Ref takes centre stage in United draw

Sutton United were forced to settle for a point because of a controversial penalty award at Gander Green Lane on Saturday.

Given a flying start by Craig Tanner's early strike, Sutton controlled the first half.

But referee Rob Whitton's decision to point to the spot on the first-half after what appeared an excellent challenge by Alan Bray on Craig Hughes handed the Welsh side a way back into the game. Jason Bowen converted the penalty.

After the break neither side managed to come to terms with a firm and uneven pitch, although Phil Wilson had to make a magnificent save to keep out Damon Searle's free kick.

Sutton might have scored with only 10 seconds on the clock when Warren McBean chased a long pass beyond Newport's back line and Jacob Giles had to be alert to come out and grab the ball off his head.

Paul Honey's good tackle inside the Newport half started the move for United's goal.

Honey moved into space on the right before crossing for Warren McBean. United's top scorer laid the ball sideways for Tanner to jink pat a defender and slip the ball past Giles.

Tanner had the ball in the net again three minutes later with an acrobatic overhead kick after Matt Gray's shot had been deflected into the air, but an offside flag cut short the celebrations.

Ross Gaynor took advantage of a mistake by Ian Hillier to run on to a McBean pass soon afterwards, but failed to strike his shot cleanly and Giles saved easily.

After that early flurry from Sutton, the game settled in to the scrappy and at times fractious pattern that it struggled to shake off.

Eleven minutes before half time Tanner's late challenge on Steve Jenkins was about to be deservedly punished with a yellow card when Hillier ran the width of the pitch to become involved and spark a fracas which saw him and Gaynor join Tanner in the book.

It was possible to have sympathy with the referee in that situation, which he seemed to have under control until Hillier's intervention, but several decisions that appeared to be delayed until an appeal was made had already caused some quizzical looks from players of both sides.

But there was no appeal when Bray came across to challenge Hughes in the penalty area and the ball had been directed towards the touchline, only for Mr Whitton to point to the spot.

United's anger was increased when Bowen, as he had with Luke Naughton at Newport in October, blatantly checked his run-up to commit Wilson to a dive before rolling the ball in to the opposite corner.

With the half-time whistle coming as soon as United had restarted, tempers ran high as the players came off, with Sutton manager Ian Hazel uncharacteristically remonstrating with the referee.

The game simmered on after the break as both sides became frustrated at being unable to have confidence in either the pitch or the referee.

United had penalty appeals of their own waved away when Tanner went over under Jenkins' challenge, with the ball cleared up to Hughes who was clattered from behind by Gonsalves.

United's defender was rightly booked, but none of the officials spotted the off the ball incident that left Tanner on the ground.

Mr Whitton, who had come to United's attention on the first day of the season at Braintree when he only booked the home side's Dwayne Plummer for felling Gray with a punch, then failed show Stewart Edwards even a yellow card when his foul denied McBean what would have been a clear run on goal, albeit 40 yards out.

Unfortunately neither side had the quality in the second half to deflect attention from the officials, with Tony Quinton having United's only sniff of a chance when he volleyed a deep corner in to the side netting.

A promising run from substitute Jason Henry was brought to an end when he was adjudged to have fouled Hillier just as he squared the ball to an unmarked McBean, who put it in the net.

With 20 minutes left Honey, who was among the afternoon's better performers, was penalised 25 yards out and Searle's piledriving free kick was heading for the top corner when Wilson flew to his left and tipped the ball over the bar, the free kick and the save providing the only moments of real quality in an unsatisfactory second half which Mr Whitton rounded off fittingly by blowing the final whistle without appearing to allow any time for substitutions and treatment of injuries.

Sutton: P Wilson, R Palmer, A Bray, J Scarborough, L Gonsalves, T Quinton, M Gray, P Honey, W McBean, R Gaynor(sub J Henry 67), C Tanner. Subs n/u R Blackwell, B Alimi, STaiwo, L Naughton. Goal: Tanner(3). Booked: Tanner(34-foul), Gaynor(34-unsporting behaviour), Gray(46-foul), Gonsalves(52-foul), Bray(60-foul).

Newport: J Giles, S Jenkins, D Searle, N Davies, S Edwards, I Hillier, J Bowen, L Collier, C Griffin(sub J Alsop 69), C Hughes, S O'Sullivan(sub K Bassett 83). Subs n/u D Holdsworth, J Simpson, M Ovendale. Goal: Bowen(45 pen). Booked: Hillier(34-unsporting behaviour).

Attendance: 685