That line sums up the passionate conversation in this latest episode of Sutton United Talk Time on Podcast, hosted by Mike with guests Claire and Dan. With the team’s unbeaten run in 2025 still intact, this episode dives deep into the highs, lows, and quirky moments of Sutton United’s recent draw against Wealdstone and the anticipation of the upcoming York match.
Mike Dowling
00:57 - 01:37
Hello and welcome to another episode of Sutton United Talk Time on podcast. It's the Sutton podcast in association with Lucky Star Gin as always. I'm your host Mike and with me on today's panel we have Claire and Dan. We are going to talk about the continuing post-Christmas unbeaten run. Okay, unbeaten in 2025. You can laugh, you can mock, it's true, but it was a draw against Wildstone and we're going to look forward to the trip to York. Don't forget the engagement, likes, shares, retweets, thumbs up, all the other jazz hits, just boosts the ego, we know what it does really, So keep it going, thank you very much.
Mike Dowling
01:38 - 01:45
I spoke to you both yesterday, but as the saying goes, for the benefit of the tape, how are you? So Claire, How are you?
Claire
01:46 - 01:52
I'm good, thank you. Yeah, really at the end of the cold. So, yeah, not too bad. Thank you.
Mike Dowling
01:53 - 01:55
Good, good, good. Dan, how are you?
Dan
01:55 - 02:05
Not bad. Not bad. Busy at work. Just had just had a nice dinner and thinking about needing to pack for going to York tomorrow. So, so no work in the morning.
Mike Dowling
02:05 - 02:44
No, so life's good. Well, as Claire mentioned that the cold flu yuckies everywhere. So Sally has asked me to mention if you hear her coughing in the background, she is fine, she is safe, she is alive. We don't have to question her health like the time we did that with Steve Morrison's interview. Doors are closed and everything is all right. So, we briefly discussed beforehand the knowing me, knowing you question And you've both really enjoyed this because you've supported the team for a few years. There may be different reasons for enjoying this question. Let's start with Dan to give Claire a little bit more thinking time.
Mike Dowling
02:44 - 02:51
If you could spend the day with 1 of Sutton's past or present players, who would it be and what would you do to give her?
Dan
02:51 - 03:31
Oh god, so that's just the thing when you've been watching us as long as I have there's so bloody many that you could you know I suppose I'd have to go with, you know, Lenny Dennis, just because I know him. He's a lovely man. He's top folk. It's really annoying. You know, not only is he a good footballer, but he's a lovely chap and doesn't look like he's aged a day still, which is a fact of great consternation to myself as I slowly fall apart in my advancing years. So yeah, Lenny.
Mike Dowling
03:32 - 03:32
Lenny.
Dan
03:35 - 03:49
Probably. Yeah, we probably yeah, And yeah, just got, you know, a few beers. And then, because he was on 1 of them rubbishy TV shows, was it?
Mike Dowling
03:49 - 03:49
Cooking shows.
Dan
03:49 - 03:56
1 of the date ones where you had to cook yeah and it was 1 of the cooking ones I forget what
Speaker 3
03:56 - 03:57
it was no it was
Claire
03:57 - 04:00
a date thing isn't it oh
Dan
04:00 - 04:13
was it a date 1? Yeah it was a dating 1 So I know he's been on that. So I know he can cook. So yeah, maybe get him to knock me up some Jamaican food, some jerk chicken or something, and we can just, after, and then go down the pub afterwards and have a few pints of Guinness and just talk shit.
Mike Dowling
04:13 - 04:23
Off our faces. Okay, that Sounds like when it comes to Sarton United to be fair. So apart from the jerk chicken, but we can get that. With trepidation.
Claire
04:25 - 04:31
Well, first off, I want to know. Yes, I keep it clean and keeping it.
Mike Dowling
04:31 - 04:32
Okay.
Claire
04:35 - 04:41
Go down first before I say who I was going to say, I just want to know if he can get it in 1, who I would have said.
Dan
04:41 - 04:42
Paul Harmy.
Claire
04:42 - 05:21
There we go. But if we're just keeping it like, like Dan, there are so many people over the course of the years that you, you know, you've enjoyed watching football or you've just enjoyed hanging out with. So putting my love for Ugg to 1 side and upsetting 16 year old Claire, I think I'd probably just spend the day hanging out with Bradley Woods Gunners, because I love Bradders. And yeah, we just hang out, have a laugh, a few drinks. Yeah.
Mike Dowling
05:21 - 05:22
Perfect.
Claire
05:22 - 05:23
Good, Blake.
Mike Dowling
05:23 - 05:41
Well, I was a little bit worried, not for the reason you thought I was worried, I thought 1 of you was gonna say something about the current squad and teach them, take them dog walking lessons so they can learn how to hold on to a lead. Anyway, that's unnecessary. It was unnecessary.
Dan
05:41 - 05:44
I mean, just the dad joke alone for God's sake.
Claire
05:44 - 05:52
It's really quick. But I'm just going to say something that we've been saying a lot recently. You're better than that. You are better than that.
Dan
05:52 - 05:53
I think he is.
Claire
05:55 - 05:58
I think he is. You're better than that.
Mike Dowling
05:58 - 06:18
You are better than that. So if you could spend a day with any Sutton United players, who would it be? And what would you do together? Some club news. I believe Finlay is now here for the season. I think it was, quietly said if we've passed the cutoff point for them to call him back I think.
Dan
06:19 - 06:22
I think it was 14th. I think it was
Mike Dowling
06:22 - 06:24
17th and they're going to call him back tomorrow morning.
