Welcome to the latest instalment of the Gloucester Groundhopper blog.
For this chapter, we travelled to London for some Sky Bet League Two action. We would be flying out to Orlando from Gatwick soon, so we chose to visit Sutton United as they took on Morecambe at Gander Green Lane.
It's All In The Name
The placename Sutton is recorded in the 1086 Domesday Book as Sudtone. It is formed from Old English 'sūth' and 'tūn', meaning 'south farm'.
Some Notable People From Sutton:
Martin Adams- Darts Player
Sally Bercow- wife of the former Speaker of the House of Commons, John Bercow.
Tyler West- DJ and TV Presenter
Robbie McIntosh-Member of The Pretenders
Jonathan Borrell- Frontman of Razorlight
Some Notable Former Players
Maxime Biamou
Stuart Fleetwood
Elvis Hammond
Byron Harrison
Paul McKinnon
Joe Morrell
James Norwood
Wayne Shaw
Matt Tubbs
Kyle Vassell
A History Lesson From The Gloucester Groundhopper
The club was founded on March 5, 1898, when two prominent local clubs, Sutton Association and Sutton Guild Rovers, agreed to join forces. The Sutton Association's amber and chocolate colours were preserved, as were both clubs' stadiums, and the United club's inaugural game was against Norwood & Selhurst FC. Sutton fielded three teams in the Herald and Surrey Junior Leagues with two grounds available, however the loss of Western Road after a year caused the third team to collapse. The senior team won the Herald Junior Cup for the first time in 1902, the first of three consecutive victories in that competition.
Sutton achieved senior status and joined the Southern Suburban League in 1910, and it was during the next decade that the team moved into their current home on Gander Green Lane. After finishing runners-up in the Southern Suburban League in 1920, they were elected to the Athenian League at the end of the following season and celebrated by winning the Surrey Senior Shield twice. The league structure was more unclear, and the U's were forced to seek re-election in 1926, but they were successful and recovered to win the championship just two years later. Sutton established themselves as a powerhouse in the amateur game over the next decade, twice reaching the FA Amateur Cup semi-finals, albeit on the first occasion they were disqualified for fielding two players who had played Sunday football and were thus ineligible.
Sutton stayed at the forefront after WWII, winning the Athenian League for the second time in 1946 and finishing second to Barnet on goal average the following season, while lifting the Surrey Senior Cup for the first of fifteen times. They also made their maiden appearance in the FA Cup's first round proper. The club became a Limited Company in 1953, and five years later won the league for the third time while also winning the London Senior Cup for the first time.
In 1963, Sutton made their maiden appearance at Wembley in the Amateur Cup final, losing 4-2 to South London rivals Wimbledon, and were admitted to the Isthmian League as one of four clubs.
Champions in 1967 and runners-up the following year, Sutton reached the Amateur Cup final in 1969, losing to North Shields, and achieved national fame the following season when they advanced to the 4th round of the FA Cup and were drawn at home to Leeds United, then the top side in the country, who won 6-0 in front of a record 14,000 crowd. Following another league runner-up finish in 1971, the club experienced a less successful time until the arrival of former player Keith Blunt as manager in 1977.
Two years after his arrival, Sutton were the first and only winners of the Anglo Italian semi-professional tournament, and while he soon left for top Swedish club Malmo, his assistant Barrie Williams guided the club through a period of remarkable success. They were FA Trophy runners-up in 1981, losing to Bishop's Stortford at Wembley, second in the league the following year as well as reaching the FA Cup second round, and won a cup treble of the Isthmian League Cup, London Senior Cup, and Surrey Senior Cup in 1983. Sutton won the Isthmian title two years later, and after declining promotion, they replicated their success in 1986, this time taking their place in what was then the GM Vauxhall Conference.
