The Hatters made the long trip down to the southern end of Greater London, and, thanks to a Paddy Madden hat-trick, won at in-form Sutton to remain four points clear at the top of the table.
Captain Madden scored his and County’s three in the first half to match his personal goals-haul in the pre-Christmas reverse-meeting with the ‘U’s’ in SK3, and to put the Hatters in control of proceedings by the interval, despite conceding a Sutton penalty between the skipper’s second and third strikes.
And so it was, just a day less than one year following their previous visit to Sutton on Good Friday 2023, the Hatters proceeded to chalk up a fourth successive win and a sixth ‘double’ of the season that extended their unbeaten run to nine games, as well as maintaining their record of having never lost at Gander Green Lane.
County took to the field on a dry, mild afternoon – albeit one a little whipped up by gusts in the wake of the previous day’s Storm Olivia – and showing four changes from the Easter Monday starting line-up against Wimbledon at Edgeley Park at the beginning of the week.
The recalled quartet comprised Odin Bailey, Neill Byrne, Tanto Olaofe – who had spent three acclaimed loan spells leading the line at Sutton between 2020 and 2022 in both National League and League Two – and Antoni Sarcevic. Connor Lemonheigh Evans, Nick Powell, Rico Richards and Kyle Wootton were the players to stand down, and to feature instead on the bench.
The Hatters got off to a sensational start with just over two minutes on the clock, as a short-corner exchange between Sarcevic and Bailey led to the former crossing from the left to Byrne beyond the far post – before the defender headed against the crossbar, and Madden reacted quickest to convert at short range on the rebound for his 16th goal of the season in all competitions and an early County lead on the day.
The hosts – lying in 22nd position, but benefiting from a run of four straight wins which, following their defeat of Swindon six days previously, had seen them climb out of the drop-zone – looked to get back on level terms half a dozen minutes later, but Josh Coley’s dipping effort from the edge of the box was caught by Ben Hinchliffe at full stretch.
Hinchliffe was also on hand shortly after the quarter-hour mark to beat away Charlie Lakin’s well-struck free-kick from just outside the ‘D’. And, at the other end, Bailey’s low delivery from the left into the six-yard box narrowly evaded Madden for a finishing touch.
Then, one minute ahead of the half-hour, Madden and County had a second goal to their names, after the skipper, from six yards out, connected with Kyle Knoyle’s cross from the right to fire home.
Three minutes later, the hosts were awarded a penalty when Coley, through on goal, went to ground under a challenge from Ethan Pye (with Ibby Touray, who was merely in attendance, rather unexpectedly receiving a yellow card after the incident) – before Lakin stepped up to blast the spot-kick past Hinchliffe and halve the arrears. It was the first goal to be registered against the Hatters in more than five hours of play, since they had conceded a late equaliser at Crawley during mid-March.
Either side of added time, the Hatters unleashed two further shots, with the first, from Callum Camps, being tipped around the right post by home goalkeeper Steve Arnold – but the second, struck with the right foot of Madden into the far-top corner of the net following a cut-back by Knoyle on the right by-line, giving the captain his third hat-trick of the campaign and restoring for the Hatters their two-goal advantage before going in at the break.
HALF-TIME: Sutton 1 (Lakin (penalty), 34), County 3 (Madden, 3, 29 and 45 + 1).
County introduced Wootton, to further boost the attack, upon the resumption. But it was a midfielder who struck the first shot of the new half, as Camps cleared the Sutton bar three minutes before the hour.
Sarcevic was the next Hatter to try his luck – but, after cutting in from the left, saw a shot kept out by the legs of Arnold. And as the game ran down, with the hosts enjoying a rather greater share of possession, County stood firm to make sure of maximum points and, moreover, another victory in the pursuit of promotion.
FULL-TIME: Sutton 1 (Lakin (penalty), 34), County 3 (Madden, 3, 29 and 45 + 1).
Team (3-5-2): Hinchliffe; Byrne, Horsfall, Pye; Knoyle, Bailey (Wootton, 46), Camps, Sarcevic (Powell, 81), Touray; Olaofe, Madden (Capt.) (Lemonheigh Evans, 71).
Unused Subs: Smith, Croasdale, Hippolyte, Richards.
Booked: Olaofe, Touray, Lemonheigh Evans.
Attendance: 3,852 (959 away).
Reporter: Gareth Evans.
Photographer: Mike Petch.
