History strikes again at Sutton United this time it's Stevenage FC at home.
Sutton United went into their home game against Stevenage bottom of the league. When the day was out they were second from bottom. But history was made as beating Stevenage two goals to one was to be Sutton’s first ever English Football League win. Add to that club legend Craig Dundas came on late in the game as the oldest ever player to make their English Football League debut. Even before the game at the pre match lunch I was sat beside a bit of history in the shape of Micky Joyce who played around four hundred games for Sutton United and was part of the Sutton United team that won in Europe by beating Chieti two goals to one in the 1979 Anglo Italian cup.
The same victory score line as today against Stevenage. The BBC screened the documentary Fever Pitch: The Rise of the Premier League this week and for some whose footballing experience is contained in that box it is like football started in nineteen ninety-two. Luckily there are much more who see football history in the nooks and crannies of the lower leagues. Football forums like Amber Planet are the classroom to learn about Sutton United’s history. That is their value, they act as a history vault that is far stronger than the fast-moving torrent of football Twitter.
As for the game itself, history wasn’t on my mind instead I wanted a draw or a win by any means necessary. A boring one nil would have done. The first half suggested that a boring win was possible. The best thing I can say about the first half was our goalkeeper Bouzanis had a good half. I would have happily accepted more boredom, but Stevenage decided otherwise by scoring in the fifty fifth minute. A goal from List that sent Stevenage into a mania. Lisztomania. What followed was an eight-minute burst of Lisztomania that is known to induce a fever of intense fan frenzy. An equalizer followed by a red card for a Stevenage player resulting in a Sutton Penalty tucked away by Bennett who also scored the equalizer.
At two one what could possibly go wrong for Sutton in the last fifteen minutes. Happily nothing did go wrong with Sutton surviving to record a historic win at Gander Green Lane. Our mission is to survive our first season in the English Football league and not get relegated. Today was the real start to that mission.
