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Sutton ran out for the start of the 2005/06 league season in a new home strip but it was soon new signing Luke Cornwall taking centre stage rather than the chocolate and amber stripes. Maidenhead had already had a golden opportunity to open the scoring when Cornwall got off the mark for the season with only seven minutes on the clock. United’s attack appeared to be going nowhere when Cornwall chested the ball under control midway into the Maidenhead half, before turning off his man to find the space to curl a left-footed shot from at least thirty-five yards into the top left corner, 1-0. Within a minute Cornwall was celebrating his second goal as a United player when Craig Watkins was released down the right and chipped the ball over a defender to Cornwall. He cleverly let the ball run past his marker before placing a firm left-footed shot past the ‘keeper to the bottom left corner from near the penalty spot, 2-0. Cornwall should have completed his hat-trick just three minutes later but, following a foul on Paul Honey, he headed Matt Gray’s free kick wide of the target when well placed to score. As it was, he only had to wait until the eighteenth minute to complete his debut hat-trick, combining again with Watkins in an attacking partnership that’s beginning to show promise. Honey began the move, curling a pass down the right wing to Watkins, who shrugged off a defender and rolled a pass to the edge of the box, perfectly into the run of Cornwall, and he planted a side-footed shot into the far corner, 3-0. Sutton continued to trouble the Maidenhead back line and could well have doubled the score before the break. Watkins, Cornwall and Tony Quinton all had shots at goal but United’s best chance for a fourth came moments before the interval when Watkins capitalised on some shoddy defending and set up Gray but he drilled a shot straight across the face of goal when Eddie Akuamoah was standing unmarked with the goal at his mercy. Half-time: U’s 3, Maidenhead 0. Inevitably the second half failed to live up to the opening forty-five minutes. The U’s initially looked in the mood to make the game a rout when they opened the half in attacking fashion and soon went close again, Quinton heading narrowly over from John Scarborough’s headed lay back. But before long, Sutton looked like they had settled for the three goal margin and had visibly eased off, allowing Maidenhead back in to the game. Carl Emberson reacted well to palm over a rasping twenty-five yarder but could do nothing with fifteen minutes to go when Ryan Palmer uncharacteristically lost possession, allowing Stephen Hughes a clear run on goal to strike into the left corner, 1-3. Palmer was at fault again four minutes later when he missed a clearance, but was spared by the woeful finishing of the Maidenhead striker, who shot across Emberson and wide of the goal when he should at least have forced a save from United’s ‘keeper. The reality that they could allow the Magpies back into the match seemed to dawn on United, though, and Quinton wrapped up the opening day win with ten minutes left. Honey played in Gray down the right wing and when his cross was only cleared to the edge of the box, Quinton was on hand to hit a first time right-footed shot into the bottom right corner, 4-1. In the final minute the U’s could have added further to the scoreline - Stuart Castledine, on as a substitute for Cornwall, headed Gray’s free kick into a dangerous position but Akuamoah’s crisp volley from eight yards scraped just over the bar. Full-time: U’s 4, Maidenhead 1. F-t-L Facts:
Goals: Cornwall (7, 8, 18), Quinton (80).
