Suffer Second Defeat of Pre-Season Away to Sutton - Match report: Sutton Utd 2 NTFC 1
Match Report by George Kirk
Sutton United 2-1 Nuneaton Town
(Green (P) 27’, Howard 38’ : Harrison 90’)
Nuneaton Town fall to their second defeat of pre-season away at Sutton United, with ex-Town man Jake Lamb shining in a comfortable win for the home side.
Two first half goals from Dylan Green and Harry Howard sealed the win for Sutton, with a late strike from James Harrison only acting as a consolation.
Despite being in the league below, the home side proved to be a tricky opposition, with their sharp and fast pace of play being too much to handle on the night.
Following a two-one defeat to Lutterworth Athletic last weekend, Nuneaton travelled to the Coleshill Road Stadium wanting to gain some early momentum going into the upcoming season.
The last time these two faced Nuneaton Town cruised to an emphatic six-two victory last February.
The opening ten minutes were very slow, with both teams clearly getting back into things after a long break following the end of the season.
New signing Kyle Jardine had the first chance of the game 14 minutes in when Josh Crossley played the ball across goal, handing the prolific striker a golden chance to open his Town scoring account, but was just wide of the target.
This woke up the home side, who pushed forward firing a variety of shots towards Brandon Bache’s goal, with United’s pressure eventually rewarded with a penalty on the twenty-sixth minute.
Sutton striker Dylan Green stepped up and slotted home with ease.
Only eleven minutes later and the Birmingham based outfit had a second, when Harry Howard received the ball in the box firing low into the bottom right corner.
A corner just before half-time almost handed the Town a lifeline when Dominic Perkins header was cleared off the line.
Half-Time: Sutton United 2-0 Nuneaton Town
Half-Time substitutions helped boost Nuneaton’s hopes of a comeback, with Dante Hesson bursting through the United defence forcing the keeper into a solid save from close range.
This was very much the theme of the second half, with Sutton’s keeper pulling off heroics to deny efforts from James Harrison and Kyle Jardine mid-way through the forty-five, to ensure the home-side still had a firm grip on the game.
Nuneaton’s efforts to get back into the game left them vulnerable at the back with Sutton squandering multiple opportunities to put the game to bed between the seventieth and eightieth minute.
The Town were able to get a late consolation goal in the ninetieth minute, thanks to a James Harrison strike from just outside the box, that nestled into the bottom corner.
Some more minutes in the legs for Nuneaton, who now prepare for a tough test on Saturday 12th July away to Step four Bedworth United at The Oval.
Full-Time: Sutton United 2-1 Nuneaton Town
Team: Bache (Trialist 72’), Thomas (Somel 45’), Whitehead, Perkins, Currithers, Mullan, Hendrie (Spruce 45’), Crossley (Hessen 45’), Sawyers (Harrison 45’), Jardine (Trialist 60’), Trialist (Edward 16’ roll on sub Thomas 72’)
Subs: Spruce, Harrison, Edwards, Somel, Hesson, Trialist, Trialist, Trialist
