Hello and welcome to another episode of Sutton United Talk Time on podcast! In today’s episode, I’m joined by Jenny and Neil—two regulars who "signed up" by basically nodding along before they knew what they were getting into. We’re diving deep into the recent 1-1 draw against Forest Green, a match defined by debut drama, controversial refereeing, and a last-minute poacher’s finish that kept our survival hopes alive.
Mike Dowling
Hello and welcome to another episode of Sutton United Talk Time on podcast. It's the Sutton podcast in association with Lucky Star Gin. If you're a regular listener, welcome back. And if you're a new listener, you're very welcome.
Mike Dowling
I hope you stay with us. I'm your host, Mike, and with me today, we have Jenny and Neil, who basically signed up to this yesterday by not really listening to what I was saying, and just both went, yeah. And here they are. We love hearing from you.
Mike Dowling
Join the conversation and stay connected. Share your thoughts on this episode and others. Let us know what you think. Give us all the little thumbs up and the shares and the retweets and all the other stuff that I love, because my ego could do with a boost, because I'm not egotistical at all enough.
Mike Dowling
Anyway, um, I'm gonna start with you Jenny, how are you?
Jenny
What, since last night?
Mike Dowling
Since yesterday, yes.
Jenny
Yeah, it's, it's very foggy here, but I hear it's very foggy everywhere, and it hadn't really lifted all day. In South London?
Mike Dowling
No, it's been beautiful. Lovely sunny weather, honestly. You're joking! No, I'm not just saying that.
Mike Dowling
Really? It's been lovely.
Jenny
Horrible. But then it's Swindon, so I don't mind. But yeah, foggy all day. Neil, yourself?
Neil
I've just been for a dog walk in the drizzly mizzle of Oxfordshire.
Mike Dowling
You should have come down here. It's lovely. I don't know if I mentioned that. So let's Club News.
Mike Dowling
We've signed another defender, although there's some confusion because Milton Cleans have said midfielder has gone on loan and we've said we've signed a central defender. He's playing at defence. But welcome, Calum. I know we've seen you play yesterday.
Mike Dowling
To some people, they were asking lots of questions about, well, he was only signed on Friday and then put straight into the team on Saturday. He wasn't. He was actually with the team the whole week. It was only announced on Friday because we didn't want Forest Green to know that we'd signed him.
Mike Dowling
That's apparently the reason for the delay. And the ladies match is finished and it's 3-2. I will be getting some details and I'm going to slot them back in here. So if I haven't slotted them back in, you'll know that I didn't get the details.
Mike Dowling
Was that 3-2 to us? 3-2 to us, yes. We won 3-2. Neil, what were your hopes, expectations ahead of the match, and did the lineup throw any confusion or surprises to you?
Neil
I was cautiously optimistic, so I was more upbeat than downbeat. I was a little bit surprised with the line-up to see that we had two goalkeepers on the subs' bench, which I thought was an interesting tactic. And surprised to see Will Tisard on the bench. I expected him to play.
Neil
So, I thought we were lacking central midfielders. And the info that I'd had was that Callum Tripp was better in midfield than he was as a centre-back. Though, in fact, MK Don's have used him when they have used him as a centre-back. But he wasn't really a centre-back because he was more playing the right of a back three, yet somehow managed to end up on the left of a back three.
Neil
So, it was confusing. But apart from that, yes, the runners and riders, it was fairly obvious who was going to play. And I think Jadon Harris was probably taking the butt of the, it was probably you were the player that perhaps let yourself down last week, hence why he was put on the bench.
Mike Dowling
And Jenny, was there any surprises for you? Oh, sorry, hang on, Neil, you didn't tell me what you were expecting before the game.
Neil
Oh, I actually predicted us winning 2-1. Dodged that, didn't he?
Mike Dowling
2-1, OK. Neil, no, Jenny, Christ, this is outrageous.
Jenny
Keep drinking tea, isn't it?
Mike Dowling
It is only tea.
Jenny
I knew about the new guy and I'll be honest, I thought, will he go straight in? If I'd known he'd been with us a week, I probably would. But I am on that fan hub thing that you can predict the lineup. And I've been getting 9 out of 11 lately.
Jenny
So yesterday they didn't have his name. So I didn't put it and I actually put Will Tizard in and that was the only difference. So no, to be quite honest, though, it didn't surprise me. It was about the right sort of lineup that I'd expected to be quite honest, and I thought it was a good one.
Jenny
Jayden, I sort of agree with Neil a little bit. I think that Jayden sort of yeah he perhaps they thought well let's start him on the bench and who scored but do you know what i mean which sometimes like um aggie said you know or was it him you know sometimes these things work if they get a bit annoyed and when they do come on i've got something to show and yeah he certainly did so bring it on Yeah, absolutely. My expectations, I have to say, I always hate to say we're going to lose on the prediction league, so I didn't.