Dan
06:25 - 06:30
Yeah I think they had up to the 14th to recall him from what I was told so hopefully.
Mike Dowling
06:31 - 06:58
Yeah. There's also probably neither of you going to be there but there's a beer festival going on at Sutton United on the 31st of Jan and the 1st of February. So you'll probably be in Kidderminster at that point, but there is a beer festival going on if anyone's not going there. But to the match, Claire, what were you hoping for, for the game and your thoughts at the lineup?
Claire
07:01 - 07:42
I was hoping for more than that, I think is possibly the polite way of putting it. I didn't have any preconceived ideas about the line up, if I'm being entirely honest, I've been far too over the last few days to really give it any serious consideration or any thought. But also I hear whispers of things, so like it's never really massively a surprise. But a nice show off, right? Yeah. Anyway, but yeah, I just kind of was hoping for a little bit more of a showing than that. I thought we'd do ourselves a little bit more proud, partially.
Mike Dowling
07:42 - 07:49
Okay, it's my turn now. I think that's based on the result, not necessarily too much of
Claire
07:49 - 07:56
a point. Yes, okay, fine. That's a fair challenge. I was expecting to win. There we go.
Mike Dowling
07:56 - 07:56
Yeah. If
Claire
07:56 - 08:01
that's what you were looking for. God, it's hard work here, isn't it?
Mike Dowling
08:01 - 08:03
It is. We're only going 5 minutes.
Claire
08:03 - 08:07
I know, and I was doing so well at being well behaved and keeping it clean but
Dan
08:07 - 08:07
you know you're being
Claire
08:07 - 08:09
a fucker so stop it
Mike Dowling
08:10 - 08:14
dan what about yourself what were you hoping expecting
Dan
08:16 - 08:53
I mean yeah a world slam and it had a great season so far I don't think they look terrible in either game, but you would hope that if someone beneath you in the table you'd be seeing them off at home. Lineup was broadly what I expected. I thought we might have thrown Woodyard in to start with but again I don't know how much football he's played lately so I wasn't particularly surprised by the team at all. But yeah just I was and I was funny enough I did know it's before the game that they'd only won 1 away but drawn a load.
Dan
08:53 - 09:16
So I was like and I did say on Tuesday night games I come straight from work and I get off the train in Sutton. The last couple of times, me and Steve have actually been going to Finnegan's for fish and chips, just for dinner, and just talked crap over grub. And as we left the chippy on the high street, it was like, that will probably be the highlight of the night.
Claire
09:19 - 09:23
Well, that's harsh. If you did that on me after that.
Mike Dowling
09:23 - 09:28
Yeah, that is true. Tuesday night, then that probably was the highlight of Tuesday night.
Dan
09:28 - 09:29
Oh, Wednesday. Sorry.
Mike Dowling
09:29 - 09:30
Wednesday. Yeah. Yeah.
Dan
09:30 - 09:38
Yeah. Fuck off. I know you're confusing me. Stupid. I'm telling streaming people.
Mike Dowling
09:38 - 09:41
I know. I mean, I think they said
Claire
09:43 - 09:44
it's
Mike Dowling
09:45 - 09:49
DAZN. It is
Speaker 3
09:49 - 09:49
DAZN, but I don't know how you get disowned from that. Yeah, and I was like, I don't think it is.
Mike Dowling
09:49 - 09:52
There's 2 more vowels to go in there if you want it to be disowned.
Dan
09:52 - 09:57
I'm going to use, it's 4 letters that don't make a normal word, so I'm going to say the letters, D-A-Z-N.
Mike Dowling
09:59 - 10:02
Right, early pressure, Dan, stick with you. There was a bit of early pressure.
Speaker 3
10:03 - 10:03
I've
Mike Dowling
10:03 - 10:30
written down lots of delicate moves, I might have meant intricate moves, but we can go with delicate I don't care. And Dylan had a great chance. We were standing right close to each other I did feel that it was 1 of those where they kind of got it had time to think and then couldn't decide what actually to do but what was your view on the early pressure the nice moves and Dylan's chance?
Dan
10:31 - 11:42
I mean yeah we first 10 or so we were quite bright. We made a good start. We got the ball wide. We try to get, you know, get it wide and get round them. But yeah, like pretty much a couple of I don't remember how far it is. And it felt like a car only a couple of minutes in just popped it through Dylan's in 1 on 1 and it it just was 1 of those chances it just felt like if he just makes a decision and tries to pick a corner fair enough if the keeper then spreads himself and makes the save fair enough but he's basically just thumped it straight at him and it and it was a shot a rising shot as well and the guy had stood up the keeper decided I'm going to stay up as long as I can here so yeah if he'd tried to sweep it around him he probably would have scored because I doubt the keeper had got down to it but yeah it just seemed to set the tone I think we had a couple of little sniffs after that that didn't quite come off and then then the game sort of seemed to, we seemed to just drift out of the game a little bit after that for a while I thought.
Mike Dowling
11:43 - 11:46
What about yourself, Claire? Do you agree?
Claire
11:46 - 12:22
Well I miss, no I mean I missed that bit because I was off doing something else. But yeah, I mean, at the beginning of the game, the... For me, it feels like there are chances that we just don't take and we're not bold enough. And like Dan said, you know, if you just aim for a corner or something, you've just got to back yourself in those moments and try not to skip ahead. But like ultimately, it's those chances that are really kind of easy. And then the goals that we went on to score were kind of difficult and scrappy.
Claire
12:22 - 12:36
And like, they were the harder ones of every opportunity that we had. And given the opportunities that we had earlier on, we really should have made more of what we had up there, really.
