retired_ajbrittney

“What is wrong Adam?”

“Well Mr Dobtcheff, You’re playing me on the Left Wing, I don’t like to play there!”

“Correct me if I’m wrong, you are a Left-Winger aren’t you?”

“Yeah Mr Dobtcheff but I don’t like to play there!”

“Where do you want to play then?”

“Dunno!”

That is as far as I got with Buckley. I have no idea how to keep him happy. His lack of self-knowledge only serves for him to lose his place to Beckford.”

Sutton Utd v Maidenhead

Beckford would enjoy his run-out at home to Maidenhead, a team who have enjoyed playing against us in recent seasons. Hopefully I’ll be the manager who wipes the smile off their faces. Beckford was the only change I made to the team, from the one that run amuck against Thurrock.
My players seemed to go out with the intention of putting Maidenhead out of commission. It wasn’t long before Marshall and Coburn had clattered Onwere and Harris out of the game. I think those early substitutions may have been vital, because Maidenhead faded away late on.
For the first 55 minutes they were equal to us. The key to breaking them lay in diverting my assaults away from their central midfield and hitting them on the wings. Beckford provided the first, neatly providing a hanging cross for Salt to nod in. Coburn did the same later on for Larvin on 76 minutes.
Maidenhead can feel unhappy that they lost, they were as good as us in many areas of the game, only the fact that I outflanked them turned the tide.
My whole team played well once again. Beckford was outstanding on the wing, Salt orchestrated well from Central Midfield and Allaway had another good game in goal.

Sutton Utd 0)2-0(0 Maidenhead

So the Maidenhead hoodoo was broken. Next up was a trip to Redbridge. I saw no reason to change my team from the last game.

Redbridge v Sutton Utd

This game followed a very similar pattern to the last one. Redbridge had more attempts on goal, we had the midfield advantage and were more clinical. I’ll have to find a way to deal better with the enemies’ penchant for long ball attacks, we are vulnerable.
Martin was injured very early on. I brought on Larvin, who had impressed in his Sub appearances. Our first goal did not come from open play. Haylock was fouled on the edge of the box on 35 minutes. Coburn drifted in a nice cross. Larvin used his excellent movement to lose the defence an headed in 1-0
Our lead did look precarious, so I made a few changes. I pulled my wingers back, so they would be able to deal with Redbridge's advanced Wingers better. I pushed up Salt, to pressure the opposing central midfield better. With Fear and Quinton behind him, Salt should not be left exposed.
The changes did improve our play, sadly we still managed to concede. Aptly they scored from a free kick. The ball found Flanagan who had no trouble losing Heathcote. One all, time for further changes. Coburn and Fear were flagging, so I brought on Gibbens and club captain Corbett.
None of my subs were influential, I think that my formation was though. My reinforced flanks stifled the Redbridge attacks, Salt was enjoying his midfield freedom. Haylock was the man who won the game for us. He thrived on the opportunities provided by Gibbens and Beckford. He scored two for us on 77 and 82. He was our star.
It was another good team performance. Beckford was once again superb on the Left Wing. Quality ran through the entire team.

Redbridge 0)1-3(1 Sutton Utd

Next up a home game against Bishop’s Stortford. Masters of the bore draw!

retired_ajbrittney

Bishops Stortford came to Gander Green Lane with the sole intention of preserving their reputation as the dullest team in non-league football. Buckley made his return to the squad sheet, to replace the tired Beckford. I also gave the first start in a senior match for Kevin Larvin. I have been impressed with his improvement in training. He is now the deadliest finisher at the club. All he needs to do is improve his pace and he’d be the most dangerous striker in the league.

Sutton Utd v Bishops Stortford

‘Stortford preserved their position as the dullest team in the league. They restricted us to three shots during the game. They only had one attempt. Of course it was only natural that they should score from it.
We went one nil up with our first shot of the game. Marshall lobbed a speculative cross into the area. A ‘Stortford defender went for, Phil Salt challenged him. Salt had no intention to score from the challenge but the ball drifted in!
The rest of the half was dull. ‘Stortford managed their equalizer just before half time. I have to credit Oliver Blackwell for his reckless bravery. He threw himself at the ball and it went past Allaway.
We were limited by a stout defensive Bishops Stortford performance for the rest of the game. They virtually eradicated my Right side of defence by bundling over Marshall then his replacement Booth. The game ended 1-1 and I was not happy. The first dropped points of the season.