Jenny
I put that we'd win 1-0, but in my heart of hearts, I wasn't expecting us to win, to be totally honest with you. I thought this would be the last game where we probably wouldn't win, you know, before we start meeting, you know, some I know all teams are going to be difficult, but yeah, you know, I mean, York City, Southend, all those teams. And yesterday I'm like, okay, I don't think we'll win. But, and so I, to be quite honest, to get one all, I was, I was happy with that because I kept going around saying Morrow, Neil, Agatha won because, you know, August match, which I went to, you know, when we were, hammered basically 4-0.
Jenny
That was streets and so far different and when you think it's only sort of five months it was so different from August where we really capitulated. I was hoping to think Robbie Savage might have said well that's a quite a good team they've got there that you know um no he didn't but anyway no no i wasn't expecting us to we always want us it would have been lovely but a draw take it all day long really forest green yeah they parked the bus second half after the sending off
Mike Dowling
I mean, yeah, Neil, I have to say yours wasn't the only positive vibe. There was a lot of people saying, I think they're going to underestimate us because of the beating that Ginny referred to. And there was a few people going, do you know what? I think we can do something here.
Mike Dowling
I was like this is very unsuttoned surely we should be more like oh let's keep it under seven and we'll be fine. But I mean there's a few different different bits to run around. I've not done this really in any order so do forgive but let's talk about Lewis Simper. He had a great shot I think in the first half that could have put us one nil up.
Mike Dowling
He also hit the bar or crossbar But yeah, I'm seeing people going, I think it was one of his quieter games for us. Jenny, what was your thoughts on Sims? Because someone has suggested that, actually, now we've got quite a few different people and options in midfield, could he get the rest that he might need?
Jenny
Yeah, I think we're all expecting him to score screamers, you know, from sort of 30 yards, which he does. He is unlucky with, you know, yeah, shot that hits the bar and it is that luck or is that skill? I just think he's unlucky. But the goals he normally scores are spectacular.
Jenny
So he's due one. I think people look, if he doesn't score, then he's had a quiet game. But he does a lot of work. within the match, a lot of work.
Jenny
And I think people forget, in a sense, he's not playing an out-and-out striker. When we go for a throw-in and he picks the ball up, and I'm like, no, don't you throw it in. Give it to someone else down the outside where we were standing. He picks it up, and I'm like, no, get in there.
Jenny
But I think it's more unlucky that, you know, he's not a poacher because he'll score the spectacular but when he's 30 yards out i do often think just give it a whack have a go try um uh but yeah i wouldn't complain yeah aggie said um he assists the assists he does that more often more often than people realize
Mike Dowling
Also, Neil, Aggie mentioned in his hospitality bit, he was doing his little chat and he said, it's a stat that I don't think many people realize, because they look at Nadas and they judge him on his goals. But he said, Simpa has not scored or assisted in a match that Nadas isn't playing in. And he said, that's because Nadas draws people away to give simps the space to do these things. And it's like, no.
Mike Dowling
And then the staff went off and had a little look and they went, Oh my god, he's right! Get him back in then! Not if he's injured, not if he's cobbling around on one foot.
Jenny
I don't care!
Mike Dowling
But Neil, what did you think? I mean, I said there was a couple of comments saying, oh, we had quite a quiet game. But as I said, he's probably two of our best chances outside the goal.
Neil
If, yeah, as I said before we started recording, I watched the full match back that Forest Green had done their homework. He was doubled up. They were swarming around. So he did not get the space, certainly in the middle of the park, that he would normally get.
Neil
He found a little bit more later on when they were obviously a man down. But you were finding that Simpson was actually a lot more out on the wing and all that. So he was having to go to try and find. And there were always two players around him.
Neil
They were superb aggressively and without fouling. closing him down. So, he was not able to do something. If he got it, he was having to get rid of it or passing back.
Neil
So, I think that was good homework. They realized that potentially he was ticking and they also did the same thing on Kai Jennings. So, they realized that those were the two key people to keep quiet because they're our creative midfield too.
Mike Dowling
We're going to come to Callum's debut. Oh, do we have to? You can't sign a player called Trip and not expect something to happen. I did say to him in the bar, I was like, Callum, don't worry about giving away a penalty, mate.
Mike Dowling
I said, because, oh, my background's just fallen off. Don't worry about giving away the penalty, because we've given away about 700 this season. So you're in good company. Firstly, Neil, you've watched it back.
Mike Dowling
I've had some people say it looks like he got the ball and it looks like it possibly shouldn't have been a penalty. Robbie Savage obviously said he should have been sent off, sent to the tower and all sorts of other things as well. But Neil, what do you think of it? First viewing, I thought it was a pen.
Neil
Yeah. And I'm saying I've looked back three or four times. I think basically you're giving the referee a chance to give it. It's more it was more clear cut than the couple that he gave against us at one of the or one of the two he gave against us at Walton.
