Sutton United F.C.

Formation and the early years The club was formed on 5 March 1898 when Sutton Guild Rovers F.C. and Sutton Association F.C. (formerly Sutton St Barnabas F.C.) agreed to merge during a meeting at the Robin Hood Hotel. The club gained a reputation locally in junior leagues, including the Clapham League, and in 1910 decided to become a senior side. Athenian League Sutton gained election into the Athenian League in 1921. and so organised competitions were rare and sporadic, but Sutton won a number of honours. This put them in good stead for winning the league again when the war came to an end. With the help of 42 goals from Charlie Vaughan, Sutton ran away with the 1945–46 season. This was also the first time the club won the Surrey Senior Cup and got through to the FA Cup first round. in the third round and went on to play Don Revie's top flight Leeds United, one of the best teams in Europe at the time, at Gander Green Lane. The match saw 14,000 spectators squeeze into the ground and Leeds, with 11 full internationals in the team, won 6–0. Unfortunately, the next decade proved to be one of little success for the club In a memorable game against Coventry City, Sutton won 2–1 with goals from Tony Rains and Matthew Hanlan, Despite two top-three finishes following the relegation, a quick return to the Conference did not come until Sutton were Isthmian League champions in 1999 under former captain John Rains. Sutton won the Surrey Senior Cup in 2003 and the following season saw the team start well and recover from a bad spell over the winter to finish second. Conference South For the 2004–05 season, The FA planned for the introduction of two new divisions: the Conference North and Conference South. Because of Sutton's high finish in the Isthmian League Premier Division, they were selected to be a founding member of the Conference South. The next three seasons were unremarkable, with Sutton finishing mid-table each time and no real success in cup competitions. and Paul Doswell came in as manager during the 2008 close-season. Paul Doswell (2008–2019) Sutton finished fifth in their first season back in the Isthmian League Premier Division and 2nd the following season, losing in both seasons' play-off semi finals to Staines Town and Kingstonian respectively. Back in the Conference South for the 2011–12 season, Sutton finished 4th but lost to Welling United in the play-off semi finals. On 23 April, Sutton defeated Chelmsford City at home 2–0 and were crowned champions of the National League South with a game to spare. The club's first ever televised league game, broadcast live on BT Sport, was played against Tranmere Rovers at Gander Green Lane on 17 September 2016, a game which Sutton won 1–0. Paul Doswell celebrated his 500th game as manager of Sutton United on 8 October 2016 and the club made a special presentation to him before kick off. In the second round of the 2016–17 FA Cup, Sutton defeated League Two side Cheltenham Town 2–1. In the third round, Sutton were drawn at home to local rivals AFC Wimbledon of League One, attracting a crowd of 5,013. A 0–0 draw set up a third round replay at Kingsmeadow which Sutton won 3–1 after coming from behind. On 29 January 2017, Sutton, captained by Jamie Collins, a part-time builder, beat Championship side Leeds United, 1–0 in the FA Cup, and reached the 5th round of the competition for the first time. They therefore became only the 9th non-League side to reach the 5th round of the FA Cup since 1945. They hosted Arsenal in the last 16 of the competition on 20 February which they lost 2–0. The game sparked a betting controversy surrounding the actions of Sutton's reserve goalkeeper Wayne Shaw, who ate a 'pastry' on the bench after Sun Bets offered odds of 8–1 against him eating a pie during the match. Shaw offered his resignation over the incident. Sutton finished the 2016–17 season mid-table in 12th. In their final game of the 2017–18 season, and in front of a record league attendance of 3,541, Sutton beat Aldershot Town at home 2–1 to claim a play-off semi-final place and a best ever league finish of third in the fifth tier. In 2018, Sutton were invited to participate in the 2018–19 Scottish Challenge Cup after the competition had decided to include two National League clubs. On 8 September 2018, Sutton defeated Airdrieonians by 17 September 2018 in the second round of the tournament. Following a temporary break in mid-March 2019, one month later Paul Doswell resigned after 11 years as manager, as Sutton finished 9th in the league. During that time his achievements included leading the club to two league promotions, a run to the fifth round of the FA Cup, a National League play-off semi-final and a first win for an English team in the Scottish Challenge Cup. The club also prospered off the pitch with regular match attendances increasing significantly, ground improvements and the formation of an academy for young players. Promotion to the Football League (2019–2024) On 1 May his successor was announced as Matt Gray, who had joined the club as head coach in December 2018. This was Gray's first appointment as a full manager. Sutton were ranked 15th when the 2019–20 season was suspended because of the COVID-19 pandemic. In the following 2020–21 season, Sutton performed strongly throughout and on 23 May 2021 beat Hartlepool United at home 3–0, winning the National League with a game to spare and securing promotion to the English Football League for the first time in the club's 123-year history. On 7 August 2021, Sutton played their first English Football League match, losing 2–1 to Forest Green. Sutton booked their place in the 2022 EFL Trophy final after defeating Wigan Athletic on penalties. In the final at Wembley Stadium, Sutton met Rotherham United, losing 4–2 after extra time. In their first League Two season, Sutton finished 8th, missing out on the play-offs by one point. They finished 14th at the end of the 2022–23 season. He was replaced with Steve Morrison. In the 2023–24 season, Sutton were relegated from the Football League after finishing in 23rd place. Back in the National League After a mid table finish in their first season back, Steve Morrison was sacked in October 2025 after Sutton were in the relegation zone with terrible form. He was replaced by Chris Agutter, who dragged the team out of the relegation zone, and the team turned the season around with the 2nd best form in the National League as of 05/11/2025, unbeaten in 8 games in all competitions. ==Club identity==