Sutton Utd 1)1-1(1 Bishops Stortford

Booth was out for a month. Marshall would be ok. A very average performance, nobody shined. What concerned me most was the lack of chances created once ‘Stortford shut up shop. Things would have to change.

St Albans v Sutton Utd

Beckford was fit again, so he replaced the very ordinary Buckley. I decided not to change my formation, despite St Alban’s use of an attacking 4-4-2, a formation I’d had trouble with before. However St Alban’s were struggling just over the relegation zone, so I’d be able to see whether my standard formation worked against a poor team.
The first half was one way traffic, with St Alban’s, making some dangerous play. I decided to alter the formation for the second half. I pulled my wingers back, and sent Salt forward to occupy the midfield. It worked a treat. It took a fantastic Haylock free kick on 66 minutes to break the deadlock. Five minutes later, Haylock was on target again, all thanks to a pinpoint accurate cross from Beckford. Our Second Half performance was much better. St Albans would rue the chances they missed.

St Alban’s 0)0-2(0 Sutton Utd

An excellent team performance from us. Haylock and Warner were superb. Warner has had a very good year so far, he enjoys being the last man!

Next up was a difficult game away to Cambridge City. Andrew Martin was welcomed back to the first team. Buckley was given another chance to shine on the Left Wing. He should hope to impress me, after all his whinging. Cambridge is a bit of an unknown quantity to us, having previously appeared in the Dr Marten’s league. They are riding high in sixth place as well, so it should be a difficult game.

Cambridge City v Sutton Utd

Oh dear. Cambridge was much better than us and unlike other teams in the league, could actually convert their chances. Their Jonathon Stevenson was very good at getting himself between my defensive midfielders and Warner. He scored either side of Andrew Martin’s equalizer. He took advantage of an awful punch from the Cambridge City keeper.
Our second half performance was slightly improved, however it was not enough. We lost
2-1.

Cambridge City 2)2-1(1 Sutton Utd

Another average performance from our team. Allaway had a run of the mill match and Buckley did himself no favours. Once again the Defensive players were left exposed. I should have realized how good Stevenson was. Many points to ponder for the next game.

David Jarrett, alleged Super-Scout, helped me out by finding a superb young Central Defender. Steven Murphy has many of the attributes needed in a Central Defender including pace, which has been a weak spot. Also he is only 18, so time is on my side.

retired_ajbrittney

Thanks to our dire loss at Cambridge City, we had dropped to 2nd place. I was of course unhappy at this state of affairs. Margate were to be the next visitors to Gander Green Lane, they were just behind us in 3rd.

Sutton Utd v Margate

It should come as no surprise that Adam Buckley lost his place to Beckford. I only intend to use him when Beckford is injured. He has only himself to blame. He cannot hide behind the excuse that I’m playing him out of position. Tactically I decided to counter Margate’s attacking 4-4-2 from the start. The wingers were held back, Salt would make forward forays.
The tactic worked in the first half, unfortunately Margate adapted. The game ended in a bore draw. I cannot help but feel that we are losing ground! It was another good team performance though, with Beckford turning in another good performance.

Strange fact. All nine of our chances were headers. Martin in particular towered over the opposition.

Sutton Utd 0)0-0(0 Margate

No competitive league games for at least two weeks. If we win away to Leek, that’ll stretch to three weeks. Leek would be our First FA Cup opponent of the year. Sutton have a formidable reputation as Giant Killers to uphold. A rep that has sadly gone by the wayside in recent years.
I have to admit, if Sutton had a competitive game in midweek, I’d have fielded a weakened side. With no league games for a while though, that wouldn’t have to happen.

Leek Town v Sutton Utd FA Cup 2nd Qualifying Round

FA Cup equaled experimentation time as far as I was concerned. I wanted to see how an attacking 4-4-2 would work out for me. Fear was dropped to the bench and Steven Murphy made his Sutton Utd debut in Central Defence. Tony Quinton moved up to Central Midfield.
Leek aren’t a bad team at all and they pushed us hard. we were lucky when Andrew Martin put us into an early lead with a trademark header from a Coburn cross. Allaway was in fine fettle and denied Nigel Jemson and co many a time. By half time we were lucky to be 1-0 up. I reverted to our normal formation and it seemed to steady the ship. Leek’s troublesome attack faded in the second half. Andrew Martin made things more comfortable. He actually used his feet to score a goal. I was amazed. We ended up 2-0 winners. On reflection I think Leek deserved a Gander Green replay. Perhaps a lack of finishing power was responsible for their slide down the Non League!

