Sutton v Harrogate preview

2 September 2022

Sutton end a busy week on and off the pitch at the VBS Community Stadium when Harrogate Town are the visitors for a Sky Bet League Two fixture.

Harrogate will come to Sutton looking to avoid defeat at the ground for the first time, having lost on all three previous league visits and then going down to Craig Eastmond's goal in the Papa Johns Trophy quarter final in January, a month after Donovan Wilson's goal had separated the sides in the league meeting. U's then recorded a first win at Harrogate on the last day of the season although it was a day of mixed emotions with results elsewhere denying Sutton a place in the play-offs.

After an impressive opening day defeat of Swindon, Harrogate have found success harder to come by apart from on their previous trip to the South East when they won 2-0 at Gillingham, and Tuesday night's Papa Johns defeat at Hartlepool was their third league and cup defeat in a row, coming three days after a heavy loss at home to Newport. However they were busy this week as the transfer deadline loomed, adding four players to their squad including striker Dior Angus, signed from Wrexham but previously with Barrow, and winger Josh Coley from Exeter, the winger having previously played against U's at National League level for Maidenhead. They also added winger Sam Folarin and striker Danny Grant on loan from Middlesbrough and Huddersfield respectively.

Harrogate are likely to be without Will Smith, Max Wright and George Thomson, while skipper Josh Falkingham limped off in Tuesday's game at Hartlepool and is one of several players on whom a late check will be made, Alex Pattison, impressive against U's last season, being another.

Sutton also added to the squad in midweek, with goalkeeper Lewis Ward, centre back Aaron Pierre and striker Charley Kendall all arriving at the VBS and Kendall having a brief run-out towards the end of the encouraging Papa Johns Trophy win against Chelsea's Under 21s. Pierre is unlikely to feature on Saturday as he builds up his match fitness, and Sam Hart, who suffered a hip injury six minutes in to his first appearance of the season on Wednesday, will also be missing but Omar Bugiel is back in full training after being out for three weeks.

Saturday's referee is Neil Hair, who is in his fifth EFL season and last refereed U's in the Papa Johns Trophy at home to Wimbledon last season.

Tickets for the game are still available on line by clicking here for Sutton supporters and here for Harrogate supporters. Prices are £20 for adults, £14 for concessions and £6 for juniors, with Under 12 tickets free if bought in conjunction with an adult or concession ticket. There is a £5 addition for a stand seat. Tickets are on sale at the ground on the day, but with a £2 increase on the above prices - tickets bought on line, even on the day of the game, are not subject to the same increase.

The Sutton fanzone will be open from 12 noon, and the Harrogate fanzone from 1.30pm, while we are still endeavouring to park last season's car park permit holders, but would urge anyone wanting a space to get to the ground early. There will be NO access after 2.00pm and NO departures from car park until 5.30pm, so if you anticipate arriving after 2.00 or need to leave straight after the game you will need to park elsewhere, either in surrounding side streets or the Gibson Road car park next to the Holiday Inn which is about a 15 minute walk away.

A reminder that home supporters are now able to enter the bar from the ground at half time, with the new passageway from the Players' Bar to the stadium, between the main stand and the snack bar, OPEN from 3.30pm to gain access to the bar, and you can use the same door to go back out. There will be no access to this route from the MBA Lounge, and initial admission to the ground must still be through the turnstiles.

A match programme can be ordered here, price £3 plus postage, to be sent out after the game, with the cover drawing attention to the game being our nominated game in support of the #HerGameToo campaign, with more details here.

If you can't get to the game you can listen to a live audio commentary through our iFollow service, with a match pass priced at £2.50 although monthly passes (£4.49) and annual passes (£45) are available. Click here to buy a pass.

Tickets are on sale on Saturday for our forthcoming league visits to Stevenage and Swindon, with further information on pricing here. We also now have tickets available for the Papa Johns Trophy game at Leyton Orient on Tuesday 20 September (kick off 7pm), and these will also be on sale on Saturday, priced £10 for adults, £5 for ages 65 and over, and £1 for Under 18s.

