Sutton United Academy kicked off pre-season with an important 90 minutes in the legs, but fell to defeat against Isthmian League side Leatherhead.
The young U’s found themselves 3-0 down at half time after Anas Igozouln opened the scoring with a well-worked goal, and was followed by a brace from Nathan Hogan who got on the end of a brilliant pass from the left from Kareem Akinnibi, before notching a second shortly before the break.
This preceded wholesale changes at the break by manager Glen Nichols, with a pre-planned second half XI having an instant impact as Mehmet Halim pulled one back just after the restart, marking his debut with a goal after signing from West Ham United this summer.
Leatherhead soon restored their three-goal cushion though, with Ty Butler doing well to shut down another debutant in Josh Robson, and left the goal gaping for Sam De St Croix to slot into the empty net.
The Tanners’ then added a fifth on the stroke of full time as Akinnibi turned from provider to scorer, netting a superb individual goal to condemn the U’s to a hefty defeat at Abbey Rangers’ Addlestone Moor.
Sutton United (First Half): Zabasta; Coombes, Reeves, Bell, Urpens, Ruiz, Trialist, Sheargold, Tume, Vorster, Hepburn
Sutton United (Second Half): Robson; Lee, Ashburn, Muwana, Salaam, Moore, Trialist, Keteku, Halim, Bello, Trialist
