Manager Matt Gray is delighted to announce that club captain Jamie Collins has agreed an extension to his contract and will take on the role of player-coach when the players return for pre-season training in July. The extension keeps Jamie at Sutton until the end of the 2020-21 season, and Matt said: ‘'Jamie's a club legend, and as long as I'm manager of Sutton United I want Jamie to be a part of it on and off the pitch. He's superb as a captain, and off the pitch he's an important link between the dressing room and the management staff. I've known him for many years, he's very knowledgeable about the game, both in terms of us and our opponents, and his experience will be invaluable to me.''
On the subject of club legends, Matt has also announced that Craig Dundas, one of only five Sutton players to achieve the 500 appearances and 100 goals double, is returning to the club in a full time capacity and will register as a player for the 2019-20 season. Matt said. ‘'Craig's going to come back as full time fitness coach, which will mean he's not just with us at every training session but will be with us on every match day as well. He will also register as a valuable member of the playing squad, and despite his age I would have no hesitation in naming him either on the bench or in the starting line-up.''
Matt reflected on his first full week in charge, saying: ‘'It's been an extremely busy first week, having restructured the management side, and I'm hoping to bring in another assistant to work alongside Jamie and Micky Stephens. Things are developing on the playing front, and I hope to be in a position to make announcements regarding signings over the next week or so, while I've also been finalising our pre-season schedule and, again, we will be announcing our friendlies as soon as they can be confirmed.''