National League Rundown: What did we learn from Round Six?

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By Sam Gale

The latest round of National League action offered up another weekend packed with drama, surprise results and early season talking points.

The storylines are already stacking up. From Sutton United finally claiming their first win of the season against previously unbeaten Carlisle United, to Southend United extending their impressive run thanks to an Andrew Dallas double, momentum is beginning to matter.

There was also no shortage of off-field intrigue, with managerial changes at York City and Yeovil Town, while elsewhere late drama and thrilling draws reminded us just how unpredictable this division can be.

Truro City’s first victory of the campaign capped it all off with a standout performance to savour.

Here, Sam Gale rounds up the key results, shocks and standout moments from another action-packed weekend in the National League.

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U’s stun Cumbrians

Sutton United 2-1 Carlisle United

Before a ball was kicked, Sutton were still searching for their first win of the National League campaign, having failed to register a victory either at home or away so far this season.

In stark contrast, their visitors – Mark Hughes’s unbeaten Carlisle side – arrived full of confidence after an impressive start to the season.

But on the day, form counted for little. Sutton’s defensive rock and eventual man of the match, Edon Pruti, rose highest to power home an unstoppable header and give the hosts the lead.

The advantage was later doubled by super-sub David Ogbonna, who showed remarkable composure to delicately chip the ball over Gabriel Breeze in the Carlisle goal.

Carlisle did manage a late response through Georgie Kelly, but it proved nothing more than a consolation.

While Hughes’ side are unlikely to be overly concerned – this being their first defeat of the campaign – they will still be disappointed by this minor setback.

For Sutton, however, this was a huge boost. The much-needed victory breathes fresh life into their season as the young side looks to climb the table from their current position of 18th.

Ultimately, this result serves as a reminder that even as the season begins to take shape, there are still plenty of surprises left in store.

Dallas double downs Moors!

Solihull Moors 1-2 Southend United

The Shrimpers secured a hard-fought 2-1 victory over Solihull at Damson Park, maintaining their unbeaten start to the National League season.

Dallas opened the scoring for Southend in just the 5th minute, but Solihull drew level early in the second half through Dan Creaney in the 53rd minute.

However, the 26-year-old forward struck again in the 72nd minute to complete his brace and seal all three points for the visitors.

The result keeps Southend among the early front-runners, while Solihull remain winless and stuck rooted to the bottom of the table with just three points, piling further pressure on their campaign.

Elsewhere, Braintree Town and Forest Green Rovers played out a goalless stalemate.

The result was described by Forest Green manager Robbie Savage as a “fair result”, noting that neither side really asserted control over the game.

Braintree displayed a promising first-half showing, yet neither team could break the deadlock as both defences held firm.

Forest Green remain undefeated whilst the Iron are amongst the middle of the pack, currently residing in 14th place, their only win coming against Yeovil. 

Managerial shake-up at York and Yeovil

Minstermen appoint Maynard

The first and most notable managerial change this week came at York, with Adam Hinshlewood departing the club.

The decision may have been influenced by the owners’ perceived disappointing start to the season, with three draws in their opening four fixtures.

York have moved quickly to appoint former Notts County boss Stuart Maynard, in hopes he can take them a step further than last season.

A blank weekend gives York the ideal chance to reset and adjust to life under new management.

Glovers in search of a new manager

Elsewhere, Yeovil have parted ways with Mark Cooper following a poor run of form, registering just one win from their first five matches.

Interim manager Richard Dryden took charge for the first time in a high-scoring 3-2 defeat away at Halifax Town.

The breakthrough came on the stroke of half-time, with last week’s Halifax goalscorer David Kawa turning provider to set up young midfielder Owen Bray.

The pair combined once again later in the match, with Kawa assisting Bray to level the score after Yeovil had taken a brief lead with two goals in eight minutes – only for Halifax to claw their way back.

Ten minutes from time, the home crowd erupted as Will Harris fired high into the net from close range to seal Halifax’s third and decisive goal.

The hard-fought victory, their second of the season, lifts Town up to 13th in the table

Meanwhile, Yeovil will be eager to appoint a swift replacement, with the club now sitting just outside the relegation zone on goal difference.

Heed and Shots share the spoils in six-goal thriller

Gateshead 3-3 Aldershot Town

The Gateshead International Stadium hosted an exhilarating clash between Gateshead and Aldershot, which ended in a thrilling 3-3 draw.

Heed struck first when a neat passage of play through midfield saw Fenton John slip the ball to Frank Nouble.

Nouble then threaded a clever pass out to Kyle Hurst on the left, who drifted inside and out past defender Will Nightingale before rifling his shot beyond Marcus Dewhurst to give the visitors the lead.

Aldershot responded with purpose. Following a patient spell of build-up play, the ball was worked down the flank and crossed into the box, where Kwame Thomas rose highest to nod it home and bring the hosts level once again.

In the 26th minute, Aldershot took the lead for the first time. A clever move down the left saw the ball played inside to Cameron Hargreaves, who shaped to shoot from just outside the box.

His strike took a wicked deflection, leaving Tiernan Brooks wrong-footed and putting the hosts ahead.

Hurst was not done, though. After some shaky defending from Aldershot, a simple through ball found him in space, and he coolly slotted the ball into the bottom-left corner to claim his second of the game and bring Gateshead level.

He had the chance to seal his hat-trick, but Dewhurst produced an excellent save.

The rebound fell kindly to Harrison Chapman, who buried it into the bottom-left corner before wheeling away in celebration.

However, Aldershot obtained another equaliser when Josh Barrett’s free kick cannoned back off the post and fell kindly to Hady Ghandour, who tucked it away.

The last action of the game came when Aldershot’s celebrations were cut short as they had a goal ruled out for a foul on a Gateshead defender in the buildup.

Waldron to the rescue for Saints!

Brackley Town 1-1 Scunthorpe United

The first major talking point of the match did not arrive until the second half when Gareth Dean was caught grappling with Danny Whitehall from a Scunthorpe corner, leading the referee to award a penalty.

Whitehall, the player who had been impeded, stepped up to take the spot-kick.

He calmly rolled the ball to the left of goalkeeper Jonny Maxted, who guessed the right way but couldn’t keep it out.

Not long after, there was another shout for a penalty; however, the referee saw things differently this time, booking Joe Starbuck for simulation and showing him a second yellow card, reducing the visitors to ten men.

It looked as though the Iron had done enough to seal all three points deep into stoppage time, but Brackley had other ideas.

In the dying moments, a free-kick was lofted into the box, and Danny Waldron rose highest to nod the ball home, netting his first goal in 22 league appearances and rescuing a dramatic point for the visitors.

Standout performance: Tinners too strong for Pilgrims

There was several nominees who put in eye-catching displays at the weekend, but the standout performance belonged to Truro.

The Tinners claimed their maiden league win in emphatic style, sweeping aside Boston to climb off the foot of the table for the first time this season.

The deadlock was finally broken just before half-time when Rekeil Pyke latched onto a ball slipped through a Boston defender’s legs and coolly applied the finishing touch.

The next moment came when Tyler Harvey was about to shoot, but was then impeded by captain Gregory Sloggett in the box.

He was given a penalty and nearly had his effort saved, but it still ended up in the back of the net as he scored their second of the match.

It was not long until the game’s result was conclusive, Will Dean adding a third and final goal for the Tinners.

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READ MORE: National League Rundown: What did we learn from Round Five?