SUTTON UNITED 6 - 1 REDDITCH BOROUGH

 

MIDLAND FOOTBALL LEAGUE, DIVISION TWO 

Coleshill Road Nurseries, Coleshill Road, Sutton Coldfield, B75 7BA

21st January 2023,     3pm Kick-Off

This Saturday sees the local non-league football schedule greatly disrupted again, this time not to excess rainfall but the freezing conditions. My original choice of game this week is the MFL, Div 3 clash between AFC Birmingham v Wake Amateurs and my back-up game is Cadbury Athletic v Fairfield Villa in Div 2 but both games have failed early pitch inspections.  

While in Birmingham city centre, I then realise I will have to go again to a club that has an artificial playing surface. I then find out that MFL Div 2 front runners, Sutton United, are at home at their new ground that has an artificial pitch. Although it's a 3pm kick-off I decide to go there anyway. I much prefer an earlier start as the light will usually be better for my photos at this time of year but beggars can't be choosers!

I take the number 907 bus from the city centre and arrive in Sutton Coldfield with plenty of time to have an all day breakfast & coffee at a local cafe and a look around the shops.

Sutton's ground is a 15 minute walk from the town centre in Coleshill Road, next to a garden nursery. Apparently this facility has been planned for some time and mainly paid for by the club chairman. There is a car park in front of the club house and the pitch lies in front of this, with a 100 seater stand to the right of the changing room building. There is a hard standing path railed off and around the pitch, which in turn is surrounded by a high wired fence. The team dug-0uts lie on the opposite side and at the furthest end, there is a neatly piled bank of earth, still awaiting removal, where I hear there will be another stand built. Just behind this, lies the main railway line from Birmingham to Lichfield. Floodlights complete the picture of this modern looking facility along with an artificial training pitch. 

Sutton's opponents today are Redditch Borough from Worcestershire. On paper this looks like an almost given 3 points for the high scoring home team but I'm sure Redditch will be looking to give them a tough fight.

Thanks to my malfunctioning watch I have arrived at the ground with 10 minutes already played. I will have to get a new battery as my watch stopped completely at 3:30 pm at last weeks game at Gornal Colts. I'm assured by another spectator that no goals have been scored so far.

When I settle down to watch the game at the dug-out side of the pitch, Sutton United as expected are looking the more dangerous of these 2 teams. Both sides are in their usual first team kits with the home side in green shirts, black shorts & socks while Redditch are decked out in all navy blue.

After some sustained pressure, Sutton United take the lead in the 15th minute with a stooping far post header from N0.7 Tom Massey from a corner from the left.

In the following 10 minutes, Sutton's No.10, Joe Gildea, spurns 2 chances, first when he swivels round and shoots over the bar from a good position and then directing the ball in to the hands of the Redditch keeper when he stretches to an incoming cross but can't get any power in the shot.

Redditch Borough are containing their opponents quite well after this with their pressing game and create a chance of their own when their No.11 cuts in from the left and sees his shot well saved by the United keeper and then just before the break they have another effort blocked by the vigilant Sutton keeper, Reiss Wagstaff.

So half-time arrives and surprisingly Sutton have been restricted to just the one goal and this might encourage Redditch to spring a surprise today?  There looks to be a crowd of 100+ and I remember seeing on the Midland Football League website that they had a very impressive turn out of 427 spectators at their recent home Boxing Day fixture with local rivals Boldmere Sports & Social. That's certainly more than nearby Sutton Coldfield Town usually get at their nearby ground and they sit 3 levels higher in the Non-League pyramid!

When play resumes, any thoughts that the visitors may have had of springing a surprise result quickly vanish in the first 10 minutes of the second half. 

First Sutton United score from a penalty by captain, Josh Duggan  following a push on one of their players on the left of the penalty area. Then in the 51st minute their No.10, Joe Gildea, plants a header in to the net from a corner on the right. Just 2 minutes later and their No.2, Jonny Grigg gets in on the act with a great shot from the right after the ball was worked over to him from the left.

Redditch Borough are understandably a bit shell shocked after this goal blitz but they gamely get on to the score sheet after 70 minutes when their No.7, Tom Fishwick, rises highest to a free kick to head home a consolation goal.

Sutton United's dominance in this half is not to be denied however and Tom Massey fires home his second goal past Tony Swain from the right in the 75th minute and then in stoppage time, skipper Josh Duggan scores with another cracking shot.

(Some of the Nursery buildings can be seen at the back on the left)

A 6-1 win for Sutton United to increase their lead to 10 points over 2nd placed Cadbury Athletic, who now have 2 games in hand over them and a lead of 13 points over Knowle in 3rd place who have 3 games in hand.

It's certainly looking good for Sutton United in the title race this season, following their promotion from the 3rd Division last season and with their new ground, they are going places!

Redditch Borough have a Worcestershire FA Saturday Cup, Quarter-Final coming up next Saturday at Pershore Town, where they face Town's Development team and will be looking for some Cup glory. 