During their debut season in the Conference, Sutton made headlines for their FA Cup heroics. In the 1987-88 season, they won their first Football League match, defeating Aldershot 3-0 and then beating Peterborough before losing in extra time in a third round replay against Middlesbrough. A year later, they reached the third round once more, and their 2-1 triumph over Coventry was the last time a team from outside the Football League defeated a team from the top division of English football until Luton's win at Norwich in 2013. Sutton also appeared to be entrenched as a Conference side, but after a record Conference away win of 9-0 at Gateshead in 1991, they picked up just one point in their final eight games and were relegated for the first time in their history.
Although they were frequently near the top of the Isthmian League, Sutton's dreams of a quick return were dashed, and they had more success in cup games. In 1993, they reached the FA Trophy semi-finals, and another FA Cup run in 1993-94 saw them beat Colchester and Torquay before falling to Notts County. The appointment in 1996 of management team John and Tony Rains, who between them had over 1,400 playing appearances for the club, saw a renewed assault on the championship, and after twice finishing third, they achieved Sutton's ambition of returning to the Conference in 1999, finishing eleven points clear of long-time leaders Aylesbury after a run of 13 wins and three draws in 17 games. Unfortunately, the gap to the Conference was too great to close, and seven consecutive defeats at the end of the season saw them finish bottom, but relief came in the FA Trophy, where they beat three Conference clubs, including two of the eventual top six, to reach the semi-finals, where their hopes were completely dashed by eventual winners Kingstonian.
Sutton failed to mount a serious promotion challenge in their first two seasons back in the Ryman League, but in the 2003-04 season, with a side that included several graduates from an outstanding youth team that had reached the third round of the FA Youth Cup in 2001, a storming second half of the season saw them finish as runners-up to Canvey Island and gain inclusion in the newly formed Conference South. John Rains stepped down as manager in March 2006, and was succeeded by Ian Hazel, but the 2007-08 season saw Sutton, who had previously finished consistently in mid-table, struggle from the start, and their relegation was confirmed by the end of March, despite two management changes during the season.
Although the season ended with former player Jimmy Dack showing glimpses of potential, he declined to take the role on a permanent basis, and Paul Doswell, who had enjoyed considerable success with Eastleigh in recent seasons, was appointed in the middle of May 2008. After missing out on promotion in the play-offs in his first two seasons, as well as a first-round FA Cup appearance in 15 years, he led Sutton to the Isthmian championship in 2011, and the following season saw them finish fourth in Conference South, losing to Welling in the play-offs, and also reach the FA Cup second round, where their tie at home to Notts County was televised live on ESPN. Sutton were in the play-offs again in 2014, losing to Dover after finishing second in the table, and last season went one better, clinching the Vanarama National League South championship and promotion to the National League for the first time since the 1999-2000 season with an unbeaten run of 25 league games from the middle of November.
Sutton finished 12th in their first season back in the National League, the highest placed of the promoted clubs, but it was in the FA Cup that the season will be remembered, as they made history by reaching the fifth round for the first time ever. After advancing through the qualification round owing to a last-minute winner against Forest Green, they won 6-3 at Dartford before defeating League Two Cheltenham thanks to another late goal. In the third round, Sutton scored three goals in the final fifteen minutes to beat AFC Wimbledon in a replay after a goalless draw, and then beat Leeds 1-0 in front of the BT cameras to avenge the result 47 years earlier.
In the fifth round, Sutton were drawn at home to Premier League giants Arsenal, where they lost 2-0. The following season, Sutton finished third in the National League, their highest ever finish, but were defeated in the play-offs, losing 3-2 at home to Boreham Wood in the semi-finals. After finishing 10th a year later, Paul Doswell announced the end of his eleven-year stint, with coach Matt Gray taking over as manager. In his first season, with a much revamped roster, Sutton recovered from a poor spell to finish in the middle of the league. They only lost twice in sixteen league games prior to the season's premature end, but with much of that squad returning for the 2020-21 season, Sutton were challenging at the top from the start, resulting in a place in the Football League for the first time ever as they finished four points clear of Torquay.
