Sutton Valence welcomed 3rd placed Old Williamsonians for their first home match of 2020. Aware of Old Wills' recent good form, Valence knew that they would be in for a tough match.
Valence started the game well and for the opening few minutes looked like the better side. However, they were unable to press their advantage and Old Wills managed to progressively establish themselves more in the match. The game was fairly evenly contested across all areas of the pitch but eventually Valence opened the scoring from a short corner thanks to a close range finish from Rob Cockayne, after some good interplay following Cockayne's initial uncontrolled stop on the top of the dee.
Valence went into half time 1-0 up but knowing they had played far below their best standard, and that the match was far from over.
The second half continued in the same vein as the first, although this time Old Wills scored from a short corner after a powerful strike managed to evade runner, goalkeeper and post man to find the bottom corner.
Valence continued to press, showing some glimpses of the good form they have had this season, but they struggled to put these moments together to create sustained pressure, or achieve another goal.
The final score was 1-1 and although Valence were disappointed not to win, they should also be grateful that they were not punished for failing to find their recent form. The match was played in much better spirit that the reverse fixture earlier in the season, with both sides repeatedly testing each other.

Team: Ryan Robinson, Nick Hall, Rob Harrison, Phil Morris, James Abrahams, Andrew Wishart, Duncan Field, Chris Jackson, Darren Thompson, Rueben Collingwood, Rob Cockayne, Duncan Wills
Umpire : Jonny Walker

Match Report by James Abrahams.

Next week the 3rd Xl are away against K Sports 3rd Xl currently in 7th position.