Top Right, A minute later, Cornwall adds his second of the match. Bottom Left, Cornwall's debut hat-trick is complete in the eighteenth minute. Bottom Right, Tony Quinton side-foots into the bottom corner from the edge of the box. U’s v Havant & Waterlooville (15/08/05) Two days on from his debut hat-trick, Luke Cornwall scored the only goal of the game at Havant to send United to the top of the Conference South. After the weekend’s resounding victory over Maidenhead, John Rains picked the same eleven to face the much sterner test that Havant would provide. United were outplayed in the first half, rarely creating an attacking threat and only some dogged defending and poor finishing kept the scores level going into the break. The Hawks had a couple of glorious chances, notably spurning what appeared to be a simple finish with twenty minutes gone when their striker rifled his shot across the goal and comfortably wide of the post from an unmarked position on the right of the area. Havant were also unlucky from a well-worked free kick and might have scored a thunderous effort from the edge of the box had Paul Honey not slid in to pull off a fantastic block. The best chance for the U’s fell to John Scarborough after Craig Watkins and Cornwall had combined to win a corner. Matt Gray’s dead ball from the left reached Scarborough at the back post but, under challenge, he could only place his diving-header wide of the upright. Half-time: U’s 0, Havant 0. The second half was a completely different story, though, and after Carl Emberson had saved well during a goal mouth scramble, United’s midfield took control of the game. Whereas Sutton had struggled to hold possession in the first half, Tony Quinton and Honey now had room to control the game from the middle and Gray and Eddie Akuamoah became ever increasing threats down the flanks. In a three minute period near the hour mark Sutton went close on three occasions, Gray and Cornwall both being denied by former U’s goalkeeper, Gareth Howells, and Lewis Gonsalves hitting a skidding shot that deflected wide of the left post from eighteen yards out. As the game wore on, United exposed Havant’s tiring defence on more and more occasions. The pace of Watkins proved a particular problem for Havant and twice he could have opened his account for the season, only to miss the ball when Quinton and Cornwall had torn apart the defence and then for Howells to save excellently at his feet. For all of United’s domination of the half, Havant looked far from out of the game but once again found Emberson in excellent form when a deep free kick was driven fiercely at goal at the back post. Almost immediately United went on the attack, spreading the play wide to the left to Akuamoah, who beat the right back and hit a great cross to the near post where Cornwall glanced a header into the far side of the goal to break the deadlock with only ten minutes left, 1-0. Akuamoah and Gray continued to torment the Havant full backs, to the extent that the defenders had to resort to bringing Sutton’s wingers down time and time again in an effort to counteract their influence. One such foul on Akuamoah gave Gray the opportunity to strike at goal from the free kick but Howells was equal to the low effort. With a minute left, Havant came as close as possible to taking a share of the points, but when they finally got the ball past Emberson, Gary Elliott came from nowhere to clear the ball off of the line, his second goal-saving moment of the match, having earlier blocked a shot destined for the top corner. That proved to be the Hawks’ last chance of the match as Sutton played out the injury time in the Havant half of the field until the referee’s whistle sent the United fans wild – “We’re top of the league, We’re havin’ a laugh!”. Final score: U’s 1, Havant 0. F-t-L Facts:
Goal: Cornwall (80). U’s v Yeading (20/08/05) United made it three wins from three games on Saturday and now sit second on goal difference behind Cambridge, the only other team to have won all their opening matches. With the team confidence high from the excellent start to the season and no injuries, nobody was surprised to see John Rains field the same starting eleven for the third time this season. Sutton took the lead after nineteen minutes during a three minute spell of pressure that included the U’s only two efforts on target of the half. Paul Honey began the move, rolling a nicely-weighted pass down the line to Matt Gray, who had the time to fire a low cross towards the near post. Luke Cornwall was first to the ball but failed to connect, leaving the ‘keeper stranded and watching in disbelief as his centre-back, with Craig Watkins bearing down, prodded the ball into his own net at the second attempt, 1-0. Moments later, the ball was set up nicely for Honey on the edge of the box and he looked to have found the bottom left corner with a left footed drive but the ‘keeper scrambled across in time to hold the shot. Conference South new boys Yeading had made the better start, and certainly had the larger amount of attacking play in the first half but could not break through some resolute defending by United. And when the opportunities did present themselves, Yeading’s finishing was left wanting – two well-worked openings were rewarded with shots nowhere near the goal and, on the stroke of half-time, Carl Emberson was equal to an effort that finally found the target. Half-time: