Sutton United produced a dramatic late comeback to earn a 3-3 draw against ten-man Forest Green Rovers at the Borough Sports Ground. The visitors led 2-0 before Freddie Sass was sent off early in the second half and later restored a two-goal advantage, but Sutton struck twice during the closing stages to rescue a point.
Forest Green made the stronger start and opened the scoring in the 10th minute through Jayden Clarke. The early goal gave the visitors an advantage they were able to protect throughout the remainder of the first half, with Sutton unable to find an equaliser before the interval.
Rovers strengthened their position almost immediately after the restart. Oliver Ewing found the net in the 48th minute to double the visitors’ advantage and put Forest Green 2-0 ahead with more than 40 minutes remaining.
The complexion of the contest changed dramatically just four minutes later. Sass, who had already been cautioned, received a second yellow card in the 52nd minute and was dismissed, leaving Forest Green to defend their two-goal advantage with ten men.
Sutton attempted to make their numerical advantage count and turned to their bench as the second half progressed. Brandon Njoku was introduced in the 71st minute and required barely a minute to make an impact, scoring in the 72nd to reduce the deficit to 2-1 and give the hosts renewed hope.
Forest Green produced an immediate response despite their numerical disadvantage. Just a minute after Njoku’s goal, Clarke turned provider and supplied Kyle McAllister, who found the net in the 73rd minute to restore Rovers’ two-goal cushion at 3-1.
Sutton refused to allow the contest to get away from them and struck again in the 79th minute. Emmanuel Osadebe provided the assist for Charlie Carter, who converted to make it 3-2 and set up a tense conclusion at the Borough Sports Ground.
With Forest Green attempting to protect their narrow advantage with ten men, Sutton continued to push for an equaliser. Their persistence was finally rewarded deep into stoppage time when Ben Brookes supplied Temi Babalola, who scored in the 93rd minute to complete the comeback and make it 3-3.
There was no time for either side to find another goal and the final whistle confirmed a remarkable six-goal draw. Forest Green had led 2-0 and then 3-1 despite Sass’s dismissal, but Sutton scored twice during the final 15 minutes to ensure the points were shared.
The result moved Sutton United onto 17 points from ten National League matches, while Forest Green Rovers moved onto 14 points from ten games. Sutton had started the day sixth but slipped down the tightly congested table despite earning a point, while Forest Green added to their tally after responding to the previous weekend’s home defeat against Boston United.
