Match Report

Sutton will go in to the National League season on the back of an unbeaten pre-season campaign after a third consecutive away draw against National League South opposition. In what looked on paper to be their toughest of six pre-season games, Sutton produced probably their best half so far to lead at the break, but were pegged back by an improved Dorking side in the second half and would have been beaten but for a glaring miss from Dorking’s Alfie Rutherford in the last five minutes.

Although Dorking made the early running Sutton, for whom Craig Eastmond played at centre back alongside Coby Rowe in the absence of the injured Louis John and Ben Goodliffe, began to impose themselves on the game and their pressing gave Dorking little chance to put any threatening moves together. Sutton struggled to match their impressive work with the finish, though, as David Ajiboye twice failed to get enough power behind shots from the edge of the area.

Will Randall came in to meet a right wing cross with a header which flew just too high, but it was the winger (above) who provided the breakthrough just before the half hour mark when U’s again forced the home side in to an error, and this time Harry Beautyman came forward before finding Randall, who cut in and hit a shot between the keeper and his near post.

Sutton might have had a second at the start of the second half when pressure again won possession, this time on the edge of the home penalty area, and Beautyman was denied his 50th Sutton goal by a good save from Sam Howes, whose last appearance against Sutton had seen him concede six for Woking on New Year’s Day.

The remainder of the half saw Dorking enjoy far more possession than they had earlier on, and just before the hour U’s, who had dealt well with crosses in to the box before the interval, this time gave Wes Fogden too much space to collect a pass in from the left, turn and shoot beyond Dean Bouzanis in to the corner of the net.

As Dorking continued to enjoy the better of things Coby Rowe was booked for a foul, and substituted soon afterwards, but Sutton came close to regaining the lead when Howes made another good stop to keep out Beautyman’s free kick after a triallist substitute had been pulled back by ex-Sutton reserve Isaac Philpot. However the best chance of a winner fell to Rutherford inside the last five minutes as Bouzanis came out of his penalty area but lost his footing as he challenged the Dorking striker, handling the ball but failing to halt Rutherford’s progress towards an empty net, which he missed with a shot that clipped the outside of the post.

Sutton: D Bouzanis, J Barden, B Wyatt, C Eastmond, C Rowe(sub C Dundas 66), R Milsom(sub K Davis 64), D Ajiboye(sub triallist 75), T Sho-Silva(sub triallist 64), O Bugiel(sub C Kealy 75), H Beautyman, W Randall.