U’s 1, Yeading 0. The second half began in controversial fashion when Yeading thought they had equalised after four minutes. Emberson’s save rebounded kindly to a striker on the left of the area and he fired a low shot from a tight angle that Emberson appeared to turn into the side netting, only for the ball to end up in the back of the net. After a brief consultation with his assistant, the referee ruled that the ball had gone through the side netting and awarded a corner. Watkins gave the Yeading number six a torrid time in the second half, and was by far United’s most dangerous looking attacker. One moment of pure skill on the hour nearly produced what would have been the goal of the season when he brought a half-cleared ball under control on the edge of the area, juggled the ball over three defenders and struck a lofted-volley that beat the ‘keeper but dropped agonisingly just over the bar. Ten minutes later, Watkins beat the number six for the umpteenth time and took the ball into the right side of the area before rolling a pass to an open Eddie Akuamoah eight yards out. His first-time right-footed effort rebounded off the ‘keeper straight back to him but he could do no better second time around, firing into the goalie, who clutched the ball gratefully to his chest. As the game wore on, the hosts pushed desperately for an equaliser but were thwarted at every turn by the Sutton defence, with Gary Elliott and Emberson in particularly fine form. In the final five minutes, Yeading could have found the net on three separate occasions but were denied firstly by Emberson, and then by their own finishing when they shot over from a matter of yards and then failed to convert a mad scramble in the United area. With Yeading no doubt feeling like they should have got something from the game, Sutton rubbed salt in the wound inside injury time when they capitalised on some comic home defending. United forced a throw-in down by the corner flag and were exerting no real pressure when the Yeading defender tried to throw it to his ‘keeper only to miss his intended target by some distance, allowing Cornwall to outpace the ‘keeper to the ball, now rolling across the area, and push it home with the outside of his left boot from twelve yards to put his name on the score-sheet for the third consecutive match. Final score: U’s 2, Yeading 0. F-t-L Facts:
Goals: Own Goal (19), Cornwall (90).
Right, Matt Gray hits a long clearance from the right back position. U’s v Farnborough (27/08/05) United battled for a one-nil one at Gander Green Lane on Saturday, despite being without Craig Watkins, who has joined Exeter, and Luke Cornwall, scorer of five league goals in the first three games of the season, who missed out through injury. In their places, John Rains fielded two new signings – Jamie Mackie, a former MK Dons striker, on loan from Exeter and Ali Chaaban, previously with Farnborough and Exeter. Mackie made a positive start to his spell at the U’s, showing some neat touches around the box that paved the way for a Matt Gray cross to be deflected narrowly over the bar. Shortly later, Mackie was alert to a poor back pass and nipped in front of the ‘keeper to take the ball from him but passed the ball behind Eddie Akuamoah when he attempted to pick him out on the edge of the box. Farnborough shared equal amounts of possession in these early stages and made Carl Emberson work with a twenty yard snap-volley that United’s experienced ‘keeper held above his head at full stretch. With twenty-nine minutes on the clock, United scored what proved to be the only goal of the game. Chaaban and Lewis Gonsalves combined to find Tony Quinton in the middle of the ‘borough half and he swept the play out to the right to Gray. With one touch Gray brought the ball down and then struck a sweetly curling cross that the ‘keeper misread, allowing it to sail over his head. Chabaan collected the ball just beyond the far post and crossed back to the middle where Mackie headed home from barely a yard out, 1-0. In a quiet end to the half, neither side threatened much to add to the scoring, Mackie coming closest with a shot from the edge of the box that went wide of the left upright. Half-time: U’s 1, Farnborough 0. After the break, United contained the Farnborough attacks well until late on but failed to make much of an attacking impression as a result. Quinton twice failed to hit the target after good work from Mackie and Chaaban. In the final minutes, Sutton were forced into a backs-to-the-wall defensive effort to protect the one goal lead. Farnborough should have made more from a right-sided corner but their player headed wide at the back post. Then, with a minute to go, an attack down the right side produced a deep cross that sailed over Emberson but was hooked away from danger by Gray. In injury time ‘borough went the closest they had come to finding an equaliser when their forward ran across the edge of the box and then hit a shot from just right of centre that left Emberson helpless but cannoned back off the left post. As the game reached its conclusion the U’s were unlucky not to pick up a penalty when Mackie was clearly shoved in the back inside the area but barely had time to complain before the referee’s whistle ended the game and signalled a fourth win from four matches and a third consecutive clean sheet. Final score: U’s 1, Farnborough 0. F-t-L Facts:
Goal: Mackie (29).
