Manager Matt Gray opted to give starts to those who had been mainly on the bench in the League Two games so far, with Jon Barden reverting to his original midfield role, although injury curtailed his involvemebt after just eighteen minutes, and Tobi Sho-Silva starting for the first time in any sort of game this season after his pre-season injury, and all those included did their chances no harm with a performance that was lively from start to finish.

Early on it seemed as though U’s might suffer a re-run of Saturday as early chances came and went, with Enzio Boldewijn cutting in from the right and hitting a low shot that beat goalkeeper Remi Matthews but not defender Jaroslaw Jach in the six yard box, and Matthews forced in to saves from Sho-Silva and Ricky Korboa. 

Palace were also lively early on, with Ben Wyatt having his hands full with Jesurun Rak-Sakyi, who set up one chance for Scott Banks that was saved by goalkeeper Brad House, and then finished another run with a shot just wide, while House had to fist away another effort from Banks, but U’s achieved the breakthrough just after the half hour mark.  A long throw from Joe Kizzi was only cleared as far as Alistair Smith, whose mis-hit shot fell nicely for Sho-Silva, who took a touch before shooting high in to the net from eight yards.

There was little sign of a Palace recovery after that, and U’s took a firmer grip on the game early in the second half when Smith played a pass out to Korboa on the left and continued his run un-noticed by the Palace defence to meet Korboa’s cross with a firm downward header (above). It gave U’s a platform from which they dominated the last half hour, Boldewijn and Korboa a consistent threat on the wings with Boldewijn going close to adding a third goal with a header that went just over.

The third goal did come with nine minutes left and was created by a superb interchange between Boldewijn and Kizzi which ended with the latter’s low cross being turned goalwards by substitute Donovan Wilson, and although David Boateng blocked the effort on the line Korboa lashed in the rebound for a well-deserved goal. The evening almost had the perfect ending for U’s fans as Craig Dundas, on for the last seventeen minutes, was only denied a goal by a good save from Matthews, pushing away an angled low shot, but U’s ended an evening that had begun with the re-signing of Isaac Olaofe on loan from Millwall with a comfortable victory that did the prospects of progress in the Papa John’s Trophy no harm at all.

Sutton: B House, J Kizzi, B Wyatt, C Rowe, B Goodliffe, J Barden(sub C Eastmond 18), E Boldewijn, A Smith, T Sho-Silva(sub D Wilson 59), R Bennett(sub C Dundas 73). Subs n/u D Bouzanis, L John, D Ajiboye. Booked: Boldewijn, Korboa.

C Palace: R Matthews, J Jach, R Hannam, M Boateng, R Street(sub J Kymani-Gordon 69), D Omilabu(sub S Robertson 64), J Rak-Sakyi(Sub J Roles 83), J Rich-Baghuelou, S Banks, J Taylor, D Boateng. Subs n/u J Whitworth, V Akinwale, N Watson, D Imray. Booked: D Boateng, Hannam.

Referee: David Rock