Date   14th October 2007     Competition   FA Cup sponsored by E.ON  3rd Qualifying Round     Attendance   693     Referee   John Busby (Wallingford)

Lineup   1 Phil Wilson     2 Asher Hudson     3 Alan Bray     4 John Scarborough     5 Lewis Gonsalves     6 Bashiru Alimi    75 Goodchild 7 Nicky Greene     8 Jason Henry     62 Hammond 9 Craig Watkins   10 Warren McBean     11 Craig Tanner             12 Mark Hammond     14 Jason Goodchild     15 Chris Beard     16 Zak Graham     17 Gareth Williams

A stirring effort from Sutton in the last twenty minutes wasn’t enough to keep them in the FA Cup on Sunday in a third qualifying round tie that eventually followed the formbook but not before Blue Square South leaders Lewes had been given a huge scare by the side separated from them in the table by the other twenty clubs, culminating in John Scarborough hitting the post in the last attack of the game. Had U’s played in that manner for the full 90 minutes it may well have been they who would have been eagerly awaiting Monday’s draw for the final qualifying stage, but for the first hour, while working hard to stay in the game, there had been a lack of conviction in their attacks that had given the Lewes defence a fairly easy ride. As on Tuesday U’s, who welcomed Craig Tanner back after injury,  went for a formation that included Jason Henry on the right and Craig Watkins on the left, with Jamie Cade and Dale Binns performing similar roles for Lewes, and of the four it was Binns who had the most productive first half although Watkins was every bit as influential when he moved in to the middle late on without being able to force the equaliser. In the 7^th minute Binns took advantage of a misjudgement by Asher Hudson to race through from the half way line, leaving Lewis Gonsalves for dead before firing just wide, but the early menace all came from the home side and after Matt Groves had turned inside Scarborough but shot weakly at Phi Wilson it was little surprise when they broke through after 25 minutes. U’s failed to clear a cross from the left further than Simon Wormull on the edge of the penalty area, and he played a neat one-two before slipping the ball past the oncoming Wilson. It could have been expected to set Lewes on the way to a straightforward victory, but it wasn’t to be as U’s finally began to feature at the other end of the pitch. Gonsalves headed a Nicky Greene free kick just too high, and then Watkins did well to beat two defenders to an awkward bounce on the edge of the penalty area but pushed the ball slightly too far and allowed Steve Williams off his line to save. Encouraged by a brighter finish to the half, Sutton had much more of the play after the break but failed to put the home defence under any serious pressure, and with Lewes struggling to impose themselves as they had earlier there was little action in either penalty area, Wilson fielding one long range shot from Tom Davis. Alan Bray was booked for a foul on Binns, and Davis joined him in the book for dissent, but after bringing Mark Hammond on for Henry U’s began to give it a real go, beginning when Greene’s low cross was well cut out by Williams. It was Hammond who came closest to making a name for himself, though, when Warren McBean’s cross found him at the far post, and having created space neatly for the shot he fired goalwards only for the ball to be scrambled away in the six yard box. Another substitute, Jason Goodchild, almost made an even quicker impact five minutes after coming on when Watkins burst through the defence before setting Goodchild up, but a fine tackle led to another goalmouth scramble and another clearance. This time the ball went straight to the other end and a defensive slip allowed Paul Booth clear. He seemed certain to add to his twelve goals this season as he went round Wilson, but Gonsalves produced a tackle that might not be bettered this season and Groves’ follow-up hit Bray on the line before rebounding in to Wilson’s hands. The force in the closing stages was with U’s, though, and another exhilarating run from Watkins deserved better than to find no support having arrived at the far post when he crossed low. Even Wilson joined the attack for a series of corners as time ran out, and Lewes’s anxiety was displayed as they halted play to make a disrupting substitution without anyone being ready to come on, and U’s pressure almost told when Hammond’s corner from the left glanced off Scarborough’s head and rebounded off the inside of the post before being scrambled away.

Lewes:  S Williams, J Conroy, A Barness, S Wormull(sub P Kennett 55), S Robinson, I Simpemba, J Cade, T Davis(sub I Selley 79), M Groves(sub K Watts 89), P Booth, D Binns,  subs n/u L Legge, A France. Booked: Davis(69-dissent).

Sutton take to the field.
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Warren McBean flicks the ball over the defender's head.
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Nicky Greene whips in a free-kick.
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Craig Watkins is denied by the Lewes 'keeper.
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Jason Henry runs at the Lewes defence.
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Nearing the end of the match Phil Wilson goes up for a corner.
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