On This Day – 7th January
It was on this day back in 1989 that Sutton United recorded a famous 2-1 win over Coventry City.
First Division Coventry had won the FA Cup two seasons before and Sutton United were a Vauxhall Conference team at the time.
The match was played in front of a sell-out crowd, with 8,000 fans watching at Sutton’s small Gander Green Lane home.
Tony Rains gave Sutton United a shock lead three minutes before half time, heading in from close range after a corner wasn’t cleared by the First Division defence.
David Phillips equalised for Coventry seven minutes after the restart with a composed finish past Trevor Roffey in the Sutton goal. The small Coventry City following celebrated as the rest of the crowd watched on crestfallen.
Seven minutes later, there was pandemonium on the terraces as Matthew Hanlon thumped in a volley from a well-worked corner. John Motson could barely conceal his excitement as a giantkilling was on the cards. The BBC were covering the game for Match of the Day and the commentator was ecstatic and didn’t sound a bit impassive!
Sutton held on for a famous win and the final whistle was greeted by a massive pitch invasion. The non-leaguers went out in the next round, losing 8-0 to Norwich City at Carrow Road.
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