Match Report

Despite a fine start which yielded one goal and should have brought a second, Sutton were still left waiting for their first home Vanarama National League win as Notts County came back strongly either side of half time. Indeed it might have been a third consecutive home defeat but for Jamie Butler, making his 100th appearance for the club, who made two saves that can rarely have been bettered during that time.

U’s opted for a 4-4-2 formation, with Tommy Wright joining Aaron Jarvis up front, and Rob Milsom fit to return against his former club, and the first half hour was arguably their best at home this season. Reward came after just eleven minutes when David Ajiboye whipped in a superb cross from near the right corner flag which Jarvis couldn’t quite reach at the near post but a sliding Harry Beautyman was able to convert at the far post, the ball clipping the upright on its way in.

At this stage Notts County were unable to gain any fluency, causing early murmurs of discontent among their 437 following, and that mood should have been darkened when Ajiboye raced down the right, taking advantage of left back Damian McCrory having received an early booking, and pulled the ball back in to the path of Wright, whose usual accuracy deserted him as he shot over the bar from twelve yards out.

A second goal at that point might have given the visitors too much to do, but as the half wore on they were able to have more of an impact on the game and carved out their first chance when Kristian Dennis went through on the left and fired in a shot which Butler beat away, and as Regan Booty tried to force the rebound over the line Jamie Collins was well positioned to clear from inside the six yard box.

The change in momentum continued in to the second half and within seven minutes Notts County were level as Kyle Wootton was allowed time and space to fire a powerful shot past Butler from 25 yards. From that point Sutton were on the back foot as the visitors became much more of a threat. McCrory shot wide from a good position, and Booty headed past the post when he arrived late on a right wing cross and should have done better, but he was blameless soon afterwards when his fine effort from outside the penalty area was heading for the roof of the net until Butler managed to tip the ball over the bar.

If that was a good save, what followed soon afterwards was in a different category as Dennis found himself with a free header little more than six yards out and was left holding his head in disbelief as Butler produced an amazing reaction save to turn the ball away.

Having weathered the storm Sutton started to turn things round again towards the end and finished the game with chances of their own. Beautyman volleyed wide from a right wing cross, and in stoppage time there was almost a dramatic winner as Craig Eastmond’s cross flashed across goal inches away from the diving Jarvis.

Notts County: S Slocombe, D Kelly-Evans, D McCrory, M Rose, B Turner, C Rawlinson (sub S Graham 89), E Boldewijn, M Doyle, K Dennis(sub W Thomas 76), R Booty(sub S Shields 76), K Wootton. Subs n/u J O’Brien, Z Bakayogo. Booked: McCrory.

Referee: Lewis Smith