Pitching In Northern Premier League Midland Division
ST NEOTS TOWN 2 SUTTON COLDFIELD TOWN 3
Seven minutes from time St Neots clawed themselves into a game that they had failed to significantly contest for more that an hour and this sparked a final period of end-to-end action with three goals. Unfortunately, it was not enough for the home side to get any palpable reward and the defeat saw them plunged into the relegation zone of the league table. With striker Neo Richard-Noel still not fit and Kieran Barnes departed, the team selection saw three regular defenders in the midfield positions, and this certainly showed up in the attacking performance of the side. The Barnes role as a support attacker to Rhys Thorpe was handed to Sam Willis and he was never far enough forward to be of any significance. As a result, the visiting side was allowed far too much space and they utilised it to create a goal in each half to give them a commanding control of the game until that final late phase. The first meeting of the two sides in Birmingham had resulted in a convincing win for St Neots with Harvey Williams scoring twice and although he repeated that feat it was never enough to be significant in the context of this meeting of the two sides.
The visitors started strongly and from their third corner in the opening thirteen minutes they took the lead when the home defence failed to clear and Luke McGinnell netted from close range. Harvey Henderson then headed off the St Neots goal line from a fourth corner shortly afterwards and St Neots only significant attack in the opening twenty minutes saw a Jesse Obeng shot blocked by a defender. Harvey Williams tried hard to get his side going with one shot narrowly wide and a second comfortably gathered by visiting keeper James Wren, but the visiting side looked comfortably in control. 
St Neots best first half chance saw Rhys Thorpe played clear of the visiting defence, but he was fractionally offside and the opportunity lost. Just before the break it was again Williams that tested the visiting defence, but he saw his low shot blocked by a retreating defender,
After the break it was another run by Williams that set up St Neots’ first attack and when his effort was blocked visiting keeper saved well from Charlie Bowen who had joined the home attack. St Neots opted to vary their attack on the hour introducing James Stainsby to play alongside Thorpe with Henderson substituted. However, within a minute St Neots found themselves further in arrears as Reece Gibson was allowed time and space in the St Neots penalty area to control the ball and set up Ayomide Lekuti for the visitors’ second goal. It could have been worse for the hosts because minutes later Romeo Critchlow shot wide with just the keeper to beat and then substitutions by both sides followed. With eight minutes left Harvey Williams gave the home side a glimmer of hope when he collected a Thorpe through pass to pull back a goal but five minutes later visiting substitute Jayden Campbell broke clear to reinstate the visitors’ two goals advantage and a second Harvey Williams goal two minutes into added time was insufficient to crown that late comeback by the host side.
Today’s Saints Supporters’ Man Of The Match, In association with The Greystones Public House, Sawtry – Eniola Agemoh-Davies