Sutton went down to a third consecutive Enterprise National League defeat, and a fourth in four visits to the Crown Oil Arena, when a goal just after half time by Mani Dieseruwe, whose hat trick had beaten U’s at Hartlepool last season, proved sufficient to give Rochdale a fourth win out of five. Sutton had done well to reach half time level, Rochdale having missed several first half opportunities, but Dieseruwe’s sneat flick from a Harvey Gilmour cross five minutes after the break saw them edge in front and despite a battling effort U’s were unable to rescue a draw, Ashley Nadesan squandering the best chance just before the end.
There were first league starts of the season for Junior Eccleston and Jaiden White, and a first appearance of any sort for Mo Dabre as U’s, without the suspended Liam Vincent and the injured Eduino Vaz, lined up with a back four, Edon Pruti at left back and Dabre alongside Wadham in front of the defence, and there were few alarms early on in a game that struggled to rise above walking pace in the opening quarter. However Rochdale, who for the second consecutive league game changed all eleven of their starting line up after Saturday’s defeat at Brackley, began to create chances as Joe Pritchard placed a shot just wide after finding space on the left of the penalty area, and Devante Rodney produced a similar miss after Eccleston’s slip had allowed Pritchard to cross from the left.
Between those two chances Jack Sims tipped over a long range Sam Beckwith shot, and there was also a chance for Ethan Ebanks-Landell, who glanced a header just wide from a corner that looked as though it should have been a goal kick, Rodney appearing to slice the ball out himself rather than it deflect off Taylor. Sutton’s best chance of the half came just before the break when a long Pruti throw fell to Lewis Simper, whose miscued shot bounced in to the ground and over the bar,.
Jayden Harris replaced Dabre at the break, but five minutes in to the second half Rochdale had the lead as a patient build up ended with Gilmour finding room on the left and cutting back a low cross which was flicked in by Dieseruwe at close range. The home side looked to consolidate their lead, and Rodney missed a good chance after being set up by substitute Connor McBride, skying his shot over the bar.
The longer the game went on the edgier the home side got as Sutton looked for the equaliser, although goalkeeper Oliver Whatmuff’s most anxious moment came when he had to come outside his penalty area to clear from Brandon Njoku. one of three Sutton second half substitutions. With time running out, though, Whatmuff mishit a goal kick straight to another substitute, David Ogbonna, whose run and cross found Nadesan arriving at the far post, but a disappointing touch from the striker sent the ball out for a goal kick when better control would surely have led to an equaliser, and U’s returned empty-handed.
Sutton: J Sims, J Eccleston (sub D De Silva 87), E Pruti, J Taylor, H Phipps, J Wadham, J White(sub D Ogbonna 57), L Simper, K Crichlow(sub B Njoku 61), A Nadesan, M Dabre (sub J Harris H-T). Subs n/u D Aziaya, S Odelusi, A Jones.
Rochdale: O Whatmuff, K Gordon, J Pritchard (sub T Allarakia 73), R East, S Beckwith, E Ebanks-Landell, T Adebayo-Rowling, H Gilmour(sub C Pettit 86), M Dieseruwe, D Rodney(sub D Moss 86), A Barlow(sub C McBride 40). Subs n/u D Tutonda, A Gomez-Mancini, L Amantchi. Booked: Gilmour.
Referee: Declan Brown
Attendance: 2,647(67 away)
