Sutton’s hopes of ending a fraught season with some silverware ended in a penalty shoot-out defeat at Farnham, who gained a measure of revenge for the FA Cup exit they had suffered at U’s hands in October. A penalty shootout looked the only way that two sides who struggled to create any chances of note during a turgid ninety minutes would be separated, and when it came Farnham were faultless from their first four while Lewis Simper and Charlie Bell both had their kicks saved by Farnham goalkeeper Michael Eacott.
The only shot worthy of the name in the first half came from Farnham’s Harry Cooksley, who fired just wide from twenty yards, while Sutton probed around the edge of the penalty area but were unable to fashion clear shooting opportunities, Simper coming close on one occasion but well tackled before he could get his shot away. U’s also needed to make a change midway through the half as Toby Byron, booked for a heavy challenge on Owen Dean after just seven minutes and given a very obvious final warning with captain Edon Pruti in attendance after another foul on the same player, made way for Junior Eccleston with Chris Agutter keen not to have a recurrence of the Bell situation at Aldershot.
In the second half Chris Haigh remained untroubled in the Sutton goal, Kai Tanner sending one cross straight in to his arms having done the difficult bit of creating a crossing position on the right, and Sutton had what was just about the game’s first on target shot when Harris sent in a powerful effort that was, however, straight at Eacott.
Simper blazed over from an angle after a neat right to left build-up, and David Ogbonna was just off target from twenty yards, but the closest Sutton came was when home skipper Ryan Kinnane completely miscued a clearance from an Ogbonna cross and was grateful that it went straight at Eacott rather than either side of him.
Generally, though, this was a game that had goalless draw written all over it from quite a time before the final whistle, and it was left to the penalty shoot-out to provide any excitement. Haigh was nowhere near the penalties of Cooksley, Adam Liddle, Brandon Mason and Dean, but although Simper struck U’s first penalty well it was too close to Eacott, and after Pruti and Dubem Eze had made no mistake Bell suffered a similar fate to Simper leaving Farnham to celebrate their place in the final.
Sutton: C Haigh, K Donkor(sub D Urpens 76), T Byron(sub J Eccleston 25), H Muller, E Pruti, J Taylor, C Bell, L Simper, J Francis(sub D Rodari 78), J Harris(sub D Eze 77), D Ogbonna. Sub n/u D Aziaya. Booked: Byron, Eze, Eccleston.
Farnham: M Eacott, K Tanner(sub I Uche 76), B Mason, J Jackson, R Kinnane, T Leggett, O Dean, H Cooksley, A Siddle, M McKenzie, S Bowerman. Subs n/u D Sanders, C Eaglestone, B-J Taylor, T Johnson. Booked: Tanner, Liddle, Mason.
Referee: Patrick Nixon
Photo Credit: Paul Loughlin