Leek Town 0)0-2(1 Sutton Utd

Next up for us was a trip to Stalybridge Celtic. Another ex Conference outfit. They were sitting bottom of the Conference North. So in theory it was a game we should win.

Stalybridge Celtic v Sutton Utd FA Cup 3rd Qualifying Round

I reverted back to my usual formation. Murphy dropped to the bench and Fear regained his customary place in Defensive Midfield.
Without a doubt the most disappointing game of the season so far. How the hell did our highly placed team do so badly against an opponent struggling in the Parallel division? Stalybridge even handed us an advantage when Matt Smith got himself sent off after 76 minutes. Andrew Martin had already put us ahead through the penalty spot, so I was understandably confident. You can imagine how ****ed off I was when Celtic pulled themselves level. Despite our numerical advantage they were still calling the shots. Sutton seemed unable to convert all our good play into Shots on goal. My red angry face exploded into incoherent babbling rage on 87 minutes when Stalybridge scored again, Allaway basically threw the game. Literally. He caught the ball from a corner, then lobbed it into his own net.
With three minutes left plus injury time, I would have expected my team to push forward. However despite pushing everyone forward, the Celtic goal was never challenged.

Stalybridge Celtic 0) 2-1 (0 Sutton Utd

I cannot understand how my team can play well, yet fail to create chances. The Defensive players were exposed again. The first goal can be attributed to Warner and Marshall. They left such a large gap between them, that the entire Solar System could have orbited in it!

I am very disappointed that Sutton Utd’s recent poor performance in the FA Cup will continue. However there are still things to solve. My defence is often left exposed on the break, and my midfielders are not creating enough chances. The only reason we have scored as often as we have is because my Strikers are very good. In all but two games so far, the opposing team have had more chances on goal. This must change!

retired_ajbrittney

I have a problem. Maybe my psyche can solve the problems. I have heard that if you think about something before you go to sleep, you will dream about it. It seemed so simple! All I had to do was retire to bed.
Things didn’t turn out so simply. For the first couple of nights I didn’t dream of anything, at least that I can remember. One week after my dreaming attempts began, still nothing. I was beginning to get disheartened. It was then that I got an answer. Sadly it was in response to a totally different question, it was also only an insight, not a solution.
Adam Buckley was standing still on a pitch. He was truly grotesque. His torso and leg were normal. His face was recognizable. What were different were his arms. Or rather what had replaced them. Four-meter long tentacles quivered in excitement. My eyes were drawn to the tufts of hair that sprouted from each segment of his tentacles. The bizarre limbs wee trying and failing, to reach a ball that was just out of their reach. All Buckley had to do was step forward a little. He was unwilling to do this though.
As strange as it may seem, this gave me an insight into his character. He expects everything to be put on a plate for him and is unwilling to make any effort if things get tough. The tentacles represent something else too. Buckley is a fan of Anime. In particular Hentai. The tentacles are a stereotypical aspect of Hentai, every satire I have seen of it seems to emphasize them, usually in rape fantasies. Maybe the dream was letting me in on an unsavory aspect of Buckley’s character.
As long as he can improve his form and he doesn’t act on his fantasies, or rather get caught, I don’t care. I am a football manager, not a moral paragon.

retired_ajbrittney

Sorry for the lack of updates over the last few days. I have been, errrr....celebrating christmas.

I'm going back to my parents house today, so won't be able to update 'till the new year.

Merry Christmas and all that!

retired_ajbrittney

After that dreadful performance against Stalybridge, I don’t think anyone would be able to blame me for making changes. The players available did not allow me to make changes though, so I kept faith with the chaps who flopped against Stalybridge.

Lewes v Sutton United.