Sutton's first EFL season saw the team continue to impress, and a play-off place was still in reach on the last day of the season, and while Sutton did their bit by winning at Harrogate, results elsewhere saw them eventually finish one point short of a place in the end of the season competition in 8th place. There was also a memorable run in the Papa Johns Trophy, where Sutton came through their group with a 100% record without conceding a goal, then beat Stevenage, Colchester, and Harrogate before a penalty shoot out success away to League One high-fliers Wigan saw Sutton at Wembley for the first time since 1981. They were within a minute of their first ever victory there but a last-minute equaliser saw eventual League One winners Rotherham force extra time and win 4-2.
Honours
🏆 National League (Champions: 2020–21)
🏆 National League South (Champions: 2015–16)
🏆 Isthmian League Premier Division (Champions: 1966–67, 1984–85, 1985–86, 1998–99, 2010–11)
🏆 Athenian League (Champions: 1927–28, 1945–46, 1957–58)
🏆 EFL Trophy (Runners-up: 2021–22)
🏆 FA Trophy (Runners-up: 1980–81)
🏆 FA Amateur Cup (Runners-up: 1962–63, 1968–69)
🏆 Anglo-Italian Cup (Winners: 1978–79)
🏆 Athenian League Challenge Cup (Winners: 1945–46, 1955–56, 1961–62, 1962–63)
🏆 Bob Lord Trophy (Winners: 1990–91)
🏆 Isthmian League Cup (Winners: 1982–83, 1983–84, 1985–86, 1997–98)
🏆 Isthmian League Full Members' Cup (Winners: 1991–92, 1995–96)
🏆 London Senior Cup (Winners: 1957–58, 1982–83)
🏆 South Thames Cup (Winners: 1954–55, 1966–67, 1967–68)
🏆 Surrey Senior Cup (Winners: 1945–46, 1964–65, 1967–68, 1969–70, 1979–80, 1982–83, 1983–84, 1984–85, 1985–86, 1986–87, 1987–88, 1992–93, 1994–95, 1998–99, 2002–03)
🏆 President's Trophy (Winners: 2009–10 (shared), 2010–11 (shared))
An Interview With Norwegian Ambassador for Sutton United, Ragnar Olufsen:
GG: How long have you been a Sutton fan, and how has your relationship with the club been for you and your family?
RO: I've supported Sutton United since 2016. It's been a rollercoaster journey.I used to have a relative who lived in Sutton. Since roughly 2014, I've been going every year. They were not full-time pros at the time and played in the National League. She was enthusiastic about the club. At the store, I run into a few of the players. I started reading about the club's history and the results. The fact that it is a non-profit club made me fall in love with it. In 2016, I began following the club. The rest, as they say, is history.
GG: Who is Sutton's standout performer this season?
RO: So far this season, it has to be either CB Omar Sowumni or winger and top goal scorer Omari Patrick.
GG: Who is your favourite player of all time (Sutton or otherwise) and why?
RO: Pelé
GG: What has been your favourite football game as a Sutton fan?
RO: The season opener vs Notts County in 2023-24. Sutton United triumphed 5-1.
GG: Which managers have left the most of an impression on Sutton fans?
RO: Matt Gray, the current boss. Man of miracles. In his first season, he moved from the National League to League Two. The first season ended in eighth place, one point away from promotion, and the final of the Papa John's Trophy at Wembley, which was lost to Rotherham.
GG: Who do you think was the biggest team to play in Sutton's stadium?
RO: Arsenal. In the fourth round of the FA Cup in 2017, they faced Sutton United. They triumphed 2 - 0 at Gander Green Lane and went on to win the FA Cup.
Matchday: Sutton United 2-3 Morecambe
We travelled to Sutton on a wet Saturday afternoon as we looked for yet another game which was fested with goals. We arrived in Sutton in good time, and had a look around the town, most notably in the shopping centre, then headed over to the ground.
We had booked parking beforehand at a nearby house, but there was a bit of an issue with the booking, and the house had managed to double book the parking space. I don’t know how you manage to do that but hey ho. The person in question who had also booked rang us and informed us that his brother was ‘currently playing in the Sutton game.’ After asking who his brother was, he informed us that it was Omar Sowumni. Was delighted to inform him that his brother was playing well at the time.
