Hello and welcome to another episode of Sutton United Talk Time on podcast, in association with Lucky Star Gin. I’m your host, Mike, and joining me today is Mark. We are finally back after the holiday period and a postponed Scunthorpe match threw our schedule into chaos. Today, we’re diving deep into the recent transfer flurry, the narrow defeat against league leaders York City, and the road ahead as we fight to climb the table.
Episode Highlights
The transfers this week have been a whirlwind. We discussed Charlie Bell committing his future to the club—a massive win for the Academy treadmill—and Kai Jennings staying on for the rest of the season. Mark noted that Bell has "come on in leaps and bounds," becoming a first-team staple.
We also reviewed the York City match. Despite a brilliant opening goal from Will Tizzard, who apparently has "striker’s instincts" from his youth days, we couldn't hold off the National League's highest scorers. While a 2-1 loss is never ideal, the performance against the top side in the division suggests the "November form" might not be as far away as it seems.
Guest Insights and Interactions
Mark provided a balanced view of our new arrivals, including Dabham Ezeh and player-coach Chris Haigh. He emphasised that Haigh’s relationship with Chris Agutter is vital, as a manager needs people he can trust. We also touched on the return of Besart, who seemingly snubbed other clubs just to return to Gander Green Lane to play alongside his best mate, Hayden - among other reasons
Key Quotes: Sutton United: Reasons to be Cautiously Optimistic
"I think there are reasons to be cautiously optimistic. My feeling is we probably will stay up, but maybe not by a huge margin." — Mark
"Some people might say [Will Tizzard] is actually better going forward than defending." — Mark
"We’re just too polite and too nice... Sutton fans: 'Fair play, good call [on the postponement].'" — Mike
Takeaways
Squad Depth is Improving: With Bell signed on, Jennings staying, and Topalov back, the "injury-ravaged" days of December are hopefully behind us.
The Fixture List is Kind: While February involves a lot of traveling to places like Hartlepool and Halifax, we are through the toughest run of playing top-five sides.
Support the Ladies: The Sutton United Ladies side is drawing great crowds (450 recently!) and they have a big cup match at Cobham next week.
Did you feel the York result was inevitable, or were we robbed of a 2-2 draw? Join the conversation on social media @SuttonPodcast and don't forget to give us the thumbs up on YouTube!
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