Although today's later starting time has meant that it's been more difficult to take photos with a fast enough shutter speed, it's been good to visit this new ground and it will interesting to see United's progress over the coming seasons. 

Match Attendance:                        100+

  Entrance Fee:    Free? (but late arrival)

Match Programme:      None Available

Entertainment Value:                    8/10 

 

   

SUTTON UNITED 4 - 1 AFC SOLIHULL

 

       MIDLANDS FOOTBALL LEAGUE, DIVISION 3

                  Rectory Park, Hollyfield Road, Sutton Coldfield, 

                              18/12/2021,  2 pm  Kick Off 

Today I had been planning to visit Gornal Athletic for their Birmingham FA Vase clash v AFC Birmingham. I had been erroneously informed on the MFL website that the game would start at 2pm but found out late on Friday that it would be 3pm. So I started to make plans instead to see another cup game at the Coventry Alliance club called Jet Blades, just on the outskirts of Bedworth. Their Secretary kindly got back to me and said that this match had been put back to the 8th January. So instead I am going to Sutton United's top of the table, MFL Div 3 clash v AFC Solihull and hope that the weather will not be too bad. 

I make it to Sutton Coldfield by train without any mishaps, find a good and cheap cafe for a meal of omelette, chips and peas and walk to the ground in Rectory Park. The weather is cloudy and not likely to brighten up later, so I'm figuring I will have to take as many photos as I can during the first half and hope for the best later on.

It takes me about 25 minutes to get to the ground and I enter by an open gate through the St. Chad's church car park. Not the official entrance probably but I don't think there is an entrance fee for this game. I have been here before, 8 years ago on a pleasant sunny April afternoon. Sutton's opponents that day were the long defunct team of Rugeley Rangers who they beat 5-0.

The ground is basically a park pitch with a railing round it with hard standing at the eastern end and the south side of the ground. The pitch has a noticeable slope on the far side facing the rest of the park. There is a nice club house with the changing rooms, close to the gate I came through and there is a small shelter (room for about 50 spectators),  by the side of the goal nearest the club house. Along side this pitch, there is another one immediately in front of the club house where I find out later on that the Sutton United 4th team are playing today.  

I left it late getting to the ground and the teams soon are trooping on to the pitch, with Sutton in green shirts, black shorts and socks, while their opponents are decked out in their usual colours of all blue.

For the first 10 minutes AFC Solihull are virtually camped in the Sutton United half and the home side's defence is working very hard to keep them from scoring.

  Keep them out they most certainly do and then they break out down the slope on the right in the 12th minute and their No.8, Leighton Hines, shoots past the advancing Solihull keeper.

3 minutes later and United double their lead, when their No.7 is released down the left hand side by their No.6 to pass the ball across to Jonathan Grigg to slot home from close in (as shown below).

The play is quite even for the rest of this half and there is no further score.

So Sutton United managed to catch out Solihull on the break and score twice to have a nice cushion going in to half-time. AFC Solihull have shown they can play some good football going forward but I fancy that they will have to score early on in the second period to have a chance of winning this game.

While looking at my phone, I am very surprised to see that there will only be one Premier League game being played today as the rest have been cancelled, due no doubt to the ever present covid crisis.

When play resumes, my camera is struggling in the deepening gloom and after 10 minutes I give it up for today, as I know I will get mainly blurry photos. To my surprise, the other photographer who is here today is still snapping away. He happens to be the father of the Sutton United No.7 and his wife also writes up the match reports for the club.

We chat away for much of the rest of this half and he helps me with my report by telling me the names of the Sutton scorers.

AFC Solihull do get their early goal, when in the 49th minute they attack down the right and when the ball is crossed in to the Sutton box, the home keeper shapes up to punch the ball but unfortunately he slips and this allows the visitor's No.11, Leonardo Torres, to collect the ball and shoot in to the unguarded net.

It turns out to be a very competitive match now and at one point the ref has to calm things down when some of the players keep jostling each other before Solihull take a corner.

In the last 10 minutes though, Sutton United take control of the game when one of their subs, the No.14 called Tom Massey scores with a great shot from near the penalty spot.

5 minutes later and the ball eludes the Solihull keeper from the left and another Sutton substitute, called Nathan Cox slides in to poke the ball in to the net.

Sutton United see out the last few minutes very comfortably for a well deserved victory against their close rivals. This victory leaves them still in 2nd place, six points behind runaway leaders, AFC Coventry Rangers and one point ahead of Coventrians and AFC Solihull are now in 4th place, 4 points behind Sutton.

It's been good to get to a game despite the poor visibility and it's also my first 3rd Division game of this League. So 2001 is rapidly coming to a close and hopefully I will be able to get in another game before the start of 2022.

Entrance fee:                          Free

Match attendance:                     76 

Match programme:    none available 

Entertainment value:               7/10