After the disappointment of losing on the first day of the season, Sutton would have accepted four points from two tough games at Havant and Dartford, and following on from their fine performance at West Leigh Park on Tuesday they achieved that target with a battling display at Princes Park which saw them come from behind twice to earn a draw.
It took a magnificent save from Ross Worner in the last action of the game to make sure that the efforts weren't wasted, and on balance most people in the ground would probably think that the result was about right. Both sides had spells when they were in the ascendancy, and both created chances, but after conceding a freak goal, albeit self-inflicted, midway through the second half U's needed Jamie Collins, playing the full 90 minutes in teh absence of Simon Downer, to come up with his second goal of the week to bring themselves level five minutes from time.
There was little between the sides early on until Dan Wishart conceded a soft free kick in the 14th minute by the corner flag on Dartford's right. Ryan Hayes drove in an inswinging free kick and Tom Bradbrook dived bravely in to the six yard box to head in to the net. Sutton recovered from the blow, though, and almost levelled when a corner was cleared as far as Shaun Cooper, whose well controlled low shot was blocked on the line.
Moments later Micky Spillane saw a header deflected just wide, and it was Spillane who did bring Sutton back on level terms ten minutes before half time. A planned free kick routine ended with Glen Southam shooting powerfully from the right, and although his effort was blocked, the ball only came out as far as Spillane who crashed a volley back from just inside the left edge of the penalty area that no-one was stopping. Stuart Fleetwood, booked after a flare-up in which Tom Bradbrook was also shown a yellow card, might have put U's in front when he battled past two challenges following a long clearance from Worner, but having created a good position then sent his shot high and wide.
U's seemed to have dealt with the danger, but Cooper's back pass to Worner lacked sufficient power, forcing the keeper to come out quicker than expected and although he got there just before the challenging Tom Bradbrook, his clearance smacked in to the striker's face and rebounded back in to the net. Bradbrook knew little about it, and even less about the outcome as he required several minutes of treatment before being led off with blood coming from his mouth.
Dartford could have made the game safe but for a good save by Worner, pushing away a shot from substitute George Sykes, but Sutton, with Tom Bolarinwa and Shaquille Hippolyte-Patrick now adding pace to the attack, were still creating chances and Deren Ibrahim beat away a fierce Southam shot.
The reward came five minutes from time when a free kick ended up with Hippolyte-Patrick, who took on the defence on the right and although seeming to be crowded out he whipped in a magnificent cross which was glanced just inside the far post by Collins. It secured U's a hard-earned point, but they would still have been deprived that but for Worner, with Andy Pugh running on to a pass from Jack Simmons and hitting a powerful shot that seemed destined for the net until Worner went to his left to tip the ball away.
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