After battling back from two goals down to draw level and then look the likelier winners for much of the last half hour, Sutton were dealt an agonising blow by Morecambe’s Joel Senior, whose goal in the first minute of stoppage time allowed Morecambe to head north with all three points and keep U’s three points adrift at the foot of League Two.

It was harsh on Sutton, who had shown great spirit after conceding a second goal in first half stoppage time and had cut the deficit before the half time whistle, but U’s will feel that all three goals that Morecambe scored were avoidable, with Senior allowed to run twenty yards unchallenged before sending in a low shot that beat Dean Bouzanis at his near post.

Sutton names an unchanged side for the third league game in a row, and the start was reminiscent of the defeat of Walsall a fortnight ago. It took a fine save from Stuart Moore to deny Ben Goodliffe’s downward header after a left wing corner had been headed back from beyond the far post, and from the long throw that followed, Moore again did well as the ball looped goalwards off defender Farrend Rawson’s head.

Unlike against Walsall, though, the early goal proved elusive and after half an hour Morecambe’s first corner saw them break the deadlock as referee Neil Hair penalised Goodliffe for pulling Jacob Bedeau down as the ball came in, and Michael Mellon lifted the penalty high in to the net.

The game continued to be played mainly in the Morecambe half, but Sutton had had two early warnings of Tom Bloxham’s threat on the right, with Craig Clay and Omar Sowunmi producing crucial interventions from low crosses, and in first half stoppage time Bloxham was clear again after David Tutonda’s hurried clearance caught U’s understaffed at the back. Bloxham laid a pass off to Adam Mayor, who sidestepped past a lunge from Omari Patrick as the winger tried to recover and shot low past Bouzanis.

In recent weeks Sutton had seen games slip away from them once the opposition had gone two up, but this time there was an immediate response, with Sam Hart winning possession on the half way line and continuing his run to collect Patrick’s pass and crossing for Clay, whose header looked unlikely to trouble Moore but was diverted past the helpless keeper by Harry Smith’s head.

Moore was injured in trying to save and didn’t reappear for the second half, while U’s replaced Patrick with Dion Pereira, and the new Antigua & Barbuda international immediately sent a curling shot just wide. The boost from Smith’s goal was clear as U’s continued to have the better of things, and it was no more than was deserved when Sowunmi headed on Christian N’Guessan’s long throw and Goodliffe’s volley on the turn gave substitute keeper Adam Smith no chance.

Tails up, Sutton went for the winner, with Aiden O’Brien shooting wide after finding space on the right, and Pereira’s shot deflected just past the post, but there were other opportunites as too often a knock down was cleared or ran through to Smith. A draw would nevertheless have been a satisfactory outcome given the position when Mayor scored, but even that was denied U’s as, with the game entering stoppage time a cross was cleared as far as Senior, who took advantage of the lack of a challenge to approach the edge of the penalty area and shoot low inside the near post to give Morecambe the victory.

Sutton: D Bouzanis, J Kizzi, S Hart(sub R Milsom 90+6), O Sowunmi, B Goodliffe, C Clay, J Coley(sub H Beautyman 90+3). C N’Guessan, H Smith, A O’Brien(sub T Fadahunsi 90+2), O Patrick(sub D Pereira H-T). Subs n/u S Arnold, L John, R Jackson. Booked: Coley. 

Morecambe: S Moore(sub A Smith H-T), D Love, D Tutonda, J Bedeau(sub C Stokes 83), F Rawson(sub Y Songo’o H-T), J Senior, T Bloxham, J Slew(sub J Davenport 75), M Mellon, JJ McKiernan, A Mayor. Subs n/u C Brown, C Smith, E Walker. Booked: Tutonda, Love.

Referee: Neil Hair

Attendance: 2,603 (176 away)