We had a trip to mid table Lewes to look forward to. Our opponent’s form had been somewhat patchy, so I was confident of doing well. They had been using a 4-4-2 formation with attacking wingers, so I decided to push all my attacks through the Centre Midfield.
I admit that for the first 45 minutes Steve King, my opposite number, succeeded in totally outsmarting me. His team came out with a 3-5-2, swamping my Central Midfielders. Within 15 minutes I was 2-0 down. Lee Fieldwick scored a magnificent free kick on Seven Minutes. Allaway had the Right Post Covered, but the shot was too strong for him. A few minutes later we fell foul of Lewes midfield dominance. Fear was not efficient enough in his closing down. Fieldwick took the ball on the Left Wing and delivered a good cross for Moore, who had made a good run from Central Midfield. Two Nil down, I had some changes to make.
All play was to be made down the wings. My two defensive midfielders would continue screening Warner in Central Defence, whilst Salt would effectively turn into an extra striker.
The major effect of this tactic was that Lewes attacks stalled in midfield, they were no longer getting any joy intercepting wayward passes in midfield. Unfortunately Sutton were not attacking well either. It would take a stroke of luck to put things right. Lady Luck would smile on Sutton.
Lee Fieldwick had been a major thorn in our side. He had scored one goal and provided the other. His runs down the Left Wing had troubled us immensely. We were glad when he solved the problem he was causing, by removing himself from the field of play. Lewes was now down one man and had lost their most effective player. They changed to a defensive formation, Sutton would now see far more of the ball.
It took only five minutes for us to get back into the game. Beckford raced down the wing and whipped in a cross. Salt arrived late in the area and powered the ball home. Not long afterwards the referee blew for half time. Salt chose a good time to pull one back.
I decided not to make any changes in the second half. I was sure we had the advantage.
It didn’t work out that way. After twenty minutes of the second half had elapsed, we’d still to make any inroads into the Lewes defence. Coburn was having a poor match, so I took him off. Haylock was tiring so he went as well. Jon Gibbens and Kevin Larvin came on in their place.
It took a further 10 odd minutes for the changes to gel. On 78 minutes we scored possibly the best goal of the season so far. It was cross wing delight. Gibbens and Beckford crossed the ball from one side of the pitch to the other. Basically a one-two that used the entire width of the green. Beckford took the ball to the edge of the area and crossed in for Salt, who had once again arrived late. His second goal, our equalizer was scored in a very similar fashion to the first. That couldn’t conceal the superb team play that had gone into the goal though.
Lewes tried to tighten up for the remainder of the match but they made an error right at the death. Their central defenders concentrated on Larvin and forgot about Martin. They were caught flatfooted by Warner’s long ball from midfield. Martin sped as fast as he could and rifled the ball past the Lewes keeper. Soon afterwards the whistle went.

Lewes 2)2-3(1 Sutton Utd

We only got back into the game due to the sending off of Fieldwick. He was by far their best player and they missed him. Our performances were mixed. Allaway had a poor game and Coburn was awful on the wing. On the plus side Beckford was superb once again and Salt’s contributions were vital. Lee Marshall also impressed at Right Back.

Sutton Utd v Welling

No changes for the visit of Paul Parker’s Welling. We expected to be up against a very defensive formation. Welling hadn’t been playing well recently and needed to stop the goals.
They succeeded. I needed vast amounts of caffeine to keep me awake during this one. Coburn was injured within 10 minutes, so that limited our options early on. Parker decided to play a 3-6-2 which meant that possession was hard to come by. The best chance came for Haylock, who managed to get free of the defence but blasted wide. The only other incident of note was that Andy Martin only got a yellow card for a two-footed challenge. I would imagine that the FA will not be happy with Andy Foulkes for that decision.

Sutton Utd 0-0 Welling

An average performance all round. The only player of note was the Welling keeper, who made a few good saves.

Next up, a home match against dangerous Hayes. With the draw against Welling we slipped down to 4th. Grays are a challenger and a team we need to beat.

Sorry Displaced Seagull.

retired_ajbrittney

Craig Watkins made his first team debut for the important match against Grays. Apart from that we were unchanged. Once again Andrew Foulkes would take charge of the game.

Sutton Utd v Grays Athletic

What a total utter disaster. The cracks were chiseled open by a rampant Gray’s side and Peter Fear decided to earn himself a Red Card with a stupid two-footed challenge. Foulkes had let Martin off with a similar challenge in the last game, so he must have thought he needed to even things out.
The rest of my defenders seemed reluctant to make a challenge. The Grays strikers Eastwood and Remy were very good at exploiting the gap between Warner and the two fullbacks. They slaughtered us.
Grays managed four goals. Our only consolation was a Haylock tap in. A game to forget.

