SUTTON UNITED 1 LEEDS UNITED 0
Sutton United boss Paul Doswell hailed his non-league team’s FA Cup giant-killing over Championship side Leeds United as the club’s best day ever in their 118-year history.
Leeds United may sit 83 places higher in the league, but it was Sutton United who dominated the tie – with Roarie Deacon seeing a first-half goal disallowed for offside.
Eight minutes after the restart Sutton took a deserved lead with captain Jamie Collins scoring from the penalty spot, after Lewie Coyle brought down Deacon following a mix-up with goalkeeper Marco Silvestri.
It was to get even worse for Leeds who finished the game with ten men after Liam Cooper received a second booking, as Sutton progressed through to the fifth round for the very first time.
Doswell said: “Now that we’ve got to the fifth round the club has never done that, so it’s got to be the club’s best day.
“I’ve recently been talking about making more modern memories for this club.
“It was brilliant for the club in the 1970s with Don Revie bringing his Leeds side which had the likes of Billy Bremner, Peter Lorimer and Allan Clarke.
“In 1989 the club beat Coventry who were at that time a division one club which was an amazing experience, but we’ve gone on and done another round now.
“We’ve beaten a team who 47 years ago, beat us 6-0 so we’ve made some progress.”
Sutton United have so far missed out on drawing a Premier League side in the competition but their chance might come in tomorrow’s cup draw with eight top-flight teams remaining.
The club have made some lucrative money from their cup exploits but Doswell is now concentrating on landing a glamour tie with Chelsea, Manchester United and Arsenal all still left in the competition.
Doswell added: “I’m not going to talk about money now as I think that has been done to death.
“We’d like someone at home because that would give us a chance, but if we could draw Manchester United, Chelsea or any Premier League team to come here it would be unbelievable.
“If we’re going to get an away draw then it’d be the obvious teams such as Manchester United, Manchester City, Chelsea or Arsenal.
“I knew after five or ten minutes against Leeds that we had a decent chance, but going into the game there was no dreaming or thinking what could happen in the next round.
“We’ve just got to wait until the draw now and I’ll be watching in my lounge like I have done for every other game.
“I pray for a cup tie that the whole town and the club deserves.”
Featured image courtesy of SUFCtv via YouTube, with thanks
