Match Report

Shorn of several players through injury and with several others struggling, Sutton went down to their first away defeat of the season in the Vanarama National league, making the late night trip back from Somerset feeling that their efforts had been worth a point but beaten by a scrappy goal midway through the second half.

Dale Bennett, Rob Milsom and Tom Boalarinwa all joined the injured list after Saturday’s defeat against Maidenhead, and while Omar Bugiel had seen his suspension overturned he was unavailable due to being on World Cup duty with Lebanon, so there was an unfamiliar look to the back line in particular, with Craig Eastmond covering at right back and a debut on the left for Ben Wyatt, Player of the Season last season at St Albans, who joined U’s earlier in the day.

Nevertheless Sutton made a reasonable start, putting together some promising early moves in which Kenny Davis, making his 100th appearance for the club, was prominent, and having survived a succession of corners for the home side which only threatened when Ben Goodliffe, who had passed a fitness test earlier in the day, sliced an attempted clearance narrowly over his own crossbar, they had the best chance of the game after 25 minutes. David Ajiboye’s pace proved too much for Carl Dickinson and his low cross was met first time by Harry Beautyman, only for goalkeeper Liam O’Brien, signed on Monday having played for Coventry City last season, to produce a superb reflex save to tip the ball over.

Yeovil then enjoyed their best period of the game so far and should have gone ahead when a right wing cross found its way through to Gabriel Rogers, who beat Eastmond to set up a clear shooting chance but then pulled his shot wide of the near post. Courtney Duffus sent a volley just wide of the same post, and Matthew Worthington’s shot was diverted away for a corner, but having again survived unscathed U’s almost finished the half with a goal as Ajiboye again showed his marker a clean pair of heels but this time O’Brien cut out the dangerous cross at the near post just in front of Aaron Jarvis.

Satisfied to go in level at the break, Sutton looked relatively comfortable at the start of the second half as Yeovil struggled to pick up the pace of their efforts towards the end of the first half. One good Sutton move ended with George Tuson-Firth’s shot being blocked by a challenging defender, and another promising break petered out when Ajiboye was beaten to Jarvis’s crossfield pass. That was to lead to the winner, as U’s were then penalised just inside their own half. Dickinson’s free kick was cleared as far as Courtney Duffus on the right of the penalty area and his low cross came through to Gold Omatayo. Eastmond did brilliantly to block the resulting shot on the goal-line, but no-one could prevent Tom Bradbury from following in to score from close range.

Despite bringing on Tommy Wright, Craig Dundas and Dylan Kearney U’s were unable to create any sustained pressure in the search for an equaliser, the referee’s whistle or a misplaced pass frustrating their ambitions, and but for Jamie Butler Yeovil might have made the game safe as he turned away a Miles Hippolyte shot at his near post, and soon afterwards denied the same player with a diving save to his left from a curling shot that was creeping inside the post. One goal was enough, though, as Yeovil recorded their second win at Huish Park in three days.

Yeovil: L O’Brien, R Hutton(sub C Alcock 90+40, C Dickinson, C Lee, L Wilkinson, T Bradbury, M Worthington, C Duffus, G Omatayo, M Hippolyte(sub A Skendi 90), G Rogers.(sub J Tilley 63). Subs n/u M Brzozowski, T Whelan. Booked: Bradbury, Hippolyte, Duffus.

Referee: Matthew Russell