April 2015 Roundup
As we continued our push for promotion, it started to turn into a push for top spot! A tough 4-4 draw with Chelmsford was our first fixture, with youth player George Bailey really turning on the style with 4 incredible goals! Our defence let us down though, with Lewis Gill netting a hattrick and Leon Redwood drawing our opponents level with a last gasp header. Our form continued against Boreham Wood, despite Junior Morias’ early goal, strikes from Callum Hart, Shaun Cooper and Jamie White. Basingstoke were next, and as our nearest competitors, this was to be our hardest task - Manny Williams and Shaun McAuley put them 2-0 up within 20 minutes, and we dug in, but even George Bailey’s wonder strike after 70 minutes couldn’t inspire a last-ditch attempt to salvage the point. It left me wondering...would we regret dropping those points come the end of the season?
Against Bath, we had the chance to go 2 points clear, although Basingstoke had a game in hand over us. And boy, did we take that chance. Jamie White opened the scoring after just 10 minutes with an inch-perfect volley, before Shaq (Or
Shaq-Fu as some fans call him) opened that gap even further on the hour, and our lead at the top was extended. As Full time approached, Frankie Artus struck for the home team to make it 2-1
Next up, final day jitters - we play Maidenhead at Home, and Basingstoke travelled to Weston-Super-Mare. Even if we win, we need Basingstoke to slip up, or the best we can hope for is 2nd place, and the long haul through the play-offs!
The Final Day: Sutton United v Maidenhead
As the watery sun beat down on the pitch, the players emerged in front of our biggest crowd to date: 1029! The team that I put out on the final day was based entirely on training performances, rather than the way the team have played this season so far.
Starting XI: Jakub Spiriak, Ricardo Viana, Jamie Collins, Nigel Seidu, Shaun Cooper (c), Dan Wishart, Bedsente Gomis, Ricky Wellard, George Bailey, Shaqulle Hippolyte-Patrick, Jerson dos Santos
We had the early kick off, so no matter what was to happen, we wouldn’t know the destination of the league title until much later, with Basingstoke not kicking off until 5pm. The club had arranged for the game’s local radio coverage to be played over the stadium’s tannoy system, and players and fans alike would gather around to listen, to know our fate. But first, we had a match to win. George Bailey kicked off, and the race for the title was on. The pace was frantic, and we were, on the whole, the better side. Ricky Wellard went close after just 4 minutes after a solid volley in the midst of a goalmouth scramble, but it was Mr. Reliable - Shaq - who made the breakthrough; a lofted ball from George Bailey found the youngster in the middle of the box, and Shaq made no mistake - hammering a volley high and hard past the goalkeeper, and the stadium erupted.
From then, it was all one-way traffic, but we couldn’t make it count - chance after chance fizzled out, but our defence, lead by Ricardo Viana, held strong, and we saw our what could still go down as a historic victory. We were top of the league, and unless Basingstoke won, we would stay there!
Gander Green Lane: 9.15pm
15 minutes to go. It was 1-0 to Basingstoke, and right now, the title was theirs. The players were mingling with fans - George Bailey and Shaq were huddled in the centre circle, alongside Dan Wishart, and there was an air of expectation around the stadium. Just then, there was a burst of sound from the speaker, and the 978 fans still in the stadium (some of the older fans had headed home to listen in the comfort of their own home) erupted - Lari Yoa had scored for Weston-Super-Mare! 1-1! The part was just cranking up, when all hell broke loose - Bradley Ash had scored in the 89th minute! 2-1 to Weston-Super-Mare! WE ARE CHAMPIONS!
Sutton United: Vanarama Conference South Champions 2014/15!