Mike Dowling
12:37 - 12:49
Yeah, I mean, it's disappointing, but I did kind of feel, like Dan, I think he was possibly waiting for the keeper to commit. Couldn't decide and then just, well, I'm gonna hit it and...
Dan
12:49 - 13:24
Yeah, I get that, but I mean... I mean, any time you ever hear an attacking player talk about certainly a striker, which I know Dylan isn't. But you whenever you hear these forwards talk about it, it's just make you make your mind up. Cause the moment you start thinking about it, the tackle comes in. You've gone too far. You've, you've narrowed your own angle, that kind of stuff, you know, so it's just, just go with, you know, your instinct and hit it.
Mike Dowling
13:24 - 14:04
And that's why I'm wondering, is it, he's not a forward, he's more aligned to the, across the ball in, so, But you know what, it was a good chance, we made chances, I think Steve said in his post-match, it's when you're not making chances that you worry. We conceded, which I didn't really get a good view of, but at that time you're like oh here we go, I could hear all the noises around me, all the same old, same old, again, again, again, and as Claire has already alluded to, we stopped trying the intricate football, gave it to Lewis and he just thumped it and scored a goal from outside the box.
Mike Dowling
14:04 - 14:07
How were you feeling at that point, Claire? 1-1.
Claire
14:07 - 14:43
Do you know what I really enjoyed about that? And it was an off the pitch moment is just before that happened, you and somebody else walked behind me and on your way to the bar I think it was you with them and I heard them exclaim well I'm not gonna walk slowly I'm not gonna miss anything am I and I really enjoyed that when the goal went in because I was like there you go that's when you that's when things happen when you give up belief and you stop thinking that magic can happen. So in that moment, I was very happy about the goal, but I was also laughing about that, because I was like, that's what you get.
Mike Dowling
14:44 - 14:44
Fair enough.
Claire
14:45 - 14:49
I'm naming no names, but I'm sure they'll bring it up with me next time they see me. Now that I've said this.
Mike Dowling
14:49 - 14:55
I don't actually remember. Dan, what do you think the 1-1 just before half-time as
Dan
14:55 - 16:38
well? Yeah, I mean, timing was perfect, wasn't it? I mean, just we hadn't really done anything after they'd scored we huffed and puffed a lot moved the ball we the passing suddenly went really ragged you know it was hitting it too long too short nowhere near the man yeah we just didn't seem to be having much of an impact. And then I think, you know, I can't even think, remember much of the buildup. It just seemed to run across. I think Coley was involved. It ran across and Simps was just in loads of room, loads of space, no 1 could, and he actually had a bit of a decent sight of goal, there was no foot defenders in front of him so he could get his head over it and it was a nice hit actually, it was, kept it low, across the keeper and right in the corner at that point probably again a little bit against the run of play I thought but but like Claire says you know when you've created 3 or 4 really good chances and not scored and then it takes a 20 yard pinger to you know you've taken by far what isn't even a chance it's a it's a you know it's a sort of a hit from range and it's gone in so so yeah it was well timed I think that that certainly would have changed I think that probably would have changed Steve's team talk a little bit, I would have thought, because they were probably going to get lots of naughty words aimed their way, I would have thought with the way that we'd played 30 minutes or so prior to that, but goals change games.
Dan
16:38 - 16:46
So suddenly we're, we're back on a, you know, our tails are up again and right at the right time as well, just right on the break.
Mike Dowling
16:47 - 17:20
Well they probably did hear some naughty words because they came out after halftime quite fired up as well and for all the lovely build-up play and everything that we mentioned there was some really nice play. Essentially it was a long ball up to Will and he pressed someone, won it and smacked it and it's like oh we could do that as well, lovely. So at 2-1, I mean Will has 10 for the season, I'm fairly confident I've heard several people say that.
Dan
17:21 - 17:25
Yeah, Tony announced it over the PA after the goal. So
Mike Dowling
17:25 - 17:54
and so it's 10 for the season, which is Pretty good. I mean, I know Omar did a couple years ago, but We struggle And I think Steve was a bit harsh, going, we'll have another 10 before the end of the season. But how were you feeling at 2-1? Were you feeling comfortable? I thought at that point, we started playing really, really well and we were in control of the game and I know I took a little bit of stick for this, but I said I think it's the most comfortable we've been for a while just knocking the ball around at 2-1.
Mike Dowling
17:54 - 17:56
But Dan, what were you feeling at that point?
Dan
17:57 - 18:35
Yeah, yeah, I mean we had another little 10-minute spell there where we created again another 2, 3 good chances. And it looked to be only 1 winner. We should have put the game to bed. It was, yeah, that first 15 minutes, the second half, the game should have been out, done and dusted. A third goal would have killed it that was it it would they they at 2-1 and when it when it's always just a goal lead then the other side of all was going to have a bit of belief and because they know that not only the way football goes you're going to get a spell in the game where you can get on the ball and maybe try and make things happen.
Dan
18:35 - 19:38
But also with the way we are, defensively, I'm sure sides know we're going to give them a chance at some point. It's going to come. So you've got a little bit of belief there to keep plugging away. But at 3-1 I think that game's dead and it's done and that's either how it finishes or maybe we go and wrap it up and get a fourth. That's what it was. And then again it just seemed to turn on Dylan missing another 1 on 1. Again same thing, just didn't make his mind up and just thumped it straight at the keeper yeah and that just seemed to I don't know whether it gave them a little bit of a bit of a hang on lads this we might be this might this we might be in luck here if we keep plugging away and but even then their equalizer came from not really anything yeah just didn't track the runner cross And it was a really weak header as well.
