The Final Chance

[kmitchell96]

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I had always dreamed of a career in football. Who wouldn't want to be a part of this beautiful game?! I had always been obsessed with it; ever since going to my first game at the age of 4 with my dad I had been addicted. Everything I read, watched, listened to and played was football.

I hadn't been blessed with athletic ability so being a player had always been off the cards. Whether it was my asthma or my awful joints I could never play for long. I had tiny bits of experiences, mainly playing as a kid in the park or for my local junior team but not for very long.

I had always wanted a career in football, without the athleticism playing was of the cards though. So I had decided around 16 to try and go into the 'behind the scenes' jobs; working with transfers, finances and the general running of the club off the pitch.

This is what I did at university. After getting my business A-Level I decided to study at university. After my 3 year business computing degree I decided to make the move to go and do a Business with Sport degree at post graduate to try and push for the career.

Now, 23 years old, loaded with the necessary qualifications to work behind the scenes for a club I had made a bold decision. Why not try management. I had to do management modules and learn different management techniques so it may be worth a shot.

With no coaching qualifications and next to no playing experience I knew it would be tough but it was what I wanted to do so I made the push and decided to go for it.

 

[kmitchell96]

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I told my family and girlfriend earlier about my decision. My family were all up north in Yorkshire whilst I had moved back to my old home town of Walsall where I had grown up before moving to Yorkshire.

Most of them were supportive whilst a couple of them questioned why I had decided this now after going through 4 years of university. Once I had explained it though they seemed to be in agreement that it was a good idea.

However they had all said that if I ever struggled to find a job I would have to quit management and use my degrees properly. The guideline set was that if I was ever out of a job for more than a year I had to be realistic and quit management, fair enough.

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I had decided the places I would be willing to work. There were the obvious places; England, Spain, Germany, Italy, France. But I also decided that Belgium, Holland, Ireland, Northern Ireland and Scotland would be good options to manage in as well.

I'd prefer to start off in England, finding somewhere close to home but it would be fine to move elsewhere if I had to. I'd have all the divisions in each country where I would be willing to manage, I don't see why not; the lower divisions in some countries are similar standards to the football league in England.

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Looking at my skills I realised this would be tougher than I thought. I mean having no coaching qualifications and only Sunday league experience is going to make it tough to get a job let alone win things. Once I have a job I am going to have to cling onto it and try and do everything I can to do well.

I prefer a 4-2-3-1 formation. It offers loads going forwards and generally can be good at the back. However it isn't the only formation I will ever use. I also like using 3-5-2, I think with the right personnel it can work.

I prefer the use of younger players, I always did when I watched the game. I could never understand why teams wouldn't use their youth system to add players to the team, that is why Chelsea frustrate me so much.

Anyway, here I was. My first day in my managerial career. I would look to get a job as soon as possible. All that was available at the moment is Barnsley, some second division French team, a Belgian Pro League team and a couple of Scottish teams. They are all out of my league at the moment but hopefully some non league jobs would come up early.

As soon as a job came up that I think I could get I would pounce at it but for now I was prepared to play the waiting game...


​

 

[kmitchell96]

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Saturday 6th September 2014

We understand that Conference South side Sutton United have sacked manager Paul Doswell. Doswell had been in charge of the Surrey based club for over 6 years but was dismissed after todays 1-1 draw with Concord Rangers.

So far this season Sutton have managed just 6 points from a possible 18 which sees them in 17th place in the Vanarama Conference South.

We understand the club have their options laid out and hope to appoint a manager as soon as possible to try and retain some stability at the club for the near future as they hope to push further up the league table.

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The favourites for the Sutton United job are:
Pete Batey 5/2
Ryan Garry 5/2
Mick Tait 6/1
​

 

[kmitchell96]

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So I had been searching for a job for couple of months now and I had just been waiting for jobs to come up that I could apply for and as soon as I saw the Sutton role appear I applied for it.

Ten days later I woke up to an email telling me the club wanted me there immediately for an interview.

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Wearing my old suit which had been bought for my prom I headed down to the ground. I did some research on my phone whilst I was on the train to try and get some more information about the non-league side and then finally I got to the ground.