We had a look in the clubhouse which was pretty small, but did the job it needed to, with a variety of merchandise available including replica shirts, training kits and pin badges (hallelujah). We then entered the ground. In terms of the ground, when you consider that it has been built up during the last few years (more notably during the club’s EFL stint) it does the job it needs to. The newly built stands are, what I’m guessing, an upgrade to what the club had previously, so that can only be commended.
However, I do have a few points I would like to make (much to the distain of a couple of defensive Sutton fans on Twitter).
Firstly, it appears that wherever you stand in the ground, you get a poor view of the game. We stood in some of the terracing, and annoyingly, they allow fans to stand at the front of the stand (not on the terracing). Why is this annoying? I hear you ask. Because the ground is flat. And when you try to watch the match you see a bunch of bobbing heads in the way. There’s also floodlights in the weirdest of places, so they block the view of a lot of the ground. The terracing is in pretty poor condition as well. I made this point to a couple of Sutton fans at the game, who replied ‘it would be a poor ground in non league.’ So it seems it’s a view shared with a few of the Sutton contingent.
Secondly, the speakers are futile. Yes they are loud, and you can hear noise. What the noise is however is a different question entirely. The person who is speaking sounds like he’s underwater. A simple upgrade on the speakers would be great.
This brings me on to the welcome. The fans at the game, were fantastic. They were engaging, friendly, helpful, and chatty. At that point the welcome was scoring highly. Then, I went on Twitter, and a couple of fans let the side down a little bit. I made a couple of overview points (as I usually do) and suddenly I was descended on by a couple of supporters who can’t take criticism. They were making speculative comments claiming I said things that I didn’t (much to the entertainment of my Twitter followers who had no idea what they were on about).
This as well as the guy who went ballistic at me because I made a joke about Jenny the Giraffe not being a real giraffe, shows that I probably shouldn’t engage with some of the Sutton contingent on social media. However, I wont let the minority ruin it for the majority at the game, who were incredible, especially with my young nephew who was at the game with me.
Following this, the atmosphere was actually pretty good, considering there were only 2000 people at the game. Chants could be heard from the group of young lads behind the goal, and despite the horrid weather, stuck behind the team. When your team is bottom of the Football League, it can be hard to remain positive, so it was lovely to see people enjoying themselves at the game and not taking it out on each other, which I have seen at other matches.
Teamsheet
Sutton United
Manager: Matt Gray
Dean Bouzanis
Joe Kizzi
Ben Goodcliffe ⚽️
Omar Sowunmi
Sam Hart
Craig Clay
Christian N’Guessan
Josh Coley
Omari Patrick
Aiden O’Brien
Harry Smith ⚽️
Substitutes
Steve Arnold
Harry Beautyman
Louis John
Ryan Jackson
Dion Pereira
Rob Milsom
Tope Fadahunsi
Morecambe
Manager: Derek Adams
Stuart Moore
Donald Love (c)
David Tutonda
Jacob Bedeau
Farrend Rawson
Tom Bloxham
Michael Mellon ⚽️
JJ McKiernan
Adam Mayor ⚽️
Joel Senior ⚽️
Jordan Slew
Substitutes
Adam Smith
Yann Songo’o
Chris Stokes
Jacob Davenport
Cammy Smith
Ethan Walker
Charlie Brown
The opening stages were fairly even as both side tried to scope eachother out. The deadlock was broken on the half-hour mark, Michael Mellon converted a penalty awarded after Goodliffe's foul on Jacob Bedeau into the roof of the goal. In first-half stoppage time, Adam Mayor doubled the lead with a low strike.
Harry Smith's header beat a scrambling Moore, to half the arrears. Sutton then equalised shortly after the hour mark when Goodliffe hooked the ball home from a long throw.
Senior scored a low attempt from outside the box after being allowed to run at the home defence, snuffing out any prospects of a comeback point for Sutton.
Scores on the Doors
Atmosphere: 5/10
Food and Drink: 6/10
Stadium: 4/10
Welcome: 8/10
Overall Experience: 7/10
GG
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