After the excitement of Tuesday night's win against Weston-super-Mare, Sutton bumped back down to earth at Park View Road on Saturday, although with plenty of positive aspects to the performance the effect was far less deflating than the recent defeat of Yeading that had followed the thrilling comeback against Fisher.

Dominant in the first half, U's hit the woodwork twice and wouldn't have been flattered by a convincing lead, but not for the first time this season they were slowly out of the blocks in the second half and conceded what proved to be the only goal just 42 seconds after the interval.

Fielding an unchanged outfield line-up, but with Phil Wilson recalled in goal in place of Clint Davies, Sutton at times in the first half found the movement and tempo that had accounted for Weston, in charge to such an extent that Wilson had little to do, but they failed to recapture that form in the second half, although they might have had two penalties in the last fifteen minutes as they fought in vain for a leveller.

The first ten minutes suggested that U's would pick up where they had left off on Tuesday, and after only three minutes Charlie Ide was hauled back in the centre circle by Leon Solomon.

Paul Honey immediately took the free kick to put Ross Gaynor through, and his shot was only just wide of the post.

The lack of fortune in front of goal that Ide had experienced on Tuesday soon continued, as a Matt Gray corner found him beyond the far post and his header came down to safety off the underside of the bar, and U's struck wood again in the 25th minute when Des Boateng was booked for tripping Eddie Akuamoah 25 yards out, and Peter Fear's free kick crashed back off the crossbar.

Minutes later they put together a superb move on the left that saw Michael Johnson release Gaynor, and his low cross to the near post was met by Ide who had judged his run superbly but turned the ball just wide of the post.

Welling had been restricted to one half chance when Ben Lewis, making his debut after being signed from St Albans, miscued a volley wide from Jamie Day's corner, but eleven minutes before the break Danny Kedwell broke down the right and sent in a fine low cross that was met at full stretch beyond the far post by Matt Bodkin, but the angle was too tight and the ball hit the side netting.

It was U's who finished the half on top, though, as Johnson's excellent reverse pass found Gray on the left, and his cross just evaded Ide at the far post, and Fear then whistled a 25 yard shot just wide after Ide had rolled the ball in to his path.

U's would have hoped for more of the same after the break, but having kicked off at the start of the second half the conceded possession immediately.

A ball swung from left to right found Ellis Green in too much space, and his cross to the far post was met by an emphatic downward header from Kedwell that gave Wilson no chance.

There might have been a second soon afterwards when Steve Perkins headed just wide from a corner, and as U's struggled to regain the fluency of the first half the ease with which Lewis and Chris Moore dealt with an increasing number of high balls encouraged U's to introduce Richard Harris in place of Gaynor to give them a more physical presence.

Carl Gibbs was soon on as well, Fear replaced two minutes after being booked for a wild challenge on Green, and U's poured forward in search of an equaliser.

They could have had one penalty when Ide appeared to be barged over by John Guest as he tried to get through on the right, and should definitely have had one when Lewis Gonsalves found most of his shirt in the hands of a defender as he tried to reach a Gray cross from the left, but referee Wayne Porter waved both appeals aside, and added insult to injury for U's by twice harshly penalising Scarborough as he tried to reach long throws from Harris.

For all the pressure, though, Jamie Turner in the Welling goal was no busier than Wilson had been and as Welling hung on to the points he had only to deal with one snap shot from Ide that he saved comfortably.

Sutton: P Wilson, R Palmer, L Gonsalves, J Scarborough, P Fear(sub C Gibbs 72), E.Akuamoah, M Gray, P Honey, C Ide, R Gaynor(sub R Harris 63), M Johnson. Subs n/u S Broad, S Clayton, L Naughton. Booked: Gonsalves(61-foul), Fear(70-foul). Attendance: 634 Sutton's reserves produced a superb comeback to beat Beaconsfield SYCOB in Saturday's Suburban League clash at Gander Green Lane.

Despite dominating the game, U's conceded two goals in as many minutes midway through the first half, but pulled one back on the stroke of half time when Luke Adams headed in a cross from brother Ollie.

The equaliser came with just over twenty minutes to go when Jason Henry headed in a Luke Adams cross, and midfielder David Booth completed the recovery with two minutes left with a powerful 25 yard shot.

Making his debut as a second half substitute was former Woking youth player Dorian Smith.