Forest Green Rovers were held to a 1-1 draw by Sutton United at the VBS Community Stadium on Saturday afternoon, dropping crucial points after surrendering a late goal.
The visitors took the lead in the 20th minute when Ricardo Rees earned a penalty following a well-timed run and a mistimed recovery challenge by Sutton’s defense. Josh McAllister confidently converted the spot-kick, slotting the ball into the bottom right corner with his left foot.
However, the match took a turn as Rees narrowly avoided a red card for a reckless challenge around the half-hour mark, only to be dismissed shortly after for a second yellow card following a handball inside the box during added time in the first half. Before his sending off, Rees had cleverly controlled the ball and scored, but the goal was disallowed due to the impending foul.
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Sutton United pushed aggressively in the second half, capitalizing on their numerical advantage. Despite several close calls, including hitting the post, the breakthrough came in the final minute of stoppage time. Jayden Harris scrambled the ball home from a chaotic situation to secure the equaliser.
Rovers nearly sealed victory moments earlier when Tom Knowles had the chance to set up a simple tap-in, but the opportunity was missed. Manager Robbie Savage received a yellow card for his protests following Rees’s dismissal, and new coach Josh Bowen was sent off in injury time, shortly after his appointment last month.
The match ended in a hard-fought draw, with Forest Green Rovers disappointed to drop points after an early advantage but still showing resilience under pressure.