Gildea Double Fires Greens Through
A first-half brace from Joe Gildea set Sutton United on their way to victory as the Greens progressed in the Isuzu FA Vase.
Sutton United booked their place in the next round with a convincing 4-1 victory away at Wednesfield Community, with Joe Gildea scoring twice either side of a Wednesfield equaliser, before late strikes from Jayden Hunter and Jack Sang put the result beyond doubt.
United made the perfect start, taking the lead in the 6th minute when Jordan Clement whipped a dangerous corner kick into the box and Gildea rose to head home and give the Greens an early advantage.
Sutton enjoyed plenty of possession during the opening half, with Clement and Jake Wilkes both testing the Wednesfield goalkeeper Dominic Cooper from distance. Wilkes was also involved in a promising move down the right, charging forward before delivering to Oli Jeeves, whose header spun over the crossbar.
Despite Sutton controlling much of the play, Wednesfield found a way back into the match with their only shot of the first half. The hosts caught United on the counter in the 24th minute, with Rio Tetsill winning possession inside the Sutton half before playing the ball wide. Tetsill continued his run into the box and met the resulting cross at the back post, tapping home from close range to level the scores.
United regained the lead before the break, with Gildea brought down 25-yards outside the penalty area before stepping up to take the resulting free kick. Having scored from a set piece in the previous match, Gildea produced another moment of quality, curling a sublime effort over the Wednesfield wall to restore Sutton’s advantage.
Wednesfield introduced Harreson Clarke and Jaden Henry ten minutes into the second half, and the pair immediately provided the hosts with an attacking threat that had been missing before the break.
Within a minute of coming on, Clarke delivered a cross for Henry, whose header was brilliantly saved by Gabe Newey, on his first start in goal for the First Team this season. Lewis Wall then produced a crucial block to deny Kane Bingham from the rebound.
Wall was outstanding throughout the second half and made another vital intervention in the 62nd minute, producing a double block in front of goal to keep Wednesfield at bay.
Moments later, the Sutton defender was at it again, making a crucial clearance to prevent Clarke’s effort from the edge of the penalty area from causing further damage.
Henry continued to threaten for the hosts and came close in the 71st minute, making a strong run down the left before firing narrowly wide of the far post.
Having weathered the spell of pressure, Sutton began to regain control. Lewis Hayden curled an effort from the edge of the box narrowly over the top corner, before Matt Bishop came even closer in the 81st minute, clipping the post with a volley.
United finally put the result beyond doubt in the 88th minute when Gildea won possession around the halfway line and threaded the ball through for Hunter to race clear. The forward kept his composure to beat Cooper with a clinical finish for his third goal in four games.
There was still time for another in the fourth minute of added time, when Hunter’s effort was parried by Cooper and Sang was in the right place at the right time to tap home and score his first goal for Sutton and complete the 4-1 scoreline.
After two cup fixtures, Sutton now turn their attention back to league action, with Darlaston Town visiting Coleshill Road Stadium on Tuesday 18th August, kick off 7.45pm.