Sutton Coldfield Town 3 – Romulus 1

Royals earn bragging rights in Bank Holiday derby clash.

Sutton Town maintained their unbeaten home record for the season with a victory over their fierce ground-share rivals Romulus on an overcast August Bank Holiday Monday.

The first half started well, with both sides eager to claim an early goal. The first chance fell to Sutton, when a cross by Matt Dodd from the right found Stuart McNaught unmarked in front of goal, but the midfielder could only strike his shot against the post. A minute later it was Romulus’ turn to attack, when a free kick from the left could only be cleared as far as Robert Evans, whose shot was gathered well by Niall Cooper. Marvin Johnson then found himself with a great opportunity to put Romulus ahead after a mistake from Ross Miller saw him through on goal with only the goalkeeper to beat, but was denied by a great save from Cooper.

The following 20 minutes saw the game fall into a slow and lacklustre rut, with neither side able to get a hold of the ball long enough to create any clear cut chances. It burst into life once again on the half hour mark, when good interplay between James Reid and Matt Dodd down the left resulted in a dangerous cross from Dodd which was headed clear by Luke Edwards. Two errors in the Sutton defence within two minutes then allowed Marcus Brown an opportunity to take the lead for Romulus, however he failed to capitalise.

Romulus were now on top, and it was very much against the run of play that Sutton took the lead in the 42^nd minute. A corner from the left found Ed Booth, who headed home to score his second goal in three days and put the home side ahead.

Sutton’s lead was doubled just two minutes later, when a ball cut out by James Reid found its way to Matt Dodd on the right. Dodd’s low cross across the goalmouth was tapped in by Jon Jones to make it 2-0 to the Royals at half time.

The home side began the second half in the same way they had ended the first, and it took less than 15 seconds for James Reid to force a save from Chris Jay in the Romulus goal. The resultant corner was headed just over by Ed Booth, and a minute later a free kick from the right was also headed over the bar.

The half continued in much the same vein as the first half, with both sides battling for control of the game. Romulus pushed for a goal which would bring them back into the game, however it was Sutton who went further ahead on 68 minutes. A corner from the right was cleared as far as Dean Rathbone, whose cross found Stuart McNaught at the back post whose header made it 3-0 to the Royals.

Romulus reduced the deficit three minutes later, when a cross from the left evaded the Sutton defence and fell to Marcus Brown, who slotted the ball into the bottom left of the Sutton goal.

The remainder of the game saw both sides pushing for more goals, but it was Sutton who finished the brighter of the two sides and took all three points. 

For all match photos please visit:

http://ianhartwell.com/index.php?/category/42

Brigg Town 2 – Sutton Coldfield Town 1

Royals suffer defeat in closely-fought game at The Hawthorns.

Sutton Town entered the game on the back of three consecutive victories, facing a Brigg side who were also unbeaten since their opening day defeat to Loughborough.

Sutton started the game brightly, with Craig Marshall having a shot ruled out for offside before James Reid shot wide of the post. Some good play by Matt Dodd saw him cut in on the right wing and pass to Marshall, who had his shot blocked. At the other end of the pitch, a cross from the right was tipped over the bar by Niall Cooper, while failure to clear a Brigg corner led to the ball ricocheting in the box before eventually being cleared off the line.

The game was becoming end-to-end, with both sides having good chances but neither able to capitalise on them. With half an hour gone, James Reid beat the offside trap but saw his cross cut out by the Brigg defence, and ten minutes later a cross from Phil Male once again found Reid, whose header flew agonisingly over the bar.

It was Brigg however who eventually found the breakthrough just before half time. Confusion in the Sutton defence allowed Bruno Holden to have a clear run on goal, and despite Cooper’s best efforts to close him down, he made no mistake to give Brigg the lead at half time.

The Royals began the second half in much the same vein as they had the first. A free kick to the right of the goal was hit straight at the Brigg goalkeeper, and both Dean Rathbone and Craig Marshall saw shots fly just over the bar. Reid was replaced by Mark Bellingham ten minutes into the half in an attempt to rejuvenate the Sutton attack, and it took just another ten minutes for the Royals to find an equalizer. A corner from the right found Ed Booth, who headed the ball home to make it 1-1.

The following fifteen minutes saw few chances for either side, and it appeared as though the game would end with honours even until the referee awarded Brigg a free kick to the right of the Sutton goal with just under ten minutes to go. The Brigg substitute Ray Ford stepped up and curled the ball into the top right hand corner to once again give Brigg the lead.

The home team could have been further ahead less than a minute later, when a corner from the left was headed against the bar and the follow-up headed shot was cleared off the line by the Sutton defence. The last five minutes saw a late surge by Sutton in an attempt to once again level the match, but Brigg held on to take all three points. 

For all match photos, please visit:

http://ianhartwell.com/index.php?/category/41

Sutton Coldfield Town 3 – Stamford 0

Royals take advantage of defensive errors for second home victory in seven days.

Sutton Town recorded their second home win of the week in a game which saw the home side twice take advantage of errors in the Stamford back line.

The game started slowly, with neither side managing to create any clear-cut chances. Some good passing play on the edge of the Stamford box after 17 minutes ended with the ball at the feet of Mark Bellingham, however his goal was ruled out for offside. Niall Cooper was then called into action five minutes later to make an excellent double save to deny Dan Cotton and Lee Beeson for Stamford.

As the first half progressed it was Stamford who began to dominate. A free kick from Cotton hit the Sutton wall and was deflected off the top of the cross bar, while five minutes later it was Stamford’s turn to have a goal ruled out for offside. Cotton then turned provider as he crossed the ball for Dean Oliver, however his header lacked power and was easily caught by Cooper.

