Sutton United began 2026 with a narrow home defeat to York City, a result that left Chris Agutter frustrated by missed opportunities against one of the division’s strongest sides.
Despite taking the lead through an early Will Tizzard strike, goals either side of the interval from Hiram Boateng and Ollie Pearce left Sutton chasing a leveller, something which just about proved to fall out of their grasp as they got off to a disappointing start to the new year, though it came with a hard-fought performance.
“We’re doing good, small margins, very similar to the Southend game.”
“We’ve created chances, they’ve created chances, they’ve took more of their chances than us, but the feeling is a real frustration because I think that game’s there to be won.”
“In some respects you can view it as a positive, we’ve competed how we have with teams at the top end of the table. But that’s not the mentality, that’s not the standards that we want to set. We want to do more than just compete.”
For Agutter, the decisive moments came down to the basics, particularly without the ball, and despite Sutton playing some attractive football and creating chances, inconsistency in those fundamentals proved costly, while he also pointed to recovery runs and midfield discipline as areas that need immediate improvement.
“The reason that we’ve come up short is the amount of times we come out of attack or when we haven’t won the ball and they’ve nicked it in first and second ball.
“It’s basics and fundamentals of football, which are the platform for any decent, successful performance.”
“We play some good football, created some really good chances, but the basics and the fundamentals are not consistent. We’re carrying people on that front.”
“When the ball drops to that holding midfield player, the reason for that is because our attacking midfield players haven’t run back.
“Then we arrive late, don’t pick up second ball, don’t pick up the loose ball. They’re really frustrating moments.”
Tizzard’s eighth minute strike saw Sutton take an early lead, but the U’s were unable to capitalise on their strong start, something which Agutter highlighted by claiming his side could have increased the lead.
“We did take the lead early on and I think we could have increased it, but once we went 1-0 up, the things we’ve been talking about reared their ugly head and it gave them a platform.”
“They don’t need any extra encouragement, but when we’re passive, not communicating, not strong enough in the duel, you’re giving them a helping arm.”
“You don’t mind being cut to bits if you’re at it 100% and it’s exceptional play from the opposition, but at times they’ve created opportunities just off the back of us being ready. I hate it, I absolutely hate it.”
“I’ve got no issue with us going forwards – we always look dangerous, my issue is against the ball and going the other way. That’s not on the back line, it’s the lads in front of them that need to give them more protection.”
Agutter then closed by stressing that standards must rise collectively as Sutton’s profile grows.
“There are plenty of good performances, but it’s not enough. We need all 11 players delivering it – we can’t carry anyone.
“Teams now come here knowing they’re in a game. That means we have to compete harder, show more mentality, for 100 minutes.”
Photo Credit: Paul Loughlin