Dan
19:38 - 19:38
So.
Mike Dowling
19:39 - 19:53
Well, there's another person to blame. I'll mention it in a second. I think you were there, Dan, as, as, as, as I said it, but, but Claire, what were you feeling at that, that sort of 2 1, the comfortable period and, how were you?
Claire
19:53 - 20:27
I think you're right, like we came out and it did feel like a little bit like of a shoulders back, heads up, like here we go. And I did really think that actually we were going to start doing something impressive. And as dancers, I could think like 1 more go and it absolutely would have put it to bed. And I and you kind of had that moment of like, oh, OK, we're going to do it this time. Like this is actually like it's coming. And the equalizer was I think the word is just disappointing because you know, we are better than that.
Mike Dowling
20:27 - 20:28
Better than that.
Claire
20:29 - 21:05
Why be T.T.? Yes. But we. Yeah, I just kind of expected it to kind of gain some momentum and keep going. And I think there's probably like there's some kind of psych behind it isn't there in a sense of like you you come out fighting and your head's held high and then that, the kind of the equaliser, your shoulders dip a little bit and you watch it and it's almost kind of actually like a physical thing, you kind of see it and you think they just, they always need someone to just turn around and go to them in the middle of the field like, this is okay, we still got this, we can still do this and carry on.
Claire
21:05 - 21:38
And I think there was a lot more, I think Woody's very vocal. You definitely heard that yesterday. And I think that kind of experience is something that we definitely have been lacking and that we need. And I hope that that kind of positive influence from him starts to have a bit of an impact and they start to, you know, they're young and I know I've said this before on this series of the podcast, but like they're young and they're learning and it's only going to take time for them to really gel and realise what their potential is and what they can actually do if they work collaboratively together to make these things work.
Claire
21:38 - 22:20
And I do like, I see, you see so much negativity off the back of a draw, you know, oh, it's 2 points dropped, here we go again, that's so typical of us. And I still really, really am struggling to feel disheartened or generally upset by anything that I'm watching. Like on occasion, don't get me wrong, I'm disappointed because I genuinely know that they have got more to give and that we could do better, but I do still really, like, really, really believe it's coming and, like, when it clicks, it's going to be great. Like, they are, they're young and they're hungry and it's coming, I swear.
Mike Dowling
22:22 - 22:36
It's what I mean, it's like saying for ages. But it is unbeaten, so let's remember that. I think someone worked out somewhere that it's potentially 15 points that we've given away from winning positions. I mean, Dan
Claire
22:36 - 22:50
will tell you that I am the biggest pessimist going with everything in life. Like I am the friend that's always like, oh, this is bad. This is really, really bad. But genuinely this season, I don't feel like that about football. It's very out of character for me. So people should take comfort from that.
Mike Dowling
22:50 - 23:00
There was 1, well I thought Dylan coming off straight away after that chance was a little bit harsh. It may well have been planned and I know they're professional.
Claire
23:00 - 23:13
I don't know if it was harsh because it wasn't just that 1. There was 2 in quick succession, wasn't there? So ultimately, if he'd smashed in the first 1 and those 2, he could have had 3 goals last night.
Mike Dowling
23:13 - 23:26
Yeah, but straight away, I mean, Dan, you've played. If you miss a chance and you're called off straight away, you've got to leave it a minute or 2, please. What do you reckon? I mean, I don't know, I'm probably being really soft and generous.
Dan
23:27 - 24:03
Well, I generally played as a forward or a winger when I was, when I played Sunday mornings and I was shit so it definitely happened a couple of times I can tell you that for a fact I know I know I mean it was dead on 60 minutes when they made the change So I think it was probably a because Dylan's still not played masses of football after his early season injury so I don't think I think that Gradually bringing him back more and more in you know It's 60 more 60 build him up a few 60s a couple of 70s and then he can they can see how he gets on.
Dan
24:03 - 24:12
So just so he's got more in the tank and they're not burning him up. But. Yeah, I mean, it doesn't look great, but it's kind
Mike Dowling
24:12 - 24:15
of like, oh, they've missed the chance. I'll give him another minute or so.
Dan
24:18 - 24:46
But funnily enough, I did say this at the time I was like you've got moro on the bench who's a forward and a half and a pretty decent 1 is when he was playing I can imagine him sitting there going no fuck off no not having that so I he must be fuming when we are getting chances and they're not putting put away and he's probably sat there, stood there on the touchline going I'd have taken that. I'd have taken
Mike Dowling
24:46 - 24:50
that. I scored 2 in the weekend. Exactly. You can't play and I scored 2 in
Dan
24:50 - 24:57
the weekend. What's wrong with you? Yeah, he stood there going, I'd have tucked that away. So it must be frustrating for him as a former forward.
Mike Dowling
24:58 - 25:20
I did also find it, This isn't who I'm blaming by the way. I did find it funny that Woody was brought on to steady the ship and then 8 minutes later we conceded that weird goal. But the blame lies entirely with Jenny because she said and Dan was there to hear it, this is going to be the first double of the season isn't it? Yeah and we all went
Claire
25:20 - 25:23
oh who says things like that?
Mike Dowling
25:23 - 25:25
I know, I know
Dan
25:25 - 25:39
as I recall I actually shushed her at that point it's like shhh now let's let's have you been watching the last couple of months? Let's just relax for a second.
Mike Dowling
25:40 - 26:10
But we still have chances to win. There was lots of good running. I mean, now does I don't know what the hell the man drinks and eats, but he was running and running and running and running and running. But we just couldn't get there. There was a few other sort of half chances, but we ended up with a draw. Still unbeaten. We're 13th. If everyone was being pessimistic, if everyone wins their games in hand below us, we down to 16th. Being optimistic if we win our game in hand on people above us, we could be up to 11.
