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United claim stunning victory
Bath City 2 Sutton United 3
Relegated
Sutton United produced a stunning victory to hand Jimmy Dack his first victory as manager on Saturday.
The result also put a spanner in Bath City's play-offs and made a mockery of the best home record and best defensive record in the division.
United, inspired by a magnificent performance from Craig Dundas and a sparkling return to amber and chocolate for Warren McBean went two-up in a league game since the beginning of September.
They even survived the last half hour with 10 men after Tony Cuff was sent off for two reckless challenges.
With McBean and youth team star Jerson Dos Santos supporting Dundas from the wings, United were away to a flier with an early goal.
Dos Santos won a throw near the corner flag and Cuff whipped in a superb cross which was neatly converted by Dundas with a header at the near post.
Bath should have been level within a minute as Aaron Ledgister blazed over with just Phil Wilson to beat after Dave Gilroy had been put through on the right.
At the other end, an extraordinary sequence saw a mishit shot from Dos Santos miscued by Matt Coupe towards his own goal where Paul Evans compounded the error by dropping the ball and having to recover to grab it on the line.
Neither defence looked solid in the opening stages, and when United were next caught square there was no reprieve as Phil Walsh's pass put Sam Foley through to round Wilson and put just enough on a mis-hit shot for it to reach the net before John Scarborough could get back to clear.
At that stage most people would have expected Bath to take control, and with Gilroy and Walsh looking as lively as they had when Bath won easily at Sutton in January that looked possible.
However, Sutton were having none of it and some persistence by Dundas to embarrass Coupe and win a ball most would have given up was followed by a pull back to McBean, who created space and fired low past Evans.
United might have had another one immediately as Nicky Greene and Dos Santos combined to set up Dundas, who couldn't quite get a shot in as he tried to turn.
Although Gilroy then got in behind United's defence again, Scarborough headed the resulting cross away after Wilson had forced the striker wide.
Sutton extended their lead four minutes before half time in superb style.
McBean collected Paul Honey's pass on the left midway inside the Bath half and drifted past three challenges before placing the ball in the far corner of the net for a memorable solo goal.
Even two ahead, a position they hadn't held in the league since their first win of the season at Eastleigh, it was crucial for United to avoid conceding an early second half goal that would give Bath the encouragement to launch a fightback.
So when after 12 minutes Ledgister headed goalwards after Wilson had punched clear a cross, Tom Hughes' intervention to head the ball off the line was crucial.
Just after the hour mark, though, Cuff, booked in the first half for a foul on Walsh, launched another unwise challenge on Jason Wood that sparked a free-for-all that included virtually every player on the pitch including Bath keeper Evans, who ran over half the length of the pitch to get involved, an act which in itself deserved one of the yellow cards that referee Lee Collins produced once order had been restored.
Dundas and Adie Harris were also booked, and there was an inevitable second yellow for Cuff.
Bath almost scored from the resulting free kick, Chris Holland firing over in a scramble, and two minutes later they did have a goal back when Wilson failed to collect a corner, Holland hooked the ball against the bar and Walsh headed in the rebound.
United brought on Jason Goodchild, who was booked for tripping Wood within three minutes, and withstood the predictable onslaught superbly as Bath's efforts became increasingly desperate.
Scarborough produced a particularly good challenge to prevent Walsh from going clear, but the effort was epitomised by Dundas, on a yellow card after the brawl and a final warning after a subsequent foul on Gethin Jones, chasing back and performing a sliding tackle on the edge of United penalty area of which any top class centre back would have been proud.
At the other end, United might have ended all the arguments when Greene pounced on a misplaced pass to put Dundas through, but his cross was cut out by Evans with McBean waiting for a tap-in at the far post.
McBean, playing his first game after his return from Eastleigh and a bout of flu, departed to a rapturous ovation from Sutton fans with six minutes left.
United had to survive one nasty moment, Wilson saving brilliantly from Holland and Gilroy flagged offside as he headed in the rebound, before celebrating the most hard-earned of victories.
Bath: P Evans, G Jones, J Rollo, M Coupe(sub J Wood H-T), C Holland, A Harris(sub D Edwards 67), S Foley, S Jones, P Walsh, D Gilroy, A Ledgister(sub S Simpson 58) . Subs n/u M Paul, J McKay. Goals: Foley(12), Walsh(64). Booked: Evans(62-unsporting behaviour), Harris(62-unsporting behaviour).
Sutton: P Wilson, T Cuff, J Whisken, J Scarborough, J Dos Santos(sub J Goodchild 66), N Greene, R Hughes, T Hughes, P Honey, C Dundas, W McBean (sub A Bray 84). Subs n/u L Wright, J Johnson, J McLoughlin. Goals: Dundas(7), McBean(25,41). Booked: Cuff(30-foul), Dundas(62-unsporting behaviour), Goodchild(69-foul). Sent Off: Cuff(62-foul-second bookable offence.).
Referee: L Collins(Aldershot)
Attendance: 747
1:00pm Monday 21st April 2008
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