Match Centre

Sutton ended the home season at the VBS Community Stadium with a fifth consecutive home defeat as Altrincham scored twice in three second half minutes to win a game that Sutton had seemed to be controlling to that point. Jermaine Francis had struck his first Sutton goal in some style, and U’s might have added more in a good first half display, but a double Altrincham substitution with just under half an hour to go turned things round and allowed the visitors to take home all three points.

With Chris Haigh starting a league game in goal for the second time and Dan Urpens given a first league start Sutton started well, and when defender Eddie Jones headed away a Besart Topallaj cross that his goalkeeper Luke Hutchinson was coming to claim, Francis made a difficult volley look easy from just outside the penalty area and sent the ball past the stranded keeper.

Photo Credit: Luke Davidson

Lewis Simper fired just over and Topallaj saw Hutchinson save a low shot, while David Ogbonna produced a remarkable wriggling run in the penalty area that ended with a shot deflected in to the side netting, and U’s continued in the second half in confident mood as it looked as though the home supporters would be sent away for the summer in positive mood.

Just after the hour Altrincham introduced Matty Kosylo and Lucas Weaver, and their first combination saw Kosylo cross low and Weaver hit a shot on the turn that was well saved by Haigh. Moments later Weaver set Sam Barnes up for a shot that crashed back off the bar, and the threatened equaliser came with twenty minutes left when Ogbonna was penalised just outside the penalty area for a foul and Ollie Crankshaw found a way past the defensive wall and inside Haigh’s near post from the free kick.

Three minutes later the turn around was complete with Weaver bursting down the left and crossing low for Crankshaw to turn the ball past Haigh from close range, and from being in control Sutton were chasing the game. Danny Cashman came on to make his Sutton debut, and tested Hutchinson with a low 25-yard shot that the keeper dealt with comfortably, but Sutton’s last half hour was rather summed up when they were awarded a free kick near the right touch line and Simper sent the delivery high over everyone and harmlessly away for a goal kick.

Sutton: C Haigh, D Urpens, B Topallaj, J Eccleston, E Pruti, H Muller, J Taylor, L Simper, J Francis, C Bell, D Ogbonna(sub D Cashman 74). Subs n/u D Rodari, J Harris, K Donkor, T Byron, J Sims, D Aziaya. Booked: Simper

Altrincham: L Hutchinson, T Golden,  E Jones, D Sassi, S Barnes (sub J Cooper 83), L Humbles (sub M Kosylo 62), O Crankshaw (sub C Kirk 76), I Marriott, T Crawford, O Khan, J Knowles(sub L Weaver 62). Subs n/u K Breckin, J Bailey, L Fallon. Booked: Marriott, Golden, Crankshaw, Barnes, Weaver.

Referee: Aaron Farmer

Attendance: 2,661(104 away)

Photo Credit: Paul Loughlin (unless stated otherwise)