Neil
So, you know, he made it easy for the referee to give it. The guy had got him for pace. So, and you can't blame, you know, even if he got the ball, he was sort of behind. If you're behind the man, it's going to be a penalty more often than not.
Neil
That's why Junior's one at the other end wasn't a penalty because Junior wasn't he wasn't behind Junior. He was to the side of him. So, therefore, there's that element more of doubt, you know, if you get the ball. Do you see what I mean?
Neil
So, it's where you are relative when the tackle's made, irrespective of where the ball goes. But it shouldn't have been a card, in my understanding, of the double jetty, because it wasn't a reckless or danger. It was a genuine attempt to get the ball. Therefore, it was a foul, but it wasn't you know, a bad foul.
Neil
So that's why he, that's why I believe he didn't get the card, from my understanding, which could be wrong, but that's my...
Mike Dowling
Since you brought it up, I'll ask Jenny both questions as well, but since you brought up Junior's penalty, you've sort of given a reason why did you think it was a dive looking for the penalty? I did ask Junior if he wanted to go for swimming and he shook his head and was like, no, it was never a dive. But what do you think, Neil?
Neil
I think he sort of fell over. Actually, I don't think it was a it wasn't spectacular enough for a simulated thing. He just literally it was the two that clashed with the ball. I think the defender marginally got to the ball ahead of him and Junior falls over.
Neil
I don't think it was a. I mean, there wasn't a great appeal if you look from our players for a penalty. It was far more for the crowd.
Mike Dowling
Yeah. And not every challenge in the box has to result in a penalty or a yellow card.
Jenny
It does if it's Sutton United.
Mike Dowling
But Jenny, give us your thoughts on the two penalty incidents.
Jenny
The penalty that Callum sadly with his name, gave away. You know, I'll always think, no, it wasn't a penalty, but yeah, it did look a penalty. And for instance, if that was the other way round, if we hadn't got it, which we wouldn't anyway, but if when, you know, we would have been furious. That's why I have to say with juniors, it was the wrong end for me.
Jenny
I mean, I saw him go down. It was obviously in the penalty box. I wasn't that close and it wasn't on the highlights. So I didn't, I was very bad.
Jenny
It didn't move my home. I didn't watch the whole match back again. So when he went down, I mean, yeah, I'm going to shout for a penalty because he went down, but you do. But no, it was, I mean, I have to say every time opposition now either are in our box or they just outside the penalty area.
Jenny
I'm like don't fail, don't get near them, don't touch them because especially in the penalty area I don't know. I've got this theory and I'm going to have to talk to Chris Agata about it. I really have got this theory that we've had so many penalties against us that each team, they obviously look at the team they're playing and they do their due diligence of looking. And I'm convinced now that somewhere along the talk for managers of our opposition teams, they say to them, look, they've conceded a lot of penalties.
Jenny
which is in here, right, when you're in the box and if one of the Sutton defenders is near you and you've, you know, and it, right, go down because they've considered, and I, if I was a manager of Tamworth, right, next match, I'd be saying, they'd be doing everything else, but I'd say to them, look, they've had so many penalties. and they're a bit night, be, be, you know, do an Eastman, you know, be, be clever. You know, if you get in a bit of a tangle, go down.
Jenny
Ours often don't go down, go down. Chances are 50, 50, you might get a penalty. I'm convinced other managers would be saying that within their team talks. We've had so many, I would.
Mike Dowling
I think someone on the forum, I don't know who it was, sorry, has put that we've given in the league it's 11 and the next nearest is two teams. I think he said Brackley and Boston and there were seven each. So that's just to show.
Jenny
But you know, we're either, we're either, it's either an inexperienced defence who get the wrong side or they, you know, but like even when Callum did, oh no, don't tackle them because There's a chance there'd be a penalty and it's Sutton United, so it'd be a penalty.
Mike Dowling
That said, the one that JT gave away a couple of weeks ago, when the photos came out, it's like, that wasn't a penalty. I was clean on the ball. So yeah, some of them.
Neil
But you're wrong, Mike, because the way they've changed the rules, the tackle from behind, even if you get the ball, is potentially viewed as an aggressive, dangerous tackle. So that's why you're more likely to get them in the old days. So get it. People are getting hung up, I think, on he got the ball.
Mike Dowling
Yeah.
Neil
You know, you've got to get quite a long way ahead of the person before it will count in your favor, which is why I feel we should, you know, somebody like David O'Brien should run and get in the box a lot more than he does. Yeah. Somebody's going to get him down because he's he's very tricksy.
Mike Dowling
very quick as well. Yeah.