Mike Dowling
26:11 - 26:23
Dan, I know you've said we're 13th. You reckon we're going to finish 13th in various places. Do you agree, Claire? You agree sort of mid table is where we are?
Claire
26:23 - 26:53
Top half, yeah, I think is where we're going to be. And I'm quite comfortable with that. Like I know that there are a lot of people that aren't. And I think there's a lot of people that seem to be very much geared on or we were going straight back up and I kind of understand why that is the thought but I just a little bit of time to lick our wounds, rebuild, rebrand and yeah I think this year mid-top is, I'm quite happy with that.
Mike Dowling
26:53 - 27:05
Yeah, I mean, I think I've said in the start, I wanted a nice little run at the playoffs and we still got a chance for that. I think someone said We're only 4 points outside it, but nice little run at the playoff. But whether we get into it or not, I'm not that fast.
Dan
27:06 - 27:52
Yeah, I mean, it's you. It's can they make the playoffs? Sure. It's football. Anything can change. You know, you can have a little run and suddenly you're right back in the mix again. But I mean the way I look at it is, funny enough I was talking about this to someone else, over about the last 10 years, I think to get seventh you need 70, 71 points. And at the moment we're on for about 63 I think. So, 8, 9 points, that's 3 wins. We could already have had that with the points we dropped, but it's not insurmountable, but For me over the season so far and what I've seen so far I Don't think they've quite got the consistency
Mike Dowling
27:53 - 28:03
yeah, and There was 2 other things that Steve said Woodyard got into them in the dressing room, which is something that we've missed apparently so
Dan
28:03 - 28:25
which we do need that we need we need an old head we need he's been around been there seen it done it he's won this division he's he's a lower level pro he's been around he's worked with like the Cowleys who that's the kind of thing they demand. And that's the kind of characters they hire. So yeah, I wanna see more of that. I think we need a couple more like him still.
Mike Dowling
28:25 - 29:04
Yep, just as Claire said earlier, not necessarily getting into, but on the pitch, it's fine, come on. Let's get back in. Oh yeah. And I don't know, I mean, I don't know if it came out wrong, but Steve's comments on Jack Taylor, he said he's got to be better. Did you, I mean I thought you did all right to be fair first game back, but what were your thoughts? I mean what he said is young players tend to get an easy ride but he wants people coming to watch Jack and Jack to take the game by the scruff of the neck.
Mike Dowling
29:05 - 29:07
Am I being soft again, Claire?
Claire
29:08 - 29:23
Possibly yes. I don't think you mean it in a bad way. I think it's fair to say to someone like, you can be better than that, like, and you can do more than that. See, you're better than that keeps coming back. It's like,
Mike Dowling
29:23 - 29:25
we might name this 1. You're better.
Claire
29:25 - 29:46
That's the title. Yeah, it's, it's, It's fair to accept that you want someone to achieve their potential and that you think that they're capable of more. Maybe it didn't come out quite in the tone that you would have been expecting, but that's life.
Mike Dowling
29:46 - 30:08
Yeah, no, he's got a point because I've said before, I can't remember who I was talking to, I was like, why is it our own grown players who come through, we sort of forgive them for almost anything. So if the young players come through, we're like, oh, it's all right, it's fine, it's fine, it's fine. And other young players we get on loan we're like oh my god that's terrible, that's awful, why are we doing that? But Dan what did you think?
Dan
30:12 - 30:55
To be honest I broadly agree with him. Whilst Jack didn't have a terrible game not saying he was shit. He would didn't I Think he did the basics, right, you know, I Can't recall anything. He did horribly wrong Just yeah he and I think this is again just that he's come in as a youngster, he's had his grounding in National League South, there is a step up, there's a step up. And I think it's just him finding his feet. It was his first game back. He's been thrown in from the start. He's been given, you know, the responsibility of starting the game and doing 90 minutes.
Dan
30:57 - 31:55
And he's been getting rave reviews at Hampton. Been doing really well down there. So, I'm guessing from Stevie maybe just thought well look I expected a little bit more. I thought his distribution wasn't very good at all. Certainly first half it was a lot more noticeable first half hour or so. It wasn't great at all. But I thought he settled in OK. But I think broadly. Yeah I'd go. I don't think Steve was digging him out. I think it was just like look you've been given the chance. I expected. Maybe just yeah. Just grab it a bit more and be a bit more settled but like say he's not what 19 still 19 20, so First game in I'm not I'm not gonna tear the ladder He's what He's homegrown product so you've got to back him and hopefully he'll settle in and be better.
Mike Dowling
31:55 - 31:59
Yeah I think he's also asked
Claire
31:59 - 32:23
the question about Jack. Yeah and also you have to kind of go right like from an interview perspective like people are always critical if he doesn't name names and say things and then when he does name names people are like oh should he have said that and then you know not to spring to Steve's defense because he can look after himself but like cut them over some slack. I mean,
Mike Dowling
32:23 - 32:25
yeah, I think we'll take it.
Dan
32:25 - 32:53
You can't have it. You can't have it both ways. Yeah, it's I mean, last year in his interviews, he stuck up for. The squad that he had, They're all good players, you know, these are good players and we've been watching what we've been watching for 6 months and we're going hmmm. So he's gonna, he does stick up for his players and generally managers have to do that anyway. But yeah, if he's been asked the question he's given and he has given an honest straight answer which I don't think
Mike Dowling
32:53 - 32:54
we don't get that very often.