The interview went well and I set off home...​

 

[kmitchell96]

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Thursday 18th September 2014
The Non-League paper can confirm that Sutton United have appointed K.Mitchell as their new manager. It is believed the interview was conducted 2 or 3 days ago and he was offered a contract yesterday before everything was finalised today.

He has been given a one year deal which will pay him £600p/w for managing the conference south side. He will have a tough job winning over the fans after he replaces Doswell who had been in charge of the club for over 6 years.

The appointment comes as quite a shock as it was generally believed that there were a number of better options. Mitchell has never managed a team and has no coaching qualifications or playing experience. The club have decided to take a risk and hope that it pays off as they look to push up the league table after a disappointing start.
​

 

[kmitchell96]

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So I had got the Sutton United job and I was ready to thrive. I was nervous coming into my first day but I was prepared and I was happy to be here.

The first thing I did was have a meeting with the board who just wanted to welcome me and wish me good luck whilst confirming all of my expectations and telling me about the history of the club.

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My aim was to reach the playoffs, from what I had read they had just missed out on promotion last year and were expecting a lot more from the first 6 games which is why Doswell had been sacked.

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In terms of their history they haven't won too many honours. I was quite surprised to see they don't have that many rivals, only the one who I will probably never face off against.

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Before I had gotten here the caretaker, which was one of the coaches, managed to pick up a good win and a tough loss against Whitehawk and Staines.

My first job was to pick up a new assistant manager. The previous one had left with the manager and it left me in a tough spot before my first game which was in two days when I would travel to 2nd place Ebbsfleet.
​

 

[kmitchell96]

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So my first game was here, Ebbsfleet away. They were second in the league so it was going to be a tough game but I was hoping to come away with a point in my first game in charge.

I hadn't managed to get an assistant manager to give me any reports on the squad, I had asked the main coach but he seems to have forgotten...

So I left the choice of team down to the coach for my first game. I had set up my tactics, an attacking 4-2-3-1, a controlling 4-1-2-2-1 and a counter 3-1-2-2-2. For this game I would use my counter tactic, they were a strong team and I would hope to hit them on the break.

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I would look to sit back but then quickly counter down the wings. The defensive midfielder would aim to just win the ball back and then quickly clear the ball out as cover for the back 3. I would ask the 2 central midfielders to control the middle as well as they could and then hopefully my wingers could provide some good service for my two strikers; who had 3 goals each so far this season.

We started poorly, they had controlled the game from the get go and some of my players looked a bit tired. I don't know how the previous manager was lining the team up or how he was working them but they all looked tired despite being match fit. Anyway, Ebbsfleet had controlled the opening 10 minutes and then a poor goalkick from Howe gave them the ball back which saw them quickly push up before a quick pass was put across the box for 1-0.

Then around the 25th minute our right winger, Ofori I think his name is, won a penalty. We had a free kick and passed the ball around well and somehow worked it into the box and it would have been a goal but they hacked him down. Jamie Collins took and scored the penalty, 1-1.

On the hour I made my three substitutions and they worked well as we immediately went forward hit the post and then forced a brilliant save. Then from a corner we hit the post again only for the ball to be cleared. The problem was though 3 minutes later Seidu, one of my subs was tackled poorly and injured leaving me with 10 men for 25 minutes.

We had done well to hold onto the game and created a couple of chances but then we were unlucky. In the 82nd minute Ebbsfleet had one chance, their first of the half, which saw a player shoot from 40 yards out. It would've been an easy save but the ball deflected off of their main striker and curled in the opposite direction and into the net to make it 2-1.

I told the team to just do everything they could to get the game level again and we almost did straight from the kick off with Medlock playing Scannell through who forced a brilliant save. Then in the 88th minute Gomis was dismissed; he stupidly dived into a tackle desperately in an attempt to win the ball back and got himself a second yellow, he knew his mistake as he walked straight off.

Ebbsfleet 2-1 Sutton United

__________________
This is a one off update; I will be focusing on doing monthly updates briefly looking at games. For my first game though I decided to do a big report to open it up.

