Sutton United go into Saturday’s top-of-the-table showdown with Macclesfield Town with renewed confidence having beaten Boreham Wood 4-0 in the Vanarama National League on Boxing Day.

United arrived at Wood’s Meadow Park home having suffered consecutive league defeats to Leyton Orient (4-1) and Tranmere Rovers (3-1) but Paul Doswell’s men provided the perfect response to give the Hertfordshire side a bloody nose thanks to penalties from Jamie Collins and Nicky Bailey and a brace from Craig Eastmond.

The result puts the U’s in second place as they prepare to make the 400-mile round trip to tackle Macclesfield who sit three points above them.

The Sutton boss was delighted with the reaction his team showed - four goals and a clean sheet - in what is a brutal festive schedule.

"It was a good away performance and we didn't give away too many chances," Doswell told SUFCtv.

"We were very efficient with the chances we had - two penalties in the first half and two good finishes in the second half.

"I think it flatters us but the important thing is we managed to get three points. They [Boreham Wood] are a good team and I still think they will be right up there.

"They were unbeaten since September 23 as well, so I think that shows how well we’ve done today.

"We are right in the midst of it at the moment - Leyton Orient away, Tranmere, Boreham Wood away and Macclesfield away and they don't get any easier after that. 

"But we're second in the league at the moment for a reason and we've shown we can compete with all these teams."

The Macclesfield game brings the curtain down on what has been an unforgettable year for Sutton.

Not only did the U's make headlines with their FA Cup exploits against AFC Wimbledon, Leeds United and Arsenal, but they have also topped the league table on six occasions having beaten teams such as Leyton Orient, Tranmere Rovers and, courtesy of a late Tommy Wright strike, Saturday's opponents when the sides first met back in August.

The curtain goes up on 2018 at the Knights Community Stadium with the visit of Boreham Wood on Monday (January 1) for another crucial league match and supporters hoping the U's can make it another memorable year.

Meanwhile, Sutton have signed defender Terell Thomas from Skybet League One leaders Wigan Athletic on an initial one month loan deal.

The 22-year-old has made a handful of appearances for the Latics this season having previously had spells with Charlton Athletic and Woking.