Sutton Utd 1)1-4(2 Grays Athletic.

They were very few positive aspects I could take from the game. The win against Lewes seems to have been a blip amongst a sea of crap. Peter Fear was playing badly, even before he got himself sent off. Andrew Martin was totally ineffectual. Watkins didn’t play too badly but he cannot have enjoyed his debut.
The cracks were definitely showing in our formation. I would have to make changes for the upcoming game at Carshalton in the FA trophy.

Carshalton Athletic v Sutton Utd

Peter Fear was on the verge of getting dropped, when he got himself dismissed against Grays and cemented his fall from grace. Scott Corbett had played reasonably well the few times he had started. Just before I penciled him in, Scott decided to crock himself. He would not be available for 2 months.
I was forced to bring in Jon Gibbens. He isn’t really a Defensive Midfielder, he’d have to adapt though. I made no other changes, Watkins would get another chance to shine.
If we had been drawn against anyone else, I’d have selected a weakened team. If I were to do that against Carshalton though, I’d end up crucified in Sutton High Street.
The Sutton v Carshalton rivalry isn’t anywhere near as intense as the passionate Mersey or Glasgow derbies, the fans still take it seriously. If I beat Carshalton, all will be forgiven. Failure is not an option .
.

retired_ajbrittney

I was not in the best of moods when I reached Colston Avenue. Carshalton’s ground is situated off a small road, just like Gander Green Lane. The traffic was horrendous, little of it was for the local derby.
Even though it was a Cup game, I would have expected a 1000+ crowd. It is a local Derby after all. Sadly only 160 odd people decided to turn up. A very poor show from the locals.

Carshalton Athletic v Sutton Utd

I could tell by the way they moved that Carshalton really wanted this game. Their entire team pressed for the ball maniacally. Their eagerness left gaps in their coverage and presented us with our first chance. Heathcote tackled their pacy striker Olusesi and released Beckford. Beckford found Martin just shy of the half way line. The home team had left plenty of space for Martin to run into and he took full advantage of their generosity. He managed to get into the area but was well blocked by Searle.

It took 10 minutes for Carshalton to start dictating the play. Our defence was worryingly split by a LeBihan long ball. Saunders was free on the right hand side of the area but drilled the ball just wide of the post.

I knew that I’d have to shake things up. Carshalton seemed far fresher than we did, their stamina was obviously better. Their graft deserved a reward and it wasn’t long before they got it. Saunders lay the ball to Tim Murdoch 30 yards from goal and he let fly. The ball seemed to ricochet of Allaway’s arm as it went in. It was a powerful shot but I think he could have done better.

One nil down, not yet time to panic though, there is still over thirty minutes to go. Carshalton almost manage to capitalize on their fortune. Olusesi delivers a good cross but young Dale Marvell heads the ball over.

Our problem is that Carshalton are dominating the flanks. I switch the emphasis of our attack to the central midfield. The new tactic almost immediately puts meat on the table.

Phil Salt delivered a floated through ball to Haylock, who finished superbly. We are back on level terms and I decide to position my wingers so that they can help my Full backs to deal with the runs of the dangerous Carshalton Wingers.

We manage to stifle the game for almost 15 minutes but Carshalton eventually manage to find a way. They channel more balls through the Central Midfield and this method pays of.

Murdoch, Saunders and Olusesi combine well. Olusesi finds Stone in the area and Stone shoots. The shot isn’t very powerful, ultimately it doesn’t have to be. Warner manages to get back well to intercept, he actually succeeds in putting his body before Stone. The ball ricochets of his leg though and beats the stranded Allaway. Two one to Carshalton.

We almost get a way back in less than a minute later, due to an awful goal kick from Searle. Martin picked it up. He could have made it to goal but decided to swallow dive instead, after encroachment from Carshalton Defenders. That moment of stupidity earnt him a Yellow card.

It was indirectly from that move that Carshalton earnt their third goal. LeBihan and Murdoch combined again. It was another powerful long-range effort from Murdoch. Allaway showed all the leaping prowess of a Dwarven Pygmy.