Right, Lewis Gonsalves jumps to head the ball upfield. U’s v Dorchester (29/08/05) United maintained their one hundred percent record with what turned out to be a comfortable victory against Dorchester. Steve Douglas, who had been on holiday earlier in the season, took the place of Ali Chaaban in attack but otherwise the team remained unchanged from Saturday's victory against Farnborough. In an uninspiring first half, neither side had many opportunities of note until the game was lit up by a moment of magic from Douglas on the stroke of half-time. Matt Gray was heavily involved for the U's, crossing from the right for Sutton's first two opportunities but despite two excellent crosses the U's failed to hit the target on either occasion, both Tony Quinton and Jamie Mackie being guilty of missing the goal. Dorchester were marginally the more threatening side up front, producing a flowing move early on that was glanced wide at the near post and then finding Carl Emberson in fine form as he saved a downward header from a corner. But, on the whole, they struggled to convert their attacking possession into goalscoring chances. In injury time at the end of the half, Gary Elliott made a superb sliding tackle to prevent a shot just inside the area and from that United went on the attack. Having won a throw on the right wing, deep in the Dorchester half, Gray threw the ball to Quinton, who span around his marker and curled a right foot cross into the middle where Douglas connected with a bicycle kick near the penalty spot that flew into the left side of the goal, leaving the 'keeper no chance. Half-time: U's 1, Dorchester 0. Both sides could have added to the scoring at the start of the second half before two moments of madness from Dorchester players changed the game in United's favour. After 64 minutes a two-footed tackle on Jamie Mackie on the right by Scott Morgan brought about a red card for the Dorchester player when he followed up his outrageous tackle by aiming some ‘foul and abusive’ language at the referee. Within two minutes, Dorchester were down to nine men when Gray received the ball and attacked the box from the right wing but was scythed down by Simon Radcliffe, who earned himself a second yellow card. Sutton dominated the game from then on, making the extra men count as they went on the attack time and time again. The match was effectively over when Sutton took a two goal lead in the 69th minute. Gray chipped a ball over the defence that sent Mackie free on the right side of the box and he showed great strength to hold off a defender and poke the ball right-footed under the ‘keeper and inside the near post, 2-0. The third goal followed only seven minutes later as Paul Honey passed to Quinton, who took the ball to the edge of the box before sliding an angled pass to the right of the area to Gray and his low, drilled cross was converted at the back post by Eddie Akuamoah, 3-0. United looked capable of scoring on every attack as they used the extra space to tear apart the Magpies defence. Quinton was involved again in bringing the ball from the middle of the pitch, this time rolling a through ball to Mackie, who touched it between two defenders just inside the box and was sent tumbling to the floor by a mistimed lunge. Gray got his penalty tally for the season up and running by shooting high into the left of the goal via the ‘keeper’s right hand, 4-0. Stewart Castledine was introduced for Quinton and nearly found the net with his first touch, only to be denied by a diving save after good work from Steve Douglas. The scoring was complete in the eighty-first minute when Gray found the net for the second time. United’s right winger took a corner from the right and the ‘keeper and defence seemed too preoccupied with obstructing Mackie to notice the ball curling straight into the far corner of the goal, 5-0. In the final moments the gloss was taken off of United’s comfortable win when Honey landed awkwardly and broke his arm and will now be on the sidelines for four to six weeks. Full-time: U’s 5, Dorchester 0. F-t-L Facts: Goals: Douglas (45), Mackie (69), Akuamoah (76), Gray (78 pen, 81).
Top Right, Jamie Mackie shows good strength before slotting the second past the 'keeper. Middle Left, Eddie Akuamoah converts Matt Gray's cross for the third. Middle Right, Mackie is brought down in the box to win the penalty. Bottom Left, Gray strikes the fourth from the penalty spot. Bottom Right, The 'keeper has no idea where the ball is as Gray's corner curls towards goal for the fifth. |
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