Match Report

After Saturday’s fine win against Solihull, Sutton came back to earth as Chesterfield continued their good form under new manager James Rowe. One goal was enough to see them take the points back to Derbyshire, defender Haydn Hollis with the most straightforward of headers from a long throw from debutant George Carline seven minutes before half time, and for all their possession both before and after, Sutton found it hard to break through a defence that was on top of its game and was helped out on numerous occasions by Tom Denton, as effective in his own penalty area as at the other end of the pitch. When the big chance did come, fifteen minutes from the end, Harry Beautyman produced an uncharacteristically inaccurate finish from the sort of position from which he has scored so often.

The new manager had signed two players during the day, former Solihull midfielder Carline joining after leaving James Rowe’s former club Gloucester earlier in the week, and Joel Taylor from Chester, but it was Sutton who started the brighter, opting to retain Aaron Simpson in the left midfield position he had finished in on Saturday and on the attack for most of the first half hour. Chances were few and far between, though, the best almost producing what would have been a similar goal to U’s third on Saturday as Isaac Olaofe turned his defender and sent David Ajiboye through, but this time goalkeeper Kyle Letheren was down to get a touch on Ajiboye’s low shot and send it past the post.

Having kept U’s at bay for the first half hour, Chesterfield then started to impose themselves more on the game. As well as his other qualities, Carline does possess a prodigious throw-in, with Denton a willing and obvious target, and having defended several successfully, U’s were undone seven minutes before half time when it was not Denton but Hollis who got his head to the ball to direct it inside Dean Bouzanis’ right hand post.

Before half time Chesterfield might have been further ahead, Carline’s header from Akwasi Asante’s cross going just wide of the post, and Bouzanis turning away Asante’s low shot, but in the second half U’s keeper had a quiet evening as Sutton toiled in search of an equaliser. They rang the changes quite early, Jordan Adebayo-Smith given a debut after just over an hour, and he almost had an immediate impact when a Bouzanis free kick was headed across goal and Adebayo-Smith had a clear shot but saw his effort strike a defender.

Craig Dundas and Callum Kealy were both soon introduced, and the chance U’s had been waiting for followed a fine move, starting with Bouzanis and carried on by Ben Wyatt, Dundas and Craig Eastmond before Ajiboye raced past Carline and crossed low, only for the inmarked Beautyman to sky his shot over the bar.

Sutton wouldn’t get as good a chance again, Louis John crowded out in a scramble and Dundas seeing a cross shot held by the keeper. Chesterfield’s determination to keep U’s at bay saw them pickup six bookings by the end of the game, but they achieved their aim on a frustrating night for Sutton.

Chesterfield: K Letheren, G Carline, J Taylor(sub J Cropper 64), H Hollis, W Evans, L Maguire, T Whelan, C Weston(sub L Mandeville 75), A Asante(sub S Boden 90), T Denton, J McCourt. Subs n/u J Yarney, J Rowley. Booked: Taylor, McCourt, Weston, Evans, Mandeville, Asante.