Neil
Yeah. So that's that's what I you know, that's what I but but I think, you know, I look at all of the penalties, obviously, with amber coloured spectacles, but I have to say, a lot of them when I look back on them, you can see how it's easy for the ref to give them given them a decision to make. yeah so don't make it easy for the refs because the refs are well they're human yeah but if Callum hadn't tackled the guy he'd have scored so anyway so it wouldn't have made any difference you know exactly um right we will talk about some of the um the
Neil
other decisions so
Mike Dowling
We were down to, not down to, we were up against 10. I have to say, I was talking to a couple of people just shortly before that sending off, and I thought some of our players were getting quite antsy with the referee, and I was, we're going to get someone sent off. And I think I said that in like 35, 36 minutes, and I would be really surprised if we finished this half of 11 men. And then very shortly after, there was the scuffle and their guy went.
Mike Dowling
So, Neil, on that whole couple of minutes, what was your view on the sort of two challenges in the scuffle, the scuffle and then the handball slash descent that we were all wondering why he got the second yellow?
Neil
Right. So going back to the original thing was a tackle from Bez on the left wing, which to be honest, was a high dangerous tackle and Bez should have been sent off. Having looked back at it, it was very high. It got him on the top of the on top of the thigh so it was it was late it was high it was reckless that should have been a straight res so therefore the guy was justified in feeling that he was hard done by eventually bez got booked
Neil
we thought originally at the time it was for descent in the scuffle but it wasn't you can see the referee pointing to the sideline, to the tackle. So, the ref, in effect, lets play on. We get the ball back. Obviously, it breaks down.
Neil
And, you know, Callum Rees goes deliberately for the nearest player he can get. And it happens to be Kai Jennings. That was reckless. It was dangerous.
Neil
It was a deliberate. So, he should have been. It should have been. a straight red.
Mike Dowling
Yeah, it was retaliation as well.
Neil
It was retaliation. So, you know, so the ref basically bottled both of those. I think he thought or realized I should have given a red there. I can't really give a red here.
Neil
I'm going to have to make this two yellows.
Mike Dowling
Yeah, yeah.
Neil
I mean, Savage's point of view is it wasn't a red because there should have been a red for us beforehand. So therefore, the next bit of play wouldn't have happened.
Mike Dowling
Well, yeah, you can argue that, but he then also said in the same interview, oh yeah, I mean, you're right to go and have a pop back. No, no, no, no, you're not. Well, that's how he played, though. No, he didn't have a pop back.
Mike Dowling
He was normally rolling, crying about the challenge.
Jenny
No, I remember him playing. He did used to, especially for Leicester.
Mike Dowling
yeah that wasn't against players you're too young no no no that wasn't players who would have a pop back that was players who wouldn't have a pop back all right neil what were you sorry i just know you took a mouthful of drink there but what was your view on then the second yellow for or whatever his name was, where he went through, again, as the savage is saying, the ball hit his chest and then his arm. Didn't look like that to my view, but you've watched it back. He then, the whistle went, he kicked the ball into the net, and then he went off and let it go at the linesman.
Mike Dowling
So at the time, there was a bit of question about what the yellow was for, the second yellow. I believe you had some expert...
Neil
I thought it was Jenny and I were standing next to it. We thought it was for dissent because he, you know, went and had a pop at the linesman and all that sort of situation, you know, claiming, oh, I never handled it, blah, blah, blah. When I then had a little bit of interaction with Mr. Savage on the side of the pitch behind the dugout, he said that the fourth official had clarified it was for deliberate handball. which was it.
Neil
And then he gave me a very graphic description of and then showed demonstration and all that sort of thing. So we spent the next minute or so with his back to the game, having a, you know, having an interaction with me, which Jenny's captured on film.
Mike Dowling
Yes.
Neil
And he wasn't watching the game at all at that stage. No, he wasn't. So he was very passionate about the fact that he felt that the referee there had make a series of mistakes and it was all terribly unfair.
Mike Dowling
I mean, watching him every now and then, he was a pantomime. I mean, where he says crowds have a go at him and all that, it's like, what? You do it deliberately. I mean, he was nice saying about our fans as well, but it was a case of you are kind of doing this deliberately.
Mike Dowling
You're dancing up and down, you're engaging with them, you're talking to them, you're waving to them up in the stands. But Jenny, what was your thoughts on, I know you were standing next to Neil, so you had almost the same view, but on the handbags dust up, what led to that dust up and then the yellow?
Jenny
Well, in all honesty, to be fair, sadly, the very first one that we, you know, our tackle that was dangerous, all of that was because the referee couldn't control the game. You know, if he had sent off, sent Bez off, you know, the rest, I suspect, wouldn't have happened because I mean, Kai, yeah, I mean, wow, you know, the guy who tackled it, you know, he wanted some justice as it were, and it wasn't even guys fault, you know, it wasn't even him that done it. But the referee, he, he, players know that, that they, you know, they've been playing a long time, these people, what I'm saying a long time, but they know the system.
