Match Centre

Sutton picked up a first away win of the season at the Truro City Stadium, putting the 94 travelling supporters through a mix of emotions as U’s saw a two goal lead evaporate, only for Kai Jennings to score a second outstanding goal just two minutes after Lirak Hasani had brought the home side level.

Sutton made just one change from the side that had beaten Halifax, Osman Foyo starting up front in place of Brandon Njoku, with Tommy Reid continuing in goal despite the return of Jack Sims, who was on the bench along with another player returning from injury, Eduino Vaz.

David Ogbonna was a threat for U’s in the first half, hitting the side netting with an angled shot and also firing in a cross which was just too strong for Lewis Simper to direct his header, while at the other end Will Dean’s low twenty yard shot went inches wide with a touch from Reid, while Tyler Harvey, returning for Truro after an injury lay off, shot just wide.

The breakthrough came just before the half time interval when David Ogbonna, Jack Taylor and Jayden Harris combined on the left following a throw-in, and when Taylor’s cross was blocked by Shaun Donnellan the ball ran to Harris who placed a shot beyond Dan Lavercombe in to the far corner. In the build up to the goal Dom Johnson-Fisher, who had been a threat on the right for Truro but well marshalled by Jack Taylor, suffered what looked to be a serious knee injury and was stretchered off after eleven minutes of treatment.

It was a double blow for Truro, and U’s came out at the start of the second half determined to press home the advantage. Foyo dispossessed Zac Bell to race clear and power in a shot which Lavercombe tipped over, but then, after Foyo and Simper had found the way to goal blocked in the penalty area, Hayden Muller laid the ball back to Jennings to shoot first time in to the top far corner of the net.

Truro put U’s under pressure as they tried to get back in the game, and Hasani’s close range header from Connor Riley-Lowe’s cross following a corner gave them hope and roused the home supporters in a crowd of 2,089, and for a spell U’s were under the cosh, one shot being deflected just wide and Bell’s effort flashing across goal, but on the break Sutton had the chances to re-establish a two goal lead as substitute Brandon Njoku denied by a point blank range save by Lavercombe following a corner and also shooting across goal when put through on the left.

Nine minutes from time it looked to have been a costly miss when Hasani attacked from midway inside the Sutton half and hit a low shot that took a deflection off Edon Pruti that wrongfooted Reid, who got a hand to the ball but couldn’t prevent it slithering out of his grasp and trickling in to the net.

At that stage a repeat of the Wealdstone outcome would have been U’s supporters’ fears, but two minutes later Njoku was put in on the right and pulled back a cross which was eventually laid back by Simper to Jennings, who took a touch before volleying powerfully home from the edge of the penalty area and restoring U’s lead which this time they held.

Sutton United: T Reid; J Eccleston, Jack Taylor, H Muller(sub W Tizzard 86), E Pruti, D Ogbonna, K Jennings, L Simper, O Foyo(sub B Njoku 61), Jake Taylor, J Harris. Subs n/u E Vaz, A Jones, K Crichlow, C Bell, J Sims.

Truro City: D Lavercombe; Z Bell, C Riley-Lowe, W Dean, S Donnellan, C Oxlade-Chamberlain, L Hasani, D Rooney(sub S Janneh 90), T Harvey, C Deeming(sub Y En-Neyah 73), D Johnson-Fisher(sub L Jephcott H-T). Subs n/u Jake Taylor, R Law, M Kinsey, A Stone. Booked: Oxlade-Chamberlain, Harvey.

Referee: Peter Wright

Attendance: 2,089(94 away)

Photo Credit: Paul Loughlin