The joy of additional time. Sutton United beat Port Vale FC four three.
Additional time at the end of games have not always been kind to Sutton United this season. Oldham, I remember you but today against Port Vale time stood still as Suttons Coby Rowe in a crowded box turned his foot to slam a loose ball into the Port Vale net to make it four three to the Sutton in the ninety first minute. Then a further three or so minutes when I thought the referee lost his watch. He eventually found it, put the whistle in his mouth and called time on a game that will live long in the hearts of Sutton United fans.
How we came to pull of such a massive win was not evident to me for much of the first half. Port Vale played with command and poise dinking the ball around with fluid passing. They took a deserved two nil lead with the promise of more to come. This game looked like it could be a balloon puncturing game for Sutton who soared high in recent games. As memorable as Coby Rowe’s goal, lets not forget Rob Milsons goal on the thirty sixth minute mark, pegging back Port Vale at two one. That Milsom goal gave Sutton United the rope to climb back into the game. Boy did they climb.
The post match euphoria at Sutton United after the game would for those who experienced it be equal if not better than the “all back to our place” victory cry for Sutton fans to race back to the Gander Green football ground following a famous FA Cup win over Wimbledon.
t would be fair to say Sutton United’s Vice Presidents lounge is not an Ibiza experience but post match it was full on. A supporter only had to get up, head for the toilet and they would get a loud cheer. Most things did, such was the atmosphere that if you’d punched someone in the face a cheer would have went up. Their was even a cry of “Jason Goodliffe’s Amber Army” not something an assistant manager hears very often.
Moving to the players bar the euphoria went up to eleven. Adrian Barry donned the gold jacket for the Strikers are Key draw and conducted the Sutton fans choir in a rendition of “Matty Gray’s Amber Army” that was wildly sang, went on for about fifteen minutes, any longer we would risk straying into North Korean Leader Kim like cult singing “Onward, onward to the final victory”.
With the singing out of the way let the dancing begin or more a case of jumping up and down to the best our juke box could offer. As the pool table kicked in the atmosphere resembled a scene from Patrick Swayze’s epic film Roadhouse were “a legendary bouncer comes to restore order at a notorious bar but runs afoul of a ruthless crime boss who controls the town.”
When the dust settles Port Vale at the Gander was a memorable win. Any shortcomings are papered over by the dramatic score line. This was not a good quality football game but the rub of the green went with Sutton United. Quality is not an issue so much for Sutton United but one for the Port Vale team and the nearly five hundred supporters they took to Gander Green Lane. Having set out their stall in the first half their defense became increasingly chaotic in the face of Sutton surging forward. What bodes well for Sutton United is that even when not playing well there is resilience and belief that we can run teams close and nick more than our share of wins. Looking ahead to the rest of the season as expectations grow lets focus on fifty. Once we reach the fifty points target only then we can raise our ambition to what could be a surprise play off place.
So many things came together on Saturday, a sunny day, an international break that would have drawn in fans for the first time who on the evidence of this pulsating match will perhaps return. The game was featured on Quest TV not to be mistaken for Digital Television Channel, UK Conquest home to Skirmish’ a military-based general knowledge quiz show presented by Alan Partridge.
