Swindon Town look to win again in League Two as they travel to south London tonight to take on Sutton United.
The U’s aren’t on the best streak of their own with just one win in their last five, making it a tempting tie at VBS Community Stadium.
Here is a brief insight into Matt Gray’s side before tonight’s matchup…
The truth…
The London-based club is in its second season in the Football League and missed out on the play-offs last year by a single point.
Finishing in eighth place, Matt Gray’s side also reached the EFL Trophy final, where they were cruelly denied by Rotherham United after extra time.
The club began playing football in the local youth league, but progressed to the Athens League in 1921.
In 1928 they won the first of three league championships and, in 1967, they claimed the first of five Isthmian League titles.
Three years later, Sutton entertained Don Revie’s Leeds great in front of 14,000 people at Gander Green Lane losing 6–0, and the 1970s brought little success. other than The Anglo Italian Cup.
In 1979, Keith Blunt masterminded a stunning 2-1 victory over Chieti, making Sutton the only English club to win the competition in is he was semi-professional, but possibly his The most memorable season came in 1988-89, thanks in part to his outstanding FA Cup run.
After entering the competition in the fourth qualifying round, Sutton faced Coventry City in the third round. The Sky Blues, who were in the First Division, had won the competition 18 months earlier.
However, Sutton came out 2–1 winners, joining a small number of non-league clubs to beat a First Division side.
They then reached the National League in 2016 after winning the National League South title, which included a 25-game unbeaten streak. On their return to the fifth tier they finished twelfth, however once again it was their FA Cup exploits that grabbed the headlines.
After beating Leeds United 1–0, they became the ninth non-league team to reach the fifth round of the competition since 1945.
The reward was a glamor draw against the Premier League attire Arsenal. The following season, Paul Doswell’s team suffered heartbreak in the play-off semi-final. However, under current boss Matt Gray, Sutton made it to the EFL thanks to securing the 2020/21 National League title.
The stadium…
Gander Green Lane, better known as the Borough Sports Ground, is the home of Sutton United.
Based in South London and built in 1898, the ground has hosted the England C team and FA Cup Sunday matches previously.
As of 2015, the surface was a FIFA 2-Star quality 3G pitch, but after gaining promotion to the Football League in 2021, regulations forced the club to replace it with turf.
During last season, the club installed a hybrid’PowerGrass‘ passed.
Pprevious meetings…
Swindon and Sutton actually just met four times in their respective histories, with Town winning each find.
Earlier this season, Town added another win to the record books in September with a 3-2 win on SN1, thanks to Tyrese Shade, Jonny Williams and a final jab from Jacob. wake up.
The double header of recent terms in League Two proved disappointing for tonight’s hosts, with goals from Josh Davison and Harry McKirdy winning the city a 2-1 victory and the three points in SN1 in March.
the previous meeting that season Mountain range Swindon emerged victorious by the same scoreline at Gander Green in October last year, thanks to goals from Louis Reed and Jonny Williams.
Before then, you’ll have to go back to December 1981 for the last game, as Town once again won 2-1 at home in an FA Cup clash.
His season so far…
sutton currently they sit thirteenth in the Sky Bet League Two standings, with just four points separating them from eighth.
However, his recent form has seen his progress into the top ten stall somewhat with just one league win in his last five, which came late last month in Harrogate.
That came after a strong December, which saw them win three, draw one and lose one, propelling them up the table.
Manager…
Matt Gray was a product of the Tottenham academy, playing as a defender during his time in the National League.
He enjoyed seasons with Barnet, Hayes and Havant, where he captained the latter. However, the 40-year-old’s career was cut short at 25 due to various injuries.
After retirement, Gray turned his attention to a coaching career. His first jobs were as an assistant at Eastleigh, Aldershot and Crawley Town.
When Paul Doswell resigned, Gray took over the interim role for Sutton’s final game of the 2018/19 season and, the following summer, secured the job permanently.
It took Gray just two seasons to mastermind Sutton’s promotion to the EFL, with the manager garnering the Manager of the Year award in the process.
Players to watch and hiring in January…
Without a doubt, Will Randall will be pointed out as the dangerous man of The U.
The left winger, who has six league goals so far, netted twice against Swindon when the two teams met at the County Ground in September.
By the way, he was a graduate of the academy. in Citymaking nine first-team appearances before heading to Wolves in 2016.
Omar, center forward Bugiel it’s aother player which is able to find the network. He has scored three league goals this season and has he matched that with the same number of assists.
The German-born former Lebanese international is fast approaching 130 league appearances for Sutton.
Defensive midfielder and captain Craig eastmondonce on the Arsenal books, he’s also a great player for Matt Gray’s side.
The 32-year-old is also one of the most experienced, with 268 league appearances for The U’s.
Left-back Robert Milsom, 36, is the oldest head of the team and isn’t shy in front of goal either, with three so far.
Y.T.Some new faces were brought in here to strengthen the ranks in January, with David Ajiboye recruited on loan from Peterborough United and Matthew Dennis on a temporary deal from MK Dons.
Lee, Bradford City striker angol It has also arrived to increase its firepower to the topand it could prove to be a shrewd signing by Gray this term.