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MATCH REPORT: Aldershot Town 1 Sutton United 2

Aldershot Town fell to their second defeat of the season to Sutton United at the EBB on Tuesday evening after a late Alex Finney own goal meant the hosts came away with a 1-2 win.

On a windy evening, it was Sutton United who took the lead late on in the first-half through captain Craig Eastmond’s close-range effort that saw him pick him a slight knock for his efforts.

Mo Bettamer equalised midway through the second-half after nodding the ball home from an inviting Craig Tanner corner, scoring his first goal of the 2020/21 National League season.

Unfortunately, with five minutes to spare, a Will Randall free-kick deflected in off of Alex Finney to give the visitors all three points.

Playing their first home game of the 2020/21 National League season, Danny Searle went with the same XI that started against Hartlepool United last weekend, as they look to pick up their first points of the campaign.

Looking to impress in their first home game of the 2020/21 season, Aldershot Town defended some early pressure well from Sutton United with a couple of wide set-pieces defended well from The Shots early on.

Both sides spent the first 10 minutes looking to create the game’s first clear chance of the game falling to Sutton’s Will Randall, who drove from the right-hand side to left before his drilled shot being claimed by Mitch Walker.

Sutton continued to push but were denied again by brilliant defending from Aldershot Town, with the ball being laid across to Tobi Sho-Silva just a few yards out, but the Aldershot Town defence was there to block the goal-bound effort in the 18th minute.

Following this opportunity, Aldershot Town started to find some rhythm and created their first chance of the game in the 35th minute, when Craig Tanner whipped in a deep free-kick down the left before finding Alex Finney at the back post, but at a difficult angle, could only see his header go just over the Sutton United bar.

However, it was the away side who took the lead in the 39th minute with Rob Milsom who swung in a free-kick that was initially parried by Mitch Walker but Sutton captain Craig Eastmond was there to smash home the rebound from a couple of yards out.

This late goal for Sutton ended what was frustrating and disappointing first-half for Aldershot Town as they looked to come back in the second-half with a point to prove.

Straight from kick-off, The Shots looked to equalise and almost had done on two quick-fire chances with both Josh Rees and Craig Tanner cutting the ball back, but the ball unfortunately fell on both occasions into the grateful hands of Sutton’s Dean Bouzanis.

Sutton did create their first opportunity of the second-half with Milsom firing goalwards from a central free-kick but Walker was on hand to deny his dipping bottom-corner effort in the 59th minute.

Aldershot Town responded with their own dangerous free-kick, Mo Bettamer’s driving free-kick in the 63rd minute was just about palmed away to safety from Bouzanis as Aldershot Town continued to pile the pressure on.

Joel Nouble saw his best opportunity of the game go agonisingly wide as Tanner did well to chip the ball over to him but his glancing header went inches past the post.

However, Aldershot Town did find the equaliser their second-half performance deserved, as in the 75th minute, Tanner whipped the ball into a dangerous area before picking out the lively Mo Bettamer, who smashed his header home from just a few yards out and Aldershot Town looked to push on from here.

However, it was Sutton United who found the next goal of the game in the 85th minute, with referee Tom Reeves giving a free-kick to the away side much to the surprise of the Aldershot Town players, before the free-kick is crossed in and despite his best effort, came off defender Alex Finney and into the back of his own net.

 

 

Aldershot Town XI: 1 M Walker (G/K), 2 G Fowler, 3 A Finney, 4 J Sendles-White (C), 25 S Ogie, 6 K Lyons-Foster (Rowe 69′), 8 J Rees, 20 T Edser (Whittingham 85′), 27 C Tanner, 9 M Bettamer, 14 J Nouble (Colombie 75′)

Unused Subs: Hall, Panayiotou

Sutton United XI: 1 D Bouzanis (G/K), 2 J Barden (Simpson 71′), 3 B Wyatt, 7 D Ajiboye, 9 O Bugiel (Dundas 69′), 10 H Beautyman, 11 W Randall, 12 C Rowe, 15 C Eastmond (C), 17 T Sho-Silva, 24 R Milsom

Unused Subs: Davis, Brown, Kealy