After seeming at half time to be on course for a second consecutive home Enterprise National League win, Sutton ended up on the wrong end of the scoreline in an entertaining game of seven goals as Boreham Wood came back to score three times in the second half, Edon Pruti’s long range shot deep in stoppage time proving only a consolation.

U’s made one change from the line-up that had beaten Carlisle, Lewis Simper replacing Mo Dabre in midfield, and a lively start saw Luke Norris’s low shot turned away by Jack Sims at his near post and at the other end Ashley Nadesan’s effort saved by Nathan Ashmore. Boreham Wood then struck first as an incisive run from the impressive Érico Sousa ended as he played in the overlapping Jeff King, whose last involvement in a Sutton game was a red card after the final whistle at York in January, but who now featured in a far more positive role as he shot past Sims from an angle.

Nadesan should have equalised when he capitalised on a stray pass to go clear, but having not been able to stop scoring in the pre-season campaign he was left still waiting for his first league goal as the advancing Ashmore deflected his shot away, and Boreham Wood came close to doubling their lead when King again found himself in on the right side of the penalty area and his low cross just evaded Norris.

The game turned Sutton’s way in the last fifteen minutes of the first half, with a long throw cleared as far as Lewis Simper, whose cross was deflected by King on to the head of Jayden Harris at the far post for the midfielder to power the ball past Ashmore. Just before the break Simper was heavily involved again, brought down on the edge of the penalty area after a neat passing move, and when Harris touched the free kick in to his path, driving a shot that deflected past the helpless Ashmore.

Both sides went close to scoring early in the second half, Abdul Abdulmalik’s curling effort from the corner of the penalty area coming back off the post, but at the other end Sutton should have extended their lead as Jack Wadham collected a dreadful clearance from Ashmore and set up Brandon Njoku, who miscued a first time shot badly wide when he had more time to take a touch.

The game started to slip away from U’s midway through the second half when, moments after replacing King, Cameron Coxe produced a powerful run down the right and crossed low for Abdulmalik on the edge of the penalty area, who worked himself a shooting position and sent a low effort in to the corner of the net.

It was another substitute who made the impact for the goal that put the visitors in front, Lewis Stevenson having only just come on to the pitch when his first involvement was to be brought down by Wadham as he tried to turn past the Sutton midfielder in the penalty area.

Zak Brunt just about converted the penalty, the ball hitting Sims’ right hand post and trickling in on the opposite side of the goal, but it was enough and the points seemed safe in the third minute of stoppage time when Sousa placed a shot beyond Sims from the edge of the penalty area having been set up by Matt Rush and Richardson. Almost immediately Pruti let fly from thirty-five yards and sent the ball arrowing in to the bottom corner of the net to score for the second game in a row, but there was to be no dramatic equaliser.

Sutton: J Sims, J Eccleston, N Boutin, J Taylor (sub J White 87), H Phipps, E Pruti, J Wadham, L Simper, B Njoku(sub D Ogbonna 72), A  Nadesan, J Harris(sub M Dabre 59). Subs n/u D Aziaya, S Odelusi, A Jones, A Reeves. Booked: Harris, Pruti.

Boreham Wood: N Ashmore, J King(sub C Coxe 59), F Ilesanmi, C Reynolds, C Bush, C O’Connell, E Sousa, Z Brunt(sub J Newton 90+4), L Norris(sub M Rush 58), A Abdulmalik(sub L Richardson 83), T White. Subs n/u F Herrick, J Dixon, C Clayden. Booked: Reynolds, Coxe.

Referee: Jason Richardson

Attendance: 1,852(72 away)