Sutton v Farnborough preview

4 November 2022

Sutton take a break from EFL action on Saturday, beginning the quest for an Emirates FA Cup run with a home game against National League South Farnborough.

It will be the first competitive meeting between the sides since January 2015, when goals by Bedsente Gomis and Jamie White gave U's a 2-0 National League South victory that completed a league double, Nick Bignall's only Sutton goal earning the points at Farnborough three months earlier. Boro were relegated at the end of that season and regained their National League South status last season when they beat Hayes & Yeading in the Southern League play-offs.

Hayes were also Farnborough's first victims in this season's FA Cup, a 2-0 replay win at Hayes following a 1-1 draw, and the remainder of the cup run has been comfortable, with a 5-1 win at Swindon Supermarine followed by a 7-0 hammering of Biggleswade Town in the last round. They have also been in in good form in the league, with last week's win against Oxford City lifting them to 17th place in the table and extending an unbeaten league and cup run to seven games. Their squad is likely to include Sam Deering, who was a member of the Billericay side who knocked U's out of the cup three years ago, but Kenny Davis, who moved from Sutton to Farnborough in the summer, will not feature after joining Aldershot on loan last month.

The Hayes theme continues as it was a year ago that U's won 1-0 at Beaconsfield Road at this stage of the competition thanks to Will Randall's goal, although hopes of a third round place were ended at Bristol Rovers. Prior to last week's defeat at Stockport, U's, who like Farnborough lie 17th in the league table, were unbeaten in four league and cup games and will hope to return to that form tomorrow. After the club's appeal against his red card at Edgeley Park was rejected, Omar Bugiel will begin his three game suspension, while Adam Lovatt is cup tied after playing for Dartford in an earlier round during his loan spell. Louis John is set to make his 250th Sutton appearance.

Saturday's referee Alan Young is making his second visit of the season to the VBS, having taken charge of the Papa Johns game against Chelsea in August. He is in his fifth EFL season.

If the game is level after 90 minutes there will be a replay at Farnborough in the week beginning 14 November.

Tickets can be bought on line here, or at the ticket kiosk tomorrow. Admission prices are adults £15, concessions (age 60+ and full time students) £8 and juniors (age 12-18) £3. Tickets for children under 12 are free if bought in conjunction with an adult or concession ticket. There is a £2 increase for seats. For this game, these prices apply whether tickets are bought on line or in person, but we would recommend purchasing on line before leaving for the game to avoid the potential for queues around the ticket kiosk.

The fanzone will open at 12 noon as usual serving drinks and food.

Supporters are advised that, although the proposed rail strike scheduled tomorrow has been suspended, it is likely that rail services will still be heavily disrupted. There was scheduled to be no service through West Sutton, while services were running from Victoria to Sutton via West Croydon but with the last return journey at 17.51. Anyone thinking of using the train in light of this afternoon's news should check the National Rail website here before setting out.

A match programme can be ordered on line here, price £3 plus postage, to be sent out after the game.

Please note that due to FA Cup regulations, the game cannot be live streamed either domestically or internationally. An audio commentary will be available in all areas, but only to holders of a monthly or seasonal subscription on the iFollow service. It is not possible to buy a single match pass for this game.

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Match Reports

Match report for Sutton United 0 Farnborough 2

5 November 2022

Sutton United 0 Farnborough 2 (Fernandes 86, Amartey 90+6)

Sutton were on the receiving end of one of this season's FA Cup shocks as Farnborough substitutes Michael Fernandes and Francis Amartey scored inside the last ten minutes to send the National League South side through to the second round.

Having created the majority of the chances in the first half and seeing them go begging thanks to a mixture of determined defensive blocking and good goalkeeping, Sutton increasingly lost their way in the second half and, having blunted U's threat, Farnborough grew in attacking confidence and were rewarded for their efforts when Fernandes scored with five minutes of the ninety remaining, and Amartey took advantage of U's pushing for an equaliser to score the second in the sixth minute of the stoppage time.

It was Farnborough who had the first shot, Jonathan Page's long range effort comfortably saved by Lewis Ward inside the first minute, but it was Jack Turner who was the busier goalkeeper and he had an uncertain start, allowing a shot from Will Randall to slither under his body and grateful to his defence for scrambling the ball off the line. There were several other scrambles, with Kylian Kouassi not quite getting a shot in from close range before being crowded out and Enzio Boldewijn, who replaced Josh Neufville in the starting line-up after the winger was added to the list of absentees, had a shot blocked.

In an entertaining first half Hisham Kasimu was a threat for Farnborough and his header from Sam Deering's cross was just too high, but it was Sutton who looked the likelier scorers, Rob Milsom flicking a shot just wide at the near post and Louis John, on his 250th appearance, having a header blocked on the line while Turner, recovered from his early scare, made two good stops from Craig Eastmond, the first from a left foot shot (above) and the second a glancing header from a corner.

Sutton continued to have the better of things early in the second half, but found Turner in fine form as he dived to his left to push away a Kouassi header and as the half progressed U's became more frustrated and the attacks became untidier. Donovan Wilson often had the beating of the defence, but after cutting in between two defenders he blazed wildly over from a tight angle when he had support in the middle, while Joe Kizzi came in at the far post to meet a Boldewijn cross but opteed to play the ball across to Kouassi rather than take the shot himself and the ball ran harmlessly through to Turner.

Farnborough started to create chances themselves, a superb jinking run from Selim Saied setting up Deering, a member of the Billericay team that had knocked U's out in 2019, and Coby Rowe rescuing Sutton with a fine block to divert the ball over. By then Rowe was struggling with injury, and he soon had to be replaced, Luke Gambin coming on as Boldewijn dropped to right back and Kizzi moving in to the middle. Within two minutes Farnborough had taken the lead, a long throw in from Ollie Robinson carrying all the way to the far post where Fernandes forced the ball in.

U's threw on Craig Dundas in a last ditch effort to force a replay, but pushing so many players forward were always vulnerable to a quick break, and when Kouassi's throw in was cleared, Deering's through pass left Amartey with the freedom of the Sutton half. Ward came outside his area to try and clear the danger but Amartey knocked the ball past him, shrugged off Boldewijn's challenge and set the celebrations in motion for the 510 travelling supporters.

Sutton: L Ward, J Kizzi, S Hart, C Rowe(sub L Gambin 84), C Eastmond, L John, E Boldewijn, D Wilson (sub C Kendall 83), K Kouassi, R Milsom, W Randall(sub C Dundas 89). Subs n/u T Fadahunsi, R Charles-Cook, B House, J Rose. Booked: Boldewijn, Gambin, Kouassi.

Farnborough: J Turner, J Ball, F Grant, J Page, O Robinson, K Lokko, S Saied(sub M Fernandes 81), S Deering, H Kisamu(sub F Amartey 81), O Pendlebury, J Norville-Williams. Subs n/u C Fearn, R Holmes, R Young, L Paget, O Rowe.

Referee: Alan Young

Attendance: 1,929(510 away)

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