RYMAN PREMIER DIVISION
Att: 719
SUTTON UNITED – 0
BEDFORD TOWN – 0
After the disappointment of the Boxing Day defeat at Aldershot, it was back to GGL and the visit of mid-table Bedford. A chance to get the recent good run back on track perhaps?
Well, we hoped it would!
Waltzing into the Hood, I find Bob & Gareth already partaking in a beverage. I wander to the bar and without having to even ask, the barman produces a bottle of Acclaim. Bloody hell. Anyone would think we were always in here drinking! *Ahem*
Beers finished, it’s the customary late stroll to GGL and as usual, there’s no proggies left. So it’s the long stroll round to the main turnstile for one. Arse! You think they’d keep a couple for us!
The U’s line up shows 1 change from Boxing Day, with Brooker apparently dropping to the bench and Beale stepping in. Although it turns out Brooker has failed a late fitness test and is relpaced by none other than Andy Riley! Fuck me, how many times is that we’ve dragged the poor sod out of retirement??
Andy, here’s a tip for you mate. Move!!! Or at least go ex-directory.
Another surprise is again the inclusion of Watson. After his appearance on Boxing Day against his old club and his, shall we say, tired looking performance, we assumed he’d be rested today and Eddie given his place up front. Guess we were wrong then!
The two sides spend the first few minutes, feeling each other out and trying to come to grips with a less than ideal surface. And it’s the visitors who have the first opening. Striker Tomlinson, who had a short spell at K’s recently, races onto a through ball and appears to lose out to Beale as they go shoulder to shoulder. The Sutton man clears the danger whilst the Bedford man remonstrates with the linesman and cops a warning from the ref for his dissent.
It’s not until the 17th minute that Sutton create their first real chance. Matt Gray is played in on the right and whips in a fantastic cross, right under the bar. Bailey and Watson charge in to apply the final touch but an amazing, acrobatic clearance by the Bedford No5, who’s popped up inbetween them both from nowhere, denies them. Within a couple of minutes the U’s are through again and once more, it’s Gray supplying. His low ball is cut out at the near post, but runs loose Watson races in for a shot, but his effort is charged down and a corner is the result.
The match then deteriorates into a rather dull affair, with neither side creating anything of note. In fact it’s not until the final minute of the half that anything really happens. A break by the visitors down the U’s left flank ends with a cross flashing just wide of Pape’s near post.
And so, slightly bored, we amble into the bar hoping for a slightly more exciting second half.
Before we’ve reached our 2nd half vantage point, Danny Bolt misses a great chance to put the u’s ahead. A swift attack see’s Fowler pick up the ball on the right. He puts in a useful ball that a Bedford defender cuts out, but can only hoof straight up into the air. It drops on the edge of the box and Bolt is underneath it. He takes the ball on his chest but his trusty left peg lets him down on this occassion, dragging his effort wide of the near post.
A good chance presents itself to Tomlinson after 55 minutes. Latching onto a good through ball, he elects to shoot first time. Bad move! The effort ends up somewhere between the ner post and the corner flag. Oooops!
Again though, it’s the U’s who come closest to edging ahead. 65 minutes on the clock and a Bolt free-kick from deep is headed clear to the edge of the box where Scott Corbett rifles in a shot that is just deflected wide of the ‘keepers left hand upright.
Bedford earn a free kick with 8 minutes left. Sozzo thumps the ball through the Sutton wall, but it’s straight at Pape and he punches the ball clear. 3 minutes later, the largely ineffective Watson almost snatches the points. Chasing onto a through ball and looking a little offside, he chases the ball down, nods it past the advancing ‘keeper and hooks it goalwards from a tight angle, but his effort lacks power and it’s cut out by a recovering defender for a corner.
Not to be denied, Sutton keep pressing and with time running out, Danny Bolt looks up and see’s Matt Gray tearing forwards out on the right. He plays a scything diagonal ball across the pitch and into Matty’s path. He races into the box, holds off 2 defenders, leaves the ‘keeper sprawling and clips the ball goalwards only to see it headed once more from under the bar, this time by the No4, Covington.
Womens knickers.
It’s still not the last chance. With injury time disappearing fast, a Bolt Corner from the right, is once more cleared to the edge of the box. Bailey shapes himself for a Zidane-esque volley from 20 yards and pulls the trigger only to see his goalbound effort thud into the bonce of Mark Watson on the edge of the 6 yard box. Oh for fucks sake.
So, the U’s register their first home blank of the season. Although, it’s tinged with some frustration that the bench have once more made no attempt in the last 15 minutes or so to introduce subs and at least try to change the game. Bringing off a clearly knackered Watson for Akumouah would have been a good start. *sigh*
We wander off to the Hood for some post match beers and some results. Here we discover that one of the reports from the site (heavily edited for public consumption pf course!) for the Trophy win at Basingstoke has been used in the programme. But, at the bottom, the post match incident back in Sutton involving Bobs fancy phone and breasts is included in full.
What are they trying to do? Give us a bad reputation??
Sack the editor!
MAN OF THE MATCH : Matt Gray. All our chances came from his right foot.
ENTERTAINMENT : 5. 0-0’s aren’t particularly much fun!
TEAM : Pape, Gray, Hollands, Palmer, Beale, Gonsalves, Bailey, Bolt, Corbett, Fowler, Watson.
SUBS : Akuamouah, Honey, Riley
THE REFEREE’S A………invisible man! Hardly noticed him to be honest. Compared to some of the muppets we get, quite respectable.