One disastrous first-half minute condemned ten-man AFC Fylde to their fifth defeat of the season at high-flying Sutton United.

The hosts hit the Coasters with two quick-fire goals in an otherwise evenly-contested first half and to make matters worse, midfielder Lewis Montrose was shown his second red card in the space of seven days.  

Fylde centre-half Simon Grand pulled one back for the Coasters during a late onslaught however Sutton held their nerve to claim the points. 

Fylde welcomed back midfielders Andy Bond and Lewis Montrose from suspension for the second trip to the capital in a week.

The hosts dominated possession in the early stages but struggled to find a way through the resilient Fylde backline – a tame header from captain Jamie Collins their only chance of note inside the opening ten minutes.

Dave Challinor’s side seemed content to soak up the pressure and hit on the counter and it almost paid dividends when Sam Finley broke down the right and crossed low for Rowe, however the ball was taken off the striker’s foot by his marker.

The biggest cheer from the crowd during a cagey opening came when a long clearance was headed back into play by the unlikely figure of manager Challinor!

Sutton almost made the breakthrough on 25 minutes when Josh Taylor poked a corner goalwards however Finley was in the right place and cleared off the line.

Fylde were dealt an injury blow midway through the half when Jordan Tunnicliffe was forced off, making way for debutant Jason Taylor. 

A quick breakaway breathed some life into the visitors attack as Finley saw a vicious half volley deflected wide before Rowe blasted a strike at Butler that was too hot to handle but swept up by the alert backline.

However, with just five minutes remaining until the break, Sutton nicked the opened. Craig Dundas was played clean through and kept his compose to slide the ball past the advancing Jay Lynch.

No sooner had the Coasters restarted the match, the hosts doubled their advantage in a horror minute for the away side.  

Full-back Josh Taylor bombed down the left, leaving Luke Burke and Taylor for dead, before firing a low ball into the six yard box that was diverted into his own net by the helpless Simon Grand.

Challinor made a change at the interval, replacing James Hardy with Jack Muldoon, in an attempt to alter the balance of play, but it was still the hosts that had the upper hand. Centre-half-Louis John saw a header clip the crossbar whilst Taylor skewed a left-footed stake wide of the near post.

The uphill challenge was to become considerably steeper for the visitors when they were reduced to ten men. Montrose, dismissed at Leyton Orient just a week previously, was again given his marching orders for a second yellow card in as many minutes.

Sutton should have had their third midway through the second period when left-back Aswad Thomas skipped down the flank and delivered a teasing ball across goal that was narrowly missed at the back post by Kieron Cadogan.

Home substitute Anthony Jeffrey almost wrapped up the points just moments after entering the fray when he cut inside from the left and whistled a powerful drive over Lynch’s crossbar.

Tommy Wright, another Sutton sub, was desperately unlucky not to put the result to bed with ten minutes to play when he crashed a first-time effort against the far post from 15 yards.

Fylde fashioned a rare chance late on when Muldoon made room to shoot, but his effort was pushed away by Butler. 

However, the Coasters did eventually pull one back with five minutes to play. Rowe’s scuffed strike fell kindly to Grand who poked the ball over the line at the back post. 

The goal sparked the visitors into life and Butler was forced into a fantastic reaction save when Rowe let fly from 12 yards.

Sutton: Butler, Thomas, John, Collins, Lafayette (Wright 71), Cadogan (Jeffrey 74), Dundas, Eastmond, Bailey, Walton, Taylor (Emmanuel 82).

Subs not used: Downer, Davis

AFC Fylde: Lynch, Burke, Tunnicliffe (J. Taylor 32), Grand, Francis-Angol, Bond, Montrose, McCready (Smith 77), Finley, Hardy (Muldoon 46), Rowe.

Subs not used: Richards, Jones.

 

Ref: Savvas Yianni

Att: 2,127