Sutton and Aylesford shared the points after a fluctuating game in which U’s took an early lead but then had to come from behind three times to finally grab a draw thanks to a 90th minute own goal, the second that U’s had benefited from in the afternoon.

Sutton went in front in only the fourth minute when Millie Cutler beat a defender to a neat flick from Brianna Gilbert-Lawal and lifted the ball over the goalkeeper from a narrow angle on the left. Aylesford came close to an equaliser when a corner flicked off Emily Oliver’s head and hit the bar, but they did level on the half hour when a forward chased a through ball, held off the challenge of Louise Dunne and beat Lizzy Knight with a shot that had just enough power to cross the line before Oliver could clear.

Aylesford soon took the lead after some poor Sutton defending, but before the interval the scores were level again when a fine cross from Phoebe Langley was turned in by a defender under pressure from Beth Humphrey, and U’s felt they should have had the chance to go in ahead when loud penalty appeals for a challenge on Hannah Baptiste were waved away.

Aylesford went back in front in the second half when Maddie Hevingham-Ford lost possession and was punished with a good finish in to the bottom corner, but again U’s responded as a good move ended with Gilbert-Lawal going clear and finishing well to make it 3-3.

The visitors took the lead again for the third time when a corner flew straight in to the net, and Sutton’s task was made more difficult when Langley was sin-binned for dissent, although the decision she was complaining about was then overturned after a discussion between the referee and his assistant. U’s weren’t to be denied a point, though, and a fine run by Emma Spear ended with a cross which a defender turned in to her own net to tie things up at 4-4.

Sutton: L Knight, L Dunne, M Heavingham-Ford, E Oliver, B Humphrey, N Sabania, E Spear, P Langley, M Cutler, H Baptiste, B Gilbert-Lawal. Subs M Taylor, E Meehan, E Clark, A Warren, C Chase.

Congratulations to Hannah Baptiste, K’Shaela Burch-Waldron and Gabby Williams who are all flying out this week to take part in World Cup qualifiers for respectively Guyana (away to Jamaica), Bermuda (at home to Grenada) and Trinidad & Tobago (at home to El Salvador).

Photo credit: Leora Jesner