24.10.2026 Vs Runcorn Town

Played in difficult, rain-soaked conditions, there was little to separate the two sides throughout a fiercely contested encounter. Runcorn took the lead through Edward Burthem in the first half, but Sutton responded impressively after the break and were rewarded when Mee’s excellent effort brought the Greens level.

The opening exchanges were closely fought, with both teams well organised and chances at a premium. Sutton enjoyed some promising moments in advanced areas without being able to find the decisive final pass, while Runcorn looked dangerous, particularly down the right flank, but were largely kept at bay by a disciplined home defence.

The first clear opportunity arrived after twenty minutes when Jayden Hunter released Joseph Afful down the left and the winger delivered an inviting cross into the box for Ryan Nesbitt, whose effort drifted narrowly over the crossbar.

Runcorn capitalised on a rare Sutton error to take the lead on 32 minutes, as a pass out from the back was intercepted by Burthem at the edge of the penalty box and his precise shot found the bottom corner beyond Greg Lewis.

The visitors almost doubled their advantage just before half-time when Jorge Dwyer attempted an audacious chip over the keeper from distance. Lewis reacted superbly to prevent the ball from dropping underneath the crossbar and keep Sutton within touching distance at the break.

Sutton emerged from the interval with renewed intensity and immediately pushed for the equaliser. Nesbitt saw a promising effort blocked by Charlie Harland, while Afful tested goalkeeper Will Ebbrell at his near post as the Greens applied pressure from the wide areas.

Their persistence paid off in the 67th minute when Mee picked up a pass from Lewis Hayden in a central area, skipped beyond two challenges and unleashed a superb strike from twenty yards that flew past Ebbrell and into the net. It was the full-back’s third goal in as many games and levelled the scoreline for the Greens.

Buoyed by the equaliser, Sutton pushed for a winner and came agonisingly close when substitute Joey Buckley reacted quickest to a loose ball inside the penalty area, only to be denied by an outstanding save from Ebbrell.

Runcorn continued to work hard in the second half but were restricted largely to efforts from distance. Burthem fired wide of the target, while Connor Spiers forced Lewis into a low save which he gathered on his goal line.

Both sides continued to chase all three points during the closing stages, but neither could find a decisive goal and honours ultimately ended even. On the balance of play, a share of the spoils was a fair reflection of a competitive contest.

Sutton’s next match is in defence of their League Cup title as they take on Anstey Town in the Second Round at Coleshill Road on Tuesday evening, with kick-off scheduled for 7.45pm.

Team: Sutton United
1. Greg Lewis
2. Aidan Mee
3. Red Simmons
4. Matt Bishop
5. James Gallagher
6. Lewis Wall – 60’ Joey Buckley
7. Ryan Nesbitt
8. Lewis Hayden
9. Jayden Hunter – 65’ Joe Gildea
10. Tom Massey (c)
11. Joseph Afful
Sub Unused: Tion Pearce, Ethan Mee, Sean Devlin

Management/Assistants:
Neil Tooth, Phil Male, Sam Heath,
Mark Brady, Sinead McElwaine,
Derrick Culling, Marcus Davies, Daire McBride

Team: Runcorn Town
1. Will Ebbrell
2. Emmanuel Sholabi
3. Sam Flower
4. Charlie Harland
5. Alex Jones
6. Tom Farrall
7. Jamie Apperley – 76’ Alfie Jones-Mellor
8. Liam Kennington (c) – 85’ Luke Nicholls
9. Connor Spiers - 84’ Tom Shaw
10. Edward Burthem – 88’ Matty Ball
11. Jorge Dwyer – 73’ Will Maguire

Management/Assistants:
Darren Moore, Liam Page,
Dean Kennington, Nick Harland

Match Officials: Kurt Bartlett, Stephen Castle, James Brennan

 

Sutton United	Statistics	Runcorn Town
1	Goals	1
7	Attempts	9
3	Attempts on Target	5
56%	Possession	44%
5	Corners	2
10	Fouls Committed	6
1	Yellow Cards	2
0	Red Cards	0
Lewis Hayden	Club Man of the Match	Alex Jones
Joseph Afful	Opp Man of the Match	Charlie Harland