MATCH REPORT

Long Sutton were relegated after a battling performance against champions Horncastle with scoreline perhaps not reflecting the chances the hosts created. Sutton worked hard but the injury jinx struck again as defender Matt Holmes was forced off with an impressive cut to his finger. The youngsters in the Sutton defence stepped up and battled hard, Sam Gray making a welcome return from School commitments and Dan Oldfield showing his eye is in before the cricket season by dealing expertly with a number of aerial balls. Four down at the break Sutton still tried to pass the ball in midfield with Will White once again showing his quality. The second half saw Horncastle double the score but Sutton fought hard with Jacob Synnott again showing his quality and composure on the ball and Will Taylor playing some intelligent passes. Tom Burton and Steven Milnes battled hard at the back retaining the ball when in possession. Luke Jackson in his final game made a number of his trademark forays down the wing and Josh Baker tracked back and helped the midfield. Man of the match was keeper Brad Whitmore stepping up due to injury he showed that he certainly would not be out of place at a higher level as after a jittery start he produced a fine confident performance. Defeat against the champions confirmed relegation but with a very young team was no disgrace and provided Sutton's juniors learn from this season there is no reason why they cannot spend next season at the top end of the league.