The next update will focus on the rest of September as I look to gain my first win in management.​

 

[kmitchell96]

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Sutton United manager, Kyle Mitchell, has today announced that defender Nigel Seidu is expected to be out for 2-3 months with strained knee ligaments. This comes after he was injured in yesterdays 2-1 loss to Ebbsfleet after the defender came on after the hour mark.

This creates more selection problems for the new manager, who was surprisingly appointed as the U's manager just 4 days ago, as this is now a 4th player out with injury.

As well as injuries he will have to find a replacement for Bedsente Gomis who was sent off in the 82nd minute against Ebbsfleet. The central midfielder, who is thought of as a key player at Sutton, will be missing for the clubs next tie against Great Wakering in their FA Cup Qualifying Match.​

 

[thejoshster]

gr8 start will follow!

 

[kmitchell96]

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Tactics
For Sutton I have created 3 tactics to use. I am still without an assistant manager so the best team to play is still unknown to me but I have used the coaches recommendations to fill out the possibilities of the best lineups for each tactic.

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My first tactic is a controlling tactic. We will focus on controlling the game in midfield and taking a structured possession approach to the game. I will hope to win the ball quickly from defence and move it up the middle quickly before finding the best passes to work the ball into the box. I also expect my defenders to work hard and press in order to win the ball quickly.

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My second tactic will look to cause problems for defences. I will look to be on the front foot and play a fluid attacking game. By clearing the balls out to the wing after winning it in defence from a pressing high line I will look to push down the wings and quickly get the ball into the box for the striker and midfielders to work with.

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My final tactic is the one I used in my first managerial game. This focuses on sitting back and leaving a deep defensive line to stop anything from getting through. By doing this the key man, which will be the defensive midfielder, will look to get the ball quickly and clear it out to the wingers who will quickly get forward and get the ball into the strikers.

All 3 of my tactics look to get forward quickly in different ways and then force some problems for opposition defences. Without an assistant manager still I am unsure to which will be my preferred tactic but at the moment I am leaning to the third option.

__________________________________________________
The next update will focus on my next set of fixtures, which includes the final fixture of September and then 3 games in October.
​

 

[shintabachir]

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Sutton United manager, Kyle Mitchell, has today announced that defender Nigel Seidu is expected to be out for 2-3 months with strained knee ligaments. This comes after he was injured in yesterdays 2-1 loss to Ebbsfleet after the defender came on after the hour mark.

This creates more selection problems for the new manager, who was surprisingly appointed as the U's manager just 4 days ago, as this is now a 4th player out with injury.

As well as injuries he will have to find a replacement for Bedsente Gomis who was sent off in the 82nd minute against Ebbsfleet. The central midfielder, who is thought of as a key player at Sutton, will be missing for the clubs next tie against Great Wakering in their FA Cup Qualifying Match.​

start will follow!

 

[kmitchell96]

September & October Update
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Fixtures
Great Wakering 1-2 Sutton
A generally disappointing performance against an amateur team in a game we should've won by 3 or 4 goals. Fitchett scored the first after White won and crossed the ball in. They equalised before Wellard ran through and the ball eventually fell to White to win the game.

Sutton 0-1 Bath
A tough first half gave no indication to who would possibly go on to possibly win the game. In the 89th minute we conceded the goal and it was unlucky; Ofori was injured leaving us with 10 men and they took advantage to take the lead. We had a couple of chances saved in added time but couldn't pull it back.

Burnham Ramblers 1-0 Sutton
A change to 4-2-3-1 to try create more goals looked to work well early on but fizzled out in the second half. Scannell was lucky not be sent off after giving away a penalty which handed Burnham the win with 15 minutes left before Bygrave was sent off seconds later.

Farnborough 1-2 Sutton
Two early injuries looked to have hurt us as we lost control of the game before Wellard tapped home a Hart cross to earn a lead. Poor marking gave the hosts an easy chance to equalise before White crossed in for substitute Wall who headed home the winner.

Sutton 2-4 Bishops Stortford
An already weakened team were unlucky. After going 2-0 up through Bygrave and Fitchett we ended the first half with 9 men due to injuries. This lead to a second half collapse where we had no chance of holding on against a dirty team.

Table
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Not where I would like to be at this point but tight losses against Ebbsfleet and Bath were good results against top 3 sides. The win puts us where we are as I win just 1 out of my first 4 league games.

