A trademark double from master marksman Matty Cawthorn fired Long Sutton Athletic to a morale-boosting 2-1 win over Whittlesey Athletic Reserves on Saturday.
Player/assistant boss Cawthorn netted with a bullet header and a classy 20-yard drive at London Road, with Dave Wood the Whittlesey scorer.
The win is Sutton’s first in ChromaSport PDFL Division since late October and moves them up to 12th in the table.
Player/boss Danny Goddard was impressed with what he saw and believes his side can now realistically look to climb the table in 2016.
Goddard said: “I could tell that a few of their players didn’t fancy it early on. They’re a good footballing side, so I told my lads to abandon our usual style and almost play horrible football.
“As it turns out, we outplayed them anyway. It was great to get that win, hopefully we’ll kick on now and start climbing the table.
“I’ve never finished lower than seventh in this league, so getting there or thereabouts has to be the aim. I was told that we’re only one point off matching the club’s entire tally from last season, so we’ve almost achieved our first goal of the season.
“I do think we can get much higher than where we are now.”
Goddard and Sutton were also buoyed by an impressive debut from former Holbeach United midfielder Andy Baker.
The Sutton supremo snapped up Baker after posting a hopeful message on the Boston League website – and was delighted by his impact.
“Andy made a massive difference,” admitted Goddard. “He’s exactly what we’ve needed.
“He’s a real presence in midfield and I think he’ll be a big player for us in the second half of the season.”
Despite scoring both goals, Cawthorn was given Sutton’s prized “match donkey” award for missing a late sitter.
Saturday: Sutton v Harrox Res (1.30pm).