Dan
32:54 - 32:55
Particularly out of order.
Mike Dowling
32:55 - 32:59
Yeah I think we've just established that I'm really really soft.
Claire
33:00 - 33:01
Yeah what happened to you?
Mike Dowling
33:01 - 33:03
Not cut out to be a manager.
Claire
33:03 - 33:04
Toughen up.
Mike Dowling
33:07 - 33:46
Sorry so there was a couple of people that responded. Ray said, because I think this was in direct thing of me going, I thought we were quite comfortable at 2-1. Ray said, I'm never comfortable. It's a fragile mentality and he never feels comfortable and Alan kind of agreed. And I think this is where we were saying earlier that once it gets into that head of oh we'll last whatever minutes and start dropping back, which we all see that why are we dropping back don't do it. Andrew had said that chance has not been taken but he then said what we're hoping now is that we sort it and then we smash it for next season which is kind of what you guys were saying.
Mike Dowling
33:47 - 33:59
Very importantly Enzio signed my shirt. I did feel a bit of a dick, especially when he had that chance towards the end. I thought, if he scores and we lose 3-2, there's no way I can ask him to sign the shirt.
Claire
33:59 - 34:14
Yeah, I don't think I'd have bounded up to Easty in quite such a happy manner if he'd been warming up. I couldn't have dealt with that, but the fact that he was, you know, classically suspended was fine for me, but I couldn't have dealt with watching him play against us.
Mike Dowling
34:16 - 34:25
He did question, because he was on the pitch and I said hi and he sort of looked at the media pass and he said how did you get 1 of them? I went oh, I conned my way in and blanked it mate.
Dan
34:26 - 34:29
It's kind of a big deal around here now.
Mike Dowling
34:31 - 34:52
And probably the most important thing, I was 1 out with the 50-50. So, the number appeared and I looked at my ticket and I'd blah blah blah 6-8 and the number was 6-9. I was like, I've got another ticket. So, I looked going, here we go, it was 6-7. So gutted. And then Alison reminded me that's happened to me before. So why do I...
Claire
34:52 - 34:54
How much did you miss out on?
Mike Dowling
34:54 - 35:04
Well, technically I didn't miss out on anything because I never expect to win. I just give 2 pound, but the prize was £127. But yeah, in my head... It's a kick in the teeth.
Claire
35:04 - 35:05
It sucks to be you.
Mike Dowling
35:06 - 35:32
Yeah it does. Right very quickly, this is a two-pronged thing. So some news in football, I meant to talk about this last week, but York spent apparently £360, 000 on a striker. They had some pretty good strikers. So how do we compete with that? Dan?
Dan
35:36 - 36:27
Well, From the day I suppose there's 2 ways you can answer that question. If you're talking financially, you just don't because you can't. I mean, I don't think we've ever spent a total of 360 grand on transfers our entire fucking history so yeah monetary wise no you can't you just gotta you just gotta be smart about it you gotta be cute about it. You've got to find those gems and either, you know, people like your Agiboys, get them from those guys who've missed out and have dropped down and are going again. They're the ones you want to find or a lot of these clubs, the bigger clubs now have so many players in their systems that they're not just not going to get games.
Dan
36:27 - 37:07
So that's your in as well, finding someone who's like a Barbrook, who's, you know, when he signed, when he really came through at Ipswich, they were league 1 club, but now they're a premier league club Yes, he's not with all with all you know, do you respect to Finley's not look Premier League quality yet. So chances are he's got a basically aim for where he came in. So looking at sort of League 2, League 1 as just being a good solid pro. So yeah, they're the players you need to find. You've just got to use your contacts, which I'm sure with Stephen is, I mean, it's only 3 or 4 years since he retired.
Dan
37:07 - 37:25
So he's going to have bags of contacts out there. You just got to find them that way and hope that you get them in and they have a big enough impact if they're loaners or you know if you can pick them up and sign them permanently that They're the right fit
Mike Dowling
37:25 - 37:43
That's where we would lose out because if a team in our own division And we're not talking the Rexons or anyone like that, but team in our own division go, yeah, we'll have 350, 000 on that player. So if they turn around and go, actually I fancy that Will Davis, are we in a position to go, oh no, thank you. I'm not asking you that question, Claire, I don't want the finances.
Claire
37:43 - 38:22
No, but I think it's a fair comment, isn't it? And I think it's something that we've talked about before, Mike, about, like, the money in our league and where we sit and how you tailor your expectations based on what other people are spending and what we're spending. And actually, like, we're sitting here and, you know, Dan and I have both said we're quite happy, kind of, mid-table, top half, whatever. But if you look to us in the budget side of stuff, that's probably not where we sit and so we're exceeding our expectations in that sense.
Claire
38:22 - 38:49
So when people are sitting there thinking, oh we should be a League 2 team and we have every right to be a League 2 team, if you look at it on paper from a financial perspective, do we? Like it's, it's interesting and you've got to compete with the people like that. And as you say, that's not even like your rexums who've got stupid money because they've got an idiot. Do you know what I mean? It's what it is.
Mike Dowling
38:49 - 39:28
Yeah, but we'd have to, I mean it's a lot of pints we need to be selling to be able to afford that. Absolutely. You mentioned Wrexham, the other bit of weird news is that apparently they're going to have the English teams going into the Welsh Cup. I've asked the Newport guys about this and they went there's been no details it's been drip fed out but the idea is if they're inviting the teams in the English League to go into the Welsh Cup with potential room for Europe places. There was some, I can't remember who it was, someone said, oh, there's 18 good teams in Yorkshire, why don't we just have a Yorkshire Cup and give us a place in Europe?