Player of the Month
This award has to go to Callum Hart. The left back was key in the two wins and played well in the two 1-0 losses. He missed out of the last game to an injury but provided the assists for 3 of our 4 goals this month.
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Other News
1) Chris Price was appointed as assistant manager before my first game of the update and offers some good skills after retiring from the game. A new scout was hired as well to improve our scouting network.

2) The senior affiliation project was complete before the Burnham game which set me up with a link with league 1 MK Dons.

3) The story of the month was injuries as it cost us points in the league. We end the month with 8 injuries of at least a week and that includes 7 starters. I will have to look to promote from the reserves to fill the gaps in the squad.​

 

[kmitchell96]

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The U's Injury Woes
A different story today as we go to the conference south to focus on Sutton United. New to the game of management Kyle Mitchell is quickly being adjusted to the struggles of the game after just 6 games in charge.

Mitchell, who replaced former fan favourite Paul Doswell, has had injury struggles through his first 6 games. The first of his struggles is that in his 6 games he hasn't had a match where he has ended it with 11 players on the pitch. 5 out of these 6 times it has been down to the injuries taking place at Sutton with the other fixture seeing the them end with 10 men due to a dismissal.

The injury pile up has seen team selections being a problem for the manager who now has 8 players and 7 starters out injured. Having no backup defenders is his largest problem with key man Callum Hart being the hardest missing player to deal with.

They also have key injuries in midfield with Gomis being expected to miss at least the next game. Going into the forwards they have a total of 3 players missing including Alex Wall who scored the winner in Mitchell's only league win of his career.
​

 

[kmitchell96]

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01/11/2014
The Non-League Paper has managed to get an interview with the newbie of management Kyle Mitchell who is currently in charge at Sutton United in the Conference South.

So how have you found your first month in management?
Well it has been tough. I would've liked to have held won a couple of more games. I think we deserved the win based off of the first half performance against Burnham but they bettered us in the second half. I also feel like we were unlucky in the 4-2 loss against Bishops, injuries left us for the taking and they made the most of it.

You mentioned that 4-2 loss against Bishops, how hard done by do you feel about that?
Well no offence to the previous manager but he left the squad in a bit of a mess and we have struggled to get back to full fitness and with the large number of injuries it is hard to win games with a backup side. I think in that game with 11 men we could've added 2 or 3 more goals but with the injuries they had the chance to capitalise and they did.

There is news coming out today about further injures, can you tell us about this?
Yeah, erm White and Gascoine have both come out of training today with injuries. Gascoine looked to be ready to come into the first team to fill in some defensive problems because of injuries but he is going to be out for at least a couple of months. White is out for about 2 months after pulling his hamstring.

That makes it 10 injuries now for you, how tough is it coping with them?
We basically have a first team out with injuries. I mean Fitchett is our only fit striker who I think could make a big difference with White and Wall now out. In defence we are struggling to even field a back 3 let alone my preferred back 4. In midfield we have a number of injuries and seem to be struggling to control the games like I would want to down to not being able to play the strongest lineups.

Going into November how are you feeling about your chances?
I'd like to think we could pick up wins against Hayes and Yeading and Hemel as they are struggling but with injuries it could be tough for us. I am just hoping for strong performances against Eastbourne and Bromley and hopefully we can pick up a point or two from those games. And then I would like to get through to the next round of the FA Cup with a win against Hemel in the 3rd qualifier.

A final question and then I will let you go off to prepare for tomorrows game, are you looking to make any transfers?
I think at the moment I would like to bring in a couple of backup players on loan. I have looked at using the newly set up link with MK to bring in a couple of players but the scouts don't feel like there is anybody worth bringing in. I am going to have to look to bring in a defender at some point but I am happy with the squad at the moment, we just need injury cover.​

 

[kmitchell96]

November
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Coming into this month I wanted to build some form. It would be tough due to the injuries which seemed to have just piled up since my arrival but I would hope to get a couple of wins and add some draws to try and push up the table.

