Sutton Valence 4s 2–3 Tunbridge Wells

With the weather turning a little colder, Sutton Valence welcomed Tunbridge Wells for what proved to be a high-tempo, end-to-end encounter.

The game started positively for Sutton Valence, who looked the stronger side in the opening minutes. Unfortunately, despite creating opportunities, they couldn’t find the breakthrough their early play deserved.

Tunbridge Wells soon found their feet and began to put the Sutton Valence back line under pressure. With both teams playing at a high tempo, it felt only a matter of time before the first goal arrived.

It was Tunbridge Wells who struck first. Awarded a short corner, their initial effort was blocked, but the opposition reacted quickest to the rebound and slotted the ball home to take the lead.

Sutton Valence responded with a short corner of their own. Mike M’s placement was spot on, with the ball deflecting off the post and into the net to bring the scores level at 1–1 going into the break.

The second half saw both teams pushing hard for a winner, with neither side willing to give the other an inch. Sutton Valence produced some outstanding performances throughout the team, from a determined back line through the midfield and into the forward line, creating opportunities they unfortunately couldn’t convert.

As the half wore on, Tunbridge Wells regained the lead. Following a diving save, the Sutton Valence goalkeeper was unable to recover in time as a cross was delivered to the back post and finished to make it 1–2.

The visitors’ third goal came from a similar move, with another ball played across the goal and finished at the back post to extend their lead to 1–3.

Sutton Valence, however, showed outstanding determination in the dying minutes. Awarded a short corner, Mike M stepped up once again and fired the ball just above the goalkeeper to bring the score back to 2–3.

With momentum building and the pressure mounting, Sutton Valence were ready to restart from the centre, but the final whistle sounded, bringing the match to an end.

Despite the 2–3 defeat, Sutton Valence showed great determination, teamwork and spirit throughout, pushing hard until the very last moment. There were plenty of positives to take from the performance, even if the result didn’t go their way.

Report By: David Turner

Goals: Mike Metcalfe x2

Team:
David Turner
Stuart Edmed
Darren Thompson
Mike Metcalfe
Julian Mills
Nick Hall
Oscar Turnill
Vihaan Patel
Dominic Powell
Luke Edmed
Matthew Lemmon
William Turnill
Alec Kennett

Next Match: Burnt Ash (H) 11:15pb