United draw relegation six-pointer

There were decidedly mixed feelings for Sutton United after Saturday's bottom-of-the-table encounter at The Jewson Stadium finished goalless.

Results elsewhere saw both Dorchester and Sutton move a place up the table and a point nearer 19th-placed Welling United.

But both teams will have viewed the goalless stalemate as a missed opportunity to give their battles against the drop a real boost.

Dorchester came closest to scoring when Alex Browne hit the bar midway through the first half.

But Sutton will probably feel the sense of frustration more having missed two golden chances to underpin an impressive first 15 minutes with a goal.

The best chance of the game which fell to Steffan Ball two minutes after half time.

It was, as manager Ernie Howe said afterwards, the sort of chance that strikers dream about as Craig Dundas was put in by Nicky Greene on the right of the penalty area and a challenge on him saw the ball divert across goal to Ball, who just about had an empty net to aim at from about ten yards out.

But on his weaker left foot snatched awkwardly at the shot which went high over the bar.

United had started really well, playing with confidence, and twice in the first 10 minutes they had clear openings.

In the sixth minute, Ball showed excellent movement in the penalty area to meet a Greene free kick at the near post but turned the ball just wide.

Two minutes later Harry Ottaway's fine pass left Greene clear with just goalkeeper Chico Ramos to beat, but his shot lacked power and was comfortably blocked.

Ball met another Greene free kick with a header that flashed just over, and a Dundas cross drifted just beyond Ball and Ottaway as United looked much the better side early on.

The fear that they might regret the missed chances even more was almost realised when they failed to clear a corner and, when Kevin Davies could only get his fingertips to Roy O'Brien's cross, Browne headed against the bar.

Dorchester began to have more of a say in the game, with Ivan Forbes lively on the left, and Davies had another scare when he fumbled a harmless Jamie Gleeson free kick, managing to pounce on the ball before it crossed the line.

At the other end, Tom Hughes volleyed only just wide from a Greene corner and United were entitled to feel they had had the better of the first half.

Had Ball managed to convert his early chance in the second half they would have had something to show for it, but they never really came as close again.

However, when Ramos failed to collect a low Dundas cross after a typically strong run from the striker it was disappointing that no-one was close enough to take advantage.

Dorchester began to create chances of their own as the game opened out, and Forbes shot across goal and just wide after being put through by Tom Clarke, who also had an opportunity when a cross was cleared to him on the edge of the penalty area.

Bashiru Alimi's slip gave him a clear sight of goal but his shot was too high.

United rang the changes in an effort to force the breakthrough, Liam Wright coming on fresh from his four goal performance for the reserves on Tuesday, and Paul Honey and John Scarborough also thrown on, the latter to play as a centre forward for the last five minutes.

It almost worked as they forced several corners late on and Scarborough sent in one dangerous low cross which the home defence was grateful to hammer away.

But although the game had enough in it to keep the spectators interested, and was played and refereed in an excellent spirit considering its importance, the quality that might have brought a breakthrough was increasingly lacking as time ebbed away until referee Steve Phipps' final whistle ended the frustration.

Dorchester: F Ramos, J Cumming, J Smeeton, M Jermyn, J Gleeson, R O'Brien(sub G Bowles 51), J Rowe(sub J Docker 54), D Clay, A Browne, T Clarke, I Forbes(sub T Khalil 66). Subs n/u T Mitchell, R Coward.

Sutton: K Davies, D Sammut(sub P Honey 77), A Bray, T Hughes, K El-Salahi, B Alimi, J Goodchild, N Greene, S Ball(sub L Wright 72), C Dundas, H Ottaway(sub J Scarborough 86). Subs n/u R Hughes, P Wilson. Booked: T Hughes(57-foul), Alimi(69-foul).Referee: S Phipps(Abingdon) Attendance: 439