SOUTH: Welling United 3 Sutton United 2

After a run of six games unbeaten, Sutton came unstuck on Saturday against another club who started the season badly but have improved in recent weeks.

Having tasted a home Nationwide South victory for the first time against Margate at the end of October, U's now found themselves the victims as Welling lost their tag of the only side not to have won at home in the league this season and moved off the bottom of the table, although Sutton's superior goal difference ensured that they remain outside the relegation zone.

It was an entertaining game with both sides looking better going forward than defending, and Sutton should have come away with at least a point, but individual errors in attack and defence cost them dear, and they weren't able to make the extra man count after the home side's James Smith had picked up a second soft yellow card with thirteen minutes left.

Despite an arduous journey across South London as the closure of the M25 took effect, Sutton started in some style and could have scored inside two minutes when a fluent cross-field move ended with Matt Gray bouncing a superb cross in from the right that just evaded the diving Craig Watkins.

U's fans didn't have to wait long for a goal, though, as just two minutes later Eddie Akuamoah managed to force the ball through to Glenn Boosey just inside the area, and he kept his cool to roll a shot in off the far post as goalkeeper Charlie Mitten, making his Welling debut and the fifth player to keep goal for them this season, came out.

U's only held the lead for six minutes though, as a strong run from George Lay ended with his shot being deflected for a corner which was played short to Jamie Day, and his cross found Smith unmarked to head firmly past Phil Wilson.

U's responded well, with Boosey almost catching Mitten off his line with a dipping 25 yard shot that the keeper tipped over at full stretch, but they then crucially missed two golden chances. Firstly, Gray's instant return of a Mitten clearance put Akuamoah free, but his weakly hit shot was comfortably gathered by Mitten, and then a long throw was guided by Watkins into Boosey's path, but from reasonably close range he produced an equally weak effort that again failed to test Mitten.

Instead of being ahead, as they should have been, U's soon found themselves trailing as Lay arrived at the near post to turn in Tommy Tyne's cross, and by the break they might have conceded more. Wilson tipped over a fiercely struck Day free-kick, and from the resulting corner Tyne's header was cleared off the line by Nigel Brake.

With Tyne and Day both sending shots just wide, U's were pleased to hear the half time whistle, and playing down the slope in the second half they had an early chance as Paul Honey put in Watkins to hit a shot that Mitten saved at the second attempt.

Gray saw a deep cross bounce back off the crossbar with Mitten beaten, but when a goal came it was at the other end and followed a catalogue of mishaps for the U's defence. Awarded a free-kick for offside, Joff Vansittart took it quickly to find Stuart Booth, but he was quickly closed down and dispossessed by his near namesake Paul Booth, who broke away on the left. When his cross came in Sutton seemed to have cleared the danger but couldn't get the ball far enough away from their penalty area, and the final blow came as Day's shot took a deflection that completely wrongfooted Wilson, who could only watch from the ground as the ball trickled in to the net.

U's had to replace Watkins; Vansittart pushed forward, and with Boosey also going off with nearly half an hour to go their failure to name more than two substitutes raised even more eyebrows than it had at the start. Nevertheless, they continued to look for a way back and there was still nearly a quarter of the game to go when Lewis Gonsalves escaped the home defence and headed Gray's deep free kick across Mitten and inside the far post.

Welling were still creating chances of their own though, and after Wilson had combined with his post to keep out an angled shot from Day, and beaten away a Tyne effort, Honey came to U's rescue with a superb goal-line clearance after Paul Booth had broken free and rounded the keeper.

U's came closest to levelling when substitute Andrew Martin's snap-shot on the turn flew just too high, and they were helped further when Smith, booked earlier for punching the ball away as he challenged Martin in the air, obstructed Wilson as U's keeper tried to launch a quick clearance downfield and could have no complaints when referee Eamon Smith showed him a second yellow card.

Sutton couldn't make the extra man count though, and without the option of bringing on a fresh pair of legs to test a tiring defence they could come no closer than a deflected Brake cross which was scrambled away by Mitten without any Sutton player able to capitalise on the loose ball. Indeed, the closest to a goal came at the other end when Paul Booth shot badly over from close range.

Sutton:P Wilson, M Gray, L Gonsalves, J Vansittart, J Scarborough, N Brake, S Booth, P Honey, C Watkins (sub C Howard 59), G Boosey (sub A Martin 63), E Akuamoah
Goals: Boosey (4), Gonsalves (69)
Booked: Gonsalves (89 - foul)

Welling: C Mitten, T Browne, S Ball, J Smith, L Watts, G Lay (sub S Hale 75), D Slatter, L Spiller, T Tyne, P Booth, J Day. Subs n/u T Hambley, G Carter, N Bernard, T Arojogun
Goals: Smith (10), Lay (28), Day (52)
Booked: Smith (68 - handball)
Sent Off: Smith (77 - foul - second bookable offence)

Referee: E Smith

Attendance: 513