Sutton’s pre-season continued with a 1-1 draw in wet and windy conditions at Farnborough. Hashim Kasimu, starting in a Sutton shirt for the first time against his former club, put U’s in front early in the second half, but Alfie Pavey diverted a shot past Steve Arnold five minutes later for an equaliser. 

With Ben Goodliffe and Omar Sowunmi both nursing knocks from earlier friendlies, Craig Eastmond was alongside Joe Kizzi in the centre of the defence as Ryan Jackson made his first appearance of the pre-season programme, while Kasimu partnered Harry Smith up front, and one of the pre-season triallists started on the right wing.

In conditions more suited to October than July, Sutton came closest to a first half goal, firstly when Smith’s neat turn and shot drew a good save from Jack Turner, and then when Kasimu showed good feet inside the penalty area and poked a shot past Turner only to see it rebound off the post. The triallist also sent a volley just wide near half time.

U’s had to make an unscheduled change just before half time when Sam Hart suffered a knee injury in a tackle on Pavey, and was replaced by Ollie Khinda, with Jackson moving to left back, although the interval saw Jackson replaced by Rob Milsom.

After failing to trouble Steve Arnold in the first half, Farnborough took less than a minute to rectify that as Adam Mekki’s low shot was pushed wide by the keeper, who made an even better save from the resulting corner as Ollie Robinson, who had replaced Jack Ball just before half time, powered a header goalwards. Having survived the home side’s fast start, Sutton then took the lead as Kizzi’s defensive header found Josh Coley, whose neat pass sent Kasimu through to skip round Turner (above) as the keeper came outside his area and walk the ball in to an empty net.

Five minutes later Coley was involved at the other end, caught in possession on the edge of the penalty area and penalised for fouling his opponent. Arnold dealt with Jordan Norville-Williams’ free kick with a firm push away, but the resulting long throw from Robinson was only cleared as far as Reggie Young, whose shot was diverted in at close range by Pavey.

Both sides made a number of changes in the last half hour, U’s introducing a new triallist in attack alongside Lee Angol, while in defence Jack Taylor, one of last season’s academy successes, joined Khinda in a back line that by the end of the game showed both ends of the experience spectrum, being completed by Milsom and Craig Dundas. While Farnborough possibly had the better of the closing stages the better chances again fell to Sutton, with Tope Fadahunsi twice finding space to meet crosses from the right but directing his headers too close to Turner.

Sutton: S Arnold, R Jackson(sub R Milsom H-T), S Hart(sub O Khinda ), C Clay(sub C N’Guessan 76), J Kizzi(sub C Dundas 76), C Eastmond(sub J Taylor 81), Triallist F(sub Triallist G 61), H Kasimu(sub L Angol 61), H Smith(sub T Fadahunsi 61), H Beautyman, J Coley(sub Triallist D 76).

While Jack Taylor was appearing in the first team squad at Farnborough, a number of his team mates from last season’s academy side faced Fleet Town of the Combined Counties League and lost 2-0, conceding both goals in the first fifteen minutes, the second from a penalty but then giving a good account of themselves against much more experienced opposition and unfortunate not to pull a goal back, Jordan Caleb hitting the bar in the second half.