Leading as the game reached the 90 minute mark and within touching distance of the third round of the Emirates FA Cup, Sutton suffered a heartbreaking defeat as Shrewsbury equalised in the first minute of stoppage time and were then gifted a winner two minutes in to extra time. Had the game finished with Kai Jennings’ goal direct from a corner as the only goal of the game there could have been few complaints from Shrewsbury, despite a stronger second half performance, but Ismail Kabia, their main threat throughout and only denied an equaliser by a brilliant Jack Sims save a few minutes earlier, struck a superb leveller and then the otherwise outstanding Jennings saw his pass intercepted by John Marquis who had an empty net to roll the ball in to.

Sutton welcomed back Ashley Nadesan following injury after Brandon Njoku had failed a fitness test, and Nadesan was involved inside the first minute, hauled down by Sam Stubbs as he tried to chase a pass over the top and the Shrewsbury defender probably only spared a red card by the distance Nadesan still had to travel. It was the first of a number of cards, the game finishing with only nineteen players on the pitch, and before fifteen minutes was up Edon Pruti and David Ogbonna had joined Stubbs in referee Jacob Miles’ notebook, the latter a harsh caution that was to prove costly later.

Sutton had much the better of the first half, and it took an outstanding save by Will Brook to keep the ball out when Ogbonna’s cross was diverted by Sam Clucas’ header. Jennings sent a free kick inches wide, and five minutes before the break stretched to reach a Lewis Simper pass and saw his shot come back off the crossbar, but for all their dominance Sutton couldn’t achieve the breakthrough and Shrewsbury, who hadn’t had a shot on target in the first half, came out much more brightly after the interval. Sims saved from Anthony Scully, and then following a set piece both Will Boyle and Luca Hoole struck woodwork, Boyle’s lob from an angle bouncing off the bar and Hoole’s follow up going wide via the post.

The goal frame was soon shaking at the other end as Simper rattled the bar with a twenty yard effort, and it was no more than U’s deserved when they went ahead with twenty minutes left, Jennings’ corner drifting in over Brook and landing in the corner of the net.

Brook then denied Harris as U’s looked to press home the advantage, and when Josh Ruffels clattered in to Jennings to earn a second yellow card with eleven minutes to go Shrewsbury’s chances receded further. Harris again went close, stabbing a shot just wide, but Kabia remained a threat and cut in from the left to send in a dipping shot which was superbly turned over by Sims. U’s didn’t heed the warning, though, and at the start of nine additional minutes Kabia cut in in an almost identical fashion and this time Sims had no chance of keeping out a well struck shot.

Worse followed for U’s in stoppage time when Ogbonna blocked a quick free kick and was shown his second yellow card, and extra time was only two minutes old when Jennings’ pass across his own penalty area was intercepted by Marquis and Shrewsbury were ahead.

Sutton almost replied just before the end of the first period when Jack Taylor came forward and hit a 20 yard shot that was well saved by Brook, and they had chances in the second period to force a penalty shoot out, Shrewsbury surviving a scramble when Brook failed to gather a corner and Simper twice shooting off target from outside the penalty area when on another day he would have expected to hit the target with at least one of the efforts.

By that time, though, U’s were down to nine men, Junior Eccleston sent off after a clash with Chuks Aneke which looked more sinister to the referee than to most people in the ground, and in the end they were unable to force a way through and it was Shrewsbury who claimed ownership of ball 47 in Monday’s third round draw.

Sutton: J Sims; J Eccleston, Jack Taylor, H Muller(sub A Jones 77), E Pruti, Jake Taylor(sub E Vaz 106), K Jennings, L Simper, J Harris(sub C Bell 100), A Nadesan (sub K Crichlow 66), D Ogbonna. Subs n/u W Tizzard, M Dabre, G Vorster, D Aziaya. Booked: Pruti, Ogbonna, Muller, Jake Taylor, Simper. Sent Off: Ogbonna, Eccleston.

Shrewsbury: W Brook, L Hoole, S Stubbs(sub T Sang 82), T Andersin, W Boyle, S Clucas, J Ruffels, I England(sub T Perry 62), G Lloyd(sub C Aneke 77), I Kabia(sub T McDermott 91), A Scully(sub J Marquis 77). Subs n/u M Benning, H Biggins, W Gary, E Harrison. Booked: Stubbs, Ruffels, Clucas, Aneke. Sent Off: Ruffels.

Referee: Jacob Miles

Attendance: 2,505(346 away)

Photo Credit: Paul Loughlin