Fixtures
5 fixtures this month including a FA Trophy Qualifier to round off the month. The toughest fixture of the month would see us travel to Bromley who were fighting for the automatic promotion places. Games against Hayes and Hemel should see us pick up at least a point and hopefully the final game of the month would see us advance to the next round of the FA Cup.

Hayes and Yeading 1-1 Sutton
An all round fair game in a fixture that saw 17th face 18th. Injuries meant we were effectively playing a second team. It started poorly with us going 1-0 down just 4 minutes in but Fitchett got the equaliser in the 32nd minute. Neither team really created chances after this as it fizzled out at 1-1.

Sutton 1-1 Eastbourne Borough
A tough result to take after playing well against the play off chasers. Having gone up after 24 minutes we should've gone into half time 2 or 3 up but failed to take chances. The referee then awarded Eastbourne a soft penalty which they took to equalise.

Sutton 2-1 Hemel Hempstead
A lucky result. In the opening 10 minutes Banton could've put them 3 or 4 goals up but poor finishing meant we still had a chance. We somehow took the lead 10 minutes into the second half before Banton finally converted one of his chances. Fitchett got a late winner with his second goal of the game as the worst team won.

Bromley 2-2 Sutton
A brilliant result as we get a point from promotion chasers. Collins put us 1-0 up after 4 minutes after Ofori worked brilliantly down the wing. Ofori then won a penalty but got injured in the challenge, Southam converted. Once Ofori was taken off we had no real threat and Bromley did brilliantly to pull it back in the second half.

Hemel Hempstead 2-1 Sutton
Hart won a penalty on the half hour mark, questionably as it looked outside the area, but White marked his return from injury by converting the spot kick. A deflected cross somehow snook past Howe for them to tie the level up on the hour. Amankwaah then gave away a penalty for them to take the lead.

Table
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A good month in terms of results; would've been nice to pick up another win instead of the three draws in the league. I think the draws against Eastbourne and Bromley were good results. We are no out of both cup competitions after being knocked out of the FA Cup by Burnham in the last update and the FA Trophy by Hemel this month.

Player of the month
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Wellard gets player of the month purely based of the performances in the game against Hemel. Fitchett was a contender but was awful in the FA Trophy game whilst Wellard managed to pick up man of the match in that final game.

Other News...
Injuries are still piled up with us having 5 players out at the end of the month with 4 of those being starters. Those who have returned from injury have struggled with fitness and are struggling to make impacts on the team making us look lacklustre in attack.
​

 

[kmitchell96]

December​

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With injuries still piled up we will look to have a slightly better month than November and pick up another couple of wins. I will also need to start looking towards the transfer window as I look to improve the squad in January.​

Fixtures
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An easier month of fixtures as we have 4 games with 2 home ties at Gander Green Lane. We will look to pick up at least a couple of wins against easier opposition with our toughest game of the month being against 9th place Whitehawk.​

Basingstoke 0-0 Sutton

After coming close twice from corners in the first half we had to make changes with Bygrave and Scannell taking knocks. With 2 minutes left we had a goal disallowed for no reason as far as I could see and it cost us all 3 points.​

Sutton 2-1 Whitehawk

After Whitehawk opened the scoring White had a second goal in as many games disallowed. However Southam got the equaliser after the hour as he hit one with hope from outside the area and it flew past the visitors keeper. Wall then gave us the winner in the 91st minute on his return from injury after tapping in a Seidu cross. ​

Wealdstone 3-1 Sutton

A brilliant shot gave them the lead after we blocked a free kick the rebound was taken perfectly. Another brilliant goal extended their lead to two after a 40 yard shot rolled past Loveday in net. They made it 3 to really make the final stab at what was a poor performance from us. Southam did pull 1 back seconds later. ​

Sutton 2-1 St.Albans

Bygrave gave away a penalty 25 minutes in which was converted. With 10 minutes left Medlock sent in what looked like a wasted ball only for it to be chased down perfectly by Wishart who headed it home to level the scores. However 5 minutes later the took the lead due to poor defending from the full backs.​

Table
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A good start to the month fizzled out as reality hit hard at the end of the month and we stay in the relegation battle. With the poor league position being hard to get rid of despite some good runs my job is now very insecure and it seems a matter of time before I am sacked from my first job.

