Lewis Simper hailed the importance of Sutton’s 2-1 win over Woking, as well as citing pride in his own journey during his time in South London, having completed his 100th U’s appearance since signing from Cambridge United last season.
Chris Agutter’s side secured a vital home victory to boost their survival hopes, as goals from Kai Jennings and Brandon Njoku either side of a Jack Turner leveller sealed an invaluable triumph at the VBS Community Stadium.
The win, which came despite being reduced to ten men in the first half, was described as a long-awaited breakthrough on home soil after a battling display in front of the Sutton faithful.
“Yeah, really important win,” he said. “It’s been a bit of a long time coming, especially here at home winning the game.
“Really, really proud of the boys digging in. It’s a massive three points.”
The evening also marked a personal milestone, with Simper’s hundredth appearance being a landmark he admitted meant a great deal, especially coming amidst a crucial win with the U’s locked in a tight battle towards the bottom end of the table.
“It’s a really proud moment for me,” he reflected. “I came here to try to play as many games as I can and to reach that milestone is huge – and to do it at this club is even better. So yeah, I’m really enjoying my time here.”
“I think the last 15 minutes against Braintree Town was really important for us, and we’ve taken that into tonight. So yeah, let’s just keep this going.”
As mentioned, that late spell at Braintree, where Sutton impressed with ten men, proved useful preparation when Chris Haigh was shown a red card before the break, giving Sutton the task of defending a narrow lead throughout the entire second half.
Simper said that the result provides renewed belief for Sutton as they look to build momentum, with confidence growing after a resilient and disciplined performance.
“I think maybe the Braintree game was a really good experience for us because we knew how good we were with ten men in that game,” he explained.
“So when we had the 2–1 lead, it was about keeping going, keeping believing and sticking together – and we came out on top.”
