Platinum performance to beat Steelmen
The ten men of Sutton United put on a magnificent performance to beat Bilston Town away from home and climb to second in MFL 1.
Reiss Hick and Lewis Wall helped Sutton to victory with not only two outstanding second-half goals, but also their overall performances in a match that saw the Greens reduced to ten men after only half an hour.
Harry Manton, Sam Jeeves and Hayden Froggatt all returned to the starting line-up for United, with Wall dropping into centre back in the absence of Matt Bishop.
The opening exchanges were quiet as both sides settled into the game. Sutton were looking to use the pace of Froggatt up front to run in behind, and the forward came close to an opening goal in the 16th minute when Joe Gildea released him down the left channel, before his shot cannoned off the post.
There was also a great chance for Sutton when Aiden Mee made a strong run down the right wing before delivering a great ball into the penalty box, where both Tom Massey and then Gildea couldn’t make the right connections to trouble the Bilston keeper.
For the Steelmen, Samuel Yankson came close in the 20th minute, when his effort from the edge of Sutton’s penalty area swept wide of the target. And shortly after, Chad Carter did well to control the ball on the left of goal, before scooping his shot over the crossbar.
The turning point in the match came in the 33rd minute when Lewis Hayden was shown a straight red card for his challenge on Jay Rossiter. Bilston immediately began to press their advantage, and Richard Heaven came close with a shot from 18-yards that fizzed just wide of the far post.
Sutton sat deeper and defended stoically as Bilston pressed forward for the last fifteen minutes of the half. Both Pearce and Wall had to make important interceptions to ensure United made it to the break without conceding.
The interval allowed Sutton to regroup, with manager Richard Heath, making a tactical change for the second half that proved pivotal for the Greens: Gildea was sacrificed up front to bring Hick on as centre-back, with Wall moving into the holding midfield role.
The Greens went on to produce an outstanding second half performance that saw them not only keep a clean sheet, but also to make the most of their opportunities going forward.
Their hard work paid off when they stunned the home crowd in the 60th minute with a fantastic goal. Sam Jeeves delivered a perfect free kick into the danger area, where Hick rose highest to head down and in, across goalkeeper Dominic Cooper, sending the Sutton supporters behind the goal into jubilant celebrations.
Froggatt continued to provide the outlet for Sutton and when he won a throw-in close to the opposition corner flag in the 75th minute, Ollie Burgundy launched the ball into the six-yards box for Wall to loop a header over Cooper, scoring his first goal in Green and against his old club.
Sutton will now be looking to build on this excellent team performance and continue their unbeaten start to the season when they return home for their next fixture on Saturday 16th August against Smethwick Rangers.
Team: Bilston Town
1. Dominic Cooper
2. Tarique Hunter
3. Joshua Banks
4. Chad Carter
5. Ben Priest
6. Louie Newbould – 58’ Bobby Speed
7. Richard Heaven – 58’ Callum Bright
8. Luke Carter (c)
9. Samuel Yankson – 73’ Louie Mason
10. Jay Possiter – 73’ Joe Scriven
11. Jaden Henry-Dean
Sub Unused: Tyreece Davis
Management/Assistants:
Dave King
Wayne Shakesphere
Kieron Bustin
Sharndeep Dulay
Stephen Fellows
Eleanor Higginson
Michael Boatang
Team: Sutton United
1. Greg Lewis
2. Aidan Mee
3. Harry Manton
4. Tion Pearce
5. Lewis Wall – 90+2’ Harry Howard
6. Lewis Hayden
7. Ollie Burgundy – 90+5’ Dylan Green
8. Sam Jeeves
9. Hayden Froggatt – 82’ Dan Wootten
10. Joe Gildea – 46’ Reiss Hick
11. Tom Massey – 90+2’ Jon Grigg
Management/Assistants:
Richard Heath
Jon Huckfield
Aidan Jeynes
Marcus Davies
Evija Stauga
Match Officials: Thomas Bartlett, Isaac Culver, Carl Dixon
| Bilston Town | Statistics | Sutton United |
| 0 | Goals | 2 |
| 5 | Attempts | 6 |
| 0 | Attempts on Target | 3 |
| 52% | Possession | 48% |
| 4 | Corners | 3 |
| 13 | Fouls Committed | 9 |
| 2 | Yellow Cards | 3 |
| 0 | Red Cards | 1 |
| Club Man of the Match | Reiss Hick |