Sutton aim to be pitch perfect...even if they drop down

COUNTDOWN TO THE FINAL ROUND OF MATCHES IN LEAGUES ONE AND TWO

- Nick Purewal

MK DONS v SUTTON UNITED (League 2: Saturday, 3pm)

SUTTON UNITED could not beam out a clearer 3G signal: there will be no return to a synthetic playing surface at their Gander Green Lane home next season, whatever division they are in.

Chairman Bruce Elliott is surprised about questions over whether a drop back down to the National League would mean the re-installation of a rubber-crumb pitch.

EFL rules forced Sutton rip up their 3G pitch and lay down a grass surface when they were promoted to the Football League for the first time in 2021.

Three years in League Two later, the south London club faces a nail-biting final day trip to MK Dons on Saturday with EFL status hanging by a thread.

Sutton not only need to win, they also need Colchester to lose at home against Crewe and a four-goal swing in order to stay up.

Colchester's 4-1 home defeat by Doncaster on Tuesday gave Sutton a stay of execution, leaving a relegation escape merely improbable.

For a club that has already exceeded its highest ambitions, Sutton have set their sights on becoming Football League regulars, whatever happens this weekend.

"There have been so many pinch yourself moments on our Football League journey," Elliott tells Standard Sport.