Mike Dowling
39:28 - 39:38
We'll have a London Cup and a place in Europe and everything. What do you think of the the teams in the English league playing in the Welsh Cup?
Claire
39:39 - 39:58
Was this the same idea as this come from the same brainchild who came up with no repays in the FA Cup? Like, I don't know. I just think it's stupid that we keep coming up with these stupid suggestions. And you're right. If we're having a Yorkshire Cup, let's just bring back the Surrey senior as a serious contender and make Juki happy. That's all we need to do, really.
Mike Dowling
39:58 - 39:58
Yeah,
Claire
39:58 - 40:00
I think it's a stupid idea, but
Mike Dowling
40:01 - 40:02
yeah, fair enough. Dan
Dan
40:04 - 40:42
Yeah, I mean, the well, with the Welsh stuff, it's they're just trying to improve the standard of their own, sort of their own league. I think I've read also they're trying to do a deal to persuade Merthyr to ditch the English system and go back to the Welsh 1. So, but I mean it's... I mean the thing is the teams they're talking about inviting in are massively, that would have a massive advantage over the Welsh sides that are currently there. So
Speaker 3
40:44 - 40:44
you
Dan
40:44 - 41:26
know it's going to be Wrexham, Cardiff, Swansea or Newport that are going to win that competition pretty much every year if they want to and all the previous rounds all these other Welsh league sides will just be playing their kids. Yeah. Wrexham's under 23s or Cardiff's under 23s and things like that And then they only take it seriously when they get to the semis or the final so I don't know I don't know how much The Welsh sides would be up for it. But then again, as we've seen, you bung a few quid. You bung the teams in the competition a few quid, no 1 gives a toss these days.
Dan
41:26 - 41:30
You just gotta look at the crap we've gotta play in the National League with this poxy cup.
Mike Dowling
41:31 - 41:58
And that's what we covered. I quickly spoke to Ed about it and he said basically that he says as far as our stance is, it's been drip fed, no 1 knows any information. I said oh that's exactly like the National League Trophy where we're told 2 weeks in advance this is the format. And he said as far as we're concerned we'd only take it anyway seriously if the Welsh League Club's fans are going yes it's what we want he said but basically no 1 ever listens to the fans so it's very very unlikely that we'll find out that's what they want.
Mike Dowling
41:59 - 42:02
But for yesterday right finish off watch...
Speaker 3
42:04 - 42:05
Oh do you know what I forgot to
Mike Dowling
42:05 - 42:31
play the Knowing Me, Knowing You jingle. I'm gutted now. But anyway, I've got this 1. It's the good, the bad and the funny. I think I had such trepidation of Claire's answer, that's why I didn't play the earlier 1.
Claire
42:34 - 42:38
I was really well behaved, I still thought your problem was I kept it so PC.
Mike Dowling
42:39 - 42:41
Yeah, you're very well done.
Claire
42:41 - 42:42
Which is so not like me.
Mike Dowling
42:44 - 42:54
Claire, what was good about yesterday? Again, it's the match day experience. I think we might have to start after Dan's food but what was good about the match day experience?
Claire
42:55 - 43:15
If Dan was going to use his food I'd say my food was pretty good. What was good yesterday? I mean the first goal just before the equalizer just before halftime I'm going for that as my good I know you say match wide but that that was my good I like that yeah
Mike Dowling
43:15 - 43:18
yeah dan what was your what was your good about the day?
Dan
43:19 - 43:22
Chippy tea. Chippy tea. I knew that was coming.
Mike Dowling
43:23 - 43:24
Fair enough.
Dan
43:24 - 43:45
Okay. With an honorable mention to our 2 girls, cause they were both very good hits. Both solid. Good. Really good. It was nice to see us hitting them from shooting from range and actually finding the target for which was nice we didn't see enough of that last season or earlier this year so but yeah yeah but their honourable mentions chippy tea sorry
Mike Dowling
43:46 - 43:47
what was bad
Dan
43:49 - 43:58
oh that fucking equalizer Jesus Christ I've not watched the highlights again because it just looked dreadful at the time
Mike Dowling
43:59 - 44:09
I haven't yet either but someone said I've watched the highlight several times and I still can't work out actually what happened. It's like a ghost hit the ball Yeah, I'm actually working what happened.
Dan
44:10 - 44:16
Yeah, it was yeah that their equalizer was just Okay, That was it.
Claire
44:16 - 44:26
I mean I was gonna say exactly the same thing to be honest it was just it's it's disappointing I guess it's the moment that I had there.
Mike Dowling
44:26 - 44:29
Fair enough and what was funny for you about the day clinic?
Claire
44:30 - 45:03
Oh there was a wonderful part towards the end of the second half where someone from their bench shouted at 1 of their players, and I genuinely don't know who it was or who it was aimed at, but he shouted, that's so disappointing, and myself and a load of people behind me in the stand all just went, and it was just so funny. Because, yeah, I mean, what a thing to shout at 1 of your players. It was very like, Mummy said, I'm disappointed in you. It was very amusing.
Mike Dowling
45:03 - 45:05
I'm not angry, just disappointed.
Claire
45:05 - 45:10
Exactly, and it was just the comedy ooo that really got it for me.
Mike Dowling
45:11 - 45:12
Dan, what about you?
Dan
45:13 - 45:15
I'm trying to think actually.
Mike Dowling
45:17 - 45:19
You've got Juki in a suit for a start.
Speaker 3
45:20 - 45:23
That's not funny I mean it's just unsettling.
