Eastbourne Borough 1 Sutton united 1
Deservedly ahead at half time, Sutton found themselves pegged back early in the second half at the Langney Sports Club and despite dominating the last quarter of the game were unable to find the winner that their pressure deserved and had to settle for a point.
Apart from a five minute spell in which Nathaniel Pinney fired a left foot shot just over, Kevin Amankwaah was booked for a foul on Darren Lok, and Sutton temporarily appeared to lose focus, it was U's who continued to have the better of the half, and on the stroke of half time they almost had a second when Jamie Collins headed just over from Stearn's corner, although with the half well in to its third extra minute after two had been indicated, and no subsequent stoppages, Eastbourne would have had justifiable cause for grievance had the header been inches lower.
Sutton were slow to pick up in the second half where they had left off, and the lively Lok twice got in behind Amankwaah, volleying weakly wide on the first occasion but going close on the second when he cut in and hit a low shot which went just past the post with Worner, initially wrong-footed, beaten.
The warnings weren't heeded, though, and when former U Jack Evans chipped a ball over the top of a defence that was looking for an offside, Pinney, who was a threat throughout, was left clear to beat Worner easily.
U's had one more scare, again with the defence caught looking for an offside and again with Pinney left to go clear, but this time Worner came out of his penalty area and used his head to knock the ball away from Pinney, and it was the last serious sight Eastbourne had of the Sutton goal as the visitors turned on the pressure in the last twenty minutes.
Dan Fitchett met Cooper's cross with a good header which was pushed against the post and wide by Carey, and the keeper denied Fitchett again when he pushed away a snap shot after Amankwaah had pulled the ball back in to Fitchett's path. It was Amankwaah who had the best chance, though, heading Stuart Fleetwood's corner wide from close range when it seemed easier to score.
Dean Beckwith did get the ball in the net, heading in a Fleetwood free kick, but the offside flag cut short the celebrations, while Fleetwood's first competitive goal beckoned soon afterwards as he found himself clear on the right of the penalty area but pulled his shot across goal. Ian Simpemba's superb last-ditch tackle denied Bolarinwa when his pace created an opening, and the officials missed a tug on substitute Tommy Wright's arm in the penalty area when he tried to reach Beckwith's header from another free kick, as Eastbourne battled to hold on to their point.
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