Sutton put Wednesday’s disappointment at Dartford behind them with a 1-0 win over Northampton in their penultimate EFL Youth Alliance fixture.
A start described by Head Coach Glen Nichols as ‘electric’ saw two golden opportunities including a missed penalty inside the first seven minutes, while Northampton didn’t trouble Klevis Muca much in the first half. It was Tito Salaam who scored the only goal of the game with an instinctive finish from a corner, before he was sent off twelve minutes later for the denial of a goalscoring opportunity.
As Sutton prepare for three games within the next week including two in the National League Academy South Division, in which Sutton look to climb back to the top of the league, Glen felt that the win today has “built the confidence back up”.
Glen gave starts to five players who are all in the college programme with a further three on the bench. Only Klevis Muca, Salaam and Derrell Ashia kept their shirts from the defeat at Dartford, with Glen saying that he was proud of the college boys and he could not criticize them after today’s performance.
Omotolani Bello created Sutton’s first of two chances as after using his strength down the channel, he was brought down inside the penalty area to give the U’s a chance to strike from the penalty spot. Callum Lee, who had taken Sutton’s spot kick in the win against MK Dons a week ago, was sidelined for this game, leaving Bello to take responsibility. The midfielder saw his penalty saved with Elliot Smith diving to his right hand side. The U’s sprung forward again as a corner from Yohannes Ezekiel was met by Salaam at the back post but his header was pushed away by Smith towards his left hand side.
The Cobblers registered their first shot on goal three minutes later after a corner that was cleared to the edge of the box was volleyed over Muca’s goal. On the half hour mark, a free kick into the box from the visitors was missed by Muca, before his attempts to retrieve the ball saw him drop it and ultimately concede a corner, which was cleared at the near post, before the second delivery was headed over at the back post. Minutes later Northampton won another aerial battle from a corner, with another header from the centre of the box going over.
It was then Sutton’s turn to have some freedom in the box as after Geri Katana’s free kick was punched away, Ezekiel delivered a ball into the box which was headed wide by Haniel Boateng at the back post. The half ended with Muca catching a header at his near post.
Sutton may have had a rapid start and could have been ahead in the opening stages of the first half, but the same could have been said about the visitors at the start of the second. A shot from the right side of the penalty area was pushed away by Muca towards his left hand side and another header just before the hour mark landed on the roof of the net.
One minute shy of the hour mark Sutton took a deserved lead. A corner on the far side was aimed towards the back post and with Salaam wrestling with the defender before both of them went go to ground the Sutton defender stuck out a foot and while grounded he volleyed the ball into the bottom right corner.
After Derrell Ashia had won a free kick on the edge of the box with just over twenty minutes to go, Katana stepped up and saw his attempt pushed away by Smith. Then twelve minutes after scoring, Salaam went from hero to zero. After the defender had failed to control a back pass on the half way line, the Northampton player saw an opening as he carried the ball towards the edge of the box before being brought down by Salaam, who was handed a straight red card for a denial of a goalscoring opportunity.
Glen was pleased that despite his team being down to ten men, they kept on pushing for the second. A corner from the substitute Lee fell to Jack Pledge who set it for Ashia on the edge of the box but his first time attempt went over the bar. Sutton nearly grabbed a second in the last minute of normal time, as Kai Mckenzie was able to get his boot in front of the Northampton defender who was waiting for the ball to go out of play, the striker then hooked the ball into the box for Josh Jenkins to head over the bar.
The visitors created themselves a chance in the first minute of stoppage time as a low cross went all the way through the penalty area hitting the post, before Muca made a sharp save from close range.
The win for Sutton is their second successive one in the EFl Youth Alliance as they look to finish strong in this competition.
Sutton: K Muca, T Boon, T Salaam, H Boateng, G Katana, J Pledge (sub S Ward 90+3), D Ashia, E Yohannes (sub K McKenzie 62), B Sheargold (sub C Lee 73), J Obarotimi (sub J Jenkins 62), O Bello (sub T Bamidele 86).
Sutton’s last EFL Youth Alliance game is at home to Stevenage next Saturday, but before that there are two important National League Academy South Division games as U’s try to regain the lead from Dartford, away to Boreham Wood at Meadow Park on Monday and at home to Welling United on Wednesday at the VBS Community Stadium. Both games kick off at 2pm.
Report and Photo: Finlay Harris
