Match Report

Sutton’s first game in this season’s Surrey Senior Cup competition went largely as they would have hoped, with victory pretty much assured once they had scored twice in the first 25 minutes. There were goals for strikers Aaron Jarvis and Tommy Wright, who may feel that just the one represented poor reward for an industrious performance which saw him hit the woodwork three times, and Wayne Brown returned to action after ten months on the sidelines, setting U’s on the way with the first goal.

There were also some promising performances for the three Academy team members given a chance to impress in the starting line up, with Jeremiah Gyebi and Toby Byron forming an assured central defensive partnership and Kiyo Brown catching the eye with a lively showing on the right wing which might have produced a goal and would certainly have merited inclusion in the discussions for the Man of the Match award that eventually went to Wright.

There was an early moment of anxiety for U’s when a low cross from the right found its way to Mario Quissaca, who skied the ball high over the bar from close range, but after that they began to assert themselves and Wright was unlucky not to open the scoring when he did well to control a long ball, and lifted a shot over the advancing George Hyde but saw it clip the crossbar on the way over.

Sutton didn’t have long to wait, though, before Wayne Brown, out of action since sustaining a serious knee injury in January, sent a low 25-yard shot in off Hyde’s far post and immediately went to celebrate with the medical team who have helped him back to fitness. Six minutes later Tom Bolarinwa, another returning from injury in the right back position, returned a cleared corner high in to the penalty area and Jarvis brought it down well on his chest before slamming a shot past Hyde.

Wright continued to be frustrated in front of goal, one fine run and exchange with Jarvis ending with a shot which crashed down off the underside of the bar and, when Hyde shovelled away Kiyo Brown’s shot, Wright’s attempt to convert the rebound was blocked by a defender. However five minutes after half time he finally put his name on the scoresheet, albeit at the second attempt after Hyde had saved his close range header from a corner, and Wright reacted quickest to put the rebound high in to the net.

To their credit Horley’s heads didn’t drop, and U’s always had to be aware of Ryan Brackpool’s long throws, while Reyon Dillon, who had scored for U’s in this competition four seasons ago, and Quissaca did enough to keep U’s youthful defence on their toes. Alex Barbary and substitute Adam Grant might both have taken advantage of promising positions, but it was at the other end that the scoreline came closest to changing as Kiyo Brown was twice denied by Hyde, who first backpedalled to tip over a brilliant dipping effort from twenty yards, and then saved when Brown dived to meet Will Randall’s cross. Wright’s luck continued to be out as he controlled a superb pass from Kevin Diomande, another Academy player who had replaced Bolarinwa, but having created space for the shot drove the ball against the outside of the post.

Horley: G Hyde, R Brackpool(sub C Gaulter 69), L Taylor, C Xavier, A Pullin, R Harvey, J McElligott(sub A Grant 69), A Barbary, M Quissaca, R Dillon, A Loftus(sub D Burgess H-T). Subs n/u S Robson, R Pilling.

Referee: Michael Webb