Sutton United 0 – 2 Wealdstone

Sutton United Website Match Report

Sutton’s flying start to the Enterprise National League season was checked as Wealdstone, who arrived at the Borough Sports Ground still looking for a first league win of the season, deservedly left with all three points thanks to a goal in each half from Micah Obiero. Wealdstone’s performance was not that of a side in the bottom four, while U’s rarely looked like league leaders and they could have few complaints at a result that saw them yield top spot to Boreham Wood, with Wealdstone goalkeeper Dante Baptiste’s first save coming just as the game entered eight minutes of stoppage time.

U’s were without influential defender Will Nightingale, with Jermaine Francis starting at right back and Dan Urpens moving to partner Alex Kirk in the centre of defence, while Charlie Bell replaced the suspended Noah Nzuzi and David Ogbonna was preferred in attack to Brandon Njoku. They started the game quite brightly but were rocked back in the 12th minute when Kyle Smith, only in Wealdstone’s starting line-up thanks to an injury suffered in the warm-up by Dan Chesters, went down the right and fizzed in a superb cross of the sort that is very difficult to defend. Dan Urpens got his head to it but could only direct it to Obiero, who lashed the ball in to the net.

A similar cross from Smith ten minutes later could have produced a second goal, this time no defender able to cut the ball out and Joe Newton coming in at the far post but putting his shot inches wide of the post, and Obiero blasted over after running on to a long clearance. When Ogbonna did get a shot in for Sutton in the last moments of the half it was high and wide of the target.

The second half followed a similar pattern, with Obiero sending an early shot just wide, and U’s were struggling to get any foothold in the game. Omar Mussa and Sam Folarin were brought on before the hour mark, but Mussa’s first main involvement was to lose possession in his own half and then pick up the third of four Sutton bookings for pulling back Luke Norris. It might have been worse but for Spike Brits, who flew to his left to save Jack Wells-Morrison’s free kick, but when Emmanuel Osadebe lost possession in an almost identical place moments later there was no reprieve as Smith again put in an excellent cross from the left which was again cleared as far as Obiero, whose attempt to create a shooting position was halted as the ball struck the upraised arm of Jermaine Francis. Referee Callum Walchester pointed to the spot, with few arguments from Sutton, and although Brits went the right way he was unable to stop Obiero’s penalty.

Sutton had moments of attacking possession as they looked for a way back to at least preserve their unbeaten record, but a succession of overhit set pieces and some solid defending from Wealdstone meant they were unable to capitalise ,with substitute Sam Folarin’s cross that bounced off the crossbar the only moment of real threat. With the game entering stoppage time Baptiste was at last called in to serious action, diving to his right to make a fine save as Temi Babalola met Mussa’s free kick with a powerful header, but that was as close as U’s were to come to setting up an exciting finish, and their frustration was summed up just before the final whistle when head coach Chris Agutter was shown a red card for a comment made on the touchline.

Sutton: S Brits, J Francis (sub S Folarin 77), B Topallaj, A Kirk, D Urpens, C Bell(sub B Njoku 57), E Osadebe, J Taylor (sub O Mussa 54), T Babalola, C Carter, D Ogbonna. Subs n/u T Byron, R Ruiz, O Bello, C Haigh. Booked: Taylor, Bell, Mussa, Kirk.

Wealdstone: D Baptiste, A Francis-Clark, J Newton(sub J Mundle-Smith 69), J Wells-Morrison, D Conroy (sub M Barrett 33), C McAvoy, L Norris, D Kadji(sub T Newton 81), M Obiero, J Harris(sub O Olomola 69), K Smith. Subs n/u D Chesters, W Waweru, E Johnson. Booked: Obiero, Norris.

Referee: Callum Walchester

Attendance: 2,197 (242 away)