Sutton suffer heavy defeat at Hinckley
Andrew Delaney 25 Oct 2023
Sutton exited the League Cup at the first hurdle after being on the wrong end of a 6-0 defeat to holders Hinckley AFC.
United couldn’t match their performance of nine days ago when they held Hinckley at home to a 2-2 draw. This time around, the Leicester based side showed their quality with six goals from six different players to ease past Sutton and into the next round of the cup.
It took the home side just seven minutes to take the lead when Matt Dawson’s low cross-come-shot caught everyone out as it nestled into the far corner of the net.
Lewis Rankin doubled Hinckley’s lead just after the half hour with a clinical finish inside the near post after Sutton had lost possession on the edge of their penalty box.
United made three changes for the start of the second half and later brought on Under-21 player James Stretton, for his first game this season, who looked lively in midfield.
Nevertheless, Hinckley showed no let-up in their intensity as they pressed home their advantage with another goal in the 48th minute to put the game beyond Sutton, as Danny Fraser slotted home Brady Middleton’s low cross.
Too often Sutton were wasteful in possession and barely troubled the Hinckley keeper. Tom Massey came closest to a goal with a header from a corner kick that was cleared off the line.
The home side continued to press and scored a fourth goal in the 67th minute, when Middleton fired across Reiss Wagstaff to find the bottom corner of the net, and just two minutes later, Tom Weale converted a penalty for the home side to make it 5-0.
Hinckley completed their scoreline in the 79th minute when substitute Alex Jones scored on his debut after a long ball down the flank left Sutton exposed.
The scoreline could have been worse if not for some great saves from Wagstaff and some last-ditch tackles in defence and the closest United came to a goal was when Joe Gildea struck the woodwork in added time.
Saturday cannot come soon enough for Sutton to put this result behind them as they return to league action with a trip to bottom of the table Smethwick Rangers.
Team: Hinckley AFC
1. Ryan Young
2. Matt Dawson
3. Dan Fraser (c)
4. Zaki Evans – 82’ James Franklin
5. Kyron Green
6. Jack Beasley
7. Lewis Rankin – 68’ Taylor Jones
8. Tom Weale
9. Brady Middleton – 68’ Alex Sutton
10. Declan Somel
11. Adam Barber
Substitutes unused: Sam Walton, Jamie Hood
Management/Assistants:
Joe Conneely
Courtney Belford
Aaran Cheshire
David Gunn
Dan White
Shay Durkin
Team: Sutton United
1. Reiss Wagstaff (c)
2. Jonny Grigg – 56’ Lewan Tobin
3. Matty Lewis – 45’ Mark Moore
4. Lewis James
5. Matt Bishop
6. Kye Billingham-Belle
7. Sam Price – 45’ Ethan Hanks
8. Tom Masey
9. Shane Smith – 45’ Kieron McConville
10. Joe Gildea
11. Sef Semlali – 66’ James Stretton
Management/Assistants:
Richard Heath
Liam Burke
Chris Bratt-Rose
Matt Gough
Amelia Small
Match Officials: Robert Massey-Ellis, Christopher Ward, Ariel Ward
| Hinckley | Statistics | Sutton United |
| 6 | Goals | 0 |
| 17 | Attempts | 6 |
| 11 | Attempts on Target | 3 |
| 52% | Possession | 48% |
| 7 | Corners | 4 |
| 3 | Fouls Committed | 4 |
| 0 | Yellow Cards | 0 |
| 0 | Red Cards | 0 |
| Opp Man of the Match | Sef Semlali |