County are looking to make it three league wins on the spin this weekend, as we welcome Sutton United to Edgeley Park knowing a win would take us above the Us in the league table.
Tuesday night’s 2-0 win against Carlisle United under the lights saw us record back-to-back wins in League Two for the first time this season, making it four wins and four clean sheets in our last five games in all competitions.
Despite those wins this week we have remained rooted in 16th place, although significantly we have started to create a gap to the teams below us and close in on the top half of the table.
We now sit as close to the play-off places as we do to the relegation zone with an eight-point gap to both, and a win would see us finish the day in our highest league position so far this season, potentially finishing as high as 13th should other results go our way.
Saturday’s opponents Sutton currently sit just one point and one place above County in the table, although Dave Challinor said on Tuesday night he believes that to be a ‘false position’ for the London side, with performances often better than their results have shown.
They showed glimpses of what they are capable of themselves on Tuesday night, as they came from 2-0 down at half-time to claim an impressive 2-2 draw away at Northampton Town thanks to goals from Omar Bugiel and Donovan Wilson.
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Our Opponents
Sutton United have settled in well to life as a Football League Club, following a first ever promotion to the EFL in 2021 after winning the National League title.
Retaining the core of the side that won them promotion under manager Matt Gray, the Us enjoyed a memorable debut season in League Two. Despite being tipped as relegation favourites going into the campaign, they spent the majority of the season challenging in the top half of the table, eventually finishing just one place and one point away from the play-off places in 8th.
They nearly crowned their season with a trophy too, making it all the way to the final of the Papa John’s Trophy at Wembley in their first appearance in the competition. They even twice took the lead against League One Rotherham in the final, only to concede a 96th minute equaliser before eventually succumbing 4-2 in extra-time.
Their form last season was built on a formidable record at Gander Green Lane, with only Exeter, Mansfield and Tranmere picking up more points at home than their 47. It’s been a similar story this time round too – 14 of their 19 points gained so far this season have come at home, with their only away win so far coming at AFC Wimbledon a fortnight ago.
Despite starting the season with only one win from their opening five games, Gray’s side have still shown what they’re capable of in flashes here and there; a run of four straight home wins in August and September leaving them just two points off the top seven.
Four successive league defeats at the start of October may have dampened that early season optimism as they dropped into the bottom half of the table, but a win and two draws since then have shown they remain a very capable side at this level.
The stats suggest that, much like County, they have not had the results to back up their performances in the first few months of the season – both will be hoping that three points on Saturday can be used as a springboard for better things to come in the future.
One to watch:
In truth, Sutton haven’t changed too much from the side that stormed to the National League title 18 months ago. One new addition since then however may be familiar to County fans in the shape of Luton Town loanee Josh Neufville.
The 21-year-old has spent the last two seasons on loan at Yeovil Town in the National League and has caught the eye against County in the past, scoring his side’s second in our 2-1 defeat at Huish Park back in April. An electric winger with pace to burn, Neufville often plays on the right of Sutton’s 4-4-2 formation and has scored twice for his new side already, including a sensational solo goal against Mansfield in August.
Match Stats:
- County will be looking for a first ever win against Sutton United on Saturday, after three draws and a defeat in the previous four meetings. Our only ever goal against the Us came courtesy of James Jennings, whose 94th minute header earned County a 1-1 draw at Gander Green Lane in 2021.
- County will be looking to win three successive EFL games for the first time since April 2008, when Mansfield Town, Darlington and Peterborough were all beaten in League Two.
- Only Tranmere (11) have picked up more points than County (10) over the last five games in League Two.