Shirt and crest The club's crest is derived from, and almost identical to the Arms of the Municipal Borough of Sutton and Cheam, the predecessor to the present day London Borough of Sutton, the only differences being some minor colour changes and the borough motto being replaced with the team name. The gold and silver discs on the shield and the keys inside the discs symbolise the ownership of Sutton by the Chertsey Abbey (as recorded in the Domesday Book). The popinjay which sits at the top of the badge is from the arms of the Lumleys, former lords of the Manor of Cheam. Table of kit suppliers and shirt sponsors appear below: Mascot Sutton's mascot is Jenny the Giraffe. She attends all home matches and can be seen before kick-off. Jenny wears a Sutton United shirt and has been known to wear a scarf during the winter. On 3 October, Jenny took part in the 2010 Mascot Grand National at Huntingdon Racecourse and finished 5th out of 41 runners. SUFC Gambia There is a club in The Gambia called "Sutton United FC". In July 1999, Young Stars FC was formed by Father Andrew Cole and the team originally consisted of people going to Bible classes. The team was later renamed Sanchaba United, which means "Downtown" in the Mandinka language until an English visitor, known only as Walter, donated equipment to the club and suggested they change their name to Sutton United FC (Gambia). ==Ground==

Sutton United play their home games at Gander Green Lane, officially the VBS Community Stadium for sponsorship reasons. Sutton United received the seats for the grandstand at Gander Green Lane from the remodelling of Stamford Bridge and were given to them by the Chelsea F.C. Pitch Owners. The capacity of the ground is 7,032 (1,132 seated). ==Supporters and rivalries==

Sutton United's main rivals are Bromley and AFC Wimbledon. Sutton's strongest rivalry is with Carshalton Athletic, with both sides within the London Borough of Sutton. Derby matches have been contested in the Athenian League, Isthmian League and the Conference South, as well as twelve different cup competitions. The teams have generally competed on Boxing Day, New Year's Day and other bank holidays. Sutton have the better record, one of the most famous meetings being a 6–0 win in 2002. In total, the two sides have met 133 times (as of August 2011), with Sutton winning on 72 of those occasions, Carshalton 33 and there have been 28 draws. Until the 2022–23 season, Sutton had never shared a league with AFC Wimbledon, but due to the geographical proximity the two clubs share a rivalry, which has been dubbed the 'friendly derby'. The clubs first met in the third round of the 2016–17 FA Cup, Sutton were drawn at home and in front of a sell-out crowd on 7 January 2017, the game ended 0–0. The replay took place at Kingsmeadow in front of another capacity crowd, including 809 Sutton supporters, on 17 January. Goals from Roarie Deacon, Maxime Biamou and Dan Fitchett saw the U's complete a historic comeback and win the match 3–1, putting Sutton through to the fourth round of the FA Cup for the first time since 1989. Sutton relaid the pitch at Gander Green Lane in August 2015 with 3G artificial turf and since then the club have contested matches with Maidstone United, who use a 3G pitch at the Gallagher Stadium, in what has been named by fans El Plastico (a reference to El Clásico). Bromley also laid a 3G pitch at Hayes Lane in 2017. As Crystal Palace Women also play at the VBS Community Stadium, Crystal Palace paid for a new grass pitch at Gander Green Lane which was laid in the 2023–24 off-season. ==Records and statistics==

• Best FA Cup performance: Fifth round, 2016–17 • Best League Cup performance: Third round, 2023–24 • Best EFL Trophy performance: Runners-up, 2021–22 • Best FA Trophy performance: Runners-up, 1980–81 • Record attendance: 14,000 vs. Leeds United, FA Cup fourth round, 24 January 1970 • Biggest victory: 11–1 vs. Clapton, 1966; 11–1 vs. Leatherhead, 1982–83, both Isthmian League • Heaviest defeat: 13–0 vs. Barking, Athenian League, 1925–26 • Most appearances: Larry Pritchard, 781 • Most goals: Paul McKinnon, 279 ==Players==

Current squad Out on loan Notable former players ==Club management and support staff==

Source: League • National League (level 5) • Champions: 2020–21 • National League South (level 6) • Champions: 2015–16 • Isthmian League Premier Division • Champions: 1966–67, 1984–85, 1985–86, 1998–99, 2010–11 • Athenian League • Champions: 1927–28, 1945–46, 1957–58 Cup • EFL Trophy • Runners-up: 2021–22 • FA Trophy • Runners-up: 1980–81 • National League Cup • Runners-up: 2024–25 • FA Amateur Cup • Runners-up: 1962–63, 1968–69 • Anglo-Italian Cup • Winners: 1978–79 • Athenian League Challenge Cup • Winners: 1945–46, 1955–56, 1961–62, 1962–63 • Bob Lord Trophy • Winners: 1990–91 • Isthmian League Cup • Winners: 1982–83, 1983–84, 1985–86, 1997–98 • Isthmian League Full Members' Cup • Winners: 1991–92, 1995–96 • London Senior Cup • Winners: 1957–58, 1982–83 • South Thames Cup • Winners: 1954–55, 1966–67, 1967–68 • Surrey Senior Cup • Winners (15): 1945–46, 1964–65, 1967–68, 1969–70, 1979–80, 1982–83, 1983–84, 1984–85, 1985–86, 1986–87, 1987–88, 1992–93, 1994–95, 1998–99, 2002–03 • President's Trophy • Winners: 2009–10 (shared), 2010–11 (shared) ==References==