Headstart for Happiness. Sutton United progress in the Surrey Senior Cup.
The Senior Surrey Cup is one that Sutton have had pedigree over the course of their history. Winning it on several occasions but not as much Dulwich Hamlets who have won it the most but now do not take part in it. The match tonight gave Sutton a chance to play Sheerwater FC who hail from the Woking area. Paul Weller is a Sheerwater lad. The match finished one nil to Sutton United. The Sheers were competitive, getting very tight to Sutton players, creating opportunities but none were overly threatening to Sutton. Tobi Sho — Silva’s free kick struck well was the difference tonight. There were, however, a kind of nervous closing minutes for Sutton to see out. Suttons back four were academy players so if Sheerwater cleared Sutton’s experienced midfield they would have felt more than equal to Sutton’s defence who held up well to get a clean sheet. As Suttons Boxing Day game against Bristol Rovers was postponed a sprinkling of first team players were getting in the minutes like Kizzi and Enzio. Craig Eastmond captained with the ground reverberating with the sound of Easty mentoring the academy players on the pitch.
It was one if those nights at the Gander were a small crowd made for great sound echo and the thud of the ball hitting the grass could be heard.
Having gone into the bar after the game evidence of the academy players was in the shape of parents waiting for their son to come out. They will be driving back to the other side of London. The romance of football is to see players coming through the academy to feature in the first team. Think of it as the Nord Pipeline of talent warming up supporters as players come through. I thought I overheard someone say that only one percent of academy players make it through their English club’s academies to the first team. They can be in the academy for up to five years. The football factory is a tough place to work, hard to progress in but if you do the rewards can be substantial.
Chilly night, good result, and Christmas cheer from Sutton United’s very own Jenny the Giraffe.
