0
In truth it was an appalling game with just one moment of brilliance from Harry Beautyman, a 25 yard shot worthy of winning any game, played on an equally poor playing surface that looked bad prior to kick off and cut up significantly as the game went on, played in almost constant rain.
Town never really adapted to the conditions which were not conducive to their passing game and the hosts got their tactics spot on. They defended well closing down and providing the visitors with few opportunities and what appeared an odd decision to play striker Craig Dundas in mid-field paid dividends as his physical presence prevented Wes Daly and Stuart Lake taking hold of the centre of the park. The result was a scrappy game that resembled more of an end of season mid table encounter rather than two sides challenging for the play-off spots. Town were forced into playing long balls to an isolated Tim Sills who once again battled hard, winning the flicks but he desperately needed some help with someone to chase them.
Sutton themselves, although well organised, were no better than the Dragons taking the aerial route one approach at every opportunity, that the visitors dealt with quite comfortably. The winning goal, a moment of brilliance came mid-way through the first half as Beautyman intercepted Daly’s poor crossfield pass, held off a challenge and let fly a 25 yard left foot shot leaving Ashley Bayes no chance in the Town goal.
The crowd could have been excused if they had nodded off as it was a quarter of an hour before there was any action of note. Town had already had a corner poorly taken, and it was from another corner of dubious quality that they almost opened the scoring. Giuseppe Sole’s effort struggled to make the near post or get off the ground, but somehow the home defence managed to miss it and Sills, returning to the side, poked the ball goalward but Kevin Scrivens in the home goal made the save. Four minutes later Delano Sam-Yorke played Shaun McAuley in, only for him to be fouled by Lewis Hunt outside the area. Matt Warner drove the free kick straight at Scrivens. Just before the home goal Lake volleyed from the edge of the box, again straight at Scrivens.
Town almost conceded a second straight after the home side scored following some poor defending and had Jay Gasson to thank fort heading off his own goal line. Sills set Sam-Yorke away in a good Town move with the latter squaring for Sole whose shot from the edge of the box produced a diving save from Scriven. On half time McAuley endangered the corner flag more than the goal when played in with passing options and plenty of time. This summed up Town’s first half.
Half-time: Sutton united 1 Basingstoke Town 0
The visitors had more of the game in the second half as the home side seemed content to sit on their lead confident that the Dragons would not score, another thing Sutton got right on the day as for their second half possession Town rarely looked like scoring.
Just after the break a Warner free kick into the box was played across goal by Sole but the story of the day, no Town player was on hand to convert. On the hour Scriven was forced to palm away a deep Warner free kick under pressure and in a spell of dominance ‘Stoke forced three consecutive corners but failed to make their pressure count with Lake heading wide from eight yards from the last of the corners.
Bayes was mostly a spectator in the second period, dealing with the odd back pass or claiming the route one punt forward. The home side failed to clear a corner and Gasson returned the ball into the box finding Sills whose header cleared Scriven and the bar. This was as good as it was to get for Town as the weather closed in and the introduction of Rob Gradwell and Simon Dunn made no difference to the game with the home side running down the clock.
The final fifteen minutes were as unimaginative as the opening fifteen and the game as a whole must have left the 502 crowd wondering why they had bothered to turn out on such a foul day.
First up for the new management team of Jason Bristow and Kevin Braybrook will be bottom side Thurrock with just three wins all season and must give the two local lads the opportunity of a dream start with kick off at 3.00 p.m.
Town: Bayes, Rice, Warner, Old, Gasson, Lake, Daly, McAuley (sub Dunn 76 min), Sills, Sam-Yorke, Sole (sub Gradwell 68 min). Subs: (not used) Smart, Ogunbote, Little.
