Match Report

Sutton’s long-awaited first Vanarama National League win of the season came in some style as U’s deepened Chesterfield’s early season woes with two goals in each half. Until Aaron Jarvis put U’s in front midway through the first half it was a game that looked to be well balanced, with Chesterfield at that point having gone closest to a goal when Will Evans hit the bar, but while the Spireites often carried a threat going forward, with Scott Boden and Mike Fondop lively throughout and Tom Denton once again a presence in the air once he came on early in the second half, they were less assured at the back and Sutton took full advantage. Will Randall, whose absence had been bemoaned more than once by Matt Gray in the past month, and David Ajiboye gave the visitors’ wing backs Jonathan Smith and debutant Gevaro Nepomuceno a torrid afternoon and Aaron Jarvis and Tommy Wright always seemed to have the upper hand on Chesterfield’s central defensive trio.

Early exchanges were about even, with Evans clipping the bar from Boden’s cross when U’s had failed to clear a set piece coming just after Rob Milsom had run from inside his own half and, with Randall’s run attracting the defenders, eventually unleashed a powerful shot which went just wide. Midway through the half, though, Ajiboye was some ten yards behind Nepomuceno when Ben Goodliffe played the ball forward and was able to race in to the penalty area and cross low for Jarvis to convert at the far post.

Eleven minutes later it was the other wing-back at fault as Smith misdirected a clearing header to leave Wright clear with just Luke Coddington to beat, and the striker prodded the ball past the keeper to put U’s in firm control(above).

Chesterfield had their moments early in the second half, Jamie Butler diving to his left to turn aside Robbie Weir’s low shot from an angle after U’s had again been uncertain at the back, and when Denton entered the fray his aerial prowess led to one header that went wide of the left hand post but otherwise had little end product.

At the other end Goodliffe, who was a commanding presence in his own half, volleyed over from close range after a corner had fallen to him, but with thirteen minutes left the game was finally put beyond Chesterfield’s reach when Omar Bugiel, who had replaced Wright with half an hour to go, slipped a perfectly timed pass through to Jarvis, whose run was equally well timed and if there was any frustration at his lack of goals in the league so far this season it was taken out on the ball which was driven unstoppably past Coddington.

After that there was no doubt that Matt Gray was going to enjoy a home win for the first time, and there was more to come in the fifth minute of stoppage time when Bugiel, who seemed to be playing out time by the corner flag with Ajiboye, suddenly spotted a gap and cut in along the byline before crossing low for Harry Beautyman to slide in and round things off with his sixth goal of the season from the last kick of the game.

Chesterfield: L Coddington, J Smith (sub T Denton 61), C Nepomuceno, J Yarney, W Evans, H Hollis, J Rowley, C Weston, M Fondop, S Boden (sub J McKay 75), R Weir(sub L Mandeville 57. Subs n/u J McGlashan, S Jalal. Booked: Yarney, Evans, Fondop