Match Report

Dylan Kearney followed up his two goal performance against Dulwich with a hat-trick as Sutton beat tenants Sutton Common Rovers. In a game in which several young academy players were given a chance to show what they can do, U’s dominated the first half and might have had more than the three goals by which they led inside half an hour, but Sutton Common worked hard to limit the damage and were rewarded by two penalties, the second in the last minute.

Sutton took control of the game in the early stages and were ahead in the fifth minute when Omar Bugiel got to the left by line and pulled the ball back for Tom Bolarinwa to fire home, and they had a second twelve minutes later, instigated by a magnificent pass from Craig Dundas, playing in midfield, which carried over the home defence and allowed George Tuson-Firth to go clear on the left edge of the penalty area and unselfishly set Kearney up for a simple finish. Just before the half hour mark Kearney had struck again as the home defence failed to cut out a pass from Bolarinwa and Kearney took the ball round the keeper before scoring.

Sutton Common replied soon afterwards when Kai Whitmore, one of the academy players included from the start and who played the full 90 minutes, was adjudged to have handled and Daryl Cooper-Smith converted the penalty. Kearney was disappointed not to complete his hat trick before half time when he shot wide from a good position, while Tuson-Firth sent a shot just off target.

U’s made three changes at half time, including the introduction of Tommy Wright, and he looked set to score soon after coming on when he broke clear on the right, but although his shot was on target it was saved by the keeper. As it was, it was Kearney who was next on the scoresheet when the referee again pointed to the penalty spot after Tuson-Firth had been tripped as he cut inside. No-one was getting the ball off Kearney, and no-one was getting in the way of a powerfully struck spot kick.

More substitutions followed, including Wright having to go off with eighteen minutes left, although with a groin injury unrelated to the knee problem that had kept him out for so long. Ben Dudzinski made one superb save to keep out Liam Holden’s header, while at the other end Kearney nearly scored again in a goalmouth scramble when he had one shot kept out on the line and then sent the ball over the bar when it fell to him again. The last word, though, went to Sutton Common when Holden was tripped by Jayden Hoosang-Robinson and picked himself up to score from the resulting penalty.