Sutton gave their supporters further encouragement for the season ahead on Saturday when two goals in two minutes midway through the second half saw them come from behind to beat a Bromley side who will be playing a level above U’s this season, and who were unbeaten in their three previous games this summer, all against Football League opposition. Even when they fell behind to a soft goal just before half time U’s could claim with some justification that it was against the run of play, but they continued to produce some lively attacking play and were rewarded with goals from substitutes Jerson Dos Santos and Adam Roberts, who both scored less than five minutes after coming on. Early on it was the wingers Matt Hann and Adam Wilde who caught the eye as they had at Croydon on Tuesday, and after only three minutes Hann broke clear on the right and his low cross was cleared as Wilde arrived at the far post. Craig Dundas then shot just over having pressurised Steve Clark in to an error as U’s looked the better side in the opening stages. Bromley’s first opening came when Nic McDonnell’s shot on the turn was well saved by Paul Nicholls, but it was former U’s keeper Gareth Williams, now between the posts for Bromley, who saw more action and just after the half hour mark he made a fine stop when he came off his line quickly to deny Dundas after the hard working striker had battled his way to a through ball. Another former U, Warren McBean, threatened occasionally with runs from deep but Chris Collins and Karim El-Salahi produced some well timed interventions to keep the danger outside the area. Six minutes before the break, though, U’s marking at the far post let them down as a cross came in from the right, and Mark Corneille was left in acres of space to play the ball back for McDonnell to score. Although both sides started the second half with unchanged line-ups, substitutions weren’t long in coming, Walid Matata and Steve McKimm the first to appear for U’s, and Matata soon set up a chance for Dean Palmer, whose shot lacked the power to beat Williams. Seconds later a foul on Matata gave Wilde the opportunity to repeat his free kick against Croydon from an almost identical position, but this time he curled the ball wide. More changes followed, and within three minutes of coming on Dos Santos had scored his first senior goal, lifting the ball in to the empty net after it had rolled clear as Williams dived at Sosthene Yao’s feet. Two minutes later Gavin Heeroo powered through the middle, and although his path to goal was blocked the ball again ran loose and Roberts’ shot beat Williams and found the net despite Rob Gillman’s attempt to clear off the line. Palmer had to make one excellent challenge to block a McBean shot as Bromley looked for an equaliser, but with Dos Santos and Matata both lively up front and supported in similar fashion by Yao and Roberts there was as much chance of a third Sutton goal as an equaliser, although a minute from the end Nicholls made another good save to keep out McDonnell’s shot.
Sutton: P Nicholls, D Palmer(sub B Graham 77), J Smith, G Heeroo, C Collins, K El-Salahi, M Hann(sub S Yao 61), C Davis(sub S McKimm 52), S West(sub W Matata 52), C Dundas(sub J Dos Santos 63), A Wilde(sub A Roberts 61).Goals: Dos Santos(66), Roberts(68).
Bromley: G Williams, S Clark, J Haverson(sub D O’Sullivan 61), L I’Anson(sub A Toppin 61), J Sobers, R Gillman, M Corneille(sub T Davis 77), K Murray, W McBean, N McDonnell, A Joseph(sub J May 61). Goal: McDonnell(39).
Referee: S Child (Beckenham)
Steve West flicks the ball on.
Jack Smith brings the ball away from Warren McBean.
Jerson Dos Santos chips the stranded Gareth Williams.
Adam Roberts celebrates with Gavin Heeroo after scoring his goal.
