Sutton enter the Buildbase FA Trophy this weekend at the third round proper stage, and having avoided drawing a fellow National League side U's have the toughest draw left, visiting current National League South leaders St Albans City. It was only on Tuesday that Saints confirmed their place in the tie, the second round being played just five days before the third round, and they eventually overcame Cray Wanderers 3-0, scoring all their goals in the second half after the Kent side had been reduced to ten men just before the interval.
Saints hit the top of the National League South last weekend, taking advantage of a defeat for Dartford with a 3-1 win against Tonbridge, their eleventh game of a league season in which they have yet to taste defeat and have conceded just five goals. However one of the key members of that defence, Tom Bender, will be missing after sustaining a shoulder injury last weekend.
U's will still be without Omar Bugiel, who still has one game of his suspension to complete after last week's postponement at Stockport, and will look to improve on a recent record in the Trophy which has seen them lose at this stage of the competition in each of the past two seasons, although in 2018 U's survived to be beaten at Spennymoor in the next round after Bromley were found to have fielded an ineligible player. Ben Wyatt will return to the club where he was voted Player of the Year two seasons ago, while Louis John is in line to make his 150th Sutton appearance.
The sides have already met this season, drawing 0-0 in a pre-season friendly at Clarence Park, and the last competitive meeting at St Albans was in March 2016 when U's won 3-0 on the way to the National League South title.
With St Albans due to go in to Tier 3 restrictions on Saturday morning the game will be played behind closed doors, and a live stream is available at £6.99 - click here to buy a pass. Revenue from the stream is shared between the clubs as it is an FA Cup tie. We will also have a Mixlr commentary from the ground.
Should the scores be level after 90 minutes, the game will be decided on penalties.