After squeaking through one encounter with the higher reaches of the Southern League Premier South Division in the FA Cup, Sutton were unable to repeat the act in the Isuzu FA Trophy as the team currently eight points clear at the top of that division, and unbeaten in any competition since the end of September, inflicted a heavy defeat on a U’s side that were in with a chance at the hour mark before a twelve minute spell that saw them concede three goals, two of them penalties, and lose Jake Taylor to a red card that will keep him out of next Sunday’s trip to Solihull.

Behind to a gift of a goal inside the first ten minutes, Sutton had chances to equalise before the interval and started the second half brightly before a breakaway attack saw Mason Obeng score his second of the afternoon, and although Lewis Simper immediately hit a post, the game slipped rapidly away from U’s after that and by the time substitute Charlie Bell did find the net it was no more than a consolation.

With Junior Eccleston and David Ogbonna both suspended and neither Ashley Nadesan or Brandon Njoku fit enough to start the game, U’s handed a start to George Vorster in the left wing-back position vacated by Ogbonna, while Aaron Jones returned on the right and Kane Crichlow started up front, but they were behind in only the seventh minute when, following the Shrewsbury winner the previous week, another attempt to play out from the back came to grief. Jake Taylor was put under pressure by Edon Pruti’s pass and dispossessed by Johl Powell, and although Pruti recovered his error with a fine tackle, the ball ran to Obeng who swept it in to the far corner. U’s had Jack Sims to thank for the start not being worse when a slip by Jack Taylor allowed Powell to go clear, but Sims diverted the resulting shot wide with his legs.

Sutton began to get a foothold in the game and Vorster should have levelled when he ran on to Pruti’s pass clear of the defence but saw his shot blocked by oncoming goalkeeper Jos Barker. It set the tone for the rest of the half, with the chances falling to Sutton but not being taken. Jayden Harris was unlucky with a shot from the edge of the penalty area that flew inches wide, but Crichlow should have done better when Barker came outside his area to beat Lewis Simper to a through ball but only cleared it as far as Crichlow, whose shot from thirty yards drifted over the unguarded net. In stoppage time Pruti saw a header deflected just wide from a Simper corner, but U’s weren’t able to force the equaliser before the break.

Mehmet Halim replaced Crichlow at half time, and U’s started the second half brightly, but it all started to fall apart just after the hour mark when a swift counter on the right saw Dawid Rogalski evade a challenge from Harris that would earn U’s midfielder a booking at the end of the move and play a crossfield pass to Obeng, who had time to control the ball and take his time before drilling a shot past Sims and the covering defenders.

Sutton almost replied immediately as a corner was cleared to Hayden Muller, whose shot was deflected just wide, and when the resulting corner was also cleared, Jones lifted the ball back in to the area and Simper’s header came back off the foot of the post. It wasn’t long before U’s were further behind, though, as an off the ball clash between Pruti and Rogalski, not the first of the afternoon but this time in the penalty area, saw the Walton striker on the ground . Referee Callum Walchester stopped play immediately, but then consulted with assistant Ciaran Fidler before pointing to the penalty spot and booking Pruti, and Obeng took the opportunity to complete his hat trick as Sims went the wrong way.

A rapidly deteriorating afternoon went further downhill six minutes later when the referee was again pointing to the spot, this time as Riley Horan headed wide from Anis Nuur’s cross under pressure from Jake Taylor that the referee ruled was illegal. After a brief pause, he also decided Taylor’s challenge had denied a goalscoring opportunity and U’s were down to ten men, and four goals down as Rogalski scored for the eleventh time in twelve games, Sims again going the wrong way.

With the game as good as over as a contest, the last fifteen minutes saw Walton keeping the ball, but Barker was never completely happy if U’s put him under pressure, and after sending one clearance straight to Simper, whose return shot went just wide, he was dispossessed by Kai Jennings who set up Bell for a simple goal. Before the end another substitute, Eduino Vaz, took advantage of another misplaced pass, sending his long range shot just off target, but U’s late efforts were in vain and but for a fine tackle by Pruti to deny home substitute Zach Alfalahi Walton might have re-established their four goal lead.

Sutton: J Sims, A Jones, Jack Taylor(sub W Tizzard 87), H Muller, E Pruti, Jake Taylor, K Jennings, L Simper, K Crichlow(sub M Halim H-T), J Harris(sub C Bell 75), G Vorster(sub E Vaz 81). Subs n/u A Reeves, B Njoku, D Aziaya. Booked: Jack Taylor, Harris, Pruti, Simper, Vaz. Sent Off: Jake Taylor.

Walton: J Barker, R Horan, T Kuaho(sub E Light 68), J Jones, S Parkes(sub E Bolger 80), L Defise, M Obeng(sub Z Alfalahi 79), A Nuur(sub D Hubynets 74), D Rogalski, J Powell(sub J Page 86), J Wood. Subs n/u O Carulla, T Kumi. Booked: Parkes.

Referee: Callum Walchester