Charlie Bell is set to start his three-match suspension after being sent off last Wednesday night.
The 18-year old was shown his first red card of his senior career after a lunging challenge on George Langston against Braintree Town, and will miss the trip to visits of Woking and Wealdstone, along with the trip to Gateshead, with the ban slightly delayed due to Saturday’s trip to Hartlepool United being postponed.
“I felt for Belly because I thought he was a key part of a really controlled, steady performance against Braintree. I thought he was one of our best players.”
“But he has to play on the edge. If he doesn’t play on the edge, he won’t play 50 games for the football club – never mind 400 or 500. He could end up being a key part of a really successful side, our club captain and have a great career. If Sutton doesn’t progress as fast as Charlie Bell, I think he could go on to play in the league.”
“He has to play with that edge, so no issues from us, just frustration that we’ll miss him for three games. It’s an opportunity for somebody else to come in and help us move forwards.”
Aaron Jones is still a couple of weeks away from returning, and means that he, along with Jack Wadham (knee) and Alex Kirk (back), are the only other absentees, with Chris Agutter having a fully fit squad available for selection.
This includes Will Tizzard, who Agutter confirmed has only missed the last couple of games for tactical reasons.
“We’re in good shape. Credit to the medical team, they’ve done a great job getting the players out there because we’ve put real demands on the group physically with training and games. Luke [Silavwe], Cat [Chambers] and Frankie [Deegan] continue to do a brilliant job getting the players in a position to deliver what we need.”
Agutter will also serve a touchline ban himself after being shown his third caution of the season last Wednesday night.
