The report below has been reproduced with kind permission, it was written by Mike who helps to run the Sutton Website and I thank him for it.
Ryman League Premier Division
Sutton United 2 Dagenham & Redbridge 1
Salako 89 Shipp 30
Akrour 90
Sutton made more chances in this 90 minutes than they have in their last 5 games put together but they had to rely on two very late strikes to finally defeat a Dagenham side that rode its luck at times but having got so close to pulling off a victory will be disappointed not to have gone away with all three points.
This win keeps alive Sutton's slim hopes of the championship alive and with Kingstonian's game at Oxford called off on Friday night their lead at the top has been reduced to six points. If Sutton can win at local rivals Carshalton on Monday then the game next Saturday against their championship rivals will be set up perfectly for a thrilling game in front of a bumper crowd.
John Ugbah returned to the side in place of the suspended Steve Watson and Clive Gartell dropped down to the substitutes bench to allow Mark Watson to return in what looked a far more attacking line up than John Rains had put out last Saturday at Boreham Wood.
And despite playing into a stiff breeze in the first half Sutton spent most of the time on top. John Ugbah had a header cleared off the line after ten minutes and a Joff Vansittart effort flew only just over when he had been put through by Jimmy Dack. Barry Laker had the ball in the net after seventeen minutes after Joff Vansittart had hit the bar but it was ruled out for an infringement by referee Martin Ebbage.
Twenty two minutes gone and daggers captain Gary Howard went off limping and was replaced by Dean Parratt and three minutes later Sutton should have gone ahead. Andy Salako had a shot brilliantly saved by keeper Paul Gothard. Joff Vansittart and Mark Watson both had shots blocked by defenders before the ball ran to John Ugbah and his drive was pushed onto the crossbar by the keeper and out for a corner.
Apart from a long range shot by John Stimson and a Paul Cobb shot that was blocked when goalbound by Gwynne Berry getting back to make up for a mistake by Les Cleevely, Dagenham showed very little and it was surprising when after 30 minutes they took the lead. A throw in level with Sutton's penalty area caught the home defence napping and Danny Shipp fired in a right foot after playing a clever one two on the edge of the box.
Sutton went in one down at half time and must have been wondering how they were behind in a game they had dominated against the wind. Into the second half and it was again all Sutton. Andy Salako blazed over from ten yards, John Ugbah had a shot cleared off the line from a corner and Mark Watson hit the rebound straight at Paul Gothard from three yards. Twenty Minutes of the half gone and Mark Watson was again guilty of a glaring miss his header from a superb Junior Haynes cross going over the top from virtually under the crossbar.
Sutton replaced Azeez Akinbolu with David Everitt with fifteen minutes to go and with eight minutes left the final roll of the dice as Mark Watson and John Ugbah went off to be replaced by Nassim Akrour and Clive Gartell. Paul Cobb could have sealed it for the visitors with four minutes to go, his drive from the edge of the box whistling past the upright after Sutton had given the ball away in central midfield.
However it seemed like the goals would never come, as and the tension inside the ground was obvious but nothing prepared anyone for the thrilling finale that was yet to come.
Sutton piled on the pressure as the game went into injury time, Nassim Akrour had two headers go just wide but just as the cause looked lost they finally broke through. David Everitt crossed the ball in from the left, Nassim Akrour headed on and Andy Salako at the back post gleefully buried his shot past Paul Gothard. Dagenham could and should have gone back in front, Paul Cobb hitting the post with Les Cleevely badly exposed and Danny Shipp unbelievably put the rebound against the bar. The ball was cleared up field and landed at the feet of Nassim Akrour who teased and jinked his way into the Dagenham penalty area and hit an unstoppable shot into the top left corner to give Sutton a victory that had seemed unlikely just five minutes earlier.
The Sutton line up was:
Les Cleevely, Danny Brooker, Azeez Akinbolu, Gwynne Berry, Barry Laker, Jimmy Dack, John Ugbah, Andy Salako, Mark Watson, Junior Haynes Joff Vansittart.
The Daggers line up was:
Paul Gothard,Tim Cole, David Pratt,Gary Howard, Gary Seymour, John Stimson, John Nicholson, Paul Cobb, Danny Shipp1, Matty Bird, Mark Janney.
