SUTTON UNITED 0 MAGPIES 1

DORCHESTER Town defied the odds to beat promotion hopefuls Sutton United on Saturday and move off the bottom of the Skrill South table.

The returning Brandon Goodship got the Magpies’ winning goal in the 63rd minute, firing past Sutton keeper Tom Lovelock having been found by substitute Alex Godfrey.

Goodship, whose loan from Bournemouth was extended for another month last week, seems to be the Magpies’ lucky charm – he scored twice in the 3-1 win at Maidenhead last month.

Sutton’s effort couldn’t be faulted but they came up against a largely inexperienced side that produced arguably their best performance of the season.

And in Goodship they had a striker prepared to run all afternoon and who was able to test the U’s defence when he got the chance.

He had already threatened once before his match-winner when in the last minute of the first half Simon Downer failed to cut out a through ball, leaving Goodship clear on goal.

On this occasion, Lovelock was off his line to make a good save, but when Godfrey chipped a pass into Goodship’s path on the right of the penalty just after the hour mark the latter brought the ball down before sending in a shot that slithered under the keeper.

Those two moments represented Dorchester’s only real attacks of the game at that stage, and the goal came at a point when it looked to be only a matter of time before the deadlock was broken at the other end.

Dominating possession, Sutton started to create chances as the first half progressed with the lively Jamie Taylor heading over from Dean McDonald’s cross, before a superb exchange between Craig Dundas and Ali Fuseini resulted in Alan Walker-Harris racing off his line to save.

Five minutes later the keeper produced a brilliant stop from McDonald after another neat passing movement had ended with Fuseini playing the ball in low and the former hitting a shot that seemed set for the top corner.

From the resulting corner, Walker-Harris denied Charlie Clough a goal against his former club as he grabbed the commanding defender’s header under the bar.

James Folkes and Dale Binns both sent in crosses that flashed across goal and although Goodship’s late chance provided a scare, U’s would have gone in at half-time convinced that if they carried on in a similar vein after the interval the goal would surely come.

The early stages of the second half did little to change that view as Fuseini saw a low 20-yard effort tipped away by Walker-Harris, then Dundas stormed down the left before sending in a cross that Taylor volleyed just wide.

Six minutes later, though, Goodship had scored, and although the U’s might have equalised almost immediately when Jamie Slabber headed against the bar from close range, their attempts to get back into the game became increasingly frenetic.

None more so than when Dundas sent the ball in the direction of Sutton High Street after it fell to him on the edge of the penalty area.

Pushing forward, the U’s were also increasingly vulnerable to a counter-attack and Goodship hit the foot of the post with a shot from the edge of the penalty area after Jack Twyford, making his first league start, had played the ball in from the left.

However, for the most part it remained a game of attack versus defence, and Sutton almost had their reward when Steve Walker was booked for a foul on substitute Dean Sinclair.

Fuseini’s free-kick hit the foot of the post, struck Walker-Harris, and was eventually bundled in by a combination of Sinclair and Dundas, only for Sinclair to be ruled offside as the ball came back off the woodwork.

It was one of two borderline decisions that went against Sutton in the last 10 minutes.

Taylor was convinced he should have had a penalty as he went over in pursuit of a Dundas header but referee Adrian Sannerude waved play on when his assistant showed no interest.

It was all hands to the pump for the Magpies in the closing stages – the game had started around 20 minutes late when the referee got stuck in traffic – but after what seemed an eternity, the visitors could celebrate the result their hard work deserved.

Sutton: Lovelock, Folkes, Fuseini, Clough, Downer, McDonald (Scannell 68), Riviere (Stuart 68), Dundas, Slabber, Taylor, Binns (Sinclair 75). Subs not used: Telfer, Shaw.

Dorchester: Walker-Harris, Bell, Way, Jermyn, Walker, Lanahan, Crittenden, Gleeson, Goodship (Jevon 82), Wakefield (Godfrey 44), Twyford.

Sub not used: Tennant.

Bookings: Sutton – Downer (foul, 45).

Magpies – Walker (foul, 78).

Attendance: 646