Sutton 1 Havant 2

[johnnie1]

[Stewart]

After the excitement of the FACup we have now have a real chance of progressing far in a national competition. Havant will give us a tough game. I wish I could be as confident as Johnnie I will go for a narrow win. With no big games in London we should get a decent crowd, maybe 500!

[Del]

Hard to get excited about the trophy after the FA Cup run.Another distraction in the way of getting promotion!

if we win today our away match at Dover will be on a tuesday night!

[Rax]

Don't are what the competition is, a win's a win and helps get us back on track.

[Stewart]

Nov 16, 2013 8:49:38 GMT Del said:

Hard to get excited about the trophy after the FA Cup run.Another distraction in the way of getting promotion!

if we win today our away match at Dover will be on a tuesday night!

Let us hope the team are more enthusiastic than you Delboy

[localboy86]

Ha my thoughts exactly - decent financial incentive on offer today and a perfectly winnable game for us too!

[northernmonkey]

My choice thoughts so far: By God there was some poor performances today.

I won't take anything away from Havant's keeper though, he singlehandedly won the game for them.. The referee made some appalling decisions, but our players generally were equally as poor.

Onto the next one!

[baboonfish]

I know I will get shot down by some but Im not at all bothered by that defeat. Ok the manner of it was disappointing and its never good to lose, but a replay would have been the worst possible result and a run in this competition would, in my opinion, have reduced our chances of promotion. The team gets a week rest and there wont be many of those between now and the new year, so they better make the most of it. good to see JT back in action, he'll be key and we need him fit. Great goal from Dundo, he was the only player that really played well today other than perhaps Lovelock. Some dismal misplaced passes, including one that lead to 2nd goal and that needs to be eliminated. Pitch does not look great compared to this time of year in the past few years, hope the groundstaff can work some magic so we can play on the ground again.

[localboy86]

Greatly disappointed to have lost this one and still wondering how we've gone out to be honest as I thought we were the better side. I know its easy to say "we can concentrate on the league" but their was some decent prize money on offer today had we won.

Less said about the referee the better who made some very poor decisions notably their second penalty which was never one, the Havant player should have been booked for diving, justice served when he missed the spotkick. I felt Havant were limited and certainly one of the poorer teams I've seen this season, parked their bus well and a hoof team with lots of time-wasting antics.

Anyways onwards and upwards a weeks rest for the players before Dorchester in the league.

[garethl]

Thought first 5 aside when we started on fire we were poor. 1st half we kept going tight down blind alleys. Should have switched the point of attack far more and quicker. Getting more and more frustrated with McDonald holding onto the ball. He can play and could easily be a pro if he had learnt to release the ball quicker and pass more. Took much wasted time dragging back and standing on the ball. He is capable of so much better. How we missed first half chance when 6 yards out dead ball not sure I've seen many worse misses. Their keeper was good when we made him work. Their little lad up front always a threat when he plays us and ran our skipper ragged. Their left winner whilst an obvious cheater was also decent. We had no wide threat at all until Binns came on. Afraid you aren't just going to pass through well organised sides and we lacked pace. Such a shame to go out of this comp so early and hoping for promotion I'm afraid is pie in the sky as I think play offs are a complete lottery and can't see us being top.

[Stewart]

I thought Havant played well, their direct running at our defence had us I trouble on many occasions. I was too far away to make a judgment on the pens.

The Dover win now means our away game is now off

FA Trouphy results here.

nav.thefa.com/sitecore/content/TheFA/Home/Competitions/FACompetitions/TheFATrophy/Results

[baboonfish]

Im not sure I agree, Gareth, that promotion is 'pie in the sky'. Its going to be extremely tight this season and as long as we stay in touch over the next few months we can challenge with a strong finish like last year. However, that still means picking up around 2 points a game between now and Jan, because if we dont the top sides will open up too much of a gap, although I dont see anyone running away with it. We shall see, but I would be extremely disappointed if we dont at least challenge. Gotta get back to winning ways next week, a convincing win over one of the sides seemingly destined for the drop is an absolute must.

