Sutton away preview

[Sweden Stag]

After the comprehensive 3-1 victory at Crawley, the Stags once again head down South for the final away League Two fixture in 2023. This time, it is against Sutton United, who after being routed to an 8-0 scoreline at Stockport last Saturday, axed their manager Matt Gray earlier this week.

Two seasons ago, the Stags faced Sutton for the first time ever. After being beaten 2-0 at Sutton, the Stags won a league record consecutive eight games. And Sutton also gate-crashed the Stags’ longest-ever home wins record by winning 2-1 on Good Friday 2022. Last season, Sutton won at home to a 2-1 scoreline in August 2022, and the return fixture at One Call was one of the dullest goal-less draws ever in two decades of preview history, gaining the Stags their first-ever point against Sutton United.

At the end of last season, Sutton faded very badly with no win in their final eleven fixtures including the goal-less draw at Mansfield, which was one out of Sutton’s three draws in last season’s run in.

Maybe it was a sign of tougher times to come.

This season, Sutton started with a 5-1 home rout of Notts County in their League Two comeback fixture. But that win was followed by a run of seven consecutive League Two defeats, breaking a run of six straight reverses at the end of last season.

But Sutton have in the done a few FA Cup giant-killings. Just ask Coventry in 1989, Peterborough in 1987 and Leeds during the 2016-17 season. And this season, Sutton have reached the third round, while the Stags can fully concentrate on the League Two promotion race.

On the other hand, Sutton must concentrate on avoiding the drop back into the Conf National.

When the Stags had their dark days a decade ago, they did not even play Sutton United. Fact is that they during those dark seasons for the Stags played in the League below, as Sutton belonged to the Conf South founder members in 2004-05 and even finished rock-bottom there in 2007-08, only to return in 2011-12 and become Conf South Champions in 2015-16, six points above Ebbsfleet.

Then came the Conf National return after a long absence and the 2016-17 Leeds giant-killing in the FA Cup fourth round, earning Sutton a bumper tie against Arsenal at headquarters. The 2016-17 K.O. was also revenge for a 0-6 home defeat way back in the 1969-70 season, in the fourth round. To get that far then, Sutton disposed of three fellow non-league sides. One of those were Dagenham, a predecessor to the current Dagenham & Redbridge club.

In the late 1980’s and early 1990’s, Sutton reached the FA Cup first round and beyond for something like seven seasons running. In those seasons, several league sides were slain. In 1987-88, the old Aldershot club were beaten to a 3-0 scoreline, and that was revenge for a 4-0 home defeat in 1963-64 against an Aldershot side later to dump out Aston Villa in a third round home replay. After beating Aldershot in 1987, Sutton kayoed Peterborough at their place before taking Middlesbrough to a replay in the third round. The following 1988-89 campaign was even better inasmuch as Sutton managed a classic giant-killing. The 1986-87 FA Cup winners, Coventry City, became drawn away to Sutton and crashed out big style to a 2-1 scoreline. A giant-killing often overshadowed by i.e. Wrexham against Arsenal, Yeovil against Sunderland, Hereford against Newcastle, and of course, the Stags against West Ham. The Coventry giant-killing in 1989 was followed by a crushing 8-0 defeat at Norwich in the fourth round then.

A couple of players having played for the Stags and for Sutton United have been traced, although some of them did not make a long-standing mark at the Stags. Here they are: Craig Dobson, Richard Harris, Jeffrey Monakana, Richard Pacquette, Soloman Taiwo and a recent Sutton player who before the start of the 2021-22 season came from Altrincham, now at Lincoln. The name: Alistair Smith, who scored 13 times in 66 Sutton games spread over two season. Currently, Lee Angol is playing for Sutton, and featured in the 8-0 rout at Stockport last Saturday but did not feature in the dull goal-less draw at One Call last season. Sutton is now the eighth league club for Angol, who played for the Stags during the 2017-18 campaign.

Expect a tight game on Saturday. Come on Mansfield!