The Sutton United season preview 2023/24 looks at a difficult test ahead.
This could be manager Matt Gray’s hardest year at Sutton United, after Ali Smith, Will Randall, Omar Bugiel and Donovan Wilson exited Gander Green Lane.
A stable club with a good culture, but resources are tight and League Two is much stronger now. Ebbsfleet midfielder Christian N’Guessan should fit in well, though, but ultimately it might not prove enough.
Sutton United season preview 2023/24, the fan's view: Andrew Youngman (@andrew_youngers)
Last season was largely dull. We had an unfortunate exit in the League Cup, lost at home to sixth-tier Farnborough in the FA Cup, and ended the season winless in 11 games having scored just 46 goals in the league overall.
The big talking point is where to put 1,000 extra seats, which we need to satisfy league ground grading criteria. Luckily we’ve been given an exemption until next summer.
This season will be different because we’re going to have a much-changed side. There’ll be a big turnaround, with at least 16 players leaving since May.
I’m least looking forward to playing Forest Green, because it’s just a terrible away-day experience. And Walsall and Grimsby are pure meh.
The opposition player I’d love here is Gillingham midfielder Jonny Williams, who was superb at Swindon last term.
Look out for Kylian Kouassi, a product of our youth academy. He’ll get more playing time this campaign.
Our key player will be Sutton’s Captain Fantastic, Craig Eastmond, who is closing in on 350 appearances. He’s a colussus, and boy do we miss him in midfield when he doesn’t play.
The opposition player who grinds my gears is Conor Wilkinson, most recently of Walsall, or any of the Grimsby players who went down for an age with cramp during their visit in March.
The thing my club really gets right is responding to fan feedback. A fanzone was created during last season: a great addition to the matchday experience
The one change I’d make would be to magically make the ground up to league standard. Off-season stadium developments continue to hurt us.
The pantomime villain will be almost any of the referees we have to put up with in the fourth tier. Where do they find these people?
The fans’ opinion of the gaffer is still that Matt Gray has god-like status for guiding us into this division. He got us through a tricky second season here, too, and I look forward to seeing how he fares this term.
We’ll finish 22nd, at this point in time. I hope there’ll be two worse sides than us, but we have a mammoth rebuilding job ahead of us!
Season previews for the Premier League, League One and League Two are all available HERE
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