Sutton United 3 Dorking 0 (H/T 2-0)

SUTTON CRUISE THROUGH TO NEXT ROUND OF CUP

The Under-18s eased their way past previously unbeaten Southern Youth League South Division leaders Dorking tonight at Banstead with a comfortable win in the first round of the Surrey Under-18s Midweek Floodlit Cup.

If ever a half of football can be described as one-way traffic, then the first 45 minutes was the perfect example as Sutton dominated from the start – the only criticism being that the game was not over as a contest as the referee blew the whistle for half-time. As early as the third minute, Josh Olufemi’s strike from Dan Wanyoni’s flick-on beat the keeper but was stopped from crossing the line by a despairing lunge by a covering defender. A minute later Lewis Taylor’s 20-yard free-kick deflected kindly into the keeper’s arms, and then Arran Nurse was fed by Wanyoni but scuffed his shot straight at the keeper. Nurse then drove forward from halfway and touched the ball through to Wanyoni whose first time shot flew the wrong side of the post, but after 15 minutes Brandon Johnson put Wanyoni through on the right, who beat the full-back and put in a cross that fell nicely to Nurse at the far post to slot home. Shervin Mohajeri’s long throws caused havoc in the Dorking defence, with Josh Olufemi racing clear and volleying narrowly wide, and then Wanyoni managed to out-muscle a defender from the full-back’s throw that allowed Nurse space at the far post space to extend the lead from a narrow angle. Nurse could have completed a 30-minute hat-trick but was thwarted by an excellent save from visiting keeper Henry Warne, then Nurse’s strike from the edge of the box deflected nicely for Wanyoni whose shot agonisingly hit the side-netting at the near post. Warne continued to keep Dorking in the game with a superb save from Johnson’s rasping 25-yard volley and in the closing stages of the half Johnson chipped neatly through to Wanyoni who sliced his shot wide.

The second half was a much more even affair, with Dorking having more of the ball shooting down the slope but in truth rarely threatening Elliott Orris in the Sutton goal. A quick Taylor free-kick as Sutton looked to extend the lead found Olufemi on the left, who beat his marker and drove inside but his shot was beaten away well by Warne. Wanyoni’s shot on the turn was then blocked by a defender, the ball falling to Nurse on the edge of the box but his shot was deflected just wide. Johnson nearly caught Warne out with a cross-shot from the left but the keeper just managed to touch the ball over for a corner, but in the 73rd minute it was Johnson who staked a claim for goal of the season, stealing possession inside his own half and, spotting Warne on the penalty spot as he crossed the half-way line audaciously chipping the ball perfectly over the visiting keeper’s despairing arms to put Sutton three goals up. In the closing stages Dorking looked to threaten a first clean-sheet of the season for Sutton but were thwarted by a superb close-range save from Orris as he somehow tipped the ball over the bar.

Sutton Line-Up:

Elliott Orris
Cyrille Sahie
Shervin Mohajeri
Ted Howard  (Partington, 47)
Lewis Taylor
Jake Tyson  (Mills, 73)
Dayo Akinbeje  
Brandon Johnson
Arran Nurse
Dan Wanyoni  (Middleton, 77) 
Josh Olufemi

Subs: Harry Mills, Emet Jaffe-Pearce, Harry Middleton, Jack Partington, Ryan Petruzziello
Goals: Nurse (15, 21), Johnson (73)