan Tobin15010
Jake Murrell15010
Ethan Hanks11010
Kyle Hayden9010
Ryan Delport6010
Kaine Donald4010
Will Buchanan4010
Shevron Channer3010
Lewis James22001
Mark Moore22000
Reiss Wagstaff18004
Tion Pearce-Copeland18000
Will Jones18000
Connor Byrne10000
Harrison Coe8000
Ben Friel5000
Pete Weston4000
Remi Bell3000
Sam Simmonds3000
Hassan Said2000
Daniel Cooper1000
Louis Malin1000
Matt Hurrell1000
Matt Lewis1000
Shakeer Abdelkhalek1000
Total5647

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