Sutton United return to home action this weekend in confident mood, with Chris encouraged by both recent performances and the growing belief within the squad following last Saturday’s win over Tamworth.
Reflecting on the current position, he feels the group are beginning to marry strong performances with the results they deserve.
“I think we’re in a good place. We’ve been playing well and we’re pleased to back up those really positive performances with some important results.”
“Forest Green and Tamworth were really important points put on the board, and we’re rebuilding a bit of momentum again, which is obviously exciting and comes at a very good time for us.”
“There was confidence amongst the group anyway, off the back of our level of performance against Southend, York and Forest Green. We didn’t get the results we would have liked, but in terms of performances there was a lot to take from those games.”
“Even when we weren’t at our best, we were still very competitive, and you can’t not take confidence from that.”
“To then have three more points on the board was incredibly important, especially against a very good Tamworth side who have a way of playing and a style that really stretches you. For us to deal with that challenge and come away with a win was massive.”
Looking ahead to another home fixture, the approach remains consistent – aggressive, proactive and focused on winning.
“As I’ve always said, every game is an opportunity to put three points on the board. The attitude is never about surviving or settling for a point — it’s always about whether we can win the game. Especially on our home patch, it’s about giving the supporters plenty to cheer about.”
“The pretty stuff and the nice stuff has been fairly consistent — I think we’re a good watch. What was maybe missing at times was some of the intensity, edge and aggression against the ball, but we saw that in spades against Forest Green and Tamworth.”
“When you combine that aggression with what we do well on the ball, you start turning draws into wins and losses into draws. That’s how you get more complete performances.”
Despite a small gap opening below, perspective remains important given the challenges faced earlier in the campaign.
“We’re mindful of the games in hand and the extraordinary situation we were in through December and January with injuries and suspensions. We were dealt a tough hand, but it’s a challenge we’ve come through, and we’ve learned a lot from it.”
“We knew the fixtures would eventually level themselves out. More importantly, we’ve got players back and we’ve added to the squad. That gives us a real opportunity to continue climbing through January, February and beyond.”
Turning attention to Brackley Town, Agutter expects another demanding contest but believes preparation has been helped by recent opposition.
“They’re experienced, they cover a lot of ground and they’ve brought in some good loan players. But we believe if we produce our best level and continue building on recent performances, we’ll give ourselves a strong chance.”
“We want to dominate possession, move the opposition around, play at a high tempo and drag them into areas they’re not comfortable in. If we get involved in their type of game, it probably suits them more.”
“It’s amazing how different the picture looks now compared to a month ago. We’ve got real selection headaches, which is a great problem to have. There are no excuses now — if we don’t win or perform, that’s on us.”
“We’re now in a position where we’ve got 18, 19, 20 very good players rather than just a handful. The levels in training are going up again, and that’s really exciting.”
