On The Road

WEMBLEY AND AN EFL SPOT ARE TWIN TARGETS AT SUTTON

TO EARN a pat on the back from his chairman Bruce Elliott every season, manager Matt Gray’s task is simply to keep Sutton United in the National League. But how about promotion to the Football League for the first time and a Wembley final on top instead? An historic finish to Sutton’s season is a real possibility as, just outside the top four divisions of English football, a remarkable story is developing. Against all the odds, Sutton — one of non-League football’s great names and FA Cup giantkillers — are third and right in the National League promotion mix. They kept their FA Trophy hopes alive, too, on Saturday with a deserved fourth-round win over Dagenham and Redbridge which showcased some of the reasons they are doing so well — organisation and hard work with attacking quality in the right areas.

Pulling off either or both achievements would be incredible. Even more so in this season when the Covid-19 pandemic has hit finances, especially at this level. In a division with predominantly full-time outfits and some ex-Football League clubs, Sutton are a rarity on what their impressive boss Gray, 39, describes as ‘three-quarter time’ — training three mornings a week. They have one of the league’s lowest budgets, only one full-time member of non-playing staff — the bar manager — and they don’t do overnight stays for away games. Not because they are stopped from doing so by the board, with whom Gray enjoys a great relationship, but because the cost would come out of his budget for players. Instead, they travel on match days and before long they have Torquay, Hartlepool and Stockport away in a seven-day period to look forward to. Before Covid hit, Sutton’s players were already bringing their own food to games and washing training kit at home. With Gray (right) — 18 months into his first managerial job after No 2 roles at Eastleigh, Aldershot and Crawley — and his assistant Jason Goodliffe’s experience of this level, recruitment is one big reason Sutton are thriving, along with their knowledge of what it takes to get results and the mentality and work ethic of his players. Gray is up front with his targets about how Sutton operate, meaning only players with the right character and hunger to play for him are signed up. Building his squad — a mixture of non-League stalwarts, players who have dropped down from the EFL and youngsters with h a point to prove e — has been a staggered process this season, with the e club unable to give i G Gray hi his fi final lb budget d t figure due to all the financial uncertainty. Funds have been drip-fed from a variety of grants and loans along the way, while Sutton supporters have raised more than £50,000 to help keep the club afloat. Gray said: ‘We’re all pulling in the right direction. Hopefully that will keep breeding results. To get into League Two would be the biggest thing in the club’s history. I’m a young, ambitious manager and nothing would give me more pleasure than making Sutton United a Football League club.’