Jenny
And if they feel agreed that one of their players, you know, hasn't had the justice that should have, i.e. that the player that done the tackle wasn't sent off, then they're going to be gunning for you. It doesn't matter whether it's non-league or professional in the premiership. That's what happens. You can see it.
Jenny
And the referee didn't handle it. He didn't know what to do. Or he didn't have, he didn't, he bottled it, didn't he? To be fair.
Jenny
He bottled it. It's really weird because sometimes that happens. I can't remember the match, was it Southend? Yeah, the crowd, because it was at Southend, the decisions seemed to always go Southend's way.
Jenny
I'm sure he wasn't biased towards us, but was that because he was at Sutton and it was a Sutton plan? I don't think so, but they're human. It's in there in like, I'm not sure.
Mike Dowling
I don't know. I don't think so. You've got both managers.
Jenny
Yeah.
Mike Dowling
Complaining about the referee quite, quite blatantly. I mean, I never complained about referees, said Robbie Savage, and then his ten minute interview was eight minutes complaining about the referee. It's like you're very good at it for somebody who doesn't do it very often.
Jenny
But it is very, can I just say, it's very noticeable. Robbie Savage also said in his interview, he said, you know, I got booked. One of my staff got sent off. He said, And he said the other, the opposition, I mean he was meaning Chris Agata and Al Bench, he said they were just as bad, they were getting nothing.
Jenny
But, and I think I said this to Neil, that if you watch Robbie Savage, he was forever in the fourth official's ear, forever. Chris Agatha was in his puppet, he was looking, he was watching the match, he was doing it. Yes, at some decisions he might. But it wasn't even, the match was going on and there was Savage in his ear, in his ear, in his ear.
Jenny
And I'm like, come on Robbie.
Mike Dowling
rubbish. If that was me, I'd be, and I was Chris, I'd be just looking at the fourth every now and then and just kind of cutting my eyes and rolling my eyes as if to go, oh blimey, he don't stop, does he?
Jenny
He was forever in the bloke's ear. I think I said to Neil, is that one of their staff? Because you couldn't really tell on the TARDIS, they were all in black, like tracksuits. And I'm like, is that one of Forest Green's staff?
Jenny
And he went, no, it's the fourth official. Oh, Robbie's every now and then, he's going around. You know, Chris wasn't doing that. Yes, he would do that occasionally, but he wasn't like Robbie.
Jenny
Look, he is. He's part of the show, isn't he, really?
Mike Dowling
Maybe that's what teams need to do. They need to hire someone. just stand there and take abuse that should be directed at the fourth, but the manager can go, I wasn't talking to him, I was talking to my bloke. Just do it loudly.
Jenny
When Robbie said about us, and I thought, no, no, no, no, you're wrong there, we Yeah, come on.
Mike Dowling
He was very pleased that most of the people around at the time did agree that the card might have been a bit harsh, but hey, I don't care. But we had 50 minutes against 10 men. We couldn't break them down, really. We had chances.
Mike Dowling
Chris said he felt that we had chances at 11 v 11, so it wasn't too much of a difference. He did make a lot of attacking substitutions, Jenny. At one point, of the defenders that started, we had Bez at the back and everyone else going forward, going, what am I supposed to do here? But again, people have been commenting on David, wondering what Chris has seen in him.
Mike Dowling
But what I think people don't realize because I spoke to him very briefly afterwards and he said just people don't understand the difference between training part-time and training full-time and the intensity and everything it's just so much I'm trying to catch up because I will and I'll start scoring but because it's just really difficult. What did you think of the subs, the attacking intent and of David as a signing so far?
Jenny
In regards to it, I turned around and I said to Neil, as soon as it was down to 10 men, I went, we've never always done very well against 10 men. You know, that was my first thing.
Mike Dowling
That's all you ever remember though.
Jenny
yeah yeah that's right yeah yeah because we should but i have to say on forest green side um i mean yeah it was we were like a battery ram and i can see why chris put you know let's put them all on all before everyone you know even you know sims get up there and that which he nearly did nearly got caught out but no um but they were really well organized at the back although we were it was like one of these you know this battering ram and they just stood firm you know they were all in their positions they and when they did have and they had some breakaways which were a little bit disconcerting because we were all up there trying to batter them down they were fast you know they ran through But as soon as we got the ball back, they were back, they were back in their positions.
Jenny
And I'll be honest, it was very, I thought, I can't see where a goal is coming from. Because they were well organized and our goal, fantastic, but it was a bit pinball. You know, it started to be some pinball, just keep putting the ball in. I can understand him doing that.
Jenny
Yeah, there's substitutions. Are you talking, David, are you talking about Eze?
Mike Dowling
Who, which? No, um, yeah.
Jenny
Yeah. Sorry. Yeah. It's all right.
Jenny
It all became a blur in the end. He was bringing so many on. I like who's, who's what? Yeah.
