Match Report

Sutton recorded a third win in four friendlies during the pre-season campaign, with a first half goal from debutant triallist Saleem Akanbi proving the only goal of a game against Brentford’s B team where both sides played some good approach football but often brelacked the finishing touch.

Akanbi, released by Cambridge United at the end of last season, produced a lively first half performance and might have scored in the first five minutes with a low shot on the turn that went just wide, while Josh Coley also sent a shot past the post as Sutton started brightly.

The referee provided some talking points inside the first fifteen minutes, going to the opposite extreme from Tuesday’s referee at Hornchurch and booking Lewis Simper for a soft foul in midfield and then finding he had to book a triallist Brentford defender seconds later for a foul on Nana Boateng. Two minutes later, though, Sutton had taken the lead when Boateng intercepted a Brentford clearance and slipped a pass inside to Akanbi, who drifted in from the left and placed a shot beyond Brentford goalkeeper Reggie Rose and in off the far post.

Rose made a fine save soon afterwards to deny Akanbi a second, and although Steve Arnold had to get down to save a low shot from Max Dickov Sutton had been the better side for much of the first half and should have extended the lead when Matt Rush was put through on the right and reached the ball just before Rose, who brought him down but then made amends by diving to his right to save Rush’s penalty.

U’s changed the front two at half time, Joden Trickett and Will Davies replacing Akanbi and Rush, and Davies came close to scoring when his volley on the turn went just over after Jayden Harris had blocked a Brentford clearance. Simper might have done better with a shot from the edge of the penalty area that he miscued too high, but otherwise Brentford did well to block a number of crosses and shots, a trend that continued after U’s made wholesale changes with sixteen minutes left, Dillon De Silva doing well on several occasions to get in to crossing positions but then seeing the delivery blocked.

Brentford should have equalised late on when substitute Michael McSorley crossed low from the right to find a triallist left back, who did everything right and seemingly had to score but then sent his shot wide of the near post from close range. It was the closest Brentford came as Sutton saw out the victory.