Player Of The Month​

Wishart gets player of the month after doing well in his return from injury. Scoring the winner in the Whitehawk game hands it to him after poor performances all round which saw us struggle to capitalise on form which saw us lose just 1 in 7.

Other News...
​

With my job at risk I have been searching around for jobs elsewhere and found a number of jobs which would be tough to get with my record but plausible around the lower leagues of Europe including in Ireland and Northern Ireland where I could make the move to in order to continue my career.​

 

[kmitchell96]

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Welcome to the new Non-League Paper live stream which today will be focusing on the clash between Sutton and Wealdstone as Mitchell's job hangs in the balance and a loss today could seal his fate and see him walking out of here today jobless.

Both teams are playing the strongest sides they have available baring injuries. Wall is welcomed back to the bench again for Sutton after fitness problems following the injury he received earlier this season whilst star left back Callum Hart is currently missing through injury.

Kick Off: Things are underway here and Mitchell is looking very nervous on the sideline as he begins to analyse the game.

5th minute: Oh and that has not pleased anybody on Suttons side. A really dirty challenge which has left Wellard down and signalling for help from. The referee has failed to not only stop play but bring a card out, it could easily have been a straight red!

20th Minutes: Sutton have the first chance as Scannell whips a cross into the box which Fitchett narrowly misses, any connection surely would have seen that go in.

HT: A pretty boring first half here at Gander Green Lane with neither team really creating chances leaving us level.

46th Minute: A good start by Sutton who have come out with intent with Fitchett teeing up White who sent the ball crashing into the post before it was cleared desperately by the Wealdstone back 4.

55th Minute: A pretty dull 10 minutes has lead Mitchell to make all 3 changes. Scannell, Medlock and Wellard are replaced by Ofori, Wall and Cooper. He will hope that the subs can give them a spark of insparation to earn them the win.

GOAL!! A brilliant start from the substitutions and after being on for 5 minutes they have given Sutton the lead. Ofori came down the wing brilliantly and crossed it in. Wall headed brilliantly and forced a fantastic save but Fitchett, who has been moved onto the wing through himself forward and managed to poke it in.

Goal!!! As quickly as it was 1-0 to Sutton it is 1-1. A brilliant move straight from the kick off caught Sutton off guard and they managed to push through the back 4 somehow and tap it home past Howe who looks like he has a knock.

Goal!!! Sutton have restored their lead here with just 10 minutes left! A brilliant move earned them a corner after Fitchetts shot was pushed around the post. From the corner Cooper flicked the ball on to Wall at the back post who headed it brilliantly past the keeper.

Goal!!! Again though, as quickly as Sutton score Wealdstone equalise. Basically an identical goal to the previous one but Howe managed to save the first attempt but a tired back 4 couldn't get to the ball before O'Nien who scored his second goal against them in 2 games.

Goal!!! What a roller-coaster this game has been! With just 5 minutes left we once again see Sutton gain the lead and as soon as the goal went in Mitchell screamed at everybody to stay back and defend at any cost. It was once again Wall who is unlucky to not have a hat trick but he once again beat everybody to the ball in the air and headed the ball down to himself and smashed it past a tired looking Wealdstone keeper.

94th Minute: Wealdstone are on the attack, wait no! Ofori has somehow won the ball and is zooming down the wing. Wall is waiting up top with Fitchett alongside him. Ofori crosses the ball in to Fitchett, he plays it across to Wall who hits it first time... WHAT A SAVE! He somehow managed to push the ball into the crossbar to deny Wall of his hat trick.

FT: And the game is over, a brilliant effort by Sutton who deserved the win. Mitchell surely must be safe for another week after that performance. Wall has to be given man of the match on this new years day tie after coming on and getting an assist and 2 goals and being unlucky to not have 3 or 4 goals.

Wealdstone started quickly and were physical in the first half which saw Wellard take a nasty knock in the first half but he managed to carry on. They couldn't keep the pace and physicality up though and eventually the pace of Suttons attack became too much for them. They managed to pull the game back twice due to a tired Sutton back 4 but they couldn't do it a 3rd time and Sutton almost had the last laugh with Wall hitting the post after a spectacular save from the Wealdstone shot stopper.​