Century for Gildea, Hat-trick for Jeeves
It was a day of milestones and momentum for Sutton United, who began November in style with a commanding win over Wednesfield Community at Coleshill Road Stadium.
The result extended their fine run of form following a strong October, and it was a match that will long be remembered for personal achievements by two players: Joe Gildea, who netted his 100th First Team goal, and Sam Jeeves, who claimed his first hat-trick for the club.
Lewis Hayden also carried the captain’s armband for the first time, leading a side that included goalkeeper Greg Lewis, who returned after a lengthy absence through injury.
Sutton wasted no time in asserting their dominance, racing into a 2-0 lead inside the opening six minutes, with both goals coming courtesy of Sam Jeeves.
The first arrived on five minutes when Ollie Burgundy delivered a corner from the right, and although the visiting goalkeeper, Chris Adamson, denied both Matt Bishop and Joe Gildea, he could do nothing to stop Sam Jeeves’ finish as he smashed the ball into the roof of the net, to claim his first goal of the season.
Barely sixty seconds later, the midfielder struck again and this time he began the move when he intercepted a Wednesfield pass in midfield to set Sutton on the attack. Harry Howard and James Spruce then linked up well, before Burgundy’s cross found Sam Jeeves, bursting into the box to bury his shot from six yards and double United’s lead.
The Greens continued to press forward and scored a third in the 19th minute when Gildea met Aiden Mee’s terrific cross from the right, and the striker showed all his class as he flicked the ball up with his right foot before spinning and volleying home with his left, to reach his 100th goal in style.
Wednesfield’s best chance of the half came when Mark Kintu narrowly missed at the near post after good work from Noble Godwin on the left wing, but it was Sutton who continued to dictate much of the play. Burgundy almost added a fourth with a curling strike from the edge of the box, forcing Adamson into a diving save.
The second half began much as the first ended, with Sutton pressing. Tion Pearce, fresh from being named Player of the Month for October, saw a thunderous long-range drive whistle just over the crossbar, while Spruce had a low effort blocked by Shaun Gordon for the visitors.
The fourth goal finally arrived in the 66th minute, when Sutton kept up the pressure off a corner kick that Adamson had initially punched clear, and when Dylan Green was bundled over inside the area, the referee point to the spot. Up stepped Sam Jeeves, who confidently smashed the penalty straight down the middle to complete a memorable hat-trick.
As the game wore on, Wednesfield sought a consolation, but they were denied by the returning Lewis, who produced two fantastic late saves. First, he dived acrobatically to turn away Gordon’s close-range effort that was spinning towards the top corner, before standing tall in stoppage time to block substitute Chiernoh Jalloh’s shot and preserve another clean sheet for the Greens.
The result highlighted Sutton’s attacking and defensive strengths, and with four wins and just one defeat in October, United look well-placed heading into a busy November schedule. Next up is an exciting test against higher league opposition with an FA Vase clash at home to Gresley Rovers on Saturday 8th November, kick off 3pm.
Team: Sutton United
1. Greg Lewis
2. Aidan Mee – 67’ James Gallagher
3. Joel Newman
4. Matt Bishop
5. Tion Pearce
6. Lewis Hayden (c) – 60’ Tom Massey
7. James Spruce
8. Sam Jeeves
9. Joe Gildea – 60’ Oli Jeeves
10. Ollie Burgundy – 60’ Lewis Wall
11. Harry Howard – 60’ Dylan Green
Management/Assistants:
Liam Burke
Richard Heath
Aidan Jeynes
Marcus Davies
Evija Stauga
Derek Culling
Team: Wednesfield Community
1. Chris Adamson
2. Ibrahima Diallo
3. Noble Godwin
4. Nathaniel Hill – 73’ Sachin Bargota
5. Shaun Gordon
6. Harvey Dangerfield (c)
7. Dilpreet Sandhu
8. Sheikh Mutarr-Barrow
9. Mark Kintu – 84’ Chiernoh Jalloh
10. Moussa Koita
11. Sebi Fyfield
Management/Assistants:
Ben Holden
Mike Shelton
Lee Jackson
Simon Wilson
Ellie Macourt
Match Officials: Thomas Edis, Stuart Betteridge, Stephen Chappell
| Sutton United | Statistics | Wednesfield Community |
| 4 | Goals | 0 |
| 12 | Attempts | 5 |
| 9 | Attempts on Target | 3 |
| 67% | Possession | 33% |
| 7 | Corners | 4 |
| 8 | Fouls Committed | 14 |
| 2 | Yellow Cards | 3 |
| 0 | Red Cards | 0 |