Sutton United say goodbye to a host of long-serving players, with the club beginning their summer plans for the 2025/26 season by announcing its retained list.
Of those departing the club, this includes Josh Coley, Ryan Jackson, Steve Arnold and Jack Rose, who exit with 288 appearances between them.
Coley (102) and Jackson (84) both signed ahead of the U’s most recent campaign in League Two in 2023/24 from Exeter City and Cheltenham Town respectively, and quickly became key parts of the team. Arnold (42) meanwhile, who had also signed in the same summer from Southend United, ended up making 15 appearances in the fourth tier after having to initially bide his time, with both Rose and loanee Dean Bouzanis taking the number one spot at different points in the season.
The arrival of Steve Morison in January 2024 brought a fresh start within the club though, and saw Arnold become a mainstay in the team with a string of impressive performances between the sticks that established him as the U’s clear first choice, something the experienced goalkeeper took into the previous campaign as he kept the superb Jack Sims out of the side until picking up an injury at the start of the season.
As for Coley and Jackson, both have become crucial parts of the Morison’s team and have captained the side on occasion, with Coley notably scoring several important goals for the club as well. This includes memorable strikes against Forest Green Rovers and Swindon Town at the end of the 2023/24 campaign, which played a key role in Sutton’s last gasp bid for survival, before starting the previous season with the U’s first goal; a superb late volley against Tamworth on opening day.
Coley subsequently began the campaign with three goals from his first four games, and scored some cracking strikes against Altrincham, Chertsey Town and Braintree Town, while his skill and trickery on the ball became a vicious weapon for initially Matt Gray, and later Morison, with his performances blossoming during the latter stages of his first season.
Jackson meanwhile scored twice for the U’s from defence, his first coming in a home defeat against Harrogate Town, but his more notable one coming in Morison’s first win in charge of the club in a memorable 4-3 victory away at Notts County. While his goalscoring prowess wasn’t the most notable part of his game however, Jackson impressed with his solidity at the back alongside his willingness and determination to get forward and influence Sutton’s attacking play from wing-back, even striking up a key partnership with Coley on numerous occasions.
As for someone who at the time of his departure is the longest-serving player at the club, Jack Rose’s three-year spell in SM1 has also come to an end, having appeared 60 times in all competitions for the club.
Having joined in 2022 from Walsall, Rose played his part in securing the U’s Football League status for another season, and even notched an assist in a narrow win over Barrow when a long ball was misread by Bluebirds’ goalkeeper Paul Farman, allowing Tope Fadahunsi to tap home the only goal of the game.
Rose later maintained his place in the side until injury saw him lose his number one spot midway through the 2023/24 campaign, and the 31-year old subsequently struggled to restore his position in the team ahead of Bouzanis and later Arnold, before spending last season on loan at Hednesford Town.
We wish the best of luck to all four players and thank them for their service!
Photo Credit: Paul Loughlin
