Gillingham boss Stephen Clemence hailed his team’s mentality shift after League Two’s lowest scorers carved out a 1-0 win over struggling 10-man Sutton.
Substitute Scott Malone’s screamer with 18 minutes remaining proved the difference after Sutton’s Harry Smith was sent off midway through the first half at Priestfield Stadium.
It is the first time the Gills have found the net in three games and Clemence hopes it will inspire a commitment to improving their goal return in the new year.
He said: “I thought we were absolutely fantastic, even when they had 11 men, we’ve had enough chances today to probably win three football matches.
“It could have become difficult against 10 men, but we kept going after them, moving the ball around, and we’ve got to do that regardless of who we play.
“That’s the mindset I want us to have. I’m starting to see a shift in the players.
“The goal we scored was probably one of the hardest chances we had tonight. It was an excellent finish from Scott, so well done to him.
“We need to be more clinical. We’ve had a number of opportunities in the past couple of games, but we’re still the lowest scorers in League Two.
“I’m sure there’s been lots of criticism out there at us for not winning the last three games but the group always give their all.
“I don’t look at the table too much, it only matters come the end of the season.”
Three points bumped Gillingham up to 10th but it was a different story for interim Sutton manager Jason Goodliffe as United’s performance was a reminder that old habits die hard.
After a derby win against Wimbledon, Smith’s early sending-off for a challenge on Max Ehmer in the 26th minute stacked the odds against Sutton and, for Goodliffe, proved to be the turning point.
He said: “It was a hugely frustrating evening. I thought we were under the cosh for the first 10 minutes, as they came out of the traps well, but we managed to withstand it.
“We started to create some moments for ourselves, had a great chance through Smith and the game turned on the red card.
“I can’t fault the effort of the players, the boys gave it everything they could tonight. Deano (Dean Bouzanis) didn’t have a lot of saves to make and we defended our box extremely well. It’s taken an unbelievable strike into the top corner to beat us.
“From where I was, it didn’t look like a red card, I felt it was very harsh. From then on it was backs-to-the-wall stuff.
“It’s typical of how the season is going. We don’t seem to get the right decisions nor the right side of the luck.”
New York Red Bulls v New York City FC: Schwarz excited for derby test
Sandro Schwarz is treating New York Red Bulls' meeting with New York City FC as a blank slate but is looking forward to the "special atmosphere" of the derby.
The Red Bulls are winless in five matches since their return to MLS action after the Leagues Cup, alternating between draws and losses – they drew 2-2 with Atlanta United last time out – leaving them fourth in the Eastern Conference.
They lost the reverse fixture back in May 2-1, but Schwarz is adamant that history will not dictate the result of this meeting.
"It's a derby and that means a special atmosphere in our stadium, which is necessary for us," Schwarz said. "This is good to have this game now against New York City.
"It's a new situation, and now we have to show we are in a good spot and show our whole quality and energy, which we need to get three points.
"We don't think too much about the results in the past, we just need to focus on right now to get the three points."
Meanwhile, NYCFC are seventh in the table, three points behind their opponents, but they are on a 10-match winless streak in MLS, with their last win coming in early July.
They snatched a last-gasp 1-1 draw with Inter Miami last time out and head coach Nick Cushing is hopeful their fans can spur them on once again.
"Our fans were incredible in the Miami game,” he said. "I'm really proud of that.
"When I speak to our players, that was a huge factor in fighting and continuing to push [against Miami].
"Having the hunger and the desire to get something was, of course, for our league position and for our push toward the postseason, but it was also for our fans."
PLAYERS TO WATCH
New York Red Bulls – Julian Hall
Julian Hall recorded his first career assist against Atlanta to go along with his two goals.
At 16 years, 181 days, Hall is the second-youngest player in MLS history to record at least two goals and an assist, after Freddy Adu (14 years, 355 days).
New York City FC – James Sands
James Sands scored at 94:40 to earn NYCFC a point against Inter Miami last Saturday.
It was the third-latest result-changing goal in regular season play in club history and the latest that was not from the penalty spot.
MATCH PREDICTION: NEW YORK RED BULLS WIN
The Red Bulls have won 12 of their 16 home matches against New York City FC (D2 L2) in all competitions, including the last two in a row. The Red Bulls have limited NYCFC to eight goals in those 16 matches, allowing multiple goals only once (2-0 defeat in 2017).
However, 11 of the Red Bulls' last 15 matches in all competitions have ended in draws (W2 D2). They have not won in over two months, since a 3-1 victory over FC Cincinnati on July 20.
Meanwhile, New York City FC are winless in 11 straight away matches in all competitions dating back to June. NYCFC lost the first three of those but have managed to draw six of the last eight away from home (L2).
OPTA WIN PROBABILITY
New York Red Bulls – 48.4%
Draw – 25.8%
New York City FC – 25.8%
No Neymar return until 2025, says Al-Hilal boss Jesus
Neymar will not return from his anterior cruciate ligament injury until January 2025 at the earliest, Al-Hilal boss Jorge Jesus has warned.
Neymar left Paris Saint-Germain for Al-Hilal in a €90million deal in August 2023, becoming one of the faces of the Saudi Pro League's major recruitment drive.
However, he only played five matches for the club before rupturing his ACL while on international duty with Brazil last October.
The 32-year-old subsequently missed the remainder of the season as well as the Selecao's ill-fated Copa America campaign, and he remains some way away from a return.
Neymar was removed from Al-Hilal's Saudi Pro League squad in September, with the 19-time champions only able to register a maximum of eight foreign players for the first half of the season.
Reports had suggested Neymar was close to a return after Al-Hilal posted footage of him training on social media, but Jesus says Brazil's all-time leading scorer must wait until the halfway point of the campaign before being considered.
"Neymar is an important player for Al Hilal and the league in general," Jesus told reporters on Tuesday.
"I can't, however, specify a date as to when he will return, but we will look at the situation in January."
With no restrictions on foreign players featuring in the AFC Champions League, Neymar could, in theory, play in that competition if he returns to fitness before January.
Al-Bukayriyah 0-1 Al-Hilal: Leonardo sends defending King's Cup champions through
Marcos Leonardo's first-half penalty was enough to book Al-Hilal a spot in the King's Cup round of 16 with a 1-0 win over Al-Bukayriyah.
The defending champions dominated from the start, with Abdullah Al Hamddan and Sergej Milinkovic-Savic both seeing early efforts saved by Dziugas Bartkus.
Al Hamddan then won the game-winning spot-kick in the 40th minute, being brought down in the box by Ibrahim Al Sunaytan, and Leonardo made no mistake from 12 yards.
Al-Hilal kept pushing for another goal, with substitutes Renan Lodi and Aleksandar Mitrovic both testing Bartkus in the second half, but they could not add to the scoreline.
Neymar, who is gearing up for his return to action after a year on the sidelines, was not involved for Al-Hilal, who lead the way in the Saudi Pro League.
Data Debrief: Leonardo proves the difference
Al-Hilal were dominant in the first half, completely overwhelming their opponents as they had 12 of their 17 shots before the break, getting five of those on target.
But across the 90 minutes, it was Leonardo who was the standout, having the second-most shots (three) and accumulating 0.82 expected goals (xG).
His only shot on target may have been the winning penalty, but he proved a handful as he also had the most touches in the opposition box (10).
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