At the other end Mark Bellingham saw a shot destined for the bottom corner blocked, while a corner from the left was tipped round the post by Mario Ziccardi. With four minutes of the first half remaining, Sutton finally found the breakthrough they needed. A great ball from Dean Rathbone found Matt Dodd in plenty of space down the right. The resultant cross found Ross Miller at the near post, and he made no mistake in converting it to make it 1-0 to the Royals at half time.

The second half saw Sutton start much brighter, and after eight minutes Mark Bellingham found himself through on goal after chasing down a long clearance, and saw his shot go just wide from a tight angle. A minute later Bellingham found himself clear of the Stamford defence once again, but with the goalkeeper having seemingly slipped in an attempt to close him down, he could only shoot straight at him.

Sutton were now well on top, but it was a mistake by the Stamford defence which led to them doubling their lead. A throw from Ziccardi hit Daniel Barrett and dropped kindly for Craig Marshall, who made no mistake firing the ball into the top right to make it 2-0.

Stamford made changes in an attempt to get back into the game, and it was substitute Gary King who would have their first shot of the half with a header straight at Niall Cooper. Sutton could then have further increased their lead as first Rathbone and then Marshall saw efforts just evade the goal. Stamford were then gifted one more chance to change the game as a mistake from Stuart McNaught allowed Jake Gibson to get a shot away, which was well held by Cooper.

It was deep into injury time that Sutton wrapped up the game, again capitalising on an error in the Stamford defence. Miles Chamberlain attempted to head the ball back to his goalkeeper under pressure from substitute James Reid, but failed to get enough on the pass and allowed Reid to nip in and chip Ziccardi to make it a comfortable 3-0 victory for the Royals. 

For all match photos please visit:

http://ianhartwell.com/index.php?/category/39

Sutton Coldfield Town 2 – Ilkeston FC 1

Royals record their first win of the season in closely-fought game.

Sutton Town overcame a tough challenge from league newcomers Ilkeston to win their first competitive match on home soil this season.

The match began on a quiet note, with much of the opening football being played out in midfield. However, it took just 16 minutes for the home side to find the decisive breakthrough. A superb through ball by Jonathan Jones found Mark Bellingham on the edge of the box, and the striker made no mistake chipping the Ilkeston goalkeeper to score his first goal of the campaign.

The following ten minutes saw some pressure on the Sutton Town defence, with an Ilkeston free kick from Will McCall flying just over the bar. It was Sutton who would double their lead on 28 minutes though, as Bellingham once again found himself clear of the Ilkeston defence and slotted home to make it 2-0 to the Royals.

The remainder of the first half saw several chances for Sutton to further increase their lead. Craig Marshall was denied a goal on three occasions by the Ilkeston goalkeeper, while Jones also had a long-range effort saved. The end of the first half saw the Royals fully deserving of their 2-0 lead.

The second half began in a much more attacking tone to the first, with Bellingham narrowly missing out on his hat-trick with a shot just over the crossbar. Ilkeston also saw a shot fly over, and a minute later Craig Marshall rattled the woodwork in what was becoming an end-to-end game.

Ilkeston found a way through the Sutton defence on 65 minutes, with Darryl Thomas slotting past Cooper to provide the away team with a lifeline. It was Sutton who would come closest to scoring a further goal however, as a corner swung in from the right was met by the head of McNaught, only to be denied once again by the woodwork.

The remaining 15 minutes saw efforts at both ends, but it was the Royals who came out on top at full time. 


For all match photos please visit:
http://ianhartwell.com/index.php?/category/37

Rushall Olympic 3 – Sutton Coldfield Town 1

Royals end pre-season with comprehensive defeat.

Sutton Town were shown that there is still some work needed before the season starts next week in their final friendly of the summer.

Rushall were much the better of the two sides during the first half, and were unlucky not to be ahead after hitting the post twice within two minutes either side of the 15 minute mark. Olympic then came close ten minutes later when a long-range shot was deflected straight into the arms of Niall Cooper.

Sutton’s best chances came later in the half, with the Rushall goalkeeper making two saves from long-range efforts. It was the home team however who could go in at half time feeling the more hard-done by with the score still at 0-0 at the break.

Rushall’s reward came less than ten minutes into the second half. A corner from the right was cut back across goal for Skedgel to head home from close range. This lead was doubled within five minutes when Ahmed Obeng, who had caused problems for the Sutton Town defence all game, found himself goal-side and squared the ball for an easy tap-in from his strike partner Matt Lewis.

The game was effectively wrapped up with 20 minutes to go when a cross from the left was met by the head of Skedgel for him to score his second of the game.

Sutton pulled one back with 12 minutes left, with substitute Rico Taylor making a brilliant run from the right, cutting inside the Rushall defence, beating four men and slotting the ball past the goalkeeper. This proved to be just a consolation however, as the Royals suffered their only defeat of the pre-season. 

Sutton Coldfield Town 1 - Romulus 0

Sutton come out on top in competitive charity game.

Following the reintroduction of the Sutton Coldfield Charity Cup last season, this year’s pre-season meeting between Sutton Town and Romulus was in aid of the John Taylor Memorial Hospice.

An even first half saw few clear-cut chances for either side. Long range efforts from Quiggin and Bellingham proved to be the best chances for Sutton, whilst a free kick for Romulus forced Niall Cooper into his only save of the half.

The second half saw Romulus emerge the better of the two sides, putting pressure on the Sutton Town defence. However, it was Sutton who found the breakthrough with fifteen minutes to go, as Mark Bellingham found himself through on goal and was brought down in the box. Craig Marshall converted the spot kick to take his goal tally for the pre-season to four and give the Royals the lead.

Romulus pressed for the equaliser during the last fifteen, and had a goal ruled out for offside, but Sutton held on to win the match. With just ten days to go before the start of the season, this was a promising display from both sides.