Jenny
I mean, I don't, I mean, from part time to full time must be, I mean, it's like, I could go out for a walk. couple of times a week to then if you went out every day and you you multiply the mileage. Yeah, it's going to take its toll on you. And I think we're very easy to there is a big jump.
Jenny
We used to as a club being full time. And the players, most of the players who are coming from a higher leagues or national league level would be used to that. But those that are coming from maybe two steps down on that, yeah, then it's difficult. Look at our, even our academy guys, you know, Charlie, they would train with the first team squad for weeks before they ever got their debut.
Jenny
And I'm sure that was part of it, apart from learning our systems, et cetera. I have trust in Chris and the backroom lot that I'm not expecting people to come in within even a couple of games and be on it. They obviously see something or they've worked with the players before, which a lot of them said they have. He knew them from Worthing or wherever he's been.
Jenny
He knows them. I really do trust the integrity of the guy. might get some wrong but I really trust him that once they start firing we just need to hope that they start firing soon but before the end of the season. Let's just move up a little bit because you know.
Mike Dowling
And Neil what was your thoughts on the We didn't take too much of an advantage with the extra man, the attacking, very attacking, intense substitutions. I was surprised he didn't chuck on David Azaya to go up front and get some height in there. And then David, where some people have been starting to be a bit critical.
Neil
Yeah, well, when he actually came on, David, he didn't actually get much of the ball, but he was involved. I can't remember whether it was involved in when we actually scored the goal or where just before when Simps hit the bar. But he was quite athletic and managed to keep a ball in that looked as if it was going to go about and he managed to hook it back over his head. He barely got a touch when he came on.
Neil
The player who obviously had the most impact when he came on was Eze. So he he really did. He was he was running all over the place. So he looked really good.
Neil
I was I was alarmed when we took Hayden off and then we ended up virtually with Jack Taylor in effect playing at center half. Jake. Yeah, Jake. Sorry, Jake playing, doing a Jack impersonation, but at half the height.
Neil
But I thought that was incredibly, incredibly brave. Talk about throwing everything. But the kid did though. And in the end, it paid off.
Mike Dowling
Absolutely. I mean, one couple of quick points from David is he scored something like 43 goals in 86 games for Chris at Hastings. I know it's a couple of levels below, but that just shows he knows how to score goals. And I think Chris did say he's not going to be the kind of player that runs up and down.
Mike Dowling
He's just literally going to be in the box, sticking his big toe out and getting it in the goal. But as Neil said, he needs the ball to be able to do that. He needs a bit of service, so I think we're not quite there yet to make the most out of him, but I think we will be, and definitely over the summer we will be. You both hinted, we'll start with you Neil.
Mike Dowling
I said really confidently, I kept telling everyone, don't worry, I think we're on 85 minutes, don't worry, we're going to win this 2-1, don't worry, we're going to win this 2-1. And then 89 minutes, Mr. Jaden Harris. Neil, what was your thoughts on the equaliser?
Neil
I wasn't quite sure. how he, the ball went in the back of the net. Actually, he was in, he was a real poacher's finish because he was lying on the ground with his wrong foot. So actually it was a striker's, it was a goal sniffer's Gary Lineker special in terms of it was less, you know, it was six yards out and opportunistic.
Neil
So he was the right player in the right place. Sadly, just before that, because Brandon, or was it just after, Brandon missed an absolute sitter when literally he could have, when he was virtually on the line and managed to miss it. So, you know.
Mike Dowling
So, yeah, we could have, I would have screamed, but we could have won it 2-1 because we had so many chances in that last sort of eight minutes or so. Yeah. Jenny, what were your thoughts on the equaliser? Well, I actually thought that we've actually done that for ourselves.
Jenny
It's usually the opposition that score in the 89th or the 90th minute, you know, and it was just nice to, as I said, you know, hand on heart, I always think, yeah, yeah, we'll win. But I actually was a bit dreading, you know, Forest Green, that they'll win this. So I was actually thrilled just to get the goal, but I didn't, you know, we were, we were just bombarding and the last sort of 10 minutes, you know, especially when we'd hit the crossbar, you know, I'm like, it's not going to go in, you know, it's not going to happen.
Jenny
Um, and so we deserve that. We, we really deserve that. Um, and if, you know, Robbie Savage or, you know, they were, they should, you know, we deserve three points. No, we deserve that.
Jenny
Um, Yeah, we could have won it, we could have nicked it, but I'll take the 1-0 on that. Definitely. And yeah, I'll be honest, it was only in the highlights that I realised he was on the floor. There were so many players around there, I actually didn't know who scored.
Jenny
I'm like, who was that? Because he was on the floor. Did he score? It was then.
Jenny
When I've looked it back, I thought, ah, right, yeah, I can see how that worked. But there was two or three, wasn't there, around. I didn't know who it'd come off. But we deserved that.
