Match Report

For the second game in a row Harry Beautyman scored the only goal of the game from the penalty spot as Sutton put four points between themselves and the sides below them, but as grateful as they were for Beautyman’s accuracy from twelve yards, the first player that took the accolades when the final whistle went was goalkeeper Dean Bouzanis, who made two stunning saves in the last ten minutes as Woking pressed forward looking to take advantage of the dismissal of Omar Bugiel twenty minutes from time. Until Bugiel’s departure, for what referee Lee Collins judged to be an elbowing offence on home skipper Josh Casey, Sutton had been in control of the game and would have had more than Beautyman’s penalty had Craig Ross in the Woking goal not matched his opposite number’s excellence.

With David Ajiboye and Will Randall both injured, U’s resisted the temptation to give new signing Jordan Adebayo-Smith a debut and played Harry Beautyman on the right and Rob Milsom on the left, and although there seemed to be an early scare when the ball was headed against the crossbar in the first two minutes the offside flag rendered it irrelevant and there was little to report for much of the rest of a stop-start first half. Dave Tarpey went closest for Woking, a left foot shot from outside the area curving away from goal, but the best chance was for U’s as Louis John found space to meet Milsom’s corner but sent his header disappointingly over the bar.

Just when the half looked to be reaching a suitably goalless conclusion, Isaac Olaofe reached a ball in to the left edge of the penalty area and tangled with Kyran Lofthouse. It looked to be six of one and half a dozen of the other but the referee decided in Olaofe’s favour and pointed to the spot, from where Beautyman tucked the ball just inside Ross’s post, the pinpoint accuracy needed as the keeper guessed right and only just failed to reach the ball.

With leaders Torquay trailing to Wealdstone at half time, Sutton were temporarily top of the National League and they could have had a greater grip on the game early in the second half as Olaofe, who kept the home defence fully occupied all evening, instigated a counter attack and, after a fine passing move, was in the right place to meet Ben Wyatt’s cross but headed over the bar when he had to score. Moments later Ross went down to his right to make a good save from Bugiel’s header, and after Woking had made a double substitution, Olaofe did well again on the right to wriggle clear and pull the ball back for Beautyman, whose touch as he tried to turn past a defender was just heavy enough to give Ross the chance to dive at his feet.

U’s were knocked back with twenty minutes to go when Bugiel and Casey clashed at a throw in and when Casey ended on the ground referee Lee Collins decided that Bugiel’s use of the elbow justified a red card.

Sutton still looked relatively comfortable, and Ross made an outstanding low save to keep out John’s header from a Beautyman corner, but Woking began to press in the last ten minutes and substitute Slavi Spasov met Max Kretzchmar’s free kick with a header which was straight at Bouzanis. At the other end Olaofe nearly settled U’s nerves as he challenged Ross as the keeper delayed on a clearance and saw the ball rebound just over the bar.

Woking then put U’s under their first real pressure of the night, and John had to hack the ball away for a corner to keep out Jack Cook’s overhead kick. When the corner came in it eventually fell to Matt Jarvis, whose slightly deflected shot was brilliantly turned away by Bouzanis. The keeper matched that deep in to stoppage time when Josh Davison broke free on the right and put his cross on to the head of substitute Jayden Wareham, but Bouzanis was down to his right to make another superb stop, and as the referee blew the final whistle rather than award Woking a penalty as Kane Ferdinand went down hopefully, it was to the Australian keeper that the players went first.

Woking: C Ross, J Cook, J Casey, K Lofthouse, N Collier(sub M Jarvis 58), S Shotton, D Tarpey(sub S Spasov 58), K Ferdinand, J Davison, M Kretzchmar, B Dempsey(sub J Wareham 87). Subs n/u T Reid, T Block. Booked: Cook, Ferdinand, Dempsey, Davison.