After the glamour, it’s off to Sutton...
JUST AS Arsene Wenger zipped up his coat, braced for a brisk stroll across Bayern Munich’s Allianz Arena, the gravity of Sutton United’s quite wonderful tale became apparent.
Nine hundred miles away, Paul Doswell, Arsenal manager Wenger’s opposite number in the FA Cup fifth round on Monday, was boarding a coach from a three- star Mercure Hotel ready for a cold snap of his own.
Only Sutton’s freeze came in the Yorkshire shadows rather than European brightness. Destination Guiseley, as the FA Cup dreamers tried to arrest a worrying National League slump.
It is only two League wins since the end of November and their incredible Cup run has undoubtedly served as a distraction. Can you blame them? They dozed when going behind to Jake Cassidy’s early header and in conceding a stoppage-time winner from John Rooney — younger brother of Manchester United’s Wayne.
Sutton do have games in hand but are creeping towards the relegation zone and, despite Doswell’s protestations, minds lingered towards next week.
‘There’s no doubt that the Cup has had an effect since probably the third-round game against AFC Wimbledon,’ said the Sutton boss. ‘ The Cup has become a distraction.’
A nice one, nevertheless, for their gaggle of 30 supporters — in a crowd of 664 — behind the goal here. Hopefully none of them were left disappointed at the end of a five-hour queue for Arsenal tickets.
Doswell, who works for free, has instilled a more professional ethos, aided by financial backing from the board which allowed them to stay over, rather than endure a long, late-night trip down south.
He can also rely on the likes of former Charlton midfielder Nicky Bailey and Craig Eastmond, once of Arsenal.
Bailey played on the right last night in a makeshift XI who have been wishing time away since the Cup draw but will provide steel in front of the defence against Arsenal.
Sutton directors smiled in the main stand as they revealed Doswell will make wholesale changes against Arsenal.
Matt Tubbs (above), formerly of Bournemouth who equalised from the spot, is not certain to start at Gander Green Lane.
Eastmond served the last game of his three-match ban last night and is primed to come back against the team for whom he played 59 minutes in the Champions League seven years ago.
Eastmond had watched anxiously last weekend as a floodlight failure threatened to abandon the defeat at Solihull Moors and put his participation against his old club in jeopardy.
But there was no danger of that at Guiseley, whose new signing Rooney seemed the only tenuous link between Sutton and the big time mission that awaits them.