Jenny
Definitely.
Mike Dowling
They once asked me if I ever fancied doing the PA.
Neil
I was like, you're having a laugh?
Mike Dowling
I can't even see the pitch when I'm standing next to it. How am I supposed to see the PA? Somebody scored?
Jenny
Yay! Yeah, absolutely.
Mike Dowling
It's a substitution. I don't know. One of their players is coming on for another one. I don't know.
Mike Dowling
But we have now 20 games to go, so we are on the tick down for the rest of the season. We're back in the bottom four, but we do have games in hand. Obviously, you need to do something with those games in hand. But Jenny, what do you think?
Mike Dowling
I mean, Chris has said we need eight wins. He said eight wins, that gets us to the 50 points. Someone has pointed out if we only got a point a game, which is about roughly, which is slightly higher than we've had so far this season. we're only going to end up on 44 points and likely relegated.
Mike Dowling
What do you think we need and what do you think will happen?
Jenny
We, well, funnily enough, because I, you know, like I said, Forest Green, York, to me, if we got anything out of them, you know, to me, they were dead rubbers in a sense. If we got something, I'd be over the moon. We did, we got a point, that's fine. And I was, you know, checking Tamworth, so I didn't realise what they'd done.
Jenny
But I mean,
Neil
They couldn't even score against Truro. I mean, come on.
Mike Dowling
Stop. They'll probably get six against us.
Jenny
No, but OK. But I looked at theirs, and sadly, it was a Truro player got sent off, not one of theirs. But no, looking at that now, I go into that match. Now, I know they're 3G.
Jenny
Got nothing against 3G except Walton's 3G, because they should have walted that bitch. But they set it up for their own players. We did fine. But I've got more confidence going that we'll get something out of Tamworth.
Jenny
I really have. And the next matches, I really do. no way we're going to draw the rest of our money. No way.
Jenny
We're going to get some wins. I don't know if we'll get eight, but hopefully if we go on a run. I just saw Hartlepool have got a new owner now and I'm like, oh, you're joking. You know, whenever there's trouble, look Morecambe, whenever there's trouble in a club and we're about to play them, They always get on to that.
Jenny
Yeah, we've just got a new manager. We just got to and then we go and play them and where they were useless and rubbish before we get that first match where we play them. So, but no, I'm confident now for the rest. We always our history was we always used to play better.
Mike Dowling
and well against the good sides and the top sides I'm not saying we still do but we're not getting the rub of the green we're not getting the rub of the green Neil what's what's your thoughts last 20 games I mean I did have a look at the table and I'm surprised that we're still only 18 points off the playoffs because I was like well And early, mid-December, I was like, oh, they're gone, that's it. And it was like, we're 18 points behind now. It's like, hang on, we've not done brilliant in December.
Mike Dowling
We're still only 18 points behind. So, but what do you think of the next 20 games? 60 points available.
Neil
Yeah, well, we'd be in the playoffs, wouldn't we, if we won?
Mike Dowling
Yeah.
Neil
So essentially, in terms of to avoid relegation, that's roughly a win, a draw and a loss in every each batch of three games, give or take.
Mike Dowling
Yeah. So that's one vote free. Yeah.
Neil
So that's that's what we've got to get. We probably need 54 points if past seasons have been anything but to be safe. So we probably need slightly more than a win, draw and a loss. You have to take what Robbie Savage says about us in his postmatch.
Neil
You say Sutner in a forced position in the in the table. So I think he recognizes this. And actually, when we looked there, there was you know, there was good, intricate passing. Essentially, that was a that was a very good performance.
Neil
That performance against a lot of teams would result in a win, as we saw in in November.
Mike Dowling
Yeah.
Neil
So we are not far off. You know, we are able to compete on equal terms with the best teams. And we played, you know, York and Forest Green, Southend in the last three games. Those are potentially the best three teams in the league.
Neil
Southend were unlucky not to win at York yesterday. York equalized in the 86th minute, something like that. So That was, you know, I only have one worry.
Jenny
And I just one worry. Lucky you is, you know, I do is the same team play brilliantly. Then they don't turn up on one of the Walton. I mean, I can't tell you how badly we played.
Jenny
And what I'm saying is it was really this. We have a tendency occasionally, you know, we don't turn up like Spennymore last season and I know it's a different team really but like Wharton you know and it's like and even I wasn't there people said Aldershot was actually I wasn't at that match so I don't know but if we went three games winning and in one game awful oh yeah i'll take that i'll be nine from four so but we saw i don't know even aggie doesn't know what you know it's like we and i i you know it's happened a couple of times um because after shoesbury i thought whoa yeah we're going we're flying and it Fizzled.
Neil
I think there's more than meets the eye after the water match because it was the week after the Shrewsbury game, wasn't it?