Monday 13th April 1998 Ryman Prem.
Daggers 2 Purfleet 2
Shades of December 27th, but it was sunny today, still cold though! After the first 15 minutes of the game I felt that I could have "dragged & dropped" the short report from the final league game of 1997 as the performance was as dire.
From no danger at all, our non existent defence gave Purfleet their first opportunity to go ahead and they took it. A header that was parried pathetically on to an unmarked Martin Lawrence to side foot home from 3 yards, this was after 8 minutes. A couple of minutes later an inch perfect ball split the Daggers defence, the resulting shot was put out for a corner. From this came Purfleet's second goal even though Dean Parratt tried desperately to clear from the line. The visitors controlled the game for all of the first half and missed a chance of going 3-0 up in the 26th minute. Pratt lost the ball on the right hand edge of the area, it was then put across in the area but the striker managed to put the shot over the bar from six yards. Gothard made one great save in the first half from Tony Macklin after he had made himself a bit of space after a twisting run in the area.
The home side came out in the second half a different team and were moving the ball around the last third of the pitch well. Janney and Cobb combined well, Cobb collecting and cleverly trying to chip the defender, this was unsuccessful but he latched on to the rebound and struck it cleanly with his left foot past the 'keeper just inside the far post. The Daggers controlled game in this half as Purfleet had in the first and after six minutes Tim Cole was at the far edge of the penalty area to volley a cross into the back of the net. Cobb once again showed his class with a perfect tackle, he slid into the defender and hooked the ball back all in one movement, this released him towards goal and his shot was low and hard from a tight angle. Steve Mead was just able to hold on to it at the second attempt. Courtney Naylor came on for an injured Shipp, with his second touch he watched his shot pushed on to the post.
A game of two halves, with two goals in each. Lets hope we have learned enough about Purfleet so that we can end up with some Silverware on the 27th April.
Gothard, Pratt, Stimson, Cole1, Seymour, Bird(Double), Nicholson, Cobb1, Shipp(Naylor), Parratt, Janney.
Saturday 25th April 1998 Ryman Prem.
Daggers 2 Dulwich Hamlet 1
Back to watching some great non-league football, and our first home league win for nearly 2 months.
The weather held out too as both teams played some great football, end to end stuff but the deadlock was broken as early as 6 minutes. Parratt, who had already been quite industrious, collected a ball on the edge of the area, his shot was deflected from the defence into Courtney Naylor's path whose perfect far post cross was headed home by Lee Double. Naylor was involved again 6 minutes later when he received a good ball from Pratt and tried to chip the 'keeper but the shot went wide. The Daggers were quite dominant for the opening period but this was to change in the next couple of minutes as Dulwich started to control the midfield. They pushed the ball well around the area, switching direction continually. Gothard was called into play and made an important save when Peter Garland took a good low shot from 10 yards. A great first half with both teams creating chances but neither being able to finish.
Dulwich came out the stronger side after two, what must have been inspired half time, substitutions. They could have equalised on at least 2 or 3 occasions but the home side now looked good on the break. Double could have got his second as Cobb put a lovely ball into the six yard box but he was unable to make contact, which was all that it needed. The Daggers had a couple more chances, Parratt's dipping shot from a tight angle being pushed over the bar. Just after the hour Cole gave away a corner with what some would say was a brave header. Garland's corner was headed at Gothard who saved well but the rebound was put away by Steve Restarick. The Daggers winning goal came from another Dulwich attack, Stimson won the ball deep in our half and proceeded to clear the ball down the left touchline for Naylor to collect and run. His cross then went into the goal area and Cobb dummied well to let the ball run into Janney's path, this time he made no mistake.
Dulwich at this stage were down to 10 men after Garland was sent off for a 2nd yellow card offence. I saw the incident and it was a good decision, it was blatant cheating and we really don't need that sort of crap to filter through from the so called top flight!
Gothard, Pratt, Stimson, Howard(Nicholson), Seymour, Cole, Double1, Naylor, Shipp(Cobb), Parratt, Janney1