Sutton Go Top With Local Derby Win
24/09/2022
Sutton United sit top of the MFL 2 after a convincing 4-0 win against near neighbours Boldmere Sports & Social Falcons.
Sutton made it look easy as Leyton Hines scored a first half brace to set them on the road to victory, before Joe Gildea fired home a free kick in the second half and Tom Massey capped off a fine team performance with a late goal.
United were dominant throughout as Boldmere struggled to deal with the tempo and it wasn’t long before they took the lead with a sweeping break in the 11th minute. Gildea won the ball deep in Sutton’s own half and fed Joe Delaney to sprint down the right wing and deliver a perfectly weighted cross for Hines to finish with a low shot.
The in-form striker was to net again just before the break when Sef Semlali’s corner kick to the back post was headed down in front of goal by a Boldmere player, where a grateful Hines could tap in on the line for his fifth goal in the last three matches.
Sutton could easily have gone into the break with three or four goals, as Gildea’s first strike at goal was intercepted by defender Justin Burns. The resulting corner kick had James Wilson, with a busy day in goal for Boldmere, stretching to tip Massey’s header over his crossbar.
Hines was unlucky not to bag his second hat-trick in two weeks, when his powerful strike from the edge of the penalty area struck the top of the crossbar. And Delaney came close when he chested down Josh Duggan’s terrific pass only for his effort to be saved by Wilson at his near post.
The one-way traffic continued in the second half with United increasing their lead in the 63rd minute when Delaney was brought down just outside the eighteen-yard box and Gildea thundered the free kick low into the bottom corner of the net.
Boldmere had their keeper to thank as he pulled off saves to deny Massey, Hines and substitute Shane Smith before he was beaten at his near post by Massey in the 87th minute. The number seven latched onto Josh Duggan’s pass on the left, to drive into the box and find the net as he came under a late challenge from Aaron Cameron.
It was a welcome clean sheet for Sutton, their first of the season, as Brad Gregory, Kaine Donald and James Taylor worked well together in what has been an ever-changing back line this campaign.
As a struggling Boldmere sit second from bottom in the table, next Saturday sees Sutton entertain second from top, with the visit of Kenilworth Sporting to Hollyfield Road.
| Boldmere S&SF | Statistics | Sutton United |
| 0 | Goals | 4 |
| 4 | Attempts | 15 |
| 3 | Attempts on Target | 10 |
| 4 | Corners | 8 |
| 8 | Fouls Committed | 10 |
| 0 | Yellow Cards | 0 |
| 0 | Red Cards | 0 |
| James Wilson | Man of the Match | Joe Gildea |