After an enforced 2 week break due to poor weather, it was time for The Royals to get back into action against a promotion chasing Loughborough Dynamo. With no wins in their last Five games Sutton were desperate to get back to winning ways.
Cameron Stuart’s starting eleven was as follows: Landers, Christophorou, Carter-Byrne, Lima, Beresford, Doyle, Burgess, Collins, Tague, Dowd and Byrne.
It was a great start from Sutton with a lovely one two between Tague and Byrne. It enabled Byrne to break through the defence to slot home to the right of King, a slight deflection gave him no chance to stop Sutton’s breakthrough. 0-1 Sutton.
Sutton were looking good and nearly made it 2 when a good ball into the box from Collins was met with a header from Carter-Byrne, Unfortunately King was equal to it.
Byrne saw another effort rebound off the keeper following a Sutton corner. The ball fell to Kyle Byrne who tried to feed it through to Tague, but the pace on the pass was too much to be able to take advantage.
On 33 minutes, Dean Master from about 35 yards out hit a worldie. He saw the keeper off his line, and curled one into the top corner. 1-1.
Landers made a great save from a close-range effort by Garnett, which he parried over the crossbar.
Keeping the ball out the Sutton net did not last long, as a Chapman header was adjudged to have crossed the line despite the efforts to clear it. 2-1 Loughborough.
Disaster for Sutton as Master turned Pedro and ran through on goal. He slotted the ball to the right of Landers to put Loughborough 3-1 up at half time.
The second half didn’t start much better for Sutton, as on 54 minutes, Anderson put a great ball into the box. Landers parried out only for Garnett to fire home to make it 4. 4-1 Loughborough.
On 58 minutes Collins and Tague were replaced by McSkeane and Gibson.
On 67 minutes, Loughborough hit the Sutton woodwork as the game started to look beyond Sutton.
Sutton had a corner and Beresford went close with a header, but it flew just wide of the post.
Kyle Byrne was replaced by Theo Rowe on 65 minutes.
Rowe was soon in the action as he sprinted down the wing and delivered a great ball into the box. Gibson turned the defender and got the ball out wide where Burgess fired home. 4-2 Loughborough.
Sutton had a chance to make it 3 when Burgess had a shot blocked which then fell to McSkeane. He fired towards goal, but it was blocked by the defender and the ball then rebounded to Gibson who saw his shot saved by King.
It was the last chance of the game for Sutton as the game petered out to a 4-2 loss. Losing Carter-Byrne to a red with minutes to go toped the day off, which was a very frustrating one for Sutton.
It’s six games without a win and we are on another run now, just not the one we wanted!
But we are at home to Bedworth on Saturday with a chance to stop falling down the table.
#COYR