SOUTH: Dorchester Town 2 Sutton United 2
Dorchester Town 2 - Groves(34), Ugarte(38)
Sutton United 2 - Watkins(75), Akuamoah(80)
The better side for all but a ten-minute spell before half time at The Avenue Stadium on Saturday, Sutton nevertheless had to score twice in the last fifteen minutes of an eventful game to take the point that was the least they deserved.
It had seemed as though, not for the first time this season, U's would pay for failing to take their chances but the sending off of home striker Juan Ugarte, some crucial saves by Phil Wilson and some effective substitutions enabled them to put the home side under enough pressure to force the draw and press for a third goal at the end.
Neither side found the blustery conditions easy, and the home defence looked particularly uneasy early on as the pace of Matt Gray and Craig Watkins, and some incisive work from debutant Evren Arkali, saw them at full stretch. U's should have been in front inside ten minutes when a half cleared corner fell to Watkins. His shot landed at the feet of Andrew Martin, who had just goalkeeper Craig Bradshaw to beat but failed to do so as Bradshaw came out. Home defender Alex Browne came close to an own goal when he headed Peter Fear's cross out for a corner under pressure from Martin, and just before the half hour mark Watkins could twice have scored. First he rattled the crossbar after Gray's run and shot had caused confusion in the defence, and he then shot weakly at the advancing Bradshaw after being set up by some good work by Martin.
It was becoming a familiar tale of missed chances and Dorchester emphasised the point as they turned their first period of dominance in to goals. In the first half hour their only threat had been a quick Jamie Brown free kick curled just wide, but eleven minutes before the interval another free kick bounced around U's penalty area, and after two shots had been charged down amidst home team claims for handball Matt Groves drifted a volley over the covering defenders and in to the net. Worse followed for U's four minutes later when Ugarte drilled a low left foot shot under Phil Wilson after being put through by Mark Jermyn, and before the break they had also lost Paul Honey with a foot injury.
With what benefit there was from the wind seeming to benefit Dorchester in the second half U's prospects looked bleak, although when Simon Radcliffe was booked for a combination of handball and kicking the ball away, Gray's half-volley from Fear's free kick was only just over.
Sutton had a let-off when a Groves shot clipped the outside of the post and rolled to safety, but it was the home side's turn to feel fortunate shortly afterwards when Andy Harris, booked in the first half for a shuddering challenge on Arkali, clashed with Martin and both players were lucky to avoid the yellow card that in Harris's case would have ended his afternoon.
Referee Andrew Graves did produce a red card in the 59th minute, though, for Ugarte's two-footed challenge on Arkali, who had himself been booked in the first half for kicking the ball away and was soon substituted. U's struggled to make the extra man count, with plenty of pressure but no serious threat to the home goal, and it could have been all over when Tony Quinton allowed a through ball to run under his feet and left Groves clear, but Wilson came out to make a fine save.
Minutes later U's sent on Nigel Brake, pushing the lively Eddie Akuamoah up front alongside Watkins and Kunle Olusesi, and attacks began to flow down the left. The encouragement of a goal finally came when a superb turn and cross by Akuamoah was converted by a neat glancing header from Watkins, but Dorchester could still have restored the two goal margin but for Wilson. If he had been at fault for the second goal, he more than made up for it by keeping out Browne's header from a corner, and then, when a right wing cross was allowed to reach Groves, pulling off another brilliant save and earning his luck as Groves pushed the rebound wide.
The importance of those saves was underlined within seconds as Brake's cross fell for Akuamoah, who forced a left foot shot low in to the corner of the net with Bradshaw slow to react. At that stage, with Dorchester at full stretch, U's looked capable of even going on to win, and they pressed forward looking for the third goal. It didn't come, and their enterprise almost backfired on them in the last minute when they were caught short-handed at the back but Jermyn's low shot went narrowly past Wilson's right hand post.
Dorchester: C Bradshaw, A Griffin, S Radcliffe, G Middleton, A Browne, A Harris, M Jermyn, J Brown, J Ugarte, M Groves, J Barandiaran (sub M Walker 83). Subs n/u C Poore, J Keeler, W Byerely, S Legg. Goals: Groves(34), Ugarte(38). Booked: Harris(26-foul), Brown(36-foul), Radcliffe(47-kicking the ball away). Sent Off: Ugarte(59-serious foul play).
Sutton: P Wilson, M Gray, L Gonsalves, S Corbett, T Quinton, E Arkali (sub K Olusesi 63), P Fear, P Honey (sub S Booth 44), C Watkins, A Martin (sub N Brake 71), E Akuamoah. Subs n/u G Boosey, N Ajoge.
Booked: Arkali (33-kicking the ball away)
Dorchester: C Bradshaw, A Griffin, S Radcliffe, G Middleton, A Browne, A Harris, M Jermyn, J Brown, J Ugarte, M Groves, J Barandiaran (sub M Walker 83). Subs n/u C Poore, J Keeler, W Byerely, S Legg.
Booked: Harris(26-foul), Brown(36-foul), Radcliffe(47-kicking the ball away).
Sent Off: Ugarte(59-serious foul play).
Referee: A Graves
Attendance: 566
Sutton gave a debut in Saturday to Evren Arkali, a left sided midfielder who played for Edgware last season and previously played a handful of games for Hendon. He also has experience in the Turkish second division with Izmir Sports. Meanwhile defender Bradley Thomas has returned to Peterborough after his loan spell. Martin Dunne and Jesper Nielsen have signed Ryman League forms for Staines and Harrow respectively, although they remain registered for Sutton in Nationwide South.