Dan
45:26 - 45:42
Actually first half Freaky was commenting on the referee's performance and 1 of his mates behind him said, Cor, you're in a bad mood tonight and about 10 of us in front all turned around and went, tonight?
Claire
45:45 - 45:52
He was quality before the game though, did you see when on Twitter somebody announced, the club announced that James Baker
Dan
45:52 - 45:53
was going to play
Claire
45:53 - 46:01
the game and Sprakey just replied he hasn't got a car parking space. Thank you mate, have a day off.
Dan
46:03 - 46:14
How many? That was probably, yeah, because we were just being crap at that point. And it was that crap spell in the first half. So yeah, that just brighten the moment up. I thought,
Mike Dowling
46:14 - 46:29
yeah, there were 2 people somewhere somewhere behind I don't know who it was discussing the the Wildstone number 7 being a good player and oh he's a good 1 that 1 was like you mean Enzio who's our player for a long long time
Dan
46:29 - 46:31
I mean like 3 years
Mike Dowling
46:31 - 46:32
yeah all right
Speaker 3
46:34 - 46:34
yeah
Mike Dowling
46:34 - 46:39
that's what I found quite funny. Right. So we're off to York.
Claire
46:40 - 46:42
Dan's off to York.
Mike Dowling
46:42 - 46:54
Dan's off to York. In the morning. In the morning. No work. Claire, what do you think is going to happen at York? I mean, I'll tell you my opinion in a minute. What do you reckon?
Claire
46:57 - 47:09
I am going to continue my optimistic streak And whilst I'm not going to predict a win, I do think there'll be a fair few goals. And I'm going for another Desmond. So I'm going for a 2-2.
Mike Dowling
47:09 - 47:15
Fair enough. That's what we had against them last time as well, wasn't it? Darren?
Dan
47:17 - 48:03
I'm not going thinking we can win it, but I don't think some people were when we were coming out last night, some people were grumbling about, oh, we're going to get our asses handed to us on Saturday. And I was like, no, I don't see that because We went to Barnet and I thought we acquitted ourselves more than adequately and we played some decent stuff. Played pretty much perfectly as an away side, just unfortunately without, with a couple of goals conceded. And I thought the game at hours Against them was was probably 1 of the best I've seen this year and plenty going on I think York are 1 of those sides who a bit like Barnett don't really cater too much to how the oppo play.
Dan
48:03 - 48:58
They play their way, they're going to go out and do what they do and it's you know on you to deal with them. So I don't think they're going to be, I think it's going to be quite open. I think both sides are going to be, they'll, we'll have space to play a bit. So it'll certainly be a decent contest I think. I think it will come down to who takes chances. I don't see why we can't get a point up there seeing stranger things we probably should have won a barnet so you know it's football you can always get a result but yeah I don't think it's going to be as one-sided as some people were thinking on last night I think I think it'd be just a good game I think they'll it'll be open They'll play some good stuff and we'll be allowed to so so yeah, probably I'll take a draw That's our self for a draw beat trying to positive and get we'll take a point away from home and just keep ticking over
Mike Dowling
49:00 - 49:30
Right, I'm going That we're gonna stick with our historical thing of going completely against it so you know all those times we're playing teams at the bottom of the league and we're flying and dadala I'm just talking talkie a few years ago where they were absolutely toilet and they came to us and beat us. I'm going to go the other way. They're doing really well. We're stuttering. We're not doing badly, but we're starting. I'm going with a 5 to win. We're going to take the chances. We're going to score goals. Yes, that's positive. Dan, mentally unstable, but positive.
Claire
49:31 - 49:39
You know, if I mean, it's a game I want to watch. I'm not going to lie to you, but yes,
Dan
49:39 - 49:42
I'm not going to complain if that's what it is. But
Mike Dowling
49:42 - 49:45
I mean, obviously, clarified
Speaker 3
49:45 - 49:45
didn't
Mike Dowling
49:45 - 49:49
say it's gonna be a good game I said it's gonna win 5-2 it could be the shit this
Dan
49:49 - 49:55
is the sort of medication you've got as a hand mate you need to start sharing this around a bit more on the terraces mate
Mike Dowling
49:55 - 50:04
yeah yeah jesus I may regret that but anyway I'm going to get I said it now that's it we'll do it If that happens I will be like quitting.
Dan
50:05 - 50:10
I will be checking up, I'll check with the other people who are in your prediction league to make sure that is what you go with in the prediction league.
Mike Dowling
50:10 - 50:47
To be fair I do. I let everyone change it once the team lineups come out and stuff but I never do that because I figure that it's too open to me going, oh yeah, that's exactly what I said, honest. So whatever I say is what I put in, even though I'm never right. But anyway, thank you both very, very much. We are going to wrap up this episode of Sutton Podcast. As always, we appreciate your attention. You can hear Jo from here, can't you? Get involved in the Know Me, Know You segment. If you could spend a day with 1 of Sutton United's past or present players, who would it be and what would you do together?
Mike Dowling
50:48 - 51:11
Yeah, Claire, stop. If you've liked this episode, please like, follow, share, give the thumbs up at Sutton Podcast on all social media. Don't forget to subscribe and all the rest of it. We are back after the 5-2 victory at York. We'll have Rory and Alex Trez to talk us through it. You're lucky Alex isn't on because if it was Alex he'd be saying it's 5-0. Okay, so.
Claire
51:11 - 51:13
He is very positive. He is.
Mike Dowling
51:14 - 51:32
And as always thank you to sponsors Lucky Star Gin. Thank you again to both of you, and we will see you soon. Thanks for listening, obviously. Take care, bye-bye.
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