SOUTHWELL MAKES HIS POINT FOR SHAYMEN

SUTTON and Halifax shared the points in the sunshine at the Knights Community Stadium with a game in which both sides will feel they were below their best.

Sutton midfielder Kenny Davies put the home side ahead just ten minutes into the second half.

But their lead was shortlived as the Shaymen, who have enjoyed a fine start to the new season and finish the day sat in fourth place in the National League table, hit back.

Dayle Southwell levelled the game on 62 minutes for what turned out to be a point.

Sutton manager Paul Doswell was certainly of that opinion afterwards, saying: “I’m glad I didn’t pay to watch it. I thought it was a shocking game between poor sides on the day, and probably the result of playing eight games in 28 days, but we go to Maidstone on Tuesday and we’ve got to be better.”

Opposite number Jamie Fullarton was slightly more upbeat despite seeing his side lose top spot in the National League, saying: “It was a difficult game on a surface we’re not used to against an in-form side, and although I’m pleased with the point, in the end we’re slightly disappointed we haven’t taken all three.”

In a first half of few chances, striker Southwell shot wide early on after a Ben Tomlinson corner had been headed back by Matthew Brown, but it was Tomlinson who came closest when his snapshot from just outside the penalty area came back off the post. That was Tomlinson’s last action as two minutes later he was booked for handball in a challenge with Sutton’s Craig Eastmond, but fell awkwardly and had to be replaced by Jonathan Edwards. Apart from off-target efforts from Charlie Clough and Tom Bolarinwa, Sutton made little impression on a Halifax defence in which Brown was dominant, but they were livelier in the second half and took the lead when Eastman’s run was halted illegally on the edge of the penalty area by Simon Lenighan, who was booked, and Davies saw his free-kick creep inside the post as Sam Johnson got both hands to the ball but couldn’t keep it out. The lead was short lived, however, as seven minutes later, after Sutton had conceded possession cheaply, Southwell created space on the edge of the area and sent a low shot beyond Jamie Butler into the bottom corner of the net. Neither side really did enough to win the game in the last half hour, although Sutton rang the changes in an effort to find a breakthrough, and late on substitute Tommy Wright was denied by a Jacob Hanson challenge while Aaron Drinan was also crowded out as he tried to get a shot in, but a draw was probably a fair result to a disappointing game.