[bornatotter]

Very different looking havant side from the one we blew away at their place earlier in the season. No dispute on the first pen but the second was an absolute shocker and at least some justice was done as it cannoned around the goal frame before being cleared. We played some decent stuff in fits and starts and when their keeper pulled off a superb double save just after the second pen we maybe missed our chance to grab the game by the throat. Their second goal looked like a serious defensive rick as we pushed on. Really that should have been that but dundo pulled a belter out of thin air and as we pushed on we had enough to have nicked the draw and again their keeps kept them in it. If he'd concentrated on doing his job rather than pulling out all the old time time wasting tricks, rowing with the clown of a ref and feigning a head injury when dundo was a foot away from him I might have even had some respect for the bloke. I was also in two minds as we pressed for the equaliser. A Monday trip to their gaff would have stretched us again but it ain't an issue as they held out. Best put this one behind us. Get a few days rest and regroup for the tough couple of months ahead. Good to see some of the wounded coming back into contention. We are certainly going to need them. Lovelock was impressive again today, seems to be getting better and better. That standard of refereeing though would shame the morden and district. Heads down in the league now and looking forward to next week.

[markf2]

A lot of unnecessary negativity on here. Not sure we played that badly and you have to give credit to H&W who looked good up top with the lively Kabba and down the right where Nanetti is a skillful winger (more about him later). They were a different proposition than the 5-0 hammering they got earlier and that was because the two players mentioned were on the pitch from the start plus their 'keeper was a huge (well tall) improvement.

We started ok but Kabba is always a threat with his speed and while he probably could have stayed on his feet he chose the easy option as most strikers would and Nanetti dispatched a fine penalty (it has to be to beat Tom these days).

The second though was out of the Ashley Young stable, theatrical, blatant dive, cheating. He got his comeuppance though hitting both posts and U's eventually cleared the danger. As for Mr Rock on that one, well should we expect anything else from a ref that has awarded at least 5 pens against us in the last couple of seasons and like the second at Welling last season, the decision was awful? Yellow card for Nanetti and free-kick to U's, simple.

Their 'keeper pulled out one excellent save from the head of Scanners but the U's wide man should have opened his Sutton account from close range striking his shot too close to the 'keeper, although it was another good stop.

Second half, both 'keepers saw good action but the H&W giant has to be applauded if not for his first save from Jamie Taylor's first touch, a snap shot from the edge box but definitely for JT's a header from the resulting corner and then late on from Dundo's header.

By then though, H&W had extended their lead after a poor pass put skip under too much pressure and Kabba was away, although he only just managed to beat Tom with his low effort and Dundo had given U's some hope with an outstanding finish with the outside of his boot.

The visitors drew a plethora of yellows late on (either fouls or time-wasting) but they held out with a combination of good defending and goalkeeping.

Like Tuesday, I'm not sure either side deserved a win today but a late cynical approach and the antics of the otherwise talented Nanetti aside, I would not begrudge them their win. He got his reward later limping off with a hamstring injury, possibly proving the old adage that cheats don't prosper as individuals.

For U's, ok it is £4k we've missed out on and another midweek trip needed, this time to Dover, but our squad is small and creaking a little under knocks and suspensions, the result of a decent FA Cup run and I, have to say, some appalling fixture planning by the Conference. Certainly a replay would have been unwelcome. And while progress in the Trophy would have been welcome it would also have been a test of resources.

MOM for me today? Tom or Dundo, take your pick.

As for Mr Rock; well this is his second match with U's this season (the other at Concord in which he denied a Scanners a pot kick for a challenge that was certainly more suspicious than the second award he made today). Perhaps he thought he'd evened the score with that penalty decision at Maidenhead last season but I reckon he owes us two still.

[Stewart]

If Weston lose the replay with Tiverton could we then rearrange next Tuesdays game for Saturday week?