Chasetown U23s V Sutton United Reserves (Challenge Trophy, Final)

​Chasetown and Sutton United met yesterday in the final of the Challenge Trophy at Coleshill Road. Both teams have been excellent in the reserve division of the MFL this season and have caught the eye within the local non-league scene. The final was a battle of 1st vs 2nd with the two clubs only losing a combined total of four out of 28 league matches throughout 23/24.  

Chasetown have been one of the stories of the season within the reserve division and lost just once across 14 matches. The most impressive thing about the Scholars in the league was their defensive record with only nine goals conceded which was the best in the division.

They notably beat Rushall Olympic reserves last weekend 3-0 to reach yesterday’s final.  

Sutton United have also been excellent in the reserve division throughout the season and they finished with 29 points from 14 matches. They missed out on the league title to Chasetown by six points but had the second-best goals scored (44) and conceded record (17) in the division.

They notably beat Tamworth Academy development last weekend 5-1 at Coleshill Road in front of a crowd of 72 supporters to reach the final.

Coleshill Road is an excellent location for casual groundhoppers to visit across the West Midlands and is one of the more accessible grounds to get to by public transport. Supporters can get the X14 bus from Birmingham City Centre before getting off at the Coleshill Road bus stop for a short six-minute walk to the ground.      

​Starting Line Ups

The Starting line up for Chasetown included Callum Cook starting in goal and Joe Haines captaining the team from left back. The formation looked like a 4-2-3-1 with Remmiko Harper playing up front as the number nine and being supported by Kaireice Cunningham and Rafferty Winnall on the wings.

There were three changes from the team that started against Rushall Olympic last weekend with Stanley Bailey coming into the team and playing at right back. 

Sutton United’s starting line up featured Kieran Hart starting in goal and Charlie Busst captaining the team from holding midfield. The formation appeared to be a 4-2-3-1 with Chris Ward playing up front as the main striker and being supported by Tom Hughes and Sam Addo on the wings.

There were three changes from the team that started against Tamworth Academy last weekend with Matt Lewis coming into the team and playing at left back. 

​First Half

The match got off to a good start with both teams looking to take the initiative in search of the opening goal. The first real chance of the final came when Rafferty Winnall had a shot hit the underside of the crossbar for Chasetown in the 9th minute. It was unlucky for the Scholars with the ball bouncing across the goal line and out of play.  

The main pattern of the match involved Chasetown having a lot of the ball and looking to break down a resilient Sutton United defence who were looking to catch them on the break with the pace of Sam Addo on the wing and Chris Ward making runs off the shoulder. It made for an interesting final to watch tactically as Sutton United looked capable of causing problems up front. 

Their best chance of the first half came in the 19th minute when Chris Ward was through on goal one on one with Callum Cook. The Chasetown keeper made a good save to deny one of the main strikers in the reserve division this season with 14 goals.

​Chasetown had a good chance to take the lead near the half hour mark when an excellent corner delivered into the box found Tyler Bishop at the front post who fired wide from a good position in the 28th minute.

Both teams were well set up off the ball to prevent the clear-cut chances in front of goal throughout the majority of the first half. Sutton United were playing well defensively with Dan Cooper and Matt Lewis reading the game well to take the pressure off them. Chasetown were building up the play well through the likes of Rafferty Winnall but were lacking that final ball in the box to cause problems.

The first half came to a close with the final well poised and open for either team to win it.

Second Half          

Sutton United got off to an excellent start in the second half and managed to take the lead in the opening few minutes. A good ball was played into the box from a corner that found Dan Cooper who headed it into the top left corner. It was well worked goal from Sutton United to make it 1-0.  

Chasetown showed character to respond to the set back and were putting sustained pressure on the Sutton United goal in search of an equaliser. They looked threatening with the ball and were building it up well around the box with that final ball the only thing lacking. Their persistence paid off on the hour mark and they managed to make it 1-1.

A swinging cross into the box found Rafferty Winnall who finished well into the top right corner to make it level going into the final half an hour. Similar to the Sutton goal, it was a moment of quality rather than any glaring defensive mistake.    

The momentum was fully with Chasetown a few minutes after the equaliser but a moment off the ball changed the complexion of the final.

Matt Hurrell hand balled which resulted in a second yellow card and a sending off which reduced Sutton United to ten men. However, an incident off the ball afterwards involving Rafferty Winnall resulted in a straight sending off for the Chasetown player which stifled the momentum of the scholars in the latter stages of the match.

Sutton United were going for it in the final twenty minutes in search of the winner with Chasetown playing on the counterattack. They had a few notable chances to win it in the ninety minutes with Sam Addo having a shot well saved by Callum Cook in the 73rd minute.

He was excellent for Sutton United in the second half and played a ball across goal that just evaded substitute Leighton Hines at the back post in the 80th minute. After a lengthy period of injury time both sides could not find the breakthrough and it went to a penalty shootout.

Sutton United responded to the pressure well in the shootout and the likes of Leighton Hines and Joe Gildea produced some quality spot kicks that found the corners. Chasetown started the shootout well, but the nerves got to them for Sutton to win it 3-1.   

​Full Time

The Challenge Trophy final was a good opportunity for Sutton United reserves to showcase themselves in front of a wider audience and they took it well yesterday. It was an excellent team performance and every player contributed to a memorable cup win for the club. 

The defence was excellent with Dan Cooper impressing at the back and reading the game well. Matt Lewis also had an underrated game and helped them settle into the match in the first half. Charlie Busst also filled in admirably for Matt Hurrell in the middle of the second half and did not look out of place at the back.      

Despite missing out on the league title to Chasetown, Sutton United really stood up to the challenge yesterday and the gameplan worked well from manager Adam Watson.

Chasetown came close to winning the final yesterday and it came down to the fine margins at the end of the match. The Scholars played well and showed why they have been at the top of the reserve division throughout 23/24. Tyler Bishop had a good game at the back and was regularly stopping dangerous attacks. Callum Cook also showed moments of promise in goal and made some good saves.

Overall, this was a brilliant advert for the Reserve Division which was watched by a good audience at Coleshill Road yesterday.      

FT score: Chasetown U23s 1-1 Sutton United reserves (Sutton United reserves win 3-1 on penalties)

Man of the match: Dan Cooper (Sutton United)

Match report written by Rhys Beardmore for the Midland Football League      ​