With a two-goal cushion, Carshalton decided to take their foot of the pedal. I canceled the defensive instructions of my Wingers and sent them right up to drench the Carshalton Goal with crosses. I threw in both fullbacks as well, for good measure.

Carshalton sat back smug, we didn’t trouble them. The only attempt we had was a long range Martin effort, which was yards wide.

We went into the break 3-1 down. No one was playing badly but no one was doing well either. Tweaking my current formation wasn’t enough, I’d have to change it entirely, if we were to get anything out of this.

[b]Half Time Score Carshalton Athletic 3-1 Sutton Utd[b]

retired_ajbrittney

I decided to push one of my Defensive Midfielders into Central Midfield. Gibbens was the obvious choice to do this. He is more comfortable on the ball than Quinton.

I went into the Second Half hoping for a better performance. Tim Murdoch was determined to ruin my day though. Virtually straight from the whistle, he let fly from range. Luckily Allaway was equal to his latest attempt to upset me.

My latest tactical changes were not effective. I decided to shake up the team by taking off some tired players. Buckley and Larvin came on for Beckford and Haylock. I pushed Quinton into Central Midfield and used Salt in the hole between Midfield and Attack. The time had come for drastic measures.

We did look a lot more dangerous after that, the extra Midfield presence seemed to stifle Carshalton completely. It took seven minutes for our first shot on goal of the half though and that was a long-range Salt effort that was easily saved. We were starting to look more dangerous though.

Sadly not dangerous enough. Carshalton withdrew behind the Half Way line and performed in a totally negative way, not very entertaining for the home fans.

With five minutes to go, I was resigned to defeat. Then we were handed a lifeline. Marshall threw the ball back into play on the right side of the Carshalton area. Salt had his back to goal and was being pressured by Carshalton defenders. His cross was Pinpoint accurate though, Martin was very happy to connect the whipped cross with his prize asset, his head. Searle had no chance, the tie was set for a frantic finish.

I was happy to push players forward. We were the only team to see the ball during the last five minutes of the match, however Carshalton developed a nasty ability to put their foot in just when it was needed. We were restricted to some wayward speculative efforts from Buckley.

The whistle blew. I was most unsatisfied.

Carshalton Athletic 3)3-2(1 Sutton United

Despite the high scoreline, it wasn’t a very good game. We had the most chances but Carshalton had the best ones. The team put in an average performance, if anything the sheer mundanity of the performance they put in has proved to me that the 3-2-3-2 just is not working. Things will change for the next game against Hayes.

A draw against Carshalton would have been a fair result. If it hadn’t been for the efforts of one man we would have won. Tim Murdoch has earnt a place in local folklore. He gave the game to Carshalton and earnt an enemy in me!

retired_ajbrittney

My erstwhile scouts, well one erstwhile and one useless, were coming to the end of their fact finding missions around the UK. Jarrett had located two possible starlets, the quality of the players found by Hawkins was not so good. Such a shame he won’t be gone till 2008.
The main problem was that neither seemed able to find many good players within our fair land. I racked my footballing brain for ideas and came up with an idea. Scandinavia produces many good players, good players who can come cheap. It would be a good idea if all of the countries could be scouted. First off Sweden. Jarrett went by Ferry, Hawkins by Garbage Scow.

No new signings would help me out away to struggling Hayes. However due to International fixtures, my guys had a Week and a half to gather their strength.



The recent slump had given me no choice but to change the formation. Out went the two Defensive Midfielders. I decided to play a straight 4-4-2 with attacking wingers. My opponents Hayes would field exactly the same formation, so it would come down to the quality of our teams.
No changes were made to the team. Gibbens is happier as a Central than Defensive Midfielder, so I placed him there. Along with Salt, he would give my midfield a far more attacking outlook. Quinton could play in Defence as well as Midfield, so I put him in as a Central Defender. The rest of the players were as normal.

Hayes v Sutton Utd

The new formation gave us a lot more possession in midfield but we leaked chances. Luckily we had the better strikers and that won the game for us.

Our first goal had nothing to do with skill however. Very soon into the game Watkins got free on the right wing. He delivered a ball into the box. Haylock nodded the ball down to control it for a strike. From where I was sitting, it seemed as if the Keeper stepped out of the way of the tamely headed ball. 1-0.

The first 20 minutes were al ours and we deserved our next goal, which was Haylock’s second of the game. It was provided by Martin, who headed against the bar.

