After 10 days out of action following the end of the Blue Square Bet South season, Sutton were unable to flick the switch and produce a last hurrah in the Surrey Senior Cup final, going down 1-0 to Godalming Town at Gander Green Lane.
A last-minutue goal meant United, for the third time in four years, had to settle for runners-up medals while, for the second time, watching Godalming lift the silverware.
It was a poor final, but Godalming’s determination to make up for the disappointment of losing the Evo-stik Southern League Division One Central gave them the edge over an out-of-sorts United side.
In the end, Scott Harris took advantage of the sort of defending that had blighted United’s performances early in the season to grab the decisive goal.
Too many Sutton players looked as though their touch had deserted them, particularly in attacking situations, and so although Godalming were the livelier side early on, they created little to worry Tom Lovelock.
The biggest threat came from some prodigious throw-ins from Guy Hollis, and one missile from the right led to a chance for Johnnie Dyer, but his shot on the turn failed to beat the Sutton keeper.
Unable to find any flow at all going forward, despite the occasional moment of promise from Marvin Williams, it was 39 minutes before United carved out a chance worthy of the description, when some good chasing back by James Folkes won possession and allowed Anthony Riviere and Williams to set up Harry Beautyman.
However, the midfielder took a fraction too long to get his shot in and Jack Broome dived in to block.
Soon afterwards, Beautyman produced United’s best moment of the half, with good skill and pace on the left before a cross that was cleared as far as Ali Fuseini, but his went over.
Close: Sutton United skipper Jamie Stuart goes close in the final, but it was not to be for Paul Doswell's men SP75602
Jamie McClurg volleyed just over for Godalming early in the second half, and Harris tested Lovelock with a speculative shot taken early from all of 35 yards that had the keeper scrambling, but otherwise the game rose no further above the mundane than it had before the interval, and it seemed unlikely that extra time could be avoided.
In the last 10 minutes, though, United pushed forward in an attempt to force the breakthrough, and after Craig Dundas had been tripped by George Short on the edge of the penalty area, Beautyman curled a free kick inches wide of Jake Somerville’s right hand post.
As it was, though, the decisive moment came at the other end as Sam Rents attempted to return a long ball back in to the Godalming half, only to send it high in to the air and towards his own penalty area.
Where do you think you're going? Tom Lovelock races out of his area but he was beaten to the ball by Godalming's Scott Harris SP75602
The sense of chaos was compounded as Lovelock hurtled out of goal to try and claim the ball as it came down, but he and Downer were outjumped by Harris, whose header had just enough in it to cross the line before any of the three players chasing it, two from Sutton and one from Godalming, could intervene.
With only injury time remaining there was no chance of a United response, and it was the team from down the A3 who took the spoils.
Deserved winners: Godalming Town, Surrey Senior Cup winners 2013
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