Match Previews

Match Reports

Match report for Sutton United 2 Harrogate Town 1

3 September 2022

Sutton United 2 (Beautyman 21, Kouassi 70) Harrogate Town 1(Armstrong 45+2 pen)

Sutton rounded off a fine week with a third victory as substitute Kylian Kouassi came off the bench to score the winner twenty minutes from time and register his first senior competitive goal. Kouassi had only been on the pitch for four minutes when he reacted quickly as Craig Eastmond's shot was deflected in to his path and rifled a shot in to the roof of the net.

It gave U's a deserved victory after a performance which particularly in the first half some excellent football might have been rewarded by more than one goal, but after twice striking the woodwork Harrogate levelled seconds before half time, and for a while Sutton struggled to recapture the first half form before the introduction of Kouassi swung momentum in U's favour, with the sending off of Harrogate substitute George Horbury two minutes after Kouassi's goal further hampering the visitors, who were unable to improve on their record of never having avoided defeat at the VBS.

Despite some impressive showings against Chelsea on Wednesday U's opted for an unchanged line-up from the victory against Mansfield a week earlier, and began on the front foot, Will Randall and Josh Neufville both threatening on the flanks as U's moved the ball well to bring them in to the game. Donovan Wilson should have put U's in front when put through by Randall, but a heavy touch forced him slightly wide and a combination of goalkeeper Pete Jameson and defender Kayne Ramsay diverted the ball away for a corner.

Jameson clawed away a looping effort from Joe Kizzi following a corner, but was beaten in the 21st minute when Harry Beautyman timed his run perfectly to meet a superb Kizzi cross in front of Jameson and head in to the net.

Beautyman might have had another soon afterwards when he glanced Milsom's quick free kick wide, and Jameson again denied Kizzi when he tipped the ball over the bar as the defender's header bounced up off the ground, while Randall and Neufville saw shots flash across goal and Wilson had an effort deflected wide.

Harrogate had offered little threat in the first half hour, but new signings Dior Angus and Josh Coley began to make an impact as half time approached, Angus rattling a shot against the angle of post and bar after being put in on the right by Luke Armstrong, and Coley producing a fine piece of skill to beat Louis John and hitting a powerful shot that clipped the crossbar on the way over.

The equaliser did come, however, in the second minute of stoppage time when Armstrong was brought down by John as he tried to work a shooting position, and picked himself up to score from the penalty spot.

Coley almost had a debut goal early in the second half, again some fine skill leaving John and Craig Eastmond on the ground but the finish again too high, and for a while U's struggled to regain the first half form. Neufville saw a low shot from the edge of the penalty area saved by Jameson, but the introduction of Kouassi gave U's renewed impetus and within four minutes, after referee Neil Hair played a superb advantage to allow U's to build an attack after Louis John had been fouled, Eastmond ran on to Neufville's pass and hit a first time shot which was blocked in to the path of Kouassi, whose instinctive finish sent the ball high in to the net.

Two minutes later Horbury, who had come on just before the hour mark, launched himself in to a tackle on Beautyman and was sent off, leaving Harrogate to play the last twenty minutes with ten men, and although Ramsay hit the side netting following a corner, and Jack Rose was booked for time wasting near the end, U's saw the game out relatively comfortably to move in to the top half of the table.

Sutton: J Rose, J Kizzi, R Milsom, C Rowe, C Eastmond, L John, J Neufville, D Wilson(sub T Fadahunsi 80), K Thomas(sub K Kouassi 66), H Beautyman(sub A Smith 80), W Randall. Subs n/u J Barden, E Boldewijn, C Kendall, B House. Booked: Rose

Harrogate: P Jameson, M Welch-Hayes, J Mattock, K Ramsay, L Richards(sub G Horbury 59), W Burrell, M Daly(sub D Grant 66), D Angus(sub J Muldoon 76), L Armstrong, J Coley, J Austerfield. Subs n/u M Oxley, S Folarin, K Ferguson, E Ilesanmi. Booked: Richards, Austerfield. Sent Off: Horbury(73 - serious foul play).

Referee: Neil Hair

Attendance: 2,402(69 away)