Mike Dowling
Yeah. Yeah.
Neil
That took an awful lot out of the players. And I think that is the beginning of the fact that half of the team were being. I mean, that's true. With, you know, suspension, sellotape and, you know, analgesia and things like that.
Neil
And I think then that then went into the next match. That's where the injury rocked. set in, and we're only just coming out, you know, we're only just coming out of that.
Mike Dowling
Yeah. One thing I'm very conscious of, Neil, is that we're dismissing a lot of what Robbie Savage said, but then saying, oh, but the bit he said about us being in a full position, we'll agree with that. We don't mind that. Or I'm dismissing.
Mike Dowling
You've agreed with a few of his things, actually, to be fair.
Neil
Actually, I agree. I think, you know, you know, he was very complimentary about the welcome that the club gave and, you know, the interaction with the fans. Respect the respect that the club had given him and his team. And Chris, he said, which he said that.
Neil
doesn't really happen or doesn't happen very often. So I think he said more, you know, positive things to give him credit for than bollocks.
Jenny
I don't think he'd ever, I think this was his first time he'd ever been at Sutton.
Mike Dowling
Yeah.
Jenny
Yeah. And I mean, what I'm saying before the match, I'll give him his due. A lot of people, he's like Marmite, supposedly, you know, people either hate him and they were, But he stopped everyone that wanted his autograph. And he was this side.
Jenny
He was grandstand side. So he wasn't with the supporters. He stopped. He signed autographs.
Jenny
He took pictures. And like just before halftime, Neil, he'll interact. I can understand him interacting with his own fans, but he interacted with us. uh no he there are managers i would imagine i can think of some but i'm not going to name them who would have given our fans abuse if we tried to interact with them you know all that wasn't this that any other right he didn't and i and
Jenny
i to be quite honest that's a shame
Mike Dowling
I did want to actually thank him because a lot of people remember, but he was the one who drew out Arsenal all those years ago. Oh, did he?
Jenny
I didn't realise that.
Mike Dowling
Sutton was drawn as the home team and then he drew out the Arsenal.
Jenny
Hey, can I just say though, I was amazed how many away support came. They filled the curve. And not being funny, that's their home support. No, I was.
Jenny
I was amazed because I know the train system would have been very poor. So they either came by car, but I'm not sitting there, wow. You know, I mean, there's been teams that, and it's quite a way away for a couple of hours. There's a lot of them.
Jenny
I was surprised that I was really, so I reckon that's the Robbie Savage effect.
Mike Dowling
It must be, yeah. But what we're going to do is we're going to start bringing this to a close, but Google has said against Tamworth it's going to be 2-1 and Jayden will score. I'm more convinced than ever that it just sees who scored our last goal and says they're going to score the next one. I'm going to go with 2-1 and I'm going to go with an angry simps like levering it in from our goal line or something.
Mike Dowling
But yeah, 2-1 as well. Both of you are in the Prediction League, so both of you can change this. You're not tied to this as long as it's in before three o'clock next Saturday.
Jenny
If I get an email?
Mike Dowling
Well, that's your email, not mine. I know, we'll sort that out later. But Jenny, what's your prediction, early prediction?
Jenny
Well, right, we're going to win. But for some reason, we always let in a goal. So Tamworth will score, but I'm going to go. It's going to start happening for us.
Jenny
3-1 to us.
Mike Dowling
3-1. Perfect. Neil?
Neil
I think it might even be just sort of a close. Could even be a 1-0.
Mike Dowling
A 1-0.
Neil
I don't think Nades... I think Nades is close coming back, but I don't think he'll come back on the 3G.
Mike Dowling
No, probably not. Yeah.
Jenny
And I'll go for Kai.
Neil
Kai to score. Well, I went for Kai today because I thought, you know, Jadon is normally my first choice when he hasn't scored. So I took him off when I saw the teams. Put Kai down and then Jadon goes and scores.
Mike Dowling
That doesn't count. You're not going to get that. It's a nice try, but you're not going to get it.
Neil
you know, but I, you know, so he's let me down. So I, you know, potentially, I think I might go for Jade as well.
Mike Dowling
That's like me telling his mum that he nearly ran over my daughter when Rosie had wandered out into the driveway as he was coming out, like, less than five miles an hour. Rosie was technically in front of his car. I was like, he nearly ran my daughter over. And he's like, no, I didn't.
Mike Dowling
Anyway, we're going to wrap up this episode. As always, we appreciate everyone's attention and feedback and get involved. Let us know what you like, didn't like. Give us the thumbs up.
Mike Dowling
Give us your feedback. Share, like, subscribe. As always, big thank you to Lucky Star Gin for sponsoring. Big thank you to Jenny and Neil for stepping in.
Mike Dowling
And thanks to everyone for listening. I hope you enjoyed this episode of Something Podcast. Take care and we'll catch up soon.
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