We seem to be very vulnerable to long range efforts. We fell victim to a ranged fusillade yet again when Warner scored from just outside the box. Hayes now had a lifeline.

Hayes were unable to capitalize on their lifeline, just before half time Martin restored our two goal advantage, when he overpowered a Central Defender and the Goalkeeper with his Aerial ability.

We went into the second half with quite an advantage, Hayes needed to pull their finger out, they did but it did them no good. They saw a glimmer of light when James scored with yet another Long shot but Martin finished them off for us with a close range finish.

Hayes 1) 2-4 (3 Sutton Utd

A very good team performance, with Martin having his best game in a Sutton shirt. Our worrying habit of conceding long shots continued however. Most importantly, our bad spell is at an end.

With our midweek win against Hayes, we leaped from 6th back to 3rd. Next up though was a real toughie against Top of the table Hornchurch.
Hornchurch were a real mystery to me. They are severely in debt, yet they have not reduced their wage bill, in fact they have signed a few more players. I can only imagine that they are banking on big backs in the Conference. A very high risk manouevre, for if they fail, their existence will be in jeopardy. I would be fielding an unchanged side.

Sutton Utd v Hornchurch

Despite earning a point, this was an unsatisfactory game in many respects. Not the least being that all 3 of my strikers sustained injuries. Martin limped off as early as 15 minutes. Haylock followed just before half time and Larvin had to play on injured due to a lack of substitute.

Hornchurch were very aggressive and were aided by a lenient referee. They went for the game by the throat and can feel aggrieved at not getting the full 3 points. Our cause wasn’t helped by the fact we only had 1 crocked striker on in the 2nd half.

We went ahead on 4 minutes. Even at that early stage, it was against the run of play. We caught them on the counter, Beckford crossed and Martin headed in.

For the rest of the half Hornchurch deluged our goal. They equalized just before half time. Their goal was all down to hard work, their constant pressing during the game was a constant nuisance.

We went into half time hanging by our fingertips. With Haylock’s injury we had just one recognized striker on the pitch. I changed to a 4-5-1, bringing on Honey and sticking him in a defensive midfield slot.

The Second Half was pretty much identical to the first. We were lucky not to concede. Hornchurch's aggressive style really taxed my players.

Sutton Utd 1) 1-1 (1 Hornchurch

Hornchurch were superior in every area of the game. Phil Salt was the only player who had a stand out game, with his excellent distribution he was well worthy of man of the match.

Our busy schedule continued with a trip to Weston Super Mare, who have the dubious honour of figuring in the title of famed liar Jeffrey Archer, or Lord Archer of Weston Super Mare, as he prefers to be known.

With it being close to December, I was happy to receive an early Christmas present, in the form of the return of Sean Coburn on the right wing. Watkins didn’t play badly but Coburn is a far more accomplished Winger. That was the only change to the team that traveled to the West Country.

Weston Super Mare v Sutton Utd.

It was an entertaining game, with Weston’ having the edge in chances. We had a slight advantage in possession.

We dominated the first 15 minutes and deserved to take the lead. Salt scored an excellent goal on the break, from just outside the box.

Weston upped a gear after that and deserved an equalizer. They finally got it 5 minutes from the end, thanks to a Trudgian header from a throw on.

It finished 1-1, a result I cannot disagree with in all fairness.

Weston Super Mare 0) 1-1 (1 Sutton Utd.

Not a bad team performance from the guys. Marshall was good but Salt was outstanding in central midfield.

My squad were happy to have a rest. Their next game would be a midweek tie against Dorchester, our first game of December.

Dorchester v Sutton Utd

I kept the same team that drew at Weston Super Mare. Were very near the bottom of the league. Their performance on this night was misleading however.

It ended 0-0, with both teams being very even. Darren Spicer was the official on this night and he was very happy to hand out the cards. Eight players were booked that day, only two of them were Suttonians, sadly Andrew Martin received two cards and was sent off.

Dorchester 0-0 Sutton United.

Not a bad team performance, we were much better in the second half than the first. Once again Phil Salt was man of the match. Salt, Haylock and Beckford are my invaluable trio.

The change of formations changed our fortunes a little, now though we are drawing far too many games. A trip to hated rivals Carshalton would be an ideal opportunity to set things right!