A week of testing away fixtures started well for Sutton as they survived a first minute penalty scare to record a comfortable win against a Gosport side still in the play-off positions but coming under pressure from the sides below them.
Most frustratingly of all, after referee Gary Parsons had kept his cards in his pocket throughout an afternoon without one bad tackle, he decided in the very last action of the match that Dean Beckwith had transgressed once too often and showed the centre back his 10th yellow card of the season, ruling him out of two games including the crucial clash at Maidstone in early April.
It was Beckwith who featured in the incident which saw the game start in dramatic fashion. Just 43 seconds had elapsed when he bundled over Justin Bennett as they contested a high ball in to the penalty area from Sam Pearce, and the referee pointed to the spot.
Bennett was one of two players to have penalties saved by Ross Worner in U's narrow win at Gander Green lane in September, and here the keeper wasn't even required as the division's joint leading scorer prior to the game sent his spot kick high and wide to Worner's left.
It was to be just about the closest Gosport came to Worner's goal throughout the afternoon, as on a dry and bumpy pitch that may have reminded U's players and supporters of Gander Green Lane in the spring in previous years, Sutton were in charge of most of what happened subsequently. Craig Eastmond grazed the side netting with a dipping volley before Downer was forced off with a hip injury.
Within three minutes of the enforced change, though, Beckwith chipped the ball in from the left after a throw-in hadn't been cleared, and Stearn controlled the ball on his chest before striking a volley with the outside of his right foot that found the far corner of George Legg's net. Sutton should have had a second soon afterwards when Fitchett and Eastmond carved through the home defence, but Legg was off his line quickly to save with his legs, and when the same two players combined again, Eastmond's low shot was also saved by the keeper.
Fitchett's involvement ended just after the half hour mark courtesy of a hamstring strain, with Dan Spence's introduction allowing Wishart to push futher forward and sending Tom Bolarinwa up to play alongside Jamie Slabber, starting for the first time since his return. It made for a difficult afternoon for the home defence, with both players in confident mood, and five minutes before the break Wishart had claimed his first league goal of the season with a crisply struck first time volley on the turn, from almost exactly the same place as Stearn had struck, after Williams had inadvertently glanced on a Ryan Burge corner at the near post.
Gosport had a glimmer of a chance just before half time to get back in to the game when they were awarded a free kick just outside the penalty area, but Worner was across well to keep out Williams's effort which may in any case have been curling wide, and for most of the second half it was more a case of whether Sutton could add to their lead rather than whether they could defend it.
Wishart had the best opportunity, intercepting a weak header from Ryan Woodford towards his goalkeeper and taking the ball round Legg only to shoot in to the side netting. He was unlucky, though, when he cut in from the right and hit a fierce shot that drew a good save from Legg. The keeper also did well to deny Slabber after a Bolarinwa shot had diverted to his path, while Burge was denied by a fine challenge from Williams as he shot from close range.
Both Bolarinwa and Burge were also guilty of delaying shots and allowing defenders to clear, but although the spectre of Hemel Hempstead's recent comeback warned against complacency there was little threat from the home side until the closing moments when Adam Wilde, a member of Paul Doswell's first Sutton squad, swung in a free kick that Kevin Amankwaah headed just past his own goal. Even later than that came Beckwith's booking which tempered U's joy at what was otherwise a fine win.
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