Morison: “There’s Levels To The Game”

Steve Morison told SUFCtv that his side’s heavy defeat to Championship side Millwall was down to the difference in quality between the two teams, but that he was nonetheless proud of his players for competing with that sort of opposition.

The U’s were condemned to a 6-2 defeat against the Lions after a first half hat-trick from Macauley Langstaff set the visitors on their way, and despite goals either side of the break from Ashley Nadesan, couldn’t produce what would have been a remarkable turnaround as a brace from Aidomo Emakhu and a late goal from Josh Coburn put the cherry on top of a fine win for the visitors, and saw Sutton end their home pre-season campaign in defeat.

“There’s levels to the game” said Morison, “as I said to the players in there, I said there’s levels and difference in levels is you make a mistake, you get punished.”

“I thought they were excellent but I’m really really proud of my players, the fact that we we went toe to toe. We didn’t try and not engage in the game, we didn’t lack any any belief, we scored two good goals. We could have and should have maybe had one or two more as well, no doubt they could have as well, but I thought it was a really good game.”

“A really good turnout from everyone as well – 1,800 people here for a preseason game – and I don’t think you can you can have any complaints with with losing the game but I also think that it’s just understanding there’s different levels to this and there’s a reason they are in the Championship and I think they’re a very, very good Championship team as they showed last year, I think they’ll improve on what they did last year.”

“But I thought our lads put one hell of a shift in and I thought they showed some really good quality going forward. I thought we showed that we’re a match for anyone if we get it right at times and tonight was just that little bit of a difference that a couple of times we gave the ball away a little bit soft or we didn’t we didn’t get something quite right and you get punished for it and it was yeah just a different level in quality at times”.

The U’s Head Coach went one step further when complimenting his former side, and rightly pointed out that despite the scoreline, he watched on from the sidelines as his players went toe to toe with the best team Sutton have faced in years.

“It’s probably the best team we’ve faced for over two years, maybe three years, maybe four years” he said. “It’s a test like that with them in full flow and them just showing their their quality, their ability to be able to pop out of situations and switch to play and their athleticism and they’ve progressed as a team as well”.

“It was an excellent game, really enjoyable to be a part of and I thought our lads went toe-to-toe the best they could. As I said, just those levels in in quality in the final moments were the difference and yeah, they scored some very good goals”.

“The reaction was positive. We got the goal and then we could have got another one with Simper with the goalkeeper making a really good save and we had to keep reacting, keep believing and I didn’t see any of that creep in”.

“It’s an exercise in testing yourself, seeing where you are. Yeah, we’re we’re not quite at their level, but as I said, I’ll keep saying it, I was really really proud of what our lads did and I think everyone can see that they’re giving it all. I’ve got players coming off at 80 minutes and telling me they’re knackered. That’s exactly what you want.”

With one more pre-season friendly to go – an away trip to National League South side Hampton & Richmond Borough – we are getting ever closer to the 2025/26 Enterprise National League opener at York City, and with a host of new recruits and returning players from injury, the question on everyone’s lips is surely about which team could be put out at the LNER Community Stadium.

“I might have had an idea of my team six weeks ago, but that’s up for that’s for me to know and everyone else to wonder. We’ll pick the team for each game, each game is different and I want to get everybody in a position that they can they can start that first game of the season.”

“I think that’s where we are right now and the team on Saturday will be different again. I think what you’ve seen in this pre-season is it doesn’t matter who’s on the pitch, they’re carrying out what’s asked of them and they’re carrying it out very, very well.”

The Head Coach was also asked about what it meant to him to come up against his former side – a side with whom he scored 92 goals in over 300 games and cemented himself as a Millwall legend with a host of crucial goals for the Lions. Nonetheless, Morison remained clear about where his loyalties now lie, and how keen he is for the season ahead.

“You don’t know me well enough, I’m not that sentimental!”

“It’s great to see people that you know but this was about us and Sutton and what we’re about and what we’re trying to do and achieve.”