Sutton United Under-18s fell to a 3-1 defeat to near neighbours AFC Wimbledon in the EFL Youth Alliance.
James Fennelow’s late penalty was little more than a consolation goal for the Amber, as the visitors converted their chances in clinical fashion.
“The boys have worked hard and put in a shift,” Glen Nichols, Academy Head of Coaching, told Sutton United FCtv. “We haven’t controlled or dominated the game in any way, but we made it difficult for them. But then, when we made final third entries and the ball down the sides, that quality wasn’t there to create opportunities to put the ball in the net.”
The Dons opened the scoring seven minutes into the match, squaring the ball across the six-yard box for a tap-in.
The U’s looked to respond a few minutes later, as Ronny Ruiz carried the ball into the attacking third before laying the ball off to Mikey Milchev-Szczepaniak. The winger beat his man and returned the ball into the path of Ruiz as he broke into the penalty area, but his shot was straight at the visitors’ keeper.
Sutton finished the half with a flurry of chances in stoppage time. First, Kemi Edouard-Marisson stung the palms of the Dons keeper with a low shot towards the near post. From the resulting corner, Charlie Bell’s cross caused chaos inside the six-yard box, with both Fennelow and Ruiz having shots blocked off the line before the ball bobbled behind for another corner.
Unfortunately, the Amber’s failure to make their chances count was punished on the hour mark, when the visitors doubled their lead with a low shot bent around Charlie Fletcher in goal.
After a long break in play as both teams engage in a heated scuffle that saw one of the AFC Wimbledon staff receive a red card, the Dons put the game beyond doubt as they added a third goal with little more than 10 minutes left to play.
A number of players who had featured in the Under-16s match on the parallel pitch were introduced as substitutes for the final few minutes, and a tricky run from one of those – Jai Bansoodeb – drew a foul inside the penalty area, giving Fennelow the chance to pull a goal back from spot. The striker calmly slotted the ball into the bottom corner as the U’s ended the match on a positive note.
“The U16s boys come across and they’re great,” Nichols praised the efforts of the younger players, “They’ve got that naivety, they come in and they’re raw, they apply themselves and work hard.
“All of the U16s boys – including those who started – have contributed in a really positive way, and Jai has come and won a penalty for us by getting on the ball in good areas and being a threat, so real positives for them.”
Sutton United U18s: Fletcher (GK), Brian, Reeves, Bell (C, Bansoodeb 87′), Jamieson (Brown 79′), Sheargold, Bello, Ruiz, Fennelow, Edouard-Marisson, Milchev-Szcezpaniak
The U’s are in action twice next week, with away trips to Luton Town and Gillingham on Tuesday, December 17 and Saturday, December 21.
