Mass brawl after chaotic finale is reminder to Sutton of the high stakes they are striving to get back to
- By Yann Tear at Gander Green Lane
- 2 days ago
- 3 min read
National League
Sutton United (0) 1 Bell 78 Muller s/o 90+9
Rochdale (0) 2 Rodney 89. Henderson 90+7
In case they needed a reminder of just what it takes to be fighting to win promotion up to the football league, Sutton United got it at Gander Green Lane after a frantic, heart-stopping finale in which they threw away a win by shipping two goals at the death.
A sublime strike from outside the area by Charlie Bell with 12 minutes to go was worthy of winning a tight contest. But Rochdale - top of the National League with only a slender advantage over York City in the chase for that solitary automatic promotion slot, were not done.
They poured forward and grabbed an equaliser with a fine volley from Devante Rodney, yet refused to accept what would ordinarily have been a good rescued away point.
They tussled with U's keeper Jack Sims for the ball to get the game restarted as quickly as possible and then, with the clock already beyond the original five minutes of added time, sub Ian Henderson scrambled home from close range after Rodney had had a shot blocked.
It was heartache for Sutton and their frustration boiled over after they saw the Dale bench and subs pour onto the field in sheer ecstasy after the winning goal.
When the final whistle sounded, a mass confrontation followed and it ended with ref Ben Atkinson waving a red card at Hayden Muller, with U's boss Chris Agutter also sanctioned.
The fractious end was a testament to the sort of tension you can expect at the sharp end of a hugely competitive division in which only five more games remain.
At one stage, during a break in play, Bell tried to eavesdrop on an impromptu team talk by the visitors in what became a drinks break. Next thing, Dale players were angrily squirting their water bottles at the U's midfielder and Sutton players quickly responded in kind. It was that sort of afternoon.
Sutton, who gave a good account of themselves, have shown they can compete with a team at the very top and they must use that lesson to launch a stronger campaign next time around.
It is never easy readjusting to a new reality after relegation and Sutton have mostly suffered this season.
The hangover from being demoted from League Two a couple of seasons ago extended well beyond last season's mid-table finish and they only managed a solitary win in their first 17 games of this current campaign - a 2-1 home win over Carlisle.
The season has hardly been a runaway success since they began to turn the corner with an FA Cup win over Telford on November 1, but a little run of four wins and a draw in league games steadied the listing ship.
With just five games to go, the Ambers will finish in the lower reaches of the National League but at least will avoid the ignominy of another demotion.
Recent home drubbings at the hands of Morecambe (0-5) and Truro (0-3) underline that there is much work still to be done before they can reclaim a position as one of the clubs capable of pushing for a place in the EFL.
As a sign of how much instability there has been in recent times, some 39 different players have been involved in the league programme - constant chopping and changing the by-product of a frantic search for a winning formula.
Agutter replaced Steve Morrison, who left in September, and he has had the task of rebuilding. Sutton, promoted into the Football League for the very first time in 2021 under Matt Gray, had three seasons among the exclusive club of 92 and would dearly love to set foot there again some day.
Rochdale, with a more storied history in the EFL, showed how much the prospect of a return means to them.
U's: (4-2-3-1) Sims - Donkor, Eccleston, Pruti, Topalloj - Muller, Taylor (Harris 71) - Simper (Eze 87), Njoku (Urpens 92), Bell -Ogbonna (Rodari 87)
Dale: (3-5-2) Winterbottom - Gordon, Ebanks-Landell, Perry - Hannant (Gordon 82), East, Pettit (Francis 73), Barlow (McBride 64), Moss - Smith (Rodney 64), Dieseruvwe (Henderson h/t)
Attendance: 2, 520
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