Match Centre

An 89th minute goal from substitute Jayden Harris earned Sutton a point against high-flying Forest Green Rovers, who had led through Kyle McAllister’s penalty midway through the first half but had been reduced to ten men eight minutes before half time when Ricardo Rees picked up a second yellow card. Sutton found it difficult to take advantage of the extra player in the second half and had failed to give goalkeeper Harry Isted any serious work, but in the last ten minutes U’s put the visitors under pressure and after Lewis Simper had hit the bar Harris, who had replaced Charlie Bell early in the second half, scrambled the ball in from David Ogbonna’s cross to reward U’s for their perseverance.

New signing Callum Tripp made his debut in the back three, Will Tizzard dropping to the bench, while Kai Jennings returned to the starting line-up in place of Harris, and in a lively opening both sides were on the front foot with Forest Green getting in behind the U’s defence but unable to find the finishing pass and it was Sutton who came closest to an early goal when Simper arrived to meet a low Bell cross from the left and will have been disappointed to put his shot close enough to Isted for the keeper to beat the ball away.

Forest Green made the breakthrough after twenty minutes as Rees again managed to beat the U’s defence and was brought down by Tripp as the debutant desperately tried to make up the ground. Tripp was fortunate not to be booked for the challenge, but McAllister made sure Forest Green took advantage with a well struck penalty that beat Sims to his left despite the keeper going the right way.

Sims had to make a good save from Rees soon afterwards before the temperature of the game was raised, first as Junior Eccleston was booked for simulation after going over in the visitors’ penalty area, and then as Rees clattered in to Jennings and players from both sides joined in a brief spell of hostilities. Rees was booked for the foul and Besart Topallaj also shown a yellow card for his reaction, but it proved costly for Rees six minutes later when he again was on the end of a long pass but used his arm to take the ball round Sims before rolling it in to the net. Referee Callum Walchester ruled it had been a deliberate handball despite Rees’s protests that it had deflected to his arm off his chest, and Rees was off. Temi Babalola was booked for his protests, as was manager Robbie Savage, the second member of Forest Green’s coaching staff to suffer the fate, Josh Bowen booked in the aftermath of the earlier incident and later in the game sent to the dressing rooms after the officials took exception to another comment.

With a man advantage Sutton finished the half strongly, with Topallaj firing in a twenty yard shot that was turned away by Isted and Hayden Muller sending a low shot from a similar distance inches wide of the post. The half time introduction of Dubem Eze for Tripp gave U’s a more attacking look but the second half was for long spells a frustrating watch for U’s supporters, who should have seen their side two down within three minutes of the restart when Temi Babalola put a close range header badly over the bar from Buyabu’s cross.

With the Forest Green centre backs Laurent Mendy and Abraham Kanu dominant, Sutton found it impossible to get the ball in to positions from where they could test Mendy, and on several occasions the final pass was misplaced or overhit. However in the last ten minutes U’s stepped up a level, starting from an unpromising position as Simper’s misplaced pass allowed Tom Knowles to go through. Topallaj tracked back superbly to avert the danger, and then launched a counter attack which, aided by a good advantage from the referee when Topallaj was fouled, ended with Eze’s shot being blocked and Simper collecting the rebound on the edge of the penalty area and sending a trademark shot crashing against the bar, Harris and another substitute Davide Rodari both failing to convert the rebound and Brandon Njoku scrambling the ball wide when it was returned in to the six yard box. U’s weren’t to be denied their equaliser, though, and with a minute of regulation time to go Ogbonna’s cross from the right led to a scramble which ended with Harris forcing the ball home in front of the celebrating home fans.

Sutton: J Sims, C Tripp(sub D Eze H-T), B Topallaj, J Eccleston, H Muller(sub D Rodari 71), K Jennings, Jake Taylor, L Simper, B Njoku, C Bell(sub J Harris 58), D Ogbonna. Subs n/u W Tizzard, A Jones, C Haigh, D Aziaya. Booked: Topallaj, Eccleston, Simper, Eze, Muller.

Forest Green: H Isted, A Kanu, E Morrison(sub G Kircough 67), H Bunker, J Buyabu(sub N Kengni 58), L Mendy, K McAllister, C Nwoko(sub T Pemberton 79), T Babalola(sub K Mitchell 58), R Rees, T Knowles. Subs n/u N Haughton, J Clarke, F Pagel. Booked: Babalola, Knowles. Sent Off: Rees

Referee: Callum Walchester

Attendance: 2,300(195 away)

Photo Credit: Paul Loughlin