Sutton United boss Chris Agutter believes his side’s recent progress can provide the platform for a strong performance when they travel to Wealdstone on Saturday afternoon (Saturday, October 25; 3pm KO).
Reflecting on Tuesday’s lively draw with West Ham United Under-21s in the National League Cup, Agutter was encouraged by what he saw — particularly in attack — but insisted there is still work to be done as his team look to turn positive displays into victories.
“We’ve reflected on West Ham, looked at the good bits, trying to move forward with that,” Agutter said. “We’ve looked at plenty of the bits to improve on and how we can iron those out.
“In terms of leading to the Wealdstone game, West Ham’s actually really good preparation because there’s a lot of crossover between the two teams in how they play. So it’s been a really good week — a week full of progress, I think.
“There was some really good stuff on Tuesday night, plenty of goals scored, and that attack, attack, attack mantra is clear for all to see. But as I said, there’s still plenty to improve on. We need to be even more aggressive and even more front foot, because that will help us defensively as well.”
Sutton are currently on a five-game unbeaten run, their longest of the season so far, and Agutter is keen to see that momentum continue as his side chase a first league win since August.
“Well, first and foremost, Wealdstone are a really good side,” he continued. “We’ve watched a number of their games — for example, against York. On the face of it, that looks a convincing win for York, but when you actually watch it, Wealdstone were really good and created a lot of opportunities.
“So we know it’s going to be tough, but equally we feel like we’re making really good progress. We’re creating plenty of chances, scoring goals, and we’re pretty clear on what we need to improve on in terms of turning those attacking performances into three points rather than draws.
“We’ll have to be aggressive and front foot. We’ll have to attack the opposition, commit numbers forward, and be very good in transition. If we can do that and defend forwards, smother counters at source, it’ll give us a really good chance to pick up three points.”
Morecambe’s midweek win left Sutton at the bottom of the table, but Agutter insists that position is no cause for panic.
“I don’t need any more motivation, to be honest,” he said. “We haven’t had a proper look at the league table. Whether you’re near the top or the bottom, you can’t read too much into it in October — it starts to take shape more around November or December.
“A few weeks ago Yeovil were near the bottom, two wins later they’re on the cusp of the play-offs. The big thing for us is performances. We completely dominated Hartlepool for 20-25 minutes recently, and that shows more about where we’re at than the table does.
“We’re five unbeaten, and we’ll go to Wealdstone confident — but equally respectful of what they can offer and the challenges they pose.”
Agutter also praised his players for embracing his attacking philosophy since arriving at Gander Green Lane alongside Dean Hammond and Ben Cornelius.
“I think the best way to get buy-in from players is to pick up results — and that’s what we’ve done since we’ve been here,” he explained. “The players want to play this type of football — it’s enjoyable, front-foot, attacking football, and I think that’s what players grow up wanting to play.
“If you can couple that with putting points on the board, then the belief follows naturally. There’s still a lot of work to do, and plenty of details that aren’t quite there yet, but that’s the reason we’re here. We view it as a great opportunity to improve individuals, move the club up the table quickly, and do it playing entertaining football — which the fans have really responded to.”
