Match Report

Sutton’s pre-season schedule ended with an entertaining game against a highly-rated Chelsea Under 23 side who needed a late, deflected goal to secure a draw after headers from Aaron Jarvis and Jamie Collins saw U’s turn the game round following Chelsea’s opener in the early stages of the second half.

Chelsea should have scored in the first minute of the game when Charlie Brown, whose two goals had separated the sides in the corresponding friendly a year ago, missed a clear chance, shooting over the bar after a cross from Ian Maatsen had deflected in to his path with Jamie Butler out of position. Both sides then went on to play attractive football, and Rob Milsom had a shot blocked on the line before play switched to the other end and George McEachran’s goalbound shot deflected to safety off Ben Goodliffe. Harry Beautyman sent a diving header in to the side netting, and was denied another opening by a tackle that produced muted appeals for a penalty, but half time came with neither side having made the breakthrough.

Less than two minutes after the restart, though, Chelsea were in front and Brown was again potentially cast in the role of match winner, collecting a long pass that Sutton didn’t really deal with and forcing the ball away from Butler at the second attempt before shooting in to the net. For a while Sutton were chasing the ball as Chelsea  kept possession far better than they had in the first half, but just after the hour mark U’s had levelled things up. Chelsea had just brought on goalkeeper Karlo Ziger, who had played for Sutton at Spennymoor in the FA Trophy, and he was immediately in action as David Ajiboye put Beautyman in on the right and Ziger diverted the shot wide with his legs. He was helpless from the resulting corner, however, as Jarvis met Milsom’s delivery with a close range header.

Thirteen minutes from time came a carbon copy goal, except this time it was Collins with the header, and Sutton seemed set to finish the pre-season schedule with a confidence boosting victory. Butler had to make a fine save to keep out a Marcel Lewis free kick, but with two minutes to go Tariq Lamptey cut in from the left and hit a shot from 25 yards which took a deflection off Goodliffe on its way in to the net.