Match Report

Sutton went out of the Surrey Senior Cup at Fetcham Grove, a team comprising mainly academy players finding Isthmian League Premier Division opposition a large step up from what they had faced in the previous round against Horley, and the first team squad members included in the team unable to redress the balance sufficiently to prevent Leatherhead winning with a degree of comfort.

The first team representation went down by one earlier in the day as striker Aaron Jarvis joined Hemel Hempstead on loan until the end of the season, and with Jamie Butler still not quite fit to return to action the line-up was much more weighted towards the academy players than had been the case against Horley, and the result wasn’t entirely unexpected, particularly after Craig Eastmond was forced off just before half time having jarred his knee in a tackle. However there will have been disappointment that U’s weren’t able to have more impact on the game and in the nature of the goals that were conceded.

There was an early promise that a front two of Tom Bolarinwa and Craig Dundas would prove a handful for the home defence, an early run from Bolarinwa ending with a cross that was cleared, but Leatherhead soon gained the ascendancy, with former U’s academy winger Ezra Ikebuasi prominent, and they took the lead in the 17th minute when Misha Djemaili’s free kick from the right evaded everyone to end up in the net, goalkeeper Christian Mbeta slow to react as it came in to a crowded six yard box.

After Kiyo Brown missed the chance of an immediate equaliser by shooting high over the bar from close range, there was almost an equally bizarre second goal for the home side when a through ball squirmed out of Mbeta’s grasp under a challenge from Ikebuasi, whose cross was then almost turned in to his own net by Toby Byron, the ball hitting the outside of the post.

Charlie Hester-Cook saw a shot deflected away for a corner, and Eastmond’s injury after a fine block tackle just before the break weakened U’s further, but they started the second half brightly and there were two opportunities, firstly when Sam Tutt’s cross found Bolarinwa in the penalty area, but unable to turn he laid the ball back to Dundas, whose overhit pass gave Brown too much to do. Shortly after that Bolarinwa went through on the right but was unable to put enough on his low cross which was cut out before it could reach Peter Mokwenye in front of an open goal.

With Dundas dropping back to help out the midfield, U’s had a more solid look after half time and they were still in the game if they could create more of an attacking threat, but just after the hour mark the defence crumbled again as both Byron and Coby Rowe failed to deal with Ikebuasi’s cross from the right and Hester-Cook was left with a simple chance to beat Mbeta, who was this time blameless.

Dundas did curl a shot wide after a good link up with substitute Kylian Kouassi, but there was little indication that U’s would be able to recover the situation and after Hester-Cook had hammered one long range shot just over he had better luck when, not for the first time, a Sutton clearance found a home defender getting to the ball first. Jerry Nnamani returned it to the edge of the area where Hester-Cook controlled well before firing low inside Mbeta’s right hand post.

Sutton: C Mbeta, K Diomande, S Tutt, C Rowe, T Byron, C Eastmond (sub J Njoguna 43), T Bolarinwa, K Brown, C Dundas, R Milsom(sub F Warren 76), P Mokwneye(sub K Kouassi 63). Subs n/u C Cireasa, M Kerbey.

Leatherhead: Z Oualah, C Lema, M Djemaili (sub M Figuerido Correira 73), S Mensah, W Seager, J Nnamani, T Gregory(sub A Blake 77), C McGee, K Oyenuga(sub C Dawkins H-T), C Hester-Cook, E Ikebuassi. Subs n/u N Bull, M McCarthy

Referee: Jon Creswick