Despite being dealt two more blows on the injury front, Sutton continued their improvement since the Burgess Hill defeat on Sunday and could justifiably claim that on the balance of play they were worth more than the point that nevertheless extended their unbeaten run to three games. In an uncanny repeat of their visit to York Road on the first day of the season when they lost to Maidenhead, Sutton fell behind midway through the first half within a minute of hitting the post at the other end, and when Jessy Reindorf equalised at almost the same stage of the second half as he had in August there was every reason for the superstitious to be concerned since Maidenhead had won that game with a goal four minutes from time, but happily for U's the coincidences ended with Reindorf's goal, and if either side looked likely to grab the late winner it was Sutton, with debutant Billy Medlock twice denied in the last five minutes by some excellent defending from Matt Ruby.
Medlock had been on since half time, Callum Hart having to give way to a knee injury that he had first felt during the warm-up, but Sutton had been forced in to a change much earlier than that when Dale Binns crumpled painfully off the pitch having challenged Lewis Ferrell near the by-line. Binns limped off with knee ligament damage, but it did give Shaquille Hippolyte-Patrick virtually a full game to build on his previous two impressive brief appearances, and there were times during the afternoon when he made life very uncomfortable for the experienced Adam Everitt, both players ending up with bookings for fouls on the other. Indeed it was generally a good afternoon for former Sutton reserves with double-barrelled surnames, with Rhys Murrell-Williamson in the Hayes line-up and winning one of their two Man-of-the Match awards.
It was the last action of the half, and Hart's last action of the afternoon, with Jack Evans switching to left back, Spillane dropping to right back and Medlock coming on up front as Dundas moved in to midfield. Medlock, whose goals for Tonbridge this season had earned him the chance at the higher level and who had scored 24 hours earlier for the Kent side in the FA Trophy, impressed immediately with some good movement and use of the ball as Sutton started the half on the front foot, and they were rewarded ten minutes in as Kane Haysman was tripped on the edge of the penalty area, and when Evans chipped the free kick to the far post it was Reindorf's head that applied the crucial touch.
Hayes had one real chance to regain the lead when Murrell-Williamson did well on the leeft before crossing to the far post where Beadle headed weakly wide, but the more frequent chances for a winner came at the other end. Reindorf came closest, another firm downward header from another Evans cross well kept out by Smith, who had frustrated Sutton for Farnborough a fortnight earlier, and twice in the last five minutes Medlock found himself clear of the Hayes back line but on each occasion Ruby was across to make a saving challenge at the expense of a corner and make sure that the fixture finished level for the third year in a row, although this time at least with goals.
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